Descent

A few weeks ago, I went to Wilderness Park, where I walked a familiar path until it led me to a strip pit, surrounded by steep slopes and dense trees.

There were trails here that I’d never explored, mostly because they weren’t labeled and seemed little more than wildlife trails, narrow and not clearly defined. I’d debated whether I should take one, but there no signs to forbid it and I was in a mood for something different.

The path I chose was steep at first, as if to test me. I clambered up the slope and found myself on a narrow ridge, alongside the same strip pit, a dark spot on that cloudy day.

I pressed on, fighting off tree branches that tried to tear at my face, my hat, my jacket. The path had obviously not been traversed by a tall person recently, so I had to push my way through. I kept going, bending the branches aside, peering ahead to see where the path would take me. I wasn’t sure where I was or where I was going, but I consoled myself with the thought that I need only turn around to find my way back.

After a while, I stopped, faced with a dilemma. The path continued straight ahead of me, but there was another one breaking off to my left. I pondered. If I kept going straight, I would have the same easy solution to find my way back, but I might see something interesting. (It was January, though. There wouldn’t be much.) The other path was a risk, but it did seem to meander back in the general direction of the more familiar part of the park. It had already been over twenty minutes since I’d left the original strip pit, and it would be a walk of about ten or so minutes from there to my car. On such a gray and chilly day, I decided to go back.

The path on the left had several steep descents, testing me again. I had to take care not to twist an ankle on a jutting tree root or wobbly rock, all while still fending off the grasping tree branches. A few times I questioned whether I was still on an actual trail, but there was just enough there for me to believe in it.

After I half-slid down another slope, I found myself in a ravine. For a moment, I stood there and considered the fact that I didn’t think I’d ever been in a ravine before. It seemed odd and exciting, as if I’d found myself in a Bradbury story. As one would expect, it was shady and quiet, a dull brown bowl of dead leaves and slumbering trees.

Once the novelty wore off, I realized that I couldn’t see the path anymore. This caused some concern, but not fear. I knew I’d gone far enough to be close to my destination. It was simply a matter of finding a way to it.

I stepped out farther into the ravine. There were no visible trails. As I looked up the incline on the opposite side, though, I thought something about it seemed familiar. I recalled a trail that leads beside a ravine and I wondered if that might be it. Even if it wasn’t, the higher ground would give me a better vantage point to see where I was.

Getting up was not easy. The leaves wanted to slide underfoot and the ground was just damp enough to offer little purchase. More than once I had to grab at a tree trunk to halt my backward slide back into the ravine. I clambered and grasped, determined to reach the top … and I finally made it.

I stood there, panting and disheveled but smiling. I was on the trail I’d hoped to find and it led straight back to my starting point. I looked down into the ravine, which didn’t seem so forbidding from this height. It was quiet and unbothered by humanity, biding its time until spring would bring it back to life.

     Then I turned away and walked back toward my regular life.

On the Verge

I missed writing a blog in January. Sorry about that! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. Happy 2018!

My January was full of upheaval, especially at work. A lot of things changed, some for the better and some yet to be seen. We were put into different groups, we were given different supervisors, we were physically moved around the room. It took everyone a while to get used to it.

I was one of them. I don't mind some change, but we got a lot thrown at us all at the same time. My team changed, my original group's title disappeared, I had to get used to a new location with a few challenges. I'll admit that I had a little trouble with it.

I think I'm getting more used to it, though. That's what happens, isn't it? You grumble and complain, you wonder why this had to happen ... and then you turn around and it all seems normal. It's happened before. I'm sure it will happen again.

Nevertheless, I was glad to have a few weekends to process things. It's nice to have some quiet time to put things in perspective.

This weekend was no exception. I'm on the verge of a decision regarding work and I needed some time away to think about it.

So why on earth did I find myself driving to work and parking in the lot on a Saturday?

By now, you should know that I'm a birder, so this next bit won't surprise you.

For several weeks at work, I've been walking in the hallway to get some exercise when something outside caught my eye. I've stopped by windows and doors to squint out at the field north of our building because there was movement in an otherwise empty space. As you might have guessed, it had two wings. It was a Northern Harrier. I wasn't sure at first, but then I glimpsed the white patch at the base of its tail and I knew.

