August rain: the best of summer gone, and the new fall not yet born, the odd uneven time. (#IWSG August 2026)

Missed last month's IWSG post. Just a quick check in today to make sure I don't fall off the list. 😁

In case you didn't notice from the mess my blog is in, or if you didn't get the frantic email from me a couple of weeks ago, I've been having some email issues. Life has been a bit crazy. It's mostly sorted out now, but I'm having to fix the blog and reload old pictures and such bit by bit. It's a headache, but I'll get it back together eventually. 

August Question - As a writer/author what is something you regret? Or something that you wish you'd done differently in your writing process?

Regrets... I have a few...

Oh wait, you mean writing-related?

The most obvious one is that I didn't start earlier. I mean, I've been writing my whole life, but I didn't start taking it seriously until I was in my mid-thirties. I published my first novel at 35. The self-publishing craze and Kindle Direct Publishing started about 5 years before that. If I had jumped on the bandwagon earlier, especially pre-kids when I had more time and energy, who knows where I would have ended up? Or maybe if I had tried harder to get my work traditionally published in my twenties?

In all honesty I try not to have regrets, or at least focus on them. What will be will be. I can't say everything happens for a reason, but I certainly can't change the past. Better to use my choices to affect the future.

Anyway.

Hope everyone is having a great summer! See in you in the funny pages.

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/

Edge of Seventeen (#IWSG December 2024)

A few days ago I finished writing my 17th book. No, it wasn't Gale Harbour 3, that was the 16th book. A quick look at my Amazon page will show I've only published 4 full-length books (Gale Harbour 3 will be number 5), plus stories in various anthologies. 

So what are the rest of those books? Ten of them, including number 17, are the "Christmas books," the books I write for my family as gifts for the holidays. This doesn't include the picture books I made when my kids were really small; the ones I'm counting are all 40k words or more, and none of them have been read by more than a dozen people. 

This is last year's Christmas book, BTW. This year's is still a surprise... shhhh...

The other two are the very first full length novel I wrote—the one I sent to publishers and agents in my mid twenties, and with which I collected dozens of rejection letters—and a large heartbreaker fantasy, part of a substantial series I envisioned spanning seven volumes. Fortunately for all of us, neither of those books will likely ever see the light of day.

Why do I bring this up? Next year will mark my 10-year anniversary with self-publishing (I'll also be turning 45, holy crap). Unless a meteor falls out of the sky, I will have published my 5th by then. Five books in 10 years is pretty good, right? Not really, not by today's standards. Not if you want to find any success in this business. I'm in a few writing groups where people are sharing their successes, celebrating the publication of their 50th book, or making six-figures a year, or making their first million in writing. I've seen a couple of examples of people who have hit all the boxes: they only starting publishing during the pandemic (less than 5 years ago), are already closing in on $1 million in sales, and have published between 40-50 books.

What I imagine those writers' KDP payments look like.

It really puts things into perspective. I always knew I wasn't going to be rich as a writer. I would probably never even write as a full-time job. But a little bit of success would be nice, right? In ten years, I've only sold a little over 500 books total, so not exactly big money. Should I be happy with that success? I mean, I used some extreme examples above; for everyone who makes a million dollars, there are thousands of people who don't sell anything at all. And for every one of those, there are probably thousands who wish they could even write and finish a book. So I get it, I'm doing better than many people, and I should be proud of what I've accomplished. When I stop to really think about it, I am grateful that I've gotten as far as I have. But we all have those "what if" thoughts. What if I wrote something that really caught on? What if my books find the right niche market and exploded in popularity? What if I found the right routine, and I could finish 5 books a year, instead of 5 in a decade?

What if my KDP dashboard looked like this?

At this point, I would be happy if I made back what I spend on writing. Between editing and writing software/aides, advertising and design fees/software, I think I'm still in the red. Writing is not a cheap hobby, it turns out. Not to mention the hundreds and hundreds of hours spent actually doing it.

Anyway, I'm not sure what my point was with all this, it's just some of the things that's been going through my head the past week. The important thing is I finished this year's Christmas book on time and got it off to the printer. I nearly cut off my finger working on a different Christmas present, but that's another story. I'm not going to do the questions this month as I'm sure you're all tired of reading my nonsense anyway. Instead, I'll just wish you all a Happy Holiday season, and I hope your New Year is healthy and productive.

