This will be a short blog.

I’ll write a longer one in the new year.

We have a holiday meal, but we’ve long since stopped doing anything else for Christmas. No tree, no presents under that non-existent tree. It’s just the three of us here. My parents aren’t really into Christmas–or any of the holidays really. I enjoy all the hoopla of the holidays but with no one to do it with…So I watch Die Hard and The Santa Clause during this time. Not much of a tradition or celebration but I do love those movies.

It’s the end of 2023. I have only published one book this year but I have started Kindle Vella and written a few chapters on seven different stories. I’m also (still!) one chapter away from finishing book 1 of Bone Whisperer. My muse just seems to be dragging her feet on this book. I’m going to try and finish it before the official last day of the year so I can say I finished two books in 2023.

Still running the naming contest for book 5 of Elemental Voice series. If you got a good name for a vampire matriarch, her vampire PA, her vampire head of security, a human villain, or a morally grey vampire assassin give it a try. You may win a signed book or a signed bookplate as well as being mentioned in the author notes. So put your email and the name(s) in a comment.

First off, we’ve started the first steps of transferring my T.L. books to Ingram Spark. We’re waiting on them to transfer the ISBNs. So awaiting an email. I’ll keep you updated on that.

Bone Whisperer is still not done. I only have one chapter to go but my muse is just not cooperating. She focused on a prequel to one of the 7 vellas I have up on Kindle Vella. I haven’t even updated any of the vellas. My muse is being fickle. I need to finish BW and get to work on the next book in the queue which is Ghostwolf 3. Elemental Voice 5 is also up for working on in 2024. Me and my muse need to have a talk. Stuff needs to get done.

Speaking of Vella, I’m playing some of the promos but I’m on a budget so I play mainly the ‘free’ ones. I’m going to use some of the bonus to buy tokens I think this month when I get it and try playing some of the bigger ones or at least more of the smaller ones. Most of the other vella authors that play the pay-to-play promos have Linktrees so I set myself up with one. That was an experience for this Luddite. 🙂 But now the readers have all my vella stories at their fingertips.

Still running the naming contest for book 5 of Elemental Voice series. If you got a good name for a vampire matriarch, her vampire PA, her vampire head of security, a human villain, or a morally grey vampire assassin give it a try. You may win a signed book or a signed bookplate as well as being mentioned in the author notes.

Stay tuned for the next installment.

For Book 5 of Elemental Voice I’m doing a naming contest.

I am looking for names of certain characters. The book is in the ‘planning’ stage, meaning I’m writing the book bible right now and thus doing character names and place names for the book. I need names for the Orro (vampire) Clan matriarch, her PA(vampire), her security chief(vampire), and the secondary villain (Maybe human/maybe vampire) as well as a morally grey assassin( vampire). My muse is not being cooperative with these names.

Should your name(s) be picked, the name of course will be used and you will be mentioned in the author notes. You may also win a signed bookplate.

I reserve the right to pick one single name from one person and one single name from another so you all have a chance to win. There are five names so five people could possibly win. Comment here or on one of my FB posts/pages with the names.

So the covers for Ghostwolf 1 & 2 and Resurgent are up on KDP. Sharon is working on moving the books to Ingram Spark. But she ran into a little problem so they may not get on IS until December. I’ll keep you updated on that.

Down to one chapter on Bone Whisperer.

Vella stories are up to 7 now. I updated two and put up 5 episodes on the 7th story. I’m making money writing. More than I do with just the books. Because of the bonuses. But I still want to publish books cause I can sell them at in-person events. And holding the book in my hand is just indescribable.

Stay tune for the next installment

In honor of my favorite spooky season I’m writing a bit about my favorite horror movies. Some you will have heard of, but some you will have probably not. I watched a lot of horror and sci-fi movies during the 80’s and 90’s. I don’t think I missed any to tell the truth. If it was out on VHS, I watched it.

My number one top favorite is one called simply enough ‘Playroom’. It stared Christopher McDonald as an archeologist plagued by a nightmare in which his family was murdered. His parents were murder when he was a child at an archeology site where they were all staying. As the movie goes along you find out ‘Chris’ had an imaginary friend named Daniel that he played with while his parents worked. Chris starts remembering things and gets obsessed with finding the hidden room. And you find out that Daniel may not have been imaginary. I love this movie but it is only available on VHS and my copy was lost in a move. I can’t bring myself to buy a VHS copy when I don’t have a VCR and don’t plan to get one. But it is still my favorite and always shall be because it hit me in the heart at the end.

