Wednesday Weekly Roundup


So, no writing this week either, but I managed to finish updating all the Silvery Earth titles, and even enrolled most of them in the site-wide sale with Ghost Bus Riders. Everything over 2.99$ is 50%off for the whole month, so go grab ‘hem eBooks! 🙂

As for the “new” titles, it’s only reprints, so, Tori, feel free to ignore them. Anyone else who hasn’t read a book of Silvery Earth, it’s all new, so check them out! Brand new covers and blurbs, hope you find something you like, there’s a little bit of everything! 🙂

I know I promised another title this summer, but I might not publish it for Sci-fi July as I intended originally. You’ve had a glimpse of the cover in the Star Minds Universe rebranding post, but I sent one of those stories to Galaxy’s Edge, back in March, thinking by now I would know if they accepted or not.

Last week I learned that the editor has been ill, and asked for a few more weeks of patience, hence I’m postponing publication of Terrans for this reason. If if she happen to like that story, the title might come out even later, but it will come out, eventually! 🙂

Now I’m finally back to the project I had to set aside for Silvery Earth. I only have a handful of titles left in my rebranding-reblurbing-republishing endeavior and I feel much better, even if my old laptop keeps giving me problems (some old Window update makes Photoshop crash, so I constantly uninstall and reinstall it to make it work, sigh!) – I’m seeing the light at the end of the rebranding tunnel, LOL!

I better go back to writing, now. It’s the only think keeping me sane these days. Imagining to be somewhere else with my characters instead of this crazy planet. Have a great week! 🙂

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


So, last week I wrote zero new words in English and a few hundred in Italian that I didn’t count because I was just fleshing out old stories written in the 1990s. It was a very busy week with rebranding Silvery Earth, and I didn’t have much time to think about something else.

Before I start the actual upload and update of all the titles that will remain out there (30 instead of the original 50), here’s the preview of the new covers – in this case I’m changing also the paperbacks because the fonts on this one were really messy, so the cleanup will be more drastic than with the previous series.

So this week I’ll start slowly updating all the above titles, but I will probably get to next week, because I realized a couple of things hadn’t been proofread, so I jumped at the opportunity of an extra week with Mighty Editor to polish those last stories.

Hopefully today I’ll be able to start on the final book of short stories related to the new project. If I don’t melt, since “real feel” is around 40°C at lunchtime when I get out of the damn office, and there are less buses running because schools are out, sigh.

Anyhow, hopefully next week I’ll have a few words down to start the second half of the year. I’m at 277K, so I’m not worried yet. And one is allowed a week off, although it was spent doing the publishing stuff. I’ll probably take another week off at the end of the month when I go out of town to celebrate my father’s 90th birthday, and then that should be it.

Unless I go to Worldcon. But I’m less and less convinced it’s worth the trouble, so whenever they let me know if I have a panel or not, I’ll make up my mind (hint: no panels, no trip to Chicago! Saving on the ESTA and all the Covid tests!).

I guess that’s all for today! Have a great week!

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Surprise! I published one of the summer titles already! It’s because I enrolled the other three in the Smashwords July sale starting soon, so if you missed them, you can grab them all at a discounted price. Or in one click on Amazon as a series (although this is the prequel, so it shows up underneath).

Before the Shadows (Ghost Bus Riders 0) is now live on most places, including as paperback. And above you can see the new ebook covers of the whole series, another rebranding done, yay! Also the latest title is available on Smashwords as well – store only, with no distribution, since I use D2D for that.

I thought I’d put the new titles on the Smashwords store only, taking out all the distribution channels, hoping that they will already be there and keep the reviews whenever the actual merging makes one dashboard vanish.

Last week I wrote a little over 5K, then stopped, since I had finished the four novels of the project and I need to go through them again before writing the fifth book. So I used the “time” to tackle Silvery Earth rebranding.

It will take some time, but the current 50 titles will go down to 26, (including 4 box sets), unpublishing all the duplicated stories I wrote through the years. That series grew out of order and it was high time I went back to it and cleaned it up.

So this week I preparing new covers and new documents and new blurbs for the whole series, although it’s now more manageable (and the same length as Star Minds Universe). I will have to update the page with the chronology as well.

Meanwhile I probably won’t write much. I tried to go back to a rather long short story that begged to become a novel, but it turned out there is no longer story yet. And it’s Urban Fantasy/contemporary fantasy, and I need to get away from our world at this time.

Even if it’s set before Covid and the subsequent messes, this planet is not the place I want to write about at this time. I considered writing about a space ark of people fleeing this disaster area that has become Earth, but again, I don’t see the story, so maybe one day, but not now.

Between rebranding and the like, I might check a couple of old stories that might fit in the new project if I translate and rewrite them. We’ll see. Mostly I’ll be working on Silvery Earth, though. Also, the comic book I planned on drawing will probably not happen.

Next weekend is creative weekend, so we’ll see if any of my illustrator/comic book artist friends want to do it, if not, it’s another story that stays in the drawer for now. Now I shall go back to my publisher work, hoping next week I’ll get back to being a writer! 🙂 Have a great week!

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


As promised, here’s the last title in English for the coming weeks. The next one will appear in July, so plenty of time for you to try any new title that fancies you (if you’re new) or catch up (if you’re old-timer of this blog). A Taste of Silvery Earth – 7 stories to introduce you to the world and it’s history should give you a pretty good idea of what the series is like if you’re unfamiliar with it.