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/

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/

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/

Revenge of the Spiff and Other Stories (#IWSG August 2018)

Lots of news this month! Some insecurity, some head-scratchers, and even some good news. There's so much to talk about that I've had to break it down into easily-digestible categories...

RETURN OF SPIFF-BO

Remember last year when I signed up for the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off? Quick recap: It's a contest organized by award-winning and best-selling author Mark Lawrence, where 300 independent writers submit their books to be judged by 10 book review websites to find "the best" self-published fantasy book of the year. While there's no "official" prize (besides a replica of Dumbledore's Elder Wand - it's a long story), the exposure of doing well in this high-profile event does wonders for you and your book. Previous winners have gone on to big things, and even making it as a finalist can provide a huge boost to your sales and audience.

Of course, Ten Thousand Days was the very first book eliminated in its group when the reviewer was offended by some off-colour jokes and didn't make it past the first chapter.

Well, I didn't learn my lesson, because I have submitted Hell Comes to Hogtown to SPFBO this year, which has TEN TIMES as much offensive humour as Ten Thousand Days. My thought was I can't possibly do any worse than last year, so what do I have to lose?

99 CENT SALE

The SPFBO contest officially starts today, so reviews should start to roll in soon. You can start taking bets on how quickly I'll be booted out this time around. In conjunction with the contest though, I'm also taking part in a special sale, where over 100 of the SPFBO participants are offering their entry on sale for just 99 cents! That's right, you can check out exactly how funny, gory and inappropriate Hell Comes to Hogtown is FOR YOURSELF, all for less than the price of a cup of coffee.

Get your own copy right here!

(Or here)

(Or here)

(Or here)

If schlocky horror-comedy is not your thing, there are many other great books participating in this promotion. There's paranormal, epic fantasy and YA fantasy as far at the eye can see! Just check out Andrea Domanski's website for a full list of all the books on sale this week. Special thanks to Ms Domanski for organizing the sale, too!

CHECK OUT ALL THE BOOKS ON SALE

Just for fun, I also made Tentacles Under a Full Moon FREE on Amazon this week, too, so check that out if you haven't already.

WRITING NEWS

A few weeks ago I finally started writing a story that I've been putting off for two years. It's not that I didn't want to write it, I just had so many things I wanted to write I couldn't decide which one to start first. I actually started - and abandoned - three other novels in that time, and wrote several short stories. Then a lot of personal and family stuff happened that wiped out my free time and made all writing pretty much impossible.

I've finally started to carve out that time and put words to (digital) paper, and in the first week or so so I wrote 5000 words. I was ecstatic! I finally got my groove back and I felt like myself. Plus I was making progress on a project that's been rolling around in my head for years. It was great, I was feeling good and positive...

...and then I realized those 5000 words sucked and I threw pretty much the whole thing out.

I was forcing the story to go places it didn't want to go. I'm notoriously bad at starting stories/books, and in this case it was because I had certain scenes and jokes in mind, but it took a lot of set-up to get there, and when I finally got to the punchline it really wasn't worth it. I tried to jam way too many characters and plot lines into the first few chapters and it just didn't work. So I trimmed it all out, jumped right into the main plot line instead, and I'll introduce those characters and plot elements more naturally over time as the story progresses.

Maybe I'll be able to use my ideas later on in the book after everything is established, maybe not, but either way I'm not upset about it. It's a learning experience and I think the book will be better for it. I'm just happy it's taking shape at all, and hey, I'm back up to about 3000 words, so I'm doing alright.

#IWSGPIT NEWS

I submitted my pitch a few times during the #IWSGPIT a few weeks ago on Twitter and got a couple of bites. One agent wrote me back and told me the sample I sent was hilarious, but it really wasn't the kind of thing she represented so had to pass. I had thought the same thing when I looked her up before submitting the query, but hey, it's still nice to know someone liked it.

SUPER SECRET NEWS

I can't share it yet, but let me just say it made my day (and month, maybe year?) writing-wise when I heard this bit of news a few weeks ago. No, I didn't land a book deal or anything, but man, I really felt vindicated when I got this particular message. I'll share the details when I can (hopefully in time for next month's IWSG), but until then just know that this info is what triggered my recent resurgence in writing, so it's definitely a good thing.

