Too many projects! ACK!!

So anywayz, just a few updates.

It’s official! I’ll be exhibiting at this year’s 20th Annual Independent and Small Press Book Fair in New York City on the weekend of December 1-2. I’m really excited about it, not only because it’s a chance to go see my family during a non-holiday period, but because of the exposure Solstice will hopefully get. And, well, it’s my first time at such a thing, and my first pure “business trip.” Yes, I get excited at the littlest things. I’m a nerd. I admit it ^__^

Oh, and I have my second book signing scheduled! This one’s at the Barnes and Noble in Troy, MI, across from the Oakland Mall. It’s for November 17, 2007, from 2-4 p.m. Really excited about that one, since it’s the B&N my girlfriend and I tend to spend most of our time at.

Well, on other literary fronts, my new novel is coming along. Rapidly @_@; I’m nearly at page 400, which is insane considering how much longer it took me to write Solstice (I started writing my new novel at around March). The funny thing is, I see this as being a very long novel, because I still have a lot of scenes and plot points to get to, and our beloved heroine, Liliana, just keeps yammering away! Oh well, it’s a first draft, so I’m sure a lot will be changed, added, subtracted, and forgotten. I guess I’m just having a blast writing that novel. It’s so refreshing to write something happy for a change ^__^

Of course, just last night, I was talking with my girlfriend about the other two projects I want to get to right after I finish writing this first draft of my new novel. One of them is entitled The Mourning Syndrome, and you can actually find a quick draft (very quick draft -_-) of the first couple of pages here. That one promises to be apocalyptic (again), but with more of a horror twist. It’ll be my homage to Japanese horror films, which I absolutely love (Kairo, Dragonhead, Suicide Club, and the Tomie movies being among some of my favorites). So I’m kind of excited to start writing that one.

But, the more I’ve talked about it with my girlfriend, the more poised I am to write…*drum roll* a sequel to Solstice. For those of you who’ve read it, I’m sure you’re thinking, “Um, how are you going to write a sequel to that?!” But, believe it or not, a story is in the works, and, if it’s at all possible, it’ll be even darker than Solstice! ^^;; Eep…

So yeah, I’m entering that phase that a lot of working writers probably enter, the phase that laments that we can’t just quit our day jobs and write non-stop. I wish I could just disappear into my favorite coffeehouse every day (I do like 60% of my writing in coffeehouses) and just plug away at my novels, maybe even working on two of them at the same time. But alas, that isn’t going to happen anytime soon, if at all. So staying up until 2 a.m. will have to continue to be the norm ^^;;

Anyway, as always, I just want to remind you that Solstice is now available at Tragical Mirth Publishing! Thanks for reading!

Wow...

Just had to share a couple of tidbits.

One is that I’m registering to take part in this year’s 20th Annual Independent and Small Press Book Fair on December 1–2. After getting some very good advice from another author, Marcus Sakey, I decided to start looking into doing some book fairs as a way of creating some exposure for Solstice. Wouldn’t you know it, there’s the perfect one taking place in, of all places, my home town, New York City. So it’s a chance to not only take part in my first book fair, but also to spend a little time with the family.

But the other item of news has me a bit…excited. I realized just today that I got a comment down on one of my earlier entries (the one entitled The Power of Writing) from a user named jimm. It turns out jimm is reading the review copy of Solstice I sent to SciFiNow magazine. And, as it turns out, jimm is not only enjoying the book, but says it will definitely be reviewed in the next issue of SciFiNow. …………..wow ^_______^;; I’m kind of speechless. Except to say that I can’t wait to read his review, and to personally thank jimm for his kind words. So if you’re reading this, jimm, thank you! I’ll make sure to track down your contact info and send you a more formal thank you!

FYI, Solstice is now on sale at Tragical Mirth Publishing! Order your autographed copy today ^^;

At long last ^__^

Well, it's official now! Solstice is now available for purchase through Tragical Mirth Publishing! Yay! Gotta make this short since I'm about ready to keel over from exhaustion. But it looks like everything is up and running as it should.

I think I'm too tired to be really excited, but I am kind of relieved that the launch has gone according to the schedule I set.

So I hope you'll stop by, and I hope you'll pick up a copy! You won't be disappointed! Oh, and special thanks to my bro for designing the animated banner, and to my friend and co-worker Mike D. for coming up with those last-minute "order now" buttons.

Less than a week to go

Things are looking up with Solstice. I have two book signings scheduled for November. One is at the Ann Arbor Barnes and Noble on Washtenaw, November 10, at 1. And the other is at the Troy Barnes and Noble across from the Oakland Mall, but we're still waiting on an official date for that.

What was cool was that the person at the Troy bookstore who took my packet told me over the phone that she'd read the book and “loved it.” Wow. ^^; See, it's so amazing to hear that from a total stranger. It's one thing to hear friends and family say they love your book. I think they're contractually obligated to say stuff like that. But when a stranger says it, it certainly gives you hope that you're on to something.

Anyway, gotta run and get things ready, including setting up my invoicing system, my fulfillment system, a sales tracking spreadsheet, and my personal page. Oh, and band practice is in two hours ^^;; Eep...