Life, the Universe and NaNoWriMo.....

Been a while, hasn't it?

Not much of an excuse, been plotting and working on some things. A short story I wrote for the Battletech: Legend anthology was in print at Gencon back in August, but right now, that line of storytelling is on hold until a few thing above my level get worked out.

So, what have I been doing with myself? Well, I and Rick have been working on the next Outcast Ops novel. We started putting it to outline a couple of months back and we started on it ---- only to have a small problem.....

Called Hurricane Irma.

Having been through Hurricane Charlie back in '04, and not wanting to repeat that experience,  and realizing we were in the cone, we got out of Dodge and headed up to my sister's place in Virginia. A trip that normally takes us 17-18 hours took us 26 hours (Mostly getting out of the state --- it took us twice as long as it usually does.) So, we spent a week imposing on my dear sweet sister, watching the coverage and wondering if we had a home to go back to.

The good news is we did. By the time Irma blew though Marco Island, Naples and Ft Myers, Irma was maybe a Cat 1 storm by the time it reach out area, and after Charlie, most of the area laughed at what Irma brought in the way of rain and wind. We didn't even lose power this time (We lost it for 13 days after Charlie because they had to rebuild the power grid before restoring power.)

And Rick? Well he lives in the Keys...... On the plus side, his still has an intact home, but there was some damage to his property.

But the hurricane disrupted both our writing schedules and it took us a while to get back to work, The New Outcast Ops novel, called Shadow Government has been meandering along to about 25K to this point. it's taken a while to get back into the groove.

Then we decided that the best way to get this puppy really rolling was to use NaNoWriMo to push the story onto a fast track 50K in 30 days? Why not? I have an account and away we go!

As of this moment, 2,115 words have been written since NaNoWriMo started --- that's only 47,885 words to go! so buckle up and get ready for a speed run!

******

The writing update:

The Assassin Prince (Fantasy) --- Outline (through Chapter 34) *ON HOLD*
The Darkness of Shadows (Science Fiction) --- Outline (through Chapter 16) *ON HOLD*
Operation: Broken Chains (Thriller) --- Outline (through Chapter 20) *ON HOLD!*

When I say "Through Chapter X," That means completed chapters. Each of the novels has partially outlined chapters which are not included in the totals above. Any feedback will be welcomed.

*******

All the Outcast Ops novels I co-authored with Rick Chesler are on Amazon and are part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm is here: Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon! Red Ice is here: Outcast ops: Red Ice on Amazon! Watchlist is here: Outcast Ops: Watchlist on Amazon. In addition, there is a physical version of Watchlist here: Outcast Ops: Watchlist Paperback

For those in the United Kingdom, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon UK!! Red Ice is here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon!. and for those in the UK, Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon UK! And the new novel is here: Outcast Ops: Watchlist on Amazon UK!

For anyone else, please check your country's Amazon Website (if there is one).

Also, check out the other Outcast ops novels. Outcast Ops: Game of Drones by Rick Jones and Rick Chesler and Outcast Ops: The Poseidon Initiative by Rick Chesler.

In addition, Watchlist, Red Ice and African Firestorm are audiobooks! If you're member of Audible, you can listen to them free! The audio versions can be found here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice (Audible) and African Firestorm (Audible) Watchlist is the newest and is here: Watchlist (Audible)

The audios for Game of Drones Games of Drones (Audible) and The Poseidon Initiative The Poseidon Initiative are also up on Audible, or though Amazon!

Please read or listen and leave a review!

Later!

Craig

OUTCAST Ops: Watchlist is out!

In Kindle format, at any rate....... It went live today, so you can buy it in Kindle format right now!

But we're doing more than that. Sometime soon (with the next could of weeks, I think), you will be able to buy Watchlist in an physical book form! What you see above is the cover for the paperback book version of the cover. Yes!

I've leaned something from each one of these novels I've co-authored, and Watchlist is no different. There's a lot more action and cutting-edge technology in this novel. It's also the longest of the three I've co-authored, a tale that spans two continents and several countries.

