NaNoWriMo off to a good start

After a few days of nonaction, I got time to hammer out the first chapter of Champion of Venomspire tonight for NaNoWriMo, and I'm pleased to say that it went swimmingly. I'm afraid that Champion will not be the additional free release I was speaking of, but that new project's first short is ready for an editing pass. As soon as I get the time to have it done, it will be posted.

As for Enchantress, I've got the next chapter open on my desktop as we speak. I think, however, I will try to knock it out in the morning. I'm faced with the odd task of finishing one novel while writing its sequel, let's just hop that everything continues to go well.

Also, a pleasant reminder for those who have an interest in supporting my work in a non-ebook way, my Patreon page can be reached on the sidebar, as can my social networking links. I hope to begin to post new content alerts to them before the Usual Places going forward. I'm just so excited and grateful to have people who actually read my work at the moment, it's really inspired me to go ahead with this trilogy.

NaNoWriMo Imminent, Upcoming works, and PATREON!

So, now that I'm making progress on Enchantress again, and almost have another short ready, I'm faced with National Novel Writing Month. I've participated in this a few times in the past, under a different name, and my original intent for this year was to use it to get the sequel to Enchantress out.

Unfortunately, due to the certain life/financial issues that basically consumed 2 months straight (and still rear their ugly head to slow me down), Enchantress is clearly not going to be done in time. I could go ahead and do it anyway, so I can put the sequel up very shortly after I clean up Enchantress, but I don't know, that just seems... cheap.

So going forward, I'll continue trying to meet the once a week or once every two weeks release for Enchantress, which should be very doable. Starting soon, I will be posting a new collection of short stories revolving around a group of new heroes here on this

Also, if you've been looking for ways to support my writing, especially my free releases, but don't want to just buy my ebooks over and over again, do take a look at my new Patreon page. Contributions there will allow me to improve my overall content production pipeline, and enable me to continue providing free content. http://www.patreon.com/acorvusauthor

Thank you all for your continued interest in my work.

A hell of a month

It has been, in a word, a hell of a month. Just when I thought things were settling down, real life decides to beat me about the head soundly. That having been said, I did get quite a bit of planning and some writing done, so hopefully we'll be able to see updates to Enchantress coming down the pipeline soon. I have the sequel thoroughly planned out, then a capstone for a trilogy. I'm very excited about it all. Less so, however, when I realize I need to really budget more for cover art. But I'll get to that point at some point.

This last month I've been doing house repairs and dealing with family crises, but I've also been absorbed with the release of the newest edition of Dungeons and Dragons. In case it was difficult to tell from my works, I am a huge tabletop gamer. I can't stop praising the new edition enough. It feels like I've finally come home to a system that is both new, and yet respects the history of the game. For me at least, it has thus far almost made up for fourth edition. Almost. We shall see what happens with the monster manual and dungeon master's guide.

In other news: In the near future, rather than posting chapters of serials I'm already posting elsewhere, regular readers of this blog can expect to see some shorter works posted here from time to time. I hope that this will encourage people to come back more often, as God only knows that my random ramblings can only go so far.

Busy Busy Month

I assure you, I am still alive.

It has been a busy busy month, and yet I don't have a release to show for it. Progress on The Enchantress of Ingley has been pretty steady, and I've got another fantasy work in progress that is more adventure based, but not enough to show at the moment. Mostly, it's been just a bad case of terrible timing all this month.

I suppose the release of the starter set for  D&D's new edition didn't exactly help with my time allotment either. What can I say? I'm an old school gamer at heart. I could ramble on for hours about it, but let's just say that from what I've seen so far, the system is largely redeemed from what they did in 4th edition in my eyes. Of course, the main core books aren't out until the coming months, so I just hope the trend continues.

Now I guess I best get back to writing. If I really buckle down, I might be able to get something up for release early next month.

Oh no!

