New me for 2015!!

Alrighty! It’s 2015 and time for some changes. First of all, I’m sure anyone who’s been to this blog before notices the different layout. I love black and all, but got sick of looking at the same backgrounds, etc on this page. Also, I want to dedicate this page to everything I write so a new look seemed to be in order.

Another change for me is the shift in focus as far as my writing goes. This entire industry has been knocked on its ass for some time now. Ebooks are awesome, but to paraphrase the Joker from Dark Knight, they’ve changed things…forever. And there’s no turning back. Man I love that movie. I want to watch it now. Be right back…

…Ok. Awesome flick. What was I saying? Right. Changes. With the rise of the ebook and the fall of so many brick and mortar bookstores, the industry is still in upheaval. That might not be as obvious to the readers. After all, there are still some bookstores out there. Books are still being printed. There’s stuff to read. The Kindle is coming out with new models all the time. (I desperately want one of the new Paperwhite Kindles by the way) Trust me, though, it’s crazy from the inside of this industry and only gets crazier as the months drag into years.

Someone like me who isn’t on the receiving end of a publishers’ marketing budget needs to hustle for work whenever possible to keep up with the ol’ rent. That means trying to line up contracts wherever possible that pay some sort of advance so I can make ends meet. I love ebooks and the sense of creative freedom that comes along with them, but they’re a gamble financially. If writing is my only source of income, waiting for royalties to trickle in is not a stress-free way to live. So, after years of fighting the good fight and busting my butt to survive within the publishing machine, I need to suck it up and find other sources of income. Does that mean no more books from me? Uhh…why would I redo this blog if I was gonna shut it off?

Actually, it means the opposite. Once I secure myself in a more traditional manner (see also: day job) I can stop jumping through so many goddamn hoops, begging for the attention of publishers who only want me to write stuff that resembles whatever other author is the flavor of the month, and scrambling to fit myself into someone else’s category. I never was good at that kind of thing and haven’t gotten any better as I ferment.

Pleasing so many higher-ups who barely even know what they want anyway is a good way to drive yourself insane. The good thing about being truly apart from the machine (and being insane, for that matter) is that you don’t have a lot to lose. I will no longer worry about taking a good idea and rearranging it to fit the current trend. I will now focus on writing what I WANT and not just what I need to pay the bills.

I’ve been told my vampires need to be more mysterious and sultry. I’ve been told that I need to adhere to the concrete rules as set forth in legends in regards to mythological creatures. Legends as FACT? Isn’t tweaking legend and playing within a genre the FUN part of fiction? I’ve been told horror is no longer a genre. I’ve been told Steampunk is dead. I’ve been told a lot of things and I don’t mind hearing people speak their minds. I also don’t need to change what I do just to satisfy a bunch of rules that will change in a day or two anyway.

Overall, it’s a scary time for me. It’s also an exciting one. There’s a big weight lifted off my back when I stop worrying about trying to please someone in an office reading my horror manuscripts who doesn’t even like horror in the first place. I’m doing my own thing again and it feels good. Check back soon and I’ll tell you all about it.

More wisdom from Dr. Jones

First of all, the good news. After a little bit of a delay, Paris is Melting is now available for the Nook! Here's a link to pick it up at Barnes & Noble.com. While you're there, if you need to get your ebook copy of any of the Skinners books, those are still on sale. They make a great gift for Dad or anyone else. See, this is what I'm really bad at. I'm not much of a salesman. Unfortunately, writers need to sell themselves big time even if they're published through the big New York houses. That is, of course, unless you qualify for the ever-present asterisk when talking about the downside to being a professional writer. For example....Most professional writers don't get huge ad campaigns to sell their books*. Most of us can't retire after seeing our babies on the shelves*. And...most of us still need the occasional day job*  (* = unless you're the author of whatever young adult series happens to be hot at the time...or Stephen King.) That asterisk is kind of like the fortune cookie game where you tack on "in bed" to everything. Only the asterisk occasionally makes me want to shoot myself in the face. Heh. Wah-wahhhhhh.

