So August has come and gone, and I had an entire month off (mostly). What did I accomplish? Well, I set out some fairly lofty goals at the beginning of the month, so let’s just see how I did:
– Finish editing the damn submarine novel!
Not so much, but that’s okay since I’ve made major changes that I think make it a better story (yes, again). I think the reason this one is taking so long (even for me) is because it’s so personal. No, the events in this book are not real, but since I spent 12 years in the submarine service, I really want it to feel as real as it can, even with unreal events going on. It’s mostly about the people, and that’s something I know a lot about. I’m not basing the characters on any of the guys I’ve worked with, but I am certainly feeding off of past experiences. Also, since much of the book takes place on a submarine, and there’s a hundred-some people on board with nowhere else to go…there are a LOT of characters. That’s kind of a pain in the ass to manage, but well worth it.
– Finish editing Volume 3-Z, get to Mr. Editor, format and finish artwork
Lots of editing on this throughout the month, and yesterday morning I had the pleasure of sending it over to the honorable Mr. Editor. I’ve got the cover just about ready and am working on the artwork. I’ve also starting the cover and formatting for the print version (which will have volumes 1-3). My plan is to release Volume 3-Z in October for Kindle and Nook, then have the print collection ready for Anthocon in November. I’ll be there with the good folks from Books & Boos, and of course the mighty Post Mortem Press will be there as well.
– Finish the shorts that have been in process for far too long
I did a LOT of work on short stories this month. Of the ones I mentioned at the beginning of the month:
The Guangzhou one: Done, edited, and off to the editor for a short story anthology coming out early next year. More details to follow as we get closer.
The lake one: Done, edited and off to Mr. Editor to be part of Volume 3-Z.
The one with Phil: Done and partially edited. I need to go through it again but then it will be ready for…something. It’s interesting because it’s kind of a back story for Phil from Stripped. It got me thinking I should write back stories for some of the other characters, but if that happens it will take time. I think I’ll treat this as a standalone for now.
The one at work: Done except for the ending…because I hate the ending. I’ve changed it a few times, and I still hate it. I’m letting it marinate for a bit.
The one with the tower: Done, edited, and off to Mr. Editor to be included with Volume 3-Z.
Other shorts I’ve worked on include:
A thorough edit to Gwen and the Cellar prior to submission for consideration in a short story anthology.
A thorough edit and synopsis to Deep Inside the U-20 prior to submission for consideration in a short story anthology.
A thorough edit to At the End of Meeting House Road prior to submission for consideration in a short story anthology.
A thorough edit and synopsis to Camp Hollybrook based on positive response to a query. No, this isn’t a short story, but I didn’t know where else to put it.
– Finish Death +5
I didn’t even touch it. I’ll put myself in a time out for that.
– Move my office
So close. It’s a work in process, and I’ve made a lot of progress. All that’s left really is moving my drum set and running the cables. I’m hoping to get the chance to do that tonight.
BONUS MAYBE GOALS:
– Record some of the songs I’ve been writing.
Not so much, mostly because of the pending drum set move from the above “move my office” goal. I did work on some new music, so I’m hoping to lay down tracks for three songs soon.
– Start the next book
Oddly enough, I did start on this one. I’ve started plotting a mystery that I’ve been thinking about for a while. Yes, I know writing a mystery sounds very cliche, but I have what I think is a cool idea so I’m running with it. Have no fear, people will die, and not just the “obligatory dead body found under mysterious circumstances and everyone is a suspect” type of thing.
This mystery is history…get it? History? Because it’s in a library? Nevermind…
There it is. Not so bad I think. Of course, I didn’t meet all the goals, but I’m okay with that. Goals are something to work towards, and that’s different from a deadline. I also managed a few other accomplishments this month, such as:
I wrote the “drunken blog” a few people have asked me for. Yes, what you’re thinking is correct. I got drunk, and I started to write. You might be wondering why I haven’t posted it yet, but the reason is simple: I hate it. It’s really stupid All I did is ramble a bit and misspell just about everything. There is one good point to it though, so I think I might post it…just because. Maybe next week.
I got a bit of reading done. I don’t get nearly as much time to read as I’d like, so I tried to make up for it in August. I managed to finish:
White Shark by Peter Benchley (review on Goodreads)
Yorick by Vlad Vaslyn (review on Goodreads)
Chimera 44 by Christopher Eger (review on Goodreads)
World’s Collider by Richard Salter (ed.) (review on Goodreads and Amazon)
Pray Lied Eve by Lydia Peever (review on Goodreads and Amazon)
Welcome to the Trust by C. Dennis Moore (review on Goodreads)
Dead in the USA by David Price (review on Goodreads)
Obviously, I have some catching up to do with reviews. I do try to review everything I read, because I know how much of a difference it can make for an author and to the overall success of a book. I’ll urge you all to do the same. If you read something and you enjoy it, leave a review. You can leave one wherever you bought it (Amazon, B&N, etc.) or you can leave one on Goodreads if you have an account. Or both. It only takes you a few minutes, but it can make a HUGE difference to potential readers.
Oh yeah, I also managed to grow a big fluffy beard (well, at least a month’s worth of fluffy). Then on September 1 I shaved it. Now my face feels funny…
Dale T. Phillips, Stacy Longo, Vlad Vaslyn, Craig D. B. Patton, and fuzzy me at the Middletown, CT Open Air Market.
