A year in the making.

I am not a big "New Year resolution" kind of guy. It seems quite arbitrary to try and better yourself because a new year hits the calendar. Now, that is not to say it is wrong, just not something that works for me. I do, however, set goals for myself. Things like, where do I want to be by the end of this year, what are some things I can accomplish in the time I have?

In doing that, it is always helpful to look at the year that has gone by and reflect on what I failed at and what I was able to get done. Well, this year was actually one of the most productive I have had in quite some time. In 2013 I focused on becoming a published author. I made connections with some amazing people who are on that same journey. I learned about two very different paths to accomplishing that goal and was able to publish not one, but two books.





I have been able to get feed back from people I have never met on something that I pulled from my mind and made into a reality. I have to say, if nothing else, it was empowering. It showed me that all those years of sitting back and just hoping to one day get my ideas out there or to do something with my art, was not the kind of person I wanted to be.

This year taught me to be a doer. I was talking with someone the other day about how long I lived in the future instead of the present. Life happens now and we can let it pass us by if we are not careful. I have decided that waiting is for others, now is the time for my dreams to happen and I am the person that will make them.

It has been a lot of work and things are only picking up from there. Life takes dedication and focus, but in leaving you I don't want to forget something else that it takes to find your dreams in this world. Sometimes, you have to stop the work, take a second and have some fun. Sure, "stop and smell the roses" is a cliche, but it's a good one.

Here is some of that fun I was talking about, and don't worry I've only partially lost my mind.

(this is what working on music until 2 in the morning can get you)

LOOK!

I know I said I wasn't going to post again before the new year, but I had to share something. Being creative is something that I live for and while writing books is at the top of my list there are a few things that are very close to that for me. One of those is music and I was with a friend the other day and we had a bout of creativity that sounded like this.

"Hey let's write a song."

"Okay, I got this lyric that has been running through my head."

"Cool write it down."

Three hours later this is what we had. Enjoy. See you again soon.

Post by Wayne Mitchum.

Starting to branch out.

We all start on this journey at different paths. The thing I like most about blogging are the people I've met here that have given me a new family, at least in my mind. 

When I put out Elemental I was extremely scared and not sure of what to expect. Blogging and its community are some of the things that got me through.

When a good friend of mine finished his children's books he asked advice on what he should do next. The first thing on my lips was, "You have to start a blog."

He knew he wanted to have one since he has several kids books in the works, but wasn't sure when the right time was. 

Well he finally decided the time is now and got his blog up. If you would, I'd love to show him how awesome and supportive this community can be. So pop on over to Annaliese Creations and say hello, maybe give a follow.

So onto the book. Here is a description from Amazon.

Twig loses his place in his family tree when a storm blows through. He is left completely vulnerable and must try his best to make it own his own. As he struggles to fit in with anyone that will accept him, he soon finds himself at the attention of a very scary bird. Will Twig get back home, or will he be alone forever? Inspired by my own personal experience with adoption, this is a heart warming story that penetrates the soul and opens the mind to the possibility of change and the true meaning of family.

The art is fun and the story is moving. This is a great book for children who have been adopted or have issues with fitting in and also just a great story to read your early readers. Here is a link to its Amazon page. TWIG.

Anyway, this will probably be the last post I do before the new year, so Merry Christmas and happy anything else you celebrate this time of year. Hope to see you all again as the new year starts and we all scramble to begin meeting those goals. As always, have fun and keep writing.

Busy is good...right?

So, I have been the most irregular blogger as of late. In part this is due to the fact I am trying to only blog when I feel I have something insightful or meaningful to say. The other reason is I feel like someone has pressed the fast forward button on the 24 hours a day I am entitled to as a human being. 

That person, of course, would be me. With a new baby on the way I know my writing time is going to take a dip in a few months. So being me I do the only thing I deem reasonable—I have sent my work into overdrive. This past month I've been pulling about 3k words a day on three different WIPs. I try to stay steady while being careful not to burn myself out. So far so good. 

I am actually very inspired at the moment and being able to bounce from story to story has kept things fresh. Now of course that means I will have to work hard in revisions to try and make it all sound like distinct pieces of literature, but I am hoping to be finished with at least two of them by March. (first drafts at least)

 I said a few post ago that I would announce something cool I am going to be doing. Now on course with how things work for me, in the middle of baby mania and Christmas and writing and many, many other things, I was asked to take part in something else using a separate artistic skill. A good friend asked if I would illustrate a kid's chapter book for them. 

