The New Red Slipper Book is Here!

After the death of her husband, Evvie of Ravensroost returns home embittered by her unfortunate marriage and determined to cut herself off from society. But when a rugged Bask warrior darkens her doorway, Evvie’s world is turned upside down. Impulsively, she leaves everything behind for an icy, foreign nation where she has no friends or connections—other than her Bask warrior—and where everyone thinks she’s a witch, a legacy she’s reluctant to accept. She discovers this new identity comes with a mysterious, deadly and vengeful enemy. Armed only with knowledge gleaned from books and with the overzealous assistance of her new eccentric aunts and a particularly helpful librarian, Evvie must confront her witchly nature before her legacy destroys her.

Copies will be available on all major channels soon! 

Rose City Comic Con!

What's going on this weekend? Well, Rose City Comic Con in Portland is going on of course. So here I am with my spocky eyebrows and crazy hair to tell you what we're up to at the Convention Center.
 

It's the UNIPIPER! I couldn't think of it in spite of saying Unicycle guy with Flaming Bagpipes! Gargh! Want to see the cover for the newest addition to the Red Slipper Series? Here it is. :D

Come by to chat Werewolves, and get yourself a tin of the Wizardly Summer Pudding Tea!

Rose City Comic Con -- be there or be square like a minecraft character.

Post-Comic-Con Recovery

Yes, it's taken me this long to recover from Wizard World Portland Comic Con. It's a pretty epic con and I sold SO MANY BOOKS, and met SO MANY AWESOME PEOPLE! I love the conventions so much, I can't stop doing them. I'm really looking forward to the Rose City Comic Con coming up in September.  I hope you'll drop by and visit!

Problem of Ghosts is off to a lovely start. I'm really having a great deal of fun with the Red Slipper series (Regency, With a Twist!)--and I think I'l be doing more of these books. Regency with wizards; Regency with Ghosts, and coming up soon (I hope) Regency with Werewolves and Regency with Giants! There are so many fun places to go with this one.

I also have some other genres on the cooker, and am slowly pecking my way through them. I've tried to refine my production process and stick to one project at a time. Being a Fly-By-The-Seat-Of-My-Pants kind of writer, with a healthy dose of attention deficit disorder, I tend to go Squirrel too often. But my mentor Shéa MacLeod is teaching me that focus is what works, and Problem of Ghosts is evidence of that. So apart from stopping to write down the new ideas that come along while on a project, I have been working exclusively on the book tentatively called Magpie.

Will I go back to epic fantasy, and possibly Tinna's world? I don't know yet. Tinna's trilogy has sort of burned itself through me and left me breathless. So now I am focusing on lighter fiction.  The time may come when I go back to check in on Tinna, her two husbands, Avria and the baby Istvan.

In the meantime; I sold MANY of the trilogy at Comic Con this year.  I even snagged a Lady Sif who was so reminiscent of Tinna in book 2, I had to have a photo op.

My table assistant cosplayed at Tinna from book one, but would you believe I didn't get a decent image of her? I'll bug her and see if she got one.  She spent the convention like a little embassador, roaming wildly and spreading the word of Tinna and her world.

I'm plugging along! I'll have a fabulous giveaway to offer soon, so stay tuned!

An update and some event details

Hi Everyone!

It's been a few months of ups and downs. I lost my mom last month.  It's an interesting dynamic, considering how many relationship issues I had with her--any of you who read the Tinna trilogy know this. I dealt with my issues in my fiction. I imagine I will somehow cope with my grief in the same way.  It's weird to lose a parent you don't get along with. I find myself grieving the parent she *could* have been. How strange we are, we human creatures. :)  I guess the idea that Fantasy is an escape from reality is kind of BS. I think there are lots of elements of the authors' lives intermingled with the fantastical creatures and five-mooned skies.

So what else is new? Well, lots.  I've already posted my participation in a few events, but here's a refresher:

The Passion in Portland Author Event -- September 15, 2015

You can find details HERE. General admission is FREE, but registration is required. So please click through and look at the ticket options. There are some 'buy-up' opportunities where you get a chance to get in early, get to stalk your favourite authors (like me!) and more.

