All posts tagged fantasy

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Last week I wrote over 13K, which means by now I have reached 500K, yay! I wasn’t hoping to reach the goal this year, honestly, so I’m glad I did. Anything I write in the next four week it’s bonus words! 🙂

Not as good as past years, but I’m not complaining. And here’s a picture of all the books published this year in English (and yes, all have the paperback version)!

I don’t have plans for the new year yet. I hope to wrap up the current project this week, then we’ll see. I’m waiting for feedback on a story that I submitted, if it’s rejected, I’m going to write the novel for that one. Or maybe I’ll write a batch of shorts so that in 2024 I can do a Make 100 Kickstarter. I don’t have enough stories to do it in January 2023 yet.

Yes, I have a lot of shorts, but I wanted to do a volume of original, never-published-before stories, and I don’t have enough of those yet. So I’m going to write a few more, and see if I can fill those gaps. I also still have a couple of stories under consideration at traditional mags, and won’t hear about them until the end of January, so it’s definitely not for this year.

I have almost finished the shorter works on the New Kindle (which I won’t bother review or recommend), so I will start a new novel soon. I still have to pick a genre, though (yes, they’re mostly SFF, but it varies from space opera to urban fantasy to paranormal to whatever, so I’ll have to decide what to read next).

Hope the digital TBR list goes down by half at the end of the year, but I doubt I can do it! 😉 Here’s to wishing you happy reading, writing and mostly, have a great week!

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by Barb on 07/12/2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 07/12/2022

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Wednesday Weekly Roundup


And Book 3 of Immortaland Dragons is out! Thanks you for whoever is following me on Amazon and buys it as soon as it comes out, I hope you’re enjoying the reading! I thoroughly enjoyed creating this smaller world with less creatures and skin tones than Silvery Earth, but a much stronger magic system.

Last week I wrote almost 13K on the italian social sci-fi story, and I hope to finish it this week, so I can go through it and decide what to do with it. I will probably submit it to a publisher first, then indie publish it if they don’t want it.

Meanwhile I’m reading, so I’ll be able to write a few more stories in English before the end of the year. I have a few anthologies I want to submit to. And speaking of anthologies, I have a story in the one below!

Witches is part of a storybundle at this time, and you can find it here. For the visually impaired, the blurb is below.

Witches: Cutter’s Final Cut – Issue 4

Witches. Who doesn’t need more witches in their life?

These pages contain stories of witches, big and small.

There to save a baby’s life. Or perhaps a town. Or searching for a helping hand, a friend, or even a very special book.

If you’re looking for upbeat, contemporary stories with just that little bit of extra sparkle, you need this anthology!

Issue Four of Cutter’s Final Cut: dedicated to pushing the boundaries of genre fiction.

Be sure to pick up the whole series today!

My story is about an elderly witch and it’s very different from my other contemporary urban fantasy. Yes, this is the year of experimenting new subgenres of fantasy, LOL! And I’m still not sure what my next big project will be, but I’ll make further experiments also in sci-fi soon – well the Italian story is already an experiment, since I haven’t written much social sci-fi to date, except Soul Thieves.

In case you have no idea of what I’m talking about, here’s Wikipedia’s explanation:

Social science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction, usually (but not necessarily) soft science fiction, concerned less with technology/space opera and more with speculation about society. In other words, it “absorbs and discusses anthropology” and speculates about human behavior and interactions.

So there, now you know! Have a great week! 🙂

by Barb on 12/10/2022  •  Permalink
Posted in indie publishing, real world inspiration, the Human being, writing projects
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Posted by Barb on 12/10/2022

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2022/10/12/wednesday-weekly-roundup-157/

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


One week left for the Heroines of Space Opera Bundle! Grab it now before it’s gone forever!

So last week I wrote the last 190 words in English for now, and started on the Italian story, throwing in 6380 words. Most were around the weekend again, since during the week I was busy wrapping the Immortaland Dragons.

Now I even formatted all the books, the only thing left to do is upload them! 🙂 Book 3 is coming, so stay tuned. And thank you for whoever already purchased Book 1, I hope you’ll enjoy the ride.

I’m currently writing near-future, non-space-opera sci-fi, and considering how things are going in the real world, it’s not the best place to explore, so I hope to get back to fantasy soon. Unless I come up with a new space opera saga with a space-faring Earth meeting aliens! 😉

In theory I have a couple of alternatives, but I’m sick of recycling old stories. Even re-reading them is painful, and I can still see the “movies” but I’m probably the only one who can, so… I guess I’ve changed, both in the way I write and in what I write!

There’s no going back, so onward! Have a great week!

by Barb on 05/10/2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 05/10/2022

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2022/10/05/wednesday-weekly-roundup-156/

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Book 2 is out as promised! Giving the final touches to Book 5 so it will be ready for the November release… The series page is growing everywhere there is a series page (publisher, Amazon, Smashwords)… but unfortunately the Kobo promo in certain regions for Book 1 is over.