Anyway, now that Paris is Melting is out, I am able to check my sales (or lack thereof) anytime I want. Is this a nifty gadget? Yes. Should I do it very often? No*. See, I knew my sales wouldn't be astronomical right away. It's a new book and I haven't started promoting it yet. Still, even though I'm just glad to see it out there, I keep checking! This is where Indy's sage advice comes in. "Don't look at it, Marcus! No matter what happens, just keep your eyes SHUT!" Ok, so in my mind he says Marcus instead of Marion. Is that weird? NO! Some people get angels talking to them or media advisers. Some of us don't get people in fancy offices looking out for our best interests*! So let me have Indy!!

Even though I don't expect the numbers to be huge yet and I know it will be a waste of time to look since, whether I see them or not, the numbers will be the same, I still look. I can't help it. Part of the fun? A little. It's just cool that Paris is Melting is out there. It's a series I am looking forward to continuing and it just makes me smile. I'm looking forward to hearing what you guys think of it so download a copy and let me know!

Busy Brain Syndrome

Today I woke up thinking someone was knocking on my door. The maintenance guy is supposed to come over and change the filter on the heater, but it wasn't him. It was probably just the other people in my complex leaving for their normal work hours. More than likely, the same people who wonder what the hell I'm doing pacing my floors when I'm still editing at 3 AM. Even after I realized I wouldn't have to hide until an unwanted visitor found his way out, I couldn't just get back to sleep because my brain would not leave me the hell alone about Skinners #6.

This is a part of my normal process. After I pass the halfway point of a manuscript and think the end may be in sight, I start worrying that I'm ruining the book I'm working on, ruining the series, forgot how to write, or any number of self-defeating happy thoughts that give me a migraine as soon as I wake up. This happens with every book and knowing it's coming doesn't help in the slightest. It's kind of like tugging at the proverbial thread that makes the whole sweater unravel. Only, I'm not done knitting the freaking sweater so why am I pulling on ANY threads?? Drives me crazy. I did come up with one solution to a plot concern which I wrote down before trying to get back to sleep but the migraine hangs on.

Since the other Skinners books turned out pretty good, I should just let the process happen, right? Unfortunately, that ISN'T a part of the process. I still think I'm screwing up the book, the series, my career, all of it. Thank you brain! Could you please shut up for a while?

On a slightly related note, there are a few more interviews that have come online today. That way, you can see what else is going on inside my brain. Heh. Ok, so it was a lame transition but here are the links anyway. One is a guest blog that I think turned out to be pretty darn amusing.

Guest Blog: http://www.literaryescapism.com/14982

Interview: http://www.overtheedgebkreviews.com/2010/11/giveaway-interview-with-urban-fantasy.html

Fly off, little birdie

Is it sappy that I get sentimental about sending a manuscript off? Yes. How about nervous? Eh, maybe a little. Anxious. That's more like it. Today I head out to the post office and mail the manuscript for Skinners #5. Going back to another blog post where I talked about music accompanying each book, I'd have to pick another Disturbed song for this one. Check out Indestructible. Especially this part: "Indestructible. Determination that is incorruptible. From the other side, a terror to behold. Annihilation will be unavoidable. Every broken enemy will know that their opponent had to be invincible. Take a last look around while you're alive. I'm an indestructible master of war!" How can you not think of monsters kicking ass when you hear that? Great stuff. Speaking of Disturbed, the new album is out and I'm lovin' it.

This has been a rough week. Mostly, that's from putting the finishing touches on this book. Now this one isn't exactly finished, but the hardest part is over. There's a few more editing rounds to come. At least now this story is a finished product in my mind. So many times throughout the process, I think I'm ruining my own product, screwing up my career, or am just lost in the world I've made up. At this stage of the game, there's a definite relief. Of COURSE that's how Book 5 ends! So now it feels good to take a few days off and then jump into Book 6. Actually, I'm already primed for that one.

