Green was the silence, wet was the light / the month of June trembled like a butterfly. (#IWSG June 2026)

So, not exactly writing related, but for those of you at home following my sporting adventures ...

As you may recall, back in December I started playing soccer for the first time in my life. At 45 years old. I had never played any serious sport before, but watching my daughter play 3-4 times a week gave me the itch to try.

In February, I joined a supposedly recreational, co-ed, "casual" league. Spoiler alert: they were not "casual." I tried to keep up and ended up seriously hurting my knee after 2.5 games.

Fast forward to the end of May. After three months of physio and rehab, my physiotherapist said that was all she could do for me, and that I could try easing myself back into playing. This past Sunday, I went to an adult beginner's soccer skills class. After an hour of drills and practice, I was feeling pretty good. My knee was holding up fine, I was running around and kicking with no pain, everything was going smooth. Then we had a scrimmage, just to run around and have fun.

Five minutes into the game, a woman charged me from behind and flattened me. She landed on me hard. 

Right on top of my bad knee.

So here I am, back where I started three months ago, my knee swollen up like a grapefruit, alternating ice and heat while the swelling goes down and the muscles spasm in protest. I don't think it's as bad as last time, because the three months of rehab did strengthen my leg somewhat, but I'll have to wait for the swelling to go down to know for sure. 

Anyway.

How's writing going?

JUNE QUESTION

Do most of your story ideas come from one place (the news, dreams, etc.) or do they hit from all over the place?

All over the place.

My first book, Ten Thousand Days, came from snippets of song lyrics I'd heard, about love and loss. I was also obsessed with time (at the time) and the relativity of it. It also helped that I was about to turn ten thousand days old myself when I wrote it, so all in all I had lots of material to play with. (For reference, 10,000 days is 27 years and approximately 140 days, depending on when leap years fall in the cycle.)

My next book, Hell Comes to Hogtown, was inspired by professional wrestling and comic books stores, both things that have been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. It started with me thinking of several funny scenes revolving around comic stores and wrestling, and the story grew from there.

I've mentioned before that the Gale Harbour series was very much inspired by Stranger Things, but set in my hometown in the 90s. When I first watched the show it triggered a lot of nostalgia for me (which was the point, I suppose), but I wanted it to be even more specific to my experience. Selfish, I know.

And what I'm currently working on? I have two mostly-finished manuscripts I've been tinkering with, one based on a game I played with my kids, another based on a movie I watched years ago and hated so bad I wanted to rewrite the story.

Then there's a Vonnegut-esque satire I tried to write last year about modern politics. I wrote about 30K words and had to give up because following and studying the news that closely every day was sending me into intense fits of anxiety and depression. I wish I was joking.

So yeah. Ideas come from everywhere. Keep you mind open and your eyes peeled.

Hope everyone is having a good spring, and the world isn't on fire (yet) where you live!

Hugs & Kisses,

-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

May is the month of expectation, the month of wishes, the month of hope (#IWSG May 2026)

Yeah, I know this is two days late.

Happy Birthday to me.

That means it's been one year since the release of Gale Harbour 3: Dirtbag Satan Worshippers From Down by the Bay, and eleven years since my first book, Ten Thousand Days. And there is no new books on the horizon.

That's not to say I haven't been writing. I've been writing quite a bit, actually. I have two mostly-complete first-draft manuscripts and two or three more that are half-finished. I just haven't been able to commit to finish anything. This year has been quite a roller coaster, with my father-in-law's passing and just general craziness keeping us busy all the time. I just haven't had the motivation to write the way I used to.

So now should be a perfect time to go back and read some old reviews for inspiration, right?

May Question: What was the most inspiring feedback you received from readers?

Oh, this will be fun. I've shared a few of these before, but they're too good to not mention again.

"Not rating this as I noped out of this one very early."
- SPFBO reviewer 

"A review will follow."
- a different SPFBO reviewer on a different book (spoiler: a review did NOT follow)

"This book had some errors, relied completely on allusions to the pop culture of my childhood and bordered on cheesy from beginning to end."
- Goodreads review

"too much about 13 year olds thinking about sex."
- Amazon reviewer who has never met a 13-year-old boy.

