Write The Same Thing, Only Different

I’ll admit it. When I started writing my first book, I was pretty clueless about what readers and publishers wanted. All I knew is that I had a desire to create stories.

It wasn’t until later that I began to realize the unwritten rules when it came to authors. It seems like one of the first of these rules is that writers should stick to a certain genre. I get asked “what kind of books do you write?” a lot. I generally respond with the vague answer of “mostly fiction.”

I created the Bariwon series (The Hidden Sun, The Waxing Moon, The Zealous Star). They are liberally included in the fantasy genre, though I disagree since there aren’t any non-human characters or types of magic used in the books. I would classify them as “medieval fiction.”

The Mirror of the Soul has a fantasy element to it, the diamond that shines when people touch it, but overall it is a story about human nature which happens to take place in France in 1453.

After my first four books, I realized that my works were of the medieval nature. In a sense, I was harkening to the mandate of some readers and publishers who want authors to “write the same thing, only different.”

But I knew there were other stories I wanted to tell. Wall of Faith certainly is a departure from my previous works. Set in 1988, it is also based on a true story, therefore not really fiction, per se.

I just announced my latest book, Bring Down The Rain. It also takes place in the late 1980’s, and though I draw on my experiences from high school, it isn’t based on a true story.

There is no doubt in my mind that Bring Down The Rain will appeal to a different type of reader than my previous works. I’ve gone against the grain of “write the same thing, only different.” But that’s not a bad thing.

Here’s why: another unwritten law of being an author is “write stories you are passionate about.” It’s great advice because if you are bored with the subject matter as a writer, it will reflect in your work.

In the end, I’m harkening more toward the second unwritten rule. The goal is to have yet another book come out later this year. It will be completely different than anything I’ve written before. I’ll say this much about it: the book takes place in contemporary times.

That’s not all. I have a number of ideas bouncing around my head. I make no promises on what will happen or when, but I will most likely write a full novel, or maybe even a series, based on my short story, “Howler King.” It will be a work of fantasy, with a twist.

Though I had no intentions of returning to Bariwon after I finished The Zealous Star, it seems like the characters and setting aren’t done with me. Chances are good there may be another book, or two, or three, from Bariwon.

People DO judge a book by its cover

One thing I heard time and again from people at a recent writer’s conference was how much they loved the covers of the new editions of my books. That was nice to hear, especially since I had more of a say than ever before with their design. I looked around for an illustrator and tried to find one whose style matched what I had in mind. 

I came across Roland Ali Pantin and noted that his previous work matched the look I wanted. I gave him some ideas and he came back with a few options. 

For the sake of curiosity, I decided to post some of the rough draft covers of The Waxing Moon and The Zealous Star. This was the first suggestion from Roland. 

It was a good try. Really. I didn’t like the blood on the sword, the plate helm, or the full moon in the sky—after all, the name of the book is The Waxing Moon. He gave it another try: 

This was better with the waxing moon in the corner, but the guy on the cover wasn’t how I pictured the main character. I send Ronald some picture ideas for how I imagined the lead character and we agreed on this one: 

Next, for The Zealous Star, the lead character, Diantha was to be the focus. Roland came up with this basic idea: 

I thought the woman looked a bit cartoonish, and nowhere in the book is there a wolf with red eyes. Still, it was a good first attempt. I wanted more of a red motif, and gave more detailed points about the redheaded Diantha. This was the second try: 

It was pretty darn close, but I asked him to lose the mask, change the moon in the sky to a starry field, because you know, the title is The Zealous Star, and wanted her shoulder covered up so it matched her outfit in the story better. This gave us the final cover: 

Lastly, on April Fool’s Day, I posted this fake cover and I fear that some people actually thought I was being serious.

Big Announcement!

I am delighted to announce that the final book of the Bariwon Chronicles has been released! It’s titled The Zealous Star.

But wait, there’s more!

In conjunction with the release of the 3rd book in the series, new editions of The Hidden Sun and The Waxing Moon are being released as well! The books will be available right away from Amazon.com in both Kindle and print versions.

The newest editions of The Hidden Sun and The Waxing Moon include extras like insights into many of the various secrets hidden within their pages, as well as a side by side comparison of the final draft compared to one of the first drafts of the book.

