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!

Getting Closer

I got the proof copy of The Other Side two days early ... and I was afraid to open the package! I know it's silly, but so much has happened to delay this novel that I didn't think I could stand to see another cover that's too dark. It was Schrodinger's cat! As long as I didn't open the package, the proof copy could be good to go, or not.

I finally opened it. The verdict: the cover is still dark, but not as dark as the first one. My husband thinks it's okay. I'm not sure. The silhouette is now visible, but it's not obvious. The image also seems bluer than the original. I emailed the artist and asked if she wants to look at it before I release the novel. If she does, I'll see what she thinks. If she doesn't (she's quite busy these days), I think I'm going to go with this version.

That leaves a final run-through of proofreading, which I will try to begin in the next day or so. (I confess that I've been a little busy birding: the warblers are coming through SE Kansas so I've been trying to see as many of them as possible. I've also been watching the NHL playoffs. Tomorrow night the Cubs are on ESPN, so forget about me getting anything else done that evening!)

Thanks so much for your patience. We're a lot closer than we were last week!

And Happy May!

Try Again

Things are moving on The Other Side again. As you know, there was a delay because there was a problem with the cover image being too dark, but once again the artist has come through for me and provided me with a revised image. We really hope this one will work!

I made a few tweaks to the story and resubmitted the cover image. After about twelve or so hours, CreateSpace gave me the go-ahead on the files, so I ordered another proof copy today. The ETA is May 2, but I'm hopeful it might arrive a little before that. Then ... cross your fingers that the cover will be okay!

I find it a little hard to believe that it's almost May and my novel isn't out yet. I never would have imagined that it would be delayed this long, but that's how things go. At least you know I'm trying very hard to get it right!

Once I get the proof copy, I'll have to read it one more time, just in case there's one last thing I missed. If nothing horrible jumps out at me and the cover is okay, this novel might finally see the light of day!

Thanks for your patience. While you're waiting, please spread the word about the series and consider writing a review on Amazon for one of the novels. I'd really appreciate it!

Teasers

WARNING: This blog post contains some minor spoilers. If you haven't read Another Shot or In the Shadows, you might consider skipping this one. (The obvious solution is to read them now!)

I just watched a trailer for the new episode of "The X-Files," which will air next Sunday, Jan. 24. It's one of those shows that my significant other and I enjoyed for years. We loved the creativity of the storylines, we enjoyed most (but not all) of the conspiracy theories, we laughed at the corny jokes, but mostly I think we enjoyed the relationship between Mulder and Scully. The trailer makes me think the series will keep those strengths and add some new elements. I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do with it.

It occurs to me that some of you might be thinking of The Other Side in the same way. Will it have the same characters? Will it have the same chemistry? Will I crash another spaceship? Will I be able to do anything new? (I am very aware that crashing another spaceship would not be new, and I think I've managed to avoid it this time!)

Unfortunately, The Other Side won't come out right away, due to some extensive rewriting, but I haven't said much about it ... so maybe it's time to give a few teasers.

First of all, this novel will include the return of Sean Foster. He won't be a major factor in the story, but he will make an appearance. I hope that's good news for you.

We'll need to see how Reggie Hawkins is recovering from what happened near the end of In the Shadows. How inactive has he been? How long can he stay that way? What's his brother like?

If you recall, Lamont's crew had a mission for In the Shadows that they didn't get to fulfill: investigate the new wormhole. This time around, they're going to take a look ... and there will be some unexpected results. What is on the other side?

You'll see a little more of Gwen Radcliffe and pay a return visit to T.J.'s Bar. And you might want to review Another Shot before you read this one, although it isn't necessary.

I think that's all I'm willing to divulge for now. I hope it's enough to keep you interested while I try to finish the novel. I'll keep you posted!

Thanks, as always, for reading my blog. Feel free to leave a comment.

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!

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!

Book Signing Advice

You've been asked to do a book signing. Now what?

Well, first of all, don't panic! I'm one of the world's shyest people, so if I can do it, you can do it!

Your next step is to communicate with the people at the venue. Find out several things from them:
Who takes care of publicity? (Usually both of you will contribute to this.)
Where will you be located? (Don't let them stick you in the back. Near the front door is best.)
Will they provide a table? Chair? Book stand(s)? Pen(s)? (I always bring my own pens, just in case.)
Will people purchase the book from you or the store? (The store is better because they can take care of the sales tax.)
What is your share? (I wouldn't worry too much about this because you're really concerned more about publicity than money, but you don't want to get cheated either. If your books are on consignment there, you'll already know this.)

Make sure you tell everyone you know about the upcoming event. Post it everywhere you can online and put up posters wherever you might find book lovers (the library is a great place). Usually the venue will also want you to put up a poster. Make sure it looks good and gives the date, time and location. It should also feature your book(s) and give a teaser so people will want to come learn more about it/them.

As the day approaches, consider what you want to wear. Make it appropriate for the location and your genre. If you're a writer of children's books, I wouldn't recommend fishnet stockings! Don't be too formal because you want people to think you're approachable.

