Write Quickly!

Hey Everybody! Just wanted to give a quick update before I go to a holiday party (although I live where the party is, but never mind).

I just renewed my domain name this morning, so RealmsQE.com is mine for another year. I am teaching myself some deeper web programming and I'm toying with the idea of game development, though I'm not committing to a project just yet. Should I commit to making a game, I'll invest in some web hosting.

As far as the book goes, progress is excruciatingly slow. The most work I've done in the last week is draw four lines to make names for two characters. I've decided to give my pirate leader the first name Decebal, but he still needs a last name. Washington doesn't have a new name yet. Blame my third shift schedule.

I still intend on entering ABNA, but in order to do so, I need to step up my game. I'll keep you posted. My next update will be in a week!

Happy Reading!

Pitching a Curveball

Progress on The Book of Water  has been minimal this week. My third-shift job has me sleeping most of the day, which has left me drained of energy.

On the plus side, I know I can renew my domain name this month. I'll be putting in the order next week.

Also on the plus side, I have a rough pitch done for ABNA. I received a few critiques over at the Nerdfighters NING and I am making changes accordingly. Among these changes are those to character names. Daniel Beardfree (Pirate) and George Washington (Fleet Admiral) will no longer have those names. Also, I'll be working to change of the tone to something more serious. I should have a second draft of the pitch up by next week.

Another goal for next week is to have my unsorted material placed into appropriate chapters. Once this is done, I can go chapter by chapter for my first read-through.

Happy Reading!

An Excellent November

It's been a while since I posted here, so I just wanted to give a quick update on the past month.

All in all, this November was a good month to me. I got a job (although not my science job). I also won NaNoWriMo for The Book of Water, on the last day no less. Perhaps the most surprising to me is the fact that I finally made my first royalty as an author!

My goal for next month is to edit The Book of Water so that 1) it has a preface, 2) all unsorted text is put into place, and 3) any storyline gaps are filled. I can't pin an exact release date yet, but it will probably be a similar release date to The Book of Earth. There will most likely be a post about pre-orders when the time comes.

My goal for NaNo 2013 is to win before it's cool. By this, I mean winning before November 25. I may also do Camp NaNo in 2013, but it won't be a Realms Quintessential book. I have an idea for a super-natural crime fighting book that I need to write down before it blinks out of my mind.

Finally, I am going to renew my domain for another year. There will be plenty of celebratory tweets from my (face-lifted) profile!

Until Next Time, Happy Editing!

WriMo, WriMo, WriMo!

It's November! NaNoWriMo is officially here, and after three days, I have written a respectable 5,848 words. At this rate, I will be finished by November 25, which I think will be my fastest win to date.

Here's just some of what's happened so far in The Book of Water:*inhales* Pirates, miniature fleet admirals, giant hammers, naked Janie, smelly Jimmy, and Rocky saves the day. *exhales*

I feel like I'm forgetting somebody though... That's right! I forgot Maya Threads! She's only been mentioned once so far, but has had no scenes or lines. That is one way to boost word count. Another way to boost word count would be to detail (and name) the Pirate captain. Maybe he is out to prove something or is out in the ocean for the experience. Either way, I am going to add another 2,000 words to The Book of Water tomorrow (and there's nothing you can do about it >:3 ).

As far as teasers, I post short quotes on Twitter from time to time, but I do plan on having an excerpt posted on my novel's NaNo page after I cross 25,000 words. I look forward to sharing more with you soon!

Happy Reading!

The Power and The Powerless

It's almost here! Day one of NaNoWriMo! What's that? A hurricane is heading for me? Damn.

That's right. Almost one year to the day after Snowtober, Hurricane Sandy is barreling down on the East Coast. It threatens to knock out power for 7 to 10 days, putting us right into the first week of the writing challenge. Without electricity, my laptop would last less than half a day. Troubling times in Viribia indeed.

On the bright side, this may be an opportunity to use up my stock pile of lined paper. Each year, for as long as I can remember, I disassembled my notebooks at the end of the school year, so I've developed quite the stack. Who knows, if the power goes out, maybe I can give away hand written pages with pre-orders of The Book of Water.

But once again, who knows? One day at a time. If I have power, I'll post on Tuesday. Otherwise, I'll post when power comes back.

Happy Reading! 

The Bridge to Oceana

There's about two-and-a-half weeks until the start of November, so I wanted to start laying out some ideas for The Book of Water.

First off, I want to lay out the military and government. Each Realm has it's own service, and the Water Realm is unique in that it has a Navy. Likewise, it has a Fleet Admiral as its top officer instead of a General. I'm leaning towards a monarchy that has a role as the executive branch. In that case, there will be some sort of congress or parliament to bring laws to the monarch. These details will be smoothed out in November.

Another thing that will be smoothed out in November is the relationship between Janie and Jimmy, more so how the Merlins deal with it. I have a scene in mind where Janie's father and Jimmy go fishing so the father can get more details on the boyfriend. I do have a couple battle scenes in mind for the twins, but I don't want to divulge too much information yet.