Several times I've stood still to watch its aerial acrobatics as it glides, stoops and banks over the field, searching for some unlucky rodent to make its meal. I've had more than one person ask me what I'm staring at out there. Nobody seems surprised when I saw it's a hawk.

Without binoculars, though, I couldn't see the bird very well. It's a big field and the harrier seemed good at keeping its distance. As a result, I drove over there with binoculars this afternoon to see if I could get a better look.

It was chilly, with a brisk wind, and my heart fell as I pulled into the lot. The field looked empty. I put on some gloves and earmuffs before I stepped out of the car. Still no sign of hawks. Resigned, I decided I might as well walk a little before the drive home.

I walked around the building and stopped. There in the EAST field were two harriers! They hopped around, spreading their wings over the ground as if protecting something, although they didn't appear to have caught anything. Then one took flight and soared over to the north field. I followed and was rewarded with twenty minutes of watching a beautiful hawk gliding over a field. Every time the hawk turned, I got a good look at the striking patterns and colors on its chest and tail. Its long yellow legs hung down and then tucked up against its body. The wings were masterful at propelling the hawk through impressive maneuvers. In short, it was breathtaking. I forgot the chill in the air, the craziness at work, pretty much everything as I watched in awe.

Now I'm back at home, where it's warm, but I can still see that hawk. I don't think it ever saw me because it was concentrating on the field. I'm sure it wouldn't have admired me like I admired it!

As usual, Nature provided me with some time to leave behind my cares and worries, to enjoy something with a clear mind and open heart. I think I'm ready to make a decision.

Don't forget the Great Backyard Bird Count this month! Here's where to find more information: http://gbbc.birdcount.org/  I encourage you to give it a try and turn in your counts. You never know what you will see.

A Quest ... And a Milestone

Those of you who know me are aware that I'm a birder. That can mean a lot of things, but in my case, it means I sometimes rush off somewhere in the hopes of seeing a new bird. This weekend was no exception.

It all started when I attended a recent meeting of the local Audubon chapter, Sperry-Galligar Audubon Society. I've been a member of this group since its inception and I've learned a lot from my fellow members. In the fall of 2003, we were encouraged to start a bird list, with pins to be awarded when each person reached 50 birds, 100 birds and 200 birds. I made it my goal to reach 200.

I started strong. Within a year, I had over 100 birds on my list. I saw them in four states: Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado. Naturally, I thought 200 was well within my grasp ...

Life intruded. Various things kept me from traveling much and sometimes it was hard to find a place to see new birds. With some help from field trips through SGAS, I finally got to 150 birds in 2009. Then things really slowed down and I started to wonder if I'd ever reach 200. After a few years, I resigned myself to the fact that I would get there, but not quickly. I made my peace with it, although it was always in the back of my mind. I saw one new bird in 2015. I was in the 190s by then, but 200 still seemed far away.

Then came the meeting. A member from Missouri reported that he'd seen long-tailed ducks at a wastewater treatment plant about 30 miles away. I didn't even know that such a thing existed and I certainly didn't know what it looked like (thank goodness for field guides). Some of the members decided they'd try to see it, so I decided I had to go with them.

The same thing happened in 2012. I heard there was a snowy owl in Missouri, so I drove over there near the end of January. I drove along several country roads, pretty sure I was lost, not sure where the owl was ... until I spotted a bright white object in the middle of a field. Binoculars let me confirm it was the owl. I called a fellow birder, who met me there, and we both stared at the owl for several minutes. Then we did a little happy dance right there on the country road.

So I know that sometimes you need to follow your instincts. It's possible you might not see anything, but that's better than wondering what you might have missed. The other birders felt the same way so we carpooled to Missouri, had to detour around a roadblock and finally found the place. We stood there staring at water birds through binoculars for a few minutes before we spotted one duck that seemed much lighter than the others. We consulted the books, studied the duck again, consulted the books and talked among ourselves. Finally we realized it was true: we were seeing a long-tailed duck! Cheers followed.