Last week I wrote 415 words in English then started thinking about the next project that will for now be in Italian. But I’ve discovered I don’t really want to translate my own works anymore, so from now on I’ll probably have different titles availabe in the two languages.

Although I might write another book on the same topic in English, eventually. I’m back to sci-fi for a couple of months, also to honor the Heroines of Space Opera bundle of which I’m part. I haven’t had time to read any of these books, but I hope to catch up on some fiction reading in the coming months. If you like SF, don’t let this bundle slip away, though!

The newsletter with a free story is going out soon, and you still have time to subscribe on the publisher’s site. Just enter your email, it’s a two-step process, so if you don’t confirm, you won’t receive anything. It’s bi-monthly, so it won’t encumber your inbox very often! 🙂

More changes coming to FB Pages (and we came a long way since Fan Pages already), so maybe I should write about a world without disruptive tech, LOL! But I decided to be optimistic despite the apocalypse going on around us and to write about a technological future (since the untechnological post-pandemic Earth is already featured in the Future Earth Chronicles).

After 21 Lessons for the 21st Century and Homo Deus, I’m going through Enough – Staying Human in an Engineered Age which was published in 2003, and some things are already happening… so Human Beware! 🙂

That’s all for today! September is over already… Have a great week and read through the apocalypse! 😉

by Barb on 28/09/2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 28/09/2022

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2022/09/28/wednesday-weekly-roundup-155/

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


COVER REVEAL!

Here are the covers of the upcoming new series! An exciting, new, wondrous fantasy world of dragons and magic! Book 1 will be out in two weeks, so coming real soon… 🙂

Last week I wrote over 12K, most of which on book 5 – still tinkering with the rest. This week I won’t be writing at all, but hopefully next week I’ll reach 350K for the year. And I still don’t know which project will take me to the end of the year, LOL!

Anyhow, I’m taking this week off writing – yes, another one! Its the third this year, sheesh! But this time it’s for a vacation, not for wearing the publisher cap, I swear! 🙂 I badly need to recharge the creative batteries!

Which doesn’t mean I will not write at all. I may do some new vignette or jot down ideas in my notebook. We’ll see. I guess a creator’s mind is never on vacation anyway! 🙂 But I’m sure even Laptop will be happy to be switched off for a week.

I hope to be able to catch up on some reading this week, and if I read something I like, you’ll see it on Bookbub, as usual. Because y’all are following me on Bookbub, right? I hope to fill that 2-month gap since last recommendation soon, promise!

That’s all for today… have a great week! 🙂

by Barb on 31/08/2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 31/08/2022

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Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Last week I wrote 10K… and discovered I need to write another short novel in the next project, LOL! I will still start publishing it mid-September, one title every two weeks, which will take us to November – so the Fall, or Autumn, as expected.

It will be five novels and a collection of prequels/shorts about secondary characters in the novels that can be read as standalone and as introduction to the series. Cover reveal coming up next week. Hopefully I’ll manage to write that fifth book for my September editing bracket, if now I’ll ask Mighty Editor whenever she has another week, but I should still be on time for a November release.

August 25% Off Boxset Sale started on 19/08/2022 in the following regions: Canada, United States of America, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand! It will last until 29/08/2022. My box set Books of the Immortals is included. Visit the following link(s) to see the promotion: https://kobo.com/p/boxset25!

Check out this Kickstarter if you love fantasy. “Angels, demons, & humans collide on a low-budget reality TV show. And the stakes are much higher than a game of matchmaking.” Among the rewards, you can get a postcard from Lucifer himself (admittedly for the American Holidays and your birthday)! 🙂 And we’re getting closer to the second stretch goal, which means… more books for everyone! Win-win! 🙂

Also, if you’re a writer, the good people at WMG are doing another sale for their workshops. I’m currently finishing my latest, but they’re all great, both the craft and the business workshops – I can tell after doing 6 workshops + 12 Pop-ups! 🙂 And there’s their Kickstarter free workshop too… so check them our! 🙂

And again, if you’r a writer and look for visual writing prompts that are not Midjourney generated, I’m having fun with a challenge of Photomanipulation and posting the results on my Facebook Page. Will I write all those stories myself? Probably not! 🙂

But who knows… when I’m done with the current projects, maybe… That’s all for today! Have a gret week!

by Barb on 24/08/2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 24/08/2022

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2022/08/24/wednesday-weekly-roundup-150/

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Rome August average temperature 31°C, Cornwall, England 24°C – looking forward to going north and a cooler climate!

Last week I managed almost 15K, despite the above… and I’m past halfway writing that collection. I need to finish it before going to the cooler climate for a week, although I won’t have to send it to Mighty Editor until September 12, when I go back to DayJob. I need that extra week for other stuff, LOL!

It looks like writers aren’t on vacation! 😉 Check out this post by Chuck Wendig about AI art (and maybe write a flash fiction to his AI art prompts?) I don’t think I’ll ever use an AI to make cover art (especially since I do not write horror, LOL), but it’s fun to watch.