Whilst wandering around doing some basic writing on my tablet, I dropped it. It landed flat on the face exactly on the hardest point of the ground I was walking over at that moment, and it just about exploded. Parts went everywhere, the touchscreen shattered into a spider web of cracks, the casing broke, and the sole USB jack snapped off at the bottom.

I kind of stared at it in shock for a while, but thankfully, I had backed up the notes for Enchantress of Ingley to the cloud, and was somewhat consoled. It was only later that I recalled I had the notes for the Scoundrel's Answer sequel and about 80% of Lilian's Task actually written on the damn thing and that they WEREN'T on the cloud.

Gravity: 1. Me: 0.

So without usb connectivity, and without bluetooth set up, the only recourse would be to try to access it via the wifi, but it was a no go. But the story didn't end there, no. Somehow the thing still had the speakers attached, and I was awakened by the familiar alarm tone I had set up to wake me up the next day, emanating like some ghostly, taunting cry from the shattered remnants of my broken tablet.

However, without any working buttons or touch screen, I couldn't shut it off. Fortunately it shut itself off after a good twenty minutes, but for the next few days, each morning started with a jeering reminder of my own clumsiness.

It appears as though I need to start quickly if I am going to get a paid exclusive release out next month.

In other news, I have another chapter of the Enchantress of Ingley up, which, well, at least there's that, right? Now, the question I'm wrestling with at the moment is this: Should I post free releases on the blog as well? If I do it when I finish editing, they'll hit a few days before they will on literotica, which has a moderator process. It would be a little bit of a bonus for those who regularly check my blog to get them a few days early, for those who are interested. If you would like to see this in the future, please leave a comment!

Now yes, I still intend to release cleaned up, edited, and compiled versions of what I put out on literotica as paid ebooks. There are several reasons I do this:

1) A lot of readers prefer a story in a format that's neat, edited, gathered together, that they can read off line, without relying on a site with its ads and so on and so forth.

2) There very well may be some readers who only run across my works through the ebooks.

3) Right now, purchasing an ebook is one of the few ways to show that my work is valued, besides reviews and feedback. I hope to add patreon and donation buttons in the future, on the off chance someone might care to help support these projects in that way.

4) I apparently need a new tablet now. *sobs* Those things don't buy themselves, and every little bit helps.

In all seriousness, I seriously appreciate each and every purchase I see roll through on my ebooks. It brightens my day, and often inspires me to get cracking on writing more. I realize that I'm not exactly writing great masterpieces here, just fun adventures that straddle that line between oldschool sword and sorcery fantasy and pure naughtiness. So the fact that people are still interested in reading what I have put out simply amazes me. Thank you all.

The Enchantress of Ingley

The first chapter of my new serial, The Enchantress of Ingley, is now up on literotica.com. It will be a weekly series of approximately 19 chapters (though that may be subject to change, plus or minus a few) and the first work in what will hopefully be a trilogy of connected novel length stories.

I will be writing each chapter from a different point of view, which is new for me but shouldn't be too difficult, not being such a great departure in style. It's set in the same world as my other works, which I really need to get around to mapping properly.

In other news, I've been on a Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser kick lately. It's been ages since I've read any of them, so doing a marathon read of the stories has really brought me back.

Disappointing numbers, new project

While it's only been out a little more than a week, I am somewhat disheartened by the initial numbers on The Duel. From what I understand, the initial sales give some degree of momentum to any particular ebook. I have no doubt that eventually the numbers will pick up a bit, but I am left to wonder at the difference between Scoundrel's Answer and The Duel. Initial marketing was basically the same, so that leaves four main differences:

1) The Length - I believe this is the primary driving factor. Scoundrel's Answer is a full length novel, even though it was initially released in serial form. The Duel is much shorter, barely a novella.

2) The Price Point - I had priced it at 99 cents in order to try to encourage bargain hunters to try it out, as well as a certain loathing to price such a short work any higher.

