Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Epsilon, the first draft
I made it. I finished my Science Fiction novel 'Epsilon'. The final count so far is approximately 148,450 words. Now begins the editing. Of course, it will have to be published as two volumes. I'm happy with the ending. It leaves room for a sequel, but the story itself is finished. In case there are sequels I'm preparing for it and I am calling the series The Spiderwars. This novel will be 'Epsilon Book One' and 'Epsilon Book Two'. There are already ghosts haunting my brain for a sequel, but they are only nebulous ghosts with no substance so far and they will stay like that for a while until I have finished writing Book Four of The Xandra.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Mystery of Numbers
No, that is not the title of my new book. It's about mysterious things, in this case numbers.
I walk into the bedroom and the clock on the night table shows 3:33. I wake up at night and look at the clock...3:33. Yesterday when I finished writing on my novel 'Epsilon' for the day and before I closed down I checked the word count. Guess what? 133,333 words. I'm not making this up, it happened.
Before this I used to see 12:12 when I walked into the bedroom. I woke up to 2:22 or 4:44 or 5:55. When I got up in the morning it was 7:11. Not once but many times. Was I supposed to go to the 7-11 store?
What do these numbers mean? I don't know. Strange? You tell me.
To come back to my novel I'm currently writing. Yes, that's right, I'm at 133,333 words right now. Still not finished with it. I probably will have written 150,000 words before I'm done. I can see the end already. It's still a bit foggy but coming into focus. New ideas keep popping up. Who knows I just might have to write a sequel to this one. But before I do that I want to finish Book Four in the Xandra series.
My books haven't been selling too well lately, mainly because I've neglected posting excerpts on the groups and also because I haven't had anything new published, except for 'Orion, Symbiont of Passion'. That's one thing with e-publishing. Things are moving fast, there are new novels and novellas coming out every day and the readers are choosy. My problem is I can't seem to write short books any more. When I began writing 'Epsilon' I never planned to write such a long novel. Now I have to make two books out of it because it is too long for one book. It would be different if it were a novel to be published in print. I haven't done anything with my contemporary novel 'Tainted Valor'. It is 180,000 words long and almost too long for even two volumes. Where to stop the first part and start the second part? The whole novel is connected, just like 'Epsilon'. It would almost be necessary to publish both parts at once. Would readers go for that? I don't know.
I'm still looking for a publisher for 'Tainted Valor', a print publisher that is. I've sent inquiries to four agents but they were not interest. My last inquiry was to John Grisham's agent. I got back a nice letter, wishing me good luck. Perhaps I'm reaching too high. I'll probably end up having it published as an e-book. I was hoping for more. (Sigh).
My book 'King Cobra' which was published by A1AdultEbook isn't doing well. It got a good review but I have a feeling it wasn't erotic enough, even though it had nothing but erotica in it. That was the reason I sent it there in the first place. I've checked out their other books and their best sellers all seem to deal with women being enslaved and used as erotic objects, torture, and other stuff I don't write. The other thing about A1AdultEbooks is the fact that you have to be a member to buy there. I think many readers don't like that. My book doesn't get the exposure I was hoping for on that site. Perhaps I should advertise it more.
I like MSFiction, my main publisher, because they, in addition to selling my books on their site, they also make them available on FictionWise and other sites, which gives my books exposure to more people. And when I have something new published my other books also keep on selling. And if you want the book in print you can buy it through Lulu.
I still don't know when my two volume novel 'Stars in Chains' will be published. Probably not until next year.
I walk into the bedroom and the clock on the night table shows 3:33. I wake up at night and look at the clock...3:33. Yesterday when I finished writing on my novel 'Epsilon' for the day and before I closed down I checked the word count. Guess what? 133,333 words. I'm not making this up, it happened.
Before this I used to see 12:12 when I walked into the bedroom. I woke up to 2:22 or 4:44 or 5:55. When I got up in the morning it was 7:11. Not once but many times. Was I supposed to go to the 7-11 store?
What do these numbers mean? I don't know. Strange? You tell me.
To come back to my novel I'm currently writing. Yes, that's right, I'm at 133,333 words right now. Still not finished with it. I probably will have written 150,000 words before I'm done. I can see the end already. It's still a bit foggy but coming into focus. New ideas keep popping up. Who knows I just might have to write a sequel to this one. But before I do that I want to finish Book Four in the Xandra series.