AUGUST 1st BONUS QUESTION 

What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?

Don't wait. I wish I had started doing what I'm doing now at least 10 years earlier. Sure, I'm a better writer now, but I truly believe if I had started publishing when I was 25 instead of 35 I would have gotten better faster, too.

If you're looking to be traditionally published, submit. Submit, submit, submit. Submit anything. Pitches, short stories, full novels, grocery lists, whatever you have. What's the worst thing that can happen? They say "no?" They're going to say "no" 99% of the time anyway, so you might as well start building up a tolerance to it. Let it become a routine. Submit, get rejected, submit somewhere else. You'll start to write more stuff because you'll want to try again. Or maybe you'll re-write and start over. Eventually SOMETHING will get accepted, and you will get better as you go.

If you want to be self-published, just do it. If you're afraid it will suck or you don't know what you're doing, you're probably right. Publish it anyway. Use a pseudonym, if you feel you need to protect your name. Start with just a short story, if you like. It will be full of typos, the cover will be terrible, the formatting will be all screwed up and no one will read it or buy it. You will take it down and re-write it multiple times. But much like with submitting to a market, the first time is always the hardest and scariest. The experience you will gain self-publishing your first story will be invaluable, and everything will make much more sense the next time around. And again, you will want to put out something bigger and better than last time, and use what you've learned to help you along, so you will only improve as a writer each time.

#

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/.

INTERVIEW with Author D de Carvalho

Looking for the hottest new steamy romance writer? Look no further, because I've got your hook-up!

In the latest installment of my writer interview series, I sit down with D de Carvalho, an up-coming erotica writer with a penchant for BDSM and all things pink. It's a fun little conversation and I think you should do yourself a favour and check out the interview, and the links, below.

THE WRITER!

A native of far-flung locations, and a grade-A student of life, Carvalho developed his passion for fine foods and erotic encounters at a young age. He is proud to be a practicing member of the BDSM community, as well as a self-confessed and widely acknowledged grumpy old man.

In the Hot Pink series, D. de Carvalho serves up a smorgasbord of hot ‘n spicy erotic tales with no holds barred. Whether you savor sweet romance or crave the delicious tang of dark desire, Carvalho caters with tales to tempt every taste. Each sexy story arrives with a side order of humor, sprinkled with a touch of suspense, paranormal or mystery.

THE INTERVIEW!

What motivated you to become an indie author?
My friend and newly-published fellow author, Francisco Cordoba is solely responsible.
About a year ago, we were chatting about his Horsemen of Golegã series, and I was helping him sex up some of his erotic scenes. I tried to put in a BDSM scene, which he felt was totally inappropriate for his characters. I pushed the issue. It’s possible I called him a pantywaist. Some general argument and insults followed. By the time the dust settled, he’d challenged me to “write your own damn porn and stop messing with quality.” Of course, I couldn’t ignore a challenge like that.

The funny part to that story is that he’s been writing for years and had already put in twelve months on The Horsemen of Golegã when he challenged me. And I still published twelve months before he did.

In your face, Cordoba!

I interviewed Francisco a few months ago. It took him awhile, but he's tearing it up over at Amazon now!

Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
I start with whatever inspiration favours me with. But once I have an idea, I write it down and build from there. Us grumpy old men don’t do well without some sort of road map to follow. We end up wandering down the wrong road without our mug of Ovaltine and generally forget where we’re going or where we came from.

I think I'm on the cusp of joining you in the Grump Old Men club. Speaking of which, what are your views on social media for marketing, and which of them have worked best for you?
Aargh!!!! I’m too old for this shit. I use Facebook and Twitter mostly, or they abuse me. I stumble around tweeting and bleating and flinging stuff into the ether. Does it work? I don’t know yet.

Fair enough. I think Twitter is used as a torture in some small European countries. I suspect I know the answer to my next question: Would you or do you use a PR agency?
So far I haven’t. Would I? Ask me again in a year or so.

Last question: How do you relax?
I eat fine food and give pleasure to a beautiful woman.