The print version of The Zealous Star has these same features including some deleted scenes.

For all the information, including how to order, click on this link.

Here are the new covers!

A faraway kingdom.

A beautiful princess.

A courageous hero.

A ruthless villain.

An impossible choice.

The kingdom of Bariwon is at a crossroads. A new leader threatens to take control of the throne which could throw the land into chaos. The Hidden Sun is an epic tale of courage, heartbreak, battles and redemption.

A faraway kingdom.

A brave warrior.

An unexpected danger.

An ancient secret.

A desperate plan.

Fear is running rampant in Bariwon. The people of a small village near the northern mountains have vanished. Newly commissioned royal guardian Snapdragon is sent with a scouting party to investigate. His responsibility is to protect the non-soldiers, including Seraphina, a stunning young nursemaid. When the party arrives, they make a shocking discovery. During the chaos that follows, Snapdragon discovers his feelings toward Seraphina are more than protective. Soon, he is forced to make difficult choices that will impact the future of everyone in Bariwon.

A faraway kingdom.

A beautiful warrior.

A relentless enemy.

A deadly threat.

An epic conclusion.

The kingdom of Bariwon is under attack. It is the greatest threat to the kingdom in a dozen generations. The best warrior in Bariwon isn’t allowed to defend her kingdom—because she’s a woman. When she decides to take matters in her own hands, her actions could either save the kingdom she loves … or destroy it.

Thankful for Books Giveaway

Whoo hoo! Another give-a-way!

I’ll be giving away the winner’s choice of one of the following:

(Click on the link to find out more information about the books)

 

 

 

I have a short story in this anthology

 

The book will be personalized and autographed by yours truly.

To enter, simply put your email information in the comment section below.

Oh, and while you’re at it, please “follow” this blog. I contribute to it regularly with humorous, thought provoking and / or emotional posts.

Good luck on the contest!

Reading Clean Giveaway Hop

I'm pleased to announce I'm part of the "Reading Clean Giveaway Hop" starting on Thursday, Sept 6th!

Winning on this blog is easy: Simply post a comment below with your email address so I can contact you if you win.

While you're here, feel free to follow my blog. I post all sorts of things from humor, insight and writing tips.

Oh! What's that you say? What can you win? You will win an autographed copy of either The Hidden Sun or The Waxing Moon (your choice).

Thank you an good luck!

One trick pony books

With the release of my second book, I’m seeing a trend in the feedback. Overall, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. It appears I’ve been given a gift for character development, plotting and pacing.

I tend not to dwell on the negatives, and to be fair, the “negative” feedback hasn’t really been negative as more a commentary on the preference of the reader.

Something I’m hearing from readers is more prevalent with The Waxing Moon, though I did hear it some with The Hidden Sun. What is it? “The book is very complex.”

In the past, I would have been very confused by this statement. Why? Because most of the books I choose to read are complex. However, I’ve read a bunch of novels recently and I see a general trend of popular books. First of all, they are told from one point of view. Secondly, there is only one storyline—and sometimes it’s pretty basic.

I’ll admit it. My books tend to have a lot of things going on that add up to a greater whole. In fact, one reader told me I could write three or four different books with the plots and subplots from just one of my books. They meant it as a compliment because they said they were tired of “one tricky ponies”—meaning books that have simple plots and simple characters.

My next book, The Mirror of the Soul, is only about 60,000 words. Yet, it is told from five separate points of view. Because of the nature of this story, it really couldn’t be told a different way and be effective.

The Zealous Star is also told from multiple points of view and over a long period of time. Part of me worries that those who prefer “one trick ponies” will reject it out of hand. Again, the story is epic so there isn’t a way to tell it from one point of view without a lot of “telling” instead of “showing”. (That means the author has to explain a lot of things that the reader couldn’t know because they are tied to a single point of view.)

Lastly, Wall of Faith is the exception. It’s told from a single point of view. It follows the classic “three act” format, though the book is anything but predictable. It will be interesting to see the response from readers when I present them with a different writing style.

The “ah ha!” moment

Each author I’ve met has their own way writing a book. Some create detailed character descriptions and settings before they start writing. Others plan out the whole plot and put it in an outline. Others just start writing and see where it takes them. Me? I’m sort of in the middle. I’m in the process of finishing my 5th novel. Each one was a bit different in how I wrote it.

