Lou Paduano | Urban Fantasy Novels | Sci-Fi Crime Series

Writing Update – March 19, 2019

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This appears to be the month where things came to a grinding halt. Why, you ask?

THE FLU!

My daughters have been sidelined all week with the terrible bug and it’s taken its toll on me as well. The old brainbox has turned into a massive fog of late so work hasn’t been the easiest thing in the world. We’re on the mend, slowly – so slowly – and after fumigating the house I’ll be back to it.

But let’s get to the writing update already!

Writing Update

DSA Season One – Book Three is DONE. The Bridge is one of my absolute favorite stories in the series. I was so glad it came together as easily as it did. It required little tweaking on my part from the previous iteration.

Currently, I’m editing Book Four. This one is a little more tricky than the previous two installments as this one has to play a couple different roles. Not only is it meant to be a direct continuation of The Bridge but also introduces a new world of characters to be explored. Juggling between the two is a feat. I’ve come to realize I sacrificed some of my momentum by doing so.

This week I’m fixing it up, nailing down the specifics on the arc long plot and how it can best be promoted within the pages of this chapter of the story. The main plot is set, it’s all those nasty little subplots and twists I want settled before I move onto the final two books.

My original deadline was March 31st for all six books. Since January turned into a script-fest for Season Two I pushed out the deadline until April 30th. Barring any further illness (UGH) this will happen and I’ll be well into the script for the Greystone-In-Training novel, Hammer and Anvil.

Launch Dates

I’m reticent to announce anything until I nail down some specifics – editing and cover design-wise. My hope, one I truly believe is feasible is to launch DSA in October and the Greystone novel in September. If that is the case, the First Cycle Box set will launch in August to help promote the new book.

It’s going to make for a crazy summer but I think it’s possible once I figure a few things out.

I will keep you updated!

March Promotions

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Signs of Portents is part of two major promotions this month! You can find the book at either one for FREE this entire month along with dozens of other incredible novels.

Series Starters

Bookfunnel, a fantastic site for free books, has put together a tremendous collection of series starters. Sci-fi, fantasy and horror titles have been included and there are over 150 novels to choose from!

 

Explore

Sponsored by MyBookCave and the always incredible Rachel Branton, The Explore promo features close to 50 new worlds for you to discover. Sci-fi and fantasy titles are included in this collection as well as the chance to win a gift card so be sure to head over there right now and start reading!

 

Other Happenings –

I will have a table at the Buffalo Comicon at the end of the month! March 31st at the Buffalo Marriott from 10am – 5pm. Stop by and visit. Bring a copy of Greystone and get it signed!

Loved the ebook? Pick up a signed paperback!

Seriously, though, there will be a lot to shop for at this con. Great guests and terrific retailers. It’s going to be a blast and I hope to see you there!

A Call for Reviews – 2019 Edition

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There are certain things are difficult for me, tasks with which I struggle. Acquiring reviews for Greystone appears to be one of them!

I love my books. Yes, there was an enormous pain in producing them as all writers would attest, but they are my creative darlings and I am the better because of them. If I could, I would talk Greystone all day. From the setting to the characters, every nuance, every stray thought that’s been put into why certain things occur in the books and where we are heading with the second half.

I could talk for hours and if you know me that is a feat and a half.

But this isn’t about me. I can’t leave a review, much as I would love to, on my books. I need your help to make it happen.

Now last year I set some goals with reviews. I failed miserably.

My hope is this year will go better. Truly, I hope you are enjoying the story and want to share that with others. If you have read any of the novels, any of the box sets, please consider leaving a review today.

I am including a master link for each book. From there you will be able to click on any retailer of your choice to leave a review. I hope you will. They are crucial to building up the Greystone’s rep, as it were, and I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you.

Click on the links below and post your review!

Signs of Portents – https://books2read.com/u/b5MEwR 

Tales from Portents – https://books2read.com/u/49xOJp

The Greystone Saga Volume One – https://books2read.com/u/3nerW5

The Medusa Coin – https://books2read.com/u/mVZjPl

Pathways in the Dark – https://books2read.com/u/mvj6g2

The Greystone Saga Volume Two – https://books2read.com/u/47879E

A Circle of Shadows – https://books2read.com/u/bazYXx

 

Multi-Tasking Projects

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Part of the joy of writing can be the immersive nature of the beast. Digging into a story, poring your way through research and developing logic and rules for your world. It’s absolutely a blast to build, to create, and thrive in the fiction.

It can also turn into a chore.

There is that fear. Time slips away when working on what can turn out to be a multi-year project. For all your building, the rules might go from enjoyment to confinement. So how to break out of your doldrums? How do you step back so you can return to appreciate your creations instead of harping on their faults?

Multi-tasking projects

Take that angst, that aggression, and put it toward a new endeavor. Maybe it isn’t writing a book. It could be building a website or copyediting for a commercial site. Use that creative need and keep working, just on something else.

Taking your mind off your long-term project isn’t a crime. Sometimes – and this tends to be more true than not – the work is better for it. Figuring out a new puzzle helps you crack the one you’ve left on your word processor for a day, a week, a month. Not forever. Merely a small amount to gain perspective that immersion tends to obscure in the process.

How to make time for both…

This is the tricky part and everyone will tackle this differently. Some writers have the full day (LUCKY) and can break it up by morning and afternoon.

If you’re like me and can only dream of a full eight to ten hours per days writing your heart out, then you have to be a little more creative – and way more flexible.