I think I'll play some games and catch up on some DVDs I need to watch. Downloading the demo for the new Guitar Hero as I type this. I'll finally FINALLY be able to dive back into some more Red Dead Redemption. I actually just started in on Borderlands. See how behind I am?? Plenty of new XBox Arcade titles to dig in to as well. Have you played Shank yet?? Pure Awesome! I want to see The Losers and Book of Eli.

Ok, so that's it for now. Just so you know, I've started sending out bookmarks and stuff as rewards for my plea for online reviews of Skinners. Haven't forgotten, so write those reviews, send me the links and I'll send you some free stuff. The Shimmy's passes are almost done and those will be going out soon. Get 'em while you can!

Hello XBox. Remember me?

I just finished Draft 2 of Skinners 3. Sometimes, a writer's work just seems to flow from a wellspring of creativity. This wasn't one of those times, but it turned out great. I'm completely spent and very much looking forward to taking a wee bit of time off to attach myself to the couch with a controller in my hand. Bust some ghosts. Shoot some stuff. Whatever. Then it all starts again on Monday with Draft 3.

Ugh, another Monday. Wait, Tuesday? No...

It’s back to work time. As you can tell, since I’m writing a blog entry instead of actually working, it’ll be back to work in a little while. Today’s just one of those dreary days that makes it hard to get going. Normally, I’m all for cloudy and drizzle. Even so, it’s hard to get the motor running. Maybe it was a bad idea to take an extra day off. Usually, that one extra day off tacked on is the sweetest. And yesterday wasn’t bad, it was just….eh.

Megan’s back in town after being away for over a week. That was rough. Abby was here, which was nice. The little dawg became my shadow and, apart from a few bathroom walk-ins, was fun. Once she got home, Megan and I got to break in the new Boom Blox. If you haven’t played Boom Blox (and you own a Wii) you’re missing out. It’s one of those simple games that’s just freaking awesome. Blocks are set up (or in this case, Blox) and there are various ways to knock them down. That’s it. It rules. Also picked up the new Punch Out for the Wii, which is an updated version of the NES nostalgia-fest. That too is great.

Went to the Squirrel Cage Jail again with the Nevermore crew. It was a good night, but not particularly eventful. I stood in the cement closet that passed for solitary and thought I heard a breath, but chalked that one up to wishful thinking. We saw some weird glowing globes appear on the new DVR cameras, but haven’t gotten a chance to see that on evidence review. After that, it was rushing home to let the dog out before her nibs exploded. I spent my Memorial Day reviewing said evidence, but didn’t get to the part with the globes since that was at the end of a 5 or 6 hour stretch of video. I did, however, get a real good chance to see how horrifically and tragically dumpy I look on video. Being photographed has never been my favorite thing and now I remember why. Usually, I look rather blobbish but when filmed at an upward angle in night vision that effect is cranked up a good 4 or 5 times. No ghosts and now no self esteem. Thanks, 3 day weekend!

The truth is that it wasn’t a bad couple of days. Megan’s back, it’s cool outside, had some quality Wii time and making fun of myself on unflattering video was good for a laugh (a LOT of laughs). Today I start in on draft 2 of Skinners 3 and that’s the real thing on my mind. I’m pumped to dig into the manuscript like Jigsaw from Saw 1-9 digging into some idiot who stuck their hand into a rusted, spiky metal box. The final pass for Skinners 2 arrived today and there are a lot of other projects floating around on the verge of being accepted or rejected. No matter what I do to try and distract myself, all that work stuff is there. I can’t just switch it off because I’m not in the office and there’s no deadline as to when I might hear any results. Stuff may sell or it may get shot down for no reason whatsoever. It may get shot down for a very good reason and it may happen today, tomorrow, eighteen weeks from now or never. That’s the business and I wouldn’t want to have any other job, but this part of it really tests the ol’ resolve.

Maybe I need another day off.
NO! I’m starting work right…….now.

I actually get a weekend off? How did that happen??

