Shakespeare

We have an addition to the family. His name is Shakespeare and he’s fourteen weeks old.

Reader Question #3

Over the last few weeks I’ve gotten a few emails asking the same questions. I’ll answer a few over the next few days.

Greg G. Joiner asks:

How many Thomas of Xuelition books will there be?

Assuming they sell and Booktrope wants them, there will be five. Here is a list:

Ouroboros. Published June 2012.

Arachnid. Submitted to Booktrope and in production. No release date yet.

(The next three are tentative titles)

Golem. This was titled Tiamat. In progress.

Untitled.

Scorpion.

Exciting, huh? Scorpion will end Thomas’ arc and will be the last the series, at least for a while. I want to write other things, But Thomas and his world will be a lot different by the end of Scorpion. There can be other books written and Thomas is fun to write.

Reader Question #2

Over the last few weeks I’ve gotten a few emails asking the same questions. I’ll answer a few over the next few days.

Sandy Stevens asks:

Are sequels easier to write than the first book in a series?

Yes and no.

Yes, because you’ve set the stage and have all the world building done. You just have to move the pieces to where you want them. It’s also like seeing an old friend again after a long absence. You get to catch up and maybe have new adventures together. Sequels are a chance to revisit a favorite place once more.

No, because the first book really flows. It’s the excitement of discovery and meeting new people, visiting new places. I have five Thomas of Xuelition books in mind and have plot ideas but the actual execution is more like work. You have keep the first book handy so you don’t make any consistency errors and the map so you don’t get lost. You want to do cool stuff and say cool things but you don’t want to say the say the same cool things or do the same cool stuff. You want new new cool things.

Arachnid posed a particular problem for me because it was a prequel. I’ll write more about Arachnid later.

I did learn some lessons in all this. If I am going to a series, I need to plot the entire arc out before hand. Live and learn. But don’t get me wrong: I love writing sequels and I am as anxious as my readers to see what happens next.

Reader Question #1

Over the last few weeks I’ve gotten a few emails asking the same questions. I’ll answer a few over the next few days.

Michael Watkins asks:

You used to be active on many writing forums but not such anymore. Is there a reason why?

Sure, there is a reason. Actually several. First, I’m under a five book contract and that’s my highest priority. The Internet is full of shiny objects and I’m easily distracted by shiny objects so I stay offline to focus on my writing. Even my Twitter feed has gone largely quiet.

Second, I’ve made some changes to my offline life and I’m getting more out of life and my family life by pursuing those other interests instead.

Finally I do actually visit a few writing forums, actually exactly two: Mythic Scribes and Absolute Write. I keep another writing forum (no names) on an RSS feed because the people who post there provide a stream of (I assume) unintentional comedy.

Next time: Writing sequels.

Thomas Of Xuelition Talks About “Arachnid”

Now that Arachnid is in production at Booktrope, I asked Thomas if he would like to talk about it. He didn’t but he changed his mind once I paid him a “small fee”.

My questions are in regular font, Thomas’ in italics.

So we are going back in time to a younger, more naive you.

You mean a more stupid me?

I didn’t say that.

No but I was a lot more naive back then. It’s funny how when one is younger how one thinks they are so damn smart when one doesn’t really have a clue.

I think that a lesson everyone learns eventually.

Yup. If I didn’t I’d be dead and you wouldn’t be writing about me. Speaking of which, where is my cut of the royalties?

The check is in the mail.

Uh huh.

So Arachnid takes place years before the events of Ouroboros. Tell me a little about those times.

Anyone ever tell you that you are a terrible interviewer?

No.

You are.

Just answer the question.

Back in those days, I was just starting out. I was still trying to find my way in life, on the path I had chosen.  A big boss offers me what was then a lot of money, though in retrospect it seems it was low pay, to do a job. It turns out the job is a little more complex than I thought.

This is seems to a pattern in your life.

Yes. I blame you for that.

The boss wants you to save his sister and that leads into much more.

Nice dodge. Yes, lots of teleports. I hope I got frequent flier mileage for all of them.

You did.

 

Yes, like always, something simple leads into something far more, uh, interesting I guess you could say. I did get to see areas of the Empire I had never seen before. I got to see cows as well, the highlight of it all.

I can arrange for you to see more cows if you like.

No, I’m done with livestock.

I can have you retire to a dairy farm.

Try it. See if I ever let you sell my stories for money ever again.

You know you don’t really have a choice in the matter.

You know, I think this interview is over.

It was a pleasure.

I hate you.

 

Not Dead II: Dead Harder

No, I’m not dead. Just busy. Here are some bite sized chunks of stuff you might find interesting:

I have updated my email address in case you want to contact me: christopher.turkel @ hotmail.com

I have also added a bibliography page.

Note this page includes public, published material, not unpublished material (Thomas of Xuelition Book II, “The Sweet Smell of Paper”, etc), that I’m under contract for but has not yet been released.

PublishAmerica has had another class action lawsuit filed against it. You can read the details here. Absolute Write also has some details.

Speaking of which, here is PublishAmerica cheerleader and apologist Ann Joiner:

Seven years ago, PA was the best answer for many of us who had valuable non-fiction books that the major publishers, who then still needed to print and successfully sell about 20,000 books in a relatively short time period in order to make a decent profit, were wary of taking on.

Try not to laugh too hard.

Return Of The Return of the King

A couple of years ago I posted a short story, “The Return of the King”. A few months ago I was asked if it could be included in anthology as a promotional tool for fellow Booktrope authors. I was happy to submit a revised and edited version.

Now it’s out and the anthology is called Unusual Stories. It also has contributions from a half dozen other awesome Booktrope authors including Elise Stephens and Steven Luna.

Best of all it’s free. Yes, free! Go get it!

Please Don’t Feed The Troll

I have been alerted by Linton “lin” Robinson has been running his mouth again on Writer’s Beat. I had to login and unignore him to see what the deal was (and immediately thought oh my god, the stupid!). He is at his usual game, attacking and slandering anyone who questions his “knowledge” and “authority”.

This is the man’s MO: go from writing forum to writing forum, attacking whoever he perceives as his enemy. He’s done it time and time again and it look’s like the unfortunate members of Writer’s Beat are now being subjected to his antics.

Lin Robinson has multiple felony convictions, including battery, and was judged mentally ill by a US court. He is on the run from authorities in Mazatlan, Mexico, for stalking a coworker and super gluing the locks of her car.

He’s a coward and an attention whore. Just ignore him and he’ll eventually slither off.

Please don’t feed the troll.

Onto Arachnid

This morning I submitted Arachnid to Booktrope. It is Thomas of Xuelition Book Two.

This one was actually a challenge since it was a prequel and couldn’t do any of the cool stuff I thought of after Ouroboros. Still, I did manage to do some cool things which I am pleased came out okay and set up hooks for the final two books in the series.

I have no idea when it will be out but I hope you find it as fun to read as I had writing it.

2013 Awards Consideration Post

January 1st was the start of Hugo Award nominations, and for members of SFWA, the Nebula Award nominations are already underway. So for those of you nominating or thinking about nominating for this or other science fiction/fantasy-related awards, here are the works I have for you to consider for the 2013 nomination season:

Best Novella:

Ouroboros, Booktrope, Janna Balthaser, editor, June 2012. You can check out the inexpensive ebook at Amazon.

h/t John Scalzi.