If you're interested, here's some information about it: Long-Tailed Duck-Audubon

I came home very happy that I'd seen a new bird and was able to share the experience with friends. I sat down to write it in my notebook ... and paused. I'd made a list of the other birds we'd seen while we were searching for the long-tailed duck, and I didn't see two of them on my list. I flipped through the pages once, twice. Still I didn't see those two. Was it true? It WAS! I was able to add three new ducks ... and that puts me at 200!

So patience and the occasional whim, with a little luck thrown in, got me to my goal. Isn't that usually how it goes?

Next up: 300!

Onward

Happy 2016!

I've done some of my year-end tasks: changed the calendars, taken down the Christmas lights, put away the tree ... oh, and run some year-end sales reports.

Whew. That added a solemn note to my day. If you include all formats of my novels (paperback and Kindle), I sold 78 copies in 2013, my first year at this. That was with only one novel out.

In 2014, I had two novels out and I sold 36 copies in all.

In 2015, I had three novels out and I sold 16 copies in all.

Ouch. Sixteen copies all year! That's not the direction I saw things going. It was easy to feel gloomy about that, and I did for a while.

But then I took a step back. When I first released Outsider, I thought I'd probably sell about three copies (mostly to family). I've sold a few more than three, so I think I can be proud of that.

Besides, sales weren't really the point. I started writing Outsider because I thought it was fun. As I went along, I realized I cared about my characters and wanted to explore them some more, so I wrote a few more novels. At some point in the continuous rewriting of Outsider, I decided it was time to stop doing that, so I published it. I really wanted to share my characters with other people. And I've done that. It's pretty amazing to me that Lamont and Reg and Sean can live in other people's heads, not just in mine. They can do that if people share copies of the novel or check them out of a library, which won't show on a sales report.

So I'm going to do what I was doing before I ran the reports: go back to making The Other Side as good as I can make it. I'm going to fix the problem chapters, determine when I think it's ready and then publish it.

That's what I do. I write and rewrite. If I sell some along the way, that's great. I really appreciate all of you who have bought a copy or two! It would be nice if we could make 2016 better than 2015 ... but if not, that's okay. I'll be working on the fifth one!

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!

The Other Side Update

I haven't given you much in the way of updates lately for The Other Side, have I? I am working on it, but things are a little slow in that department. Here's why:

When I started on my novels, I wrote Outsider first (no surprise there) and then I slowly wrote four other novels. In between writing, I would go back and edit/rewrite on previous novels. After a while, I realized that the third novel was too short, so I combined it with the second to create Another Shot. What started as the fourth novel was now the third, and I was having some real trouble with it: I couldn't come up with an ending that worked. I rewrote and rewrote, but it never ended to my satisfaction. Finally, with more than a little regret, I realized that the novel would never work as it was and I discarded it. (Believe me when I say that was not an easy thing to do.) The final novel was now referring to things that had never happened!

I wasn't happy with only three novels, so I resolved to write one to go between Another Shot and the final novel. As it turned out, I managed to fit two novels in there, In the Shadows and The Other Side. This means the final novel also neglects to mention big things that happened in those two novels! As you can tell, that last novel is going to need a lot of work.

In the meantime, however, I have to deal with The Other Side. Since it was technically written last (even though it isn't the last novel in the series; how confusing is that?), it has had the least work. Some of the original writing came as late as 2008 or after, so I haven't been through it as many times as the other novels. Since I don't write things perfectly the first time (or even the second or third time), I'm having to do a lot of rewriting. I've also been adding scenes that should have been in there but somehow weren't.

All of this means I'm doing more work on this one than I even did on In the Shadows. (You might remember how much work I did on that late in 2014.) The good news is that I'm doing this work over the summer instead of over the fall, so I've given myself some more time. I'm still aiming for a release date of January, although that isn't set in stone.

Meanwhile, just to make things "interesting" for myself, I'm trying to create a video for In the Shadows. Sometimes it gets confusing and I have to remember which plot line I'm working with, but it means that things don't get boring!

