Joliet Author Fair and Updates

Received confirmation from the Joliet Public Library Black Road Branch for Author Fest in October. Here are some of the details:

Joliet Regional Author Fair

Saturday, October 12, 2013

11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Joliet Public Library

Black Road Branch

3395 Black Road, Joliet, IL  60431

This was such a great event last year, and I'm really looking forward to meeting people and having the chance to sell books. 

Looks like more of my ebooks are soon to be in print format--Dabblers, Game Faces, and Stranger Faces. That will mean ALL of them are available in both formats! 

Now then, for book #8, "Where Power Lies": still making changes and catching repetitions as I go. I'm starting to feel more of an itch to get onto the next Windsong Lake book, but I'm trying to exercise some discipline here. "Power" still needs editing, and a synopsis, and a blurb, and a cover...

Banging It Out

LOTS of progress on "Seer Tyro Fiend" yesterday. Got through that big scene I mentioned, with Stefanie trying to take control of her psychic talent. I foresee another area of conflict in the making. Now things are really coming together too, with a vision of how the rest of the story plays out. Still some details to work out, as I have laid ground for some events, products of Stefanie's visions, which I'm not sure how they factor into things just yet. I might end up modifying them or editing them out completely. It's all part of the creative process.

There will be intrusions in the weeks ahead, other than my day job. I'm waiting for galleys to proof for "Stranger Faces," scheduled for release February 1. Print edition of "Two Faces Two Faced" is scheduled for that day too. And Feb. 1 - 3 will find me at Love Is Murder. Prior to that, I need to update my promotional materials and maybe run up some chapbooks to put out at the conference. I still have copies of "The Dreamer Gambit" which I'm thinking to sell on consignment there, if I haven't missed the boat by not taking action on it yet.

I would really like to increase my public appearances in 2013, but since I'm still working, I have to choose venues close to home. I didn't do too badly in 2012 with the Glen Ellyn and Joliet book fairs, but I'm thinking about contacting some local libraries to see if they would be interested in setting up anything. Public speaking isn't one of my most favorite things (I basically suck in front of a large crowd), but I don't mind talking with a small group of people and it might help me work up to larger groups. I'm also trying to do more reading of other authors' works and providing reviews in hopes of reciprocity.Little by little, I try to get the word out about my books.

And A Splendid Time Was Had By All...

Joliet Author Fair is now a done deal, and I had a great time. The organization and planning put into the event was abundantly obvious from the time I arrived right down to the last detail. The table spaces were excellent, advertising first rate, lunch was provided as well as goodie bags for the authors, and it was free! I sold a copy of "The Dreamer Gambit" and passed out information on all my books while talking to a number of people who attended and other authors who attended.

I probably would not have even known about the fair if I had not joined the Chicago Writers Association. The annual dues of $15 is probably the best money I've spent so far in my little writing business. The exposure and inside track to opportunities like the one in Joliet is more than worth it.

"Dabblers" has now been put to bed, the corrections to the galley in the hands of Write Words now. I'm eagerly awaiting the final files, especially the cover art in various sizes and formats so I can ramp up advertising for it. I think "Dabblers" has a lot of potential because of its paranormal themes. I hope there are adult readers out there who enjoy subjects such as clairvoyance, reincarnation, magic, and witches all wrapped up with a murder mystery AND who are somewhat weary of all the protagonists being teenagers. Almost all the characters in "Dabblers" are 40 years old or more, with one notable exception. I also hope people will empathize with Stefanie, my reluctant psychic, who must learn to accept her unique talent in order to solve the mystery.

Now, it's back to "Stranger Faces." While I have been thinking a bit about what comes next after that, it just so happens that while sitting at my table at the Author Fair yesterday, I began jotting down notes for the next entry in the Jack Watson series. I also have some ideas about a sequel to "Dabblers" somewhere down the road.

Updates, Etc.

Two proofreadings of "Dabblers" galley are done, and a list of corrections compiled. Once again, I debate whether to call it done or do one more pass. I still have a couple of weeks before I need to have corrections turned in, but I'm eager to get on with other things.

Preparation for Author Fest this coming weekend is foremost in my mind now. The weather forecast for Saturday is for rain and cool temperatures, which I hope will drive more people to the library. Almost everything I'm taking along is ready, except for attaching my signs to a project board. I have hopes of reusing the board for other events, so the plan is to tape the current signs to it as late as possible to prevent the tape from becoming too attached to the cardboard.

