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

Writing Update – May 25, 2017

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I have to be honest with you. I’ve been distracted lately. With so much going on writing-wise it’s been happening more and more. That and a constant cold that has slowly turned my brain to mush this month. But there has been writing going on so let’s catch you up on what I’m currently brewing in the writing cauldron.

Currently Writing

Pathways in the Dark self-editing has been a slog. I might be pushing too hard, too quickly so I’m taking this week off to focus on a few other things. This collection means a lot to me and I think it came together nicely but it’s not where it needs to be yet. A couple months of tinkering will do it. I just need to sit down and solve this thing like every other project.

So what have I been distracting myself with lately?

Would you believe Book Five’s outline?

currently writing

(I even upgraded from the pink and purple index cards used for The Medusa Coin…)

Yeah, I did mention possibly moving too quickly for my own good. Looking ahead, though, has already helped refocus some of the plot points in Pathways. I’m still refining the outline and will be for the next few weeks as I put the script together. And then again when drafting takes over this summer.

For now, I am happy to say there is a very clear spine for what will be the final novel in the first cycle of the Greystone series.

It is a definite ending.

For now.

As for everything else going on, I am heading back into The Medusa Coin for one last pass. You’ll be hearing more about the next step for September’s release next month.

Reading

Lots of reading going on lately. Loving it.

Mark Dawson – Phoenix

She does Britain’s dirty work, but this time she needs help. Beatrix Rose, meet John Milton…

Beatrix Rose has a knack for making the British government’s problems go away. When the assassin is sent to Venezuela to track down a missing scientist, she meets a contact who knows the lay of the land: none other than John Milton…

As the state-sanctioned assassin and the special forces soldier team up in South America, they’ll do more than capture a missing scientist. They’ll discover a secret that will change Beatrix’s life forever…

Phoenix is a short story that unites two landmark thriller characters in a single tale. If you like ruthless assassins, fast-moving plots, and Jack Reacher-style action, then you’ll love USA Today bestselling author Mark Dawson’s latest short.

Buy Phoenix to witness the thrilling team-up today!

A great novella showcasing the characters from Mr. Dawson’s various series that serves as a nice primer for his genre. Action packed in the vein of Greg Rucka, I enjoyed every second of it and can’t wait to dive in for more.

The proceeds for this book go to a good cause, experimental cancer treatments for a close friend of Mark Dawson. So please consider purchasing a copy to help assist in a small way toward saving a life. You can learn more about it here.

The Blended Ones – Angela J. Ford

Caught in the fate of the Eastern World, the destiny of the Blended Ones, Treasure Hunters, and Horse Lords become twisted together in a frightful quest. In the midst of their whirlwind adventure, they discover love, loss, and uncover the truth about who and what is behind the chaotic, spiraling events in the Eastern World.

The Blended Ones is Book Two in The Four Worlds series but can be read as a stand-alone novel.  I’ve purchased both and can’t wait to dive into them. They look amazing.

From May 25th to May 29th The Blended Ones is FREE!

Grab yours today on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ1D35Q

For those looking to try out a whole slew of the best and brightest authors around in Science Fiction and Fantasy, check out the Dominion Rising box-set.

22 brand new novels are being offered in this set for only $0.99!!

From the back cover:

Find the Science Fiction and Fantasy reads you’ve been craving! Whether it’s alien invasion or dark fairytales, heart-pounding galactic adventures or cyberpunk romance, Dominion Rising will satisfy with a thrilling mix of 22 all-new full-length novels set in fantastical realms.

Sword and sorcery, far-flung galactic empires, alternative history, epic magic, slipstream futures: this collection of carefully selected, exclusive novels is sure to delight readers of speculative fiction.

Over five thousand pages packed with aliens, faeries, vampires, gargoyles, warriors, telepaths, space pirates, starship captains, hapless mercenaries, street urchins, robots, cyber-enhanced humans, badass heroines, and lost princesses.

These award-winning, New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling authors have left no stone unturned in the science fiction and epic fantasy universe to bring you the very best escape from planet Earth.

All the novels are available exclusively in the Dominion Rising collection.