3) The Tone - The Duel is somewhat of a departure from Scoundrel's Answer. I intended to soften the tone and add more romance elements. Maybe I should stick with what I do best, or at least better, twisted scenes and action more suited to a generic swords and sorcery tale.

4) Existing User Base - Scoundrel's Answer had a number of readers when it was put out on serial format. I can't help but think a few enjoyed it enough to buy the ebook once it was cleaned up and edited.

Scoundrel's Answer isn't exactly a runaway success by any measure, but it at least sold enough copies in its first month to pay for itself, which in my book is a win. I'm not looking to become some chart topping dynamo, but having the releases pay for themselves just feels nice.

This is by no means meant to be a pity party, and should not be read that way. I'm learning as I go with independent self publishing, so that requires taking a long, hard look at what works and what doesn't work, and genuine attempts to improve on what does. It's the same method that I believe anyone who wants to do anything seriously should undertake, whether it be a hobby, a profession, or an art form. When I get feedback on my writing, I take to heart what people did like and didn't like, and try to adapt. Not for their sake, honestly, but for my own.

So now, with the process of trying to turn a buck writing tales getting underway, it's time to set some new goals. My initial idea was to release three or four shorts, then stick them together into bundles. It seems to work for others. I felt that, with a disciplined schedule, I should be able to release something once a month, or close to that. This goal is still valid, but I think I'm going to change it up a bit.

As of now, I'm putting the finishing touches on planning another serial, similar to Scoundrel's Answer. It will be a full length fantasy sword and sorcery style yarn, though perhaps a touch more coherent. I'm aiming for a release schedule of approximately one chapter a week, which should be very doable. While I'm putting it together, I will also be working on the previously planned shorts to maintain a decent presence in ebooks as well. I'll just concentrate on stories that are longer and more involved.

Worry not, those who want a sequel to Scoundrel's Answer. It's on the drawing board as well, though it may take a little longer than expected.

And if you want to purchase either The Duel or Scoundrel's Answer, links to do so are now on their own permanent page, accessible through a tab above. Or elsewhere, depending on whether you are reading this close to when I write it or years from now.

The Duel - Now Live!

Yes, I know, I know I skipped updates that The Duel was actually finished, or that it had gone off to editing and so on and so forth. ( Though my followers on twitter were alerted! http://twitter.com/acorvusauthor ) But here it is, on amazon and smashwords:

Lady Alisson Heartstone has dedicated her life to furthuring her mastery of the arcane arts, with little time for family or romance. As court wizard to Lord Protector Aldmere, she enjoys status and power, but little in the way of true happiness. When an invading army pushes Aldmere's forces to the breaking point, they are offered an out, a gamble of the entire war on the outcome of a wizard's duel. But when a face from her past resurfaces in the form of the roguish wizard Therias Prenthal, can she follow through with her duty in the face of her regrets? Or will the bold Magus Prenthal conquer her without a single spell?

Available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KXLGFKU

Available on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/447398

Wasted time not so wasted

What was supposed to be a week buckled down writing The Duel turned into a week of broken air conditioners, followed by thunderstorms. It seems every time I sat down to write, something called me away. While I made some progress, it's coming in at a crawl. However, all was not lost, as I spent some time putting Scoundrel's Answer out to Google Play, and at some point I realized that my tablet had a word processor on it.

However, I hadn't brought the original notes for The Duel along with me. Thus, I decided to work on another title whenever I could.

As much as I despise typing on a tablet, I still managed to knock out about three times as much on the new title as I did on The Duel, just standing in lines or while waiting for people. This has taught me a few things. First is that I need to get a more up to date tablet whenever I can. Second, I need to start using cloud storage for my work, so I can access it from any device.

Nine times out of ten, I've got access to my main computer, but on weeks like last week, it might be helpful to be able to work on my writing wherever, whenever I can. Lesson learned, I guess. Do I feel like last week was wasted? Yes and no. I would have loved to get more done on The Duel, but the fact I now have another work which should, if all goes well, be released shortly after The Duel is something of a bonus.

