Yes. I'm still here.

These are not new years resolutions, only the things I currently have planned, coinciding with starting a monthly news letter and email list. With the way Amazon, Facebook, and other platforms may change their policies over night and cut my exposure down in an instant, it only makes sense to create a more intimate source, a more individually captained source, for contact with people who might be interested in my fiction.

So, if you're interested, here's what I have planned:

A monthly newsletter updating the status of each of my projects, sharing personal successes in writing, running, and family life, probably sharing an absurd observation or two, and sharing a short story from one of my fictional environments which shouldn't be available elsewhere.

Projects I currently have going are:

The Price of Friendship (ebook). It is through edits. I'm working on the book cover and formatting. It should be out by the end of February 2019.

The Galactic Battle Base: Space Dust (ebook) It is also through edits, the cover is almost done, and it needs formatting. Also should be out by the end of February 2019.

The Pariah. Episodes 15-20 are ready to be recorded and released as podcast episodes. After that, they will be released as the fourth novella/chapter book. I'm editing Episodes 21-24. When they are recorded and released as podcast episodes, I will re edit the entire novel and then send it to an editor.

Shooting Stars 4 needs another major edit with another 10K words.

Next week I'm taking a day off from the day job to outline my short stories for my monthly new letters with the first news letter due out at the beginning of February.

My new blog: I Want To Retire, Someday.

I'd like to retire, someday.

The facts are, I'm getting older and I don't have enough to retire on and live a somewhat comfortable life. I originally figured I would work until I was about 70 and by that point I would have so few people depending on my for anything that I could just go live in a cardboard box somewhere in Los Angeles where it doesn't get to cold in the winter.

It doesn't look like things will work out the way I'd like. Both of my younger children, age 12 and 10, are likely to need guidance and support for the better part of their lives; especially my boy with autism. In about ten years, when he ages out of the school system, I will need to be available assist him during the day. Working a full time job will not accomodate the time I'll need to spend with him. 

Wait. Let me rephrase that... The time I would like to spend with him.

I may have mentioned previously that my plan is to turn my writing into my retirement. There are ONLY two things I need to make that a reality:

1) Publish three novels per year, preferably in ongoing series's. (I'm not happy with that apostrophe.)
2) Get people to buy them.

I think I can do number 1. It's number 2 I'm kind of lost at.

My first novel was published at the end of September. I should have my second published in January of 2015. (That's next month. I just sent it back to my editor for a second look.) And my third novel is with another editor and should publish in March to April of 2015. I have three more manuscripts, three more stories outlined, and at least three more stories (in concept form) to go with the serieseseses that I have begun. I'm pretty sure I can knock out three novels a year.

It's the getting people to buy them that is my problem, and that is going to be the basis for my blog. One of the ways I have heard other people gained notoriety for their novels is by writing a blog. So, here's my blog. I will try to relate on a daily to weekly basis what I discover about getting my books notice and how I am able to get them sold.

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Nanowrimo Starts Tomorrow

I was working on my Character Motivations this morning. I finished my outline yesterday and ended up with over 7K words.

David Farland's Daily Kick in the Pants yesterday talked a bit about writer's block for him was usually that he hadn't fleshed out his characters and their motivations. I figured since I had another day before the madness would begin, I would do just that.

My story this year is called, "Shooting Stars 2: Drawn into the Mist".  "Shooting Stars 1: A Teenage Vampire Love Story from a Boy's Perspective", will be released in early to mid-December. I thought it would be good to get started on the second in that "Trilogy", in the odd chance that someone, other than family and friends, actually buys in and looks forward to the next in the series. I will admit, up front, that the first book ends, but it is obvious that a second must follow. And I'll clue you in now, it will take a third to resolve. I will probably write that book in the summer, just as soon as I get #2 published.

So. Back to the Character Motivations. I know my primary characters well and am pretty clued in on what they are after. It's the secondary characters that they interact with in this book that I wanted a better clue about. While I was working on the motivation of these background people, and what brings them into contact with my primaries, I fell upon the plot for the fourth novel, (in this trilogy). (I know that jokes been used, but I like it to much to not apply it to my own story.

Look for Shooting Stars on Amazon in early December. This has been a favorite story of mine since I began it and all the feedback I've gotten from beta readers has been equally as positive.

Check out "Flypaper Boy: Coming of Age" available for Kindle and Print-On-Demand at Amazon. And get on my mailing list by sending an email to norvaljoe@gmail.com.

Thanks.

Kindle Voyager Giveaway

I want to bring some excitement to my book launch next week so I'm sweetening the deal.

I'll be giving away Trade Paperbacks of "Flypaper Boy: Coming of Age" through a contest on Goodreads.com and I will be giving away the brand new Kindle Voyager ebook reader. 

Here's where you can find details about the reader. If you are making the leap into reading ebooks, this is the reader to get. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IOY8XWQ/ref=br_imp_ara-5?_encoding=UTF8&nav_sdd=aps&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=12A10K3JZQJDMZSFYNPE&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1924735102&pf_rd_i=507846#lost-in-story

Here's how my contest is going to work.

1) Buy Flypaper Boy: Coming of Age from the Kindle store at Amazon on September 29th. If you buy the paperback, the ebook is free until October 31st.

2) Read it.

3) Write an HONEST review on Amazon.com.

The first person to write a review will get five entries. Sorry family members and beta readers. It wouldn't be fair to let you have a head start.

But, if you're not first, don't despair. Anyone who gets an HONEST review posted in the first week, (by Sunday, October 5th at midnight pacific daylight time) will get three entries. After the first week reviews will get one drawing entry and I will accept entries until midnight, October 31st, 2014 pacific standard time.

I've already ordered the Voyager and because of demand it won't ship to me until November twenty something. But the winner should receive it shortly thereafter.

What is an HONEST review? I don't expect or want you to write a five star review just to try and win the reader. If you don't like the story, or superheroes aren't your thing, I expect you to say so in your review. II have to hear how you really feel to be able to get better at what I do or write something you do want to read.

If you haven't done so already, stop by my author site at www.facebook.com/AuthorPhilipCarroll and get the lowdown on launch day. Follow me there to get more regular updates as well as absurd observations about life.

Thanks for stopping by and keep checking back for news.