You should also consider how many of your books to bring with you. Often the venue can give advice on this, but you'll also have some idea of what to expect. If you're J.K. Rowling, you'll bring a few more books than if you're Diane McCallum. (I usually take five or ten copies.)

You should get there early so you can set things up the way you like. Arrange your books in a way that catches attention. Spread out any business cards, bookmarks or other materials you have. It's a good idea to have something that people can take with them, even if they don't buy anything. You never know if they might decide later that your book sounds good after all. (I have separate bookmarks for each of my novels.)

Have in mind what you're going to write when you sign the book, but beware: some people only want you to sign it, so ask first! I always get their name (and ask them to spell it, even if it's Jim) and ask who to make it out to, because sometimes the book is a gift. Think about what else you'd like to include to make it more personal. If there isn't a big line waiting, chat with the person to get some ideas. If there's a line (which has never happened to me), then have a fallback phrase that you can sign ("thanks for your support," "thanks for coming to the signing," something like that).

Here's the most important advice, though: make eye contact and smile! And have fun! If you're in a good mood and seem approachable, people will be more likely to step forward to meet you, even if they don't plan to buy a book. Sometimes you can convince them that they want to support you because you're such a nice, outgoing person ... and they'll buy a book. You never know.

With a little preparation, your first book signing will be an enjoyable experience. Even if you don't sell a single copy, you've made yourself available and received some valuable publicity.

Congratulations! This is one step in the process of getting your books discovered. Make the most of it.

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.

Book Signing for Another Shot

Yes, it's time for me to do another book signing! I just set the date yesterday: Saturday, April 26, 2014. If you're anywhere near Pittsburg, KS, on that date, stop by Hastings at 2806 N. Broadway. I'll be there to autograph copies of both Another Shot and Outsider. I'd love to have you come in and say, "Hi." As an added incentive, there will be free refreshments!

My last book signing was a lot of fun, after the initial stress of preparation. I put up posters around town and even had an interview in the local newspaper, The Morning Sun. A lot of my friends came, so that made it enjoyable. (Thanks to all who attended last year!) I hope to have another good response this time. It's another way to show your support!

See you there!

Outsider Temporarily Unavailable

If you happen to go to amazon.com anytime soon to buy a paperback copy of Outsider, I'm afraid you'll see this message:


Status of Outsider on amazon.com Feb. 1, 2014

It might seem odd that a publish-on-demand book is out of stock, but that's the case because I decided that there were a few too many errors in the book. Once I start the process of uploading a new file to CreateSpace, the book becomes unavailable on Amazon. I'm sorry if this causes you any inconvenience. I started the process today and I hope to have it finished within a week. If you're trying to buy a copy, keep checking back!

While I was at it, I decided I'd better fix the Kindle version, too. That means it might not be available for a short time either.

I want to have the best version I can for sale, so that's why I chose to do this. There weren't any huge errors, just some embarrassing ones, including some missing words, and I wanted to get them fixed.

Because of this, the Facebook page is also on hold. I didn't get any comments about it on this blog, so I assume nobody is holding their breath to see it. I'll get back to that once I get the corrections done to Outsider.

Another Shot is still available in both versions, so feel free to buy a copy.  I'll try to make a brief post when Outsider is available again.

Happy February!

Breaking News!

I have great news: Another Shot is now available on Amazon.com!

Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/Another-Shot-Penumbra-Diane-McCallum/dp/149366414X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387324797&sr=1-3&keywords=diane+mccallum

(I'll try to make a link on the side like the one for Outsider once I have time to figure out how I did that before.)

There were times when it probably seemed like the sequel to Outsider would NEVER come out, but I finally got it done over the past weekend. I had to make the changes from my last round of proofreading and then submit the whole file (interior and cover) to CreateSpace again. Once they approved it, I merely had to approve it myself and then wait for one nail-biting day before it popped up on Amazon.com. (My reaction was about the same as when Outsider first appeared there: yips of delight, accompanied by some clapping of hands and spontaneous hopping.)

I want to thank Kristi Kranker for the cover art, which came out great.

I also want to thank everyone for their support, which made this possible. It was the remarkable interest in Outsider that encouraged me to publish Another Shot, so pat yourself on the back!

It's now officially a series!

Proof Copy

The proof copy of Another Shot has arrived! I can't tell you how exciting it is to hold the physical book in my hands and know that soon other readers will be holding their own copies!

This means I need to do another round of proofing because I want those readers to be happy, not hung up on errors. I already see something on the back cover that I'd like to change. This means we're in for another wait while I read through it again, make the necessary changes and go through the submission process again.

For those of you in the vicinity of Pittsburg, Kansas, I will be making an appearance at the public library (308 N Walnut) on Monday, November 18, at 6:00 p.m. They're having a reception for local authors, who will be selling and autographing copies of their books. I hope you'll stop by to say "Hi" and support our local authors. This is your first chance to get a look at the cover of Another Shot! Don't miss it!

