State of the Writer
Hello Friends!
I know…it’s been a while. I’m sorry. What can I say…after spending much of the past year and a half focused on editing first The Penitent Assassin and then The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One), I needed a little time away to spend with my family. The kids are growing so fast and I wanted to make sure I spent some time with them while they still thought I was cool. (So far, according to them, I am…whew!)
Also, my house, like everything else, is growing older…which meant there were quite a few home-improvement projects which needed my attention. I made a small dent in the ‘honey-do’ list (if you’re a home-owner, you know that list is NEVER-ending!) which of course made my wife happy (and if you’re married, you know the saying ‘happy wife, happy life’). Of course, now she’s starting to get after me to get back to my writing again and as soon as the holiday season is over, and my crazy work hours at the bookstore settle down, I’ll be back hard at work on the final edits of The Rush of Betrayal: Absolution (Book Two).
Speaking of Book Two, yes, I know, I originally thought I would have it done by November 2012 but as I explained above I’ve had a rather busy five months and so my new goal is spring 2013. This extra time will also allow me to expand a bit more on Josephine’s storyline which I think will only improve the final version. I can’t wait to have it finished so I can share the conclusion of Ian’s and Josephine’s story with you.
GOOFY NEWS ALERT:
Back in November, twitter friends of mine and co-hosts of the Southern Fried Inkslingers Podcasts, author Walter Shuler @anakronistical and artist Brad Joyce @Brad_Joyc3 interviewed me. Now, I say ‘interviewed’ but what it really was was three guys pretty much sitting around trying to make each other laugh for over an hour. And it’s safe to say we all succeeded. I had a great time talking with the both of them and just hanging out while enjoying a Mt. Dew (I swear, I wasn’t drinking anything stronger!). I’ve been told the podcast interview will be online either later today or tomorrow. You should definitely check it out…
I plan to blog a bit more often in the upcoming months (it’s not like I can really blog a bit less!) but if for some reason I don’t make it back on here before the end of the year, I wish you all a happy holiday season, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
–Shawn
The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One) Coming Soon
Hello Friends,
It looks like tomorrow, July 3rd, 2012 ‘should’ be the release date for The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One). I know, I know, I’m running a few days behind on my self-imposed deadline of ‘the end of June’ but considering how my June played out, I don’t think I did half-bad. I only had one day off during the entire month of June – Father’s Day – and I wasn’t home and able to work on the final edits that day.
Why did you put ‘should’ up there in the first line, Shawn?
Well, assuming I have no problems with my computer, no power outages etc, I ‘should’ be able to release the book on July 3rd. The book is ready. The cover art is ready. I have a short description for the book ready. I’ll be attempting to publish it first on Smashwords.com and then Amazon.com. If I can do both in one day, July 3rd, I will. All I really need is the time….
Time? Aren’t you a stay-at-home dad? You should have all day long to do whatever you want…right?
I wish! While yes, I am a stay-at-home dad, and yes, my kids are really great and able to entertain themselves for a while each day while I write, I do enjoy hanging out with them, taking them out for bike rides and visits to the park and all the other things kids like to do. But in addition to being a stay-at-home dad, I’m working to fix up my house this summer and I work two part-time jobs: I work 5-6 evenings a week at the local bookstore and I drive 6 nights a week for a bakery. Hey, it’s called: ‘paying the bills’. I’m sure you all know how it is! Someday, my goal is to have my writing pay for some of my bills. It’s a dream… 
When do you sleep?
LOL!
Okay, back to the book. Is this book a sequel to The Penitent Assassin?
Not exactly. I consider it a companion book to The Penitent Assassin. What I mean by this is, events in both The Penitent Assassin and The Rush of Betrayal take place in the same world but in different geographical locations with different characters.
Will characters from these books ever cross-over or meet in future books?
I guess you’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you? Too much of a tease? Okay, how about this – there are events happening in this world which do effect all of the characters, you’ll just have to wait and see what happens…
Do I have to read The Penitent Assassin first in order to enjoy or understand the new book?
No. You could read The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One) first and then go back and read The Penitent Assassin, however, readers of both will begin to see some ties between the books and perhaps a grander view of the entire world. My intention is for the world to keep building in your minds with each new book I write and publish…
I see this is ‘book one’. How long will I have to wait until you publish ‘book two’?
My goal for publishing The Rush of Betrayal: Absolution (Book Two) is Oct/Nov 2012. I’ll be able to narrow this down a bit more once summer is over. The book is basically done, it has been edited many times already, all I need to do is finish up some final edits/tweaks and put a final ‘polish’ on a few chapters, check the formatting, and get the book cover done. If I manage to get this all done earlier than Oct/Nov 2012, I will not only let you all know, but I will also publish the book sooner. Of that, I promise!
Will there ever be a movie made of The Penitent Assassin or The Rush of Betrayal?
Wouldn’t that be awesome? They play like movies in my head. I’ve been told by other readers they play like movies in their heads too. I’ve had some people suggest certain actors they’d love see in the role of Mallor (from The Penitent Assassin): Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, Jude Law and Russell Crowe are the men most commonly mentioned. (If you’re friends with any of these men, why not suggest they read The Penitent Assassin? LOL) For the most part, I think those are pretty good suggestions. What are some of your suggestions for any of the characters in any of the books? (I’m really curious who will be suggested for Lord Ian Weatherall and Josephine Hewes, two of the main characters from The Rush of Betrayal books).