Here is an interview of the Organizer, who explains the packages and also talks about the charity to which the event will be donating:




The Rose City Comic Con - September 19 - 20, 2015 

This will be my first year at Rose City Comic Con, hopefully the first of many years! It's a local con and it seems like it's going to be great fun. I will be co-tabling with my friend and fellow author Shéa MacLeod [Website - Facebook - Twitter]. She is my 'Wing-Chick" so to speak, and we have a good time together at events.  Come and visit us!

Wizard World Comic Con Portland - February 19, 20 and 21 2016

This will be my fourth year attending, third year participating the Wizard World Comic Con Portland. Shéa and I will be present and accounted for with fine corner tables in the Artist's Alley.  This year, I've drafted my Amazing Über Fan Jathia as my table helper. So be prepared for uninhibited enthusiasm and cuteness.

So... if you're in the Portland area during these times, come in and see me. I'm a schmoozer, I'll sign books and make bad jokes. It's what I do! See you soon, I hope. :D

What's new and wonderful?

First and foremost, Tinna's Reign; Book Three of the Trilogy of Tinna is available for download in eBook format.  The hard-copy will follow soon.  Along with the release of this book is a full redesign of the covers for the trilogy and I think all three are mighty bold and fun.  Do you not agree?

Book 1, Tinna's Promise
Available at Barnes & Noble for DL.

  

Book 2; Tinna's Might
Available at Barnes & Noble for DL

Book 3: Tinna's Reign
Available for DL at Barnes & Noble.

Or just click here to view the series.

So that's one project that's finally done. ::Oy:: It hasn't been easy to get my stuff together, I won't lie, but I've gotten a bit of a boot in the pants from this year's Wizard World Convention. I had such a great time, and met a couple of fans, and there's nothing better than that for validation, is there?

So I have other projects underway. Something post-apocalyptic, some of the ones I mentioned prior, and another alternate timeline, which will take time, because it requires some research.  But I am working on stuff, this I promise you. :)

So download book three and enjoy the conclusion to this trilogy. Will there be another set of books in Oromoii? Who is to know? ::smile::

Some convention/signing news!

It looks like I will be at the Wizard World Comic Con in Portland again in January. I'll be sharing a table with author Shéa MacLeod, whose website describes her books as 'urban fantasy scifi post-apocalyptic paranormal romance with a twist of steampunk.'  What's not to like about that? We're both Oregonians, and we hang out with the same costuming people, so why not team up and present our work at the 2015 Portland 'Con? It's all very exciting.  We will have candy and swag. So come and see us!

Next September both of us also will be attending the 'Passion in Portland' author signing event. I am especially excited about this event, because I get to meet so many new local(ish) authors.  I hope I will see you there too! By then, I should hopefully have another release or two to promote.

I'm working hard now that my baby has gotten a bit older to involve myself in more events to promote my books and get to know my readers, and I'm looking forward to meeting everyone. :)  I will announce any other events I may be doing in the interim.  Like the Passion in Portland page on FaceBook for more information, and like my new Facebook page (completely politics-free!) too! I'm always offering little giveaways to the followers on the page. Join me.

An interview by Indie Author Land!

Click here to view the original interview: [Indie Author Land]