Here is the black cover blurb:

CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY...BLEEDING EDGE TERROR

A biotechnology conference in Prague is the target of a terrorist attack, and in its aftermath a renowned geneticist lay dying. His last act is to inject a man he has never before met with an experimental substance--artificial DNA that has been encoded with the details of a plot to unleash mass terror on the United States.

Enter OUTCAST (Operational Undertaking To Counteract Active Stateside Threats)--six ex-operatives from six of America’s most powerful organizations. Each has been unceremoniously released by their respective former employer for alleged misdoings that leave their pride wounded but their essential skill-sets untouched. After uniting over their shared bond of dismissal from the nation’s most elite outfits, the disgruntled spooks realize they can work together like never before to take down threats to their beloved country, a country that branded them as outcasts but needs them now more than ever.

As international authorities hunt for the fugitive whose blood carries some of the most sensitive intelligence data on the planet, they get close enough to learn his identity, but the truth rocks the White House to its core. The most wanted individual in the world is none other than OUTCAST leader, Tanner Wilson. One of the only people capable of stopping the looming threat to millions of innocent Americans, Wilson is placed on the terror watchlist, and once again, OUTCAST is hell-bent on showing America that their way isn't the best way--it's the only way.

Watchlist is Book 5 in the OUTCAST Ops series. They can be read in any order. Game of Drones is Book 1. The Poseidon Initiative is Book 2. African Firestorm is Book 3. Red Ice is book 4.

It's $3.99 for the Kindle version, and as soon as we have more news on the paperback, we'll let you know all the details!

As for my other writing, I'm working on another project for the Battletech universe, which has slowed up my work on my novels. I just have to find the right balance, and it helps that Watchlist is now out in the world, so that's one less thing I need to worry about. Managed to get a couple of more chapters outlined on The Assassin Prince before the Battletech project came up.

******

The writing update:

The Assassin Prince (Fantasy) --- Outline (through Chapter 34)
The Darkness of Shadows (Science Fiction) --- Outline (through Chapter 16) *ON HOLD*
Operation: Broken Chains (Thriller) --- Outline (through Chapter 20) *ON HOLD!*

When I say "Through Chapter X," That means completed chapters. Each of the novels has partially outlined chapters which are not included in the totals above. Any feedback will be welcomed.

*******

All the Outcast Ops novels I co-authored with Rick Chesler are on Amazon and are part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm is here: Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon! Red Ice is here: Outcast ops: Red Ice on Amazon! And for the new novel you can find it here: Outcast Ops: Watchlist on Amazon

For those in the United Kingdom, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon UK!! Red Ice is here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon!. and for those in the UK, Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon UK! And the new novel is here: Outcast Ops: Watchlist on Amazon UK!

For anyone else, please check your country's Amazon Website (if there is one).

Also, check out the other Outcast ops novels. Outcast Ops: Game of Drones and Outcast Ops: The Poseidon Initiative.

In addition, Both Red Ice and African Firestorm are audiobooks! If you're member of Audible, you can listen to them free! The audio versions can be found here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice (Audible) and African Firestorm (Audible)  Watchlist is not yet available in an audiobook format, but we hope to start moving in that direction soon.

Please read or listen and leave a review!

Later!

Craig

Unwilful Neglect

That's the best way to describe it --- It's not that I have been ignoring this on purpose, it's that I really haven't nothing to really say in the last four months.....

What I can say now is the first draft of Outcast Ops: Watchlist has been completed and we (Rick Chesler and myself) are into the editing stage, taking the first draft and making it better. This is the most ambitious one that I've co-written to day --- the action take place across a large section of Europe and the US, as our heroes have to dodge not only the Bad Guys, but the Authorities of several nations.

I finished my part over the past weekend, and have spent the week doing one last polish of that novella and pitching for a couple of gaming projects while I ease my back into outlining those novels.. I haven't looked at them in a while, so, I need to let myself flow back into the swing of things.

Still, it's great that the newest Outcast Ops novel is moving along and should be up on Amazon soon. In fact, here's the cover:

So, what do you think? It's a little different than the others, to see if it's more appealing. Why don't you let us know either way?

Well, back to the grindstone.....

