Finally

You might not believe it, but the fifth novel of the Penumbra series is now out!

Here's a look at the amazing cover by Nicole Smith:

It's now available on Amazon. There were a few glitches getting it there, which is why I didn't post here right away, but I think most of it is fixed. I see that the "Look Inside" feature isn't yet working for the paperback version, but I hope that will be functional soon.

Wow. I hardly know what to say. I'm very excited to finally get this done, but I'm sorry it's in the middle of a pandemic. I don't know if anyone is buying physical books anymore, but maybe the Kindle version will do well. Who knows?

At this point, I can say that this will be my last novel for a while. As sad as that makes me, I have to acknowledge that I don't have anything else written right now and life is so strange that my imagination feels a little insignificant.

I love my characters with all my heart. I know that they'll live on in my head, and maybe someday they'll have another adventure that I think is worth writing. If so, you'll be the first to know! For now, please enjoy the five novels I've released ... and please write a review if you read any of them. Reviews are very important in getting a novel noticed!

I'm going to try to promote this novel and then I'll consider whether I'll continue this blog or not. I suspect that I will because I don't want it to disappear, but I've learned that what I think about the future isn't always the case. 

Thank you so much for reading the blog. I've tried to be honest and not ridiculous, to give some advice and some insights, to share what I've gone through. I've written some posts on my life outside writing, so maybe I'll continue with that. It remains to be seen.

You can always check out my Facebook page for more information: Diane's Facebook Page

Thanks for your support. Stay safe!

Update on the Fifth Novel

It occurs to me that this blog is supposed to help you keep track of where I am on my novels, but it's kind of hard for you to do that if I don't post updates once in a while!
So here goes ...

The fifth novel, which does not have a title that I want to share yet, has a long way to go. This weekend I finally started to break part of it into chapters so that it's not just one big lump of story. I've done some other minor formatting, but it doesn't have headers yet.

The biggest problem is the story itself. I had a story written, but it's too short and the beginning is horribly boring. Because of this, I decided I needed to add something to the beginning, and that's where I've gotten myself in trouble. It turns out that it's very hard to add onto the beginning of a story because you have to come up with stuff that not only fits in with what's already written but also doesn't mess with the themes or give away anything that's coming later in the story. That's hard!

I also find that it's hard to write toward something that's finished. In other words, I'm used to writing with no particular ending in mind, which gives me a lot more freedom. Right now, I'm limited on where the story can go or what the characters can do, and that's had a negative effect on the writing itself. I wrote myself into several dead ends and had to backtrack to get where I wanted to be.

I like most of what I've written and I think I can make all of this work, but there's still a lot to be done. Because of that, I'm not very far along. I'm sorry to say that, because it makes a potential reader a little exasperated, I'm sure.

I am working on it, though! I spent quite a bit of time this weekend on the novel, which felt incredibly good after my long bout of writer's block, so I'm confident that this novel will see the light of day.

We'll just have to see when I can finish it, but I think that's a lot better than having to see if it will happen.

In the meantime, if you'd post a review of any of my novels, I'd really appreciate it! Please be honest if you do so. You can post a review on Amazon, Goodreads or wherever you prefer.

Thanks! And thanks for reading my blog.

Three Years

Believe it or not, today marks the three-year anniversary of this blog! (It doesn't look like it because my first official post was July 28, 2013, but that's because I accidentally deleted the first post from July 23! I was off to a great start there.)

It's hard for me to believe that I've written posts weekly for that long. It's hard to believe I found that much to say. I don't consider myself particularly thoughtful or opinionated, so it makes me wonder what all of those posts were about! Ha.

I would like to thank you if you've read one, all or some of my posts. I'm not exactly sure how many readers I have out there, but I thank all of you.

Here's the latest news on Diane McCallum and the Penumbra series. My fourth novel, The Other Side, is published and awaiting copyright registration. It's also in the local bookstore, Spellbound, so be sure to check it out! There is a fifth novel, but it needs so much work that I can assure you it will not be out for more than a year. I have a tentative title, but it might be a while before I release that.