I am very excited for this year's NaNoWriMo as I already have a list of plot lines and details written down. This should be a successful year, and I look forward to sharing it with you!

Happy Reading!

Funeral March

This will be a short post. This weekend has been very rough for my classmates and I, as we have lost one of our own. His funeral is tomorrow and most of us will be there. It's definitely not the circumstance we wanted to reunite under.

Currently, I am debating if I should dedicate the next book to his memory. I would have had a tough time getting through college without him, as would many of my classmates. He was a brilliant and witty guy, and I can only hope in dedicating The Book of Water to him, I can honor that brilliance and wit.

I'll post again on Saturday, hopefully with some brighter news. We can only go forward from here.

From The Top!

We're getting closer and closer to day one of NaNoWriMo and the start of Volume Three, on which I am ready to take flight! This post itself is a sign of the times, as it will be my last blog post of the month.

I've been thinking about how to boost sales of the previous two volumes, and the best way to go about it is to take it from the top. The Book of Fire was a learning experience for me as a self-publisher. I learned that I have much to learn about the publishing business. I bought a self-publishing guide that has a timetable in it, outlining the steps for putting out a finished product.

The first step is pretty well handled by my print-on-demand service (all of the title registration, ISBN, the fun stuff), so my top step is to get more people involved in the production of my books. That includes editors, cover artists, beta readers, and people who I know own my previous books. Once I get people involved, I need to keep them in the loop.

But I think between now and then, I'll start developing a dice game to go with my series. This will be published if/when I put out a complete collection for Realms Quintessential. I have many ideas already!

Happy reading!

NaNo Countdown!

Today I want to look at three things: what will happen, what I want to happen, and what needs to happen.

First, NaNoWriMo will happen. I plan to write Volume 3: The Book of Water this year. I've been writing down ideas for characters and story twists for this November. Fun fact: should Water win NaNoWriMo, it will be the second Realms Quintessential book to win (Earth was not entered). Another fun fact: it will be my third consecutive win as an author (I lost my first NaNo in 2009, but I have been 2 for 2 since).

Next, I will talk about what I want to happen. I'm still looking for that 10th paperback sale. Once that happens, I'll get my first royalty payment EVER. I'd also like to see kindle sales start up. In both cases, the books need to be polished into the gems I know they can be.

Of course, if there are things I want to happen, there are things that need to happen. My job search has been at somewhat of a stand-still. I applied for five jobs this week, and next week I go into harassment mode. Imagine, instead of a phone on an employer's desk, I'm perched like an owl poking them repeatedly in the cheek. "Hey... Hey... Hey..." instead of hooting.

All in all, I am confident something will work in my favor. After all, I do have that red poster over my desk.

Happy Reading!

Power of 10?

The number 10 is on my mind right now, and probably for good reason. Yesterday was my fourth "Free Book Friday" and I crossed 100 (10^2) total free copies of The Book of Earth. Though I'm excited to have this exposure, it hasn't translated into much else. There are still no ratings or comments on my books. I encourage anybody who downloaded a copy to leave a rating. It will help me by showing where I need to improve as a writer.

Speaking of improvements, I may scale back on Project M, where I make a new edition of my books when they sell 1000 (10^3) copies. Seeing as The Book of Earth is over 100 distributed copies, Project M will become Project C. This way I can work on improving my books between now and NaNoWriMo.

Also, on the note of 10, I need to sell one more paperback copy of either of my books to make royalty. If you buy the 10th copy, I'll make you something out of Perler beads. Okay? Deal!

Happy Reading!

Run Program

I've been very busy with things other than my novels lately. I've been teaching myself to build websites in HTML, Javascript, and CSS. These efforts have been going more so to my professional (read: Meteorology) career. I do have some ideas in mind to host/redesign this site, but I need the funding to do that.

That's where another list item comes in: finding a job. I'm actively searching for an environmental science job, but I have not secured one thus far. Once I get one, I can look into getting a car, buying more copies of my book, and putting in a greater promotional effort.

I feel it is important to mention here that I am planning to build a corner desk in my room/office. It's going to have a separate set of drawers for my novel business. It's also going to have better wire management for more work space.

Of course, these are all just plans. I'll be able to do these once things start coming through on the job front. Until then, I am doing my run program, for which I'm running my first 5K on Thursday.

Happy Reading!

Wheels Rolling

So far, my Sunday has been going well. I weighed in this morning, and despite having the center of balance of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I lost 3.5 pounds. I also got to drive the family car for the first time. We went to the next town over and got some coffee and pastries.

I feel as though the metaphorical wheels are starting to turn for me. I had a job interview on Friday with a company that seems like a great place to work for with management that seems very accommodating. Should I get the job, I can make a budget for a car and other things I need/want. Then things will take of from there. I am very excited about my future, and I feel it's going to start soon.

However, there are some "cars" that need a push. The Book of Fire is one of them. I may take an hour a day to reformat the Kindle edition, plug Viribia into the story, tweak the grammar, all to have it back up by the middle of next month. I also have a book review to do, which should be done withing the next week.

