Category: Writing

Weekly writing check-in: the one with another novelette

shutterstock_54282940So, I finished The Ghost Whisperer this week. Apparently I enjoy writing novelettes, since this one came in at ~11,000 words. A sequel to a sequel? A trilogy? Um, no. I think there will be five shorter stories that make up a longer one. I am trying to make each story stand on its own while also working on a larger story arc.

I’m enjoying the challenge of this. Will something come of it? Who knows. But before I write the other two stories, I need one thing: a series bible. Names, places, eye color, that sort of thing. Walk-on characters are acquiring traits and becoming full-fledged supporting characters. I need a way to keep track of everything.

Writing Work:

  • The Ghost Whisperer ~ 6,000 words, for a total of 11,790

Submissions:

  • Abandonment Issues

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with even more audio

Even more audio this week! The Girl with the Piccolo (first published at Kazka Press) is now in an audio podcast over at Cast of Wonders. Go have a listen, if you’re so inclined.

In amazing news of the amazing variety, I have once again fooled someone into publishing my poetry. I know. No one is more surprised than I am. The poem will be included in Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, volume 3. I had a poem in volume 2, so this is extra nice.

I also received two rejections this week. Actually, it was three. One of the journals is using an automated system. So, I received a rejection on Monday, and then again, for the same submission, on Thursday. It was either a glitch or they wanted to make absolutely certain. Either way, it made me laugh.

And I’m working up another “episode” in my Ghost series. The only thing I didn’t do was submit something, which I should do, soon. My submission tracker is looking mighty thin.

Writing Work:

  • The Ghost Whisperer ~ 5,700 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • The Patron Saint of Lost Things
  • Knight in the Royal Arms

Acceptances:

  • The Boys’ Club (poetry)

Publications:

 

Weekly writing check-in: the one with some audio

So, you guys! I’m in audio! Well, I’m not, but two of my publications are. Both The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet and The Maze: Three Tales of the Future are available in audio from Audible, iTunes, and Amazon (see links below).

The narrator, Ashley Klanac, did a fantastic job with both titles. Also, below, you can click to listen to a sample of each.

I have some promotion codes for a free copy. If you enjoy audio books and would like to listen to either or both, send me a note via the contact form. Bonus points if you listen and leave a rating/review at Audible. I have it on good authority that Audible loves it *this much* when you do that.

Otherwise, I wrote what may be my first historical short story this week. I’m kind of psyched about that, although not so much about the title.

Writing Work:

  • For the Want of a Nail ~ 3,533 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Five to Freedom

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Keeping Quiet audio Amazon, Audible, iTunes

 

 

The Maze Audio

Amazon, Audible, iTunes

The Maze: now in audio!

The Maze AudioNow in Audio!

The Maze: Three Tales of the Future is now available in audio format via Audible, and you can download the audio book from Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.

The same narrator who performed The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet also narrated these stories. I think she did a fantastic job. She had a knack for knowing exactly how I wanted something read or where the emphasis in certain sentences should be. In short: she was amazing.

Click below to hear a sample:

The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet: now in audio!

Keeping Quiet audioNow in Audio!

The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet is now available in audio format via Audible, and you can find copies at Audible, iTunes, and Amazon.

Available in print, electronic, and audio format:

Audio: Amazon, Audible, iTunes

Print

Electronic: Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords

Also available as a Kindle Match Book. Buy the Print version from Amazon and get the Kindle version for 99 cents! (Note: you must buy the paperback first for this to work.)

Weekly writing check-in: the one with a finished novelette

So, I finished my coffee/ghost story this week. It has words! And an ending! And a title! Giving up the Ghosts came in at 8,948 words. I also think this is the first time I’ve written an honest-to-goodness sequel for something. I think it worked. At least, I hope it did. I’ll know in a few weeks when I read over the draft.

I also worked a bit on some flash fiction. And if you take a gander below, you’ll see a link to a post I did up yesterday on five books about WWI.