The Hidden Sun: I had a basic scene I started with and then I built around it. This one was tricky. I knew what I wanted to have happen in the end, but I wasn’t sure HOW I was going to accomplish it. The solution came to me while I was writing.

The Waxing Moon: This was the most complex book I’ve written to date. For the final draft, I had created an outline and spreadsheet to ensure everything that happened took place when it should. I had the solution figured out before I started writing the book.

The Mirror of the Soul: This one was fun, but also tricky. Since it is based on the song of the same name, I had the basic outline done for me. Yet, in order to flush it out to a novel sized book, I incorporated several subplots that supported the main one. These subplots were mainly based off of other songs by the same artist—Chris de Burgh. Again, the end was known before I started writing the book. (This book is coming out early 2013)

Wall of Faith: While this is a novel, it’s based on real events. Since I lived these events, the beginning, middle and end were already figured out. The difficult part here was to write it in a way that was engaging. The advance copy readers have given great feedback and I’ll have it shaped up in no time. It’s in the editing staged. My goal is to have this submitted to my publisher by September 1 of 2012.

The Zealous Star: The third, and most likely final, book in the Bariwon series has been the most challenging. I want it to be epic. I want it to be worthy of the books before it. I want it to be a satisfying conclusion to the series. To that end, I’ve written some very dynamic characters and scenes. I’ve thrown all sorts of curveballs at my characters. I’ve turned the story on its head. However, for most of the book, I wasn’t sure how I was going to tie it all together. However, just a couple of days ago, it came to while I was writing. While this will work out great (I hope) it’s not a way I’d suggest to write a book. It’s actually been kind of scary to write a book without knowing how it will end. Yet, when I did get my “ah ha” moment, I’ll admit, I did a little jig.

Write what you want to write

When I get asked for advice from people who want to write books, one of the things I tell them is to write the book they want to write. In other words, don’t write a book based on what they think other people might like. Why? I honestly believe that the book will be more engaging.

There are many times I’ve been asked or told to do things in my life. Often, I’ll do them out of obligation, but if my heart isn’t into it, I don’t really enjoy the experience and I doubt I do the best I can.

Let me use school for an example. I got my BA in Communications—Broadcasting with an emphasis on Production. In other words, I learned how to direct TV shows. However, for my degree, I was forced to take a Public Relations class. This wouldn’t have been that bad except that I had to take it with students who were focusing on Public Relations as their major.

Our final assignment was to do some research for American Express and then present it to a big wig at the company. It was a class assignment that was broken down in several smaller parts. I was grouped with my fellow Broadcasting students and we were given a fairly easy assignment. I’ll admit we put minimal effort into the project—doing only what was required.

On the day of the presentation, it was obvious that the students majoring in Public Relations and gone overboard and did one heck of a presentation. Ours paled in comparison.

During the same semester, I was required to direct several projects—including a dramatic scene and a musical number. For the drama scene, I did a scene from Shakespeare’s Henry IV. It included students studying acting as well as a full blown set I created. It was a boatload of work, but one I really got into.

For the musical number, the BYU symphony was going to be touring the Middle East and they needed a promo music video made. I had to enlist the help of fellow students and others to assemble a TV shoot for the symphony. I only had the symphony for an hour. We had them play a three minute song several times while I had the camera people shoot different shots. It was a ton of work, and a lot more than was required, but I enjoyed it and it showed in the final product.

I’m currently writing the third book in the Bariwon Chronicles. It’s called The Zealous Star. One thing I wanted to avoid in writing a series was to re-writing the first book three times. In other words, have the second and third books be “echoes” of the first book.

I feel I was successful in doing that for The Waxing Moon—it’s quite a bit different than The Hidden Sun. Both are separate, distinct stories.

Mock cover for The Zealous Star

As for The Zealous Star? I can honestly say it is quite a bit different yet again. Part of me worries that people will get upset—that they want clones of the first two books. However, I’m telling a story I want to tell, and in the end, I believe it will be a better book for it.

Review of "The Waxing Moon" by Mandi Tucker Slack

Here is Mandi Tucker Slack's review of The Waxing Moon.