Once I get "fueled up" I can start making some progress. *Drinks Coffee*

Happy Reading!

Putting Out the "Fire"

As you can see from the books page, The Book of Fire is currently unavailable. There are multiple reasons for this. First, it needs quite a few tweaks such as a few misplaced apostrophes a few wrong words that need fixing. Second, it needs a world name: Viribia. I introduced this world in The Book of Earth, but I need to go back to the first volume and put it in.

Finally (and most importantly) I am pitching my novel to publishers. I feel that getting my novel into an established publisher's hands will get me better access to an editor and a cover artist. Both of these will give the curb appeal I'm looking for with my novels.

If you wish to buy a copy of The Book of Earth, both formats are still available on the books page. It will be for sale until I am done tweaking Fire or until my Kindle Promotions run out for Earth, whichever happens first. Either way, that's at least a month or two away. Just more polish for my gems in the rough.

Happy Reading!

Games (Maybe?)

Lately I've been thinking of a way to give my novels a better reach. I need to find a way to connect my readers to the reading. So I am looking deeper into the subject matter of fantasy worlds and perhaps developing a game.

That's right: a game.

If I start making something, it will more than likely be a pen-and-paper-and-dice game. My books pretty much have an outline for such a thing already. I have plenty of roles already: light mages, dark mages, seamstresses, etc. etc. I would also need races. Thus far, I have humans, demons (major - no minions yet), and a cameo by a troll in The Book of Earth.

I haven't quite worked out the dynamics of the game yet, add to that not much experience playing those games. Once I think of more roles, I'll develop some benefits for picking one role over another (more Notes for soldiers, more magic points for mages, etc.). Then I'll work out a battle system.

As far as publishing this, I'll probably wait until I make a complete-saga volume of the series. That won't be for another few years at least. Just an idea to share for now.

Happy Reading!

Streamlining

This week, I'm trying to straighten out my room/office so it doesn't get so cluttered. Cleaning is not one of my favorite things to do, but it has to get done. My usual method involves taking everything off my floor, putting it on my bed, vacuuming the carpet, then putting everything on the bed away. Only problem: I tend to get lazy when cleaning my room.

Unless I actually finish cleaning my room, I end up sleeping on the living room couch. Since the couch is short  and narrow (ie I am a large guy), I usually wake up with a stiff neck, arm, shoulder, or some combination of those. Not good for sleep or posture.

It's almost the same thing for my novel business, which is currently based out of my bottom desk drawer. It's hard to get stuff done when everything is mixed up. There's stuff that doesn't even belong there, like bank paperwork, school magazines, and computer cables. Once I get this drawer straightened out, perhaps things will go a bit smoother.

Quick Programming Note: There will not be a Saturday post this week. I'll be on a trip with family and away from my computer. I'll be back next Tuesday!

Happy Reading!

Project M (and other things)

Hey everybody,

The live show for the book release had a pretty dismal showing. At most, I had four viewers and two chatters. Out of the two chatters, one just shouted at me in Turkish. None of the people I invited showed up. Very disappointing.

Otherwise, Free Book Friday #1 went well. 59 people downloaded the kindle edition of The Book of Earth. Nobody has rated or reviewed either of my books... Yet.


The issue I have with generating content is knowing whether or not it's good to my readers. When I read my own books, I have a personal bias. That's why I need things like reviews and ratings. This lets me know what works and what doesn't. Here is where Project M comes in.

M of course being the Roman numeral for 1000. I want to get 1000 copies of a book (paperback and Kindle, paid or otherwise) out to the public before I release future editions. In order to make improvements, I need to know the reader's opinion.

If you downloaded a copy of The Book of Earth, you've helped toward this 1000-copy goal. When you finish reading it, please return to the Amazon page to leave a comment or a rating. It would be greatly appreciated!

Happy Reading!

Running Dreams

I've been feeling excited lately. Why? Literature and Athleticism,

Of course, tomorrow is release day for The Book of Earth. Tomorrow morning, I'll be linking up the paperback and kindle pages for Book 2, along with a discount code for paperback (good at the Createspace e-store for 25% off). The live show is still on as scheduled, and I look forward to seeing you there!

On the athletic side (I have one of those, I am surprised as well!), I've come down with the running bug. One with a goal of going to Rio in 2016. A dream of this scale comes with steps of course, as I can't run a marathon with my training to date and my weight (need to lose 70-80 pounds). Within the next few weeks, I'll run my first 5K, after which training begins for a 10K. Ramble Ramble Ramble...

tl;dr: Steps, my friends... steps.

Happy Reading!

Online Tour Details

Hey everybody! The Book of Earth comes out on August 1st, only four days away! Here are some details on the online tour:

• Susan Kline hosted my creativity advice on her blog Motherhoot. Special thanks to her!
• The live show on BlogTV is still as scheduled, August 1st at 8PM.
• Kindle Editions of  Book 2 will be available on Kindle Select, and as a result, I'll be scheduling Free Book Fridays every other week starting August 3rd.