I intend to release news about the fifth novel when I feel there's something worth mentioning.

However, the weekly blog is going to have to stop. I'm very sorry, but I am truly running out of things to say! When I have a novel that I'll be releasing soon, that keeps the ideas coming and I don't have any trouble writing a blog, but when there's no novel scheduled, that leaves a bit of a void (especially in my brain!). I've spent three years pushing to get the word out there and I won't just stop, but I have to take a break. That way I can spend more time on the fifth novel.

Please be assured that this blog won't die. If a certain team wins a certain series, you'll probably hear something about that. If a thought strikes me, I'll share it, whether you want to know or not! When there's progress on the next novel, I'll let you know that, too. My goal is to write something at least once a month. If I find that I'm posting at a particular time of the month, I'll let you know, but I'm afraid I can't give you any specifics right now. You can also follow me on my Facebook page: DianeMcCallumAuthor

Please keep spreading the word to your friends and family about the Penumbra series. I'd love to share my novels with a lot of people. My dream is to have people discussing the characters and plot (especially if I get to hear the discussion).

Thank you again for reading this blog and putting up with me. I will try to post again next week, just to round it out, and then we'll see what happens. Please check back!

Happy New Year

I'm taking the weekend off, due to the holidays, but I want to wish you all the best in 2016.

By the way, I was informed that it's hard to leave comments on my blog, so I've made it easier and I can explain the process. If you look at the bottom of each blog post, you'll see "No comments" in blue (or "1 comment," etc.). If you click on that blue phrase, you'll be taken to another screen. There you can type in your comment. Then you need to click on the drop-down box to identify what type of user you are. You can choose Anonymous or you can choose Name/URL (and leave the URL blank) if you want people to know your name. Then click on Publish. You'll have to tell it you're not a robot. Then you're done!

Now that's it's easier, I hope you'll consider leaving a comment sometime. I'd appreciate it!

Have a very happy New Year.

Me & You

Half of this blog will be about me and half about you. Are you ready?

First: me. I was getting rather close to feeling I'd finished The Other Side ... but then I met with two I.T. guys at work to discuss some of the scenes. We had a fun half-hour chat about sci-fi, wormholes, ship computers, physics and warp drives, which I thoroughly enjoyed. At the end, though, I realized they'd given me some things to think about. Sorry, but that means a slight delay on the novel. (I know! I've done this too many times! Sorry about that.) I'm hoping to release The Other Side in January or February, and I'm also hoping to have some time to really work on it over the holidays.

Now it's your turn. I have a few questions about you:
Who are you? (You don't have to give your name. Continue reading.)
What are your interests?
What brought you to my blog?
Have you read my blog more than once?
What do you like most about it? Least?

I've read other blogs and I'm always fascinated by the number of comments they get. People will disagree or agree with the article or add their own insights. Sometimes a lively discussion ensues. Sometimes the comments are more interesting than the original article!

I know some people look at my blog because my stats say so, but I don't know if anyone actually reads it or what their opinion of it might be (except my very kind parents). That's where you come in: I'd be very appreciative if you'd take a moment to leave me a comment on this post. You can tell me as much or as little as you want. You can tell me my blog is a waste of time or it's the greatest thing ever. You can say you wish I had written this one about "The Force Awakens." You can say whatever you want (although I'd prefer you keep it G-rated).

Thank you very much! And if you're a regular reader, thanks twice!

I wish everyone a very merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Edited to add: I have now adjusted my settings so you don't have to be a Google user to leave a comment. I hope this will make it easier for you!

Promise

Wow, I almost forgot to write my blog this week! I'm sorry to those of you who have been checking this weekend and haven't found a new posting. It's ironic that the weekend we didn't have Internet, I wrote a blog, but then when we got our Internet back, I almost didn't write one!

