Welcome to my blog

Hello visitors. On my blog I'm talking about my books, but also about what I'm currently working on and, maybe, some other stuff. Browse through my posts and don't forget to check out my older posts in the archives. If you are interested in my books, please, visit my website Fictitious Tales for more information and a few excerpts. Also, take a look at my second blog Herbert Grosshans, where I talk about fun-stuff and things that concern me.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Month End

I can’t believe it is already the 28th of January 2008. I’ve been quite busy with writing my novel 'Tarnished Valor' and I am up to 118, 500 words right now. Today I’m taking a break from writing to do some other stuff. We’re supposed to get a Winter Storm tonight and tomorrow. So I might get a bit of writing done tomorrow.
My two novels ‘Orion, Symbiont of Passion’ and ‘Orola, Warrior Priestess’ have been accepted by Midnight Showcase for publication.
The following is my calendar of releases (with Midnight Showcase) for 2008:
February: Stardogs 2
April: Time Flares
June: Tapestry of Dreams
August: Outpost Epsilon
September” Mark of the Cobra

All of my other stories will be re-released as single titles.
I am checking Fiction Wise frequently to see how my books are doing there and I noticed that Stardogs 1 was at number 4 position January 21. It has slipped to number 5, but I am quite happy and a little surprised, because I haven’t done any advertising. Book 1 of ‘Seeds of Chaos’ was at number 13 position January 18, but has dropped to 69. All the other books are moving up and down. Usually, when I have a new release, they start moving up. Hopefully, this is going to happen again when Stardogs 2 comes out.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

New beginnings

This is post number 100 on my blog. A new year and a new beginning.
I finished doing the last edit on ‘Stardogs Two’ and sent it back to Midnight Showcase. Now I’m waiting for the cover.
I’ve also crossed the 100,000 word barrier with my novel ‘Tarnished Valor’. Today. I’ve written 100,209 words so far. Feels good. I seem to be back in the flow.
Yesterday we watched the movie 3:10 to Yuma, starring Russel Crowe. We really enjoyed it. Finally a good cowboy movie again. ‘Comanche Moon’ is starting tonight, a prequel to ‘Lonesome Dove’. Looks great. And ‘The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ is also playing on the Fox network. We’ll be watching that one also. I’m getting a little tired of all the cop movies and reality shows.
And the comedy shows? We loved ‘Back to you’, ‘Two and a half men’, ‘Rules of Engagement”, and, surprisingly, ‘The Big Bang’. Those nerds are quite funny. But since the Writer's strike they've been put on hold. One show we don’t care for at all is ‘My wife and Kids’. The acting is so overdone, it hurts to watch it. That type of acting was funny when Jerry Lewis was young, but not anymore. Most of the other comedies are a little stupid, but that is just our opinion. You can’t argue over taste, be it food, books and other entertainment, like movies and shows.
I miss Startrek and its spin-offs. Will there ever be a series as good as that one again?
Too bad with the writer's strike. Many of the other shows we’ve been watching have also been halted: The Unit, Cane, Heroes, Bionic Woman.
Maybe they’ll be back soon. Jericho is supposed to come back. I loved that one.

Monday, January 07, 2008

Happy New Year

Happy New Year. I know I’m a few days late, but somehow I didn’t find the time to update my blog. Well, here we are. 2008. Two thousand eight. Already we’ve had two murders in Winnipeg. One shooting and one stabbing. I hope that is not an indication how this year will turn out. Two Canadian soldiers were killed yesterday in Afghanistan when their vehicle turned over. How many will be killed this year in a war that won’t change a thing in the region?
As I said in my last posting, nothing has changed.
In the USA, our neighbor to the south, a few people are trying to gain support for the candidacy of becoming the next President. Good Luck to all of them. I don’t envy the winner. He or she will inherit a big problem and may be blamed for the outcome in the future.
Speaking of the future, my second book of ‘Stardogs’, ‘Redemption’, is scheduled for release this month, but I haven’t heard anything from my publisher Midnight Showcase. I still have to choose a cover and do the final errata. Stardogs 1 is right now at number 21 position in sales at Fiction Wise, but my two books ‘Seeds of Chaos’ are doing well at number 14 and 11. ‘Dual Visions’ has slipped back to position 84 after moving up to number 20 in December.
Both stories ‘Cliffs of Time’ and ‘Orion - the Hunt’ are supposed to be released as singles this month. Maybe they’ll do better alone.
I’m also looking forward this year to the publishing of ‘Tapestry of Dreams’, ‘Mark of the Cobra’, ‘Time Flares’, ‘Orola, Warrior Priestess’, ‘Orion - Symbiont of Passion’, ‘Outpost Epsilon’, and the re-release of all my short stories as singles in the new Midnight Showcase store.
The progress with my novel ‘Tarnished Valor’ is slow. I don’t know what it is, but somehow I always seem to find something else that needs to be done and I’m not writing the number of words I would like to. Like right now; I should be writing the novel instead of doing this.
I find a spend a lot of time doing research, but I’m determined to finish this book, so I can write another Science Fiction novel. Somehow I’m more comfortable writing Science Fiction where I can let my imagination roam free and I’m not bound by facts, by real events and real locations. I can create societies and worlds and creatures that don’t exist in reality. They are already inside my head and want to come out, but I must finish ‘Tarnished Valor’ first. I must!
The world I created in my novella ‘Outpost Epsilon’ wants to be explored more and I have some ideas brewing for a longer novel. Maybe I’ll call it ‘Epsilon’. Usually, I write the story first and then I rack my brain for a title. This time it might just be the other way around. We’ll see.