The collection will be released on August 8th but you can pre-order your copy today!

The Greystone Saga Volume One

Don’t forget to pre-order your copy of The Greystone Saga Volume One, collecting Signs of Portents and Tales from Portents. Only $0.99 until June 22nd!!

           

Thanks for reading.

Eyes of the Storm Commentary Part 1

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The next several months will bring author commentaries on all six stories contained within the Tales from Portents collection. My hope is to offer insight into the decisions made in putting the project together and the challenges therein. It’s also fun to point out the little Easter eggs throughout. (I love that crap.) So, SPOILER WARNING is in effect for the duration.

Greg Loren, lone wolf.

Greg LorenThere is such a thing as getting too comfortable with a series. Too formulaic. Too stuck in one mode of thinking. Every chance I get to create a new tale in the world of Greystone is a chance to tell something new and I am very much aware of the been there, done that factor.

So when I was outlining the different stories presented in Tales, I knew there were many ways to take the characters. There were no limitations on timeline or specific events so it really opened the door for new looks at each of the principal players in the cast.

Soriya’s solo appearance in The Consultant came together first. It snapped together like a giant jigsaw puzzle pretty quickly from the onset. It was clear from writing that piece when it took place. It ends right where Signs of Portents picks up, dovetailing directly into her investigation into the Night Owls bar.

So what was Loren doing during this time?

That question alone started the ball rolling on what became Eyes in the Storm.

Cases, especially those handled by these two characters are typically handled together. Greg Loren is a man out of place in the true city of Portents. So what happens when he has to fly solo? How does he handle things on his own? How does the world look to Loren from outside the influence of Soriya Greystone?

That was my starting point.

Comfort zones

It isn’t only about breaking away from my comfort zone when plotting new tales in this world to keep the series fresh when creating. It’s about pushing the characters out of theirs as well.

Eyes in the Storm offered a chance to do that by putting Loren in a situation on his own, away from Soriya and away from Portents. Yet completely entwined on some level.

At a time when he wants nothing to do with anything from his past. He’s left it behind, fallen so far he can’t afford another mistake, just as it pulls him right back into it. Forcing Loren to face the world introduced by Soriya on his own, without the safety net of the Greystone in the mix, was the ultimate test for Greg Loren as a character and one I was very happy to see come together.

The Chicago way.

Eyes in the Storm also answered one of the main points on display throughout Signs of Portents. Loren’s time in Chicago. He ran away from Portents, hoping to reconnect with the city of his birth and the family he left behind. He mentioned it several times in the first novel of the series.

It felt wrong not showing it off, at least for a moment.

Connecting to Portents

Another important element for this story was keeping it connected with everything else going on, especially the city of Portents itself. These are tales FROM Portents so having that connective tissue, those threads in place, was something I was very cognizant of when outlining.

The idea that the staff of Chaac traveled through Portents first became that thread. Did something happen to the staff during this trip to allow it to possess Owen Chase? Was it like this prior to its visit to Portents? If you were left with these questions, that was intentional. I wanted to keep it vague, to keep the mystery of Portents and the true city very much in the background for both the reader and Greg Loren.

Portents, in my mind, is the center of this series. It plays as much a role in the way events occur as any character in the book. Just as it plays an important role in who Greg Loren is as a character.

Next time –

Eyes in the Storm continues next week.

Thanks for reading.

Greystone Saga Volume One

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This is something I always wanted to put together. When I thought about the publishing schedule for Greystone I knew there was an opportunity to fit in a special box set of the previous releases in preparation of the next installment in the series.

With The Medusa Coin set to hit shelves in September now is the time to catch up on the series with The Greystone Saga Volume One.

Volume One contains both Signs of Portents and Tales from Portents for your reading pleasure. I also contains a sneak peek at the upcoming release, The Medusa Coin.

The downside.

This is a digital only release. I toyed with the idea of a physical copy but the cost was too extravagant for the casual reader. This is meant to be a gateway into the series at a lower price point, to allow readers an easy entry to prepare themselves for the release of book three in September.