There's a lot going on this month, for me and I'm sure for you also. I suppose I could have just said, "Oh, I don't have anything to say and nobody's going to care anyway." Both of those things might be true, but my stats here at Blogger tell me that at least some people look at this blog every week and I feel I've made a promise to you that I'll post every week, so I'm going to live up to that promise. (I sound like Lamont in Outsider. I'd love to be more like him, so I guess this is a start.)

As you know, my life has changed somewhat since I published Outsider. I've gone through a lot of new experiences, many of them unexpected. I've had to get outside my comfort zone, which isn't always an easy thing for a shy introvert like me. I still have trouble with it, especially when it comes to trying to sell books. (It's hard to be pushy. I don't do that very well.)

But I think there have been some improvements along the way. I'm no longer secretive about my writing and I like to talk/write about it. I know a lot more about copyright and formatting, as well as many other topics. I'm active on at least some social media (still not ready for Twitter).

And I'm less shy. I still have trouble with large groups, especially strangers, and I haven't yet perfected the art of small talk with people I don't know. But I managed to surprise myself last week by doing something I never would have thought possible about three years ago (or maybe even last year!).

My company had its Christmas party on Friday, and after we had food and entertainment, we had some games where various tables of employees (six at each table) competed against each other for cash and prizes. My table didn't manage to win the first one we tried, so we were all ready to take on the next challenge when we were called. We strode up to the front of the room with the other two teams and listened, first with amazement and then with groans, to the challenge: each team had to select one person who would "sing" Christmas carols using "doo doo doo" instead of the words, and the rest of the team had to guess the title of each song. Whichever team got the highest number right would win.

Immediately, everyone in our group said they refused to sing. It was instantaneous! So there we were. That's when I surprised myself: I volunteered.

Let's take a moment, here. This would involve singing (sort of) in front of a group of about 100 or so people. I don't like to sing in front of one or two people! I sing in my car, not when anyone else can hear. I didn't know if I could carry a tune or if I would know any of the songs on the list or if I would freeze.

But I volunteered. The others were relieved and quick to agree. Then we had to go into another room while the other two teams tried it, so we couldn't hear the songs. So I had another five minutes to contemplate my fate. Fortunately, my supervisor had her baby there and I could concentrate on him, not on what I was going to do. I think if the baby hadn't been there, I might have passed out!

Finally it was our turn ... and we did well! I focused on the list of songs instead of all those people listening and my team did a great job of identifying the songs. We ended up tying for first place and lost the "sing-off," but I still thought it was a victory.

There is no way in heaven or on Earth that I could have done such a thing a few years ago. But I guess all those book signings did me some good. I got a little more used to people looking at me and expecting me to say or do something. I don't know. Maybe I'm just getting sillier as I age!

Whatever it is, I have to admit that I'm glad. If I were still that shy, quiet girl that everyone sort of knew, where would I be? Not where I am now, wherever that might be. If I made some people laugh at the party, that's great. If some people thought it was dumb, that's fine.

It's a lot like putting my novels (or my blog) out there. Not everyone will like them ... but I'm sure glad that some people do like them. That makes it all worthwhile.

Remote

Today I am posting my blog from my husband's office because we haven't had Internet service at our house since Tuesday. There are problems with the cable and they don't see it getting fixed until at least Monday.

About 15-20 years ago, this wouldn't have bothered me. I had very little presence on the Internet, although I would have missed email (as I really do now!). I didn't have a blog, a Facebook page, or anything like that. I think I might have laughed if you'd told me I'd have all that now or that I'd find myself almost dependent on the Internet.

We don't have TV service either, so I don't really know what's going on in the world, except for what other people choose to tell me. Some people might like that, and I find I don't miss coverage of the presidential candidates, but I really miss knowing about events in this country and others. Most of it isn't good news, like the shooting in California, but it's news I think I need to know. I want to know about current events because I don't like being uninformed and because I'm a writer, which gives me a desire for knowledge and, sometimes, understanding. (Not that I understand the shooting.)