"Our favorite bunch of Nova Scotian teenage nerds"
-  Goodreads review (and yes, the very first word in the synopsis is "Newfoundland")

"The first book in the series really pulled out all the stops resulting in a book that was as suspenseful as it was hilarious."
- Goodreads review talking about the second book in the series.

"It's not bad, you know, if you've got nothing better to read."
- my father-in-law

"This is pretty good, where did you plagiarize this from?"
- my father

"You should read Patricia Lynne's book. She's a much better writer than you."
- my wife 

I'm being silly of course. There were plenty of good reviews in there, too. In fact, the first Gale Harbour book recently crossed 50 reviews on Goodreads, and it has a 4.3 rating overall (4.7 on Amazon), so I can't complain. But it's always easier to focus on the less-than-stellar feedback. I'm certainly never going to get a big ego, that's for sure.

Anyway.

We're going to an Ottawa Rapid FC game tonight and then to a pirate-themed restaurant for Karaoke on the weekend, so I can't complain about my birthday celebrations, either. Here's my daughter at the Rapid home opener last weekend:

She got to meet three of her favourite players: Min-A Lee, Choo Hyo-Joo and Minyoung Jung, who in addition to being in the starting line-up for the Ottawa Rapid, are all also members of the South Korean National Women's Team. She was very excited, it was so cute.

May all of you have received great positive feedback that inspires you to write more and better. And for all the crappy reviews? Fuck'em.

Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

April is the cruellest month, breeding / Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing / Memory and desire, stirring / dull roots with spring rain. (#IWSG April 2026)

April Fools! I didn't forget IWSG.

Well, I did forget it. Kinda. I knew it was happening but I've just been so crazy with work I didn't have time to do anything.

Knee - slowly healing

Writing - stalled

April Question

If you have a playlist (or could put one together) that either gets you in the groove to write or fits with one of your books, what is it? What type of music or what songs?

Well that's easy, since I have playlists for all my books. In case you haven't read Gale Harbour, music is very important for setting the mood and the time period the stories take place. I listened to period-appropriate music constantly while I wrote the books, and you can follow along in the books with these handy-dandy playlists:

And for bonus points, here's the playlists for my other two books. These are not as extensive as Gale Harbour, but they'll still give you insight into my headspace when I was writing them.

Anyway, I really do have to run. That was the easiest post in awhile. ;-)

Happy Easter! 
Hugs & Kisses,

-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

The Best is Yet to Come (#IWSG September 2025)

Another month, another pile of drama.

I'm still writing, tinkering on a couple of projects, but I'm not sure which one will actually turn into my next published book. Life has been hectic, and keeps throwing us curveballs, so it's hard to plan ahead. Let's just jump into today's questions and see how it goes.

October Question - What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? And why?

Usually when I'm writing something, I think: This is turning out great! This might be the best thing I've ever written. Then I finish it, go back to edit it, and think: This is stupid, I'm a terrible writer. Then I'll go back years later and read it again and think: No, it's still bad.

There are a few of my short stories that I thought were pretty good. I still like "The New Job" in Strangely Funny V, and the first Gussy Saint story in Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime was pretty good. Both of them were tight, flowed well and had good jokes. When I went back to read the first two Gale Harbour books when I was working on the third, I was also still pretty happy with the first one. It had a good pace, it was funny and had tension and some weird surprises. The second book, not so much. That one felt choppy, and there were some serious pacing problems, not to mention it was lacking a lot of the tension that I felt a horror book should have. I also had incorrectly named an important secondary character (ie, their name changed between book 1 and 2). 

Bet you forgot this existed, didn't you? I know I did...

I actually went back and made a bunch of changes and corrections to Gale Harbour: Revenge of the Space-Surfing Butt Monkeys. I even added two extra chapters. So if you read it between 2022 and 2024, and were to ever read it again, you may notice some subtle changes (hopefully you'll just notice that it reads better).

I like to say that I haven't written my favourite story yet. I like to think I keep improving as a writer, and each book or story is better than the last. So hopefully, I haven't yet written my best or favourite story. 

It's good to hope, right?

Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Something, something, Satan Worshippers... (#IWSG June 2025)

Gale Harbour 3 has been out for a month, and it's been very successful. May was officially my best-selling month ever on Amazon, so I guess what they say about writing a series is true - each book has brought progressively more sales.

