It’s no secret that my writing productivity hasn’t been great for the last couple of years. There have been months that the only writing I’ve managed to complete is my weekly newspaper column (of which I’m starting my fourth year).
The problems that have kept me away from the keyboard (and which I thought were resolved a year ago) seem to be more manageable now.
After I finish a long overdue project this month, I will write a long story about a licensed character that I have a lot of fondness for. My pitch was approved yesterday.
Once that’s done, I embark upon a new novel with friend and frequent collaborator David T. Wilbanks. This isn’t a Dead Earth novel. It’s a standalone horror story and I’m excited about the premise. I expect this one to be finished in the Fall.
There’s also another novel I want to finish. That will happen during off days on the Untitled Collaboration.
I always want to do more, but I think that’s a healthy 12 months of work in what I hope will be my Catch-Up Year of Writing.
Last weekend I participated in a local Halloween Storytelling Festival. I wrote a children's ghost story for the event and read it live, along with Tammie Womack and Geoff Moore providing award-worthy performances in bringing two of the characters alive.
It seemed to go over well. I've enjoyed every children's or YA piece I've written, and I find myself wondering why I don't produce more of it.
I have two YA book series I would like to write. It's a matter of getting proposals and actual first volumes written. Which will come after I finish up a number of other projects.
Meanwhile, the story I wrote, "The Ghost and the Constable" is my column in this week's Ashland Beacon. You can read it here on page 2.
Also, Dave Wilbanks and I recently chatted about the beginning of our writing relationship. He's put the conversation up on his blog. If you like this sort of thing, please let one of us know and we'll share more if it.
The first review is in for Dead Earth: Sanctuary, courtesy of Hellnotes. You can read it here.
And since I've run the cover of the book several times in posts, I have opted to give you a photo of a kitten with an automatic weapon.
Or you will, when you click this link.
Dead Earth: Sanctuary is the third book in the series written by David T. Wilbanks and me. The first was the introductory novella Dead Earth: The Green Dawn. The second was Dead Earth: The Vengeance Road. Both are available by clicking on the titles.
For those who don't relish scrolling down a few entries, here's the book's description:
After stopping a madman who controlled an undead army and barely
surviving the destruction of the aliens responsible for the plague that
decimated humanity, Jubal Slate leads a small band of humans across the
shattered landscape of America, fighting off the forces of the living
and the dead. The group races north pursuing a legend, a
post-apocalyptic fairy tale: a town protected from the walking dead.
Tired of the war and his nomadic life, Slate follows the path to
Sanctuary, even while doubting its existence. Along a journey filled
with hordes of zombies, Slate and his companions face new enemies and
find themselves pursued by the final weapon of the vanquished necros. Is
sanctuary even possible on a dead Earth? And if so, is the cost more
than Jubal Slate is willing to pay?
Even after alien invasion and zombie armies, Slate will discover that the worst horrors are home grown.
Here are some other Dead Earth: Sanctuary links to make it convenient for you to purchase the book in whatever format you prefer:
Paperback
Kindle
Nook
Audiobook
Kobo
I hope you enjoy the novel, which is chock full of action, blood and guts and zombies, and maybe--just maybe--some nice character moments. As always feedback is appreciated.
The little zombies 'n' aliens series that keeps on giving is back. Or, will be back soon.
I don't have a release date, but Audible lists the audiobook as being available on March 26.
Here's the description from Amazon:
After stopping a madman who controlled an undead army and barely
surviving the destruction of the aliens responsible for the plague that
decimated humanity, Jubal Slate leads a small band of humans across the
shattered landscape of America, fighting off the forces of the living
and the dead. The group races north pursuing a legend, a
post-apocalyptic fairy tale: a town protected from the walking dead.
Tired of the war and his nomadic life, Slate follows the path to
Sanctuary, even while doubting its existence. Along a journey filled
with hordes of zombies, Slate and his companions face new enemies and
find themselves pursued by the final weapon of the vanquished necros. Is
sanctuary even possible on a dead Earth? And if so, is the cost more
than Jubal Slate is willing to pay?
Even after alien invasion and zombie armies, Slate will discover that the worst horrors are home grown.
Yowzah!
I'll let you know when the book is available for pre-order.
Now back to writing the next Dead Sheriff.