For those of you who have read J. Lloyd Morgan's The Hidden Sun, the long-awaited sequel if finally here. Filled with intrigue, adventure and a little romance, The Waxing Moon will leave you reading long into the night.

When the inhabitants of a small village in the north suddenly disappear, the people of Bariwon are left feeling uneasy. Trying to discover the fate of the townspeople, King Rayne sends a scouting party to investigate, but when the party discovers a secret passage hidden deep within the formidable mountains they discover things are worse than they feared. When the scouting party is attacked by a band of ruthless warriors, Snapdragon, a newly appointed Royal Guardian, is Bariwon's only hope.

As he unravels the mysteries of the tunnel, he learns of an ancient secret that could change the kingdom of Bariwon forever.

I have to admit, I don't usually read books in this genre, but I loved The Hidden Sun, and when asked to review The Waxing Moon, I was ecstatic.

The characters are very well-developed. Snapdragon is definitely a surprise. In the beginning, his character is full of flaws. He's reckless, easy to anger, and trying much too hard to prove himself to world. But as he begins his journey, his growth and change are evident. His character develops in a way that will leave you cheering for this young hero and anxiously hoping for his success.

The story-line is paced to perfection, and the plot is very well developed.

I give J. Lloyd Morgan five-stars and can hardly wait to read the next book in the series (The Zealous Star, coming 2013).

Howler King

Like many authors, my mind is full of different story ideas. From those, I have to choose which ones I’ll focus on.

I wrote a short story some time ago called The Howler King. It certainly has enough going for it to be made into a full novel, but I have several other books that are lined up first.

I’m in the lull right now before the full blown final stages of The Waxing Moon begin, so I decided to revisit The Howler King.

I cleaned it up, added a few things, and hired the talented Kelley Morgan to design the cover. To help it stand out, I dropped “the” from the title. I put it on Amazon.com as an ebook.

I clocks in just shy of 5,000 words. I’ve tried to make it clear as much as I can that it’s a short story.

Like everything I write, I doubt that it will be what people expect—but in a good way.

You can get your copy by clicking here.

The Hunger Games: Inspiration vs Plagiarism

One of the most popular movies in America right now is The Hunger Games. A critic said of the book that it was part The Most Dangerous Game, Lord of the Flies and the TV show Survivor.

This struck a chord with me because it’s been said there are no more original stories—just recycled ones. That’s a fairly pessimistic view and one that could quite intimidating to inspiring authors.

I’ll openly admit I’ve been influenced by different books, movies, characters and such in what I’ve written. Having said that, I have never consciously plagiarized anything. Yet, there times when I’ll be re-watching a favorite movie or TV show, or rereading book when I’ll come across something that inspired me. It may be something someone said, or perhaps a sequence of events—yet I can draw a line between it and something I’ve written.

When this first started happening, I’ll have to admit I was concerned. Was I a fraud? Was I just taking other people’s ideas and recycling them? However, the more I thought about it, the more I came to a conclusion: the significant difference is intention.

In writing The Hidden Sun, I fully intended to create an original story. Are there certain elements and characters that are familiar? Yes. Were these copied with the intention to get gain from someone else’s work? No.

I enjoy including metaphors in my books. In The Hidden Sun, there is a scene where a gardener creates a tree sculpture that he calls “joy”. The owner of the garden doesn’t see it. The tree relates to the book I was writing and the owner represents those who thought it a foolish pursuit.

In my upcoming book, The Waxing Moon, there is a character named Bearach. He’s a crafter with a gift for mechanics. I’d be lying if I didn’t say he was somewhat inspired by MacGyver.

In the scene where he is introduced, Bearach demonstrates to the king and queen an invention of sorts. After they observe it, the king and queen ask how he came up with such an idea. Bearach’s answer was that he took elements he was familiar with and combined them into something new.

In a sense, I believe that is what most, if not all writers do.

So, does The Hunger Games have elements of The Most Dangerous Game, Lord of the Flies and the TV show Survivor?

Yes.

Is it a wholly unique book?

I for one would say yes.

To dream (sequence), perchance to sleep

There was a recent discussion amongst several authors about their feelings on including dream sequences in their books. If you’ve read any of my blogs, it will be no surprise that I have an opinion on the matter.

