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

Writing Update – July 28, 2020

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We passed the halfway mark on 2020. Thank the Lord. Much as I tire of the constant uncertainty of this year, there is always one thing I can turn to when I need to refocus:

Writing.

Writing Update

Greystone Second Cycle

The first five books of Greystone came together as what I refer to as The Complete First Cycle. Boiled down to its essence it is the mystery of Loren’s wife’s murder and the rise of the group called A Circle of Shadows. That is what is at the heart of that massive arc of storytelling.

I always envisioned the second cycle. I’ve always had the makings of a plan, but never a clear road map to make it possible.

Now I do. I have spent the last two months building the second cycle of novels in outline form. All five books are broken down, the major arcs and threads are all connected. I finally, FINALLY, have my starting point.

My current plan is to draft all five in 2021. When all is said and done then you will start hearing about release dates and scheduling. I want this cycle to resonate. I want it to answer every lingering question, every seed planted through the first five novels as well as the prequel trilogy.

This is where the story truly ends. We have a long journey ahead of us and I can’t wait for you to see where we’re headed.

The Army in the Obelisk

Not to overshadow the standalone serial, I’ve been working on diligently. I’m almost done with the scripting phase of the project.

I’ve mentioned it before, but this is a pure Soriya/Loren tale unlike any other. Bit players come and go, but they remain the focus here. It’s been fun delving more into the mythology behind the story. The serial format allows me some breathing room, definitely more than the typical novel.

Right now, my goal is to finish up everything by the end of September. I want to launch the serial in January 2021 so that it can run all year long.

That will be the Greystone fix for next year while I work on the final five novels. That is my plan as of this writing. It is bound to change in some fashion, I am sure.

The Final Gauntlet

What a cool banner, don’t you think? (It took me fudging forever to make it so I had to show it off…)

Seriously, though, I spent the last week reading through The Final Gauntlet before sending it off to my editor. At this phase of the process I’m usually sick of the damn draft, but I really enjoyed revisiting it. I think there are a number of funnier bits amid all the chaos.

This one is also loaded with action. LOADED.

You’re gonna love it. Will my editor? That’s next month’s problem.

That’s it for the writing update? Nothing else?!

Cripes. I know. What a slacker.

Plenty more coming down the pike with the next update, I promise.

Writing Update – April 28, 2020

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And I thought last month was rough. This one went above and beyond on so many levels. There has been so much uncertainty, so many different distractions feeding on my brain, that writing has finally suffered for it.

Writing Update

The Gifts of Kali

JD Book Services, my lovely editor, sent back the draft a couple weeks ago. I’ve been slowly going through it, much more slowly than previous books. Solutions that typically come easy for me have been a struggle, but I’m closing this bad boy out this week so I can move on with my life. Wish me luck!

The Final Gauntlet

My original plan was to have this edited by the end of April. I haven’t even started yet. Gifts took up way too much time. So did another diversion that I mention below. So The Final Gauntlet took the hit this month and will be my ONLY focus next month.

Signs of Portents

Wait, what? This book came out in 2016! What the hell are you trying to pull, Lou?

Well, J.S. Arquin finished recording the AUDIOBOOK version last week! It’s currently in the quality control process at Audible and I should have more info next month.

It was insane listening to the story being read. J.S. did an amazing job bringing Portents to life. I have so many new notes thanks to going through this book.

Greystone Serial

I did get two more sections done for this beast. Two more right after The Final Gauntlet and I will reach the halfway point. This is the biggest Greystone project I’ve taken on so far. When all is said and done I think it will be the perfect representation of the series to share with you. I’ve really enjoyed the myths and monsters of this one, as well as the historical mystery that runs throughout.

Confession time

I screwed up. I always imagined I would, but to finally see it in print was a little rough. In Signs of Portents, Reginald Dunn is listed as the Commissioner of Police. In A Circle of Shadows, he is the MAYOR. Ugh.

It took me days to do it, but Signs if now corrected.

Solving the geographical problems in the books is another matter entirely…

Oh well. I’ll strive for a more consistent cityscape NEXT TIME.

Writing Update – October 29, 2019

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Two launches and a new book written? Not a bad month to share with you this time around! Let’s get right to the writing update.

Writing Update

The Gifts of Kali is DONE! I finished the first draft last Friday. This week is all about reading through the mess I heaved onto the page to figure out how best to clean it up. That’s my goal for NaNoWriMo this month, and a little bit different than previous years. Usually I save the drafting for November, but I was itching to write this one so bad, I’m using National Novel Writing Month to self-edit.

Truthfully, I had some trouble settling down and getting words on the page. Some of it was nerves, some of it was scheduling issues. As I reached the end of week two on the project I found my groove again and am really happy with how the latter half turned out. I can’t wait to dive in and put the pieces together.

Be sure to check out Book One of the trilogy, Hammer and Anvil, now!

The Bridge

Today and tomorrow are all about DSA Season One, Book Three. I am finishing up the proofreading end of things and will be formatting it so I can order my first copy. I love this book. It has everything in it: action, politics, and emotion. The subplots really came together nicely.

The Bridge also comes with the added bonus of back matter. This was something that was meant to be in every book of the DSA, but I decided against it. Here, it makes perfect sense. You’ll be able to download a free report for this book through my website as a bonus. It will provide insight into a specific event that carries through the series. That’s next on my list of things to do this week!

Appearances

I’m all over the place for the next month. I’m excited about it. I love talking about writing, about putting books out into the world. I hope you’ll be able to stop by and see me.

November 2nd – Buffalo’s Book Expo!

Come support the local writing community in Buffalo at the Expo Market from 1 to 4 pm. Find out more by joining the Facebook event page.

November 16th – Newfane Book Fair

18 authors from all over Western New York will be at the Newfane Community Center from 1 to 4 pm. 2737 Main Street, Newfane, NY.