Me too! Though usually I prefer to do them in the opposite order. At my age rich food does a number on the tummy, you know what I mean? 

Thanks for sitting down with me today!

THE LINKS!

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE

AMAZON | GOODREADS

BUY HOT PINK HEELS!

AMAZON US 

AMAZON CANADA | AMAZON UK 

BUY HOT PINK DRAGON!

AMAZON US 

AMAZON CANADA | AMAZON UK 

INTERVIEW with Author Amir Lane

This week in my on-going series of author interviews I spend a few minutes with Amir Lane, author of the Morrighan House Witches series. Lane is all over the place right now, having released two books already this year, and they also have a story in the upcoming Dawn of Hope Anthology from Dragon Realm Press, which will be released next month. Without further ado, here's my interview with Amir!

THE INTERVIEW!

When did you decide to become a writer?

Seventh grade. I actually remember the exact moment, too.

This was back when Quizilla was a thing. I used to do all those personality quizzes where they tell you which character or colour or random picture they found online you are. Man, I loved those. I used to do them every chance I got. And then, because that's what I was into back then, I discovered Naruto fanfiction. Before this, writers were, I don't know, on some kind of pedestal. Normal People couldn't be writers.

(Don't laugh, I was 11.)

I said nothing. I wrote Star Wars and pro-wrestling fan fiction.

All of a sudden, here was someone who was maybe only a few years older than I was who had written this amazing series. It was a total paradigm shift. All of a sudden, writing was something that I could reasonably do if I wanted. So I started writing fanfic myself. And of course it was awful, but it was exactly what I needed to get started.

We all need to start somewhere. How about now? Do you write full-time or part-time?

I'm strictly part-time. As much as I'd love to write full-time, I think this is best for me right now because it's still something I look forward to. If I was writing full-time, I think it would feel too much like a job instead of something I do just because I like it. It'd be too stressful.

It's not stressful? I envy you. How often do you write, and do you have a special time during the day to write?

I try to write every day when I get home. I like to get at least a scene out a day but life happens. So I find that if I do it as early as possible, it's more likely to get done.  I always keep at least notebook on me, because half my stuff is on paper and the rest is digital, so I can always write a few lines whenever I can grab a few minutes.

Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?

Yeah, what I do is I give myself a word count for my draft and a time period, and I stick it in a calendar that automatically tells me how many words per day I need. The cool thing about it is that I can set it so that, you know, I don't always have as much time on weekends so make my word count higher during the week. I try to meet whatever that assigns me and if I can't, it gets redistributed. I usually do about eight hundred a day. If I'm editing, though, I try for two chapters a day. I'm usually pretty good for meeting it.

You mention fan-fiction, which often has a collaborative aspect. Have you written works in collaboration with other writers?

I tried it a few times when I was just starting out. I wanted to write dual-POV books and I thought it would work best with one person writing one, one person writing another. It also took some of the pressure of writing every single chapter myself, and gave me someone to bounce ideas off of. The problem I consistently found, though, was that one person almost always lost interest before the other so they all fell through. I still love collaborating and I do back-and-forths as writing exercises. There is one thing that I've been planning to write with my partner but with everything on our plates right now, it might be a while before we actually get to it.

How much research do you do, and what kind of research?
It really depends on the book. I didn't do a huge amount for Shadow Maker, mostly because I didn't have to. The thing that needed the most research was the mental illness aspect that plays kind of behind the scenes with two of my main characters. I did do a lot of reading on that, but I was also able to pull a lot from my own experiences with some of the issues that come up.

The other books that I'm working on, though, are definitely going to involve a lot more research. The third book of my Morrigan House Witches series, Panthera Onca, is going to be partially set in Brazil. So that's going to be a lot of hitting the library with a notebook and reading until my eyes bleed. Which, you know, I'm actually looking forward to. And The Duality Series is a historical so I'm spending a lot of time getting a feel for what was going on, what my characters would have had access to, the kind of weapons they would use. Even things like, horses. I've got a ton of PDFs on my tablet that I'm marking up and taking notes in.

