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.

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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.

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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

Back to Work!

Yep....

I know two post within a few days isn't normal for me, but it's back to working on my own novels while waiting for Outcast Ops: Watchlist to get through the editing pass. I spent the weekend preparing and pitching for a project related to a gaming company. (My other blog covers that side of my writing). So, I'm back to working on outlining my stories....

... If I can find where I stored them.....

I found the outline for The Assassin Prince, but the other two are eluding me at the moment. I'll find them, but for the time being, I'm back to outlining The Assassin Prince.

Its odd, rereading your outline and seeing what threads you need to pick back up and get back into the flow of the story you were telling. I find it gratifying that after not looking at the outline in a few months, how well the story still holds together. In rereading it, I've only had to make a few spelling corrections so far and starting a new chapter to outline. We'll see how it goes....

As I sit here, I'm going to propose a question: what do you want to know about my writing? Comment below and let me know someone is reading this blog! 

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The writing update

The Assassin Prince (Fantasy) --- Outline (through Chapter 32)
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.

*******

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!

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.....

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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

Why Three Novels at the Same Time?

Because I'm a sucker for punishment?

I don't know. I've worked on multiple Batteletech stories at the same time, writing in several in a single session. I guess it might because being able to switch between projects allows me to stay fresh. I'm not sure it's going to work for novels, but I want to have all three outlined, researched and ready to go to should I need to.

For me, outlining is the hard part --- it's giving the story a rough form --- who did what, and what happened next. The finished outline is a slab of rock -- the writing is the forming of the story details, so it goes from rock slab to completed sculpture. Hard because I am so use to hammering the keys and having only a vague idea of how the story is going to go.

I was told by a fellow writer I should concentrate on one novel at a time. Maybe I will, But I like having that option to have something else I can work on should I become bogged down on the current one.

Am I finding any surprises in the outlining stage? Yes. Darkness of Shadows was only a vague idea when I started outlining, yet that one is forming faster than the other two, background-wise. I may have that one as the go-to should my writing of  The Assassin Prince bog down for some reason. (Which is why I'm outlining all three, to keep the writing on-track.)

My plan to have a couple of three novels in the outline stage at any one, ready to be slotted in should I finish a novel or get bogged down on it. Different genres should help separate them, forcing me to think about it as I write.

That's all for tonight. I see you in another week or so.

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The writing update:

The Assassin Prince --- Outline (through Chapter 29)
The Darkness of Shadows --- Outline (through Chapter 14)
Operation: Broken Chains --- Outline (through Chapter 18)

Not as much as I hope, but I was invited to pitch for an anthology, so I was working on that. Still, I did make progress on all three.

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!

Craig

Outlining, My Way.......

Here I am again. It's been a good week, and I hope those of you who celebrated Easter had a good, safe Holiday. For everyone else, I hope you had a good weekend.

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I have been for years a guy who writes stories on the fly. I haven't been a plotter, at least not until the Outcast Ops novels that had to be outlined so both Rick and myself knew where the story was going.

I have tried a few ways in the past to outline novels,but when it comes down to it, the way I think is working for me best is what I call "Chapter Summery" Method.

That means sitting down and start with Chapter 1. I summarize what happens in that chapter. Depending on how much thought I put into it, the summery may be a single sentence, a paragraph, or several paragraphs. But now I know what happens in Chapter 1. I move onto Chapter 2 and repeat and continuing, summarizing what happens in that chapter. If I suddenly have an idea for a subplot, it's just a matter of going back to earlier chapters and adding the foreshadowing or the subplot threads. Once I'm through the whole  story, I go back and look at each chapter. I expand the summery, adding plot points, characters, and changing things to improve the story's flow.

I'm not bothering with a lot of detail at this point. I'll generally describe the action (A shoots B and C, C goes out the window), but don't go into detail about what B and C are wearing or what they look like. Locations are the same way -- I give it a name, and don't bother describing it beyond that unless there's a reason to. Also, I use a mix of character names and placeholder names when writing these summaries. Once I have chosen a name that fits the character better than the placeholder name, I use the WP's Search and Replace function. But that usually happens after the first outline draft.

In addition, each outline file has notes at the bottom --- bit and pieces of background, things I need to research, questions I need to find the answers to, ect. Things that don't fit directly into the story, but are part of the story. For Darkness of Shadows, I already have about a page worth of notes about this planet, it's technology, and the society on it. The other two have a half-page of notes. If I have a thought or question white outlining --- it goes under notes.

So, that's how I'm doing it --- summarizing chapters and using them to build the story. It's bringing free writing and putting into a usable structure. It may not work for you, but it works for me.....

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And the writing update:

The Assassin Prince --- Outline (through Chapter 26)
The Darkness of Shadows --- Outline (through Chapter 11)
Operation: Broken Chains --- Outline (through Chapter 16)

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) Both novels have been on the upswing on the sale charts this week, so they are still being read. Please read and please leave a review!

Craig

Letting Go of A Story

Here we go again......

Progress is continuing on The Assassin Prince, but more about that later in the post.....

The tile of this post comes from what I have been doing lately. I was asked to submit a story to show I could write a longer story. So I did --- A Novella.