The cover.

greystone saga volume oneI can’t get enough of the cover. Kit Foster Designs does a damn fine job making me look way better than I have any right to be. I absolutely love new cover day.

Thanks are also due my lovely wife, who assisted me greatly with choosing this image. I spend way too much time in my own head so internal strife is rampant, even about the smallest of details. Thankfully, I have someone willing to listen to my non-stop mutterings and rants, who is also willing to tell me to shut the hell up and go with it when it is the definition of perfection.

(Like her.)

 

The bright side.

The Greystone Saga Volume One is out on June 15th.

To celebrate the launch and really make it appealing to new and old readers alike I am offering the set for 99-cents until June 22nd!!

You heard me. The first two entries into the Greystone series PLUS the sneak peek at The Medusa Coin all for under a buck! Only have Signs of Portents or Tales from Portents in your digital collection? Get the other AND a peek at book three for only $0.99!!!

And the best part? You don’t have to wait until June 15th to order your copy. The Greystone Saga Volume One is available now for pre-order!

           

Now is the time to catch up on the series and stare at that incredible cover the way I have been while typing this missive.

Thanks for reading.

Tales from Portents Connecting Factors

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The next several months will bring author commentaries on all six stories contained within the Tales from Portents collection. My hope is to offer insight into the decisions made in putting the project together and the challenges therein. It’s also fun to point out the little Easter eggs throughout. (I love that crap.) So, SPOILER WARNING is in effect for the duration.

My problem with short story collections…

I’ve always had a hangup when it comes to collections or anthologies. There seems to be a disconnect from the main series or even from the stories collected. And I get it, I do. Every story should stand on its own. There has to be enough meat in it or there is no point in telling the tale.

But I always wanted more from the collections I’ve read. A level of connective tissue that made even the shortest of stories feel bigger in scope.

That became one of my main goals with Tales from Portents.

Connecting factors.

Like the threads left throughout Signs of Portents there had to be points of connection between the short stories in Tales in order to make the work feel like a larger whole.

I took every opportunity to make sure they flowed and were natural connections instead of forced or contrived. Connecting the stories in Tales just for the sake of doing it wasn’t something I was too keen on, so I took care not to force anything on the reader.

Robert Standish.

The biggest thread sewn between tales in the collection centers on Robert Standish. He is mentioned a few times in Signs of Portents as the reason behind Loren’s fall from grace. His “big mistake” that he refers to throughout the narrative.

That made him my go-to guy for this collection.

His fingerprints are in three of the six tales, each one building the relationship between Standish and Loren so that when it explodes it is completely justified.

Following the thread.

It starts with Gremlins and the characters introduction. This piece set the tone for their relationship and everything that came after it. I wanted Standish to play counter to Loren’s feelings in the police department. Someone not highly skilled at the job but ambitious.

Ambitious to the point of criminal in some regards.

His views are vile, his motives unclean when viewed through the looking glass that is Loren. Standish, to Loren, is everything he stands against.

Which made his appearance in View from Above that much sweeter. Forcing them to be partners, showing Loren at his lowest with Standish smiling and joking by his side, was impossible to pass up.

And it wasn’t even in the original outline! The opportunity came to have Vlad arrested and it wasn’t meant to be anything more than that but adding the dynamic between Loren and Standish was too good to pass up. I think it really helped capture the moment in time on display for the story and acted as a perfect midpoint in the story of these two polar opposites.

Leading to Resurrectionists.

Standish and the events that led to Loren’s departure for Chicago were the basis of this story when plotting. Having the earlier moments, showing their troubled relationship from start to bloody finish allowed for maximum impact on delivery.

It also left the dangling thread of Rufus Mathers and his hatred for Loren on the table. Something that will be playing throughout the first cycle of the series.

Consequences.

Being able to build on events and then show the fallout speaks to the wider scope I was hoping to achieve with this collection. Having Standish not only show up for the brutal beatdown that occurs in Resurrectionists but also weave him through a number of tales and situations allows readers to connect on a deeper level (not that Standish will ever be accused of being deep) and understand the motivations of Loren’s actions in the end.

And the fallout that continues to occur because of them.

Next time –

A very special announcement later this week and then next week a look at Eyes in the Storm.