I'm really big on magic realism so it's really important to me to have as much accuracy and as much realism as possible, up until the point where you just have to go, 'Screw it, it's magic.' I come from an engineering background and an engineering family, so I still have this mindset of, you can have an entire dimension of a wall be negligible but only if it makes sense. And this comes up a lot in Aeqrab. I bring in a lot mythological species, and making them work in a modern world takes a lot of thinking. I have this Mesopotamian demon, it's, Could something bipedal have horns like these? If they have no pupil, how would they be able to see? And it's a lot of questions you can't find on Wikipedia.

Answering all of these questions has actually been so much fun for me. My younger brother did a year in biomedical science and he's finishing off a physics degree, and he is without a doubt one of the most intelligent people I have ever met (don't tell him I said that). He is so good at understanding the world and how it works to the point that he's the biggest idiot I've ever met, but he's always the smartest person in the room. And this works out perfectly because I can hand him these questions or hand him a list of features I want my lilin to have and he'll come back with, 'Okay so in this species, but also, maybe you could try.' And I have enough of a science background that we can go back and forth about, 'Okay but what if instead' or 'Okay but this species.' Meanwhile my parents are looking at us like, 'What the hell are they talking about, what's a...?' It's great. I love it.

THE AUTHOR!

Amir Lane is a genderfluid supernatural and urban fantasy writer from Sudbury, Ontario. Engineer by trade, they spend most of their writing time in a small home office on the cargo pants of desks, or in front of the TV watching every cop procedural or cooking competition on Netflix. They live in a world where magic is an everyday occurrence, and they strive to bring that world to paper. Their short story, Scrap Metal and Circuitry, was published by Indestructible magazine in April 2016.

When not trying to figure out what kind of day job an incubus would have or what a Necromancer would go to school for, Amir enjoys visiting the nearest Dairy Queen, getting killed in video games, absorbing the contents of comic books, and freaking out over how fluffy the neighbour’s dog is.

THE BOOK!

Physics major Dieter Lindemann is perfectly content living in a world where the Shadows he sees and hears are nothing but hallucinations. But when one attacks him, he’s forced to confront the fact that the Shadows are not only real, but dangerous.

Though Necromancer Alistair Cudmore offers to help him, Dieter quickly realizes that what he and Alistair want are two very different things, and it’s difference that could cost him his life. Controlling and possessive, Alistair pushes him further and further into blood magic. An incident at a club forces him into Necromancy, and he’s dragged down into a world he never wanted any part in. As the spirits and Alistair grow more and more violent, Dieter must break away from his mentor and learn to control the Shadows on his own before they destroy him. Only, Alistair isn’t about to let him go without a fight.

THE LINKS!

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
AMAZON

Bang On (#IWSG August 2017)

Well that sucked.

A couple of months ago I talked about how I submitted my book, Ten Thousand Days, to a self-published novel competition. I mentioned that it was some pretty stiff competition (300 entries, many of them by successful, established authors), and that the judging was pretty loose, as the reviewers involved all had very different tastes and were not even required to read all the books, but just to give them a reasonable chance to catch their interest before culling them from the pile.

I knew I wasn't going to win. I knew I wasn't even even going to be a finalist (again, the competition was very, very strong), but I thought at the very least I would get a little exposure and a half-decent review from a notable fantasy review site that I could use in future marketing. I know I'm not a stellar writer by any means, but I don't think I'm the worst, either. I figured I would be eliminated (in my category) without fanfare in the middle of the pack.

You could say I was somewhat floored when I awoke last Monday to discover Ten Thousand Days had been the very first book eliminated.

For context, Ten Thousand Days was cut before the book that was so poorly rewritten the reviewer couldn't get past a few pages. Before the book that had been disqualified for technically being ineligible for the competition. My book was the first one at the top of the list.

Needless to say I was supremely disappointed, completely beside myself. I knew I wasn't going to win, but what could I have done so wrong to be brushed off so quickly?

It would seem the reviewer took offence to an off-handed joke on page 5 and didn't read any further. She thought it was inappropriate and turned her off from the story. Sure it wasn't a great joke, but I never dreamed anyone would take offence to it. It's not even as bad as stuff you hear on prime-time sit-coms. But what can I do? Those are the breaks when you submit your books to reviewers, agents, publishers - you're at the whims of their tastes, and frustrating as it may be that's what you sign up for. Writing is a very subjective thing, everyone likes different stuff and you can't change that.