WooHOOOOO!!! Draft 1 of Skinners #3 is FINISHED!!! As with most first drafts, it’s too long, yet somehow still incomplete. There are a bunch of things I forgot about halfway through the book, stuff I need to patch, entire characters I need to get rid of, holes to mend, rough patches to smooth out. . .why was I celebrating a moment ago? Oh yeah. I get a few days off before diving in again.

I had some stuff planned to do once I was done with this draft as a way to get my long weekend started, but was too tired once I was through typing. It’s sexier to say I was “spent”, but it all just boils down to tired. Maybe I’ll celebrate when the book is really done, but I say that every time and just wind up sending it in, sighing with relief and scraping to get the next contract.

On another note, I’m heading out on a ghost hunt tonight. Back to the Squirrel Cage Jail for a follow-up investigation. It’s nice and hot today, so spending Saturday night in a huge metal box talking to shadows should be a lot of fun. Have you seen that Axe commercial with the guy who sprays sweat out of his shirt like a fire hose? Well I plan on making that guy look like Mister Roarke standing on the beach in his spotless white suit waiting for the guests to arrive on Fantasy Island. Pity the other folks at Nevermore. Seriously.

Home Stretch: Pt. 1

Ok. The end of Skinners 3, Draft 1 is in sight. What does that mean? Am I about to send this baby in? Am I ready to kick back and wait for the fortune and glory? Yeah, right. While it's hardly time to relax, it's almost time to take a breather which will be nice. Also, I finally know how this one will end. On a not-so-exciting note, I also know a bunch of places that will need to be overhauled when I start in on draft 2.

Any of you who have written anything know that the start of a project can be the most daunting. The dreaded BLANK PAGE and all that. I find that part exciting at first, but there's just so much to do. Of course I have an idea of what's going to happen and what I want to develop, but it's still my book and I can take it anywhere. Draft 1 may not be complete (or even very good) but at least the framework is there. This project has actually turned into Skinners #3 instead of, "Let's see what I can do this time".

The important thing is that it's turning out great. Even more important is that I'm coming up with all kinds of amazing stuff for future installments. Now I just need to hope and pray there ARE future installments. But that's a stress headache for another time. Right now, I've got to put the rest of the big pieces together so I can tear it all apart and fit the small to medium pieces in.
Fun, right?
Yeah.......sure.

Just wanted to say...

...that I have nothing to say.

Maybe some of you wonder about the exciting life of an author? Well, it's been almost a week since my last post and there's really nothing to tell you. I'm in the thick of Skinners 3, happy with it one moment, worried about it the next, relieved another moment after that and then fretting about how I'm going to wrap it up in under 1000 pages.

Pretty much par for the course.

I take some solace in knowing I felt this way during Skinners 2 and I just got done with those copy edits to wind up pretty happy with it. Does that sentence structure make sense? I don't care. There are things I want to put into this book and others that should get cut. I'm nowhere near finished, so there's plenty of time to dress it all up. The first draft is what it must be like to put a movie together using an editing machine. You look at each scene frame by frame, so one conversation feels like it took about sixteen hours. When I read it through again at a normal pace, it'll seem better and if it doesn't, it gets whipped into submission. If that don't work, it gets the hose again. Put the lotion in the f---ing basket!!

Sorry. Went a little Buffalo Bill there. Have I watched Silence of the Lambs lately?

I need to sleep.

Oh yeah, I can't sleep because I can't stop thinking about Book 3.

Yowza.

Write n' roll all daaay and edit ev-er-y night!

Vacation charged me up.

I've got Skinners 3 to write.

Skinners 2 is sitting here to be edited (again).

It's all firing pretty well. I had a minor bout of, "What the hell am I doing? I'm just messing up whatever little bit of progress I've made with this book", but that's passed for the moment. Of course, that's not to say I'm crafting a masterpiece that will need no editing later on, but it's movin' right along and that's all I can ask for at this stage of the game.