******

The writing update (Unchanged from the last time, but I'd thought I'd post them so everyone [including me] will be reminded of where I am). In addition, starting with this update, I'm included the genre of each novel:

The Assassin Prince (Fantasy) --- Outline (through Chapter 32)
The Darkness of Shadows (Science Fiction) --- Outline (through Chapter 16)
Operation: Broken Chains (Thriller) --- Outline (through Chapter 20)

When I say "Through Chapter X," That means completed chapters. Each of the novels has partially outlined chapters which are not included in the totals above. Any feedback will be welcomed.

*******

Both Outcast Ops novels I co-authored with Rick Chesler are on Amazon and are both part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm is here: Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon! For those in the United Kingdom, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon UK!! Red Ice is here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon!. and for those in the UK, Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon UK! For anyone else, please check your country's Amazon Website (if there is one). Also check out the other Outcast ops novels. Outcast Ops: Game of Drones and Outcast Ops: The Poseidon Initiative. Watchlist should be up soon!

In addition, Both Red Ice and African Firestorm are audiobooks! If you're member of Audible, you can listen to them free! The audio versions can be found here:Outcast Ops: Red Ice (Audible) and African Firestorm (Audible)

Please read or listen and leave a review!

Later!

Craig

No Excuses

As the title said, I have no excuses for the complete lack of blogging posts in the last four months. (I was even more neglectful of my other blog -- six months there....)

So what have I been doing instead of blogging up a storm? Well, the new Outcasts Ops novel. Over the last four months, Rick Chesler and I discussed the concept, through together an outline, tossed most of that story line out and revised it and came to a general agreement on the second outline. As of this moment, Outcast ops: Watchlist stand at about 20,000 words and nine and a third chapters completed. It's a neat concept, and draws on an idea sparked by a news item we both saw. What is it and how it's woven into the story will remain a secret for now.

What that means is that my outlining on my novels has been sidetracked for the time being as I work on this Outcast Ops novel. A bit disappointing, but I plan to change that with some changes in my writing routine. We'll see how it goes.....

******

The writing update:

The Assassin Prince --- Outline (through Chapter 32)
The Darkness of Shadows --- Outline (through Chapter 16)
Operation: Broken Chains --- Outline (through Chapter 20)

Everything's at a standstill at the moment.....

When I say "Through Chapter X," That means completed chapters. Each of the novels has partially outlined chapters which are not included in the totals above. Any feedback will be welcomed.

*******

Both Outcast Ops novels I co-authored are on Amazon and are both part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm is here: Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon! For those in the United Kingdom, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon UK!! Red Ice is here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon!. and for those in the UK, Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon UK! For anyone else, please check your country's Amazon Website (if there is one). Also check out the other Outcast ops novels. Outcast Ops: Game of Drones and Outcast Ops: The Poseidon Initiative.

In addition, Both Red Ice and African Firestorm are now audios! If you're member of Audible, you can listen to them free! The audio versions can be found here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice (Audible) and African Firestorm (Audible) 

Please read or listen and leave a review!

Later!

Craig

A Change in Plans....

As a freelance writer, I am open to taking on other writing projects as I work on my own projects. Two such projects have come up and they will be the ones that get the lion's share of my attention for the near future. MY work on my own novels has not been stopped, but these new projects take the first two slots. It happens sometime, and I will try to work on my novels whenever I can.

The first project is a new Outcast Ops novel! The sales of the four other novels in the series have been strong over the last couple of months, and Rick and I have agreed to start creating a new Outcast Ops novel. The title at this time is Outcast Ops: Watchlist, and while there is no target date, we hope to have it out by the fall.

The second project is a story in a new Battletech Anthology. As I've said before, I've written for several Battletech anthologies, but this one has a new twist on the concept. I won't say more than that for now, but those of you who read these stories will like them.

But that will take most of my attention away from my novels. It can't be helped, but now is the time to get down to work. The OO novel is more plotting then writing, while the anthology story is pure writing, limited in time and word count. So, the best of both worlds.....

*******

The writing update:

The Assassin Prince --- Outline (through Chapter 32)
The Darkness of Shadows --- Outline (through Chapter 16)
Operation: Broken Chains --- Outline (through Chapter 20)

It still progress.....

