Nanowrimo and Thoughts It Inspired

One of the reasons I love NaNoWriMo?  Threads like this one on weird fantasy.  It gives me hope I am not alone.  In my off time, I have been studying some of the popular and best selling lists of fantasy on Amazon.  Except for a few big names like Dean Koontz, Terry Brooks, and G. R. R. Martin, it is almost all urban fantasy or paranormal romance.  It's to the point that if I ran across anyone wanting suggestions on getting their fantasy published, by commercial publishes or through self-publishing, I'd almost suggest just write urban fantasy or paranormal romance to have a chance at sales--unless one possesses excellent marketing skills and ability to reach a niche.  For it's to the point that I believe the future of fantasy is urban fantasy and paranormal fantasy and the secondary world fantasy will be niche.  Even then, I predict the secondary world fantasy that will sell best will be those that minimize the otherworldliness of the fantasy and maximize the universal, the romance.

Weird Fiction and NaNoWriMo

I've slowly been working on creating a faux Regency (it has dashes of Victorian in it) fantasy world, in which I can play with some Lovecraftian weird fiction.  I will use this universe for my NaNo.  My goal is to make a short novel for NaNo.  No full ideas yet, but I'll get there this week.  My name on NaNo is cuccocc.

A New Blog for My Fiction

This will be the new home of my fiction.  My nonfiction, thoughts, and musings--basically everything but fiction--will be at Weirding Out.  Except my reviews will have their own home at Weirding Out Reviews.  Please, bear with me as I move some things about.  Thanks!

Experiments and Writing Fun!

A big part of writing is having fun.  Another big part is experimenting.  Fortunately, for me, they go hand in glove.  In this case, I'm going to work on an episodic novelette series.  That's a little experimental right there for me, but the real experiment comes into play in how I write it. 

For my longer works, my writing plan that involves several phases of writing or edits or fleshing out and hoping around.  It's sorta new too.  But for this episodic series, I'm trying a different way.  You see, I get bored easy, so I figured, even if I am working on different parts for different works at the same time, if I'm doing the same process, some part of me will get bored.  So I decided to do something that is opposite of it.  That is, instead of doing a sketch draft, then a filling it out more in next draft, then filling out more again in the next plus fill in any place holders or research-related holes, and so on, for this episodic series, I'm working on each chapter until it is ready for nook proof.  Then I'll move onto another chapter.  I'm still going to try to write it a little out of order, in that I want to get two or three main chapters first: the beginning and the end (with the climax).  After that, I'll probably go in order.

So, that's enough of that.  What do you do to experiment with your writing?  What is your writing and rewriting process?

Sample Sunday - June 17

It's #SampleSunday time again.  Here's mine:

RT #samplesunday The dead's letters lead Roderis to a Possession and its Owner http://bit.ly/LcJG76 @jodiralston #nook #kindle #fantasy

#SampleSundays of Interest:
Below, I find and post links to interesting fantasy, history, science fiction, and horror from the #samplesunday list (listed in alphabetical order by title under each category).

• Fantasy: The Amulet by William Meikle - http://www.scribd.com/doc/65417792/Amulet-Sample
• Fantasy: Daughter of Harthdeen by Caroline Chokr - http://www.cag1950.blogspot.co.uk/
• Fantasy: Gnit-wit Gnipper and the Perlious Plague by T. J. Lantz - http://shortstorysymposium.blogspot.com/2012/06/gnit-wit-gnipper-and-perilous-plague-by.html
• History: Antebellum by Jeffry S. Hepple - http://www.eliscopublishing.com/hepple/Samples/antebellum_sample.asp
• Horror: The Auld Mither by William Meikle - http://www.scribd.com/doc/75993575/The-Auld-Mither-Sample

Related Links:

• More Info about SampleSunday
• Kindle Board-Writer's Cafe Sample Sunday June 17th

Sample Sunday - June 10

I'm doing an official #SampleSunday this time.  Here's mine:

RT #samplesunday Roderis gets letters from the dead. Sample chapters http://bit.ly/LcJG76 @jodiralston #nook #kindle #fantasy

#SampleSundays of Interest:

Below, I find and post links to interesting fantasy, history, science fiction, and horror from the #samplesunday list (listed in alphabetical order by title under each category).

