So, I’m putting a poll here, but people can request something that highlights a specific character or location from my books too. Another option will be to tell me to stop doing Teaser Tuesdays and come up with something else for this day. No idea what that would be, so feel free to make suggestions for ongoing blog post series. Maybe there’s something I’ve missed. Here’s the poll:
By the way, you can vote more than once and feel free to ask questions if you aren’t sure about something. I know not everyone has read my books, which makes this tough. Unfortunately, I have 20 on the list and it’s impossible to do a full synopsis for each one here. Enjoy and thanks. (Maybe I’ll do another round of character interviews if this works out?)
A few months ago, I finished reading ‘Yu Yu Hakusho’. I remember hearing that there was something off about the ending. Well, I have to agree even though I would recommend the series for any manga/anime fans. It’s considered a great story for a reason, which means a rushed ending didn’t hurt its longevity. Although, I know a lot of people who will stop a series at a point where they think it’s a good finale. Heck, I’ve done that with a few where I didn’t like the last season or story arc. So, what exactly do I mean by a rushed ending?
This is different than a series being drawn out beyond its story. A rushed ending is when the story is still going strong and making sense with a clear course towards the final installment. As you get closer to the end, you start to see things that strike you as a bit odd. Maybe fights are happening off-screen or taking only 3 pages instead of entire chapters. Characters are learning plot points in rapid succession without actually earning them. This is either by villains blabbing for no reason, important items literally dropping into the hero’s lap, and other low impact twists. Development can slow to a crawl or leap forward so much that you can’t figure out how much time is passing. Subplots that have been groomed for volume after volume are sewn up with the simplest of solutions that may even go against character personalities. At the very end, the last stage of conflict is over in the blink of an eye and feels . . . empty. You’re left wondering if you missed something and go in search of what that could be. All you find is a horde of fans wondering the same thing.
It is for this reason that I do a lot of planning, but I totally understand how an author can hit a rushed ending. You put a lot of love and attention into a project that gets popular, so you have to keep going. Maybe you have something else that you want to work on, but the current baby requires everything you have. I know I felt that Legends of Windemere occasionally consumed my creative time. That is when I stepped away to work on something else, but not every author has that luxury. In fact, those under contract don’t have that or even full creative control at times. At least that’s what I’ve read when I look into some of the rushed endings. This is what some will do to bring a conclusion to one project and free themselves to do another. I can even see how the popular idea grows stale and stagnant because you’re not allowed to do anything else. Kind of like eating only vanilla ice cream every night. Eventually, you’ll get sick of it, want a different flavor, and might not even go back.
Now, I know I said ‘horror’ in the title and readers do think that way. Yet, I’m sure there is a sense of relief for an author who has looked at his beloved project as a heavy weight upon his or her shoulders. A story should never be a burden to its creator outside of giving them ideas as they’re about to fall asleep. By that point, things have already gone askew and you might never get back on track. Taking a hiatus can help, but the negativity might be there when you get back. Not to mention getting constant questions about when the series is going to pick back up again. So, you don’t really get away until you put an end to it, which may be done at breakneck speed. It’s always a possibility in this business and one never knows when they will find themselves considering it.
So, what do people think of ‘rushed endings’? Have you ever had to do one?
Hello SErs. Harmony here 🙂 Today, I’d like to take a look at designing a book cover for your latest master piece while ensuring you don’t break one of the many copyright rules.
Whether you make the cover yourself or hire a designer, a good chance exists that you’ll use a stock image for it.
Even if you paid the image designer or photo site, it doesn’t guarantee that you’re safe.
Many authors and designers don’t understand all of the nuances.
Below, I list the different types of license for stock photos:
o0o
Standard License – For example, a Shutterstock Standard License allows you to use images an unlimited number of times in digital applications, which includes eBooks, websites, online ads, software, mobile applications, and online ads.
What about printed designs, such as hardcover or softcover print books?