So far I have been working up character designs and sitting and talking with him about how he wants things to look and feel. It has been a great fun and I can't wait to show everyone some of the art. Still with all of this going on I do think I could use some extra arms. 

Anyway that's some of what's going on in my world, how about you? As always have fun and keep writing.

Help the Fantasy.

It's no secret that my first love in writing and reading is Fantasy. I am talking about sword and sorcery, get a horse and rise to the occasion, Fantasy. I grew up reading it and truly feel there is nothing better out there.

If you feel like I do or know someone who does there is a really cool thing going on over at Regarding Silexare. David has put together an awesome Kickstarter for his novel A Sawmill's Hope.

The Kickstarter will be coming to an end in seven days and some more pledges would be welcome. He has put together some cool packages and some neat stretch goals.

Check out the Video.

Go check out the Kickstarter. Even if you have only a few bucks this is your chance to become part of something that will be an amazing world and work of Fantasy.

Buy a book.

I was raised by a single mother. My circumstances were as such that there wasn't even a weekend visiting situation or holidays. Luckily, I had a mom that filled both rolls quite well and most times I never felt the loss. We are shaped by our surroundings to varying degrees. Statistically broken homes can at times produce broken children. In all honesty I can thank books as part of the reason I look fondly upon my childhood. 

One of the first books I remember my mom reading to me was The Saggy Baggy Elephant. A book I have recently purchased and can't wait to read to my soon to be born son. It was a great Story about an elephant trying to find where he fit in. 

I was lucky in my life to have a second mom. My Godmother who I grew up calling Mamma Donna. I found the Narnia books in her library that started me on my path to writing fiction and fantasy. Still, there was a book before those that honestly shaped me as a person I still think about it at times in my adult life. That book was Charlotte's Web. 

My Godmother would read that book to me often. While I did find the movie eventually and enjoyed it immensely, I will always hold to the words of that book. 

“Why did you do all this for me?' he asked. 'I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.' 

“You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing...after all, what's a life anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die...By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that.” 

― E.B. White

“It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.” 

― E.B. White

“Children almost always hang onto things tighter than their parents think they will.” 

― E.B. White

Even if I never became an author, these books were my friends. They taught me lessons and gave me comfort and to this day reading can make me feel better no matter the situation.

I was at the store buying gifts for my kids the other day and while waiting to pay I overheard a conversation. There was a boy maybe thirteen or fourteen and he was asking what was inside a box sitting on the counter. 

The man checking people out said, "Oh it's a collection of books."

The kids face scrunched up like he'd smelled something bad and he said, "Oh, never mind, I hate books. I can't stand them." With that he walked off and most people around me seemed unfazed. 

As for me it truly hurt on some deep level. Not only did I feel offended as a book lover, but I felt bad for the boy.

I was reading on Patrick Rothfuss's blog and here is a link to it. LINK. About families now that have no books at all in their households. I understand that in the world of super ADD and attention spans that make gnats look like studious scholars, it is hard to get a kid to sit down and do something that isn't easy. Still it is worth trying. 

If you know someone who has or have small kids yourself, in all the video games and iTunes gift cards and all the other plethora of electronics they are given this year, think about buying a book. Who knows, you could be the one responsible for making them a better person. 

Anyway, these are some of my thoughts. I have some cool news I hope to get out in the next week or so. As always have fun and keep writing. 

Heavy is the head...

So after my long break I can thankfully say, I have been steadily writing. It's a relief in some ways and at the same time so natural for me. The act of putting words down to create some piece of art is one of the few things that can make me truly happy.

As with any other time I start something artistic I tend to grow contemplative. This time in particular I got to thinking about the information we take in as a writer. 

There are so many things. Watch out for these tropes and cliches. What genre am I writing in? What audience am I writing for? Age group? What are agents looking for right now? What is the most successful voice currently for this genre or that? These and more are often floating around an authors mind the more into the business they are.

Am I saying this is not useful information? Of course not, it is smart to be aware of all of this. The problem comes in when we let these things rule our writing. When they start to take over. It reminds me of when studios come along and make a movie because of some other movie that did well. It happens a lot in all types of entertainment. 

So what should rule your writing? You. Tell the story you want to tell. Know the tropes and cliches only so you can use them in a way you want to. There is a time to let the business or critical world of writing come in, I call that revisions. When you sit down to write that first draft, just write. Don't start your story with all of these boundaries. It is a good way to get bogged down before your first sentence is written.

Anyway, these are just some of my thoughts while writing. As always, have fun and keep writing.

IWSG

This is a group that allows authors to join together and give advice or express insecurities. Started by Alex J Cavanaugh, if you'd like to join up click his name.


