The Elephant In the Room: My Next Novel and It’s Hopeful Impact

Wow.  It’s been a long time since I’ve posted to this blog. Honestly it’s been an insane two months. On December 5th, my 76 year old mother entered the hospital because of complications following a routine colonoscopy, and I only brought her home a week ago Thursday.  She developed a bleed that wouldn’t stop, so

Think Carefully About Your New WIP

I am in the uphill struggle to finish the final book in the Five Rims series, and as the kids say, the struggle is real.  I have been bombarded with so many new ideas for novels that it has become that much more difficult to finish the current novel because I want to move on with

5 Things to Consider Before Writing a NaNoWriMo Outline

The annual National Novel Writing Month (November) is only a few weeks away.  If you haven’t started on your outline for the event, then you’re in luck!  I’ve narrowed down the five most important things you should think about before you start work on it. Overkill – I’m sure you have a germ of a

3 Reasons to Not Write a Series (AND 3 Reasons Why You Should)

I’m trying my darnedest to finish the third book in the Five Rims series, and writing this blog entry isn’t really helping me achieve that goal…or is it? I think that I will never attempt another series.  It’s not that my series isn’t exciting as it really is.  I love the idea of creating a massive

Philip K. Dick and a Writer’s Subconscious

Currently I’m working on the third and final book in the Five Rims trilogy: “The Shibboleth Code”. It is an arduous task, and even though I love the characters and the setting and I feel like I’m really bringing the story to a close, I am so ready to get on with another book. I have ideas

Some Thoughts On Beta-Readers

Every indie writer needs a good set of beta readers.  However, the choosing of beta readers is a task not to be taken lightly, and it is the writer’s responsibility to help the beta readers do their job efficiently. I’ve chosen beta readers in the past who have been excellent at their job, and some

Frank Herbert’s Dune: Writing Lessons Part 2

Last week I wrote about my new foray into the future world created by Frank Herbert in his first novel Dune.  It is a marvelous novel and I believe anyone who is worth their salt as a science fiction writer should consume the book right now. This week I was reading the events unfold in the

Results of the Kindle Free Giveaway

For the past few days I’ve been blasting my free book on the internet via several outlets and free services that get my book in front of millions of Twitter followers.  Today I went on KDP and checked out the results. I gave away 99 books. Now, let’s say that half of those people who

20 Writing Prompts for Science Fiction Writers

I’m sure you have your own lists, but this is my tried and true list to get me started on any writing project.  Perhaps you can use these or tweak these to suit your own interests, and perhaps you can use them to start yet another novel you won’t finish. My advice: Finish it before

A New Direction for the Blog

I need motivation.  Yeah, I’ve written about five novels now, but I still need motivation to sit down at the computer and write.  I also have a busy household with four kids, a full time job that is more than full time (I teach English and manage an alternative education program) so finding time to