Why you must read Miranda Mayer’s The Wizard King

Ynith starts off a sheltered, naïve little thing with no talent for magic (that she is aware of) but a rather strong taste for learning about all the forbidden forms of it. Her life is limited to one place, and has been for some years. But everything changes when she bumps into an awkward, gangly character in the library, where she develops an initial dislike towards him–and in part is inexcusably rude to him. She discovers to her horror that she was rude to the Crown Prince. But the strange character takes her rudeness in stride, and instead immediately becomes strongly attracted to her. Ynith comes to discover to her dismay, that the man that has selected her as the single object of his affection is without reservation, evil. What she does with that knowledge, remains to be seen. The story follows Ynith; her evil beloved is not the main focus. Instead, it is Ynith’s journey as she equips herself with what she needs to cope with the consequences of being loved by an evil Wizard King. It is a story of a young woman taking her fate into her own hands, a story of sacrifice and of so much more. What genre is this?  The Wizard King is a blending of both my love for Magic and Fantasy and my passion for the Regency period in history. Although it’s a different world, the theme is still painted in the colours and styles of Regency, with the addition of wizards, life-draining creatures called Ogrein, and magic aplenty. Fantasy-coloured Regency? That’s a new angle to us. We like the sound of it.  Readers that enjoy Jane Austen might enjoy this as a change of pace from the romances of the English Regency, but still have familiar themes and language to carry them along. This book will also appeal to anyone who enjoys a story where the lady is a strong character. Fantasy and magic readers would surely fall in step with the book as well. It is surely more of a lady’s read than it is for a man, but that doesn’t mean a man could not derive enjoyment from the story. You’ve described Ynith as a strong character.  Ynith is an orphaned girl of nineteen, living in a learning academy. She has lived there since she was very young, sent there for her own protection after her parents were killed. She has wealth, and even a title, but has no advantages because her family is a danger to her. They want what she has; her title and what remains of her legacy. She is sheltered and innocent in some ways. Utterly guileless with a kind heart. She loves simple things, and takes great enjoyment in the special attentions from an elderly Docent and his sister. She isn’t ready for the things that are about to befall her, but that is her challenge. To overcome her innocence, and to take matters into her own hands. Have you written any other books that we should read next? Book one and book two of the Trilogy of Tinna are available now, and I am currently working on book 3.Tinna’s Promise, book 1; Tinna’s Might, book 2. I also have an anthology and another book called Blackroot available for purchase in either eBook or hard-copy. Tell us a bit about yourself. I am a new mother–and had my first child at a rather ripe age. I live in the forests at the foot of Mount Hood in Oregon. I ride horses, and have all my life. I enjoy riding sidesaddle. I also enjoy costuming, illustrating, reading, sewing, and creating things in general. I’m married to a wonderful, tolerant man who puts up with my many quirks. I also delve quite deeply into various forms of geekery, and can sometimes be found to be sailing about dressed as a RavenClaw professor, wearing a Jayne hat, or dressing my poor baby up as an Ewok. Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work? http://www.MirandaMayer.com. How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook? @MirandaMayer https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMirandaMayer. What’s next? Tinna’s Reign is next, and then a book called ‘The House of Black’; a YA novel about witches. See my blog for details!

Some 'refreshing'

I deleted my Facebook account recently, along with all of its pages. And yes, it was a drastic thing to do. But I Miranda Mayer needed a refreshing. A new 'Like' page was in order, something freshly made, with none of my randomness all over it. It's a given that authors can be themselves on social media, but to a point. When my arguments on religion and politics start to take over where the books leave off, we have a problem. So a fresh start is in order! So please like my new page. I dropped hundreds of likes by doing this and need to rebuild!

So like my new page and click HERE!

What's new?

Hello all. I've been a bit preoccupied by the Portland Wizard World Comic Con, and then life itself, which also tends to take over. Especially for new(ish) moms.  The Wizard King has had its release and it is being received very well. I hope it continues! I have a few projects on the fire including book 3 of the Trilogy of Tinna; Tinna's Reign, which is being padded out and revised before I send it to be edited.

The third and final cover by Abigail Larson. :)

The second project i'm working on, but is at present only about a 1/4 written is the House of Black. It is a story of a little witch by the name of Kimber and her battle to save her sisters and her house from attack by an ancient enemy.

Long before the days of old,

When ic-ed skies bore naught but cold,

When crops did wither and war did rage,

Were born the saviours of this age.

Tamed the land, the beasts, the dead

Did light and dark and vibrant red.

Holders of the mother’s gift

From despair they did us lift.

But virtue ruled with golden mane

And enemies the three were named.