The short story that I posted recently, "Mr. Fixit," received a couple of nice comments on Authorsden.com and has 63 hits on it so far. The story would be added to a short-story collection I've been toying with for a while, another sort of project to mix things up a bit. I don't want to be categorized as only a mystery novelist because I do like to write other genres too.

I also need to start thinking about "extras" to post here about "Dabblers" when it comes out, like the casting and music that I've done for other books. I have a few ideas in that regard, but there are more characters to cast. Can't wait to get image files for the final cover, as it looks really great.

Three novels in one year. Not bad for someone who also holds down a full-time job.

Ready, Set, Go

BIG progress this weekend. Printed galley for Dabblers to proofread. I've found it easier to read off paper copy and mark the corrections rather than reading from the computer screen. The file comes in PDF format and as I use "page down" to move through it, the computer does not follow a smooth progression through the document. At the bottom of what will be a printed page, scrolling down will jump to the bottom of the next page before going back to its top. Hard to keep track. And since my correction document is actually a table with the page, paragraph, line number, before image and after image, counting the paragraph and line can be tricky on the screen.

My little basement print shop was busy this weekend, too. I created my own business cards, eight signs to be attached to a project board, and an additional page about my latest books to append to an earlier flyer. Also made up a price sign for selling copies of "The Dreamer Gambit" at next week's Joliet Author Fair. Really excited about that event.

So once I proof the "Dabblers" galley, I'll return to "Stranger Faces" which is almost at the big climactic scene where "good" goes up against "evil." Then will come the editing, filling in, fact checking, and so on that completes the novel. Still haven't come up with a solid cover concept, but perhaps something will come to me as the story nears completion.

Gearing Up

With various medical problems now behind me (I hope), I am gearing up for the Joliet Public Library Author Fair on October 13. This weekend will be for preparing signs and handouts.

After considerable debate and wringing of hands, I am adding an email address to my blog. You'll find it down at the bottom of the page under CONTACT ME. I seriously hope I don't wind up with a ton of spam, but I do plan to watch for emails and reply to any that request a reply.

Nothing sent to this email address will be used on this blog without the consent of the sender, so please don't be shy.

I've also made a bit of progress on "Stranger Faces" and started thinking a little bit about the cover art. While the notion of making up my own artwork was daunting at first, I've grown to like it a lot as a creative outlet. And since I've gotten more familiar with and adept at using different graphics facilities, I think the covers are getting better and better.

Still, "Stranger Faces" requires a good deal more writing on the first draft and then the addition of enriching layers. Soon (I hope), galleys for "Dabblers" will arrive and I will have to work on that. My publisher also mentioned a paper edition for "The Changeling Kill" which means another round of proofreading. I'll add the search for my next project to the list as well.

And having outlined all that work to be done, I feel invigorated, excited, because this is what I love to do.

Gratification

A link from the Joliet Public Library on its Author Fair coming up in October contributed to 25 hits on this blog yesterday. People who click on my name come here. For a writer with a small publisher, this is how the game is played. I am going to put a link on this page (although not inside this particular post) to lead people from here to there. What goes around comes around.

Not a lot of writing got done since my previous post. Sometimes, life and work intrude. I did start writing one of those short stories I mentioned earlier, and have added a bit to "Stranger Faces" as well, mostly inserting bits in earlier parts of the novel to set up for coming events.

Pretty soon, the Chicago Writers Association will be publishing the next issue of "The Write City Mag" and it should contain an article I wrote for them which discusses some of the things I have learned about editing and  getting published. I hope it helps some new pre-published writers along their way. I'm going to add a link to CWA as well. For a writer in the Chicago area, it's a great resource.

With "Two Faces, Two Faced" print edition completed, I'm eagerly awaiting galleys for "Dabblers" which I  really hope will be available before the holiday shopping season. As soon as I get a projected release date, I'd like to buy an ad on the Love Is Murder site. Really looking forward to the conference in February.

In the Name of Progress

Sometimes I miss the times of heads-down writing, whether pounding out brand new material or refining a draft. There's a lot of satisfaction in the process (of course, or I wouldn't do it). But those purely creative stages are also mixed with an urge, a desire, to get things going and see signs of success in this endeavor.