Okay before I write my post I just want to say, it is good to be back. I needed some time away from things to order some RL stuff and some writer type things. Just know that I missed you all. Okay onto my post.

This month I want to write about those two words that pop up for writers quite a bit. Writer's Block. I have expressed the views on writer's block by one of my favorite authors Mr. Bob Salvatore. Views I agree with. He states that there is no such thing as writer's block. He says that what people are truly feeling is a lack of confidence about what they are trying to write. I think this is very true.

In fact it is very obvious in how it is often defeated, which is by just sitting down and making yourself write. Still sometimes we have to understand where that lack of confidence comes from before we can proceed. It is truly a theme that is behind this group I believe. Insecurity leads to a lack of confidence.

I have talked about not living up to expectations. I have talked about not feeling up to the task of writing a certain story. This past month I have hit a new block.

The lingering questions. 

Sometimes this can mean something to do with the plot. In fact there were a few questions I had about where I wanted the story to go. More so there was a question hanging over me about where I wanted to go as an author. 

I have had a few changes go on in my life and when that happens I tend to reevaluate things. It seemed until I had a solid plan to follow, my fingers refused to type another word on any of my manuscripts. So, I did the only thing I could think of at the time. I shut it all off.

I stopped blogging, twittering, FBing, Goodreadsing. lol. I just lived and hung out with my family and tried to focus on life. It proved to be very cathartic. I let time fix my issues. Soon the need to write came to me. I was able to work out a plan for my path to publishing more books and I was ready to be back in my writing world, that I love so much.

Sometimes the best thing is to let your problems dissipate on their own. Being who I am, I have a bad habit of forcing things to happen or work. It is through age that I am learning not all things can be fixed with this method.

Anyways, I hope everyone has been well. As always, have fun and keep writing.

Happy Halloween!

Hi all. I hope you guys had a great and safe Halloween. I hope to be back and blogging very soon.

The Vanished Knight.

1. Before writing what do you spend the most time on, world building, character development or plot?

*Grins* Actually, before writing a given book, I'm probably writing something else entirely. I get ideas, let them sit and ripen while I read or work on something else. 

When an idea grows into a monster taking up all my thoughts, I open my notebook, grab my fountain pen, and get drafting. 

The Vanished Knight is the first book I finished, so I got the idea while deluded with the idea that I could plan it out. I couldn't. In the end, world building, characterization and some of the plot happened while I was rough drafting. 

I refined everything when I rewrote the whole thing for computer.

One thing I do prepare ahead of time is a playlist. Using the feelings and bits of characterization I have, I put together a playlist that reflects the sense I'm going for in the story.  

2. Music is a must for me as well and I know all about the ideas building while writing. What are some things you like to keep around you when you are writing that help you stay in the seat?

When I'm drafting, I need three things: The notebook devoted to the story. The fountain pen (which I'm now starting to think I should name). And the playlist. The moment I have the music on, the book open and the pen poised, I'm locked in and ready to go. 

So much so that I usually set an alarm before I start, if I know I have to go do something else. 

3.I agree it needs a name, maybe Excalibur.  If you were a character in your story who would you be?

Probably Gawain. I know, weird that I'm picking a guy. But he's the one I'm least mean to. And even saying that, I know there's stuff about him that's seriously messed up. 

Unlike Callan, though, he doesn't have an evil entity destroying his life. And unlike Darrion, he doesn't need to fight for every scrap of achievement he can get. I'm not even going to mention James and Ward's issues. 

4.Lol, well in misery we find our story.  What are some things you can tell us about your book?

Mmm.... Okay... Guys, lots of badassery. Girls... Darrion and Gawain.

Read the book to see what I mean. :-P

5. I will definitely do so. Sometimes when I write I have types of scenes that come easier to me than others. What are your favorite types of scenes to write?

Funny enough, it's the scenes where Darrion and Callan argue. Actually where Darrion argues with anyone. He has this f-you attitude towards most people around him, so it's fun to a) go at someone with no holds barred or b) to see him struggling to hold back when he knows he should but really doesn't want to. 

James has something similar, and by the rewrite, his voice was loud and clear, which made him easy to write. But something about Darrion's particular brand of verbal skill and dry, sharp wit makes him a landslide winner in the best argument stakes. 

6.I agree with you there something about getting to let go on someone is fun to write.  What first made you want to be an author?

Writing The Vanished Knight did. Before, it was just about getting stories down that I liked. But with TVK, I knew I had something special, so I knew I wanted to publish. 