When I say "Through Chapter X," That means completed chapters. Each of the novels has partially outlined chapters which are not included in the totals above. Any feedback will be welcomed.

*******

Both Outcast Ops novels I co-authored are on Amazon and are both part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm is here: Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon! For those in the United Kingdom, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon UK!! Red Ice is here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon!. and for those in the UK, Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon UK! For anyone else, please check your country's Amazon Website (if there is one)

In addition, Red Ice is now an audio book! If you're member of Audible, you can listen to it free! The audio version can be found here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice (Audible) African Firestorm is being recorded and hopefully will be released sometime soon. Please read or listen and leave a review!

Later!

Craig

Red Ice Final Check is done and future plans

Well, Red Ice's final check (from me) is done......

It was like crawling over broken glass. I went over the novel, word by word, making spelling and grammar corrections, cutting words here, adding words there. And I noted every change in another file (I don't have a full-function Word program to use --- I've used WordPerfect 8.0 for years, and I like it. Besides, I don't have the money to buy Word and even if I did, I wouldn't). Below is an example of the changes I made....

Prologue

Page 3, 3rd Paragraph, 3rd line --- Changed "he'd hadn't" to "he hadn't"

Page 3, 6th Paragraph, 1st line --- Changed "begin" to "begun"

Page 5, 5th Paragraph, 2nd line --- Changed "sub as the" to "sub was the"

I had to note the changes because Rick needed to know what I changed when he makes his final check. So, the manuscript has changes in red, and the second file has entries like the ones above, telling Rick what changes I made, and in a few cases, why I made the changes.

Going over the manuscript word by word is tedious and slow. More than once I was asking myself, "Who the *#&@^ wrote this?" There were many, many changes that had to be made, all types , each one changed and documented like the example above. Sometimes, changes in one place cause a cascading effect down the page, leading to several more corrections that had to be made.

But it's done.

Now, what am I going to do? Well, three things:

• Work on several Battletech short stories.
• Continue plotting The Assassin Prince
• Start plotting my own thriller for NaWriNoMo

So, Red Ice is done, onto the next project(s). I'll be expanding on two of these projects in future posts. (The Battletech stories will be handled in my other blog, The Battletech State)

If you want to read African Firestorm, it's on Amazon and is part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm on Amazon! For those in the UK, click here! Red Ice should be be for sale early in November.


Take care,


Craig

Future Plans

Rich Chesler is still working his way through Red Ice, but he's busy juggling several other writing projects and it looks like he won't be able to commit to another Outcast Ops novel in the near future. I may go ahead and outline another OO novel, but it won't be a priority.

So, what does this mean? It means that I am free to work on my own projects and I've already started outlining a fantasy novel, The Assassin Prince, which I hope will be the start of a series I plan to call The Night Blades.

Why the change in genre? A change of pace. I love technothrillers, both reading and writing them, but I also love fantasy and decided was the time to try. It more worldbuilding then with technothrillers, because, it's literally a whole other world that has to be built from scratch. While I wait for Red Ice to be sent back for my look-over, I want to use this blog as a guild to how I build this world.

I won't bother with the African Firestorm updates anymore, but if you want to read it, it's on Amazon and is part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm on Amazon! For those in the UK, click here!

Later!

Craig

Red Ice is done!

Well, at least my first run through it......

The revision is done and I sent it off to Rick Chesler to add his part of the story. He'll go through, note what he sees as problems, list questions he wants me to clarify, makes his additions to the story, then send it back to me for my review. Which means with a little luck, Red Ice will be in the Amazon Kindle store by the end of September!

This novel is longer than African Firestorm --- 80,000 words or so, in comparison to Firestorm's 65,000 words -- and takes place in one city (See the picture above.) It didn't start out that way, but the story didn't fit into the smaller word count. After discussing it with Rick, we decided to try for 80,000 words --- and that's what it ended up as.

Why is it longer? For one, there's more action in Red Ice, on both sides of the table. After some discussion, there was some altering to the outline, but it did add more action. I was willing to increase the length, because I want to see if I could sustain the story for another 15K words. And I think I have!

As I wait to hear back from Rick, I'm working on other projects. Once Red Ice is out, I'll talk about the writing process more and maybe even answer some questions about writing.