Is the 1990s considered "period" yet?

And it's not just the Gale Harbour books people are buying - last month I sold three copies of Hell Comes to Hogtown and a copy of Ten Thousand Days, all IN PAPERBACK. That's simply unheard of. Not to mention I got about ten times more KDP reads than usual. 

Now, I'm not rolling in money or anything, but even a small overall increase in success is a win in my book. I've said this many times, but I don't really expect writing to become a full-time career. That said, I would be lying if I claimed I don't get a little excited at people reading - and enjoying - my stories.

Another interesting anecdote this month was that I also made my first foray into IngramSpark, to make my paperback books more widely accessible. There was a very specific reason for this: Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you're probably aware that tensions between Canada and the USA have been somewhat strained lately. There's been a big push for Canadians to boycott US products whenever possible, and buy from Canadian companies. Many people are avoiding Amazon in particular, which I totally understand and respect. So, in the interest of making my book more accessible, I uploaded it to IngramSpark so that it could be ordered from Canadian book companies, like Indigo/Chapters, instead of buying it from Amazon. 

Happy Pride!

Sounds simple, right? Here's a list of reasons it doesn't work, and why our tightly-connected global economy can't be so easily bypassed:

1. Because Ingram has higher printing costs, and takes a bigger cut, the books overall are more expensive. Price of Gale Harbour 3 on Amazon Canada right now: $22.12. Price on Indigo.ca: $25.99.
2. Amazon's books are actually printed in Canada, so the printing costs are going to a Canadian print shop and Canadian workers, then shipped directly to the customer. Ingram's books are printed in the US, shipped to Indigo's warehouse, and then shipped to the purchaser. 
3. Indigo takes a cut of the sale as well as Ingram, so by the time the profit gets to me there's not much left. Royalty on Gale Harbour 3 sold from Amazon: $5.15 USD. Royalty from Indigo: $1.14. (And remember, that's with a much higher retail price, too.)
4. Because Ingram works as a traditional distributor, they print and send the books to the retailers in advance. If those books are not sold within so many months, then that means I HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM. And I don't want to pay astronomical sums for them to be shipped back to me, so after I pay for them, they THROW THEM IN THE GARBAGE.

So in conclusion, if a Canadian customer buys my book from Indigo--a Canadian company--instead of Amazon, they have to pay more, more of that money goes to the USA, it takes them way longer to receive the book, and finally the Canadian author receives a much smaller royalty, with a risk of losing money if the sale doesn't happen. The only party who wins in this situation is Indigo, which, while Canadian, is still a big corporation. At the end of the day, would your rather support a Canadian corporation, or a small-time Canadian author and a printer in Milton, Ontario?

(An American company gets a cut either way, either Amazon or Ingram).

Anyway, this was supposed to be a celebration about the successful launch of my new book, but it kind of went off the rails. If you HAVEN'T checked out Gale Harbour 3: Dirtbag Satan Worshippers From Down by the Bay, please do so! And feel free to order it from whichever retailer you prefer!

Hugs & Kisses,

-CDGK

Newfoundland, Canada. 1994.

Niall O’Neil is wallowing in teenage angst, still getting over Harper Jeddore, his childhood crush who helped him save the sleepy town of Gale Harbour from otherworldly monsters. Twice. When he meets a new, less-complicated girl named Stacey, it seems his life might be turning a corner. But Niall is pulled back into his old world when people start disappearing around town again, seemingly abducted by Satan-worshipping rednecks.

Torn between his new existence of simple happiness and his messy feelings for his old flame, Niall must make a decision: Enjoy dating girls, experimenting with drinking and making new friends, or risk his life to save the town one more time?

The fate of the entire world may depend on the choices of a hormonal fourteen-year-old with a flair for the dramatic.

Join Niall, Harper, Pius, Keith and Skidmark as they band together for one last adventure…

BUY DIRTBAG SATAN WORSHIPPERS FROM DOWN BY THE BAY HERE:

AMAZON US

AMAZON CANADA

AMAZON UK

BARNES & NOBLE 

INDIGO

WATERSTONES

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

One More trip to Gale Harbour (#IWSG May 2025)

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of my first published book, Ten Thousand Days. It was also my 45th birthday. How did I celebrate? By releasing a new book, of course!

It even fits in your pocket!