Sneak Peek at The Duel

Very little to add here today, but here's an excerpt from the draft of 'The Duel'. Enjoy!

From her quarters within the ruined tower, Lady Alisson Heartstone cast her hazel eyes down upon the courtyard far below, and then further beyond, past the fortress walls to fields of gray tents, black banners, and armored flesh. A growing wind carried the voices, scents, and general din of both besieger and besieged up to her high perch, even as it flattened her brilliant white robes flush against her curves. Her long, auburn curls were tossed and sent aflutter by that same stiff, cool breeze. One delicate hand rested against the worn, crumbling surface of what used to be the tower's masonry, in ages before that tortured stonework had yielded to the weather and let a sturdy wall become a grand and irregular window.

Ludum Hold had certainly seen better, grander days in those years when the land was still untamed and strongholds peppered the hills and valleys like stone fairy rings, springing as if from the very earth. Now, as war returned to a land that had grown fat and complacent during years of peace, Alisson could only hope those ill maintained ramparts could hold the swarming legions under General Grendec's black banner at bay. Of course, no fortress could hold out forever, and there were no allies or reinforcements to rally to the aid of Lord Aldmere's tattered army.

As Court Wizard, Alisson was privy to such information, just as she had been made aware of their supply situation. The fortress's old cisterns could still hold water, so long as rain provided. Food, however, was another matter. Even with careful management, Lord Aldmere's men would be on empty bellies within a week, two at the most. Her magic could only do so much to alleviate that.

Mere days ago, when Grendec's men had broken Aldmere's line, the old lord had ordered the retreat to Ludum Hold in the hopes that the Lord of the Black Banner would find laying siege to that stronghold too costly to be worthwhile. Aldmere's lands had merely been a conquest of convenience after all. A mere interlude between its much larger and richer neighbors. With free reign to cross those porous borders and move onward to better plunder, surely the General wouldn't need to wholly eradicate a broken, dug in force merely trying to stay out of the way. The gamble had not paid off. Bottled up in a dead end fortress, with no hope of outside rescue was not a position anyone wanted to be in.

As the Lady wizard contemplated the mismatched armies below, a fluttering white flash of movement caught her gaze. From the enemy line, a lone figure under a flag of truce timidly made his way toward the ancient gates of the crumbling fortress. Perhaps they were sending forth terms for Aldmere's surrender. The thought did not put her heart at ease. General Grendec was not known for his clemency, nor Lord Aldmere for his humility. The idea that the dark army would accept anything less than total submission, or that Aldmere would bow his head to a foreign flag were equally inconceivable. Still, at least they would soon know the details of what appeared to be their inevitable defeat.

First Sales

So I've sold my first copies of Scoundrel's Answer, and though the going is just a trickle, it's already technically paid for what was put into the cover art. Admittedly, that wasn't much, but it's nice to know that theoretically I'll be ahead of the game except for my time, right out of the gate. It's a bit of a weight off my mind. I've submitted the book to some promo sites, so we'll see in the coming days and weeks just how well that turns out.

There is absolutely no reason I shouldn't be further along on my next project, except for feeling a little under the weather. Progress is, however, being made. The Duel will most likely go direct to ebook. I've got a whole week of 'vacation' time with little to no interruptions coming up, however, so I will likely be able to squeeze a little something free in, at some point. I just haven't decided on what yet.

Scoundrel's Answer available.

Scoundrel's Answer now available! Through Smashwords at least. Amazon's review process took a smidgeon longer than I expected, but it should be up shortly. I'll edit this when I see it pop up. For now, those who wish can pick up the fantasy swords and sorcery erotica adventure at: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/437124 for what I hope is a reasonable price of $2.99.

Here's to hoping that my very basic formatting is suitable enough for most people.

As promised, the link for Scoundrel's Answer on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K9TE7T2

Scoundrel's Answer - Ready to Go!