And for the snapshot of AF's current standings:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

#170,808 Paid in Kindle Store
#482 in Kindle Store > eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Military
#1129 in Kindle Store > eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > War & Military
#1256 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Military

While that doesn't look like much of an improvement, it's only because I caught it on the downside. The last three weeks have been up and down -- as low as #368,051 (August 30th) and as high as #56,604 (September 11th) On September 14th, it was ranked at #57,154. Sales are still steady, so we shall see.

As for overseas.....Amazon.uk

#85,096 Paid in Kindle Store

#277 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Thrillers > Military
#1438 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Thrillers > Action & Adventure
#1601 in Kindle Store > Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > War & Military

Again, higher than last time.......

If you are a member of Amazon Prime, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm is on Kindle Direct! Use this link! African Firestorm on Amazon! For Amazon UK, click here! And please check out the other two (soon to be three) novels in the series!

Back to writing!

Craig

Red Ice -- The Rewrite Begins.....

I started the rewrite of Red Ice on Wednesday, and I've finished the Prologue, Chapters 1&2, and most of Chapter 3.

I read somewhere the following: "You can't edit a blank sheet of paper." I translate that into "Finish what you start. It doesn't have to be perfect, polished or ready to be published, just done." The first draft is a piece of stone, and I have to sculpt my final draft out of that stone.

I have said before I do not write perfectly. The writing is rough, extra words pop up in the paragraphs, plot lines are dangled but are not followed up on, exposition need to be made, and scenes trimmed. Bits and pieces came to me deep into the writing. Sometime, I go back and something into the story before, other times, I move on and make note of where to go back. Things like foreshadowing events, introduction of characters and locations earlier in the storyline.

For example, in Red Ice, the Main Bad Guy (MBG) attends a meeting with his allies in crime in Chapter 7. I wrote the MBG being accompanied by two of his own men. After that, I found myself using these two characters more and more and near the end I realized these two were the MBG's chief lieutenants. In the rewrite, I being my introduction of them early in Chapter 2 and flesh them out more in a new scene in Chapter 3. I also plan to expand of one of the main plot lines in the novel, and alter a few other things to bring them into line with the new flow.

What it all means is that I have only done half of what I need to do; I have my Stone; now I need to create the story as a smoothly-running novel.

And for this weeks' snapshot of AF's current standings:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:  

#240,765 Paid in Kindle Store
#593 in Kindle Store > eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Military
#1441 in Kindle Store > eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > War & Military
#1494 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Military

The sales are still strong (Believe it or not) but the borrow amounts are still way off. Hopefully, the Borrows will pick up in the last week.

As for overseas.....Amazon.uk

#118,973 Paid in Kindle Store

#319 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Thrillers > Military
#1725 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Thrillers > Action & Adventure
#1988 in Kindle Store > Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > War & Military

A corresponding drop in the sales rankings over here too, but I think sales will leap again, as they have in the past.

If you are a member of Amazon Prime, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm is on Kindle Direct! Use this link! African Firestorm on Amazon! For Amazon UK, click here! And  please check out the other two (soon to be three) novels in the series!

Back to (re)writing!

Craig

Red Ice is finished!

At least the first draft is done. . . .

I finished the first draft this afternoon. It's a little longer than I expected, and a couple of decisions will have to be made after I go through and rewrite it. I'm going to lay this off to the side for a couple of days, then dive back in and rewrite it and see what happens.

Red Ice took me 108 days to write -- a little more than three months. A bit longer than I expected or planned. But I pushed through (one of the reason why I haven't posted in three weeks) and it's done.

Right now, I want to rewrite this and get it into Rick Chesler's hands before the end of the month. If everything goes right (Murphy, he whose law rules supreme, is a writer), I hope to see Red Ice up on Amazon by mid-September.

And the snapshot of AF's current standings:


Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,430 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#479 in Kindle Store > eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Military
#1104 in Kindle Store > eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > War & Military
#1217 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Military

Again, watching the sales raking going up and down is like watching an insane roller coaster. The funny things is while sales are ahead of last month, the borrow rate is way off from July -- off by over 3,000 pages. There was a glitch on Amazon earlier in the week which did screw up the page count. We'll have to see if that comes back, or if it's a lingering problem in Amazon's system.

