Category: Uncategorized

  • Ads, New Characters, Antarctic Honeymoon

    Ads, New Characters, Antarctic Honeymoon

    You can get autographed copies of Artemis Rising and Celestial Accord at the Southlake Spring Festival Saturday.

    Since I have 5 reviews on Amazon now, I started an advertising campaign. Best case, the advertising is paying for itself by this time in May. If it is, that should get me more reviews and make it easier to get more sales from advertising. If I stay on it and keep testing different ads and placement, hopefully I can get sales up to the point where they are paying for editing and covers by this time next year. If I can do that, maybe by the middle of 2027 I can be an overnight success…

    Created a new character this week that will probably be making appearances in upcoming books other than Antarctic Honeymoon. Clio – a librarian mech built by Thoma and later transferred to Eleanor. So Eleanor will be mommy to two mechs, Clio and Argos. If she starts naming her children after Greek legends, I think Walter is going to have a fit…

    I also added a new “race” to the setting, the Tuarélai. They were the inhabitants of aetheric forests on Vulcan, where liftwood (properly known as aetherwood) grew wild. Between the aetherwood trees and the naturally occurring leukos gems underground, the forests had enough ambient aetheric energy to be “magic”. Now that opens up a whole bunch of story possibilities…

    The reason I created the Tuarélai is I needed them to create Aira. She’s going to be a really cool character to write. I didn’t intend for her to look like an elf, but it kind of works…

    In the summer of 1891, everyone in Washington D. C. with enough power to make policy, wasn’t enduring the humidity of a swamp at the confluence of two rivers along the border between Virginia and Maryland. President Harrison went so far as to declare Congress House in New Jersey “the Summer White House.” That drastically altered one of the chapters in Antarctic Honeymoon. Make it more interesting as well…

    I got to the point where George Washington Carver enters the story. He is the botanist I admire more than any other and probably way underappreciated, even today. I’ve taken to making character entries in the lore bible and he has one now.

    Antarctic Honeymoon is progressing. It is a stand-alone Walter & Eleanor story taking place the same time as the first chapters of Selene Unchained. Chapters this week:
    Family Planning
    Return to the Moon
    Overcast Sunshine
    The Search
    Rules of Proximity
    American Geographic Society
    The Liftwood Embargo
    Washington D.C.
    Arkansan Botanist

    Word count is 27,830. Aim is 71,000-78,000.

    Artemis Rising is #4,469 in Space Exploration Science Fiction ebooks, #3,452 in Alternate History Science Fiction, and #6,512 in Exploration Science Fiction. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. There is also an audiobook version here. Five customer reviews now (thanks Rick). I still need more so other readers can find it, but I may start promoting with these five – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord isn’t ranked yet. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Mirim’s First Christmas is live. You can find the paper version here or the kindle version here. I’m still working on getting free versions to be available on my website.

    Celestial Accord copy-edit is available now. The Audible AI audiobook is also available.

    If you want to get early access to Book 3 chapters, write a nice review for Artemis Rising or Celestial Accord on Amazon or Goodreads, and email me that you’ve done it.

  • Steampunk November, some Progress

    Steampunk November, some Progress

    Artemis Rising is #1,904 in Steampunk Fiction, #2,044 in Steampunk Fiction (Kindle Store), and #5,260 in Alternative History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. Four customer reviews now, but I need a few more to get Audible to take notice – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord isn’t ranked yet. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. No reviews yet either – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    You can get autographed copies of both books at Funky Finds Saturday or Sunday.

    Steampunk November was an excellent chance to sell books – better than any other event so far. I had a chance to talk to several other authors about places they go to sell books. It was also kind of cool to be in a place with a lot of other steampunk fans. I’m looking into other events like it. If you know of one, let me know.

    The cold is still making everything harder than it should be. I did make a little more progress, however. Maybe I’ll be over it by this weekend…

    Selene Unchained chapters this week:
    11: The Chain Breaking Begins – completed
    12: Falling Water and Laughing Pastures – started

    Selene Unchained word count is 20,714, not counting Dramatis Personae (988 words).

    If you want to get early access to Book 3 chapters, write a nice review for Artemis Rising or Celestial Accord on Amazon or Goodreads, and email me that you’ve done it.