If you would like a guest writer for your blog, I am still available! The best way to get in touch will be through Twitter. Otherwise, stay tuned for the latest update on release news!

Happy Reading!

Eleven Days!

As the day gets closer, I am getting more excited! Just 11 days until The Book of Earth is released!

The focus for this week is maximizing exposure for my books. I finally have a book trailer up for the second volume. I still have a review planned for another book. In addition, a discount code will soon be added to the books page for those who want a paperback copy (code should also work for The Book of Fire, for those who want to start from the beginning).

As for release day, I am planning a release show on BlogTV. You can chat with me live on August 1st at 8PM Eastern. I should be available for at least two hours, but I'll stick around longer if the audience is there!

If you have a blog and would like a guest writer, I am available to write. I specialize in the topics of creative writing and speed writing.

See you at the show, and happy reading!

Change of Pace?

We've had a stretch of hot and humid weather here in New England. I have to make adjustments to my routine to account for the heat. For example, if I wake up late and it's too warm for my daily run, I opt to stay in the AC and play a console fitness game. Even my family's small dog can't take too much of the heat, so I bring her out in the backyard so she can do her cough "business" instead of taking her for a long walk.

Other things have changed as well. I am no longer working at the chain store (for reasons I won't go into here). In the short term, I am focusing on my novels, the second of which is slated for release on August 1st. In the longer term, I am focusing on finding a job that goes with my degree.

I need a change of pace so I can blog effectively ahead of release day. First, I will be posting blogs on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I won't necessarily be writing them on those days, but they will be stacked for posting. Two, I already have a live show planned for August 1st, and hopefully I will have a book trailer up before then. Finally, I have a vacation weekend coming up, so I need to make sure that blog is stacked before I head out.

Lots of important details to get through over the next two weeks!

Question to Readers: What important things do you have coming up? How is your schedule changing because of them? Leave your responses in the comments below.

Happy Reading!

American Chain Store Christmas

The past seven days have been a strain on my body, but for good reason.

I got a temporary job with a chain store opening a store locally.The shifts are long (10 hours, not counting breaks), and there's a lot of heavy lifting involved, not to mention a demanding schedule in which the store needs to be built, stocked, and cleaned in a matter of 10 days.

The past three days have been somewhat of a chain store Christmas. It's been consecutive days of waking up, having barely enough time to have breakfast and assemble lunch and break snacks, and unloading a tractor trailer. A "mom" (manager) has all the"kids" (employees) get to the "car" (tractor trailer) to unload "gifts" (probably not the most accurate term for items).

Once the tractor trailer leaves, the kids open the gifts. In a bout of reversal, the opened gifts are placed under the metal trees, waiting for their true giftee to arrive. Mind you, with four days until the grand opening, there are already people showing up to the store, eagerly awaiting their time to enter.

But until then, there will be more products to put on shelves, more carts to push, and more double-digit-hour days. When my time there is up and I get paid, I hope I'll have my own American chain store Christmas.

Need a Writer?

It's almost July! Just about one month until I release The Book of Earth!

I'm pretty excited about this next month. I got a job, and though its temporary for the time being and not related to my degree, its employment nonetheless. I also upgraded to a full version of Office and completed the Kindle edition of The Book of Earth, which is now waiting on KDP for publishing day! Third, I also have two video projects to do: a trailer for my book, and a book review for The Deadly Game.

This July, I am looking to write guest posts for blogs as part of my online tour. Preferably, these would be in the second half of the month. My genre is fantasy. I am also a two-time NaNoWriMo winner, so I can write about improvisation and creativity. If you are looking for a guest writer, please contact me at RealmsQE@gmail.com

Consider it a help-me-to-help-you scenario :) 

Happy Reading!

[ALERT] Rogue Entitiy Overpricing Books

Attention Self-Published Authors:

I write today's blog entry as an alert to all taking publishing into their own hands. A "reseller" called Stork Media, supposedly based out of Phoenix, Maryland, is selling self-published works at twice the selling rate set by the authors.

For example, my book (listed by the reseller at $19.27) and my sister's book (listed at $24.07).

The actions taken by Stork Media are potentially damaging to the self-publishing industry. First, authors do not receive royalties on the large overhead placed on their titles. These large overheads also drive customers away, convincing them our titles are expensive. Second, the B&N pages linked above are unprofessional; they do not contain cover images or descriptions, key elements in capturing consumer interest.

This incident is not isolated to my family. Many other authors have had issues with third-party resellers.

Neither Barnes & Noble nor Stork Media has my permission to distribute my works. I encourage my online followers to use my "Books" link above if they wish to purchase my works. Paperbacks are always $8.99 and Kindle editions are always $2.99 (save special events, where the prices will be lower).

As self-publishers, we need to remain vigilant to protect our works. If your work is being resold by Stork Media, please contact your printer (i.e. CreateSpace), and the chain store that is posting the work.

Customers: if possible, please buy your books as directly from the author as possible.

Sincerely,

K. Louis Johnson

[Contest] Insights? In Book!

Let's boost this number, shall we?

