I've been rather quiet lately, so I decided it would be nice to let you know what I'm doing and what to expect this year.
At the moment I'm doing a community play with my wife and son. It's a good way to spend time with them and something I kinda enjoy doing, although it interferes with my writing time. *sigh* I do love performing the play in front of an audience though.
Novels
As far as my fantasy novels set in the world of Ryallon go, I've finished the fifth book, "Ebudae". It's currently undergoing edits and I plan to publish it in late May/Early June. My three beta readers have given it rave reviews and tell me it's my best work yet. The character Ebudae is a young wizardess with ability beyond her years and a natural toughness. She's the sort of person who will save herself before ever letting a knight in shining armor do so.
I haven't started the next book, "Pelya", but I know how it's going to go. Memorizing lines takes up the same parts of my mind as writing does, so I can't begin until after the play. I'm guessing I'll have the first draft finished in July and publish it in December or January.
I also have the next trilogy (books 7-9) plotted out. I know the overall plot as well as the basic plots for each of the books. I can't wait to write them. :) I'm hoping to publish all of them in 2013.
Short stories
I have ideas for my Demented Children series, but no plans to write one at the moment. Currently, I have 8 short stories I give away for free and only 6 books I sell, so I'd like to reach balance on them. However, the Demented Children series is very popular and I intend to write many more in the years to come. In addition, I have other stories kicking about in the back of my mind that I may put on paper if inspired.
The best news is that illustrations for "The Emo Bunny that Should" are nearly done. I also plan to go through and do another edit to the story to make certain it's perfect and easy to read. We're hoping for an Easter release. The artwork is beautiful and I can't wait for you to see it. Here's a sample of the latest:
 |
| Copyright 2012 Arlene Rose |
I'm going to sell the illustrated version for $5.99 I believe it's a good value for an illustrated children's book. I'll keep the text-only version free.
Editing
At the moment, I'm going through and re-editing the Willden Trilogy. A few reviews have mentioned that I over-describe things and that the books are too wordy. I began looking at "Kethril", my third book, and found it to be true.
When I began editing it this time, I discovered that I had way too many descriptions of details that didn't advance the story and, in fact, distracted from the story. I'm halfway through this edit and I've deleted 10,000 words from the total 123,000 original length.
I have to tell you that I'm appalled by this and I apologize to all of you who've read it so far. What's extraordinary is that the story is still exactly the same even without those words. They added nothing to the story.
I ask that you forgive me for them though. The reviews have also mentioned that the books are enjoyable to read and the characters wonderful. With these new edits, it should speed the reading experience and improve the enjoyment of the characters. I'm doing "Anilyia" and "Rojuun" next.
I'm also learning a great deal in this process. My fourth and fifth books are much leaner and faster reads. I'll apply my new knowledge to the upcoming books to make them even better. :)
In Conclusion
I promise that I'm doing my best to provide you with the highest quality writing I can provide. I'm constantly working to improve and learning how to master all the tools of my trade. Thank you for taking the time to read my stories and I hope that they provide you with great enjoyment. There will be many more to come. :)
All my best,
John H. Carroll
6 comments:
I was too caught up in the story to notice an extra 10,000 words. I still enjoyed it. Q: are all your published works only in e-book form?
That's wonderful to hear. :)
You are correct about them only being in e-book form. I know a number of my readers would like paperback and it's something I'll consider in the future.
Agreed, the stories are still awesome regardless of whether some think they are on the too-wordy side. ;) But I do, however, applaud you for taking your reader's concerns to heart and striving to continually improve your work! Reading through the omnibus at the moment and have laughed my head off more than once.
How long does the play go? *does Vevin's "can hardly wait til the writing resumes in earnest" dance* lol Looking forward to your future works! Long live the emo bunnies!
Hi Ian and thank you. :)
I'm thrilled that you're enjoying the books. The humor is one thing I have going for me, especially in the dialogue. I even find myself grinning.
It's hard to critically assess my own work, so paying attention to the reviews gives me a new perspective. In addition to being an artform, writing is a craft that can be honed and I want very much to be excellent at it.
The play started out rough. We have two directors, one being new, and it's difficult to adjust. However, things are falling into place and I'm actually having some fun.
I hate not writing, but at the same time, I'm glad I'm doing these edits. It's making the books better and I'm learning things that I'll apply to my future writing. :)
All my best,
John
Hi John. I just finished the second of ur Willden trilogy (read the first 2 in 24 hours) and would start the third but it is 5am and I guess I should sleep. I love the characters, the humor has had me heeheeing out loud making my girlfriend look at my wierdly. I am just n love with the story and characters. I am going to spread the word about you. Thank u for sharing ur imaginary fiends with us.
Hi JennyLea,
Wow! 2 in 24 hours is amazing. That's awesome. I find myself grinning when I write those funny parts and my family looks at me oddly too. I love reading fantasy novels until the early hours of the morning, so it's awesome that you did so with mine. :D
There will be many more to come. Enjoy. :)
John
Post a Comment