Quote of the Moment

"What's Past Is Prologue." - William Shakespeare
Showing posts with label Dingbat Publishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dingbat Publishing. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 01, 2015

Chains of Nect - Blurb and Cover Reveal

It's time for an update! Aren't you all so lucky. Don't care about what's going on with me and my progress? Feel free to skip the post. But I can't promise you won't miss something super crazy awesome if you do.

The Plan is unfolding nicely, so far at least. I've been posting parts of "Dude in Distress" to Wattpad twice per week now. The last section is due to be posted on July 10. So, if you're curious if the unicorns manage to save Dom from Big Bad Girl, please pop over to Wattpad to read the story.

Chains of Nect will roll out on Wattpad starting July 17, and there will be a new scene posted every Friday. I already have two scenes good to go, and this month I'll be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo which should net me several more scenes--it's nice to be ahead of the game, just in case something happens! (Like last week when I got sick and my writing schedule went to hell.)

Interested in reading the prologue of Chains of Nect 8 days before it releases on Wattpad? Then you should sign up for my newsletter (form is to the left) because the first issue will go out on July 9 and include a sneak peak of the prologue. The main goal of the newsletter is to announce my upcoming publications, but I'll also have some bonuses in them now and then. If you're worried about your inbox filling up, I'll send no more than one per month, sometimes less frequently.

Oh, but you want to know what Chains of Nect is about? Of course, of course. Here's the blurb:

Obsidian successfully plays the game expected of her, passes the tests, and is accepted as a Guardian. Though she jumps through the hoops, she doesn't want to follow the precepts at all, to guard the portals but never open them. She believes its a waste to not explore the worlds within, like her ancestors had. How can they protect themselves if something comes through the portals if they don't know what's in them?

Obsidian's appointed mentor, Damian, is a straight-laced young Guardian, who can't contain the young dedicant. He's always believed the laws are in place to protect all of Nect, but Obsidian starts to make him question his own principles. She doesn't allow him any time to examine the possibilities, though, and he has to decide between reporting her or standing by her side to protect her from whatever horrors she stirs up.

Will the Guardians end Obsidian's life, or will something from another world get to her first?

Not enough for you? Fine you've talked me into it. Here's the cover!

I've also been playing the Short Story Submissions Game. The intention of this game is to gather as many rejections as I can. Yes, I know, the point should be to get as many acceptances as I can, but if I aim for that, I'll just depress myself. Here are my tallies for 2015 through June:

Submissions - 28
Rejections - 25
Acceptances - 1

I may not hit 100 rejections this year, however I hope to hit at least 50! And yes, you noticed, there's one acceptance. I had that story listed at the top of The Plan. "Bloodstains" will appear in a limited time fall anthology through Dingbat Publishing (anthology title and publication date still to be determined). That should be a fun set of stories.

I'm also still running Writing Quest every month--feel free to join us if you have some writing goals.

I think that's all as far as writing goes. Probably leaving the state of my house out of this post is the best idea (scary pretty much sums it up). I get writing done and everything else gets neglected. Go figure. Though the evil kitchen is due to be remodeled this month, barring more delays.

I feel like I'm forgetting to cover something, though. What do you think? Is there something else I should have touched on?

NEXT UP: Crazy Necro Antics - Wedding Bells Part 2

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

The Plan (And Newsletter)

The Plan. So ominous sounding, isn't it? Am I cooking up a grand scheme? One that will bring down cities and crumble civilizations?

Maybe.

Well, it's entirely possible in any of my stories. Destruction is fun (and legal if it's fiction and not the real deal). ;)

No, no, nothing so doomsday is being kicked up. Unless you consider a plan of attack for publications an end of the world matter. Who knows, it could be. I'm sure the Universe would be to no end amused at my dismay if I outlined my plan and it decided it was time for the world to explode right before it's implemented. Because the Universe can be a big jerk sometimes.

Guess I got to bribe the good, old Universe. Cookies? Everyone likes cookies.

What? You think I'm stalling? Just get on with outlining The Plan? Fine. I guess I should deliver as promised.

I've decided that I'm finally going to make more of a push with indie publishing. I just feel like I've been sitting on my hands and waffling back and forth with what I want to do, so I'm just going to do it. And I actually have dates. Yup. This is happening. And the best thing about the beginning of The Plan is you'll all get to read some stuff for free!

That's right, I'll be continuing and finishing "Dude In Distress" on Wattpad, and once that's complete, I'll be starting a new original novel called Chains of Nect. It'll only be a rough draft, so you may fall into some plot holes, have inconsistencies hit you on the head, or get knocked over by a direction/plot shift, but it should be enjoyable nonetheless.

Then come October, the Baker's Dozen Experiment will begin! *inserts evil cackle* Wait, I'm a mad writer, not a mad scientist.