Hey everybody! I still have one more advance copy of The Book of Earth to give away! However I do need your help!

The pic above is from the admin page for Realms Quintessential (linked above). I need 30 likes to unlock insights but so far I only have 21.

This is where you come in. To enter, all you have to do is "like" Realms Quintessential on Facebook. If the page breaks 30 likes, there will be a drawing for a copy of The Book of Earth in early July.

If you already like Realms Quintessential, you are already entered. If there are more than 30 likes, don't worry! "Like" the page before July 1st and you will be entered.

Good Luck and Happy Reading!

PARTY PARTY PARTY

AND THE CAPS STOP... now.

I do have a couple reasons to celebrate. First, my graduation party is tomorrow. (Sorry, internet, you're not invited.) I'm looking forward to swimming, eating a lot of food, and the company of friends and family. I just have to remember to bring sunscreen so I don't bake like I did when I went fishing in Lowell.

Second reason: I have physical copies of The Book of Earth! In other words, I cashed in my NaNoWriMo 2011 code. The five copies I have are already slated for delivery elsewhere, including a local print publication and a YouTuber in California (yet to be revealed). Two copies are going to friends who helped name a character in the novel. The fifth is still a toss-up. If I don't arrange a delivery for it by Sunday night, it will more than likely be a contest copy!

So stay tuned to the blog and the twitter for more information on a possible giveaway. Perhaps you can have a reason to party! (or at least be mildly excited)

Happy Reading!

Kindle-ing Progress

Hey everybody!

It's been a very busy time between the last post an this one. I graduated on May 26th with my Bachelor's of Science from UMass Lowell. I've also been putting in a bunch of job applications both for science jobs and smaller jobs (to get me on my feet, keep things running etc). I've also started a 5-K training program, in which I'm at the second week of ten.

That's not to say that I've stopped working on The Book of Earth. ARCs are being sent to a few places, and press releases and promotional materials are being sent along with them. I am fully intent on having this book public on August 1st.

And THAT is not to say the Kindle version won't be out the same day. While I wait for my ARCs to come in, and between making promotional stuff, I am tagging up my book file with HTML and CSS, making sure it looks great on the eReader. I actually find the coding part to be fun. It gives a puzzle of finding out what works in the eBook format.

All in all, pretty excited with the progress that's being made!

Happy reading!

Writing Prompts

My final read-through of The Book of Earth is almost complete, but I am already getting ideas for a future work. Here are some writing prompts based on my ideas:

1. Do your characters have some sort of guiding animal or symbol?
2. Is there a romantic relationship in your novel? Is it young love? How do the parents react?
3. Did you create an animal for your novel? What preys on them?
4. Your society is unable to inhabit ground level. How do they occupy the area?
5. Your main characters become physically separated. How so, and how do they get together again?

These are just some of the ideas I have. If I think of more in the future I will add them here.

Happy Writing (and Reading)!

Introducing The Blog Roll

Hey everybody!

I just finished my last final! So excited! Now just to wait for the grades while I nervously bite my nails...

That, or I can work on my novel. Seems like the healthier alternative.

I am about halfway through my final read-through of The Book of Earth. Now that my classes are done, I have a week between now and commencement to put some continuous time into my writing. Once I get through this reading, more fun marketing stuff begins.

Today, I announce I'm adding a blog roll to this website. This blog roll is in three parts. The first part is Friends of Realms QE. These would be people I know personally who have helped in making the books. The next section is Fellow Authors. If you are a self-published author and would like a link to your blog posted here, leave a comment below. The third and final section is Critical Blogs. These will include links to reviews for fantasy, dystopian, or other related genres. Once I get about two or three in each category, the blog roll will go live!

Please note: This is a blog roll. I will not post links to Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, or other social media sites. You are more than welcome to have those links on your page.

Happy Reading!

Half and Half (and Half)

Hey everybody:

It seems surreal to me that I'll be done with my undergraduate career in a week, and I'll (hopefully) have my degree in two. And in that same time frame, I'll have a final draft of The Book of Earth completed.

It's strange how time to be moving awkwardly. A mix of the hours going slow and the days going fast. It's like falling, but you only go halfway, then halfway, and halfway again, being so close to the ground but never actually touching. Each morning, I wake up and say "X days until graduation" then let out a warbled roar in shock at how close I am to commencement.

Other than my time observation, I don't have any more novel news at the moment, but I will definitely post an update if it warrants it!

Reader Question: What are you reading this summer? What are your favorite genres?

Happy Reading!

Really Real, Really Happening

Hey everybody!

 The time is coming up fast. No, not the pub date, that's still in August. But finals.

I just had my last class (hopefully) of my undergraduate career. There's two finals this week, and two finals next week. The packing pace is slowly picking up, getting ready to move out of Lowell by May 26th. Soon, I'll be back in Springfield, trying to figure out the next stage of my life.

Novel writing will still very much be a hobby of mine. That should be obvious, considering my series is called Realms Quintessential. Whatever my career path winds up being, I know that I'll have writing to express my creatvity and to dream of success (like translating my book into a foreign language, but that will be a later post).