As for overseas.....Amazon.uk

#61,928 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#224 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Thrillers > Military
#1141 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Thrillers > Action & Adventure
#1216 in Kindle Store > Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > War & Military

Remember, if you are a member of Amazon Prime, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm is on Kindle Direct! Use this link! African Firestorm on Amazon! For Amazon UK, click here! And check out the other two (soon to be three) novels in the series!

Red Ice Final Stats (First Draft):

Done: Prologue, Chapter 1-41, Epilogue
Words Written the last twenty-two days: 18,985
Total Word Count: 72,400 (111.38% of 65,000 words)
Average Words Written per day: 670/day (+49)

Later!

Craig

Writing Red Ice: Days Eighty Through Eighty-Six

Has it been almost three months since I started writing this? Wow, times flies when you're writing.....

Anyway, I'm in the final stages of the next to last action piece in the novel. I finally got through Chapters 27 and 28. After I'm done, it'll be a set up leading into the climax and the climax itself. Maybe three or more updates. After that, it'll be going back through and editing and rewriting. But the first step must always be, Get the First Draft done!

There have been a few changes from outline to the actual writing --- I need to go back and add a few foreshadowing bits to set of actions that happen later in the book, maybe switch around a few scenes, proofreading and some editing. It's about halfway done -- the easy part is the first draft.....

And a snapshot of AF's current standings:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,852 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#494 in Kindle Store >  eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Military

#1105 in Kindle Store >  eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > War & Military

#1199 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Military

These are the lowest rankings since I started doing this --- but it only takes a couple of sales to boost it back up into the top 100,000. We'll see if the downtrend continues.

As for overseas.....Amazon.uk

#45,458 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#160 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Thrillers > Military
#886 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Thrillers > Action & Adventure
#949 in Kindle Store > Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > War & Military

So they finally broke the sales down on Amazon.uk by category. While the sales look much better here than on Amazon, there is less competition here, where a couple of sales here have a greater effect on sales. Right now, one out of every four sales of African Firestorm come from the United Kingdom.

It still making money -- It's not a mega bestseller, but I'm not looking to write one. I'm looking to write books books that sell consistently, over a longer period of time. More books means more money. It isn't a sprint, but a marathon.....

Remember, if you are a member of Amazon Prime, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm is on Kindle Direct! Use this link! African Firestorm on Amazon! And check out the other two novels in the series!

Red Ice Progress:

Done: Prologue, Chapter 1-30, 40% of Chapter 31
Words Written the last six days: 4,070
Total Word Count: 53,415 (82.18% of 65,000 words)
Average Words Written per day: 621/day (-4)

Later!

Craig

Writing Red Ice: Days Seventy-Two Through Seventy-Nine

I took Sunday off, as it was my Birthday, but I still managed to add a nice chunk of words to Red Ice. I have noticed that there's a twist in the plot I hadn't considered, so when I'm done the first draft and go through it again, I need to add bits and pieces to strengthen this subplot.

Chapters 27 and 28 have needed some reworking, for several POVs, make sure plot threads stay current with each other, and to make the action scenes flow better. I have them just about worked out and they should be done before the next update.


And because I'm a sucker for punishment, Here are the latest sale rankings for Amazon :

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:  #37,208 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

#189 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Military

#309 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > War & Military

#376 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Military

It bounced up father than I expected. Under the new system, there is a surprisingly large number of pages being read. How that will translate to actually money at the end of the month is not known. We'll see. I have a target page count in mind by the end of the month, and we'll see how close it comes.

I welcome reviews, so if you have read it, please post a review!

Amazon UK Bestsellers Rank: #65,205 Paid in Kindle Store

If you are a member of Amazon Prime, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm is on Kindle Direct! Use this link! African Firestorm on Amazon! And check out the other novels in the series!

Red Ice Progress:

Done: Prologue, Chapter 1-26, 85% of Chapter 27, 65% of Chapter 28
Words Written the last seven days: 6,025
Total Word Count: 49,345 (75.92% of 65,000 words)
Average Words Written per day: 625/day (+15)

Later!