This is why the fine print for any stock photo you…
Let’s just get right to it. I’ve been talking about a ‘life event’ since August, but it really started happening at the beginning of December. August was when I learned that this might be coming and tried to fix things. Had no idea it was all in vain and 2019 would be a year for me trying to glue myself back together. Anyway, this is the most amount of detail I’m going to go into about this because going too far will cause trouble. Probably going to get in trouble for this, but too many people here have made wrong guesses about the ‘life event’ and it’s gotten awkward. Here we go:
Divorce
My focus since then has been on my son and my Teaching Assistant job. The latter helps to be a distraction because I’m busy and it’s fun. People know what I’m going through, so I sometimes get asked how I’m doing. Nice to be asked that and know people care, especially this week when things happened. The harder part is helping my son through this. He’s still confused on everything and his special needs makes the bouncing back and forth a challenge. Still, he’s been a trooper and worked with us. Though, he has his moments and those tear at my heart like Wolverine on a massive rampage. I try my best to explain things, but I don’t want to drag him into the middle of the whole thing. Both me and him have shed plenty of tears together over this, which is why I’m happy to get this long weekend with him.
I’ve been trying to add writing to my schedule, but it’s hard to get into the mindset when you’re in pain. Doesn’t help that part of War of Nytefall: Eradication involves a newly minted couple that were based around my ex-wife and I. Can’t do anything to change that too because the relationship is integral to the overall story. Probably why this book is taking me 6 months instead of the usual 6 weeks. By the time I get home from work, I’m tired because I go right into either wrangling my son or getting into conversations about stuff. This is why I’ve put more time into jigsaw puzzles than writing because it’s a different brain half.
So, how am I doing? I’ve been angry, depressed, sad, hopeful, lonely, heartbreak, and several other emotions. The fact that I’ve kept it together most days is amazing, but I have to thank all of my friends and family for that. Situations like this show you who you can trust and who really cares. Not sure what else to say though. I’m starting to cry because it still hurts even though it’s been months. I have moments where I start thinking about how I’ll die alone or how I feel lost. There’s more, but I can’t go into that part because it would definitely get me in trouble.
I want to talk about victories of the week, but the divorce overshadows all. I mean, all I really did was finishing watching ‘The Punisher’ Season 1 and reading ‘Naruto’. This coming week might be a little better and next weekend is me on my own. Sort of because a friend might come out for a ‘John Wick-end’ (He said it first!) and another friend is at a convention that I’ll pop into. I hope to get a chapter done by the end of it all. My goal is to finish the book before summer camp starts at the end of June. It’s feasible since I only have 5 chapters to go. I might be able to write a bit this weekend after the kid goes to sleep too. Depends a lot on my mood.
No idea what else to say. I don’t have it in me to make any actual goals. So, I’m just going to do a general list:
Son
Work
Healing
Writing
Well, there it is. The life event has been revealed. I’ll be busy tomorrow, but today and Monday are low-key fun days with the munchkin. Happy weekend.
You may remember that Amazon has recently adopted a more flexible way of reading keywords. You see, Amazon provides you on their KDP bookshelf with a set of 7 separate keyword boxes, giving some authors the impression that they should enter just one keyword or keyword phrase per box.
However, each box holds 50 characters and the more keywords you can add, the better the chance a customer will find your book when they search. The difficulty is in fitting your keywords efficiently into those boxes (they don’t tell you how many characters are left or even that you have 50 to begin with), not duplicating words across boxes, etc.
A struggle within the flesh
Deeper than the bones
Pulsing along the veins
Neurons
And the soul
The problem is not a ‘them’
It is a ‘me’
The hero is the villain
Battling to become a better self
A conflict we all have had
Person Vs. Supernatural
A threat beyond nature’s scope
Yet still part of the world
Ghosts and goblins in the shadows
Vampires feasting on supporting cast
The eerie ones thrive here
Pushing heroes towards darkness
Forcing them to think
Outside the box of reality and rules
Some in realms of magic and monsters
Where more than specters are along the path
That a bitter destiny has forged
Blogging is a commitment… it takes time, energy and work to produce a respectable blog. What starts as a free site often begins to cost money and, every so often, you will wonder whether or not the returns are worth the effort.
A lot depends upon what you want from blogging. It may simply be a place to air your personal views, share your creative work. You may want to make money from blogging and have found that is not as easy as it may seem. It may be an author platform where you can engage with readers, or it may support a cause. What ‘returns’ might you get from blogging, and are they really worth the effort?
Eight years ago, I tentatively set up a WordPress blog, just to see if I could work out how to do it. I had no idea what blogging was about… or why…
Hello SErs. Harmony here 🙂 Today, I’d like to take a look at designing a book cover for your latest master piece while ensuring you don’t break one of the many copyright rules.
Legends of Windemere 