But back to the actual question. Truthfully, I have no idea if or when a movie would ever be made – though I’d love to have that option. So hey, if you’re in the movies, or know anyone who is in the movies, and they love my books, let me know. I’d love to chat with you.
What’s next after both Rush books are published?
I’ve begun to plot out a sequel to The Penitent Assassin. I’ve also tossed around the idea of writing a few short stories starring some of the minor characters from the books. I’m hoping I’ll have a new novel and/or an anthology of short stories available sometime in 2013. Obviously, I’ll let you know when anything new will be coming out.
I love your books, how can I help get the word out about you and your books?
Wow! You are too kind! First, thank you very much. I’m so glad you enjoy my books. Word-of-mouth, twitter, facebook, goodreads, book reviews, blog reviews, blog interviews….Hmmmm….I’m sure there are other ways to spread the word…right? Please, let me know!
Okay, I think that’s it for tonight. (We should probably quit before it gets TOO deep in here! LOL) But hey, before I go, do you have any questions for me? I’d love to hear from you. Leave me a question in the comment section and I’ll do my best to get you an answer.
Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I hope you’ll go check out my books. I’d love to have a chance to entertain you…
Happy Reading.
The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One) Book Cover
Hello Friends, I just wanted to share with you the newly created book cover for The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One). A good friend of mine, Kimberly Pauley took the photo I sent her and created it for me. I think she did a great job, and I’m so happy for her help. Thanks Kimberly! (Besides being an awesome friend, she is a great writer and you should seriously check out her blog for more information about her and her books!)
Now, before I show you the cover, some of you might be wondering, what the heck is this book about? In case you missed my most recent interview (with Ciara Ballintyne) where I described the book, I’ll include the short blurb here:
Life should be good for foreign ambassador, Lord Ian Weatherall. He’s rich, he’s married to the local princess and their young son is heir to the throne. But all is not as it should be. Friends have mysteriously died, others have been financially ruined and his marriage is falling apart. There are rumors that many in the city are unhappy with the racial mix of their future king and some are calling for his removal. Suddenly, Lord Ian’s business ventures sour too. Is this all the work of one man bent on seeing him and his son destroyed, or is it a conspiracy by many to incite war against his native land? Will Lord Ian be able to uncover the truth in time, or will he fall victim to the worst kind of betrayal? Discover the answers when I release The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One) later this month.
And now, the cover…
The woman on the cover is Princess Cecily, Lord Ian Weatherall’s wife. You will meet both of them in Chapter Three (which I’ll include as a sample on this blog later this week).
Thanks for visiting today. Happy Reading!
Back Cover Description Overhaul
Hello Friends,
I know many people are of the opinion if you’re a writer you must be able to write all sorts of things equally well. If you write novels, you must be able to write short stories, or poems or greeting cards or…
No? You don’t believe this? Well, truth be told, neither do I.
That’s not to say that I probably couldn’t make a valiant attempt at writing short stories, or poems or greeting cards – because in the past I have worked on each of those styles of writing, however, my passion really lies in writing novels.
Full novels. 90,000+ word stories filled with multiple characters, story plots, twists, turns, surprises…
That is how my brain works creatively.
Even blog posts are not ‘easy’ for me. Sure, I can occasionally knock out a post here or there – hell, look at the consistency of my posts….What? There is no real consistency to my posts? Hmmmm….I wonder why that is?!?
The same is true with book summaries, query letters, book reviews – to me, they don’t seem….natural. And trust me, if you’ve read some of the other blog posts here you know I have the critical voice in my head screaming at me right now – “Well, maybe if you tried harder, or practiced more you’d get better at that aspect of writing…!”
And you know what, that voice is probably right. I spend thousands of hours working on writing and rewriting and rewriting and rewriting a novel and yet I find it perhaps the most difficult part of writing to be the time I spend writing and rewriting and rewriting the book summary. I’ve studied the back covers of probably hundreds of books (I’m serious, I work at a bookstore and own WAY too many books (according to my wife!). I have the means to perform such a study even without leaving my house). I just don’t write like that.
Well . . . I also don’t like to quit or admit defeat.
Though, I am willing to ask for help.
I’ve decided to make another attempt at writing a ‘back cover’ book description for The Penitent Assassin. Something….different. Here goes:
For Mallor, assassination is a way of life. Through death, he survives and he lives for revenge. With a past he can’t forget and a future he has little hope to enjoy, the present is all he has and presently, he is in Sepeccare, his old hometown using an old identity while hunting old foes. However, he soon discovers he’s not the only hunter in the city and there’s a price on his head large enough to attract every violent criminal around.
In this wildly adventurous fantasy novel where nothing is quite what it seems, can a man who refuses to quit despite overwhelming odds stacked against him stand any chance of success or will he be doomed to fail yet again in the dangerous world of his own creation?
Well, that’s my latest attempt. I’m curious what you think.
Thanks!!
The Rush of Betrayal: Book One News Update
Hello Friends. I know it’s been a while since I posted anything here but I’ve been hard at work on the final edits for the new book, The Rush of Betrayal (book one and two). I’ll have the book covers done in the next week or so and my goal is to have the first book available for purchase by the end of June 2012 (with book two available sometime later this year – my goal is October 2012).
When the cover for Book One is done, I’ll post a copy of it here so you can see what it looks like – meanwhile, I thought I’d include a sample of Chapter One today. Let me get any legal type stuff I might need out of the way…. Read More…