After a long few days doing editing, some minor rewrites (my attention to continuity was atrocious in some instances), and then formatting, Scoundrel's Answer is ready to go! I have already put it up for review on Amazon, and will provide the links for there and Smashwords when the time comes.

In other news, I'll have The Duel well underway this coming week, if all goes well. I also may or may not have thrown around some ideas for a sequel to Scoundrel's Answer. I can no longer say I am completely against the idea, so it will really depend on how well Scoundrel's is received.

I suppose I should get around to putting together a bio to post to some of these author's pages. Or I could just go for the brooding, mysterious type, and let my writing speak for itself.

On Self Editing

Still chewing through editing and corrections, but I'm in the home stretch. Now, I'm absolutely certain that I'm going down the wrong road doing all the editing myself, but what editing talent I've managed to talk out of other people have given me turnaround times that are far in excess of what I feel comfortable with for this first release. So, I've put my QA hat on from times past, and gone through everything myself. I'm almost done with this pass, which I think I will dub the final pass.

I did have the benefit of the ratings in this particular instance, to weed out what chapters need the most work, but still this has taken me a little longer than I thought it might. I am, however, quite satisfied that I was able to weed out some gross continuity errors, as well as awkward wording. I have to trust in my own innate grammatical eye to catch any technical errors.

A little backstory on Scoundrel's Answer: I wrote this in basically two stretches, separated by almost six months. It was initially released in serial form, and during those six months I didn't work on it, I churned out another little book released under a different name elsewhere. This gap in work, however, left a lot of little details between the two halves of the book mismatched.

The second half received better ratings overall than the first, so I have to assume that knocking out that little novel in November and the lessons learned from its editing and rewrite taught me a few things. The bulk of the work in fixing Scoundrel's Answer has therefore been in patching up the first half to fall more in line with the second. I think I have succeeded on this, but I won't know for sure.

I would love more sets of eyes on my future releases to give me more specific feedback about what works and what doesn't, and I think in the future, I'll go the extra mile to do so. However, for now, has anyone else had success with just a self review and editing pass?

On another note, I've started a short called The Duel in my 'idle' time, while traveling or waiting in line and such. I adore tablets for that, even if I despise thumb typing. It's a sappy little love story about two wizards, a little bit of a departure from Scoundrel's Answer, but a nice one, I think. I'll try to get a sample of it up here when it is polished enough to do so.

Toiling Away

So I've gone and done my first round of research on ebook promotion, and, pending seeing how effective it ends up being, I'll give a more detailed explanation in a later post. I've also got the initial cover art for Scoundrel's Answer. It's not the greatest thing in the world, but for something done on the cheap, I'm hoping it will serve until such point as I manage to better afford a higher quality layout. I'll do some work to correct some of the artifacts on the layout before final release of course.

I'm going to be using the ratings garnered by the individual chapters posted to determine what needs the most work in editing. So far, the response is better than I expected for what is basically an unedited draft. This is somewhat problematic, since I was counting on some sort of criticism to tell me what sucked and what didn't. As it is, I'll have to use the ratings divergence to point out weak chapters. I already have two that I know I will have to rewrite, and one that I want to, time pending. Nothing that will change the overall story, but hopefully it will help fill in some details here and there. I'll try to allot some time for it over the next few days. Then it's just a sweep through to catch glaring errors and all should be set!

As for future projects, last night I sat down and did some brainstorming on a few ideas, and came up with about a half dozen or so shorts to fill out time while I find out if the Reavers of Aethwin concept is something worth coming back to. My main problem with the setting is that it is VERY generic, purposefully so. While that does make for a fun and familiar setup to quickly put a story together, it does give the setting itself a sort of 'sameness' feeling to those familiar with certain role playing game and fantasy tropes. I feel that I want to world build for my next major non-short story project, but such things take time. I guess we'll just have to see how things go while I get some short stories out.

Tonight's my Tuesday Night Tabletop Game, so I think tomorrow I'll settle down to start the rewrite process. Until next time!

Setting things up

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