If you’re considering doing a Kickstarter, check out this post, including the comments! I probably won’t do another until next year, but I keep backing them and studying them (and my TBR pile keeps growing, waaah!).

And I like this idea of book binding POD books for special editions… I might do something like this in the future! 🙂 It would have to be a special title or something… mmm… so many ideas, so little time…

Anyhow, that’s all for today! Have a great week! 🙂

by Barb on 10/08/2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 10/08/2022

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2022/08/10/wednesday-weekly-roundup-148/

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Last week I wrote less than 5K, but managed to put out another Italian title. Also, my cousin’s friend helped me with the covers of the new project, since I’m very limited with what I can do on the writing computer! Still, the yearly total is over 300K, so I’m not complaining.

This week is starting slowly, but I managed to book a week of vacation when I’ll hopefully decompress. And see some new places. I’m currently not happy with the flights, but maybe we’ll be able to change them later… sigh!

Anyhow, hope you enjoyed the free story in the newsletter! It goes out every two months, so I won’t really spam you! Feel free to subscribe, if you haven’t already! Eventually I’ll publish those stories, but at the moment I have no plans for them.

Now I shall go back to writing, and typing Italian stories (written in the 1990s) in the computer, and dealing with life in general, LOL! I wish you a wonderful week!

by Barb on 03/08/2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 03/08/2022

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2022/08/03/wednesday-weekly-roundup-147/

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Last day – possibly last hours for the Visions of the Future bundle! 🙂 Get it now before it’s gone forever!

Last week I wrote over 12K, despite a couple of days during which I didn’t write at all and did all the other stuff. The vampires will soon get their new covers and blurbs, meanwhile Future Earth Chronicles is updated! 🙂

When I’m done with all the updating, I’ll also update the header of the publisher’s site, but it will have to wait until possibly after the summer! 🙂 At least I updated this very blog’s header, and you can have a sneak peek of the new cover of Rajveer the Vampire… that kind of matches Brainwaves… which is good since eventually the two series cross over at some point, LOL!

I sent the first three books of the new project to Mighty Editor while I give a last pass to book 4. I’ll either send it later in the year, or next week, if she can do all four in my two-week slot. It’s 40K novels, but it’s still a grand total of 170K approximately!

I still have to write a collection to go with these four. You can expect publication of these titles sometimes in the fall. I’ve experimented with craft and had a lot of fun, so hopefully you’ll enjoy reading them as much as I’m enjoying writing them and making covers for them! 😉

I’m still tinkering with the Silvery Earth covers, trying to find a template that I like. Hopefully next weekend I’ll update the Vampires Through the Centuries, then we’ll see.

I backed to artists’ Kickstarters and both will deliver the art book or comic book in January 2023, yay! On paper this time, since the PDFs are nice and cheaper, but not as good as the actual book. You can still back The Art of Pascal Campion (already funded and headed for the first stretch goal), while Pixie and Brutus Gnome Sweet Gnome is probably over by the time you read this.

Check them out, they’re both great artists, I follow them on Instagram and I’m very happy they committed their strips to paper! 😀 I guess that’s all for now! Have a great week! 😉

by Barb on 15/06/2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 15/06/2022

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2022/06/15/wednesday-weekly-roundup-140/

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Last week I wrote only 7.6 words but again, there was a break between two books – and the Kickstarter work of completing the campaign, so two days went with that and brainstorming the next book. My yearly total is over 150K, though, so I’m not complaining! 😀

This week I’m off DayJob, so I should be able to a) finish the Kickstarter work and send out the digital rewards; b) write the next book of the new project; c) edit the short stories I sent to Mighty Editor (by the way, if you want to laugh, last week’s strip was an actual conversation between me and her) and decide if I want to submit them or keep them for other purposes later on.

Some will need to be published this summer anyway. And during the weekend I’ll upload the first book of Otherside to retailers. Meanwhile I tinker with mock covers of titles that might never be published for various reasons, but since it helps me visualize the story better, I’m going to continue, LOL!

In case you don’t have a huge TBR pile, check these out: a kids friendly series with dragons is now on Kickstarter. If you prefer sci-fi, Celestial Sagas is now on Storybundle, with lots of great authors! 🙂 I’m still finishing the door-stopper Time Traveler’s Almanac (I got the paperback and it’s 900+pages long), and then I’ll probably check my copy of Crunchy With Chocolate, since I’m currently writing about dragons! 😉

Then I might go back to ebooks and switch on the new Kindle (although I still have unread stuff on KK, but it’s mostly non-fiction or classics), sigh. So not looking forward to seeing what they have changed! 😦 Like the KDP dashboard and the WordPress notifications and… ok, I’ll stop complaining.

Sorry, grumpy old spinster here! 🙂 Now I better go back to writing… have a great week! 🙂

by Barb on 27/04/2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 27/04/2022

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2022/04/27/wednesday-weekly-roundup-133/

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