That's the latest update. I appreciate your patience and I thank you for reading my blog (and my novels).

On My Own ... For Now

I came home from work this past week to find a message on my answering machine. Before we get to the message: yes, I have an answering machine! No, I don't have a smartphone yet. (Insert amazed gasp from the audience here.)

I guess it's ironic that I write science fiction, which involves changes in technology that I haven't always embraced myself. My characters fly in a spaceship and I'm still using an answering machine. I never said I always make sense!

Anyway, the message was rather hard to understand but it appeared to be a publishing company. This gave me an instant rush of excitement: this was my big break! Next stop, New York Times Bestseller List! Fortunately, I do have some common sense, so I looked up the company online. I then realized it was not a publishing company, but a publishing service. They want me to pay them to format, design and market my book. (I'm not going to name the company since I decided not to go with them.) Thanks, but no thanks.

It made me think, though. If an actual publishing company called, would I go with them? At first, I thought, "Heck, yes!" But then I thought more about it. It's true that my marketing attempts are feeble and would be wildly improved by a national publisher, but that's one of the few benefits they could offer. Right now, I control my future and my novels. No one else has told me how to format the next novel or when to release it. No one else has told me what to blog about or what I need to put on my Facebook page. No one else has told me what my next story should involve. Those are the advantages of self-publishing.

I'm definitely not saying I wouldn't change my mind. If anyone at Tor is reading this, for example, I'd love to hear from you! But you'd better have a very good offer. The one thing a big publisher could do for me is this: they could spread the word and interest a whole new group of readers. I'd like that.

For now, I'm on my own. And that's okay.

For those of you who have been asking, I'm hoping to release the next novel in January. Thanks for your continued patience!

P.S. Happy Flag Day!

In the Shadows Now Available

That's right, it's finally ready!

I only missed the deadline I'd set for myself by ONE day, so that's not too bad!
(I published it on February 1.)

Here's the link to Amazon: In the Shadows  I'll try to add it to the right side of this blog like the first two novels.

I'm a three-novel author! Wow, it's hard to believe. This one was the most challenging so far, but "what doesn't kill you ..."

I want to thank the artist, Kristi Kranker, for the cover image, and I also want to thank CreateSpace for making this dream a reality.

I hope to have the Kindle version ready by tomorrow, so look for it on amazon.com in the next few days.

And please tell all of your friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances, neighbors, etc., about the Penumbra series. Word of mouth is the best advertising, right?

Thanks again for your support!

Proofing is Done

Believe it or not, I finally finished proofreading In the Shadows. Of course, I could have continued to go over it forever, but I decided it's time to stop that and let go. Unfortunately, I still have to put it through CreateSpace's review process, so it won't be released in January after all.

But I was close!

This novel proved to be a bit of a challenge in more ways than one, but it taught me a few things. One of them is this: don't put it off until near the end of the year! If I'd worked on the novel more during 2014, I wouldn't have found myself releasing it in February instead of January. Lesson learned and let's hope the fourth one will be ready a little sooner.

No time to worry about the fourth one, however. I'm going to submit In the Shadows to CreateSpace. If all goes well, I might be able to approve it tomorrow and then it should be up on amazon.com by Monday or Tuesday!

If you follow me on Facebook, I'll post there when the book is available. Otherwise, you can either check amazon or tune in to this blog next weekend.

Thanks for your patience and support!

Getting Closer

This is going to sound familiar: the proof copy of In the Shadows is on its way to me!

Let me explain. Yes, I did already receive a proof copy, as I reported earlier, but it wasn't long before I realized I didn't have a finished product in my hands. As I told you last week, the cover seemed to have problems, which I hope we've resolved, although I'm not sure. Also, there were a lot of changes to make to the interior.

Changes to the interior? Wasn't that done? I thought so, but I was wrong. I discovered I had two chapters that were simply too long, so I broke those up. I also realized I'd made a big error in one scene, so I rewrote that. I made a few other changes, too.

Since I made so many changes, I didn't feel right approving the novel until I can get another look at it, so that's why I've decided to order another proof copy. This will be the first time I've ever done that for a novel.