Today is Comic Day, which always puts me in the Happy Zone. So far, my plan to rein myself in has been working pretty well. I'm not going to sign up for any hold lists where the shop holds my comics for me. I'm not delving into too many back issues. I'm just picking up whatever strikes my fancy on any given Wednesday. The trick with that is to resist the impulse to blindly pick up a series because I liked the last ones. That's how I fall into the trap. Must. . .keep myself. . . under CONTROL! Ooo, that reminds me. I think I want to see what's going on with Hulk.

One bad thing about being so busy is that I don't have as much time to play video games. Mostly, it's been Rock Band and Guitar Hero in between writing. Even blasting my way through Resident Evil 5 with Megan has stalled. That one stings. Sometimes, you just need to MAKE time for the important things. Nintendo has solved their storage problem for the Wii, which removes the constant cycle of erasing crap from the hard drive, copying it to an SD card and writing new stuff onto the hard drive. This also frees me up to buy from the Virtual Console again. Wait a minute, is this a good thing?

The dreaded Fed Ex delivery

I've been anxiously awaiting the copy edits for Skinners #2 and today they finally arrived. Of course, no matter how much I was anticipating them, there's always the anxiety that comes before opening the package.
Will there be a note from my editor saying something along the lines of, "This blows! Give us our money back and don't mention our company in public anymore."?
Perhaps there will be a slightly nicer note saying, "This needs to lose about 135 pages. Also, please rewrite the section between pgs. 9 and 328."

There's always the possibility that the notes on the margins will say, "See this part here? AWESOME!!!!" or "This word right here....genius." and maybe "I don't like your word choice here. No wait. NOW I get it!!!! Brilliant!!!!!"

Reminds me of a George Carlin routine where he's talking about the range of intensity between the slogans on various state licence plates. At one end was New Hampshire's "Live Free or Die" and at the other was Idaho's "Famous Potatoes". My editing notes, as are most things in life, will probably fall closer to "Famous Potatoes".
I miss George Carlin.

Must be on the right track

I always know something is going well with a writing project when it truly doesn't feel like work. While writing Skinners #3 (and 1-2 for that matter) it just doesn't feel like a job. There have been some projects that felt like pulling proverbial teeth. Most of them fall into the "it's great to be paid for this" category, but it's best when I feel like I'm slacking on my job because I'm spending so much time doing Skinners (which IS my job).

Now don't get me wrong. These books ARE work. In fact, I put more into these than the ones that feel like a chore. That's just because I want every little thing to be just right. Every reader isn't going to think all of the finished product as "just right", but that's subjective.

I did have a truly geeky moment the other day. I was taking a break and talking to Megan when I mentioned how strange it is to have people out there reading Blood Blade and awaiting the next ones. While writing the first two, nothing was on the shelves yet. Now, my immediate family and I aren't the only ones who know about Cole, Paige, Full Bloods and all of that good stuff. I've gotten emails asking about the future storyline or what will happen to certain characters. Hell, I've written emails like that about other series. Now, I'M the one who decides the real answers. This crap on my monitor isn't just a manuscript. It's CANON!

That may be a little overboard, but it's still cool. So, there's where I'm at right now and it feels good. There will be plenty of time for the down slides in the months to come. Fair warning.

A glimmer in my eye

I've been gearing up to really dig in to Skinners 3 and it amazes me what a strange process this early stage truly is. Basically, I've had the main skeletal structure of the story in place for some time. There's a lot I want to happen and certain things I want to change, progress, whatever. So I let it all sit in the back of my head until it starts to congeal like a Jello salad with chunks of pineapple and peaches and any other canned fruit you had sitting around. Now I want Jello. Finally, and usually while I'm about to fall asleep or in the shower or watching TV, something falls into place. I jump up, write it down. Go back to what I was doing. Wait for more.

It's all very random. Some of my ideas make me wonder what the hell I was thinking and why anyone would pay me to write this crap down. Others become novels. A lot of this process seems like some version of insanity. Just sitting there quietly, listening to the voices and trying to make sense of what they're telling me.