• Fantasy: The Chronicles of Augustus Seton by William Meikle - http://www.scribd.com/doc/65780185/The-Chronicles-of-Augustus-Seton-Sample
• Fantasy: I Can See Clearly Now by R. J. Davnall - http://itsthefuturestupid.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/second-realm-11-i-can-see-clearly-now.html
• Fantasy: Prelude by Lucy Goudie -http://lucygoudie.co.uk/prelude/4561286758
• History:  Sherlock Holmes: Revenant by William Meikle - http://www.scribd.com/doc/74144086/Sherlock-Holmes-Revenant-Sample

Related Links: 

• More Info about SampleSunday
• Kindle Board-Writer's Cafe Sample Sunday June 10th

Unofficial Sample Sunday

I'm doing an unofficial #SampleSunday, since I couldn't get with it today on KDP boards.  So I posted mine:

RT #samplesunday Roderis gets letters from the dead.  PDF sample of published ebook: bit.ly/KCwQ3c #nook #kindle #fantasy #writing

And I'm finding any fantasy,  history, science fiction, and horror from the #samplesunday list, and posting the links of that looked interesting below (listed in alphabetical order by title under each category).  I hope to find some more to post today yet.

Fantasy:

• Berserker by William Meikle - http://t.co/YwrBw3kg
• Hunters & Prey (Immortalis #2) by Katie Salidas - http://t.co/zyG3GQ3q

Science Fiction/Fantasy:

• The Warden Threat by DL Morrese - http://t.co/wYXObkfw

Science Fiction:

• Hidden Fires by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel - Sample

Related Links: More Info about SampleSunday

Two Site Updates: LOTD/Amazon and Flower Language

The first update is Letters of the Dead is now up on Amazon.com.  I'm a little behind on working on the other versions.

The second update is that I've compiled a (Victorian) Flower Language Dictionary from three public domain works so far.  Right now it is a rough version, but I do plan on adding more to it and making an html file on my site.  But for now, I only have Excel files.  Why am I doing this?  Because I intend to use it in some way in a story or two, but also because it's fun and I hope others will derive some pleasure from it.  Enjoy!

Letters of the Dead: Now Available at B&N--Also, Samples!

Letters of the Dead is now available for sale at B&N.  I have started the upload process for Amazon/Kindle, and it should take around 12 hours for it to be available there.

But for the meantime, I have some samples available too, in different formats--epub, mobi, PDF, RTF, and HTML.  You will have to sideload the epub or mobi onto your device.  The PDF, though, isn't intended for reading on an ereader since I never found out how to make them work well with it.  Also, I'm not sure how to get the Open or Download Screen to pop open when clicking mobi or epub on the site, so you'll have to right click those for now.

Phew!  I tackle other site updates and Smashwords tomorrow.

Letters of the Dead Update

I started the process going on self-publishing LOTD. I've uploaded it B&N only so far, but I will work on other versions soon. It will take a day or so for the ebook to be available for sale on B&N. Next, I'll work on the Amazon/Kindle version.  After that, I'll work on a Smashwords version.

I'm just tickled that it's finally come this far.  It's finally ready.  It's finally going to be up.  This one had never left my mind, always whispering to be finished, but it gave me many problems since its origin in 2006.  Only by the grace of God have I managed to complete it today.

Anyway, I'll keep you all updated on its availability for sale and when downloadable samples are ready.


Note:  Original cover art images by digitalart (background; skull and crossbones) and Simon Howden (letter, quill, and ink pot). Cover by Jodi Ralston.

Updates and Good News

The first good news is that Letters of the Dead is finally ready for publishing.  As I try not to do business work on Sunday, I'll have to do one very-very-very last look through and fix on Monday and start publishing it to B&N.  After that, I'll start on the Kindle version.  And eventually (after I do a test run on The One Who Sees), I'll try it at Smashwords.  I'm exhausted but happy.

The second bit of good news is that my webpage is getting a new look.  It's only skeleton right now, but my main goal for rushing it into place is to have a landing spot for my ebooks (in the author's notes).  That landing spot will be the fiction page.  I still have a lot of work to do, but here it is so far http://www.chiaroscurohouse.com/index.html.

I'm pleased with my progress so far.  Especially considering I was good for nothing until Friday, and even then, not good for much, coughing my head off.  But that's a good sign.  When a cold moves into my lungs, that tells me it is almost beat.  It's the last place it stops by before my body gets over it entirely.  Today, my cough is far rarer, which is why I got most of my work done today.  I did a lot of ebook work yesterday, and more today along with webpage work.  And coming up soon, starting Wednesday I'll be on summer break at work so I can work on the site and catch up on all the things I've been neglecting this last couple months (such as emails, sorry!).

Anyway, I do intend to take a little break after I get LOTD on the two main sites.  Then I'll start on the sequel story to The One Who Sees.  Then after that I want to work on LOTD's sequel, Eyes of the Gods. I also hope to work on a Secret Project during all this.  But a break first.  Phew!

Update 2012

Sorry, I haven't been on the blog much--or online much in the last few months--but I do have plans for this blog yet.  While I haven't read many business books in a while, I am doing a lot research for my novels.  I'm thinking of Research Thursday posts in the future and eventually a return to the Weird Wednesday business-type posts.  Until then . . .