Driven into secrecy,

Were the mother’s gifted three.

Hunted by their very own,

The Gifted now must live unknown.

Gilded swords were raised to fight,

To end the Black, the Red, the White.

And finally, it's so new I haven't even begun to work on the cover, I am working on 'Wolven' -- which is not about werewolves, and also dabbling into the idea of another book for the Wizard King world.

Introducing The Wizard King!

A quiet, sheltered, passive girl, Ynith never suspected that the awkward young man she encountered in the library was none other than the Crown Prince Arnsword. Nor would she expect that this baleful character would set his sights upon her as the singular object of his undying affection. But what Ynith could never prepare herself for would be the cost of being loved by a man who is by all rights, evil. 

A powerful budding Wizard, Ynith’s beau is about to wreak havoc upon the world, and force Ynith to discover facets of herself that she finds terrifying, including dabbling in the magic she has deliberately avoided since childhood. 

 Must Ynith love this man or must she escape him to save herself, and ultimately, her world?

For sale on Smashwords.com (and all other channels upon approval) Hard copy available on The Book Patch and other channels soon.

Finalizing the editing, formatting for print and eBook

The Wizard King is now in the final stages before it transforms from manuscript to book. Today, I sat down with my editing team, Two Girls Friday, and we went over the edits they proposed for the manuscript. The double set of eyes really helped to find a variety of problems, and what one might have missed, the other girl Friday caught.  They sat with me on Skype, and discussed the issues they had with continuity, repetitiveness, run-on blathering and so much more. They were absolutely amazing, and I am really fortunate to get both girls Friday to work together on my manuscript. I am now in the process of merging the two separate editings, and we'll be on our way!

The cover is also in process, the front is almost finalized, the back is in the works, and the whole thing will be ready for release on February 1, 2014 (with copies available for early release for the Wizard World Comic Con).

So that's my update for today. Please don't forget to enroll in the Dragons of Midwinter Fantasy Book Giveaway. You could not only win the Wizard King, but over 20 more wonderful Fantasy books as well.

The Wizard King - Sneak Peeks

Hello Internet world. As you may have noticed, Mirandamayer.com and the blog got a bit of an overhaul today. They were combined into one. It needed it. It's funny how something looks suitable and good for a bit, and then all you want is to change it.  I wanted something a bit lighter and brighter, especially for the launch of my newest book, 'The Wizard King', which will be launched in January at the Wizard World Portland Comic Con.

This month, we had a killer photo shoot up at the Timberline Lodge. This cool vintage building was a 'New Deal' project in the thirties, organized to create jobs during the great depression. They employed a great number of brilliant artisans and skilled craftsmen to assemble this impressive building, and today it stands as a testament to craftsmanship and forward-thinking.

The exterior of the lodge was portrayed in the movie 'The Shining' -- depicting what was called The Overlook Hotel in the movie.  It does not have a hedge maze, nor is the interior even remotely like what was shown in the film.  The interior is extremely rustic.  The lighting has the quality of that of an great old manor, with bright, white light pouring into darkened interiors, bouncing off the rugged textures of wood and stone, giving, at least in my view, an old-world castle type of light quality, something like the old oil portraits. It was what I was looking for.

With a great team of people, from photographer to hair and makeup stylist, we tramped up there with our lovely models and took a series of beautiful shots.  I will post some examples of them (ones we are not using for the book cover).

Model Robyn Wodiuk takes a rest on some of the many heavy-timbered
structures about the lodge.  The setting is modern compared to the
look of the cover. But none of that will show in the cover.

Model Robyn portrays the sweet, graceful Ynith.
All elegance in a white regency-style round gown,
and a seemingly endless swag and rumple of shawl.

The outdoors are cast in the white light of
snow.

Robyn in all her elegance.

Model Breck Warren portrays
the somewhat sinister character of Arnsword.

A lovely photo, in spite of the modern trappings.

All men should aspire to wearing cravats.

The lovely Ynith/Robyn.

