“Going Orange” (Book writing update)

Revenge of the Phantom Press book cover

Revenge of the Phantom Press

I’m still on FtB, but this month I’m going to be focusing on the next round of edits for my upcoming Novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press. So if I don’t post anything this month, it probably means I’m busy with rewrites. What I intended to be a 100,000 word novel morphed into a 113,000 monster. If I can get it down to 110,000, I’ll be very happy. Right now, I feel like the story is on the right track, and I look forward to releasing the finished book as soon as it’s ready.

If you want to buy copies of my books, they’re on sale at Smashwords as part of their Summer/Winter sale. Why do they call it the Summer/Winter sale if it only happens in July? I don’t know. But if you want an alternative to buying eBooks from Amazon, this is a good time to check out Smashwords.

As for what “going orange” means, you’ll have to wait until Revenge of the Phantom Press is released. You can preorder here.

Revenge of the Phantom Press now available to preorder

My upcoming novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press, is available to preorder. I plan on publishing it no later than January of next year.

Over a year after the events in The Rift, Tom Larsen is now a reporter for the Bolingbrook Babbler. On the eve of the Babbler’s 50th anniversary, the ghosts who used to publish the Phantom Press tabloid return after being banished over twenty years ago. The once inquisitive ghosts are now consumed with blind rage and wield incredible psychic power. After an attack devastates the Babbler’s newsroom, the uninjured staffers are ordered to leave Bolingbrook by the publisher and editor. Instead, Tom risks his career to conduct his own investigation. Accompanied by his former mentor, Juanita, and her anti-psychic cat, they search Chicagoland for answers to determine the Phantom Press’ true goal. But some secrets don’t want others to be revealed so easily, and the Phantom Press’ quest for revenge is just beginning.

You can pre-order Revenge at most eBook retailers.

Voting for the Indieverse Awards starts today! (Non-Fiction)

Cover of A Fire in the Shadows

A Fire in the Shadows: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story

Voting for the Indieverse Awards starts today and is open to the public. My Urban Fantasy book, A Fire in the Shadows, received nominations for Best Novella and Best Voice Actor (Rachanee Lumayno). If you’ve like the book or audiobook, I’d encourage you to vote now.

The Indieverse Awards are a reader’s choice award for people in Indie Publishing. There are also awards for best book cover, best social media presence, and more. It’s an honor to be among the other talented nominees. This is the first year of the awards, which were organized by author Kristina Carmela. She’s created an online community around the awards, and I’ve enjoyed being a part of it.

I’m honored that AFITS received these nominations because I faced so many challenges after its release. A week later, my company laid me off. I almost canceled the audiobook production, but postponed instead. Marketing became a low priority as I focused on job hunting instead.

My company rehired me months later. Which meant I could go ahead with the audiobook production. Fortunately, Lumayno nailed the characters, and it was worth the wait.

While it would be exciting for the book to win either or both categories, just getting to this point is an honor.

Again, if you like the book or the audiobook version, I’d love it if you’d cast a vote. Voting runs from today until November 10.

Sadly, it will be the least stressful election this month.

‘A Fire in the Shadows’ nominated for two Indieverse Awards (Non-Fiction)

A Fire in the Shadows nominated for two Indieverse Awards: Best Novella and Best Voice Actor.

My book, A Fire in the Shadows: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story, received two Indieverse Award nominations today: Best Novella and Best Voice Actor for Rachanee Lumayno.

This is the first year for the Indieverse Awards, which is organized by indie author Kristina Carmela:

That’s what the Indieverse Awards are all about.

Did you know that not all book awards accept indie author submissions? This is because sometimes we are seen as less than for choosing our own path. Not everybody sees the immense value and beauty in a story that is brought to you directly from the author.

So that’s why the Indieverse Awards were born.

They were born to shine light and celebrate indie authors! This is a space for us to share our favorite books, our favorite characters and our favorite indie authors. It’s where we can continue to help support the indie community and find our next favorite book, character and author.

While it may not be as big as the Hugo and Nebula Awards, it’s still an honor to be nominated for two awards. Especially after how rough last year was for me with losing my ideal job and getting a crash course in job hunting/networking. Heck, I almost canceled the production of the audiobook version, but now I’m glad I pulled it off.

Readers will vote for the winners in November. They’ll announce the winners in December. I’ll post more details when I have them. Regardless of how the voting goes, it is an honor to be nominated.

Now to pick up the pace to finish Revenge of the Phantom Press…

Want to get a sneak peak at Revenge of the Phantom Press? (Book related!)

Want to read an exclusive excerpt from my upcoming novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press? Subscribe to my newsletter, and you’ll get an exclusive PDF and/or eBook featuring the scene when Anti-Psychic Kitty makes her first appearance. In The Rift, Wendy says she radiates the highest known levels of anti-psychic energy. However, she’s not just a psychic worst nightmare. As Tom finds out when he takes a trip to Navy Pier to attend a gathering of the Chicago Anti-superstition Society.

I don’t have a release date, and this excerpt is from a rough draft. But it will give a sample of what I haven in mind for the next Bolingbrook Babbler book. I’ll add that this one leans more towards Urban Fantasy than The Rift. It’s closer to Pathways to Bolingbrook and A Fire in the Shadows, but parts of ROTPP aren’t as dark.

If you download this excerpt, let me know what you think.

BTW: This is not the actual cover. I’ll commission that closer to the release date.

 

I have a new audiobook! (Non-fiction)

Cover of A Fire in the Shadows

A Fire in the Shadows: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story

The audiobook version of A Fire in the Shadows, part of my Urban Fantasy series set in Bolingbrook, IL, was just released this month. It’s a bittersweet story about Lydia, a rare vampire who feels love and has empathy, who risks her immortality to protect she’s a woman she’s romantically interested in, but has never spoken to. It’s a parallel story to my novel, The Rift.