Right now, my focus needs to be on studying. Novel proofing/marketing/fun stuff will be slowed down, but not necessarily stopping. Blog posts will still be on their Monday and Friday schedule, and book proof reading will pick up as finals wind down. Quite frankly, nothing's changing :D

Reader Question: What are you doing this summer? Leave your response in the comments below.

Happy Reading!

May the Fourth (Among Other Things)

Hey everybody!

It's another Friday update. I've been busy lately with schoolwork, and with my first final coming up on Wednesday (May 9th), and other assignments to get done before then, progress on The Book of Earth has been slow.

However, I do have some good news for those anticipating the release! A sample is now available through the CreateSpace Gallery. There will be a link to the sample on the "Books" page. It includes the first four chapters of The Book of Earth, and you can also rate and comment on the sample there.

I fully intend on sticking to the August 1st publishing date. Between now and the end of the month, I plan to have one chapter finalized a day, granted my academic obligations are met. The sample may also be expanded a couple times between now and the pub date, for your reading entertainment!

Reader Question: Hey! Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow! Are you celebrating? If so, how?

Happy Reading!

Packing Up!

Hey everybody!

It's been a rather productive week in terms of The Book of Earth. I've finished going through the main body of the text (with the help of a friend) and I am currently writing a preface for the second book. It's at 500 words right now, and my aim is 1000 words, give or take a couple hundred. i'm looking forward to the next phase of production, which is formatting and finalizing the novel.

In other, somewhat related news, I've started to pack my dorm room. I don't graduate for another month, but I am putting stuff together to go home. My cover arts (Books 1, 2, and the yet-to-be-written 3) and my NaNoWriMo 2010 certificate are wrapped in freshly cleaned bedding and packed into a tote. Graduation is so close I can taste it. It tastes like polyester.

Question for readers: What important events are coming up for you? Leave your response in the comments below.

See you on Monday, and Happy Reading!

Confessions of a Writer

Hey everybody,

As much as I thoroughly enjoy writing books, there is one confession I have to make: I am not much of a reader.

So far in 2012, I've only read one book for entertainment, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Currently, I'm about two-thirds of the way through The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (not two-thirds through the trilogy, just the first book). My next read is American Gods by Neil Gaiman, which I got through an online gift exchange.

It's not that I dislike reading. Put a good book in my hands and I will be entertained. It's just that I've been busy lately and haven't had much time between assignments and work to sit down and get into a book. Once I get past the end of this month, I should have more time to sit down and enjoy a good text.

Reader Questions: How many books have you read so far this month? Any recommended books?

Happy Reading!

Print That!

Hey everybody!

It's Friday again, and it feels like time is flying by. I have 36 days until graduation, and I already have my cap and gown! (Though to be honest, there is a hood piece that comes with it, and I am not sure how it goes on.) Exciting times indeed.

I've been making some progress on The Book of Earth despite my homework load. Right now I am on Chapter 15 of the editing phase. I should be out of this phase by the end of the month, if not within the next week.

Also, I decided on a new printer! It is a pretty good deal for the price and already comes with ink. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have already seen my sheet of Signed Copy stickers. Can't wait to slap those on some books ;)

Keep your eyes to this blog and to Twitter. Soon, I'll be posting new details on the book, as well as some promotions, in the coming days.

Happy Reading!

Schedule Update

Hey Everybody:

Apologies for the lack of updating. Things have been very busy lately between school work, working, and editing The Book of Earth. 


Good news on the production front: I am 12 chapters (of 19) through editing book two. Also, I have more to work with in the Book of Earth fund, meaning I'll soon be able to get a new printer (to make Signed Copy stickers), or I can at least match my free copies to have more books on hand. In short, I'm nearing the point where I can begin marketing my next book.

In terms of scheduling, I'll be blogging on Mondays and Fridays. This will give an update from the weekend (on Mondays) and an update from the week (on Fridays). More minor updates (graphics, book information, etc.) will be updated as needed.

Until next time, Happy Reading!

Plug, Plug, Plug

Right now, my laundry is being washed in the basement. I am about two chapters (of twenty) through the editing phase of the book. The editing copy of The Book of Earth is open in another tab, waiting for more markup.

It's important that I get some work done every day on my novel, even if it's just half an hour. Like right now, my clothes a will take 30 minutes to wash, which is time I am using to write this post. When my clothes go to the dryer, I'll put 30 minutes into editing my book.

As far as a deadline for the editing phase, I am looking to finish by April 18th. This gives me ample time to wrap up any formatting needs and to make a decent cover (instead of using the CreateSpace Cover Creator).

Question for my fellow authors: How much time do you put into editing? Do you work on your books every day? Leave your responses below.

Happy Reading!

Now The Fun Part!

Last night, I finally crossed the 50,000 word threshold on The Book of Earth, taking me out of the drafting phase for the book. Now comes the fun part: the editing phase.

