Author: ajmaguire

Alright, so I got myself a Kindle way back in July or something of 2011 knowing that I was buying my big Christmas present several months early.  I had wanted an eReader of some sort for a while before then and was torn between the Nook and the Kindle.  After handling several different versions and trying them out, I decided on the Kindle mainly on the weight issue.  If you’ve never held a Kindle I’ll go ahead and tell you that the version I purchased is really, really light.  It’s not a bother in my hands and the color scheme makes it look like I’m reading off a normal book.

But the real kicker … the thing that made me fall in love with Kindle … was that I could get my school books on it.  Most of them, anyway.  I do have a couple that are only available in paperback form, but for the most part I have this cheaper, easier version of the text books available to me.

As if that weren’t enough … I also was able to get my own books – Sedition, Witch-Born, and Saboteur on my Kindle.  I finished another read-through of Sedition just before school started.  I intend to read through Witch-Born on my next break from school, and then Saboteur at the end of the semester.

And here’s another kicker!  I was able to put some of my Works In Progress on the thing as well, allowing me access to reading every manuscript wherever I am!

I could also listen to some of the books from my Audible account on it, but really … I prefer putting those on my pocket-sized iPod.

…. So yes, I love my Kindle.  I adore my Kindle.

All right!  So I told myself I’d submit Deviation to TOR this year.  That was my big, super-scary goal for 2012.  And because I made that decision, I’ve started — yet again — to edit the novel.  Dead Magic is still on target for its deadline, so have no worries there.  (I even have an Outline for the last half of the book, so the writing should go substantially faster in the coming weeks.)  

I’ve researched what TOR demands of a solid submission and am working to make the package as professional and perfect as I can get it.  I have given myself the deadline of March 1st to have the package in order and put in the mail.  That gives me a month and a half to edit the synopsis, format the portion of the manuscript meant to be sent in, and come up with a killer proposal/hook to entice the editors into asking for the full thing.  

Oh, and school starts next week.  Pfffft!  

All right!  There’s been a big discussion about work spaces going on.  Honestly, I’ve only caught the tail end of it, but my coworker said he’d been absolutely fascinated to see how different people kept there desks and their so-called “havens” while working.  He showed me a few pictures and … yeah … I was pretty terrified by some of them.  I told him mine was really kind of boring, but I promised I’d do this anyway.  So!  Below is a picture of where I sit down to write.  It’s nighttime, so the window is closed, but it’s a big window and I normally have it open during the day.  And yes, that is one of those big space heaters made to look like a fireplace.  I totally love it and normally have that going at night to replace the view outside the window.

The only thing that’s missing from the picture is the pillows I put on the chair.  I really do need to buy a computer chair, the one in the picture makes my batoosh numb after an hour.

I’ll be traveling for the new year, so I thought I’d go ahead and post this now.  I did this last year and it really helped to keep me focused, so I’ve opted to do it again.  It’s important to make every day count, but sometimes a clear goal is necessary to help us achieve that.  Or, as in this case, several goals for different aspects of life.  So!  Here is what I hope to achieve in 2012::

1) Submit Deviation to TOR.

2) Record Deviation in preparation for presenting it as a free podiobook in the likely event that TOR should turn it down.  ((Let’s be real here.))

3) Complete Dead Magic and send it in to DDP as per the contractual agreement. ((Honestly, that just feels good to say.  “Oh, that one is under contract.”))

4) Take a huge bite out of Usurper.  ((I’ll likely be doing this during the last half of the year, starting somewhere in July.))

5) Kick my schoolwork in the batoosh every semester.  ((I’ll be continually in school, even during the summer.))

6) Climb 3 Mountains … Yes, this time I mean 3 Literal Mountains.  I live near a slew of them, this really shouldn’t be that hard.

Anything beyond this … well … that’s just going to be gravy.  I know I didn’t make any marketing / sales plans.  And I’m only trying to submit one work to one place, which in the writerly world is really rather silly, but as I’ve done my homework in this matter I have to admit … I really want TOR.  Really, really want TOR.  Consider them my grail.

So anyway, that’s it.  My six big goals of the year.  Bring it on, 2012.

By all appearances, I took 2011 by storm.  January 1st my debut novel Sedition came out.  Six months later Witch-Born hit the eBook market.  And then, obviously, Saboteur ended my year of publication just this month.  That’s three novels out in one year.  As I said before, no one should live at that speed.  It’s been dizzying and wonderful all at once.

But, aside from flicking books out into the market, I made progress on some new works.  I’m still polishing Deviation, but I hope to release that book by myself as a free podiobook.  For those of you who prefer to read it for yourselves, I will release it through various other venues as well, but right now my focus is on how to get it read and audio-edited.  Also, I created Nellis V — a planet of my own design, meant to host my alien-abduction story.  I even started writing on Nellis V during NaNoWriMo this year, though I completely failed to reach 50,000 words in 30 days.