This image was one of my favorites of the shoot, but it was unsuitable for
the cover, there are no winter themes in The Wizard King. I just
wanted the lodge's lovely lighting. But I love this photo, regardless.

The Wizard King is a Fantasy Romance novel, a sort of alternate world with Regency themes.  The costumes were made by Stephanie Johanesen of Mount Hood Creations (Robyn's beautiful gown and accessories), and Breck's costume was created by Morgan Shanafelt, who also styled the hair and makeup for this photo shoot.

Photographer was Julie Savage Lee Photography.

The final cover will be revealed when the book is released.

Comicon 2014 and More

Greetings all.

I've been in stealth-mode. Being a new mom ain't easy, but hell if it isn't amazing. It is filled with all sorts of experiences that will end up bleeding into the stuff I write, this is without a doubt.  Aaaanyway... What's new? Not too much, but there are some things here and there.

I've added Blackroot and am working on adding the Belletrist in as Print-On-Demand in addition to eBook format. I will post links as they come.  The Belletrist will be as inexpensive as I can swing it, since the eBook is free, but I will be adding illustrations for each short story to make it special.

Also, I have secured a spot in at the WizardWorld Comic-Con at the Oregon Convnention Center in Portland on January 24, 25, and 26 of 2014. I'm very excited. It is my first comic convention. I will have a stock of all of my books with me, I will be signing, and selling, and also carrying some art material and information and such from my book-cover illustrator, Abigail Larson.  It's a ways off, but if pregnancy taught me anything.. Time flies, so plan on coming and stop by my table to say hi. :)

I'm working on a new manuscript and will be going back to Tinna's Reign soon.  I have been working on writing again, which is good. So that's it for immediate news. Follow me on Facebook, and you are free to friend me if you can handle my Atheist-themed posts. ::hehheh::

Toodle-oo.

Radio Silence Explained

Hello all.  I know, I haven't been very chatty lately. I haven't been very creative either. Just after Tinna's Might was published, I discovered I was pregnant. Go figure. :)  Of course, with pregnancy comes the requisite trials and tribulations, starting with morning sickness and sore ta-tas to migraines and a desire to do little more than sleep.  Yes, I over-share. Live with it. :D

It is timely that I am with child when my heroine is also faced with this surprise at the same age as the author. Maybe it was a foreshadowing, maybe I'm a little bit psychic. Hah!  I have been writing, but sporadically. I've set aside book 3 for a bit, I am taking a break from Tinna's world for now, since Tinna's Might is still fresh on the market.  I'm focusing instead on a couple of other stories I've been working on.  I am finding inspiration difficult lately, but it's slowly coming back.

Hopefully I'll have some new titles available soon enough. I'm particularly happy with one book I'm working on right now, and look forward to sharing it with readers.  For now, I'm moderately quiet, except on my Facebook page, where I get a little too riled up by political and religious matters. I tend to be a bit of a blusterer--but I am a fiery character and I get worked up about the world around me. It's the blight of an writer, to be honed into the world a little too deeply.

Those of you who have purchased Tinna's Might, please don't forget to post your reviews on your preferred bookselling site... It's selling nicely in spite of my complete lack of marketing, so that's a good sign, but I'm only getting star reviews on some eBook sites, and I'd like to see what readers have to say. Writers (most writers) benefit greatly from reader feedback. Even the tough stuff. That doesn't mean I'm calling out open season of evilness, but I do hope you'll be objective in your review.

Thanks again for being supportive readers! I appreciate everything you do to keep me going as a writer, and I hope I'll have more stories to offer you soon.  And thank you for your patience while we waited out the editing process for Tinna's Might.  Ping me on Twitter or Facebook, I am responsive and always happy to chat it up.

Here is a lovely GIF of a children's book that I think every family should own. :)

MM

Fresh off the press... again. :)

Softcover and hardcover of book 2, Tinna's Might. Cover by Abigail Larson.

