Cover Wars- Project Death: Revelation

Okay so I have spent a lot of time with planning this series, not just the titles, characters, plots, and deadlines, but also with figuring out the covers. It is not an easy process, especially when you are self-publishing and doing everything on your own.

But with some books you just have an idea for what you would like for a cover image. Personally, I try to stay away from having people on the cover, because unless that person is absolutely perfect then someone will complain that they did not picture a character looking that way. I know I have felt that way at times with books I've read.

For the Project Death series I could not stop thinking of cool looking cemetery statues or headstones. If it is the right statue then it has a certain level of...well I don't want to say creepiness but maybe foreboding. And since the series is about Death and his Angel fighting to maintain the balance of life and death, cemetery statues also set the tone for the book.

A couple weeks ago I went to visit my friend Signy Cullen, and while I was in her neck of the woods we went to a couple of cemeteries. I really needed to find the perfect image for Revelation. What is now really amusing is that I may have found two rather good options.

Here's the deal guys. I know this book isn't scheduled for release until 2014, but having the cover finished actually helps to motivate me. I set the image as the background to my phone and my laptop so I see it all the time. I'd like to have the cover ready for you guys too.

I think I am going to make two versions of the cover and then I'll put it to a vote to see which one you guys like better. How does that sound? Then, once the winning cover has been selected, I can release the cover officially as well as the book summary. This would also mean having the book put up on Goodreads as well.

Thanks for all of the support guys, and I will have those covers up soon.

A Different Camp Experience

In all of my NaNo experiences and even in my normal writing, I have a system for my writing. I have always written in a linear fashion, from start to finish. That is rapidly changing when it comes to Project Death: Revelation.

As I said before about Thanos' story, it is both prequel and sequel thanks to Thanos telling Tamesis about how he came to be Death. It originally led to me being blocked and unable to keep writing. Then I realized that I would have to write the past story line and then head back to work on the present story line.

Unfortunately, the story did not like that option. For the first time in my writing career I am writing scenes/chapters as they come to my mind. It is thrilling and terrifying at the same time. What if I can't piece all these snippets together? Will working this way actually make things easier or more complicated when I get to editing?

I guess the only way to find out is to keep writing and work through issues as they come. It is one of the fun things about being a reader and a writer. I like not knowing what will happen next in a story.

My characters don't always tell me everything right away so all of this is like wandering through a maze figuring out what to do next with each twist and turn. I love it, and I can't wait to share my next novel with all of you.

Camp NaNoWriMo July...Why July?

There is only one thing that I do not like about Camp NaNoWriMo. It changes months every year. The first year it took place in July and August, which I thought was a horrible idea. Trying to do 50,000 words in 31 days two months in a row is really difficult. Then last year it was June and August, which I have to say that I absolutely loved. There was a break in the middle and both sessions took place in wonderful summer months.

This year, Camp NaNoWriMo took place in April (how is that a summer camp option?) and now July. Yes, July has 31 days which gives a little more time to hit the word count goal, and you don't even have to aim for 50K anymore because you can change your goal lower or higher depending on what you want to do.

Okay, really part of my mini-rant here could be because I absolutely loved having Camp NaNo in August. My birthday is August 1st and I can always count on telling people that what I want for my birthday is a day for everyone to leave me alone so I can write. It really does help with the word count...and having a cake doesn't hurt either.

I have participated in both sessions of Camp since it was created. I am a founding donor for Camp. I love having more opportunities to sit down and write while my inner editor is locked up somewhere deep inside. But, what I would love even more is to be able to have a consistency to my Camp planning. I can always count on NaNoWriMo to be in November. Is it so wrong to want Camp to have that same reliability? I vote for June and August. Really, they were they best.

Moving on....to my actual Camp progress. I am working on Project Death: Revelation, the second book in the Project Death series and the sequel to my just released novel (available on Amazon and CreateSpace). This second book delves into Thanos's past, as well as progressing from where the story ended in the first book. It was that dual nature that has made my writing fairly slow for the past week. I kept trying to write it in a linear order, having the story jump from what is happening at that moment with the characters, to then having Thanos tell Tamesis the story of his past.

I hit a realization yesterday and it is making a world of difference. I am going to write all of Thanos's back story, and then weave the rest of the plot around that fact, deciding when it would be best to have Thanos pause in his narration, etc. It should work out a lot better and will hopefully mean a rapidly rising word count.

Oh, and I am going to go visit Signy Cullen this weekend and we have a lot planned, both fun and work. We are going to go to an amusement park and ride some roller coasters on Saturday, and then on Sunday we are going to visit a few cemeteries. I am still searching for the perfect image to use for the cover of Project Death: Revelation. Hopefully I'll find what I need when I'm with her.

I think that's all for now. I need to get back to writing.

My Published Book and Goodreads Author Status

So, Project Death: Resurrection has been out for a week now. I wish I could say that the excitement of holding a copy of my book was diminishing the tiniest bit so I could actually focus on writing the next book, but so far, it is still amazingly surreal to pick up that 5" by 8" bound collection of 276 pages. I probably stare at them more than I should, but hey, it is something I have been dreaming of doing for the past 13-14 years.

I still really love this cover. I took it at one of my local cemeteries and it is a really cool statue, even without me removing the color from the image. I haven't seen it myself, but at night, her eyes glow, which is a really cool creepy factor. For the Project Death series, I plan on all of the covers being cemetery pictures, from the paperback of Resurrection that is currently available on Amazon and CreateSpace, to the ebook version that I am currently working on since I have to reformat everything.

The most exciting announcement about this series, aside from the fact that the first book is available now, is that I am planning on releasing a special edition of the books, which will be available from Barnes & Noble. The special edition of Resurrection will actually have a bonus short story, as well as the first chapter from Revelation, the second book in the series.

I am hoping to be able to reformat the whole manuscript per Smashwords criteria in the next couple of weeks so I can get the ebook out soon. In the past week I have sold one copy of my book, and I am honestly thinking that is mostly because there is not an ebook version available yet.

It will happen soon, I promise.

Okay, so once again, I will say that the book is available on Amazon for $9.45 and on CreateSpace for $9.95. When I have the ebook available, it will be $3.99, and the Barnes & Noble special edition will most likely be $11.95, depending on what costs are taken out by B&N's PubIt! program.

My dream has come true by having my book published, and I am absolutely thrilled to have sold it to one person already. Now I just have to keep spreading the word and hoping that other people find interest in the books.

Oh, and I almost forgot, I am also on Goodreads now (with an author profile and everything). You can add Project Death: Resurrection to your to-read list there. Thanks for following my blog through all of my book reviews, my rambling about my writing process, and my constant talk on the road to publication. If you think that my book sounds interesting, hey, I would be thrilled if you would buy a copy. If it doesn't hit your fancy but you think a friend might like it, then by all means, spread the word. And if you are a book blogger/reviewer and you would like to read/review my book, shoot me a message via Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads. I do have PDFs I could send you in exchange for an honest review. That would be awesome.