Writing Work:

Submissions:

  • Knight in the Royal Arms
  • Five to Freedom

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Just a matter of timeYes, on Kindle only. For short stories, this seems to be my best option. As tempting as the 58 cent payouts from Kobo are … okay, they’re not tempting at all. I’m better off, for the time being, placing my short work in KDP Select and the Kindle Unlimited program.

For now. It might not always be that way. And I’m not locked into anything. At least, I’m only locked in for 90 days. 90 days? In publishing? That’s a blink of an eye.

So … it’s available for 99 cents, or you can borrow it for free if you are an Amazon Prime and/or Kindle Unlimited member.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with an Eagle Scout

EagleWell, it’s official, hardware and all. My son is now an Eagle Scout. He worked so hard for this, and the process had its ups and downs, to be sure. We’ll probably have a court of honor in a few months or so. But for now, we simply gaze upon the medal and pins–and that’s enough.

In other news, I managed about 3,000 words on the coffee ghost story. I worked through all the audio files for The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet. The Maze is done, and according to my dashboard, headed for retail (!).

Also, I wrote up a book review this week (see link below). And I may do another post in a bit to recap all the WWI books I’ve read in the past few years.

Writing Work:

Submissions:

  • Like Bread Loves Salt

Rejections:

  • Like Bread Loves Salt

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with a sad week

Sparky

It was a sad week around here. We said goodbye to our sweet girl Sparky on Tuesday. It was hard to let go, but also, it was time.

I did manage a little writing this week. Got a notion for a second installment (episode? story? I don’t know what to call it) featuring Katy, Malcolm, coffee, and ghosts from Ghost in the Coffee Machine. I’m hoping this will end up as both a standalone story but add to an overall story/character arc (because I have a notion for a third as well). This might be a tad ambitious.

I also reviewed audio files this week for The Maze. To say I’m excited about this would be an understatement. But it doesn’t leave much time for anything else–so, no submissions this week. Of course, the upside is no rejections.

Writing Work:

  • Ghosts and coffee ~ 2,000 words
  • The Maze: audio file review

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with a finished novel

dorm5So apparently you can send your son off to college and finish a novel all in the same week. Because that’s what I did this week. Those 11,000 words? Yeah, I have no idea when I wrote them. I just grabbed pockets of time here and there, and the next thing I knew, I was closing in on the last few scenes.

Once you get there, it’s hard to stop writing. So while that looks like a lot of words, it didn’t feel that way. As far as the total goes, the novel came in at ~ 80,000 words, which is a nice size for a novel.

And also, in other big news, my son went off to college this week! It’s not every day these two things happen, right? As you can see, he’s busy doing schoolwork already. Actually, he’s filling out the check-in form so he isn’t charged for damage to his dorm room later on.

So … that was my week. How was yours?

Writing Work:

  • Pansy 2.0 ~ 11,650 words

Submissions:

  • March Madness

Rejections:

  • Five to Freedom

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with not much to say

goldySo, our new pup, Mattie, is adjusting well. The cat is getting sneaky and finding ways to be in the same room as said pup without Mattie noticing. Of course, when she does, the cat zips back downstairs.

Summer is ending, we’re getting my son ready to head off to college (the image is your clue as to where he’s going) and my daughter to Jr. High (milestones, we have them). Not quite as much writing this week as last, but I’m heading into the home stretch of Pansy 2.0 and can see the whole way in front of me. While it’s a re-draft, many pieces are significantly different: new scenes, new characters, new twists. It’s been a lot of fun to write.

Nice rejection this week for a story that’s long enough that I might put it in Kindle Unlimited and call it done. But I still have a few more I can submit when I hit a little downtime.

Writing Work:

  • Pansy 2.0 ~ 6,011 words
  • World Building class

Submissions:

  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies

Rejections:

  • A Knight in the Royal Arms

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None