This should be a good thing for me. You're probably asking, "Doesn't that mean you can get more writing done?" And that's a legitimate question. I did get quite a bit done the other evening (when I wasn't on the phone with the cable company), but it was a short-term success. I don't write well when I'm concerned about something (like when we'll get service again) and I found that I need a little distraction when I hit a rough patch and can't seem to find the right words. It helps to browse Facebook or some other "mindless" site while the other side of my brain works on the problem. Without that distraction, I have a little more trouble getting unstuck.

Besides that, all of this makes me feel isolated. It's very strange, because I'm married, I have friends and co-workers that I see almost every day, and there were several people I saw when I was volunteering today ... yet despite all that, I feel there's something missing.

I know people have mixed opinions about "being connected" and I am one of those who is sad to see a roomful of people all intent on their devices instead of having a conversation. But now I understand a little better the need for that connection beyond one's own life and surroundings. I wouldn't say I'm incomplete without it, but I feel a little more like I'm part of the world, instead of just a part of my community, when I'm connected.

I think it's a good thing to be reminded that there is more out there than what's right in front of me. And I hope to get to interact with it again sometime soon!

New Horizons

This is the week that New Horizons will fly by Pluto and we'll have the first close look at it in history. I think that's pretty exciting!

There have been images released already, but this week's images should be better and give scientists much more information about the dwarf planet. Who knows what they will learn?

Here's a site by the Planetary Society that gives more information about what will be happening this week, as well as links to other sites that will have news about the flyby: New Horizons Info

So what will it mean to us? For me, it's the equivalent of when you're taking a hike in the mountains and you see that the trail curves ahead of you. You might have been hiking for a while, you might have a vague idea of what's around that curve ... but you can't know for sure. How many of you would turn back with a shrug and say, "Oh, it can't be anything that new or exciting"? And how many of you would realize you can't lose: no matter what you see, even if it's not new, it should be worth a look?

I'm definitely in the latter camp. Maybe Pluto is a chunk of rock. Maybe there won't be any amazing features (like the so-called "face" on Mars). But it's still something we've never seen before! It's like when you visit an art gallery for the first time: some art you'll like, some you won't, but you'll enjoy exploring it because it's new. Maybe Pluto isn't a work of art, but I'm willing to take a look.

Speaking of new, I've added a new page to my blog. I am certainly not an authority on writing or publishing, but I've learned a few things along the way. Every once in a while, I try to share what I've learned, because other writers have done the same and helped me. So if you look to the right under Pages, you'll see the new one: Advice for Writers. If it helps only one writer, I'll be happy with that.

Thanks again for reading.

Independence Day Update

Happy Independence Day!

I have a few updates. First of all, on Monday I got the official Certificate of Registration for In the Shadows from the U.S. Copyright Office. That's always cause for celebration! It's a lot of fun to pull the paper out of the envelope and unfold it to see my name and the novel's title there on the official certificate. I have three of them now, and I'd like to collect more in the future.

To that end, I'm working on the fourth novel, The Other Side, this weekend. Chapter 15 is causing me no end of trouble because it's one of those chapters that's particularly difficult to write. It's more introspective than action-packed, which I sometimes struggle to get right. I'm going to keep working on it, though.

I've also been working on some other things. I added a sample of Outsider to the iAuthor site (you can see it here: Outsider on iAuthor). I also signed up for Ask the Author on goodreads.com, so people can ask me questions about my novels and writing (you can see my profile and my first answer here: Diane on Goodreads). I've been trying to post interesting things on Facebook and I got a good response to my post there about the copyright registration (here's my page: Diane's FB Page).

I'm also writing a piece of fiction for this blog (Closet Spaceship) and I've opened a file for a possible sixth novel in the series. (Don't get too excited about that last one because I don't know if it will go anywhere, but at least it's a start, right?)

So that's what I've been up to this weekend! Three-day weekends are the best.

Happy summer!

100th Blog and 4th Title

Believe it or not, this is my 100th blog post! I don't think I quite believed I'd get to this point when I first started blogging, almost two years ago, but here I am. And I want to thank those of you who regularly read these little batches of words.