I'm downplaying it now since I have some distance and perspective, but I will admit I was really upset when it first happened. I've gotten tons of rejections lately but this one really stung, probably because of how public it was (parts of the review were shared on Facebook and Goodreads). I refrained from writing about it right away because I was angry and didn't want to say something I would regret. A few days ago I wrote my first draft of this post but then deleted half of it, because it went into details that I didn't want to dwell on.

I'm trying to let it go. I realized that yes, I might feel like I was treated unfairly, but do you know who else gets treated unfairly? Everyone. Some a lot more than others. (Like, a lot, but I'm not going to go into that now.) I asked for this. I knew what I was getting into, and I can't blame a reviewer for their opinion, tastes or perspective. It's disappointing, but it is what it is.

So yeah, I'm trying to acknowledge my feelings and accept them as valid, but also move on because it's not helpful to dwell on such miserable things. And ranting and raving will only lead to the Dark Side (of the Internet). I'm trying to find lessons from the exercise for the next time. Developing a thicker skin is certainly one. Finding markets for people who will better get my work is another.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

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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/.

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A One-Legged Man in an Ass-Kicking Contest (#IWSG June 2017)

Its IWSG day. Here's a good one to feel insecure about.

About a month ago I submitted my book, Ten Thousand Days, for Mark Lawrence's Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. For those who don't know, Mark is the very successful and respected author of fantasy books such as Prince of Thorns, Prince of Fools and the David Gemmell Award-winning Emperor of Thorns. In addition to his success, Mark is a big supporter of new up-and-coming writers, especially independent writers, and so for the last three years he has lent his name to the aforementioned SPFBO.

Each year between 250 and 300 self-published authors submit their books to Mark, who delegates them to ten respected book review blogs. Each reviewer then pours over the books and chooses their favourite of their bunch, and the top ten books are then read and reviewed by all the blogs so that a single winner will be chosen. The full list of this year's 300 entries can be found here.

Not all the books will be read cover-to-cover and be reviewed of course, but the reviewers promise to give them all a chance and review as many as they can. Officially there is no prize, but getting chosen as a top contender and especially a finalist is a huge marketing boost, as it will result in numerous reviews on many top sites that will get your name and book in front of tons of potential new readers. It's so much buzz, in fact, that last year at least two of the finalists were approached by major publishers with the offer of contracts.

Last year's winner. This guy is now a big deal in my circles, and this book (and its sequel) will be re-released from Penguin/Random House next year.

The field of competition is wide, since the only real requirement for the contest is that your book is self-published. On the one hand, you have people entering who have literally just hit "publish" on Amazon with their very first book, who had it edited by their cousin and paid $5 for a cover on Fiverr. On the other end of the spectrum you have hybrid authors who have published traditionally, have large self-published back catalogs, and are well-known names in the field. There are people in the contest who run their own successful small publishing houses, or have agents. This is a business and a livelihood for them and they invest thousands of dollars into their covers and editors, and produce quality rivaling anything put out by the major publishers. One of the contestants is currently in the news for having just signed a $100,000 deal with Audible for the audio rights to his next book (he's sold 500,000 copies of his last half-dozen books or so).

Where exactly is the line for "up-and-coming" author, anyway?

Am I intimidated and insecure about going up against this kind of competition? Damn right I am. In the immortal words of Jim Ross, I feel about as prepared for this as a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest. I fully expect to be eliminated in the earliest wave of cuts. If I'm lucky I may get a polite "good try" review.

Pictured: A polite, "good try" review.

Some of the folks involved in the contest are currently running "fantasy brackets" (like in fantasy sports) to pick who they think the winners might be, based on simply the covers, blurbs and current reviews for the books. Imagine my surprise when someone actually picked Ten Thousand Days as one of the finalists (they picked it for top spot in the Fantasy-Faction bracket). I know it doesn't mean anything, the person who chose it is not a judge, nor have they even actually read the book, but it was a pleasant surprise.

So anyway, the contest is just ramping up and will be ongoing for awhile (it takes a long time to go through 300 books). In the next couple of months though, if anyone wants to drop my name or mention Ten Thousand Days anywhere, it would be much appreciated. Review copies of the new-and-improved version is available to anyone who wants one.