So I'm afraid we're back to waiting. The ETA for the proof copy is January 27, so that will give me a few days to check it closely and still release the novel by the end of January. We'll see if it's possible. I hope so!

Thank you for your patience.

Slight Delays

Now that I have the proof copy of In the Shadows, I thought I'd just sail through the rest of the process ... but I wasn't quite right about that.

My biggest problem is that I happen to have a job where I basically proofread all day. During the week, I get home from work to discover that more proofreading just doesn't sound fun, so that mostly leaves the weekend. By then, though, my eyes are tired and need a break. Because of this, I'm moving a little more slowly than I thought I would.

Another issue involves the cover. When I took the proof copy to the artist, the first thing she noticed was that part of the right side of the image was cut off. When I picked up a ruler, I discovered that the width that CreateSpace lists on their site for my cover design is actually about .25" more than what the proof copy width is, so that's a problem. The artist and I are working on that and hope to get it resolved soon. (Actually, she's doing more of the work on that right now.)

So things aren't moving quickly. I promise I'll keep working on the proofing, but I already see that one scene needs a rewrite, which will take a little time.

I'm still aiming to get this novel released in January, but it's starting to look like it will be late January.

Stay tuned for updates.

It's Here

Happy New Year! 2015 has arrived and we are now responsible for making it the best we can.

The proof copy of In the Shadows has also arrived! I almost missed it because we'd already brought in the mail when the carrier apparently made an extra trip to deliver it. My husband happened to be going next door and stumbled on the package tucked in our box. Thank goodness!

The first thing I noticed is that it seems small! When I hold it up to Outsider or Another Shot, it's a little smaller because it's a little shorter. This one is 291 pages (Outsider is 359). I guess you don't have to worry about me getting too wordy this time around.

Since I got it late in the afternoon and I'm working on the fourth novel today, I had to make myself put down the proof copy so I can look at it tomorrow. Once I start, I'll probably be studying it non-stop, so I need some unbroken time. I keep looking over my shoulder at it, though.

Meanwhile, work on the fourth novel continues. I think I have a title, but I need a little time to mull it over and decide whether it will work. The novel has chapters, though! That's never easy because some chapter breaks are obvious but others are hard to shoehorn in there. There were times I thought I'd have a 20-page chapter because I couldn't decide where to break the action. Let's hope it will work the way I have it.

Don't worry, though: I will start checking the proof copy of In the Shadows tomorrow. I want to get that part done so I can keep my promise of publishing it this month. It shouldn't be a problem, but I'll feel better when it's done. Then will come the scary part: seeing if anyone will 1) buy it, 2) read it, and 3) like it. That part is out of my hands (which is probably why it's scary).

Stay tuned!

Another In The Shadows Update

Good news! I finally finished the blurb for In the Shadows, which means I was able to submit the whole book to CreateSpace.com for review. After waiting 24 hours, I got the word: it's good to go!

I've now ordered a proof copy that's supposed to arrive around January 5. (It's hard to wait!) Then I'll finally be able to hold my latest novel in my hands. What a feeling that is. (And it lasts until I start proofreading and find the inevitable mistake. Oh, well, that's part of the process.) I'll let you know how it goes.

Meanwhile, believe it or not, I've starting working on the next one! (It already has a rough draft.) This one will need A LOT of work: it doesn't have a title and it isn't even broken into chapters yet! (I think I have a good title in mind, though. I'll give it some thought and let you know once I'm sure.)

Remember to tell all of your friends and family members about the first two novels. They'd better hurry and read them before the third one is out, right?

I hope you had a peaceful holiday and will have a wonderful New Year. Look for the beauty that's around you, sometimes where you least expect it.


From Photography Workshop, November 2014

Thanks, as always, for your support.

In the Shadows Update

I've made more progress since last week, so here's the latest update.

On Monday, I got the final image from the artist for the cover. It's now on my hard drive, ready to be submitted.

On Wednesday, I registered In the Shadows with CreateSpace.com and received an ISBN for it. (That's always one of my favorite steps.) I then typed the ISBN on the copyright page.

