ParanetOnline
McAnally's (The Community Pub) => Author Craft => Topic started by: R. S. Leergaard on May 20, 2012, 09:23:47 PM
-
Updates on my Kindle series and other projects.
Feel free to promote your own stories/characters here, as well. ;D
-
Sorry about the mistake, Alablast. I didn't mean to put this in the Bar.
On another note, I will admit to this thread being semi self-serving, as a couple of you have read a bit of the story I put up on Kindle and I want to hear some opinions.
However, I do mean it when I say I wish for others to discuss specifics of their own stories, as well. It's always good to get opinions from people who share at least some common interest with yourself, :) even if they sometimes disagree. ::) All critiques are opinions and any author is free to disregard any opinion at any time :P
-
Oh, I'm sitting patiently for the next instalment. :)
To say it was right up my street is an understatement. A little bit Douglas Adams but, as I have come to recognise, the snark was all your own.
-
Volume 2 will be free for 5 days starting tomorrow, and Volume 3, Part 7 (upcoming shortly) has a specific reference to DA's work. You'll know it when you see it. ;)
This started as a silly idea that came to me in 2004 and just grew from there. I'm not sure how long I can keep the pace up, but I'mm certainly willing to try.
Shaking the last toast crumbs and bacon bits off of Volume 3 before posting and working on Volume 4 now
-
I shall wait with bated breath. ;D
-
This was never meant as a dig at religion, (despite the chapter titles) but more a way to get my silly sense of humor on paper (so to speak) and a way to shamelessly put modern day terms, sayings and references in a fantasy setting that didn't have monsters, werewolves, vampires etc. 8)
-
I liked the way you used the narrator, it was fun.
-
There will be more of that in other volumes. I don't do it very often (almost never) during dialog scenes. That mostly happens in the middle of describing something, or, in Part 5, specifically not describing something :o (you'll see what I mean tomorrow)
-
Indeed I will.
*Rubs her hands together at the thought of a bus ride with a good book.*
-
I've got more and more bits of the original story intruding on my "fanfic training exercise", which is just fine with me. I suspect the collection of notecards that's growing in Scrivener are reaching that critical mass when "writing" starts whether you're done with the current project or not.
-
Hope you post some bits of it when you feel like it.
-
Volume 3 should be up on Kindle in a few hours. When it is, I will be setting up the free promotion for this weekend (saturday & sunday). I'm saving a few of this volume's promotion days for a later date, unlike the first two, which I used up all at once. (Doh! >:( )
For those interested, Volume 2 is still available for free until friday. At Amazon Books search for 'The Book of Xyxyx'. :)
Sorry, but Volume 1's promotion ran out last week. :-[
-
Volume 3's promotion is set. It will be free saturday & sunday.
Part 6 introduces Grandmama and sets the tone for her relationship with Sssss, although she never knows who Sssss is or that she is his 'mortal enemy'.
Part 7 is further adventures of Grandmama.
-
You are feeding my addiction.
You know this, right?
-
That was the plan.
Mwa . . . mwahaha . . . mwahahahahaha!
-
You need to be a little more throaty with that laugh, otherwise it just seems creepy. ;)
-
I have the vol 3 already :D
-
Ditto.
Looking forwards to scaring the other passengers on the bus tomorrow with my laughter. ;D
-
Thanks, both of you. :) I'll work on my evil laugh, shades.
-
You have to put "url=www.whatever...." in the first [] and then the word you want to appear (and finally the [] with the /URL part)
-
:) ;) :D ;D 8)
Wee haaa. It worked. Thanks Dina
-
I got some may sales info back from Kindle today
Volume 1 - sold 5 - total copies downloaded 88 (83 must have been during it's promotion) :) "You like me. You really like me."