June IWSG Question: Did you ever say “I quit?" If so, what happened to make you come back to writing?

All the time! Then I usually just take a nap and I feel better.

Seriously though, I've never officially "quit" writing, though there have been times when I've fallen into a lull and not written very much. But other than six months here or there I've been officially "writing" since high school, so over twenty years now. That's how long I've actively been composing words for the purpose of other people reading them. If you included stories I wrote for English classes in school (which was always my favourite assignments) I'm at about thirty years.

The lulls are usually caused by periods when I'm just really busy or tired or feeling down, and I can't find the time and the motivation to put the words down on the page. I haven't really quit, I don't think I could quit writing any more than I could quit eating lunch. It's just part of what I do. But sometimes you need a break, and ultimately those periods of downtime help you recharge, I think.

One last thing...

I just released a brand new (rather long) short story, "Revenge of the Lycanterrancephalopod" on Amazon. It's the sequel to my mildly-received story, "Tentacles Under a Full Moon." Both stories are very dark comic fantasy tales (Grindark? Grimlark? Grimdork?), and are full of violence, profanity and crass humour. Reader discretion is advised.

I decided to put both stories on Amazon KDP Select to give it a whirl. So if you have an Unlimited account, you can pick them up for free anytime. For everyone else, both "Revenge" and "Tentacles" are FREE to download for the next three days (June 7-9) so grab a copy now! If you like weird, obscene and hilarious fantasy, this is for you! Or maybe it's not, whatever. But it's free, right?

Blurb is below.

A serious sequel to a serious story. A story about grim, dark, hilarious misery.

SUGGESTED FOR MATURE AUDIENCES: Contains violence, coarse language, and alleged dwarf ejaculate. Allegedly.

One year after the great battle between the Werebear and the Landopus in the Barony of Amorous Felines in the Kingdom of Dyskovenia, a great evil has returned to once again scour the land. This new threat is both hairy AND slimy, as well as thoroughly indestructible.

A new group of heroes has risen to combat the threat, and this time, they mean business. They've brought along an inexperienced elf, a disgusting dump dwarf, a foul-mouthed uff and a vampiric chicken.

Maybe this isn't going to work out after all...

PICK-UP REVENGE OF THE LYCANTERRANCEPHALOPOD FOR FREE!

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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/.

INTERVIEW with Author Francisco Cordoba

Today I continue my monthly interview series with another up-and-coming author, Francisco Cordoba. Francisco is the author of the upcoming Horsemen of Golegã. Let's get down to business!

THE WRITER!

A passionate romantic and obsessive equestrian, Francisco Cordoba has been writing for as long as he can remember. However, it’s only in the last few years, since completing his Master’s Degree in Linguistics, and suffering regular chastisement from his wife, that he has dared to fully unleash his muse. He loves writing about romance, relationships, adventures and sex.

Francisco lives a largely reclusive life tucked away in an old farmhouse, somewhere, with his wife, teenage son, four cats, two dogs, horse, ducks and chickens. He freely admits to loving them all, although he refuses to allow more than three bodies to occupy his bed at any one time. His six-book slightly erotic, paranormally romantic, mysteriously suspenseful, thrillingly adventurous, and possibly fictional debut series, The Horsemen of Golegã, will be self-published soon.

THE INTERVIEW!

What is your guilty pleasure?
Roast beef. My wife has a magical way with roast beef. She makes this incredible piece of meat, with potatoes and carrots, green beans, cranberry sauce, gravy, and Yorkshire puddings (well, I make the Yorkshire puddings). Then I sit back with a glass of a particular Spanish wine I like and eat far more than recommended.

Most of the time we eat like rabbits, so the three or four times a year I truly go overboard isn’t too bad. Is it?

Where is one place you’d like to visit that you haven’t been to before?
There are many. But right now I’d like to visit Canada’s far north. Before I die, I’d like to visit one place that’s truly wide open and out of reach. I’ve always had this dream to visit Baffin Island in July.

What do you think makes a good story?
Emotion. Real emotion that comes from the lives and actions of characters as they interact with each other and the world around them.

