I'm seven days away from launching into a three-week writing marathon to complete the first draft of Brooms, book 2 in the Uncanny Icons series. Seeing as the story centers on witches, curling, and lake monsters, my antenna is up in regard to all three subjects. So, I was delighted this morning to see brand-new footage of something strange in Loch Ness, home to one of the most fabled (and likely mythical) lake monsters, Nessie. This footage captures a strange wake made by something moving underwater in the lake. I'm curious to see what kind of explanation is offered. You can watch the vidoe here.
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These days I've been so busy editing other people's books that it's been difficult to find time to work on my own projects. So, like other authors I know who are in a similar situation, I took a look at my schedule in search of pockets of time that I could reclaim for my writing, and my thoughts led me to this place. We are lucky enough to live in Kimberley, BC, a nice little town on the edge of the Rocky Mountains that just happens to have a ski hill right in town. Every Saturday and Sunday morning, I ski from about 9:00 - 11:00 (before the lineups get too long). During that time, I ski somewhere between 6-8 runs, which means I spend nearly half of that time on the chair lift. Seeing as I've mostly been riding alone due to COVID-19, I realized that gave me basically two hours each weekend to work on my books.
So, that's exactly what I've been doing for the past couple of months. Each day I set a different task for myself to accomplish, and then I record my thoughts on my phone as I sit there taking in the beautiful mountain views. As a result, not only have I been able to work out virtually all of the story kinks for Brooms, book 2 in the Uncanny Icons Series, I've also done the same for LARPers, book 7 in the Milligan Creek Series. All that to say, many people dream of writing a book, but most of those people never do it because they say they can't find the time. However, if you're serious about it, you will find a way, and it may be in a place that you least expect!
I'm what you call an indie author, which means I don't publish my books through a traditional publisher. Instead, I publish them directly through Kindle Direct Publishing and IngramSpark. Recently, Amazon, who owns Kindle Direct Publishing, posted a video showing how books like mine get made. At the 5:54 mark, they even show the cover to Epic Zero, which is written and published by a friend of mine. Check out the video and see what happens after you press the "purchase" button.
What do these three things have in common? They're all part of book two in the Uncanny Icons series, Brooms, which I'm currently writing right now. As I was doing research for the book, I stumbled across a book that I read countless times when I was in elementary school, Canada's Monsters by Betty Sanders Garner. As a budding cryptozoologist, I read everything I could get my hands on regarding lake monsters, sea monsters, sasquatches, yetis, and the like. Who would have guessed that, decades later, all of that research would bear fruit? At any rate, I was so excited to find a copy of the online that I had to order it, just for old time's sake. In the meantime, here's an image of the cover, featuring a painting by James Simpkins, which should make it apparent why this book so captured my imagination.
Here's a brief excerpt: I’ll be honest, this is the most I’ve smiled yet in the Milligan Creek series (which is saying a lot because I’m always grinning and giggling with these books – they take me back to that childhood time where I snuck away and read books all day… ahh, the memories).. . . I also super love how fast-paced this book is. It’s filled with lots of fun and lots of cool movie ideas. Can I please see some of these movies? Someone make them. They sound downright hilarious! You can read the rest of the review here.
Last year I had the privilege of editing the debut novel by Steve Babb, one of the founding members of the progressive rock band Glass Hammer. They have a concept album based on the novel coming out this fall. Check out the trailer for it below. Once again, I'm doing virtual writing workshops for students from K-12. If you book one this month, I'll send you a free signed copy of any one of my books! In my workshops, which I've done for thousands of students across Western Canada, Australia, the US, and the UK, I cover everything from plot and character development to dialogue and description. If you're interested in booking me for a workshop at your school or library, please contact me for pricing and scheduling details.
I'm about 2,000 words into the first draft of Brooms, book 2 in the Uncanny Icons Series. As a result of all the research I've done on witches and curling, this book has taken on a life of its own, making it far different from the story I originally conceived. However, that's always when the magic happens, so I'm happy to be along for the ride. I'm aiming for a spring 2022 release, so let's see how it goes!
Ray Knightly, author of the Alien Skills series, whom I interviewed back in January on this site, has released a new action-packed dystopian adventure novel called The Knowledge Seeker, and it's just in time for Christmas! Here's a brief excerpt: I never asked to be the sole bearer of the entire Knowledge of your civilization. Yet, here I am, barely sixteen-years-old, and it has fallen upon my shoulders to save what remains of humanity from a second Dark Ages. You can find out more about the book on Amazon.
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