The editing phase is a truly complex beast, because you never really know what your book needs until you do something outside of it. I have a friend helping me with this phase, and he suggested that I add more content to the book. Of course, just finishing the rough, I haven't done a complete re-read yet.

In fact, I might have found some inspiration from the beginnings of my description, posted below:

Since ancient times, the Realm of Earth has been divided in religious and scientific debate. At the height of the battles, two dark forces emerge: a brain-washing demon of a past millenium and a billionaire weapons expert bent on world domination.

That's what my book needs. More debate and a closer approach to all-out civil war. That's what I'll keep in mind as my friend and I edit my book.

Happy Reading!

A Gift for Me... or You?

Hey everybody!

It's the start of another week of classes, more notably the last one before Spring Break. I do have a couple midterms to contend with before heading home, so my writing time will be limited so I can get some quality study time. Not to worry though, I still plan on moving to the editing phase for The Book of Earth by March 15.

Also, my birthday is coming up! In fact, I turn 22 tomorrow. What do you want for your birthday? Thanks for asking! There isn't much I'm going to ask for here. Actually, I'm giving a gift to you! For today and tomorrow, the kindle edition of The Book of Fire is available for free. All I ask for is some feedback on the Amazon page when you've finished reading.

These promo days cover my last two promo days from Amazon KDP Select, and I won't be renewing after its enrollment is up. This will allow me to take my book to other eBook distributers. Take advantage of this free book now, because its the last free promo until Book of Earth hits Kindle!

Happy Reading!

Exciting Times

Hey everybody,

My new laptop came in this week. This is great news since I am now no longer constrained to library hours for writing time. As matter of fact, I might add another 1000 words to The Book of Earth tonight.

Also, my part-time jobs is starting to pay, and I got a refund check from my school. I've started building a nest egg for investing in my books.

Needless to say, I'm pretty pumped about my book's progress. I'm actually itching to write right now, so I'm going to do that. Expect my next blog post on Monday!

Happy Reading!

Requiem for Laptop

Yesterday, my laptop finally bit the dust. First, the tab key was broken off (that happened some time ago), then the DVD drive stopped working, and finally the screen stopped working.

I make a particular point about this laptop because it was my first one. I had this computer since I graduated from High School in 2008. This is also the laptop on which I wrote The Book of Fire and Epic Sofa D, along with the majority of The Book of Earth.

I keep my novels saved on a flash drive and I also back them up to Google Docs multiple times during the writing process. As far as a new computer, my mom already has that taken care of. She's calling it an early graduation gift, one that is very much needed and greatly appreciated.

Needless to say, production may be delayed once again, looking this time to the end of the month instead of the middle as expected. I do plan on meeting my word count goal soon.

Happy Reading! 

New Goals

Just a short blog post for today. It's a long day here, and I'm in the classroom for the duration. As much as I enjoy writing, my classes need to come before it.

That being said, I'm pushing my rough draft target forward to the middle of February. This will be about 1500 words a day, which seems manageable. I will also be restarting my YouTube project, except it won't be on a daily basis. It will probably once a week, but no more than twice a week.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I am starting a job on campus. I plan on putting money down from the first check for a new printer/scanner so I can make stickers (the blanks have shipped, should be getting those soon). I am still dedicated to giving my readers a quality book and it's my hope that this will be of value.

Anyways, I have to get lunch now. My next class is coming up fast!

Happy Reading!

Working Capital

The Book of Earth is still quite some time away from finished. The pace has been a bit slow, since with the start of the semester comes a decent amount of homework. I've been trying to weave some writing time between homework (for example, I owe myself 1000 words in Earth for doing two dynamics problems).

I got some good news recently. I'll be starting a part-time job next weekend, so I'll start getting paychecks. This is great for me because the work fits into my school schedule, and I can start generating some working capital for my novels. The first thing I plan on getting is a new printer/scanner, seeing as the last one died on me. Once I get this, I can print up my "Signed Copy" stickers (just got blanks from Amazon), and start adhering them to books I already signed (ones that my family members have).

I feel great that things are slowly yet surely coming together. Within the next few weeks, The Book of Earth should be in its editing phase, and my marketing plan will be underway.

Readers: How are things going for you? Leave your comments below.

Happy Reading!

In the Classroom

Right now, I am sitting in a classroom. There are a few other people besides me, waiting for the next class to start in about twenty minutes.

While I'm not crunching numbers pertaining to Earth's atmosphere, I am crunching numbers as it comes to my book sales. During a one-day promotion I did over break, 85 people downloaded The Book of Fire for free. Before the promotion, no copies of my book sold at $1.99. So by my math... number crunching ... my new lower price of $1.29 will at best (and a very optimistic best) will get 30 sales a day.

I've also lowered the price on paperback editions. Amazon recently did away with their Pro Plan, allowing every publisher to enjoy lower publishing costs. This is good news since I can now sell on Amazon without having to drive up prices. Now instead of selling for $11, The Book of Fire is now available for $7.99.

As always, links to both editions of The Book of Fire are available on the books page. I may add a listing for volume 2, The Book of Earth, even though the rough draft isn't finished yet.