The third book of the Gale Harbour series, and my fifth published book overall, is now available. It took me five years to complete the trilogy, which wouldn't be bad in the old days, but is pretty abysmal in modern self-publishing. Unless you're putting out 10+ books a year, are you even trying?

I'm not in this for the money (thank God). This will never be my full-time career. I just love writing and seeing my work in print. People reading and enjoying it is a huge plus. With each book, I try to get a little better, both in writing skill as well as getting it to the right audience. I do think Satan Worshippers is a better book than the last one, but whether it will increase the reach and audience of the series is yet to be seen. 

I did not put as much effort into the pre-release of Satan Worshippers as my last couple of books, so it's definitely starting with a handicap. It just took so much mental effort to get this book across the finish line, I didn't have the energy to do all the marketing and legwork that is required for a successful launch. Maybe it's because my previous books didn't exactly set the best seller lists on fire, maybe it's just because I'm not as optimistic as I was when I was younger. I'm certainly don't have as much energy. Hopefully I'm not shooting myself in the foot.

Anyway, today is supposed to be an exciting, hopeful day (though if I can't share a little insecurity on IWSG day, when can I?). I PUT OUT A NEW BOOK! And overall, I think it's pretty good. I went all out for the finale, with plenty of laughs, scares, gross-out moments and tragedy. I hope I did justice to the characters and everyone who stuck it out will enjoy the payoff. 

THANK YOU, everyone who have stayed with me this far. This may be the end of Niall, Harper and Pius' journey (for now), but it's not the end of Gale Harbour. There are too many weird characters and creepy stories in that cursed town...

Hugs & Kisses,

-CDGK

P.S. WAIT A MINUTE! I almost forgot to tell you the deets about the book!

The blurb:

Newfoundland, Canada. 1994.

Niall O’Neil is wallowing in teenage angst, still getting over Harper Jeddore, his childhood crush who helped him save the sleepy town of Gale Harbour from otherworldly monsters. Twice. When he meets a new, less-complicated girl named Stacey, it seems his life might be turning a corner. But Niall is pulled back into his old world when people start disappearing around town again, seemingly abducted by Satan-worshipping rednecks.

Torn between his new existence of simple happiness and his messy feelings for his old flame, Niall must make a decision: Enjoy dating girls, experimenting with drinking and making new friends, or risk his life to save the town one more time?

The fate of the entire world may depend on the choices of a hormonal fourteen-year-old with a flair for the dramatic.

Join Niall, Harper, Pius, Keith and Skidmark as they band together for one last adventure…

BUY DIRTBAG SATAN WORSHIPPERS FROM DOWN BY THE BAY HERE:

AMAZON US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F277SXCV/

AMAZON CANADA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0F277SXCV/

AMAZON UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F277SXCV/

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

GALE HARBOUR 3 RELEASE DAY!

Today is the day! 

After three years of waiting, Gale Harbour 3: Dirtbag Satan Worshippers From Down by the Bay is finally available for purchase. You can get it from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and (hopefully soon) from Indigo!

Here's the blurb:

Newfoundland, Canada. 1994.

Niall O’Neil is wallowing in teenage angst, still getting over Harper Jeddore, his childhood crush who helped him save the sleepy town of Gale Harbour from otherworldly monsters. Twice. When he meets a new, less-complicated girl named Stacey, it seems his life might be turning a corner. But Niall is pulled back into his old world when people start disappearing around town again, seemingly abducted by Satan-worshipping rednecks.

Torn between his new existence of simple happiness and his messy feelings for his old flame, Niall must make a decision: Enjoy dating girls, experimenting with drinking and making new friends, or risk his life to save the town one more time?

The fate of the entire world may depend on the choices of a hormonal fourteen-year-old with a flair for the dramatic.

Join Niall, Harper, Pius, Keith and Skidmark as they band together for one last adventure…

* * *

Satan Worshippers is by the far the longest of the three books, clocking in at about 105,000 words. For reference the second book was 85K, and the first book was only 65K. I had originally intended the series to be short, pulpy adventures, but it kind of got away from me. The cast of characters grew, and they became deeper and more complicated, too. I really got hooked on the normal teenage drama these characters were experiencing, in addition to the supernatural stuff. I think it helps the story, instead of hindering it. Most of the compliments I've received are from people who relate to the characters, who remember being kids that age, of thinking and acting like they do. Being attached to the characters really ups the tension, and I hope that readers are afraid for their safety and sanity.