In The Horsemen of Golegã, Candice and Bosanquet are the main characters, but there are a lot of secondary characters woven through the fabric of the stories. Can you give us a little insight into some of them?
Whew.  Well, I don’t want to give spoilers, but I’ll see what I can do.

Fiona Mason is Candice’s best friend. Before the series starts, the girls shared an apartment in Calgary, Canada. Fiona is a much bolder character than Candice, but she comes with her own set of baggage. She also gets her own story in the next series.

Maddie Tavares is Candice’s other friend and although very young, she’s had her share of battering by life. Maddie has a secret which she hides very carefully from everyone. Maddie will also get her own story.

Bosanquet has three close companions: Salazar--the enormous, silent and damaged man he calls ‘brother’; Anjo--the young Healer who lives on an emotional precipice; and the elderly and bad-tempered Diogo--whose deteriorating health and painful past cause him to erect massive emotional barriers between himself and the people who care the most.
These are the particular friends of our Main Characters, but there are many more interesting players who pop in and out of their lives.

Would you like to be a writer full-time?
Yes. I’ve had many other jobs, and they were great for a while, but much of what I’ve done in life as been teaching others how to do the things that I love to do, which hasn’t left me much time for actually doing. I want my chance to do now. Teaching may be a noble profession, but it’s no longer fulfilling for me. I want my chance to create.

THE LINKS!

Email: contact@franciscocordoba.com

Website and Blog: http://franciscocordoba.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/franciscocordobaauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CordobaContact

GUEST POST: Interview with Author Jocelynn Babcock

Today I continue my monthly interview series with another up-and-coming author, Jocelynn Babcock. Jocelynn is the author of the newly released MANTIC Volume 1: The Eyes of March. Let's get down to business!

THE BOOK!

A psychic with amnesia? 

Two women murdered, both with identical tattoos. A third tattooed woman survives an attempted drowning. Valena is the only link to stop the serial killer pursuing her, but she is afraid of her dark truth and surrenders to amnesia. 

Haunted by visions, she meets the Wyrd Sisters and enters a life of psychics, tarot readings, prophecies, and possible death. 

When those from her past find her, how can she accept police help and hide from the killer if she refuses to remember?

But it now at AMAZON

THE INTERVIEW!

Your first book, The Eyes of March, is listed as a paranormal thriller on Amazon. What drew you to write in this genre?

I never meant to write dark murder mysteries. I wanted something light and funny. When I sat down, I had to plot this character carefully. I had to know why she had amnesia. That changed the tone and the theme for the book. It turns out, I have a darkness that needs an outlet and I now write in a genre I’ve never read much in.

So it seems like your characters had a story to tell. When you develop characters do you already know who they are before you begin writing or do you let them develop as you go? 

I develop my characters. They do talk to me. Kim, for example, told me her wife died of breast cancer. That was not planned. For the most part, their archetype, employment, and physical appearance is already pre-determined.

The Eyes of March was fittingly just released in March. Did you do a press release, Goodreads book launch or anything else to promote your work and did it work?

I did a Goodreads giveaway. The purpose of those is to generate awareness and have your book on some people’s to be read list. I participate in author take overs and meet new readers. I think it is always beneficial to build your platform. 

Speaking of platform: what’s your views on social media for marketing, and which of them have worked best for you?
I tracked my advertising and found that Twitter is like screaming into vast nothingness. It produced squat. Facebook generated the most clicks. Social media is a great resource for reaching readers.

Being a writer is a complicated and stressful business. Do you think being a writer is a gift or a curse?
Neither. A “gift” suggests that only a certain group can do it. Though it takes a certain temperament, anybody can be a writer. A “curse” suggests that writing comes from without and we have no choice or control.

Interesting. What about for you, personally: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing as far as content?

Sex is difficult for me to write. I can’t shut off that voice in my brain that says “My mother’s going to read this,” or “I don’t want my family thinking I’m into this.”

THE AUTHOR!

Jocelynn Babcock hates talking about herself in third person, but loves reading and writing third person narratives. A typical writer, she’ll tell you she created books with her grandma’s yarn as a child and grew up to marry an engineer (as all writers do). She lives in the Channeled Scablands where the fine line between sanity and not is an outlet for idle hands. 

THE LINKS!

BLOG | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST

TWITTER | GOODREADS | AMAZON

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