The question started innocently enough. One author posted the question, “What are other author’s thoughts on starting books with dream sequences?” The answers were varied.

The majority felt that for one reason or another, it shouldn’t be done—and I’m with that group. Why? Well, I can only speak for myself.
First of all, I think it is very cliché to start a story with a dream sequence. I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve seen that in books, TV shows and movies.

Second, I think it’s a cheap way of grabbing the reader’s attention. Generally the dreams are outlandish and / or shocking—and then we are told, “Just kidding! It was a dream!” While the dream was meant to give us insight into the character and what they are dealing with in “real life”, I think it sets the wrong tone. It’s almost like the boy who cried wolf. When someone shocking does happen later in the book, I feel like saying, “No, no! You fooled me once already! I’m not buying it.”

Third, I think dream sequences bog down the story unless the story itself depends on dream sequences for various reasons. One of the authors mentioned that dream sequences tend to bog things down to the point where it can drag out of the book. Once again, I echo this statement. My mind tends to drift during dream sequences.

And just like most rules, there are exceptions. One of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride, has a dream sequence in it. However, it totally works with how the story is framed.

How against dream sequences am I? In The Hidden Sun there are no dream sequences. In fact, in my upcoming release, The Waxing Moon, I actually put a spin on the whole dream sequence device. What is it? You’ll have to read it to find out.

Predetermination and inspiration

I’ve been told there are two types of writers: people who create outlines for their books (known as “plotters”) and then people who write by the seat of their pants (known as “pantsers”). I’m sure there are all sorts of people in between.

For me, I had a basic idea for The Hidden Sun. However, I tend to be more of a “pantser” because as I write, ideas will come to me that I’d not thought of before, or even really considered. Looking back, those are some of my favorite things I’ve written. (Example: the first part of Chapter 10 and the Epilogue.)

I remember thinking at one point in time while writing my first book, “How in the world is this going to end?” Fortunately, I figured something out.

For the follow up, The Waxing Moon, I decided to do more of an outline. I spent a good deal of time figuring out the characters and sequence of events. I still had those moments of inspiration as I wrote, but overall, I stayed true to my outline. When I finished, I discovered something unsettling: Whereas The Hidden Sun was just shy of 100,000 words, The Waxing Moon was barely over 60,000. I didn’t want there to be such a difference, so I created a second outline to continue the story.

A possible idea of what the cover may look like.

Great idea, right?

Well, really not so much.

My beta readers picked up right away what I’d done. My good friend Randy even said, “It was like you wrote a book, then wrote another one.”

So, I went back to the drawing board—sort of.

During this time, I was getting a lot of feedback from readers about The Hidden Sun. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive. While reading through them, I got an idea for a subplot I could interweave into The Waxing Moon. In the end, I chopped off the last part I’d written and I went back and wrote the subplot. I was very pleased at the end how it added to the book.

So what about the part that I chopped off? Let’s just say I have a good head start on writing the next book in the series, The Zealous Star.

My private NaNoWriMo

If you aren’t sure what NaNoWriMo is, don’t fret. I hadn’t heard about it until after my first book was published. It is short for National Novel Writing Month. It “officially” takes place in November. The goal is fairly straight forward: during that month, writers write as much of a novel as they can. What’s a standard word count people are shooting for? The number I’ve heard is 50,000.

But how many pages is 50,000 words? Honestly, it depends on a lot of things: the size of the font (letter size) the size of the paper, how big the margins are and such.

For example, The Hidden Sun is just shy of 100,000 words. That equates to roughly 350 pages in a standard format.

Personally, I applaud the idea behind NaNoWriMo, if not necessarily the execution.

Let me explain.

When I talk to aspiring authors, often they ask me for advice. The best advice I was given and therefore I pass on is to write the book whole—don’t keep rewriting the first chapter—with the understanding you will be going back to fix and change things when you are done. Too many people get started, and then quit after a chapter or two because they keep tweaking what they’ve written. To this end, NaNoWriMo is a great reason for people to write the book they’ve always wanted to.

So again, that is the idea behind NaNoWriMo, at least in my opinion. However, I don’t believe people should wait for November. Yes, there are those who need a kick in the pants and the support of other writers to make the goal. For others, it’s completely different.