I went into this with the idea that no one was safe, that this finale was going to be bloody and tragic. I went back and forth on who would live and die, and honestly my alpha and beta readers had to rein me in a little bit. The current ending, which I'm happy with and I think brings the story to a satisfying conclusion, is WAY less dark than the original version. It's not all sunshine and roses, not by a long shot, but let's just say that after my wife read the original ending she looked at me in disgust and wouldn't speak to me for the rest of the day. 

So is this really Niall and the gang's last adventure? Maybe, maybe not. Certainly the last for awhile, anyway. But I will revisit Gale Harbour again, of that I'm certain. There are plenty of other interesting characters and stories to tell in that cursed town. 

SO PLEASE! Head out and grab yourself a copy of Gale Harbour Book 3 and complete the series! It's available on Amazon Kindle and in paperback, and the links are below. Leave me a review and let me know what you think of it! Lemme know if I've wasted the last five years of my life writing this stuff... ;-)

Hugs & kisses,
-CDGK

BUY DIRTBAG SATAN WORSHIPPERS FROM DOWN BY THE BAY HERE:

AMAZON US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F277SXCV/

AMAZON CANADA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0F277SXCV/

AMAZON UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F277SXCV/

Watch Out For Satan-Worshippers! (#IWSG April 2025)

May 6, 2025.

Three reasons this date is important:

1. My birthday.
2. The 10-year anniversary of my first published book, Ten Thousand Days.
3. It's the release day for GALE HARBOUR BOOK 3!!!

Here's the info:

Name: Dirtbag Satan Worshippers From Down By the Bay
Series: Gale Harbour Book 3
Release Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9798314745380
ASIN: B0F277SXCV
Available for Kindle ($4.99 USD) and in paperback ($15.99)
379 pages

Newfoundland, Canada. 1994.

Niall O’Neil is wallowing in teenage angst, still getting over Harper Jeddore, his childhood crush who helped him save the sleepy town of Gale Harbour from otherworldly monsters. Twice. When he meets a new, less-complicated girl named Stacey, it seems his life might be turning a corner. But Niall is pulled back into his old world when people start disappearing around town again, seemingly abducted by Satan-worshipping rednecks.

Torn between his new existence of simple happiness and his messy feelings for his old flame, Niall must make a decision: Enjoy dating girls, experimenting with drinking and making new friends, or risk his life to save the town one more time?

The fate of the entire world may depend on the choices of a hormonal fourteen-year-old with a flair for the dramatic.

Join Niall, Harper, Pius, Keith and Skidmark as they band together for one last adventure…

PRE-ORDER HERE:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F277SXCV

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0F277SXCV

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F277SXCV

Help spread the world about the Satan-Worshippers! 

If you can, please sign up to help promote Gale Harbour Book 3 when it releases the week of May 6:

If you can help me with the release by posting it on your blog, I will be in touch soon to provide you with some promo material! Thank you so much in advance.

ALSO CHECK OUT GALE HARBOUR BOOK ONE!

If you're on the fence about the Gale Harbour series and want to check it out with no entry free, the first book, PSYCHO HOSE BEAST FROM OUTER SPACE, is currently FREE on Amazon Kindle from now until Friday, April 5th. I like to call it STRANGER THINGS meets DEGRASSI - it's about kids in small town 1990s Canada. It's got horror, laughs, and plenty of teenage awkwardness. Please go pick up your copy if you haven't already!

GRAB PSYCHO HOSE BEAST FOR FREE!

It's very exciting, I'm glad to finally put GH3 to bed and get it out into the world. It's been a lot of work and many ups and downs, so I would like to thank everyone who has supported me with positive comments over the last few years. I hope I've been able to provide you some of the same.

See you next time (maybe)!

Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK

And finally, in other writing news...

PEOPLE WHO HAVE DISAPPEARED

Quite a number of people have vanished from the United States in recent weeks. Their stories may be good material for someone interested in writing that kind of thing. What would you call it? Thriller? Mystery? Horror? True crime? Truly an opportunity for genre-bending fiction that cannot possibly be as terrible as real life.

