Map of the Northern Empire

This week looks like another 100+ units sold. Now my local librarian is expressing interest.
This is the map of the Northern Empire with all the important sites visited in the "Dreams". Tammy has 18 chapters to edit, and I have one map left. I can't get the cliffs right, but the new calligraphy tips in Paint are cool. I've learned to create my own map symbols by snipping hand-drawn/scanned images. Campaign Cartographer is great for lots of stuff, but it doesn't write in the hi-resolution I need for paperbacks. I might end up frankensteining the next map.

I have about 6 chapters left to write in the sequel to Jezebel. The title candidates are: Mira's Journey, Jezebel's Redemption, Red, Sirius Problems, and The Index Page. It's really shaping up well! I laugh every time I visit with the characters. After I finish taxes, I get to pick out symbols for the cover. I'm seeing space construction, the South Pacific, whales, and a girl in a flight suit.

first hundred seventy-five week

I had my first week with over a hundred sales! 66 Jez, 33 Doors, 4 or 5 everything else, plus 58 Jez and 6 other in the UK -- new market! Feels strange but good. Go KDP Select!

We're six chapters through the final edit of the Doors sequel, "Dreams of the Fallen". The cover looks great! Though the first two books do tell a complete story, I can easily make it a series. The Sarajah character took over the second half of Dreams and would be one of the two main stars of "Queen of the Pirates" along with the new Emperor.

My biggest obsession right now has been "Mira's Journey," where Jezebel's daughter goes to paranormal astronaut school. I'm at 66.5K words and it's still coming out like a fire hose. The best part is that the characters still surprise me. Her advisor, Zeiss, has a random drug test, not a problem for a straight-arrow like him. But he sees that they're now screening for caffeine; Mountain Dew is really bad for astronauts. He asks her to fill the cup for him, and she does it, giggling, just to see him break the rules. It takes him two years to see her as a woman(not a girl prodigy or a student), but then he vows not to reveal or act on it. Everyone who reads an alien page has a unique experience. His has been the most bizarre yet. After Zeiss becomes active, he sleepwalks so he can sleep on her roof--just to be closer. Worse, he emits a song on whale frequencies, and they don't want him to feel lonely. Young whales in a 50 mile radius cluster around their ship. Try to hide that.

Beta-Readers Needed

Book one is selling well. After an initial surge from the promo, it has settled in a steady 32 a week.
The sequel is written and line-edited. Weston should be adding his pass soon.
If anyone is interested in beta reading "Dreams of the Fallen" (pre-release), let me know.
I'm looking for folks to tell me what parts are too long, confusing, or don't work for whatever reason.


Pitch:

The Holy Mountain is burning. Tashi needs to find what's wrong with the world, so he turns to the Fallen for help. Book two of the epic sword and sorcery the Temple of the Traveler, written in the tradition of the Belagriad and the Game of Thrones.

Civil war breaks out between the gods, and their humans are caught in the crossfire. The Fallen take sides against the established pantheon while the City of the Gods burns. Heroes march north, some to restore the Obsidian Throne, and others to close the final Door to Eternity—the way magic leaks into our world. Tashi can handle the death warrants, trolls, dragon, and panther-headed demon. However, even the Imperial council fears the vampiric High Priestess of Sleep, who has taken the appearance of Tashi's former lover. With the Door closed, she can't transform back to her own shape. The problem is: Tashi's starting to like her.

Updates -- Dreams, Miracle, and Free Stuff

 First an update on "Dreams of the Fallen." Line editing is done and proof-reading/high level edit starts Monday. Renee of theCoverCounts has a great draft cover for me already. I saw it and went WOW. (left) I think the only thing missing is the "Book 2 of Temple of the Traveler" and I'm not convinced we need that. Book one (Doors) has sold over a hundred copies in two weeks.

I'm well under way on the sequel to "Jezebel's Ladder", the first five chapters of "Mira's Journey" are complete (out of an estimated 40). This is just a working title for now. It tells the story of Miracle ""Red" Hollis, Jez's daughter, and her efforts to get through paranormal astronaut school and land on the alien artifact that her mom located. Throw in a little teen conflict with her aunt, international espionage, kidnapping plots, and geek romance, and stir. The characters are already making me smile.