Permuted Press, publisher of the Dead Earth Series, is having a "The Mayans Were Wrong Sale". From now through January 2, 2013, several of their books are $2.99 for Kindle and Nook, and this includes Dead Earth: The Vengeance Road.
You can get more details here.
Dead Earth: The Vengeance Road is now an audiobook from Audible.com.
For over eight hours of zombie-killing, alien-fighting and crazy biker gang action, download it here.
In preparation for the release of Dead Earth: Sanctuary later this year (I hope), the e-book version of the first book in the series, Dead Earth: The Green Dawn is now free. Get the details here.
***
It seems that we finally have an official release date–or dates–for the first volume of The Dead Sheriff. Evileye Books has worked out their production snafus, and now plan to release the e-book in July and the trade paperback in October. It will be good to finally see this one in print.
I realized that there has only been one post this month, so here’s a very brief update.
A couple of weeks ago, Dave Wilbanks and I signed off on the edits for Dead Earth: Sanctuary. It’s done and waiting on its slot in the Permuted Press publishing pipeline. When we have a publication date, I’ll let you know.
Here's a new review of Looking at the World with Broken Glass in My Eye.
I have other projects in the work, though nothing is far enough along to announce.
To everyone’s surprise, my weekly humor column continues to appear in a local newspaper. You can read it online. I’ve had a promotion to page 2.
Finally, another Pod of Horror is in the works. I should have more information in about a week. PoH is something I love and the thing I have the least time to produce.
P.S. I HATE the new Blogger interface. The need to “improve” things until they are nearly unusable is an endless source of frustration. For example, see the large space after the book review link? It doesn't appear in the posting window and I have no idea how to fix it. If you have to contact tech support to type a few lines, the system is fucked.
Here’s what’s been going (or hasn’t been going) on:
Writing
Dead Earth: Sanctuary is being revised. Dave Wilbanks and I want this manuscript to sing before we turn it in to the publisher. When I sent it to him, it probably sounded closer to William Shatner than Tony Bennett. I’m sure when it returns to me the pitch will be closer to perfect.
I have begun the second Dead Sheriff book for Evileye Books. It’s a bit difficult to talk about it, since the first book isn’t out yet (and I don’t know the release date), but I can share the opening of #2:
The Indian youth screamed when Arlo Belcher bit into his shoulder and ripped away a mouthful of flesh and muscle and blood.
“Damn it, Arlo, I ain’t even got the fire built yet,” his brother said.
“Cain’t help it, Billy,” Arlo said, around a mouthful of meat. “I was hungry and this here Injun tastes good.”
I have a couple of short stories in various stages of completion, and another novel I will be writing as soon as The Dead Sheriff #2 is finished. As always, my writing schedule and productivity waxes and wanes with the demands of my full-time job and personal life.
Reading
For my birthday, Norma got me a number of books by Jack Kirby and others featuring the work of Kirby and his partner of many years Joe Simon. I’m working my way through these slowly, a story or two at a time, so I may savor the experience for as long as possible.
I’m also reading Killing the Blues by Michael Brandman. Or, more precisely, Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues: A Jesse Stone novel by Michael Brandman. This is a continuation of the popular series from the late Parker. Brandman is a writer/producer on the CBS Jesse Stone movies. His style is not very close to Parker’s, and the novel reads in places like a first draft, but I’ll stick with it and see where it goes. Parker’s Spenser series is also being continued by mystery writer Ace Atkins.
Next up in the queue: The Affair by Lee Child and Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke.
Pod of Horror
I hope to have another episode up this month. Other than that, I don’t have much to report.
The other morning as I was crossing the street between the lot where I park and the building I work in, I caught a hint of Autumn on the early morning breeze.
That’s a good thing. It’s been a dark, difficult summer. I’m hoping Fall, a time of the year that has always been good for me, is going to bring better things on all fronts. Good tidings, if you will.
Don’t worry, kids. This isn’t one of those whiney blog posts (okay, it stuck a toe across the Whiney county line, but that's all). It's actually a writing update.
Actual work is getting done, though circumstances have made me less productive than I hoped to be.