Rumeysa Ozturk

Rumeysa Ozturk, a PhD graduate student at Tufts University in Massachusetts, was grabbed by masked individuals outside her home and brought to an unknown location.

Mahmoud Khalil

Khalil was kidnapped from his home in front of his 8-month pregnant wife and transported to another state under the cover of darkness. Officials admit he has committed no crimes. 

Andry

A gay barber who left his home country to avoid persecution, Andry was abducted and transported to a prison in a completely different country to be tortured and abused.

Let's remember them and all the other innocent people who have disappeared in recent weeks. Maybe they'll inspire someone (maybe even me) to write or do something good.

GALE HARBOUR 3 NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

FINALLY! Gale Harbour Book 3 is available for pre-order!

Here's the info:

Name: Dirtbag Satan Worshippers From Down By the Bay
Series: Gale Harbour Book 3
Release Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9798314745380
ASIN: B0F277SXCV
Available for Kindle ($4.99 USD) and in paperback ($15.99)
379 pages

Newfoundland, Canada. 1994.

Niall O’Neil is wallowing in teenage angst, still getting over Harper Jeddore, his childhood crush who helped him save the sleepy town of Gale Harbour from otherworldly monsters. Twice. When he meets a new, less-complicated girl named Stacey, it seems his life might be turning a corner. But Niall is pulled back into his old world when people start disappearing around town again, seemingly abducted by Satan-worshipping rednecks.

Torn between his new existence of simple happiness and his messy feelings for his old flame, Niall must make a decision: Enjoy dating girls, experimenting with drinking and making new friends, or risk his life to save the town one more time?

The fate of the entire world may depend on the choices of a hormonal fourteen-year-old with a flair for the dramatic.

Join Niall, Harper, Pius, Keith and Skidmark as they band together for one last adventure…

PRE-ORDER HERE:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F277SXCV

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0F277SXCV

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F277SXCV

I'm so excited to finally release this one into the wild. Watch this space for more details as we approach the release day!

Announcement (#IWSG March 2025)

Who missed February? I dunno. Why are you looking at me?

I'm not going to do today's question. The idea of being anyone or anything for a day leads me down all sorts of random creative hallways, all of which ends with me blowing up certain world leaders. So we'll try to keep this on a positive note.

It's still not done, but fuck it, I'm announcing it today. It's veeeeeery nearly ready, so maybe throwing it out into the wild will light a fire under my ass to finally push it out the door.

.

..

...

...Ready?

Gale Harbour book three is officially titled: Dirtbag Satan Worshippers From Down By The Bay!

Here's the tentative blurb:

****

Newfoundland, Canada. 1994.

Niall O’Neil is wallowing in teenage angst, still getting over Harper Jeddore, his childhood crush who helped him save the sleepy town of Gale Harbour from otherworldly monsters. Twice. When he meets a new, less-complicated girl named Stacey, it seems his life might be turning a corner. But Niall is pulled back into his old world when people start disappearing around town again, seemingly abducted by Satan-worshipping rednecks.

Torn between his new existence of simple happiness and his messy feelings for his old flame, Niall must make a decision: Enjoy dating girls, experimenting with drinking and making new friends, or risk his life to save the town one more time?

The fate of the entire world may depend on the choices of a hormonal fourteen-year-old with a flair for the dramatic.

Join Niall, Harper, Pius, Keith and Skidmark as they band together for one last adventure…

***

The blurb is still a work in progress, so any feedback is welcome.

A new book of course means a new cover style, so that means I had to redo the first two covers as well:

I'm really happy with the new style, but again, feedback is welcome!

Keeping it short and sweet today. When exactly is the new book coming out! Release date TBD - I do have a date in mind, and it's coming up soon, I just need to wait for all the pieces to fall into place. Watch this space for more info!

How was your month?

Hugs & Kisses,

-CDGK

So this is 2025? (#IWSG January 2025)

I almost missed IWSG day again, but I have a good excuse! On Monday night I was cutting some plastic and accidentally sliced my hand with a box cutter. It wasn't a big cut, but it was fairly deep and right in the middle of my palm, so I figured I would need stitches. I went to the Emergency Room, and then proceeded to spend the next SIXTEEN HOURS waiting around the hospital. For TWO STITCHES. 