My books haven't been selling too well lately, mainly because I've neglected posting excerpts on the groups and also because I haven't had anything new published, except for 'Orion, Symbiont of Passion'. That's one thing with e-publishing. Things are moving fast, there are new novels and novellas coming out every day and the readers are choosy. My problem is I can't seem to write short books any more. When I began writing 'Epsilon' I never planned to write such a long novel. Now I have to make two books out of it because it is too long for one book. It would be different if it were a novel to be published in print. I haven't done anything with my contemporary novel 'Tainted Valor'. It is 180,000 words long and almost too long for even two volumes. Where to stop the first part and start the second part? The whole novel is connected, just like 'Epsilon'. It would almost be necessary to publish both parts at once. Would readers go for that? I don't know.
I'm still looking for a publisher for 'Tainted Valor', a print publisher that is. I've sent inquiries to four agents but they were not interest. My last inquiry was to John Grisham's agent. I got back a nice letter, wishing me good luck. Perhaps I'm reaching too high. I'll probably end up having it published as an e-book. I was hoping for more. (Sigh).
My book 'King Cobra' which was published by A1AdultEbook isn't doing well. It got a good review but I have a feeling it wasn't erotic enough, even though it had nothing but erotica in it. That was the reason I sent it there in the first place. I've checked out their other books and their best sellers all seem to deal with women being enslaved and used as erotic objects, torture, and other stuff I don't write. The other thing about A1AdultEbooks is the fact that you have to be a member to buy there. I think many readers don't like that. My book doesn't get the exposure I was hoping for on that site. Perhaps I should advertise it more.
I like MSFiction, my main publisher, because they, in addition to selling my books on their site, they also make them available on FictionWise and other sites, which gives my books exposure to more people. And when I have something new published my other books also keep on selling. And if you want the book in print you can buy it through Lulu.
I still don't know when my two volume novel 'Stars in Chains' will be published. Probably not until next year.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Avatar, the movie, and other stuff
We went to see the movie Avatar. Wow, what a movie! It blew me away. I've actually never seen a 3D movie before. Not everyone liked the movie, though. Some reviewers say that the plot is thin and predictable. They don't get it. It wasn't about the plot, it was about the visual display and the visuals were just stunning, to say the least. The aliens were fantastic, beautiful and exotic, and the planet itself with its flora and fauna breathtaking. I know I'm using a lot of superlatives here, but that is the way I feel about the movie. It was a wonderful experience. Anyone who loves Fantasy and Science Fiction should go and see it. Go to enjoy the experience and don't try to tear apart one of the most spectacular movies ever made. Nothing is ever perfect and one can find faults in everything. I never go to a movie or read a book with the thought in the back of my mind that I want to find things that are wrong. I go with the intention to enjoy and I overlook inconsistencies and scientific impossibilities. Some people will tear apart anything and they miss out on a lot of wonderful experiences.
I’m not very critical. Usually I sit back, relax and enjoy, but there are not many movies that I want to see these days. Most of the comedies are stupid and not funny. I’ve never cared for slasher-movies. The action movies are so overdone that only kids believe them, but they are too young to watch them. The stuff on TV isn’t much better.
I was disappointed in the last Star Trek movie. They made Kirk such a bumbling idiot. The scene where Doc is chasing him with the needle was absolutely idiotic. Spock meeting him in the cave on an alien planet...unbelievable, even for me. The sense of wonder wasn’t there.
Even ‘Terminator Salvation’ left me disappointed. It wasn’t bad, but I liked the series much better. Maybe I just missed Arnold. His character made the movie.
We watched ‘The Eraser’ the other day again for lack of anything descent on TV. Still loved it. Sure, it is overdone, but there weren’t any never-ending car-chases, or stupid jokes while the hero is fighting for his life, no super smart women who beat up men and make them look like idiots. The only cute line was the scene where Arnold’s character shoots the alligator and says, “You’re luggage.” I thought that was funny. But that’s just me.
Speaking of TV. So what do I watch? I like ‘2 1/2 men’, The Big Bang Theory (Yes, I like that one. It is silly, I know but I find it funny. Go figure). Modern Family is funny. I also watch Flashpoint, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Mentalist, The Good Wife, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, Medium (Love that show). We also watch Survivor and The Amazing Race. Once in a while, we watch ‘Numbers’ and ‘Cold Case’.
We used to watch all the CSI shows, Ghostwhisperer, and Heroes but got tired of those. There are only so many hours I want to spend watching TV. In the summer, we hardly watch TV, except for the News. We watch that every day.
I’m waiting for Lost. I hope they bring back the last 3 hours from last year because I missed them.
I’m not very critical. Usually I sit back, relax and enjoy, but there are not many movies that I want to see these days. Most of the comedies are stupid and not funny. I’ve never cared for slasher-movies. The action movies are so overdone that only kids believe them, but they are too young to watch them. The stuff on TV isn’t much better.