7. That is great the story pushed you. What does the future hold for you?

Hopefully the rest of the series published, twenty plus other projects completed. And who knows? War of Six Crowns, the TV Series knocking Game of Thrones from its perch. Who says a girl can't dream. ;-)

Nothing wrong with that at all. Thanks for answering my questions it was a lot of fun learning about you and your story.

Here is a blurb of the book:

Since the death of her parents, Callan Blair has been shunted from one foster family to another, her dangerous secret forcing the move each time. Her latest foster family quickly ships her off to an exclusive boarding school in the Cumbrian countryside. While her foster-brother James makes it his mission to get Callan expelled, a nearby ancient castle holds the secret doorway to another land...

When Callan is forced through the doorway, she finds herself in the magical continent of Tardith, where she’s shocked to learn her schoolmates Gawain and Darrion are respected soldiers in service to the king of Nordaine, one of Tardith's realms. More than that, the two are potential heirs to the Black Knight—Nordaine's crown prince.

But when the Black Knight fails to return from a mysterious trip, the realm teeters on the brink of war. Darrion and Gawain set out to find him, while Callan discovers there is more to her family history than she thought. The elves are claiming she is their princess.

Now with Darrion growing ever more antagonistic and her friendship with Gawain blossoming, Callan must decide whether to stay in Nordaine—where her secret grows ever more threatening—or go to the elves and uncover the truth about her family before war sets the realms afire.

Author Bio:

M. Gerrick (AKA Misha Gericke) has basically created stories since before she could write. Many of those stories grew up with her and can be seen in her current projects.

She lives close to Cape Town, with a view over False Bay and Table Mountain.

If you’d like to contact her, feel free to mail her at warofsixcrowns(AT)gmail(DOT)com, Circle her on Google Plus or follow her on Twitter. If you'd like to see her writer-side (beware, it's pretty insane), please feel free to check out her blog. You can also add her or The Vanished Knight on Goodreads

Here are some places you can find the book, go support it.

Amazon

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

All Romance Reads

Amazon France

Amazon Germany

IT"S A BOY!!!

Well friends, there has been something going on in the Ax family the past few months. For personal reasons I had not wanted to post anything yet about it. Well, today we went and had an ultrasound and I would like to present Dorian Alexander Ax to the blogging world. 

IWSG

IWSG is a great way to express your doubts fears and yes insecurities, or to offer some guidance. Sign up here, ALEX. 

So I am not a huge fan of recycling post. I like to express new thoughts when I can. Still, I am working on quite a bit right now. There are many balls up in the air and I have found myself struggling at times to keep them up there. I was reading a post I did early on in my blog as a guest spot. It was actually really refreshing to read back through this post and sort of a way for me to kick my own butt into action. Hope you enjoy it. 

Here is my three Ps of writing.

For many writers I think one question plagues our minds as much if not more than anything else—What does it take to actually get published? I myself have sought an answer to this for years. It takes a lot to be a writer, there are things you must have in order to keep going in this sometimes cruel and calloused field. A hobby/ time wasting mechanism I find myself spending a lot of time on is watching/reading anything I can find on my favorite authors. I know I’m not alone on this, but in watching their interviews or reading their blogs, listening to their stories, I have come to a conclusion.

I would like to call this conclusion the three Ps. Passion, productivity, perseverance. I have come to feel without these three things it is unlikely you will find your way to that coveted spot where your book is sitting on the shelf(or in a good rank of online books).

Passion. This one may seem easy, but I think I am not speaking for myself when I say that I feel very passionate about something as the idea is forming. I may even feel it through the first few chapters, but most times when writing I lose that feeling. This could be a lot of things, the story moved in a direction that caused a lull, the characters are not engaging anymore. Maybe I am just pushing myself too hard and need a break. To me the loss of passion is a clear indicator that something is wrong with the story. If you don’t feel passionate about your story more than likely the agent/publisher/reader will not feel it as well.

Productivity. The work. The act of actually putting words on a page. If you have no product to send out then there is no way for you to be published. Finish things, don’t wait for that perfect moment, or for everything to line up in your mind. I learned more from finishing writing a novel than I did from any class or study on writing I have ever taken. Don’t stop at that, so you finished a book and you’re trying to get someone interested in it, write another, don’t wait, maybe that next one is the story that will be picked up. The only way we can progress as a writer is by writing. Start a journal, write a blog, do what it takes to be writing every day, the more you put words on a page the better you become.