Universal healthcare in Canada is great, but there are levels of our government that has been purposefully underfunding it for years, hoping to make the public more amenable when they try to roll-out private health care. Health care shouldn't be a political topic.

Anyway, didn't get a lot of writing done over the holidays, but revisions on Gale Harbour 3 are coming along. I hope to announce a release date very soon. 

This post is not going to be very long because my hand hurts and it's hard to type. :-) Just let me say Happy New Year, and I hope you haven't failed at your resolutions yet. Also, I do not recommend cutting your palm with a box cutter. 0/10.

Seriously, why is it in movies, when someone needs blood for something, they always cut their palm? That's literally the worst place to cut yourself!

Hugs & kisses,

-CDGK

Gale Harbour Book Three Update (#IWSG June 2024)

At long last, I finally typed "THE END" on Gale Harbour Book 3. I "finished" the first draft a few months ago, but it needed a bunch of revising to put it all together, and I only just wrote the epilogue a couple of days ago. This will be the longest book in the series by far, and my longest published work to date,  and that's after I cut numerous chapters and side plots. I'm still worried it's too long - it's come a long way from the fast, adventure-romp of the first book. I guess we'll see what the proofreaders say.

After the proofreaders/beta readers, it's off to the editor. I really hope to release the book before the end of the year, which should be possible if I focus on ironing out all the edits that come back.

Is the book any good? Yeesh, that's a hard question I can't answer right now. So let's answer the IWSG question instead: 

JUNE QUESTION

In this constantly evolving industry, what kind of offering/service do you think the IWSG should consider offering to members?

This is an excellent question and I'm not sure if I know the answer. Just the network of like-minded writers is and has always been it's main draw. Finding more specific offerings and services is tricky because everyone is at different points in their writing journey; some are traditionally-published, some are self-published, some are trying to finish their first manuscript, some are bloggers, some write things they have no intention of sharing with others. 

For me, personally, I would love some sort of interview or review swapping, to help boost visibility. I know this happens unofficially now, but I was in another writing group where they had a dedicated, organized schedule where 12 writers would each post 12 interviews per year on their blog - you would appear on 12 other blogs and you would host each person on your own. It was a great success.

Another thing I would like to see would be updated versions of the Writers' guides that IWSG put out years ago, and perhaps to update the resources on the "Self-Publishing" tab of the website. Again, these are things I would like to see for myself, but I'm sure it would helps others, too.

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

Spring is Coming (#IWSG March 2024)

I'm sorry about my mopey and depressed post from last month. Not sure if was the winter blues or what, but I'm feeling much better now. More positive, more energy. It probably won't last, but I'll make the most of it while I can.

I've been writing again, and revisions on Gale Harbour book 3 are coming along well. I've also started thinking long and hard about my next project, and I have several ideas for short stories I want to write in between. It's amazing the impact not being depressed has on your productivity. 

I've also been painting again and I picked up Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. I've only played it for an hour so far but I'm really looking forward to getting into it - there's only so many hours in the day.

I finally finished this guy last week, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

My day job is still crazy busy as it always is this time of year, and will continue to be for about two months, but once I'm past crunch time I should be able to finish my writing projects and get into Final Fantasy VII. Spring is looking up!

Random Question: I've almost reached the 500 subscribers limit on my free MailChimp account, and I really don't want to pay the $30+ per month to expand the limit. I really don't make that much money off my writing. I want to keep building my mailing list, obviously, but I don't send very emails/newsletters - just when I have a new book or pre-order to announce, really. I'm considering exporting the email addresses, and just using MailChimp to collect new addresses. Does anyone have another solution, or suggestion on what other systems they use?

Oh, and there's still the question of the month...

Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?

I have not played with AI for writing synopses, though I really want to because I hate writing them myself. I guess there's a part of me that's afraid of feeding entire manuscripts into the AI's learning algorithm. Not that it couldn't have picked up my text from somewhere else, and I'm sure it's already scanned tons of work way better than mine. Still seems weird to actively do it myself.

I'm also being hypocritical, because while I'm apprehensive about embracing AI-enhanced writing, I use it for producing art all the time (mostly for fun, and not for commercial purposes). Whether it's feeding on my written words or someone's visual art, it's still stealing/borrowing without permission from someone's work. 

