I like to take stock on where I am with my work and I feel it’s important to share that with you here. Every two weeks you can find out what I’m currently writing, what I’ve been reading and other interesting factoids I have found on the interwebs instead of doing my work.

Currently Writing:

This week is the end of the self-editing phase for Tales from Portents. (Hooray!) It’s been a blast trying to add some layers to Signs of Portents while also acting as a bridge to the next full length novel. The plan was to take some of the threads and tie them up or explain them more. However, when creating this project I ended up with even more questions, characters, and plot lines which you will encounter in future novels. I can’t wait to see where all these threads lead.

Speaking of new novels, I finished writing the plot breakdown for my next project. (Double Hooray!) Typically when I start plotting I try to keep a list of connecting scenes in a notebook then pull them together at the end. For shorter projects this works great. It has been awhile since I plotted a novel this large so I thought visualizing the arc might work a little better for me.

Unfortunately, my whiteboard had been taken over by every color marker in the place. So I thought… INDEX CARDS.

Yes. We only had hot pink and purple index cards. (The ladies own this house.)

BUT, the cards worked out and the plot for next summer’s release is rocking and rolling. September is all about scripting the scenes laid out in colorful style. I will be talking about both pieces of my process throughout the month.

On the Signs of Portents front, things are doing well after launch week. Thank you to everyone for spreading the word which is definitely getting around on the book. Now that more distribution channels are open, I am looking into a few new marketing avenues to promote it further.

What I’ve Been Reading

Ian Rankin’s A Good Hanging – I am only a hundred pages into this short story collection from the early days in the Inspector Rebus series. I love how Rankin writes the titular character and how Edinburgh plays a crucial role in every tale. Being Frank and Concrete Evidence are two of the stronger pieces so far in the collection. It is interesting how he finds a creative way to look at the solving of a crime in each story. Especially Concrete Evidence, where the killer is pretty obvious from the beginning and the struggle becomes how Rebus goes about tracking down an air tight piece of evidence for the conviction. Great stuff. Can’t wait to finish the rest.

Mark Waid’s Daredevil – I was an avid Daredevil fan up until this run. Andy Diggle’s run, while crucial to hitting the reset button on a character that had become so dark and depressed that a demon actually took over his body, pretty much gave me a place to jump off. BIG MISTAKE. (As usual.) Mark Waid’s Daredevil is FUN. There is drama. There is darkness. Waid pushes Daredevil’s buttons as well as the great Frank Miller ever did but he keeps Matt Murdock in the light. And some of it is truly brutal. Waid always nails the super-heroics of his funny-books, but what he is able to hit on (repeatedly and with great effect) is the humanity of the Daredevil cast. Foggy Nelson, in particular, with his battle with cancer was such a touchstone of his run. Absolutely a must read. Great stuff.

Have a great book recommendation? Want to tell me why Ben Affleck’s Daredevil is the greatest super-hero film of all time? Shoot me a message.

The Web

Joanna Penn talks about Ad-Stacking to get on the USA Today Bestseller List – A great lesson for beginners and veterans alike. How to pull all your resources into the mix for a huge promotion with a very targeted goal. Getting on the USA Bestseller list as a single author. Joanna Penn breaks down the costs involved, the pieces in play and the results. A perfect case study in how losing money in the short term to achieve a goal can end up paying dividends in the long run.

Thanks for reading.