Perseverance. In my opinion, the hardest of the three. The words, "sorry", "no", "not at this time", and so forth will be constant companions in this journey to be a published author. You will at times feel you are not worthy or lack something and maybe you should just give up. DON’T. We all get this no matter what stage you are in your witting. Self doubt is a staple of being a writer. I have said on my blog, I don’t like to think of getting published as a sprint where you finish your story and try to get it out as fast as you can. Instead think of it like a marathon, where you have to train yourself up and go the distance. That “yes” we all want is out there, maybe we need to work on our skill with writing or query letters. It is possible we need to find the right person for our particular story. No matter what the case is, the moment you give up is the only time you are truly defeated.

Anyway these are some of my thoughts hope they help and as always have fun and keep writing.

Random ramblings of an absentee blogger.

So, this is what I got to stare at this weekend. Our lovely cable company decided to crap out on me and they took their sweet time getting it back up. This coupled with a bout of sickness around the house has caused me to be somewhat absent from blogging. So now I figured I would put out a bunch of random thoughts and such.

So this is what I have been staring at in my internet/cable free life.

Ah video games, always there to steal the hours of my life provide me with  much needed entertainment. 

Also, I got pictures in of some of the jewelry sent out from the giveaway. Layla's Trinkets(<---link) got them all out in a great time. 

(woot Franklin)

In other news, the amazing Janie Junebug did an extremely fun interview with me over on her blog, you can check it out here. She will also be giving her review of the book tomorrow so please go check that out. I can't wait to hear what she thought.

Also this week I got one of the most anticipated reviews of my book. Anastasia got to read it. I am always amazed by her insight and the things she picks up at her age. She actually read it in two days and gave me some amazing notes.

Anyway, that is a few snapshots from my life, how has everyone been? As always have fun and keep writing.

Kinetic is here!!!!!

It is finally here, S. K. Anthony's debut novel, KINETIC.

Having already read the book I can say, it is amazing. 

Being strong is one thing. Being an unlimited source of power is quite another. 

Genetically altered by the Organization, Annie Fox takes down criminals CIA-style with her luminary strength. With nothing to mend but her broken heart, she is relentlessly pursued by her boss Derek Lake. Just when Annie is about to give him a chance, her ex-husband unexpectedly comes out of hiding. 

A wanted man, Nick Logan is a cold-hearted murderer who is considered enemy number one, and orders are clear: kill on contact. He is more powerful than ever and threatens the lives of those she holds most dear. His plan? Get his hands on Annie and use her Kinetic energy to destroy them all. When Annie finds herself with an opportunity to end him, she pauses, horrified by the scars covering the face she once loved. A split second that will cost her everything…

Here are some places you can get it. You won't be dissapointed.

Amazon

Amazon Kindle 

(For 99c on Kindle!!! -limited time- 9/20 - 9/27)

Barnes & Noble

iTunes

KOBO

DON"T FORGET TO ADD IT TO YOUR GOODREADS!

Also be sure to go say hi on her blog at the link above or, HERE! She is being blitzed today.

Also here is an awesome giveaway get to clicking.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Taking the world by storm!

The amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh is releasing the final book in his Cassa series. I was lucky enough to be part of his blog tour. We got to ask a question of this ninja master and here is mine.

If you could have one ship from your books which would it be and why?

The powerful, two-seater Cosbolt. Then I could fly with my wife and share the moment. With my finger on the ejection button in case I wanted some privacy. (Just kidding!)

(some roses may be in your future sir, lol)

Here is some info on the book.

CassaStorm

By Alex J Cavanaugh

From the Amazon Best Selling Series!

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

“CassaStorM is a touching and mesmerizing space opera full of action and emotion with strong characters and a cosmic mystery.” – Edi’s Book Lighhouse

"Cavanaugh makes world building on the galactic scale look easy. The stakes affect the entire known universe and yet Cavanaugh makes it intensely personal for our hero. The final installment of this series will break your heart and put it back together."
- Charity Bradford, science fantasy author of The Magic Wakes

“With a talent for worldbuilding and a compelling cast of characters, Alex J. Cavanaugh combines high powered space battles and the challenges of family dynamics to provide readers a space opera with heart.” 
- Elizabeth S. Craig, author of the Southern Quilting and Myrtle Clover mysteries

“…the racial conflicts propelled much of the plot in this story, driving home a message that's relevant to our own world and giving the book an interesting texture.” 
- C. Lee. McKenzie, author of Alligators Overhead

$16.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 268 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.

Science fiction/adventure and science fiction/space opera

Print ISBN 9781939844002 eBook ISBN 9781939844019

$4.99 EBook available in all formats

Also here is where you can grab a copy

Amazon

B & N

Go add it to your GoodReads

GR

Lastly, here is the trailer for the book.