For me, my writing comes in spurts. At this point of my writing career, I’m usually writing one book while editing another. I know of authors who write several books at the same time. I’m not that talented. I have to give my full attention to writing one book at a time.

The Hidden Sun took me five years to write. Why? Mainly because it was my first book and I was working full time, had four little daughters and spent a lot of time donating time for my church.

While editing The Hidden Sun, I got an idea for a second book. It took me three years to write The Waxing Moon, (it ended up just a bit more that 100,000 words) but I was writing it while editing The Hidden Sun.

While editing The Waxing Moon, I started working on the third book, The Zealous Star. However, after only a few chapters, I got an idea of writing a book based on a song called The Mirror of the Soul by Chris de Burgh. Though I wanted to finish The Zealous Star, I couldn’t stop thinking about The Mirror of the Soul. So, once I got permission from Chris de Burgh and his management to write the book, I put The Zealous Star on the back burner. Nine months later, I finished the book, the whole time still editing The Waxing Moon. The Mirror of the Soul is only 60,000 words, but that’s how long it took me to tell the story.

By this time The Waxing Moon was completed and while editing The Mirror of the Soul, I went back to writing The Zealous Star. After roughly 30,000 words into the book, I got inspired to write another book—something completely different from what I’d written before. Once again, the urge to write the new book was too strong, so The Zealous Star went back on the shelf while I started writing.

In one month’s time, I’ve written over 57,000 words for this new book. I’ve pondered on why it’s come so quickly and I’ve decided on a few things.

First, because I’ve written three full books before this one. I’ve gotten better and quicker.

Second, this book is told in first person, unlike the rest of my books. The other three books I’ve written are told from different points of view with separate plots intersecting and coming together at the end. It’s a fairly complex process. Writing a book from a single point of view has helped things move right along.

Third, while this yet-to-be-titled book is a novel, it is based on events in my personal life of when I lived in Mexico and some pretty darn traumatic things happened to me. Because of that, I already know the events and characters pretty well.

How does all this relate to NaNoWriMo? Well, I write when story in me demands to be told. It doesn’t wait for November.

However, I may just have to use NaNoWriMo this year to get me to finish The Zealous Star. That poor book keeps getting set aside.

Author update

August has been an interesting month, to say the least. Much has happened. I thought it was time for another update on the author part of my life.

First and foremost, The Hidden Sun, published by Walnut Springs Press, is now available for purchase! As of this moment in time, there are three places it can be bought:

1. Autographed copies can only be purchased from Handcarts in the Valley bookstore. You can either order them online or visit them in Heber, Utah.

2. Want a place a little closer to the east coast? All Booked Up in Apex, North Carolina (my home town) is selling it as well.

3. It's also available on Amazon.com.

It will be available on other websites in the near future--I'll keep you updated.

As for other news: I'll be featured in a couple of the local papers in the Apex and Holly Springs area next week. I'll post more information when I get it.

A blog tour for The Hidden Sun is in the works. As of this moment, it's planned to run from the end of September through October. I'll post the dates and websites as soon as they are finalized.

In other news, I've updated The Waxing Moon so it matches the second edition of The Hidden Sun. I spent most of this last week re-reading this sequel, and I'm darn excited for people to read it. There is a nice preview of The Waxing Moon found at the end of the latest edition of The Hidden Sun. No date is set yet for when it will see the light of day--most likely sometime in 2012.

My third book, The Mirror of the Soul, (based on the works of Chris de Burgh) has completed the beta stage--meaning I had several people read the first draft and give me suggestions. It's now in the next editing stages where I'll add here, take away there, and get it ready to present to Chris de Burgh for his approval.  Chris had read the 3 page outline for the book and given his support before I started writing the full blown book. My goal is to present it to him, his management and his publisher for approval by Oct 1st.

So once October rolls around, I plan on working on the third book in the Bariwon series. I already have some of it written, but it was placed on hold once the opportunity to write The Mirror of the Soul became available.

Last, but not least, my webpage will be getting a facelift soon as it will transition away from being a "book" site and more of an "author" site.

Thank you all for your support!

Updates and announcements

Though I've never been in the military, I hear there is a saying often used, namely, "Hurry up and wait." I dare say that saying also applies to published authors. I, for one, have noticed it can take a long time for things to get moving, but when they start, it happens quickly--and often all at once.