Looking at the World With Broken Glass in My Eye is generating good feedback. The publisher has promised that an e-book version is on the horizon. By the way, you can still sign up for a free, signed copy of the book. The winner will be announced on September 1,
Dead Earth: Sanctuary is almost done. We’re running slightly behind schedule (all my fault, believe me) but I suspect The End will be typed by Dave or me sometime this week. Then we start the revisions. We hope to turn in the final manuscript by the end of September.
With any free time (ha!) I might have in September, I will finish up one project and write a story that’s long overdue. On October 1, I will begin writing the second Dead Sheriff book.
By the way, since I mentioned it here last, a couple of new chapters of Donovan Pike and the City of the Gods have been posted at Pulp Nocturne.
I’m also prepping episode 66 of Pod of Horror. The current plan calls for it to go live in mid-September.
I’ll be back with another update soon. As Garrison Keillor says, be well, do good work and keep in touch.
And let Autumn get here soon. I need it.
From Amazon:
"Fun read with an alien twist on the Dawn of the Dead-type Zombie genre. The
book's charms are that its fast-paced & does not take itself too seriously -
the tone reminds me of the Evil Dead movies. The book's only negative is
that it ends with the reader wanting more (which the sequel promises to
deliver)"
There’s little to report this time around, except work continues on the third–and still untitled–Dead Earth novel. At this point, the writing is going well and it feels like a great story. I know I’m having fun.
When I’m not taking my turn on DE3, I’m writing a long horror novella. I’m aiming for 35 thousand words. The story has produced a character that I’m fascinated with, and one that may show up in future tales, provided he survives. We’ll see. Meanwhile, the novella is set during the blistering heat of summer. Is that a reaction to the weather outside the window while I'm writing? Probably. Am I asking questions of myself and answering them ala Donald Rumsfeld? Yes. Yes, I am.
By the way, the novella finally has a title. It’s The Ghosts of Logan County.
Pod of Horror is back with over two hours of ghastly goodness. On episode #63, we talk books with Necon’s Bob Booth and Matt Bechtel, author/actor Michael Boatman, Pod of Horror co-founder David T. Wilbanks, and Cutting Block Press’s R. J. Cavender. Nanci has the news, Jason L. Keene critiques the movies and we introduce our new book review segment, Scary Words. We’re also giving away a bunch of great books in The Tomb of Trivia. Get it at iTunes or download it here. Pod of Horror is hosted and produced by Mark Justice.
Don't forget to check out the new PoH message board.
Pod of Horror, the Internet radio show I do with Nanci Kalanta and Jason L. Keene, finally got a Facebook page.
This is where all PoH-related announcements will be made first. If you're on Facebook, I hope you'll give us a "Like".
The next episode of PoH should go live next weekend.
***
It's been a productive writing week.
We made great progress on Dead Earth 3 (more on that on the next Pod of Horror).
Both Dead Earth books are selling well. Dead Earth: The Green Dawn is an especially good deal for your e-reader--zombies, aliens and much ass-kicking, all for 3 bucks.
In an Amazon oddity, the e-book versions of the two Dead Earth books appear in two different fiction categories. Dave Wilbanks discusses that here.
I also finished my revisions and edits on my supernatural western series The Dead Sheriff. I'll have a lot more on this as it gets closer to publication.
Now I'm working on an untitled novella set in West Virgina. There are no zombies or aliens in this one; just ghosts, grief and a Drive-In theater. Giddyup!
For those keeping score at home, I submitted the long (and long overdue) story yesterday. That's one more 2010 obligation out of the way. I'll be sure to let you know when it will be in print. Of course, the editor could always reject it, but I think it's pretty good, and regardless of what happens with it now, I'm happy I finished it.
Today, I also crossed another late assignment off my list, this one a book review.
And I put up a new chapter of Donovan Pike and the City of the Gods over at Pulp Nocturne.
That clears the schedule for a couple of days. Dave Wilbanks sent the Dead Earth 3 manuscript to me last night, so I'll be focusing on it for the next two days. Then I'll do the edits on the first Dead Sheriff prose book, which should be published in the spring. Evileye Books gave me a great editor for the series, and he provided the best notes I've ever received on a project. I'm looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and digging into it.
So far Operation Catch-Up is going well. Don't confuse it with Operation Ketchup, something I plan to combine with Operation Tater Tot later this weekend.
So how was your week?