That I was able to release it at all is an achievement. After I’d secured the narrator, Rachanee Lumayno, I was laid off. I pushed back production a few months, but if I didn’t get a new job, I’d have to abandon it. Fortunately, I was rehired several months later. Just in time to resume production. So this audiobook is a celebration of getting a new job, and leaving a dark period of my life.

If you’d like a copy, Kobo and other retailers have it. It might be a few months before it’s available on ACX. You can also ask your local library for a copy. Thanks in advance if you decide to buy or check out A Fire in the Shadows. 

Quick life and author update

It’s been a rough few months for my wife and I. She’s trying to balance a health issue and maintain her business. I’m still job hunting, which has many emotional swings. Especially this past week. Still, we’re hanging in there, and I’m now optimistic that I’ll find a new position soon.

Also, my new novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press, is progressing. I’m up to 23,000 words, and the first draft might end up at around 100,000 words. The pace of the story is an improvement over The Rift. My first incomplete draft of The Rift was close to 100,000, and I’d just gotten to the first weredeer scene. In contrast, I’ve already written some major scenes for Revenge. Now I’m getting to the fun part.

It’s possible I might get a first draft complete by next year. Then it will be a matter of finding the right editors.

If you want to learn more about the three currently released books in my Urban Fantasy series, go to https://bolingbrookbabbler.com. (I’m also working on a web page redesign.)

So that’s where I am right now. I hope things are going well for all of you.

 

God to Smite Bolingbrook is out and it’s free! (Non-Fiction)

After promising to make a collection of my pre-Freethought Blog Babbler articles, I finally got around to it. God to Smite Bolingbrook is a collection of some of my favorite stories from 1998 to 2016. It includes my first Babbler article from 1998, and other fun stories. Ever wondered what a reboot of Phil Plait’s Bad Universe TV show for an interstellar audience would be like? Or if creationists took a stab at mathematics? Or what AtheistTV could have become with the right programing director? Now you can! God to Smite Bolingbrook is a trip down memory lane for long time readers, and an opportunity to learn about the evolution of the Babbler stories, and setting.

If that’s not enough, it also includes an excerpt from my novel, The Rift. You’ll get the prologue and the first chapters.

So, how much for this eBook? If you subscribe to my author newsletter, you’ll get God to Smite Bolingbrook for free. If you decide to remain a subscriber, you’ll get updates about my books and other projects at least once a month. Subscribers will also be the first to know about any special deals. I hope you’ll check it out.

Now back to writing Revenge of the Phantom Press.

Cover of God to Smite Bolingbrook

God to Smite Bolingbrook: Best of the Babbler 1998 to 2016.

The title of my work in progress (Non-Fiction)

I’m working on my next novel, which is the sequel to The Rift: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story. While I discarded an earlier draft, I feel like I’m back on track with this draft. I’ve also settled on the title.

The next Bolingbrook Babbler book is… Revenge of the Phantom Press: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story.

Tom is back as the main character, and it’s set over a year after the events in The Rift.

On the eve of Bolingbrook’s 50 anniversary, the Phantom Press, the Babbler’s long lost rival publication, reappears. The Babbler is one of the first targets for the twisted spirit’s quest for revenge.

Risking his career and possibly his life, Tom sets out to investigate their return. With the help of a woman from his past, and Anti-Psychic Kitty, Tom attempts to unravel the Phantom Press’ mysterious return.

Tom soon realizes that the ghosts of the Phantom Press could be part of something far more powerful and dangerous. Something that could upend the global balance of power. Can Tom uncover the truth before Bolingbrook’s 50th anniversary becomes its last?

No release date yet. Possibly 2024. Maybe this year, provided I’m able to get it fully vetted and edited. I’ll keep everyone updated. 🙂

A Fire in the Shadows is finally out (Non-Fiction)

 

Cover of A Fire in the Shadows

A Fire in the Shadows: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story

A Fire in the Shadows is out today. If you placed a preorder, you should have it today, and thank you for your support. Great American Satan has a review up. Anthony Avina reviewed it as well. It has a 4.29 star average on Goodreads. I will enjoy it while I can before the Goodreads trolls attack.

It is a complete story, but it’s also an introduction to Lydia, a vampire who regained her ability to feel love and compassion. She’ll play an important role in the future Bolingbrook Babbler Stories.

Here’s the description:

Vampire, intelligence scout, paranormal protector, and emotional liability…

Bolingbrook has long been rumored to be a hub of paranormal and alien activity and Lydia should know–she’s a vampire. But that doesn’t mean she fits in. Not when she’s a target for other vampires and reliant on her blood family’s protection because of her inconvenient inclination to experience feelings.

Except right now, Lydia has bigger things to worry about than her recent rejection by a human or her blood sister Aurora’s relentless teasing. An army of weredeer are gathering near town and they need to gather intelligence fast.

When enforcers from one of Chicago’s vampire kingdoms threaten the Bolingbrook Babbler’s stunning chief editor, Aurora accuses Lydia of having feelings again. But even if Lydia does have a crush on the unsuspecting Sara, she deserves their protection.

Only Lydia hadn’t counted on how powerful their enemies are. Or the sort of unexpected revelations that will come to light if Lydia dares to risk rejection again…

Get a Fire in the Shadows to find out what Lydia will risk.

If you want to support a local independent bookstore, you can order a copy through Bookshop.org. You can also ask your local library to order a copy (and they don’t have to order through Amazon). The complete list of online retailers is here. You can check them out, and I hope you’ll consider getting a copy.