But the big Work In Progress is Dead Magic, which will be the sequel to Witch-Born.  And, now that I’m tallying things up, I can see that I am more than halfway through the work.  I should have it finished by mid-April, shot out to my Alpha Readers by May 1st, and then edited by the end of June.  It is under contract with Witch-Born‘s publisher — Double Dragon Publishing, so as soon as I’ve made it as pretty as I can manage, I’ll submit it.  It will likely not come out until 2013 — Sorry, Witch-Born fans, I’m working as fast as I can.

I wrote my first short story this year!  It will be coming out in an anthology sometime in 2012, and I will be alongside some very talented writers.  I am super-humbled and happy about this short story — The Man Who Loved Medusa — and can’t wait to see it in there.  I’m also stoked that I managed to write something less than 90,000 words long.  I really didn’t know if I could.

But then I wrote my second short story, which you can find on THIS SITE FOR FREE.  It’s right up there in the top bar called ‘A Family Matter’ and delves into the characters of the Sedition/Saboteur world.

Outside of writing, I moved across town into a new apartment with big windows — still love them — and bought a new (used) car.  I know I told myself I would climb three mountains, but I only managed to climb two.  However, given that I also started school, I think we can make my first semester a metaphorical mountain.  (Current GPA is 3.9, by the way.  That last class was terrifying and I maintain that the left side of my brain is permanently scarred by the Final.)

So!  All in all, 2011 was an excellent year for me.  I am continually blessed in all things.  My son will turn 4 at the beginning of January and I look forward to another adventurous, ambitious, and wonderful year in 2012.

I know, I know.  I just posted last night and it’s only the middle of the afternoon today.  I know I should wait and post this tonight, but honestly … people … it’s Christmas this weekend.  I’m going to be swamped starting around 3PM today with Christmas lights, presents, turkey, laughter, family, and all that jazz.  So!  I’m posting this a little early, and I hope you’ll forgive me for that.

You’ll notice on the top bar of this site that I have a new page up there titled; A Family Matter.

That, my lovely, lovely friends, is a short story just for you.  If you’ve read Sedition and Saboteur, then you’ll understand it straight off.  If you haven’t read them … well … it’s still understandable and I hope you read it just the same.  It’s free content!  It’s sort of like … a Christmas present.

The last segment of the Saboteur Release Party is about family.  More specifically, Trenna’s family.  Trenna has two names in the books; Trenna and Tray’Lana.  This is because … well … it’s complicated and you’ll have to read Sedition to find out the specifics.  In Sedition, we don’t really delve into Trenna’s family, but in Saboteur … woah, baby … they all come crashing forward.  Trenna has three brothers — we count Brockley because their relationship is so close that, yeah, he’s her brother and that’s that — but beyond Brockley we have Navell Silvanus, her younger brother, and Varren Silvanus, her older brother.

We don’t get to meet Varren in Saboteur, but he plays a significant role in Usurper.  And the short story I have provided is a wonderful introduction to this incredibly complicated man.  So!  Without further adieu, I introduce you to Varren Revulian Forthright Silvanus —

(That’s your cue to go to the next page over and read the short story.)

Have a Merry Christmas!

Wahoo!  Keeping the energy up here on day 6 of the release jam.

Now then, I honestly hadn’t planned on making Sedition into a series.  Truthfully, I just wanted to get the story down.  I learned quite a bit about the craft while I was at it.  I learned that I absolutely have to write things down on pen and paper first.  I still don’t know why, and I imagine when I get old enough for my joints to start aching that I might have to find a new means of doing this, but until then, hand writing is the only thing that really works.

I also learned about some great online resources.  The main one I want to highlight today as part of the jam :: Forward Motion for Writers.

This website is a safe writers forum with a lot of really excellent talent running it.  The main one I can tell you about is Lazette Gifford.  She had run the site for many years now, though she will be taking a bit of a break come January 1st — I think.  She might already have gone for the break given the nearness of the Holiday and what have you.  But let me tell you, it would be hard to find a sweeter, more intelligent person than Gifford.  I had the privilege of undergoing her 2 Year Novel course back in 2009 and it was wonderful.

In fact, you can find those courses for sale HERE FOR ONLY .99 CENTS.  Which is such a steal that even I bought it again, though I do intend to give it to a friend as a Christmas present.

Seriously, if you’re a writer, you should check them out.  You’re bound to find something new in there that you hadn’t thought of before.

And … that’s going to be my sales pitch for tonight.

I have a special snippet / short story planned to give you all tomorrow as the finale of the release party week, so I won’t give you one tonight.  See you tomorrow and happy reading!