November 17th – Audubon Library Book Fair

The Audubon Branch of the Buffalo Public Library is hosting a book fair from 2 to 4 pm. 350 John James Audubon Parkway, Amherst, NY 14228

November 30th – Local Author Book Signing

The Buffalo History Museum puts together an incredible show every year with local authors. Stop by to meet your favorite Buffalo author and get your books signed. More details to come next month.

 

Writing Update – September 24, 2019

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Another month has somehow slipped by! So much going on so let’s get to the writing update.

Writing Update

The DSA Season One

The first three books are live on retail sites. There is even a series page on Amazon. So cool.

The first two books have been submitted for proofs. I just received my copy of The Clearing and it looks fantastic. Love the job KDP did with the printing. It should be finalized tomorrow and on sale by the end of the week!

On the edit front, I finished up a massive overhaul of Book 5 last week. Tomorrow I start in on Book 6.

Hammer and Anvil

Last Saturday was a very busy day. Instead of enjoying the 80-degree weather, I did a final readthrough of the newest Greystone book. I think it might be my favorite novel yet. I really like the way the story came together.

It’s been submitted for a paperback proof and should be here Thursday! Expect to see it live on Amazon next week!

Gifts of Kali

I marked it on my calendar. Next week, I start the draft for Greystone-in-Training Book 2. I haven’t been sleeping well of late and I think it might because this one has been screaming for release.

Local Appearance Schedule

I’ve been reaching out to venues to spread the word about the releases coming out.

October 12th – Central Library in downtown Buffalo is hosting Indie Author Day. I’ll be there signing books and promoting both The Clearing as well as Hammer and Anvil. It runs from 11am to 2pm.

October 19th – Buffalo Comicon is back! Queen City Bookstore is hosting another fantastic show at the Buffalo Marriott. Tons of guests and free comics. It starts at 10am and goes until 5pm. I might even have copies of Promethean ready for some lucky readers. Order your ticket now!

November 2nd – The Buffalo Book Club Expo. There is a fantastic local author network building in Buffalo. A group of 15 of some of Buffalo’s most talented are coming together to promote their work at the Expo Market. Stay tuned for more details as I get them.

I’d love to see you at these shows. Be sure to stop and say hello!

October is going to be a huge month. A ton of promotions coming up. Keep an eye here and on social media for more updates.

Happy Reading!

Writing Update – August 27, 2019

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Well, there goes another summer. How does this keep happening? Oh yeah, the writing thing…

Writing Update

DSA Season One

Final edits are progressing nicely on the series. I’ve certainly learned quite a bit about my weaknesses as a writer and where I need to focus going forward. That was what drew me to JD Book Services in the first place. I’ve always recognized that my prose hasn’t been as strong as it should have been. This has been the kick in the ass I’ve needed to figure out why I’ve felt that way and how to correct the problems for future drafts.

The Clearing is heading back for proofreading right now. Once that’s all set I can finalize the page count and start getting some proofs made! I wrote the first draft of this book back in 2015. It’s been such a journey, I honestly worried I would never reach the end.

Promethean and The Bridge are my focus this week. Tweaking sentence structure and clarifying certain points takes an incredible amount of time–and patience–so hopefully I won’t completely screw them up in the process.

Greystone-In-Training

This month, I took time out of editing to write the script for book two in the trilogy. The Gifts of Kali might be my favorite script yet. It has some fantastic character moments for Soriya and Mentor.

I’m looking forward to sitting down to draft the book as soon as final edits are completed on DSA.

The Lost Outpost

Remember this one? Probably not. I wrote the draft for NaNoWriMo back in 2017. Well, lately I’ve been diving into the text to see where I can flesh out the narrative. Massive edits are coming this fall for this bad boy. It’s a sci-fi horror piece I’ve had in my head since 2007. Really hoping I can make it work the way I always intended.

We’ll see.

Pre-Orders!

The Clearing is coming your way October 9th. Pre-order your copy here!

Hammer and Anvil launches October 24th. You can pre-order your copy here!

Writing Update – July 30, 2019

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It’s been a strange month in the basement over here. I try to keep forward momentum on a number of projects at all times. The last few weeks, though, it hasn’t felt that way to me. Like I was just spinning my wheels instead of actively closing out projects.

Sometimes it’s just the nature of the beast, I guess.

Writing Update

DSA Season One

The season is off to the editor. I was glad to see it off but since I sent them over I’ve had some thoughts about checking different areas again. Anything to drive myself insane with worry.

Over the course of August the entire season will get one more pass to close things out.

If you read my newsletter last week, the release dates are set for the first 3 books in the season.

The Clearing launches October 9th. Promethean arrives November 13th. And The Bridge will be available on December 11th.

Pre-Order info coming next week!

Greystone-In-Training

My alpha readers finished up Hammer and Anvil last week, so I am in the process of fixing up the draft before giving it one last pass.

I love coming back to Greystone, so much so that I outlined book 2 this month. The title made my wife giddy with joy. Very excited to share more details next month.

The trilogy is really shaping up and I think it’s going to transition nicely back to the main series when it’s time for books 6 through 10.

Greystone

I’m making a real effort to flesh out the back half of the main series before diving into the drafting phase. Greystone was a great lesson in how to plan things out, how to plant seeds and see them come to life with each new release. The problem was my timetable and how quickly I was forced to go from book to book  without any downtime in order to hit my deadlines.

Really want to plan that aspect better by having a clear path from the flashback novel of book 6 to the series finale in book 10. Right now, there are some notions here and there (including some awesome tidbits for books 7 and 8) but nothing concrete yet in terms of the overall arc.

Talk to you next month about the launch of Greystone: The Complete First Cycle and more!

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