On Thursday, I submitted the interior and it was accepted. Whew! I paged through their Interior Reviewer, which shows me what the interior will look like once it's printed, and it all looked pretty good. I also got some Likes for my posting about it on my Facebook page, which I really appreciated. Thanks for your support, everyone!

Now I'm frantically trying to write the cover blurb. I've told you a little about this in the past: I need two blurbs, one for the cover and one for the Amazon page. I think I've got the one for Amazon done, but the cover blurb is proving to be pesky. I'm getting some editorial help from my husband, who keeps telling me to "punch it up," so I'll work on it some more and try to get that finished today or tomorrow. Once that's done, I can start working on the cover at CreateSpace.com.

The book is starting to come together! Don't forget, though, that I'll have to order a proof copy and proofread the whole thing again, so we're still looking at January for a release date. I feel I'm getting closer, though!

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!

Consignment

Sorry I'm a little late posting this. I had hoped to have some social media news, but that might have to wait. (See below for more about that.)

Meanwhile, if you happen to be in the southeast Kansas or southwest Missouri region, you may now buy Another Shot without having to pay shipping costs! Look for it (and Outsider) in the local author section at the Hastings store in Pittsburg, KS, and at Vintage Stock in the Northpark Mall in Joplin, MO. I appreciate both stores and their book managers for offering my two novels. Check them out and shop locally if you can. (Otherwise, you can find both novels on amazon.com.)

I was really hoping to have a Facebook page set up by now, but other events intervened. For one thing, I went to see bald eagles in Stella, MO, over the weekend. Quite a sight! For a town with a population of 158, Stella had a lot to offer birders, including information about eagles, a quilt show, some homemade snacks and quite a few eagles. Adults and juveniles were perched in trees and soaring overhead, chirping to each other. I saw at least 15 of them. It was well worth the drive!

I have a day off from work tomorrow, however, and since it's supposed to turn bone-chilling cold again (what a winter!), I have good reason to stay inside and see if I can master the fine art of creating a Facebook page. I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to spend on it, since I'm sometimes hard-pressed to meet my goal of a blog each weekend, but I've decided to try. I'll let you know next weekend how it went.

What do you think? Any advice? Any suggestions? Please feel free to post comments below and let me know your thoughts (even if it's to tell me I'm crazy to try this).

Thanks for reading!

Happy (Warm) New Year

If you're reading this in the United States, I wish you warmth because most Americans are facing some bitter cold this weekend. I hope you'll all be safe. Here in southeast Kansas, we're in a Winter Weather Advisory and we have a Wind Chill Warning for tomorrow night, so I can empathize with those of you in the deep freeze. 2014 is a challenge, but I keep reminding myself that the days are getting longer...

The cold weather has had one good result, however: it's kept me inside and I've actually had time to do a little reading. If you want something that is fun to read with a terrific main character, I highly recommend Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files series. This is some serious fun!  Harry Dresden ("the only openly practicing professional wizard in the country") is one of the most complex characters I've discovered for a while and I'm ready to make my way through all 15 or so novels.  So far, I've read two of them, but I have a total of six in my possession. Those other four look mighty tempting right now... Maybe this storm will be good for something after all!  If you get a chance and you like fantasy/mystery/noir/adventure, give this series a try. Storm Front is the first in the series. That seems appropriate for this weekend, doesn't it?

Remember that Another Shot is now available and please keep spreading the word about the Penumbra series. I appreciate your support!

Sequel Schedule

I'm posting a little late this weekend. Sorry about that, but there were baseball games to watch. I'm sure you understand. ☺

Okay, let's see, publishing schedule for Another Shot. Since I published Outsider in January, I'm really aiming to get its sequel published in January, too. It's possible it might be ready to go in December, but don't count on that. Let's say next January at the latest. (Fingers crossed!)

Right now I'm working with a graphic artist to come up with a cover design for Another Shot. Outsider's cover has a stock image from CreateSpace, which was okay for my first attempt, but I wanted something better for the sequel. It was hard for me to come up with a good image, though! Either the image was nearly impossible to create or it gave away a plot point. I think we might have come up with something, though. We'll see what happens!