Craig

Writing Red Ice: Days Thirty-Six through Forty

Not as good, as the past three days, but I did manage to finish a chapter and start the next chapter. The book is still going forward according to the outline, and as long as it's moving, I can claim progress.

One of the fun things about being an author is being about to plan a crime for the book you're working on that if you were to do for real would have Law Enforcement knocking on your door. For example, I spent most of the day plotting an assassination of a city mayor. And as if I was planning to do it for real, I have to look at where the assassination is taking place and plot not only for the bad guys, but for the good guys --- I have to be the assassin leader, the bodyguard leader, and the main characters.

First up is the assassin leader. What is the lay of the land and how can you take advantage of it? I used Google maps (Both overhead and street level) to scout the real building I'm using in the story to get an idea of the location. Then it's choose the method I want to carry out the assassination with, followed by how do the assassins escape.

Then it's the Bodyguard team leader. They has an obstinate person who they are protecting, so they have to protect the principal. Like with the assassination team, I have to follow what I think is common sense and plausible for the scene.

As for the main characters, I have their starting location plotted out and their actions out. I know where the ending is going. Now I just have to get there......

And if you haven't gotten the best-selling Kindle novel, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm yet, and are a member of Amazon Prime, you can borrow it though Kindle Direct! Use this link! African Firestorm on Amazon! And check out the other novels in the series!

Done: Prologue, Chapter 1-15, 30% of Chapter 16
Words Written the last three days: 2,475
Total Word Count: 27,145 (41.76% of 65,000 words)
Average Words Written per day: 679/day

Later!

Craig

Writing Red Ice: Days Thirty-Three through Thirty-Five

Another short update, because it's way past my bedtime.......

Still, it was a good three days -- three chapters completed, and still on the outline. Chapter 15 started, and I'm a third of the way through it. Had to look up a few foreign words, and figure out how to translate them without translating them, if you take my meaning. Let's see if I can duplicate the same result in the next three days.

Done: Prologue, Chapter 1-14
Words Written the last three days: 4,070
Total Word Count: 24,670 (37.95% of 65,000 words)
Average Words Written per day: 705/day

Later!

Craig

Writing Red Ice: Days Twenty-Four through Twenty-Nine

Well, progress is still being made, though not as fast as I want.  Real life keeps getting in the way, so it's not as consistent as I want it to be.

Still, finished up a couple of chapter and most of a third, so it's still going. Batted a couple of ideas around for a cover with Rick Chesler, but I'm not worried about that now. Been finding locations for different scenes via Google maps, so, I'm doing all right.

And if you haven't gotten African Firestorm yet, and are a member of Amazon Prime, you can borrow it though Kindle Direct! Use this link! African Firestorm on Amazon!

Short entry tonight. Time for bed!

Done: Prologue, Chapter 1-9, 90% of Chapter 10
Words Written the last five days: 3,550
Total Word Count: 19,140 (29.45% of 65,000 words)
Average Words Written per day: 660/day

Later!

Craig

Writing Red Ice: Days Thirteen through Twenty-Three

I realize that going ten days without a post is not a good thing, but I've been bouncing around between writing projects a bit, handling a couple of family matters, and making a suggestion to the gaming company I freelance for.

But I still managed to get over 4500 words down, complete two more chapters and well into Chapter 8. I also had to do some shifting around of scenes; Chapter 6 was to follow one group of characters, while Chapter 7 was supposed to follow another group of characters. Bu as I was writing those chapters, one scene went in a different direction than I intended, so I had to pull back and alter the scene from what was in the outline. And halfway through Chapter 6, I realized that if I took a scene from Chapter 7 and put it into Chapter 6, I had a cliffhanger to lead into Chapter 7.

So, close to a quarter through Red Ice's first draft and it's going to plan. I can't ask for anything more than that.....

Done: Prologue, Chapter 1-7, 60% of Chapter 8
Words Written the last ten days: 4,570
Total Word Count: 15,590 (23.98% of 65,000 words)
Average Words Written per day: 678/day

Later!