I will be publishing one story per month on Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and Smashwords come October of this year for thirteen months straight. Most will be short stories, but one may be a novelette. And the final one may even be a novel! I am still giving a response I haven't received a few more months before I set things in stone on that, but I'm tentatively planning to publish Mind Behind the Mind in October 2016.

"Dancing in the Wind" will also be getting a cover upgrade, as well as a formatting and back matter upgrade in the next couple months.

Here's what the current schedule looks like. All planned publications via Amazon are tentative--the order may be switched around or some may drop off as I do still plan to submit stories to other markets before I place them on the definite indie publishing list. I will make sure there is something every month though during the Baker's Dozen Experiment, and it will be confirmed at least a month ahead of each publication.

❦ Starting June 2, 1 Part Every Tuesday and Friday, Final Part July 10 - "Dude In Distress" Parts 2-13 - Wattpad
❦ Starting July 17, 1 Scene or Chapter Every Friday, Final Post Undetermined - Chains of Nect - Wattpad

Follow me on Wattpad to get notices of new parts--not all parts will be cross-posted to my blog!

❦ Fall 2015 - "Bloodstains" to be published in a limited time anthology by Dingbat Publishing - Amazon

❦ October 13, 2015 - Baker's Dozen Experiment begins! "Suicide Woes" and "Ode to Buses and Libraries" in the Fractured Fairies series - Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Smashwords
❦ November 13, 2015 - "Dreams in Shadow" in the Fate series - Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Smashwords
❦ December 13, 2015 - "Cold...Oh So Cold" and "This Is Where I Stand" in the Tales of Chyraine series - Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Smashwords
❦ January 13, 2016 - "Love Fades" in the Fate series - Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Smashwords
❦ February 13, 2016 - "Bound" - Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Smashwords
❦ March 13, 2016 - "Hell Hath No Fury" (novelette) - Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Smashwords
❦ April 13, 2016 - "Reversed" in the Fate series - Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Smashwords
❦ May 13, 2016 - "SOL Air" in the Fractured Fairies series - Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Smashwords
❦ June 13, 2016 - "Sunset Street" - Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Smashwords
❦ July 13, 2016 - "Ace of Wands" (placeholder title) in the Fate series - Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Smashwords
❦ August 13, 2016 - "Prince Upon a Black Horse" (placeholder title) - Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Smashwords
❦ September 13, 2016 - "Bloodstains" and "Hair of the Dog" - Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Smashwords
❦ October 13, 2016 - Mind Behind the Mind - Amazon/B&N/Kobo/Smashwords

That's a lot of dates and stories--right? Who's going to remember all of that? Well, clearly you don't have to, but if you'd like a reminder of upcoming publications, I've started a newsletter!

But that's not the best thing about the newsletter. Nope. Subscribers will get access to early sneak peeks and exclusive content. As a matter of fact, if you subscribe before July 8, you'll receive the Prologue to Chains of Nect on July 9 in the first newsletter (8 days before it goes live on Wattpad!).

I promise not to be crazy with the newsletter. No more than one per month will land in your inbox, and there will be times (when not in the middle of the Baker's Dozen Experiment) that there will be two or three months between newsletters. You can either subscribe using the form on the left side of my blog, or you can CLICK HERE.

Have you soaked all of this in? Are you excited? I hope you're excited. I definitely am. Time to start rolling the d10 for my "Dude In Distress" RPG turned story revision! June 2 is right around the corner!

NEXT UP: "Dude In Distress" Part 2

Thursday, April 02, 2015

No Pranks For Me...Just On Me

I had it all planned to post a fun little April Fools' Day thing yesterday. Just something silly, like I've given up writing (hahaha - anyone who would fall for that would learn quickly I can't give up writing EVER...I'd die). But instead, the Universe decided to play a trick on me instead.

My toddler came down with some type of tummy bug. Tuesday was filled with lots of barfing and piling up of laundry that still hasn't all been washed. And Wednesday she had a fever and was super clingy. Today, she's still a bit clingy, but the fever seems to be gone, and she's at least starting to eat some solids again. So I have time to write up my post. It's sadly not April Fools' Day anymore, so no fun pranks for me.

How about a brief update instead?

2015 has been rough so far for writing. Last month I did complete some content editing work for Dingbat Publishing, but I haven't made much progress on my own writing. It seems one type of sickness or another keeps waylaying me. And not only me getting sick, but my husband and both daughters. I am ready for winter and germ season to just go away!

This month my goal is to work on several short stories. Some just need to be sent back out into slush piles, others need a quick edit first, then there's the ones that need a full revision and another critique, and of course the ones where I still have to finish the rough draft. A lot of stories in a lot of stages! I'd really like to get to the point where I can publish a few more singles and then eventually combine some together for an anthology.

Hopefully by the end of the month, I'll have made some progress. My word count meter is just a guesstimate right now. I'll be chanting "No more sickness. No more sickness," for the entire month of April.

What kind of short stories would you like to see me publish?

NEXT UP: Lavender Legacy - Ch. 5