I updated my pitch for "Foundation for the Lost", put it one Amazon's premium plan the day it dropped from B&N.com, and scheduled a give away for this Friday and Saturday. I'm already bouncing up and down with anticipation.
http://www.amazon.com/Foundation-for-the-Lost-ebook/dp/B005C1N44G

How to Stay Married as a Writer

This one is in honor of Valentine's Day.

Your spouse can be your hobby’s biggest supporter or detractor--you can influence which. Realize that writers can obsess over their projects. When you're in the zone, you stay up late, ignoring the world while you type one last page. Is your wife complaining she's a computer widow? Do you have fights about your writing time? You need to be creative but she's angry. I'm not an expert, but I've been married seventeen years and there are a few ground rules that might help.

1. Don’t quit your day job. In any genre, you can probably count the number of people on one hand who make a living by writing it. Write because you enjoy the hobby, not because it's the lottery.

2. Agree on boundaries with your spouse. Let her know writing isn't just a phase and it's not going to go away. However, you can agree on limits. Every couple is different and everything is negotiable, but here are some examples:

+ I can type when the kids are at school or in bed.

+ If she watches the kids so I can type on Saturday, I watch them so she can sew Sunday.

+ No computer time with a newborn. They’re only young once.

3. Find out what her passions are and support them. In the movie Phenomenon, they refer to this as "buying her chairs."

4. Pay attention. They call it that because it costs something. If she's upset about something (silent or out loud), ask and listen. Repeat what you heard back to her.

5. Be present. When she's home, be in the same room with her, even if you have to get a laptop. Don’t turn your back. If she asks you a question, put the keyboard down. If you're on a date, don't look at your smart phone.

6. Find reading-related activities to share. We read YA fantasy, Nora Roberts mysteries, and Sue Grafton to each other in the car. My wife has offered to make one of my books into a podio recording with me.

7. Let her know how much you value her opinions and rely on her. Let her be the first reader and first to see sample covers. Mention her in the dedication!

8. When you hit a milestone -- celebrate! When you finish a novel, the hundredth sale on a new book, when you get a 5-star review. Take a moment together away from the computer.

9. Consideration. Learn to write notes by the light of alarm clock numbers. When you get up at one AM with a brainstorm, don't wake her up.

10. Use your writing powers to send her romantic notes from time to time. Hallmark makes nice packs of miniature blank cards, perfect for lunch bags and pillows.

free give away a success

The "Doors to Eternity" promotion was a success. With a little help from my friends and the facebook/indies unlimited community, I reached #5 on the Amazon free epic fantasy best sellers and stayed in the top ten. I almost cried. Even cooler, I sold two copies of my paperback to people who were interested but didn't like e-format. I made more that day than the month of December.

To be honest, "Doors" is one of my 99 cent "B-side" books. I wrote most of it in my early years. It still has fun characters and action but with rough edges. I started it when I got laid off in 1994 -- 80 pages in one week. But I didn't get serious on the project till 2001 when Eos expressed an interest in my writing. I filled two notebooks (with battle maps) by hand to make it an epic. It still felt like my high school D&D adventures. To make it work, I had to rearrange a lot and polish the heck out of it. I had to make about 9 passes. (Thanks to Katy and Weston). The fact that people liked something that I was afraid to share meant the world to me. I'm unable to post the download count for legal reasons, but purchase ranking is now the same as Jezebel, the best-selling book I have. This tells me that some of the newer stories that I rate the highest (hence the $2 price tag) are likely to get an even bigger audience when I publicize them.

I just started the wheels rolling to get "Foundation for the Lost" taken off itunes and Barnes and Noble -- I never sold a single copy on either site. After a couple weeks, I can put Foundation in KDP premium as well. My only regret is not having Smashwords coupons to give reviewers and Operation E-book drop. I'll have to hand mail pdfs to those requesting or something.

Doors Give away + Dreams Update

Free this Friday and Saturday.
http://www.amazon.com/Doors-Eternity-Temple-Traveler-ebook/dp/tags-on-product/B006XMM4XA
Get 'em while they're hot.

I'm about 45 pages from finishing my edit of the sequel "Dreams of the Fallen." It goes to my wonderful line editor Katy in one week and to my peerless cover creator Renee on Feb 6. Meanwhile, I'm lining up beta readers for an optimistic projected March 1 release.