Craig

Writing Red Ice; Days Eleven and Twelve

Well, I managed to break 10,000 words before the weekend. I don't know how much writing I'm going to be able to do over the weekend, since it is a holiday, but I'm going to give it a shot. I'm now into Chapter 6, and the novel is coming along. It's a matter of plowing forward and worry about rewriting when the novel is done.

Interesting research of the day: Finding a couple of quotes from Kim Il-Sung. I won''t say now why I need the quotes, but it works. Also had to dig up some data on North Korean Cartridge markings.

Not much more to add to that tonight. It's time for bed.

Done: Prologue, Chapter 1-5, 50% of Chapter 6
Words Written the last two days: 2,670
Total Word Count: 11,020 (16.95% of 65,000 words)
Average Words per day: 918/day

Until later!

Craig

Writing Red Ice; Days Eight through Ten

It was a good three days -- averaged over a thousand words a day and nearly doubled the word count. Prologue and first three chapters done and now working though Chapter 4, which is a groundwork chapter --- explaining some plot background, giving the characters some depth, and reinforce the series premise.

I had to do some research on organized crime for what amounts to a couple of throwaway lines, a couple of organized crime groups that are only mentioned once each in the entire novel. But I don't mind. While these novels are gear towards action, I also want the story to be plausible throughout, and that mean anchoring as much as I can in the real world. I mentioned this before in regards to the weapons and equipment used by the characters. The same thing with the locations I use for the most part --- I do fudge a few things, and some places don't exist when I say they do. But I usually try and keep things grounded in reality.

That doesn't mean I have to stay 100% in reality. The main bad guys' gang is 100% fiction, as well as spots where the gang has businesses. The drug that forms the main plot point is fictional, yet grounded enough in reality to make it believable. In short, I take a few facts and build a story web around them.

My goal for the next blog post is to have Red Ice up over 10,000 words. Hopefully by the weekend!

Done: Prologue, Chapter 1-3,  40% of Chapter 4
Words Written the last three days: 3,470
Total Word Count: 8,350 (12.85% of 65,000 words)
Average Words per day: 835/day

Until later! 

Craig

Writing Red Ice: Days Four through Seven

Well, the weekend has come and gone and I managed to get in nearly 2,000 words done on Red Ice. That covers the introduction of the heroes and most of the first combat sequence. But there were a couple of things that had to be done and the big thing was the local Hurricane Seminar on Saturday.

You can tell it's Spring down here -- May is the time of Hurricane Seminars down here in Florida. And over ten years ago, I saw the power of a hurricane up close and personal --- Hurricane Charley. And with the area have a 60% turnover in population every eight years, that means that roughly 2 out of 3 people living in the area have never seen or felt the effects of a hurricane. SO, I make it a point to attend these seminars every year, pick up information, and hope we avoid another hurricane this year.

So, that disrupted the writing some, but progress has been made. I'm also going to start including a words per day line, in part to see how I'm progressing, but also to remind me that I need to pick up the pace.

Done: Prologue, Chapter 1, 80% of Chapter 2
Words Written the last three days: 1,990
Total Word Count: 4,880 (7.50% of 65,000 words)

Average Words per day: 697/day 

Later!

Craig

Writing Red Ice: Day Three and Four

I didn't post a Day Three blog, so I held off until tonight and combined both Day Three and Four. I may do that more often.

I had to sidestep from Red Ice to edit a couple of short stories and get them ready for the next step. I'm bouncing between more than one project in order to keep me fresh. There may be days in which I work on Red Ice for most of the day, while other days may see only a couple of scenes written. There may be days in which I don't write at all (Hopefully very few).

The first chapter is done and it ended up being more complex because I had to add some details to the plot that weren't in the original outline. There are five scenes, all very short, but needed to help explain what happened. Tough to do when you're lacking the right expertise and knowledge.

But it's done and it's on the chapter two. I want to devote the whole weekend to Red Ice, so there may be another delay for this blog. But I will keep you up to date, either every day every couple of days, or maybe every three days. Depends on what gets done when.

Done: Prologue, Chapter 1, 5% of Chapter 2
Words Written the last two days: 1,280
Total Word Count: 2,890 (4.47% of 65,000 words)

Craig