Progress

Great news! I've registered Another Shot at CreateSpace.com and it has its own ISBN! (I had to look it up: ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number.)
How exciting is that?

This past week, I met with the artist and we finalized a few details about the cover art. She's working on her artist profile for About the Artist, which she apparently finds just as hard to write as I did. (I simply modified the one I had for Outsider, so it was a little easier for me this time.) I think she's going to get both of them to me by next week. Things are rolling!

Once I have About the Artist, I'll add that to the final page and then I'm ready to submit the interior. That means all of the pages you see between the covers, which I had to format correctly. We'll see if CreateSpace accepts it or if I have to make some changes. (Fingers crossed.)

Please remember to keep spreading the word about Outsider. Tell your friends, your acquaintances, people you encounter on the street or online! Let's build up interest so Another Shot can do as well as Outsider ... or even better. Thanks for your support!

Delay

Unfortunately, things seem to be on hold for the sequel right now, although I'm expecting that to change soon. I'm waiting to get some information from another source before I can proceed much further.

However, I'm hoping that next weekend I'll have more of the pieces and I can open up a new title in CreateSpace. I think that's the first step to really believing the project will happen. I thought it would be this weekend, but it didn't work out. That's okay, I'm not on a strict schedule ... but I can feel myself getting a little antsy. The internal pressure is starting to build as I gear up for the big push to get published.

I'm sorry I don't have more to report this time, but I'll try to have more next weekend.  Have a great week!

Space Tourism

Sigh. I just found out why I won't be going to space just yet: Virgin Galactic is charging $250,000 for a future ride on one of their spaceships. Unless I sell a whole lot of books, I guess I won't be going that route anytime soon. (If you're interested, here's where you can book your flight: http://www.virgingalactic.com/booking/)

That's okay, I hadn't really counted on that type of spaceflight yet ... although, given the chance, I'd take it! If you know anyone who wants to give away their ride on a parabolic flight, let me know and I'll step right up to accept it.

For now, though, I'll be content to use that old standby, my imagination. That's certainly better than nothing. It created five novels, after all!

I've finished the corrections to Another Shot. Now I'm double-checking the format and waiting to hear from the artist (about the cover image and the "About the Artist" text at the end of the book). I'll keep you updated on how that's going.

Remember to spread the word! Wouldn't you love to read my blog about a trip into space??

Cover News

Out of the blue, I got an e-mail from Kristi, the artist, this past week. She asked if I wanted to see the artwork she's creating for my next cover. Did I want to see it??
You bet!

After a little confusion (I wandered the halls for a few minutes because I missed her follow-up message about where we should meet), we found each other outside, where it was a beautiful day. Sitting on the table was a board with the artwork on it ... and I really liked it! It was similar to the original sketch I saw, but it was more detailed and I could get a better idea of how the finished product will look. I think it will look great!

The next step is for Kristi to scan the image into her computer and make some changes, including the addition of some color. We talked about that for a few minutes. There won't be a lot of color, because of the nature of the image (which is top secret!), but she can add a few touches here and there. I'm really excited to see the finished product.

I've been proofreading Another Shot as often as I can lately and I'm making progress. I found some rather big errors, so I know the time spent is worth it. Stay tuned!

Artist News

I have good news: the artist and I have signed an agreement, so she's really going to do the cover for Another Shot.

Now that we have an agreement in place, I can tell you that her name is Kristi Kranker and she works at the same place I do as a graphic artist. We're both pretty excited about the cover and I really look forward to seeing her work. (It might be a few weeks before she has anything to show me because she said she wants to be happy with it before she shows it to me. That makes a lot of sense to me, because I wouldn't want to release a novel until I was happy with it, so I'll just back off and let her creativity go to work.) The deadline is in early November, so we have plenty of time.

This means I have to get back to work on proofreading, which I plan to do this weekend.

Meanwhile, I want to send best wishes to those of you in Colorado who are dealing with the crazy weather and flooding. I hope you, your friends and your families are safe.

Cover Update

I hadn't met with the artist for two weeks because we both had other activities, but we were able to find time this past week ... and I'm glad we did! After we discussed some of the business aspects, the artist showed me an initial sketch, based on my feeble attempts to describe what I want, and I really liked it! I think she's going to come up with something fantastic and I can't wait to see it.

This really brought home to me the idea that I'm going to publish a sequel to Outsider. That might sound strange, since I've been posting updates about it and proofreading the draft, but somehow, having a cover image in the works makes it seem much more real. There's going to be a cover, which means there's going to be a published novel! Then, amazingly enough, I'll be a twice-published author! I'd better put my head down before I pass out. Ha, ha.

I know it won't be easy, because getting the novel properly formatted and working through the CreateSpace steps can be a challenge, but I'm starting to think it might actually happen. Wow!

Thanks for reading my latest post. Feel free to post comments on this or any of my posts. Be sure to read About This Blog (you'll see it listed to the right) if you haven't already. And stay tuned!

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!