My number one favorite psychological horror is Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. All four of them. I do not have them right now, lost in another move. But they are on my list to rebuy. I love Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates. I just couldn’t get into the tv series. But the movies are great and I can watch them over and over again.

My number one slasher is Friday the 13th. Jason is the man. However if you’re going to watch them I advise you to skip 5 & 9. And I only watched 10 because Jason in Space, come on. 🙂 I have a special edition of 1-8 with wonderful extras and the Crystal Lake Memories: Complete history of Friday the 13 2- DVD edition. I used to have the edition of His Name Was Jason, but alas it was lost in a move. This Friday the 13th I’m doing a marathon.

There is one other movie I’d like to mention. it is my second favorite horror movie. Blood Clan. In the past, a family is executed by soldiers for cannibalism – except for the little girl, Katy Bane McKay. She is adopted by Judge Mackay and goes home with him to Canada, where she grows up with no knowledge of her family’s past. Then, in the present, several deaths occur and people begin to think it’s Katy Bane McKay. After all — blood will out. This one hits me in the heart too. And alas it too is only available in VHS. Lost too in a move.

That these movies still have an impact on me even though I haven’t seen some of them in a long time show that they should be given at least a watch. Else how can you give an informed opinion on them?

Hope you have a hauntingly good spooky season.

It’s spooky season!

On Instagram, I am doing a sort of 31 days of Horrortober theme. Like the 12 days of Christmas only with Halloween. I hope I can find enough things to put up one a day. I’ve got a few days already set but I don’t know if I’ll have enough for the whole month. We shall see. Check it out, if you dare. Ha!

Bone Whisperer is still not done. I really only have two more chapters and I’m done. But my muse is being so fickle. She hops around the Vella stories, only letting me write about a paragraph then moving on to the next. I need to get BW done so I can publish it. It will be out before the end of the year. At least I’ll have in to Sharon so she can try to get it out before the end of the year by the middle of the month. Even if I have to beat my muse. 🙂

The Vella bonus. August’s bonus was twice what July’s was. I did a jig. I’m playing some of the promos, a few paid, a few ‘free’. I can’t afford to play the big ones. Especially not if I actually read. I read one author’s whole story and spent over what I wanted to but the story was soo good I couldn’t stop. That was the last time I did that. I got a budget for the month and I need to stick to it. But I follow a lot of vella authors.

So the covers for Ghostwolf Book 1 & 2 are done. They’re with Sharon. I’m having Resurgent, a book of the Time-Lost series redone next. This month Sharon’s going to transfer these books over to Ingram Spark. That’s why I want the covers redone. New covers for new publish. Covers for Book 3 of Ghostwolf and Book 5 of Elemental Voice are up next.

Stay Tune for the next installment

Well, Hootin an Hollarin is over. I sold more books than last year but still not a lot. It’s always fun at in-person events. I get to talk to people and people watch at discretion. My booth is just off the square near the necessities, food and Johnnies, and I don’t have to worry too much about sticky hands, my books walking off. And I get to indulge in fair food at this event like funnel cakes. I plan to return next year.

Book 1 of Bone Whisperer is almost done. I’m working on it and 5 Kindle Vella stories right now. I’m hoping to publish Bone Whisperer before the end of October or at least the end of the year if I miss that deadline. Book 3 of Ghostwolf is also being worked on off and on. I’ve been doing the vella promos but not many of the spend/paid promos. I missed two days of promos during my in-person event. And I haven’t been updating the stories regularly this month. I need to get into gear. I got soo many stories to write. They’re all demanding attention. I’m not a fast writer and that frustrates me ’cause I want to get them all written. But I just don’t feel like I’ll be able to get them done. There’s soo many and I can’t write a book a month like some people. Like I said it frustrates me.

There hasn’t been an announcement yet for August’s vella bonus. I get July’s bonus this month.

Ghostwolf Book 1’s cover is done. I like it. I sent it to Sharon to put up. Book 2’s cover is next up as well as the cover for Book 5 of Elemental Voice.

Stay tune for the next installment

Summer is coming to an end. Fall is on the horizon and winter will be here soon. The year is almost over.