I know that AI is going to have an impact on writing and publishing, and fighting against it is a losing battle. It's inevitable, like the lightbulb replacing oil lamps. And algorithms learning from the work of others is not that different from humans being inspired by the writing or art of others - we all borrow elements from our favourite creators. The difference, of course, is that a computer program can process artworks a million times faster than we can, and does not have any discretion on how it uses that information. 

I'm also really paranoid about that "Does your work contain any AI-produced material?" question on the Amazon publishing page. For now I'm steering clear of any AI content, because I don't know what Big Jungle will do to my books if I click "Yes."

Most terrifying form I've had to fill out in awhile.

Wow that's alot this month. Time to go check out some other blogs.

Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

Sigh. (#IWSG February 2024)

I feel like a broken record, but I've been struggling to write lately. I want to, I really do, and I often try, but I never get much out. Life in general has just been a drudgery, from illnesses in the family to constant appointments for ongoing health issues to increasing pressure at work. Even when I get the time to do anything, I just don't have the energy. 

I started to revise Gale Harbour Book 3, which involved going back to read the first two books. You know how sometimes you go back and read something you wrote in the past and go, "Hey, this is pretty good?" Yeah, that didn't happen. I don't know if it's because I'm already depressed, but I did not look back on it with rose-tinted glasses. I am going to keep going, and it will push me to make the next book as good as possible, but it just feels like a mountain that I do not have the ability to climb right now.

Before I get too negative, let's get to the question of the month... which will probably also be negative. Sigh. It is an interesting one, but will likely cause some (hopefully positive) conversations.

February question: What turns you off when visiting an author's website/blog? 

I look forward to hearing everyone else's response on this, to learn things I shouldn't do with my website. I'm sure there LOTS of them.

If I have one pet peeve, it's pop-ups asking me to sign-up for a newsletter. I know, I know, newsletters are important blah, blah, I have my own mailing list, I get it. But asking me to sign-up for a mailing list before I even see anything about you is a big turn-off. If I'm interested enough in your work I will go sign up or buy a book, but I NEVER sign up for something that pops up in my face. It's just a stubborn principle. I refuse to buy anything from solicitors at my door, too (sorry, Girl Guides!).

Well, there's my gloom and grumpiness for this month. How's everyone else doing?

Hugs & kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

Survived Another Year (#IWSG January 2024)

So I had a rough end to 2023. In November the family came down with Covid and we were sick for weeks. I was sure I had long Covid, but turns out that I had actually developed an unrelated sinus infection (which I do not recommend), and my wife and daughter had strep throat. That was a lot of bugs going through our house! We had a course of antibiotics and finally cleared up in time for Christmas, but it was a close one.

Fortunately, I had mostly finished my annual Christmas book for the kids before the illnesses struck. As a reminder, every years for the past five or six years I've written a book for my kids and nieces to give to them at Christmas. As they've gotten older, the books have gotten longer and more involved. This year there was actually no illustrations (thank god), but it was about 50,000 words long. Which is a lot for something that will likely only ever be read by half-dozen people.

This is last year's. This is possibly the most work I've ever put into a book.

Last year I finished the Pokémon arc (which, by the way, met with mixed reviews because it had a rather dark, bittersweet ending - I don't sugarcoat things just because it's a kids book!), so this year I started a new series based on their Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Like our games, it started off with a lot of random nonsense, including numerous characters dying, before settling into a more traditional fantasy story. I'll have to let you know how it was received at another time, as they haven't all finished reading it yet.

Like I said, nonsense.

Looking toward the New Year, I think I should have the next Gale Harbour book out before the calendar turns over again. Still have a lot of revising to do, but nothing insurmountable. 

This is my tenth year in self-publishing. I don't know if I've hit my goals, because I never had a clear outline for what I wanted to accomplish. Sure, there are vague daydreams of making tons of money and quitting the day job, but that's never been the focus. I'm kind of amazed that I'm still going at all, to be honest. I don't have many hobbies that have lasted ten years. Except writing itself, which I don't really consider a "hobby." It's just something I have to do, whether I publish or not. 

Okay, that's all for now. I'm going to try to get back to a regular blogging schedule, so I hope to see y'all soon. Best wishes for your 2024!

Hugs & kisses,

-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/