Wednesday, November 2, 2016

2017 Plans. Wait, I'm actually planning something?

2017 
Is it really almost 2017?

I mean seriously. It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating/hiding under the table as the 21st century began.

Anyway...

I recently read an article for writers about the importance of keeping your Amazon Author ratings up. For those who don't know, the higher an author's ratings, the more likely the author is have the Amazon Overlords (ALL HAIL THE OVERLORDS) promote the author through various means. This could mean including your books in the 'Suggested Reading' or the 'Customers who bought this item also bought...' sections. Which is actually a big deal as it promotes much needed book sales for us struggling writers.

So, the article went on to suggest that authors should plan on releasing a new novel every three months. Let me repeat that. A NEW NOVEL EVERY THREE MONTHS.

Needless to say, the comments section of the article was a rather fun read as authors from around the world were losing their freaking minds at the idea of churning out a new book every three months. But it got me to thinking. I can't do a full length book that quick, but maybe something else would work.

With that in mind, I've set up a tentative schedule for 2017. The plan may be too ambitious, but let's see what happens. My goal for 2017 is to release something new every month of the coming year. Some will be books that I've been working on during 2016 while others will be 99 cent ebooks/short stories. Some will be in print, or ebook formats and some will be in audio.

So, if you are reading this, I expect you to pester me and keep me on track. I'm not sure if I will post a schedule of the planned projects, but I might, just to keep myself on track.

Anyway,

Thanks and Happy Reading

Alan

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Good days and better days


Good days and better days


So, there are days when being a writer sucks. I mean in my case, it sucks the life out of me, draining me of ideas, words, and hope. There seem to be a lot more of those days lately. But from time to time, something happens that shakes up the dreary routine and puts a spring back in my step. I recently had a Saturday that was one of the latter.
Some of you may know that my first novel, The Blood in Snowflake Garden, was optioned by a production company a couple of years ago. I’m not allowed to disclose much, but things are on track and it looks very promising that it’ll be picked up as a television series. If all goes to plan, next year is going to be big.
A couple of Saturdays ago, I met with Brian Buckner about the project and heard about how the TV series will look and feel. While there are certainly some big changes from the book, I’m exceedingly happy they are taking it in the direction he spoke about. The new direction will open up a world of possibilities.
Some characters will change a little, some minor folks will be bigger and while others didn’t make the cut. The timeline is different, but I love the new take on it.
I wish I could share all the detail, but I can’t for now. But when I can, trust me, I’m not going to shut up about it. J

For now, get a copy of the book and see what all the fuss is about.


Thanks for subscribing.
Alan