I was disappointed in the last Star Trek movie. They made Kirk such a bumbling idiot. The scene where Doc is chasing him with the needle was absolutely idiotic. Spock meeting him in the cave on an alien planet...unbelievable, even for me. The sense of wonder wasn’t there.
Even ‘Terminator Salvation’ left me disappointed. It wasn’t bad, but I liked the series much better. Maybe I just missed Arnold. His character made the movie.
We watched ‘The Eraser’ the other day again for lack of anything descent on TV. Still loved it. Sure, it is overdone, but there weren’t any never-ending car-chases, or stupid jokes while the hero is fighting for his life, no super smart women who beat up men and make them look like idiots. The only cute line was the scene where Arnold’s character shoots the alligator and says, “You’re luggage.” I thought that was funny. But that’s just me.
Speaking of TV. So what do I watch? I like ‘2 1/2 men’, The Big Bang Theory (Yes, I like that one. It is silly, I know but I find it funny. Go figure). Modern Family is funny. I also watch Flashpoint, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Mentalist, The Good Wife, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, Medium (Love that show). We also watch Survivor and The Amazing Race. Once in a while, we watch ‘Numbers’ and ‘Cold Case’.
We used to watch all the CSI shows, Ghostwhisperer, and Heroes but got tired of those. There are only so many hours I want to spend watching TV. In the summer, we hardly watch TV, except for the News. We watch that every day.
I’m waiting for Lost. I hope they bring back the last 3 hours from last year because I missed them.
Friday, January 08, 2010
About Orion, Symbiont of Passion
Hello visitors. Thanks for stopping by. Symbiont of Passion is the second novel about Agent Orion. The first one was 'Orion, the Hunt'. In 'Symbiont of Passion' Orion is sent to Bakker’s Planet to solve the enigma of the 'Mongo', a creature that lives in symbioses with the native population. Orion is more than human. He is a carrier of the 'Ancient Memory' which makes his mind immortal. On Bakker's Planet he meets beautiful Azalee, an artificial construct who has much in common with Orion. His journey takes him deep inside the mountains, away from the snow-covered exterior of the planet, where he takes part in the fertility ritual of the natives and where he experiences the power of the Mongo. After taken prisoner by ruthless slave traders, he escapes and brings the people responsible for almost creating a war between two planets to justice.
Symbiont of Passion is an erotic Science Fiction novel, so be warned.
It is available from MSFiction.
Please, feel free to visit my website Herbert's World to read some excerpts and check out my other books.
Symbiont of Passion is an erotic Science Fiction novel, so be warned.
It is available from MSFiction.
Please, feel free to visit my website Herbert's World to read some excerpts and check out my other books.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Good Morning and Happy New Year
Wow, already five days into the year 2010. Today is my dad's birthday; maybe I should say was my dad's birthday. Were he still alive he would be 108 years old. People do actually get that old. Most of us of course are programmed by nature to die much earlier. The main character in my novel Orion, Symbiont of Passion, is a mortal human, but his mind is immortal. An alien immortal. If you want to find out more read the novel.
When I checked FictionWise today I found that the novel has slipped from the number six position to number nine, but that is still okay.
Even though I've been writing a lot, I won't have anything new published for a while. My two-volume novel 'Stars in Chains' won't be coming out for some time. Too bad about that, because readers tend to forget about you unless something new gets published in certain intervals.
Right now I'm at 117,000 words with Epsilon. There are still so many ideas in my head that I can't seem to finish the novel, but I'll have to end it soon. Could the reason be that I like the world I created so much? Epsilon is an interesting planet, populated by dinosaurs, giant intelligent ant-like and bee-like beings. Alien intelligent spiders and reptilian races challenge the presences of Humans on Epsilon. I wasn't going to have any erotica in that novel, but I've changed my mind. Somehow Erotica managed to sneak in, but I kept it light. Sex, like religion, is part of living. How can you ignore it?
When I checked FictionWise today I found that the novel has slipped from the number six position to number nine, but that is still okay.
Even though I've been writing a lot, I won't have anything new published for a while. My two-volume novel 'Stars in Chains' won't be coming out for some time. Too bad about that, because readers tend to forget about you unless something new gets published in certain intervals.
Right now I'm at 117,000 words with Epsilon. There are still so many ideas in my head that I can't seem to finish the novel, but I'll have to end it soon. Could the reason be that I like the world I created so much? Epsilon is an interesting planet, populated by dinosaurs, giant intelligent ant-like and bee-like beings. Alien intelligent spiders and reptilian races challenge the presences of Humans on Epsilon. I wasn't going to have any erotica in that novel, but I've changed my mind. Somehow Erotica managed to sneak in, but I kept it light. Sex, like religion, is part of living. How can you ignore it?
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