Thanks for reading.

View from Above Commentary Part 4

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The next several months will bring author commentaries on all six stories contained within the Tales from Portents collection. My hope is to offer insight into the decisions made in putting the project together and the challenges therein. It’s also fun to point out the little Easter eggs throughout. (I love that crap.) So, SPOILER WARNING is in effect for the duration.

The Fight Scene

I mentioned in the first part of the commentary for View From Above about Soriya’s rage and her need to hit something. This built from a lack of action as well as her anger at Mentor’s constant lecturing. So when it finally came down to it, when the first was finally in front of her at the abandoned theater at the climax of the narrative I had two choices.

Show the scene, a fight against a group of thugs with little or no skill at combat. Or skip it completely.

I skipped it.

Why?

This was one of those moments I continually went back to in order to argue with myself over my own decision. Part of me will always feel like the fight was necessary but at the end of the day I ruled against it.

The short answer for why is that I liked the irony of the moment. Soriya’s rage has built and after everything she has had no release. She needs this fight. She needs to get it out of her system. And she does.

But we don’t have to see it.

Knowing Soriya’s skill in combat from earlier with her struggle with Vlad as well as the numerous tales before this, we know these six punks have no shot. By not showing the fight my hope was to illustrate this point in full. The drama of the pitched battle is that there is no drama at all.

fight scene

Puts the emphasis on the real struggle.

The other reason to ignore the fisticuffs with the Teen Brigade (super old Marvel reference for you there) is to keep the focus on the real climax to the narrative. The reveal of the Kitsune and the (mostly) verbal conflict therein is the meat and potatoes of the story.

Anything before that point distracts from the actual conflict and Soriya’s arc in the tale. Her anger comes from her burden, from the constant lessons. The Kitsune represents the opposite end of the spectrum with her need for mischief. Keeping the focus on these two for this chapter and driving it home in the conclusion with Soriya’s discussion with Vlad keeps the plot centered on character instead of needless action.

Was it the right call?

Every decision, every fight scene, every conversation or setting, all of it can be argued for and against. Always. At the end of the day I hope the majority of the choices made are the best ones for the story. As long as everything serves the story and the characters within, I know I’ve done the best I can.

And that will have to do.

Next time –

One of the principal connecting factors throughout Tales from Portents: Robert Standish.

Thanks for reading.

May Promotions

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Very excited about today’s post! Last month I really wanted to branch out and promote a number of great giveaways and sweepstakes for free books. The trend continues this month with new May promotions and the return of The Prolific Reader because the site is an amazing catalog of top tier free books.

Explore New Worlds

May Promotions

A Science Fiction and Fantasy cornucopia of deliciously free books for your reading pleasure is here in the Explore New Worlds promo. It runs until May 15th and includes a chance to win a $50 gift card giveaway so enter today and snag some great summer reading.

It is hosted by My Book Cave, which I’ve only recently discovered as another great source for fiction.

Spellcaster Giveaway

May Promotions

A.J. Martinez is hosting an incredible giveaway focused on the fantasy side of things. If you’re on the market for a magical read check it out. Genres include Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy (including a certain Greystone novel), Sword and Sorcery, and more!

The giveaway runs until May 14th so hurry over to A.J.’s site and snag some great reads!

 The Ultimate Paperback Giveaway

Enter for your chance to win 52 paperback books delivered right to your doorstep! Giveaway runs through July 31st so spread the word!

Your next great read.

Authors put everything they have into their work and in today’s crowded market it is difficult to get the level of exposure needed to make it as a writer. These May promotions are helpful in spreading the word about these authors and I hope you take a few minutes to see if anything strikes your fancy with these and any of the giveaways promoted here.

If you do download any of their free work, please consider leaving a review once you’ve had time to enjoy the book. It is greatly appreciated!

The Prolific Reader

Melanie Tomlin continues to be a force of nature on the web. I can’t thank her enough for including Resurrectionists in her catalog of more than 450 free books. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet do so. Lots of great talent lined up and it is no wonder her site continues to grow in leaps and bounds.

Have a great week and happy reading!

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