It’s true, Alien Arrivals is almost here!
Well, it’s been pretty hectic month, but in a super good way lately, and Alien Arrivals (book 4 of the Galactic Mage Series) is a couple weeks ahead of schedule. Which for anyone who’s been following along with me each book as I work on it knows, that never happens. But it’s true.
I finished up about right on time based on the timeline I laid out in my May 1st post, but then my editor, Joyce, really turned it around quickly. She had a clear schedule, so Alien Arrivals got the executive treatment. So, since that got turned around so quick, I was able to jump right on it and get those edits worked in. And then, in another stroke of luck, my new and amazing proofreader, Carolyn, was ready for it right on schedule as well, and she hammered it out exactly as she said, right on time too. BAM, two for two.
So I got it back and was able to roll right through those marks quickly, and next thing I know, I’m looking for formatting two weeks early. And then Fernando, my formatter, well, he turns the thing around in three days, just quick as that. So, today I went through the print file, made sure it was all clean, sent back a few little corrections, which he jumped right on again, and, well, now he’s got that done and is working on the ebook versions for Amazon and Nook and Kobo, etc.
So, that’s where we are right now. He thinks it is possible he could finish them by tomorrow (Friday 6/13) but if not, he said for sure by Monday, end of day. So basically somewhere in the next four days, I should have those files back.
I’m also waiting for Cris Ortega to send me the final paperback book cover files. I had to hold off on getting those finalized until I knew exactly how many pages are in the book, because if you try to guess, the spine doesn’t line up right if you are off. So, now that it is formatted, and I have the print file, I know (542 pages), so that message went off to Cris, she’s received it, and let me know she’s on that part of it now too.
Given that there’s nothing more I can do until I have those pieces back, I am working on book 6, which I’m pretty sure I’m going to call Alien Interests. I finished that too (yes, I told you I had a really awesome month)—or at least I finished it as a first and second draft. It is currently with my Beta readers as we speak. That bodes well for a fairly quick release of it on the heels of Alien Arrivals as well—at least, quick for me—but I’m not going to try to say what date. Every time I get too ambitious with quoting times, I curse myself. So, I’ll just say, it’s at the Beta-reader stage. I will probably not work on it until I finished drafting book 6 (which might be titled Alien Outcomes, but we’ll see if I stick with that). But my plan is to finish that draft (essentially finishing the series), and then go back and do the final revisions of Alien Interests (book 5). That said, I’m hoping for a fall release of book 5. If I can go sooner, I totally will. And in a perfect world, I’d have book 6 out for January 2015, but it might be a big fatty of a book like Rift in the Races is, so, it will take as long to make as it takes to make. A lot of this is in my control, but the muses will have their way, so, all I do is put in the hours and see what comes out when it’s done.
Stay tuned, as they say. And keep an eye out next week for a release announcement. If you haven’t signed up for my email newsletter, and want to get an email when it’s out, go for it (form on the sidebar and at the bottom). And when it does come out, and you do read it, please consider leaving a review on Amazon when you are done. That really matters for my writing career, so I need your help to make those happen. I wish it didn’t matter as much for how Amazon sells books, and how other stuff in “the machine” of selling books works, but it does. So, if you do, I’ll be grateful. I read them all, even the bad ones, although I don’t comment back on any, so please don’t be insulted if I don’t respond to something nice or critical that you say … I just feel the reviews portion of Amazon is a ‘for readers’ place. But I will see it, I promise.
What in the heck happened? Have you been contaminated by Game of Thrones? The book was disjointed to the point of being nearly unreadable. I had to cut the individual pov’s apart to read them. This is approaching the Tad Williams’ Otherland level of disjointed bucket of pov’s.
Well, clearly what happened is that I wrote a story that I think totally kicks ass, and you read it and don’t agree. Such is the nature of art, and, really life. My wife hates lobster. To this day that is so bewildering to me I can hardly wrap my head around it. She says the same thing about my inability to see the joy most people get from coffee. It is what it is, in the end. All I can say is that I am grateful that you liked the series long enough to try the fourth one. I genuinely appreciate your giving my work your time. There really is nothing else any artist can ever ask. So, thank you.