Even stranger is the fact that the voices really DO come up with some good stuff! Fear not. Book 3 is going to be great. I'm VERY anxious to sink my teeth into it and do some things that I've been meaning to do since Blood Blade. For readers, this process must be strange as well, since I'm talking about all of this when Book 2 isn't even out yet. What a weird business. God, I love it!

The ticker has ticked its last tick

And yes, I did sit here at midnight to watch it count down to zero. It was actually pretty cool. For those of you new to the blog, the thing at the side of the screen that says "In Stores Now" used to be a countdown to the book's release date. I've been watching that thing tick all the way down from around 196 days or so. Now it's finally done ticking and Blood Blade is out in stores.

Tomorrow, I'll make the rounds to the local bookstores to see if I can find it. Hopefully, I'll spot it somewhere on day 1. I know sometimes stores don't put stuff on their shelves right away, so I won't get all anxious if it's not at every Borders or Barnes & Noble in town. When Megan and I head out to the stores, I know she'll want to take pictures of the displays or shelves where it does appear. She's excited to buy a copy with her credit card to see if the clerk notices. Heh. No matter how cool I'll try to act, I'm sure I'll succumb to the ol' "standing around until I can point the book out to someone and say 'I wrote that' " trick.

I read a blog review of Blood Blade earlier today and it wasn't bad. It said the book was "good in a guilty pleasure sort of way", which was pretty much where I was aiming. I enjoy guilty pleasures. After all, "pleasure" is right in the phrase. Webmaster Steve and I also put some last-minute tweaks to the main website, so that's good to go. Now, I've just got to sit back and wait to see what the readers think.

More waiting....great.

Ticking away the moments that make up the dull day

Well, the release date is almost here and I’m a basket case. The ticker on the side of the page says 7 days and so many hours, minutes, seconds. I’ve been watching that ticker count down for months and have done a good job of not letting it drive me insane. Now, it’s getting hard to bear. It’s not the ticker’s fault, but the prospect of my work being sent into the world to fend for itself is pretty stressful. I’ll be making the promotional rounds as best I can and working hard on the series, but Blood Blade will be on shelves fighting to swim in bookstores that are flooded with vampires, werewolves and monsters in all their different forms.

I wrote this whole series as something that’s fun to read and. . .well. . .that’s it. There’s nothing wrong with that. There’s plenty of angst, tortured romance, forbidden pleasures, and cuteness on the urban fantasy shelves right now. There’s a good mix of those things on the horror shelves too, so I just wrote something that I would enjoy if I picked it up in the store.

Now’s the time when people read my book and decide whether they like it or not. Some will love it because of the action or the humor or whatever else. Some will hate it because it’s not what they thought it would be or it’s not like the other series they read. Maybe they’ll like it because it just keeps them entertained for a bit. Maybe they won’t like it because it’s not their cup of tea. Maybe they don’t like tea. Maybe they prefer coffee or pop. Ok, now I’m thirsty.

My point is that I can do all the publicity I want, but it’s still a matter of people (hopefully) buying my book, reading it, and (hopefully again) enjoying it. Everyone who reads it will have an opinion of some kind. There’s nothing I can do about that. I just write stories that I think are amusing and now I need to see if anyone else out there finds them amusing as well.

This is the hard part.
I hate waiting.
I guess I’ll keep myself busy by writing the next story.

Author photo

I was going into a Barnes & Noble one time several years ago when I saw some guy in a suit jacket posing in front of a brick doorway. He had on some glasses and was trying really hard to look aloof and cool while rubbing his chin in introspection. Someone else was taking his picture. I distinctly remember walking by, entering the store and thinking, "What a tool."