A novella is a story between 17,500 --- 40,000 words, and this particular novella is on the upper end of the word count. Now, I have no promise this story will be accepted, or published. I stepped out of my comfort zone somewhere, but I feel the story is solid.

And in that lies a danger that is an insidious one for a writer --- seeking perfection in a story. "Perfection is the enemy of Good" is the quote that fits my mindset at the time. Writers work and work on a story, looking for those imperfections that scream "Change me!" A writer wants every word to be perfect, every sentence to grip the reader, every minor character to be vivid and clear as the main characters, and the story to be spell-binding to any reader who reads it. A perfect story.

There is no such thing as a perfect story.

All story has flaws --- minor ones, hidden ones, the wrong word here, a sentence too long there. Most are either too small or camouflaged by what's around it to be noticed. Other flaws that reader accepts as part of the suspension of belief all readers bring to reading fiction. As long as the flaw doesn't overwhelm the story, they are invisible, spotted only by those who look for them.

In my case, I found myself going through the story several times, tweaking and trimming lines, adding a scene here, a chapter there, and pushing the limits of a novella word count. I had a friend read through it, make his notes and I made changes here and there, moved chapters around like a magician doing a card trick, and did a few other things. After the fourth pass through the story, I said to myself, "I have to let go of this or I will never do so," So, I sent it and I now wait.

There are parts of the story I'm not certain about, and if it accepted, there may be changes needed. I hope the changes, should they be required, are minor ones. We shall see, and I will let you know if and when I hear back.

There comes a time in every completed story that all a writer is doing to it is cosmetic polishing. It comes down to confidence --- is the story, for all it's perceived flaws, a good one? If it is, it's time to send it and get to work on the next one.

“Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.” ― Salvador Dalí

“If you look for perfection, you'll never be content.” ― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

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The Assassin Prince is now outlined through Chapter 23 and into Chapter 24. But my Muse, being the perverse type (and lazy -- she lays on the couch with a bag of potato chips , yelling every so often, "Keep writing!") has decided that one novel is not enough, so I'm now outlying three novels.

In addition to The Assassin Prince (Fantasy), I am outlining The Darkness of Shadows (Science-fiction), and Operation: Broken Chains (Action/thriller). Three different genres, all designed to keep me working with whichever one is speaking to me at the moment. As a way to force myself to keep on track with this, I'll give you an update on the process of all three. So, starting tonight, a progress report on all three to keep you updated.

The Assassin Prince --- Outline (through Chapter 23)
The Darkness of Shadows --- Outline (through Chapter 7)
Operation: Broken Chains --- Outline (through Chapter 12)

Lets see how this goes. Any feedback will be welcomed.

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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 anoyone else, please check your country's Amazon Website (if there is one) Read and please leave a review!

Craig

Murphy was a Writer

I really have to stop saying things.......

I've been sick most of the week. First, a 24-hour stomach virus, follow right on its heels by a cold, which I am still suffering through, sucking on a cough drop right this minute so I can write this entry up without hacking up all over the place.

It wasn't a completely  forgotten week. I did manage to outline two move chapters in The Assassin Prince. That puts me at Chapter 17, and it's an action chapter, which mean blocking out the action. I have the traces of the plot-lines for the next several chapters after that, so that will get done once I can stop coughing long enough to write them out.

I've also have the basics of the setting --- the type of society the heroes running around in, and one of its neighbor empires. Bits and pieces of the political situation are beginning to fall into place, as is the type of magic used in each society. Characters are falling into place, and new one are beginning to form. I don't have the technology level quite nailed down --- I am flirting with the idea of having weapons like matchlocks/flintlocks, but the idea isn't in stone yet. I have to see how the story flows first before I can decide one way or the other.

So, not much on the page, but much more in the mind. Other ideas for different series are popping up, but they're on index cards for a later time. The Assassin Prince is what I need to work on before looking at the other ideas.

That's all for tonight. I'm off to bed!

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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! Read and if you like them, leave a review!

Craig

Outlining The Assassin Prince

For most of the time I've been writing, I've been winging it. Most of my short stories and my attempts at novels have involved me sitting down and banging away at the keyboard with only a few scenes and a vague idea of where the story is going. Fine for short stories (Though I have outlined a few when I pitch for an anthology), no so fine for novels.

One thing that writing both Outcast ops novels is that I need an outline of some sort for a novel. Now these outlines aren't hard and fast -- both African Firestorm and Red Ice have changes from the outline to the first draft, but for the most part, they follow the outline that Rick Chesler and I created.

So, I'm taking that same concept to The Assassin Prince. I am writing a chapter by chapter breakdown of the action in the chapter. I have a few names, some idea of the world-building I need to do, and how the action is going to happen. At this stage, if I come up with a subplot several chapters in, like I did the The Assassin Prince, I can go back in the outline, add a sentence or two in a previous chapter and continue on, adding the subplot when I need to.

I have the first eight-plus chapters plotted and it's going along pretty good. I haven't determined a lot of the background or the details, but right now, it's getting the plot down on paper. Once the plot is down, I can start looking at the details and decide on what to go with for the universe's flavor. I have no idea how long it's going to be -- it will depend on how the story unfolds.

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!

Take care,

Craig