Volume 2 - sold 2 - total copies downloaded 84 (same math applies)
Volume 3 - sold 0 - total copies downloaded 77 (two days of promotion vs 5 days each for the other two)
Now, if only it will get popular while not being promoted :)
Dunno who all those people are, but I hope they spread the word ;D
-
Volume 4 (Parts 8 & 9) is finally complete. I want to play with it for a couple more days in case any last minute silliness pops into my head, but I should be uploading it to Kindle on thursday. The promotion will be set up for next weekend, barring any unforseen happenings between now and then.
Thanks for your patience, my (3 or 4) fans. :P ::) ;) :D
-
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
*Waits impatiently for Thursday.*
-
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!! *is happy* :D :D :D :D
-
Also, as I mentioned briefly in weird, I am working on another project. It's a revamping of an old story I did for the 2004 NaNoWriMo contest. I won't mention the name or any specifics yet, because if I don't like it I won't be putting it up.
It is several months down the line, anyway, since this one, if I put it up on Kindle, will be a complete story, not little bits at a time like Xyxyx.
If I like where the story is going, I'll post updates here on and off. ;D
-
I'm getting a lot of love on amazon with my book Admiral Who? Up to 49.5 sales per day average for last week. And the last two days 60, but that's the week end fingers crossed, I hope I've taken the next step but honesty? I would be satisfied with 49.5. Heck I'd be satistfied with 30 or even 20 average per day.
Anyway, regardless, I really loved my Chief Engineer character in Admiral Who? total blast. My brother described him as a cross between Cid from final fantasy and a wild eyes Scotty from Star Trek. A hilarious character and so much fun to write. The words just seemed to flow off my keyboard. hahahahah.
The second book well... the it was hard not having the bombastic character to fall back on whenever I'd get stuck in a rutt and need something to kick start my creative juices. Spalding has a way of attacking just about every situation he comes across that just makes me laugh.
Having the little admiral carry everything, with asides into Akantha has been a bit of a task. But looking back on some of what I've written, I'm feeling really positive right now for book 2. Now just need to insert a couple scenes and then work up an appropriately bombastic sneak peak!
The Deposed King
-
Also, as I mentioned briefly in weird, I am working on another project. It's a revamping of an old story I did for the 2004 NaNoWriMo contest. I won't mention the name or any specifics yet, because if I don't like it I won't be putting it up.
It is several months down the line, anyway, since this one, if I put it up on Kindle, will be a complete story, not little bits at a time like Xyxyx.
If I like where the story is going, I'll post updates here on and off. ;D
Waiting patiently.
-
I'm getting a lot of love on amazon with my book Admiral Who? Up to 49.5 sales per day average for last week. And the last two days 60, but that's the week end fingers crossed, I hope I've taken the next step but honesty? I would be satisfied with 49.5. Heck I'd be satistfied with 30 or even 20 average per day.
Anyway, regardless, I really loved my Chief Engineer character in Admiral Who? total blast. My brother described him as a cross between Cid from final fantasy and a wild eyes Scotty from Star Trek. A hilarious character and so much fun to write. The words just seemed to flow off my keyboard. hahahahah.
The second book well... the it was hard not having the bombastic character to fall back on whenever I'd get stuck in a rutt and need something to kick start my creative juices. Spalding has a way of attacking just about every situation he comes across that just makes me laugh.
Having the little admiral carry everything, with asides into Akantha has been a bit of a task. But looking back on some of what I've written, I'm feeling really positive right now for book 2. Now just need to insert a couple scenes and then work up an appropriately bombastic sneak peak!
The Deposed King
Congratulations on the success of your book. :) I hope the second does as well. Good luck. :D
-
hi RSL ((RSL))
-
Hi there ((cwg))
Volume 4 is up on Kindle. It may take several hours to become available, but it is uploaded. :)
-
YAY!
*Goes bunion hunting.*
-
I just uploaded it, so it's still in 'review'. I can't guarantee it, but going by the others it shouldn't be more than an hour or two, provided it gets accepted.
And, for those admitted fans, there is a surprise for you at the beginning of this volume. I hope you like it. ;D
-
I just squeed.