Here are a few of my favorite posts: Late Bloomers  How to Write a Novel  Taking Flight

Here are some little-known facts about my first novel: Part 1  Part 2

Here's my first Closet Spaceship post: CS Part 1

I intend to keep writing this blog, at least until I publish the fifth novel. Sometimes that thought is a little scary because I can't imagine what I'll have to say for that many posts, but that's what I thought after the first post ... and I'm still going. (Put me in a pink suit, hand me some sunglasses and a drum, and turn me loose!)

Now, as your reward for bearing with me while I indulged in a little nostalgia, I'm going to reveal the title of the upcoming fourth novel. Are you ready?
Here it is: The Other Side

I hope that will pique your interest. None of my novels is the same, but this one is going to be a little different than the others, a little more "out there," I guess you could say.
I tried to stretch myself a bit. Time (and my readers) will tell if I did it successfully.

Thanks again for reading!

Spring Forward

Now that I have In the Shadows done, I can just sit back and put my feet up, right?

Not exactly.

For one thing, I'm still trying to drum up interest in it through this blog, Facebook, word of mouth, etc. And I'm working on another video to possibly catch the eye of people who might not otherwise have heard of the Penumbra series.

Then there's the fourth novel. Oh, yes, there's another one ... and I've learned my lesson with In the Shadows: this time I won't be waiting until September to start working on it. That was my fault and caused me all sorts of problems last year, so I'm going to try to avoid it this time. I'm working on a particularly difficult scene today (sorry, no hints yet!).

Does this mean I spend all of my time on the novels? Certainly not (although sometimes I wish I could spend at least a little more time on them). I have this thing called a job and it takes up quite a bit of time. Until some rich person feels like paying me to write, I'll be going there on weekdays.

But I do other fun things, too. I'll be joining my Audubon group tomorrow to trek into the country and look for short-eared owls. Trooping across a muddy field is well worth it when you get to see such amazing creatures (I'll let you decide if I'm talking about the owls or my fellow Auduboners).

So life goes on. I'm just glad it's going on while the temperature is starting to go up again! Longer days, too!

Thanks again for your support. Please keep spreading the word.

Nothing to Report

That title doesn't really give you a lot of incentive to read this blog, does it? I looked back at my previous few (okay, several) postings and discovered that I've been going on about everything except the latest novel. I suppose I could have continued to do that, but since this blog is supposed to be about the progress on my novel, I thought it was time to be honest.

I haven't done much lately. "Real" life has found a way to intrude in many ways. I've been out of town, there's been an exciting World Series, I've had other events going on. If these sound like excuses, I guess they are. I keep telling myself I have to get back to work, but it keeps not happening. I apparently either needed a break or I'm just procrastinating; I suspect it's the latter.

I can't even tell you anything about the cover art. The artist has some issues going on in her life that have prevented her from communicating with me. We both saw this coming and planned for it, so it's not that she's done anything wrong at all, it's just that maybe seeing the cover would give me the kick in the pants that I need to get going again. Since I don't have that, I'll just have to buckle down and get to it.

I do actually have the open manuscript next to the keyboard (see? even this blog is keeping me from working on it), and I've just realized that I need to make a timeline to ensure that I know where one of the characters is at all times so I know if the action makes any sense at all. Sigh. Timelines are not my favorite thing, but sometimes they're necessary so I can double-check the action.

Get to it, Diane!  (sound of whip cracking)

The Big 50

Believe it or not, this is my 50th blog post!

(I can hardly believe it myself. Who knew I could be so wordy? Oh, that's right: I'm an author. I'm supposed to be wordy.)

Okay, enough celebrating. I have some happy news and not-so-happy news this week.

First, the happy news: last weekend, just after I'd posted, the mail came ... and in it was an envelope from the Library of Congress. Yes, I got my copyright registration certificate for Another Shot! (Refer to that little guy above.) I was pretty excited, since it was way back in January that I applied for it. Now it's official.