Flip side: creating publicity materials, monitoring websites and creating content for them, checking statistics, keeping records. These tasks provide a sense of action, moving forward, and yet make me long for the pure creative process. It's a balancing act, to be sure, especially when I factor in a day job, a house to manage and care for, a family which I want to have quality time with, and then the simple human requirements of eating, sleeping, and just relaxing sometimes.

I did cadge some time yesterday to print up brochures for the up-coming Author Fest in October. Doing 30 tri-folded brochures took less time than I would have expected. I have some more stuff to print--business cards, extensions to another handout about my books, signs. I'm holding back on the signs in case I get a release date for "Dabblers" which I could include on them.

On "Stranger Faces," I'm still thrashing around with the final chapters. It's tricky because there are so many characters involved and they all must be brought to a resolution point somehow. Occasionally, I think I should just start writing it and see what happens. I can always go back and revise as necessary. In the past, doing so has sometimes succeeded in breaking the logjam and getting things moving again.

The idea of creating an anthology of my short stories has become increasingly appealing. I have an idea for another story to add to the collection, too. I envision prefacing each story with a few notes about it, like its standing in the Writers of the Future contest or something about the inspiration for it. For the time being, I have the print edition of "Two Faces, Two Faced" and the ebook of "Dabblers" in the pipeline, plus "Stranger Faces" to finish. Guess I've got my own pipeline of projects.

It's a Labor of Love

"Stranger Faces" final sequence proving to be a major planning endeavor. There are so many people involved, each with his or her own motive for doing what they do, and it all has to come out in the end, preferably not in the form of a big chunk of exposition by any character in the wrap-up chapter. It's a tall order.

I've gone through the exercise of writing a sort of synopsis of what happens that Tracy doesn't get to know about until later. The tricky thing is that she is coming at the puzzle sideways, long after the action originally starts offstage. Each person involved takes actions that move the story forward but they must also have a motive for what they do. And it must be a believable one. As I work out those motivations and figure out who did what along the way, sometimes it changes passages I have already written in fundamental ways. For example, I had in mind two characters in a conspiracy but they have since merged into one. (Less complicated always helps!) Then I had to go back and make sure all the references were in order, did not contradict the actual facts but did not relay too much too soon to the reader. Arrrrgh! Sometimes creating the puzzle can be harder than unraveling one.

I've also been sidetracked a little by planning for the Joliet Author Fest. I have designed some new signage as well as a tri-fold brochure for my books. That took some fiddling around, but I think I've got something. It's not as fancy as the full-color fliers I put together for the Glen Ellyn BookFest back in June, but it does the job and may be easier for people to grab and look at. It might also lend itself to being placed in public places for the casual passerby.

Already I'm thinking ahead to my next project after "Stranger Faces." I've been toying with the idea of a collection of my science fiction short stories, an anthology type thing. Beyond that, there are a lot of choices among my older manuscripts, any of which could be revised and massaged into shape.

Updates and News

After the Glen Ellyn Bookfest in June, I joined the Chicago Writers Association, and my membership may have just paid for itself. I received an email from them with an invitation to participate in another event held by the Joliet Public Library. They are hold an Author Fest in mid October, and I will be attending. I still have copies of "The Dreamer Gambit" to sell--at greatly reduced prices--as well as an abundance of information for the rest of my books. And participation is FREE! (I like free. Anything that furthers the sale of books that costs me little or nothing is like a gift.) I've already started updating promotional materials to include "Game Faces." I'll have a table where I can sell my books and talk to people. Very exciting.

Still proofing galley for "Two Faces, Two Faced" print edition, but the second reading has not unearthed any more changes so far, and I'm up to Chapter 5.

Looks like "Dabblers" will get into the next phase in a few weeks. I sent the cover art to go with the manuscript. Sounds like it will be released in 2012. Three books in one year!

"Game Faces" is starting to show up on other vendor sites, which is great. I also revamped and funded my Google ad.

"Stranger Faces" is progressing, but I'm still struggling/tinkering with that final big scene. I want to try to lighten things up a bit since I just finished a very dark passage. Tracy has reached her turning point, where it's time for her to fight back. I thinking to bring all the different factions together for one final chaotic showdown, and I'd like to do it with a touch of humor.

What comes after "Stranger Faces"? So many possibilities. A third entry for the Jack Watson series? A sequel to "Dabblers"? One of my old manuscripts resuscitated? There are a fair number of those to tap into. Ah, if only I could spend all my time writing . . .