They're finally here... the 'printing proofs' I've been waiting for. The soft-cover and the hardback. These are already available through Barnes & Noble and Amazon; however at B & N, the hardcover comes at a significant discount ($27 normally, $20 on B&N).

The prints look good, I'm busy skimming through them for issues, but they seem to be in order so far.  The covers are so beautiful.  They came from separate printers so there is a small variation in the tones between the two, but it looks nice regardless.

The book has also just been approved for Smashwords' premium catalog, which means that it will be available as an eBook on a variety of channels including iBooks/Apple, Sony, B&N Nook, and more. I also set it up as a Kindle book on Amazon. The eBook is $3.99. At present it's only posted on Amazon as a Kindle book and on Smashwords.com, but it will begin to appear on the other sites at length.

Pre-release on Smashwords - Hard-copy in progress

The front cover by Abigail Larson

Tinna's Might has been uploaded to Smashwords ahead of the release on Amazon and Barnes & Noble (and other booksellers).  So if you want an early preview, you can go to the book's Smashwords Page and download your copy today.

Book Two of the Trilogy of Tinna will be available in hard-cover, soft-cover and eBook. Links will be provided as soon as they become available.   Check them out today! :)

Good news it is!

Another beautiful cover by Abigail Larson.

Tinna's Might is completed. At last! I'm very excited.  Editor Ien Nivens of http://www.literacracy.com/ did a wonderful job of hacking, slashing, cutting, molding and shaping this book, and put a tremendous amount of effort into convincing me what changes were necessary in order to make this book better.

The next step is a final read-through, which should be quick. After all those changes and croppings and moving of things, punctuation occasionally gets lost or cut, sentences are left hanging; those things need to be fixed along the way so the product comes out looking marginally professional.

I have and always will insist that editing one's work, even if it's for submission to a brick and mortar publisher, is imperative.  It's just the professional thing to do. And yes, hiring an editor can be costly, but there are people out there like Ien, who offer creative and fair alternatives in order to knock your book into shape, and help promote it to boot. So I'm just saying to all my fellow writer friends, look up Ien, do what you must to make your book professional; out of respect to your readers.

So we've hammered out a suitable copy, which I will post below. This time this book will be available as hard cover, soft cover and ebook.  The hard-copies will be available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other online booksellers in a little over a month.  The ebook will be published for sale soon.

I will add that I decided to forego the illustrations. As one of my most enthusiastic readers and friends pointed out to me recently, "I don't like illustrations. It deprives me of the opportunity to imagine the appearance characters on my own--and that's one of the best parts of the reading experience."  I can't argue with that.  I will instead post the completed illustrations on this blog periodically for those who might wish to see them.

A screen capture of the book copy.

One down... and other ramblings.

So I finished book 3 of the Trilogy of Tinna the weekend before last. Believe it or not I finished writing it while driving through the stunning Columbia River Gorge to Eastern Oregon for a visit with a family member who lives in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by colossal wind-turbines. They remind me of the alien ships in War of the Worlds. My little netpad made the trip with me, and while my husband drove, I balanced my computer on my knees and tippety-tapped away while I sipped tea from my thermos, and finished the book.

Mind you, it's not completely done. I think of it like house that's been framed, roofed, sided, but still needs the wiring, plumbing, drywall and details finished up.  It's a good feeling, I dare say.  Tinna's Might is still hanging on the edge of being finished completely and being published to iU and Smashwords.  I'm hoping my editor can sit down and get the last few chapters cracked out very soon. I'm  hoping my next post will be the one saying: It's Here!. ::crosses fingers::

I did the Christmas giving tree again this year. The local one was put up and taken down so quickly, I actually missed it, so I went to the one that my work sponsors. The tag I picked belonged to a young girl who was 8 and she wanted Monster High dolls. Now let me tell you, I had NO idea what those were until I set foot in Toys-R-Us (a mind-boggling experience on its own).  I imagine many of you have set foot in this store, I haven't. I don't have children, and I usually shop for kids if at all at Barnes & Noble where I can get those cool projecty kits and that sort of thing.