The sad news is that the Hastings store in Pittsburg, KS, will be closing next month. That's where I had my first two book signings and where I was able to sell several copies of both novels on consignment. I want to thank their book manager, Courtney, for being so helpful and supportive. I also want to wish her and all of the other nice people who worked there the very best in the future.

Pittsburg, KS, Hastings store

Things change, not always for the better, but that's how we learn to adapt.
Here's to the future ...



(Happy guy provided by www.freesmileys.org.)

Bookmarks & Spacesuits

I know that seems a rather unlikely combination, but I have news about both so that's the common denominator.

First of all, I have new bookmarks for Another Shot! The people who made the bookmarks for Outsider did such an excellent job that I went back to them ... and they didn't disappoint. They didn't need to change the design very much, but the color is royal purple instead of dark blue. I chose that because there's a tiny bit of purple in the cover image and the purple background really brings it out. I think it works. Unlike the first bookmarks, these include my blog address and Facebook page, so people can find me if they want to do that. (By the way, I tried to scan a bookmark so I could show part of it to you, but the scanner doesn't like it and keeps distorting the color.) I'll be handing out the bookmarks at various events and I'll probably donate some to the local library. What better place to find people who might use a bookmark?

I discovered the other news today on cnn.com: you can now vote for the design of the next NASA spacesuit! That's right: there are three potential designs and they want you to vote for one. However, when I read more carefully at the site, I learned that these suits will only be used for testing here on Earth, not in space. (So why call them spacesuits? Hmmmm... These will lead to the next design, which could be used in space, I guess.) Anyway, if you want to check out the three designs, they're here: http://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/z2/  (If you have trouble seeing the designs, refresh the page.) I'm leaning toward the Technology design, but I haven't voted yet. Feel free to leave a comment about which one you like or dislike the most. By the way, you can only vote until April 15, so vote soon!

Thanks again for your support.

Amazon

Contrary to my dealings with Facebook, which have not been favorable so far, I am happy with Amazon for having an author page that's rather easy to update. They even let me set up a quick and simple URL so people can easily find me there: www.amazon.com/author/dianemccallum . Thanks, Amazon, for being user-friendly!

Another Shot is off to a slow start, as far as sales go, but that's to be expected. It takes a while for word to spread. Remember that you are part of that: if you've read either of my novels and enjoyed it, please recommend it to your friends, family, co-workers, casual acquaintances, bus drivers, hairdressers, postal carriers, doctors, dentists, etc. I appreciate your support!

I'm thinking about having another book signing, but things are rather hectic around here right now, so it might not be until late March or April. I 'll let you know here and on the Amazon page once I set a date. You should also be able to find it on my Goodreads author page here: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6911034.Diane_McCallum?from_search=true

Meanwhile, I'm working on the third novel. This one is going to require more work because I haven't spent as much time on it as the first two novels. We'll see if I can get this one ready by December or January. Stay tuned to this blog for updates!

Snafu

I don't have much of an update today because the artist and I weren't able to meet this past week, but I have a few notes to mention.

First of all, Blogger doesn't work quite the way I thought it did. I assumed I could have separate posts on different pages--I wanted to have news and updates on my Home page, and then have fiction on The Crew page--but that isn't how Blogger works. In the next few days, I'll be playing around with the possibilities, so if something looks wrong, it's just me proving that I'm a novice at this! (SNAFU will be an appropriate title for it.) Once I get things closer to the way I want them, look for a page called something like "About This Blog" and I'll try to explain what I've done.

Given my problems with Blogger, this might seem ridiculous but I'm toying with the idea of having a Facebook page. (It would be a business page, not a regular page.) Do you think I'm nuts to try that, especially given my limited knowledge of social media and other computer-related things? I don't see that I'd spend a lot of time on the Facebook page, since I have enough to do with this blog and my "real" life, so I don't know if it's worth it. I'll keep thinking about it. Post any thoughts or suggestions or advice you might have. Thanks!