It’s September already. Hootin-An-Hollarin is a little over two weeks away. There’s going to be more demonstrators this year, thus more crafts for sale. Hopefully I’ll be able to look around more this year. Hard to do when you’re the only one at the booth. But I got a good spot. At least for me. It’s got good access to food booths and the Johnnies and I can see my booth from those locations. A necessity as I said when you’re the only one running the booth. I’m antsy. I can’t wait. I always have fun at in-person events.

So I got my bonus. And they announced July’s bonus which I’ll get this month on the 29th with my royalties. It’s bigger than June’s but still small. I still haven’t figured out the requirements. I’ll get the hang of this Vella sometime I’m sure. Until then I’ll just keep doing the promos in the group. I added two new Vella stories so I have 5 vellas running right now. They are all T.L. books. The first few episodes are up on them. Hopefully my muse goes along and works on these five instead of coming up with something else.

I sent off to get the cover of Ghostwolf’s book 1 done. I should be getting the first draft by Friday (8th) but it might be Monday (11th) depending on them. Usually it takes 4 to 5 days. But this week was a holiday for U.S. and I don’t know when they actually got the order in. So we shall see.

Stay tuned for the next installment.

Got episodes 1-3 up for my new Vella story, Of Retribution and Ghouls. And have started promoing it. We’ll see how it does.

So I got a bonus on Vella. It’s higher than last month’s but not by that much. This month I got more reads than in July already so the bonus should be higher yet for August. I’m playing some of the promotions and promoting in other vella groups. If I’ve read the rules right the 29th I should get my first bonus (June’s) so I shall see what’s what. I still haven’t got the hang of Vella. I’m not very steady with my episode updates and I don’t have many followers yet. But it’s paying out more than my books are right now. So I think I’ll be sticking with it. At least with my T.L. books.

Hootin An Hollarin is next month, September 21st- 23rd. Though I’ll only be there Friday and Saturday. Thursday is not much of a sale day–H-n-H starts in the afternoon with the pageant and some music. Most people just look that day and enjoy the shows. I didn’t get many books but I do have ‘new’ books. Book 4 of Elemental Voice Wind Whisperer and both book 2 of EV companion series, Deadly Flames, and the prequel of my Elemental Detective series Natural Law. So if you’re in the neighborhood of Gainesville, MO around that time stop on by.

Next month I plan to work on changing the Ghostwolf covers since I’m moving them to Ingram in October. Bone Whisperer is hopefully going to be pubbed on Ingram in October as well. It’s cover is done. I have a couple of covers I want to do for the next books in my writing queue as well.

My writing queue. AS I mentioned above I think I’ll be sticking with Vella. So some of the stories in the queue will be making their way there. I need to finish up the Elemental Voice and Ghostwolf books so those series can be finished and I can move on to the many other series I have in the queue. Though some of those other series have found their way to Vella as you can see. But I will finish EV and Ghostwolf. It just may take me more time. We shall see.

Stay tuned for the next installment.

I broke the stall on Bone Whisperer!

I finally got past 38,999 words to 39,685. Now if I can keep that up.

So Vella. I’ve been participating in some of the vella group promotions and got some reads and follows. The pay to play promotions work best of course as you’re guaranteed some reads there but a few of the free plays are working too. I had over 300 episodes read, 77 of which were ‘locked’ episodes/token paid ones last month so I will see what ‘bonus’ I get for July. You get bonuses for various things in vella. I got one for June though I wasn’t expecting it as I had just started then. But I did get a small bonus. I should get it in this month’s royalty payment. I plan to have BW done by the end of the month and all up on vella. I also put up the first chapter of my new vella story, Of Retribution and Ghouls but I won’t promote it until I have 2, 3, and 4 up.

Hootin an Hollarin is coming up next month. This would be the third year I’ve gone as a vendor. H-n-H is a craft festival that my hometown of Gainesville, MO puts on every year the third week of September. I ordered a few books but as I usually don’t sell a lot I didn’t order a lot. I want to be sold out. I would love to be sold out. That’s my dream every time I go to an in-person event. That people love my books so much that they buy every one from under me. But alas that doesn’t happen and I can’t afford to buy too many at a time. One I don’t have the money and two I don’t have the space to keep more than a box full anyway right now. I bought a new tote for my book signing stuff. It has small wheels on it. I was starting to have trouble carrying my tote, too heavy and awkward, so I saw a tote on sale with wheels and got it. Much easier to transport everything.

The plan is still for my T.L. books to be put up on IS in October. I plan to change my Ghostwolf covers for the move.

Stay tuned for the next installment.