;D
-
Great news!! I will download it when I arrive home. :D
-
This one took longer than the others to put up because it's new. I had this idea and wrote the first 7 parts between 2004 and 2006. At first I submitted it to several e-zines but got no takers, so the stories languished in my computer for 6 years.
Then I saw Deposed King's 'how to Kindle' post and decided to try that.
The first three came out so quickly because they were already written, and only needed slight editing and updating. Everything past part 7 is new, which is why it's taking longer for me to publish. No one but me has ever seen parts 8 & 9 yet. You will be the first :D
-
Volume 4 just went live, at least it did for me. Promotion is set up for saturday and sunday. (1201am PDT sat 11 aug 2012 to 1159pm PDT sun 12 aug 2012)
As always, amazon does not guarantee exact promotion times. Keep checking until the free promotion shows up. :)
-
Nope, I bought it.
I can't wait that long.
-
:) :D Thank you. ;D
-
i am just about to start volume three but i will hope fully have volume four by end of week
thanks RSL ;D
-
I just uploaded it, so it's still in 'review'. I can't guarantee it, but going by the others it shouldn't be more than an hour or two, provided it gets accepted.
And, for those admitted fans, there is a surprise for you at the beginning of this volume. I hope you like it. ;D
You, sir, are legendary!
-
You, sir, are legendary!
Thank you 8)
I was just rereading it and found a few mistakes. A misspelled word or two and some pov switches in the middle of a scene. I find myself conflicted as to whether or not I should post the corrected version or not. It would mean a couple hours of the story being unavailable again. Not to mention ruining the versions of those who already bought it.
I could, and would e-mail a free copy of the corrected volume, but it wouldn't be in Kindle format.
Then, again. Maybe being one of a very few people to have the uncorrected version might be something later on. Like having a misprinted stamp or something. :P
Probably not.
Anyway, should I correct it or no?
-
RSL proberly would be a good idea to correct it
but thats just my opinion :)
i will read it ether way
-
Cool, man, another book to download.
-
I think I'll be leaving it as is for now. I've always intended that when I had enough volumes to justify it, I would put them all together into one book. I just don't know how long it will take me to come up with enough stories. ??? :o
When I do, the combined version will have all of the corrections and changes I make between now and then. :)
-
I have gone ahead and made the revisions. Mostly grammar and spelling errors corrected. Some larger changes include:
Moving my (sort of) disclaimer, the explanatory paragraph and the list of critiquers from when I first had this idea to the beginning of Vol. 1. (The thank yous to the people who've admitted to reading Xyxyx remains at the beginning of Vol. 4 and has expanded by one.)
Last weekend I ask some other KDP authors for their opinions of the book cover. Several said it was too dark and hard to read. So, the biggest change is that each volume now has its own cover. The layout is the same for all, but each vol. is labeled and has its own background color. They also suggested I change the name of my book, but there is no chance of that. Apparently, they don't like the name of my young, omnipotent being.
No major changes to the stories. I did change the name of the paradise Amos mentions in his made-up story (vol. 1 part 2). It's still a song reference, just a different, and possibly more appropriate, song. Also removed the (Feelin' groovy) references in part 9 and fixed the head-hopping in part 8.
I think that's it. The revisions should go live in a few hours. In the meantime, the old versions will remain available. Thank you. :)
-
I'm pretty sure those of you who already have the stories will get the revised versions the next time you update your Kindle Library. If not, let me know. I have some promotion days available. ;)
-
You, sir, are still awesome.
-
Thank you. :D
There won't be any more story changes, though I may still correct typos as I find them. I must have proof-read these things a hundred times, but I still find typos whenever I re-read them. :o But this was always an experiment right from the start.
I wondered if an author could get away with talking directly to the readers in the middle of a description. It may be distracting, and maybe even annoying to the reader, but it sure is fun for me. 8)
-
oh but i love how you do that it is so funny at times RSL ;D
oh and i have now read all of them so what you writing next?
-
I have an idea for part 10 and even a couple of pages written. I do know I can't force it though. I found that out early with these stories . . . when I try to force it, it's not funny. It probably sounds stupid, but when the story is ready it'll come to me.