That's why I don't like having my own author photo taken. I don't like posing for pics in general because I'm not good at smiling on cue. They always come out as awkward and vaguely disturbing smirks. And not disturbing in a good, "perfect for a horror writer" kind of way. More like in the, "Honey, don't walk little Suzy by that man, ok?" sort of way. I put it off long enough. I need an author photo to go along with various publicity stuff for Skinners. My editor asked for one a while ago and I declined because too many other dudes had stolen my patented "bald guy with glasses and goatee" look. Now, I've just got to suck it up and get in front of the camera.

Fortunately, my wife Megan has a nice camera and a good eye (Some might say she has two. Ba-dum-BUM). She took the author photo for my Galloway westerns and she took this one as well. The weird thing is that I actually like it. Also, I didn't have to meet a photographer somewhere and try to look scholarly in front of a fire exit.

PS - This is NOT the author photo, but it fit well under the words, "What a tool".

5 Stages of Waiting

Here’s another process that’s very important to being a professional writer: Waiting.
You come up with your ideas, write them and edit to hit some deadline or a window of opportunity for submitting it somewhere. That’s a whirlwind of work, creation and refinement also known as “the good stuff”. The waiting comes when you must deal with the rest of the world.

And I’m not referring to those fortunate writers who submit something and have to wait through a whole weekend or two before they get their deal. That’s great if it happens, but it’s not the norm. It’s more like earning your salary by winning the lottery. And that’s nothing against the talent of those quick-dealers. The whole system is generally very slow and any writer will tell you that you have to wait for any results whatsoever. Wait a LOT.

While I’m waiting to hear back from submissions, I’ve found I go through some pretty basic stages. These held up when I waited to get a short story published in a small press magazine, to get an agent, and now to get a book (or series) published. Maybe some of this seems familiar to some other writers out there. For those of you new to the craft, it’s something to look forward to. After all, in the immortal words of GI Joe, “Knowing is half the battle”. And if you’re one of those folks who got your huge contract in less than eight months, good for you. I do hate you, though.

Stage 1: Denial – “This time it’ll be different! I’ll send it in and the first person who’s lucky enough to read it will trip all over themselves to give me a deal! I’d better be ready for the landslide that’ll follow this one. Should I subscribe to Publisher’s Weekly so I can read the awesome news before it hits the news stands?”

Stage 2: Bargaining – “Come on! It’s been what, three weeks? I haven’t heard anything so that’s gotta be good. That editor must be wondering if I can truly handle following through on the amazing idea I showed them in that proposal. I can handle it! I swear, if I get my chance with this, I’ll run with it! I’ll RUN like the WIND!! Who am I talking to? It doesn’t matter. The forces of good will carry my desire and happy thoughts to where they need to be. I can’t doubt for one moment that this is gonna happen or I’ll jinx it. Oh, shit! Did I just jinx it? No. I can DO THIS!!!”

Stage 3: Anger – “Damn it! It’s been three months!! Freaking editors are always on vacation. Freaking system doesn’t even move. What the hell is going on out there?! I should stomp into whatever break room they’re using to suck down their coffee and show them my GENIUS!!!! This is ridiculous! If I had the crappiest office job imaginable I’d never have to wait this long to get results from handing something in! I crank out more starlight from my printer and they take a month off for ONE HOLIDAY!!”

Stage 4: Depression – “It’s been over six months. I’m not gonna hear anything. Honestly, what did I expect? Those editors have either tossed my submission away like the garbage it is or they’re laughing at it. I think that telemarketing firm is hiring. Maybe I’ll try that.”

Stage 5: Acceptance – “Eh, screw it. I did the best I could, so I just need to wait for something to happen. There’s not much else for me to do. Actually, I’ve got an idea for something else. Maybe I’ll try that.”

Unfortunately for my wife and anyone else who has to deal with me (a big sorry goes out to my agent who still returns my calls and answers emails from every one of these stages), I may go through this cycle several times while waiting for one submission. If this sounds familiar to anyone out there, at least I’m not alone. That’s the problem with not working in an office. I don’t get to gripe to fellow co-workers.