Create milestones. Make them small, maybe even weekly goals. Once you reach a certain point on one project you move onto the other tasks. I set up a weekly checklist. Once my writing goal is met I now have time for blogging, e-mail clean up, and the dozen other jobs I tend to push off until the last second.

In terms of multiple book projects, I break down the process by draft.

Outline, Script, Readthrough, Draft, Self-Editing (x3) and then Done.

Once I complete one step in that process I turn to another project. For the DSA Season 2 I outlined all six books first then went back to script each one in turn. In between scripts I continued to self-edit Season 1, using what I learned of where the story is heading to dictate certain changes to the narrative.

When all six scripts were done, I put Season 2 away to focus on completing Season 1 edits.

Don’t overwhelm your schedule

Multi-tasking projects, especially different series of books, can prove to be quite challenging. Your voice in the narrative might be different and switching between the projects can prove difficult and frustrating.

Know your limits and let them guide your schedule instead of burying yourself. Once you get overwhelmed it is tough to find your way back so that the work becomes enjoyable again.

I had a third series I was hoping to take on this year. An awesome project I can’t wait to dive into, but it required too much time to get off the ground. Hours I couldn’t possibly find unless it pulled me away from the DSA and Greystone. It’s tentatively scheduled for next year on the writing schedule.

Understand what you can handle and how it will affect your story. Then map it all out so you can find your way.

Get to it.

February Promotions

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I’ve been slacking on the marketing side of late. My fault, for many reasons, not the least of which is a focus on building new content. But while I toil away on the DSA Season 1 edits and the makings of a new Greystone novel, how about some love for what has come before?

Signs of Portents is FREE this month!!

The first book in the Greystone series is FREE right now on all major platforms. Is it weird that I miss writing this book? It was such a process but the energy behind it, the thoughts that went into building the world were so much fun and thrilling at the time. Part of the upcoming novel comes from a specific moment in Signs as does most of the series. So many seeds planted and little nods to items on my very hefty checklist.

Plus, it’s a great mystery. If you haven’t already picked up a copy be sure to snag it while it’s free this month. And if you have a copy and read it, please be sure to leave a review. They are always appreciated and help out tremendously with promoting the series and soothing my fragile ego.

Download your FREE copy of Signs of Portents now.

How about more FREE books?

The SFF Book Bonanza Mega Promo is going on this week! There are over 70 titles included this month, all free for your reading pleasure. Top talent authors like Dean F. Wilson and Patty Jensen as wells as dozens more are showering you with presents this month so be sure to check them out!

Not enough for you? Tales from Portents and The Medusa Coin are on sale now!

That’s right. Not only is the first book in the Greystone series free but books 2 and 3 are only $0.99 each! This is a great time to dive into the Greystone world. I’d love to have you along for the journey and to hear your thoughts on the books.

Get your copy of Tales from Portents now!

Dive into the quest for immortality with The Medusa Coin today!

Happy Reading!

Finding Motivation for the Long Haul

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Writing is a marathon not a sprint. Much as we would all like to think differently, the notion of building story takes a tremendous amount of time and energy. So how do you stay motivated for the long haul? What keeps you going during the long hours of drafting, plotting, editing, promoting, and everything in-between?

Finding your motivation

Writing, the act of creating something – anything, really, can put some wear and tear on your spirits over time. Especially when caught in the midst of a massive project with no end seemingly in sight. To keep pushing ahead, to make the task a joy instead of a chore, take a moment every day to look outside your world for that little nudge of motivation.

Here are a few ideas to stimulate your creativity and get you back to work:

Follow another author’s journey.

Take a step back and realize there are thousands of others going through what you are at this very second. Trouble with a plot point? They’ve been there. Need that perfect piece of dialogue or the whole scene falls apart? Yep, same here.

Read blogs. Follow newsletters. Listen to podcasts. The creative energy you can find just by taking a few minutes of your day and living outside your own head can be reinvigorating to such a degree I guarantee you’ll be sitting in front of the word processor well into the night with fresh ideas and a positive attitude.

Read a good book.

Something completely out of your wheelhouse. Write urban fantasy? Take a peek at a biography or a hard-boiled detective story. See what exists outside your perspective and how it stacks up with your own writing. What works? Why does it work? Learn new rules and then take them back to your own writing.

Come back to your project with a stronger sense of self by visiting other authors’ playgrounds.

Skip ahead and reward yourself early.

This is a fun one. Okay, they’re all fun but this one can really bring it home and keep those words flowing on the page.

What sort of rewards am I talking about here? Well, they can take many forms. Maybe something as simple as a dinner out with a loved one. Possibly that bottle of wine you’ve been saving for the end of the first draft.

For me, because writing a long term project can seem so nebulous over a course of many months or possibly years, is to reward yourself by making your book “real” to you.

  1. Hire a cover designer early. You know your story. Why not get that cover made sooner rather than later. I did this for the last couple Greystone novels and looked at it every day as motivation to finish the project. It was fantastic.
  2. Commission artwork relating to your story. Before I set to work on the DSA I open a logo design I had drawn up months ago. It’s a simple badge that I hope to use on every cover for the series but it reminds me that this project is real, that it can happen and will happen. All I have to do is put in the time.
  3. Share your story. Some might feel nervous about this one and I totally understand it. Your narrative is precious to you. To share it might ruin it. But it also might save it. Talking out the story with someone who respects your work and the craft behind it can help clarify your own confusion and even bring out new details to add into the draft. Getting other people excited about your work brings it back to you, driving you to finish that project.

Find your motivation and keep writing. Every story deserves to be told and I can’t wait to see what you have in you.

Thanks for reading.

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