Time to go! Class is starting!

Happy Reading!

Packing Up

It's almost that time of the year again to head back to school for the Spring semester. What makes this time special is that it's my last semester. This May, I will be graduating with a BS in Atmospheric Sciences.

Right now, I'm sitting in my room/office, gathering things to take back with me to my dorm. I've got clothes, notebooks, and snack foods. I'm even bringing my leather "business" pad with me (which holds my story on a flash drive).

This semester has some wide open spaces, so there's plenty of time to work on The Book of Earth and go to the gym. It is still my goal to have book #2 out by August of this year, granted I get my word count up to 50K by graduation. I stopped work on ABNA because I know I won't reach the threshold before January 23rd.

Readers: Are there any deadlines you're facing? Leave your responses in the comments below.

Happy Reading!

Snow!

Last night, as I crossed 28,000 words in The Book of Earth, I looked out my window to see snow!

It's been a relaxed winter here in Massachusetts. We had the big winter storm in October, but it has been quiet otherwise. I was expecting more snow while on break from school, but we don't always get what we're asking for!

Speaking of going back to school, I go back to Lowell in five days. Between now and then, I need to reach 50,000 words in order to have a qualifying novel for ABNA. I said I could be able to do it, but with each passing day, it feels like I'm trying to pull a rabbit out of my hat. I don't have rabbits...

Either way, I just need to write. Don't worry about pace, don't check the word count every five minutes. Just Write.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Happy Reading!

Seed to Read

Yesterday, I held a free e-book promotion for "The Book of Fire." To my surprise, Amazon delivered 82 free copies of my book during a 24-hour period. I'd like to thank everybody who dropped by and got their copy.

If you did download a copy of the book, I would appreciate a rating and/or review. This will help me to understand where I need to improve in my writing, and where I can provide a better reading experience for you.

Depending on how things pan out over the next week, I may plan more promotions or make some changes. Your ratings and reviews will help in planning these.

So once again, thanks for downloading my book, and I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Reading!

Ariston's Shield

Excerpt below from Realms Quintessential: The Book of Earth (C)2012 K. Louis Johnson. All rights reserved.

In the ancient Earth Realm, Ariston was one of the elite warriors, if not the best of the best. He slayed many demons, and through that he commanded much respect. Ariston also had the longest beard among the men which only seemed to grow with each victory.

One fateful day, on the occasion of the Earthen Festival, Ariston's status would be challenged. In the court of the lioness of the soil, fighters took turns fighting in the tournament. Many of Ariston's fans had grown beards of their own for a full year before the festival. As hundreds of warriors become tens, the audience became divided in applause. One side cheering for Ariston, the other cheering for newcomer Salu Tatorian. Cheers became louder for both sides as tens fell to single digits. On the festival's final day it was announced that Salu and Ariston would fight for the championship. Trumpets played as the warriors were ushered in. They stood at attention as the Lioness entered the stadium, the sole referee of the contest. “Begin!” declares the Elemental.

For the next hour the two fighters challenged each other, matching blow for blow. Cheering became gasping, which then became louder gasping, which then became louder cheering. Time on the field was moving excruciatingly slow for both fighters. Both warriors were out of breath. Salu rushed toward Ariston, who threw his shielded arm out to strike Salu with his sword. Seizing the opportunity, Salu's sword sliced away, chopping off his beard.

The lioness rose to an upright sitting position. “THE BATTLE IS OVER!” yelled the Elemental. The crowd was mixed in cheer and shock. Salu Tatorian was brought forward as the new champion while Ariston was escorted out of the stadium in shame. He would live out the rest of his years beardless and in hiding. The shield of his former glory is rumored to sit at the end of a cave on the Island of Brush.

Over 10,000!

That's the number of words I have done for The Book of Earth so far.

I'm behind pace right now if I want to catch the train for ABNA. My deadline for that would be the 19th, which will give me some time to fine tune the book before submission. I had a spreadsheet with daily goal word counts, but I deleted it. The important thing now is to just write.

Meanwhile, my chapter list is being condensed. The original 30 I had written down is now 25. This is still less than the 37 I have in The Book of Fire. The chapters in book two will be more substantial than the ones in book one.

My goal for the next week is to have 30K done. The current 10K is mostly content that's already been handwritten (I was inspired and wrote a chapter I hadn't started yet). The written copy has 16K words, so that leaves me 14K new words to write between now and next Saturday. This seems doable to me.

Readers: What are your goals for next week? How does it break down?

Happy Reading!

New Year, New Book!

Happy New Year, everybody!

I know it's a few days late, but better late than never! My main resolution this year is to be more organized. That includes making office space to work on my novels. Right now, my office is the lower drawer of my desk and I'm hoping to expand, royalties depending.

Epic Sofa D is officially on the back burner for the time being. I have checkpoints set for The Book of Earth, the first of which comes up on the 7th. I'll be treating this as a part-time job for the time being, and I'll see where I can work in writing time in during the semester.

Readers: What are your resolutions for 2012? Leave your response in the comments below.

Happy Reading!