I do have another idea in the works, but that's going to take some time. The good news there is I'll probably have a couple more volumes of Xyxyx done before the other idea is ready. Sometimes the two ideas feed off each other and I end up writing two stories simultaneously, which is very strange experience.
-
Well, as we all know:
Full assed for the win.
-
I have a couple title ideas for Xyxyx vol. 5 but no specific story inspirations, yet. Tentative titles . . .
Part 10 - In the Land of Canon
Part 11 - The Horse of Babylon
____________________
On the other project, it's based on an old NaNoWriMo entry I did in 2004 (I may have mentioned this). I am updating and adding to the story, but I think I may encounter a problem.
WhenI wrote this story I had never read any of the Discworld books (it was one one my reviewers who mentioned this story reminded them of Terry Pratchett, which made me go read his books, and now he's on my list of all-time favorite authors).
Anyway, this story also has a Death character. At first it was just a one-off pun about Death lurking behind every door, and then a door opened and Death was there. That was going to be the end of it, but, as the story went on, doors were unavoidable and Death kept popping up. At one point there is a door, all by itself, in the middle of a prairie.
So the Death guy gradually became part of the story, but I'm afraid no one is going to believe I made him up before I knew about Discworld. Hell, if someone else was telling me this I'd be hard-pressed to believe them.
If I remove the Death character, however, I lose a germaine (and fun) bit of the story.
This is my dilemma. :-\
-
Best thing I can think of is something representing Death. A clown comes to mind but that had been used as well. What about something that possesses the "fickle finger of fate"? I'll let you know if I think of something else but that's just off the top of my head.
-
I just had a bizarre notion. Death is an Avon lady.
-
I just had a bizarre notion. Death is an Avon lady.
And like the postman, she always rings twice?
-
And like the postman, she always rings twice?
Using the fickle finger of fate?
-
Just make Death very different of Pratchett one, but not so much it resembles Gaiman's Death. I'll go with a very inocent looking kid, with a Día de Muertos t-shirt.
-
Death is a fluffy kitty or a lickety puppy.
-
Wow. (http://i1248.photobucket.com/albums/hh497/Particleman56/Smileys/Laugh.gif) So many cool ideas I hardly know which one to use. I'm leaning towards the lickity puppy or the Avon Lady. I wonder if they can be combined.
Hmm. A lickity Avon Lady with a Día de Muertos t-shirt using the fickle finger of fate? :o Probably not.
Thanks for the ideas. :) ;)
-
Avon Lady with a cute puppy in her bag. An actual puppy, not a Paris Hilton Rat Dog. Because that's just not the last thing a person should see. And it's eyes... it's eyes are so sad...
-
Or maybe a Lady Death. Perhaps a female mortician who also sells cosmetic products door-to-door for that last minute touch-up. I wonder what she'd use in place of a scythe. Hmmm.
-
a fan!
-
Umbrella
-
Or possible a little compact? A 'Mirror to the Soul' sort of thing?
-
Instead of an iphone, a die-phone.
With an app.
-
I find myself stuck on the lickity Avon Lady, for some reason. ::)
-
Thanks for all the inspiration. ;D I've solved my dilemma. 8)
-
A quick update. No new inspirations on Xyxyx to report, though the other project is moving along. I have mention that 'The Book of Xyxyx' was essentially practice for what I'm hoping to develope into my specific . . . 'style' . . . for lack of a better term.
This story is also written in the 'Omniscient POV' but I'm not sure yet if I'm going to leave the more outrageous author comments in as regular narrative or make them (parenthetical italics) as I'm doing with the Xyxyx stories.
For those of you familiar with what I'm saying . . . any preference there?
The revision is coming along, the original first chapt was about 3500 words. It's now split into 5 parts and over 10,000 words. It's up for critique at a peer review site. After critiques and more revisions I hope to have a story worth reading. :D
-
I like the italics, but I think both could work.