As far as waiting goes, the simple truth is that you gotta do it whether you go through these stages or any other sort of ritualistic torture. Cry, whine, howl, work, shrug, it doesn’t matter. In the end, you’ll still be waiting. Of course, every so often, the waiting is worth it. And when it is. . .it’s REALLY worth it.

Back to it

Sinking my teeth into the next draft. This is more of a "polishing and sanding" phase. I look at revisions in a couple different ways. First, there's the kind that makes me feel like a mechanic taking an engine apart, setting all the chunks on the floor and putting them back together again. It's very gratifying to get your hands dirty and rebuild, but also very overwhelming when you take a break and look around at all the disconnected parts scattered around. At the end of that, there's another moment where you find all the parts either welded together or in the trash and wonder, "I did all of THAT??"

Sometimes, I feel more like a plumber who snakes around to find the trouble spots, pull away the bad pipe and put in a new set. Methodical problem solving at its best.

Currently, I'm in more of the stage that follows either (or both) of the other two. I go over all the crap I did before, smooth out the new joints, sand down the patches and check for leaks. After this is the "touch up and detailing" round. Read through the manuscript like a normal reader (or as close to one as I can be), look for snags in the prose or the occasional glaring mistake that slipped by me before and pray I don't have to dismantle the whole thing again.

Enough analogies for ya? Maybe it helps me get through the process to think of it in more concrete terms. Why do I write it all down here so you can read it? Maybe I'm just cruel.

Not exactly nothing, but close

So, for all the 1 or possibly 3 people who read this, you may have noticed there’s not a lot of writing talk going on. No real news on that front at the moment. I’ve told other new writers that waiting is a huge part of the process and this is one of those times. That’s not a bad thing, but it just. . .is.

Let’s see. What’s happening? At the moment, I’m taking a few days off in between other projects. Just finished one and will start another tomorrow. My wife will be leaving town on business next week (ONE of us has a steady job at least. Heh. My little Sugar Mama). That will give me plenty of time to focus on my next project, which is a ghost writing gig that should be fun.

On the Skinner front, I received the cover copy not too long ago. That’s the description that goes on the back of the book for those who were wondering. There were parts of it I loved and parts I wasn’t crazy about, but I couldn’t really think of anything that was any better. Since I believe you shouldn’t bitch unless you’ve got something better up your sleeve, I let it be. Then, the more I looked at it, a few things popped into my head and I eventually wrote out a second draft and sent it to my editor, Peter. What followed was a frantic day or two of me wondering why the hell Peter wasn’t getting back to me when he was probably just in meetings, working with someone else or just taking the day off. I, of course, responded by sending a few increasingly panicked emails and followed up with a phone call. See what waiting does to some people? In my own defense, I wanted to make sure I was in time to change stuff before it got set in stone or whatever other medium they use. Along with the cover art (which is un-freaking-believably great), the cover copy is what prompts lots of people to buy a book in the first place. It’s important and I wanted to make sure the (hopefully) better version made it on there. Finally, Peter shot me a quick email telling me to take a breath and there was no problem changing it.

Drama, huh? Well, on my end anyway. Normally, working on my own is fine. Sometimes, though, I get a little stir crazy and these things happen. I’m sure I’m not the only one and Peter’s eyeballs must know just how to roll when he gets the occasional string of frantic emails from me about stupid crap that takes all of three minutes to fix.

This leads me to another topic that’s been driving me crazy. Since the whole copy thing blew over without incident, I’ve fixed upon something else to worry about. When Skinner comes out, will it be any good? Will ANYONE read it? It goes on from there, but you get the gist. More typical crap from someone with too much time on his hands. See, this is why I likes me video games so much. I can’t obsess about this kind of garbage when I’m lining up head shots or trying desperately to beat the Rock Band guitar career on Expert (I’m stuck on the last set and doubt I’ll ever beat the Outlaws song.)

So that’s it for now. Just a big verbal treadmill. A whole lot of running, sweating and wheezing without moving an inch. Except for the copy, because that really was important. And then…all right. I’m done now. Breathe.

That’s better.