My how time flies!
Again, I apologize for my tardiness with this blog post — over the last three weeks I’ve been halfway across the U.S. by car and plane and spent more hours riding in a vehicle than I’d like to think. I went through Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado in the past week and a half alone (Right now, as I reread that, the song I’ve Been Everywhere Man plays through my head). Plus, I think I get a pass since last Sunday was Mother’s Day and all. Like most moms, mine is a rockstar and I can’t say enough how much appreciate her.
I’m sorry to say, but I don’t have much of a soapbox to get on with this post. Nothing to pound the pulpit about. BUT, I do have some excellent updates to share. I’m very pleased with the way the revisit is going for Out of Exile. I’m collectively just over a third of the way through, when considering the revising and “bonus material” dropping. I was proud of the first edition, but I think the second edition will really shine. I may have mentioned this before, but every reader who has a copy of the first edition will receive the second for FREE, regardless of whether you bought Out of Exile or won it through a contest. I’ll be announcing this on social media as well to get the word out.
The first draft of Book Two is so close to being done I can almost metaphorically taste it. I find myself repeating lines the pilots say in the original Star Wars while racing down the Death Star’s trenches: “Almost there…almost there…STAY ON TARGET!”
Heh…anyhow, I just finished Harlan’s point of view this past week and am currently working on Arund’s. From there, I’ve got a couple other minor pieces to add here and there and then, (drumroll please) the whole first draft gets to sit and marinate. What I mean by this is that I’ll shift my focus to some other projects for a month or so. This will allow be to come back to book two (still brainstorming a working title) with fresh eyes. Once I’ve gone through it again, it will be off to the beta readers. When that time comes, I’m working out the details for a contest that will allow some of you to beta read my book and give your personal insights on the second draft. But more on that later.
What are the other projects I’ll be working on you ask? Well, for starters, I’ll be finishing up Out of Exile‘s second edition and also busting out the second draft for The Freelance Tales. Together with my co-author for Freelance, Sam Lundquist, we’ve already got a great first draft. I expect both books will be published and on the market by July at the latest. The White Knight is ready to hit e-shelves everywhere as soon as the cover is finished. It will be the first taste of what I’ve done with my revisit to Out of Exile.
Also, a big thanks to the Utah Valley Moms blog for featuring Out of Exile. Be sure to check out the blurb and the rest of Kimberly’s content while you’re at it! Without talented bloggers and reviewers, we indies would never get our names out there.
Keep a close eye on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus in the coming weeks. As mentioned above, I’m working on some contests to select beta readers for book two and will also be offering awesome giveaways and special content for Athelon Archive subscribers. (If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter yet, you can do so here).
As always, thanks for reading and for your continued support. We’re almost halfway through 2014 and, while I’ve accomplished much, there’s still more to do.
Happy Reading!
♠DAS♠