I thought I'd take a moment to post an update on my writing projects and the various states they are in. And yes, this includes the first synopsis of my second book The Waxing Moon as well as me announcing my super top secret project.

Without further ado:

The Hidden Sun, second edition (re-edited and a few extras added) is being released by Walnut Springs summer of 2011. The timeline is either July or August. More on this, including the new cover design when I get it.

The Waxing Moon is written, edited and submitted to the publisher. No details are available about a release date for this sequel to The Hidden Sun. However, as promised, here is the first teaser:

"It's not easy to be Snapdragon. His sister and brother are well known and respected throughout the kingdom of Bariwon. How could anyone compete with a brother and sister like them? Yet, that is what Snapdragon sets out to do. He spends his teen years practicing everyday to become a Royal Guardian. His efforts are rewarded, but even posting the first perfect score in the history of the Shoginoc isn't enough. He must do something more. One of his first responsibilities is to accompany an entourage sent to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the people of Procep, a small village next to the northern mountains. Snapdragon sees this as an opportunity to prove himself, until he finds out his job is to basically babysit the nursemaids, servants and crafters sent along to help. He does his job begrudgingly, thinking there is no way to earn honor in such a lowly task. However, what happens once the group arrives at their destination forces Snapdragon to make some extremely difficult choices to not only save his life and those he is assigned to protect, but potentially all of the people in the kingdom of Bariwon."

Side note: this teaser is written specifically as to not to spoil any of the surprises in the first book. While Snapdragon is the primary protagonist, many characters from The Hidden Sun play a role in the story.

One of my short stories, The Reluctant Wanderer, has been picked up and published in an anthology called How The West Was Wicked. Ordering information can be found here. One bit of warning, while my story is an enjoyable read (at least I think so), it is fairly tame compared to some of the stories in the anthology. In other words, many of the other stories are more wicked than mine.

I have another short story, The Howler King, which I may submit for an anthology, though right now, I'm leaning on keeping it and flushing it out to be a full blown novel.

I had started writing the third book in the Bariwon series, called The Zealous Star, but have placed it on hold for the moment because I am currently working on another book which I can finally announce.

A little back ground first: I've always loved music, though I don't play an instrument and don’t sing particularly well. Growing up when MTV actually played music videos most certainly influenced my taste in music. One of the videos (and songs) I really enjoyed was called Don't Pay The Ferryman by Chris De Burgh. I absolutely wore out his LP The Getaway. His next album, called Man On The Line was also excellent, with the primary single High On Emotion. By this time, I was a huge fan and purchased all his previous albums. Then, in 1986, he released Into The Light. It was another spectacular album with a great collection of songs.

What I found interesting is that I had the Into The Light for several months when I saw that one of the songs was very popular in the UK and was starting to get airplay in the USA. That song? Lady In Red.

Lady In Red is probably what he is most known for in the states. Chris continued to put out quality albums over the years, but with the change in music taste in the 90's (grunge and rap), he, like many other artists, found that his style of music wasn't as popular in the USA, though he continued to do well in many placed in the world. In fact, its reported he has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. More information can be found at his website.

In 2006, he released an album called The Storyman. On this particular work is a song called The Mirror Of The Soul--an epic song with great imagery, an engaging story and powerful message.

I thought to myself, Self, this would make a wonderful book. But how does one go about contacting an international music star to get permission to do such a thing? Would I even have the guts to ask?

The answer? The worst that could happen is I would be told "no" or ignored.

Through a few inquires sent here and there, I was able to propose my idea to Chris' management. They initially liked the idea, but would have to run it by the publisher. The publisher gave their permission, and suggested I send my ideas so Chris could review them.

So, I sent my proposal and outline for the book, telling myself it would be ok if Chris rejected it.

His response? I won't quote it verbatim, but he said the outline was very good and should make an interesting book. (he even used 2 !! at the end.) He thought my idea of interweaving some of his other songs into the book as "fascinating" and said the overall idea was "very strong."

So, there you have it. I get to write a book based on one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite musicians--not only with his permission, but his support.

It will be called The Mirror Of The Soul. And as of this moment, I have the prologue and 5 chapters written. It may take some time to complete and edit it, but it is on the way!