Anyway, I walked in, and it seemed like I had to make my way through every aisle because they were set up like a huge labyrinth forcing me to walk past every toy known to man to reach the cash registers. I could not help stopping to ogle some of the cuter toys. For instance, there was this whole section dedicated to these eye-wateringly, sickeningly sweet and adorable flocked forest critters (I'm not kidding, they're so effing cute I misted up and almost bought a family of chipmunks and a little baby bedroom and accessory kit. But when I spotted the cottage and the furniture and accessories and I found myself tempted, and I had to slap myself back to reality). I also did a slow drive-by in the Lego section where they had a display of the Millennium Falcon kit, it was only <---sarcasm about $140... and they even had a little Lego wookie.

Admit it, skanky .. perhaps. Cute? Undeniably.

At length, after passing through the barbie aisle, which was so saturated in pink, I nearly vomited, I came across the Monster-High merch.  The first thing I will admit is that they are cute. The dolls are really kind of adorable in a weird way. But the second thing I have to admit is that they are dressed like small, monstery whores. They have these little Lady-Gaga stripper-platform heels, and teeny skirts that barely cover the no-no square.  But admittedly, the idea is freakin' adorable. There's a frankensteiny one (the cutest one in my opinion), and a vampire one, and a werewolf one, and they have little mini coffin-shaped trunks for their skanky outfits, and little accessories and teeny pets; WAY more accessories in the package that Barbies came with when I was a kid.  I was half-tempted to  get one for myself.  Instead, I bought the Frankensteiny one and the one with fins who looked like a mad scientist, and I bought a little packet of outfitty things. I'm hoping Miss Selena is happy with them.  Now I want one. Not sure why. Shopping for kids is so much fun.

Aaaanyway, let's hope the next post is good news about Tinna's Might. :D

I am writing, writing, writing.

I am quickly discovering that with ebooks, the more titles, the better. At least that’s what I’m being told by a variety of authors who publish ebooks, and this has been somewhat proven to me by the rather brisk sale of the Blackroot novel I put on Smashwords sometime back. At 99¢, it is the best-selling ebook I have, outselling both Tinna’s Promise and even the free short-story collection, The Belletrist. It’s sort of shocking because Blackroot is such a departure from what I usually write, it’s gory and graphic, and a little weird. But the readers seem to like it. iBooks users especially, and lots of Sony Reader users. The desire to offer more titles has given me a creative kick in the pants, but on the flip side, it has also presented me with way too much distraction.

I am currently about 60% on Tinna’s Reign, editing for Tinna’s Might has slowed to a crawl, but it is still moving. I’d say we’ve moved up to about 84% completed, and I have two other books I’ve been pecking at, one called the Wizard King and another The Blue Journal. The Blue Journal is sort of out of my comfort zone, being written in journal form in first-person, which is challenging to someone who almost always writes as a narrator. The Wizard King is a strange hybrid of a Regency romance novel and a fantasy. I started it about four years ago, but it fell into my ‘false start’ pile, and then I was browsing my old starts and rediscovered it, and found some fresh ideas popping into my head as I started reading it.

So this means I’m working on four books concurrently. Probably not a good plan—most people will tell you to pick a project and stick to it until you’re finished, but it’s a bit hard to do when you are having a hard time finding inspiration on one, and have come to a complete halt while another has found a little pocket of inspiration to feed it. I guess, as I always do, I will go where my instincts point me, and let the organic, creative process work itself out.

The point of it all is to offer a broad range of titles for readers. I have the bones for a few good, meaty novels, and I’m working on finishing up the Tinna Trilogy. I may revisit Oromoii later on, but for now, I’m going to concentrate on these other titles and keep out of my false start folder for a few months—just in case something else catches my creative eye.

Argh.

Tinna's Might; about 80% edited

Yes, this is a slow process. I am sorry to keep those of you who are looking forward to book 2 waiting... but we're getting closer, I promise. The illustrations are also being developed. Very exciting. :D Just a quick note. :)