Other titles and series are Star Minds Universe (for now complete), Future Earth Chronicles (complete), Vampires through the centuries (for now complete, although I have 2 unfinished stories on my hard drive), and everything else. And box sets, if you’re voracious. And multi-author anthologies if you’re in discovery mood.

Last week I wrote almost 14K between the portal story and another chapter of the Duology (that will probably need tweaks when I get back to it, but it was another 6K in the kitty! ;p). I’m at 190K+ yearly count, so a lot more for you to read – some of it already came out, granted, but there’s still a lot to come! 🙂

If you’re a sci-fi writer, you might want to check the SPSFC and mark your calendars. If you’re a sci-fi reader, or, even better, a book blogger, they’re looking for you! (Giving up trying to use the “quote” block, and using italics for the quote):

What bloggers need to know:

Applications are now open to be one of our ten reviewers! Simply click here and fill out the form. As a former book blogger and reviewer, I know what you’re in for. It will be a lot of work, but if you enjoy helping readers find hidden gems, it will be rewarding.

If you’re a fantasy writer, the original SPFBO opens even before the SPSFC, so mark your calendar for that one too. I participated last year with Magical Friends, this year I’m not saying yet! 😉 Welcome to the wonderful world of indie publishing!

Signal boost for more sci-fi – if you’re a writer, it’s a paid market, if you’re a reader, well, it’s a new mag! 🙂 Science Fictionery is ready to launch! Check it out – their first issue is full, but if you’re a writer, you can still submit to them. And if you’re a reader, stretch goals include:

  • Making each issue available in audio format
  • Custom artwork for our covers.

In their own words: ScienceFictionery is here to bring the best Science Fiction in the Galaxy, support writers, entertain readers, champion equality & diversity and to remind people that the future is theirs to craft. Check them out!

If, by any chance, you still think traditional publishing is for you, check this. I have a friend who writes literary historical novels, and she is rightfully looking for a traditional publisher. I told her to skip the agents and submit to the publishers directly. She found a British publisher who is accepting unagented submissions (and she’s British, so that works well for her), so I’m crossing my fingers for her.

But I’ve read her books and I know there would be no market for them, not even in the wonderful new world of publishing without some leverage from a big publisher. She already went the small publisher way for another book. and agreed it’s a waste of time.

Traditional publishing is still stuck in the 20th century, unfortunately. Avoid at all costs, unless you write literary stuff that won’t sell as indie. Anything else is fair game, if you manage to nail the metadata and follow David Gaughran’s advice on Amazon. Or grab the Write Stuff bundle before it’s gone.

You won’t get rich quick. You won’t be a bestseller in six months, unless you hit the jackpot and nail a subgenre where there’s little competition. But you’ll have a career.

Have a great week and happy writing and reading! :)In

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


And we got a new title! As announced, here go the two covers. This week you can check Edwyn Blackmore, a m/m romance set at the beginning of the Varian Empire. You can check the chronology of all the stories here. And here’s the blurb of the latest.

Edwyn’s father demands he finds a bride, so he sets out for Xendaria, where the family originated, to look for a suitable maiden. He stops in a rundown castle belonging to his former sword teacher, Curzio, a Varian nobleman who never married and is the last of his line. Love and drama ensue. A Silvery Earth sweet m/m romance

Like I said, both covers have the same m/m couple by Ravven, but the newest one has a background with a picture of yours truly. It’s the interior of the castle Fortezza Verrucole Archeopark in Garfagnana, a wonderful place to visit if you ever get to Tuscany. Reenactors in medieval costumes show you the life inside the castle when it was still used.

Reading recommendations: check out the Cave Creek Series. I read the novel, Card Sharp Silver, and it’s a very enjoyable read! And I know most of the writers who contributed to the three anthologies. I know a lot about this shared world and I can only recommend you check it out!

Moving on to non-fiction for writers, two neat things came out last week, too late for me to include them in the post. One is the Write Stuff Bundle 2021 – I’ve met all those author (except Joanna Penn, and she’s British!) and they’re all terrific writers. I was even a beta-reader on Michael W. Lucas book. So, highly recommended.

The other spawned from The Covid Year (in their own world) – The Indie Author Magazine. I used to buy all the writers magazines when I traveled abroad, but I stopped because they focused on traditional publishing and finding an agent and all that 20th century publishing stuff. Welcome to the 21st century and the new world of publishing!

Eventually I might write something for them, but probably not this year, since I’m feeling sort of in transition, so until I settle in the new normal, I don’t have much to say!

Last week I wrote under 8K, on three different short stories. This week I’m probably writing for the workshop, but I also have other ideas fluttering around. Again, I don’t know if and when I’ll publish these latest stories, but then, they’re not the only ones still in a drawer (or computer file).

Maybe at some point I’ll do a collection of Rejected Stories in various genres, LOL! But I’m currently still writing and submitting them, and like Breathe found a home in the namesake anthology years after it was written, it could happen again.

Gente reminder that if you want free books in different genres, you should subscribe here. Currently LitRPG/Steampunk books are free! I guess that’s all for today and I wish you a wonderful week! 🙂

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


And it’s April already? Where did time go? Last week I wrote almost 12K but I also threw away 5K. By Thursday I realized I didn’t need to retell everything and decided to just skip to the almost new stuff. So 5K went in the trash bin, or in an “attempt” copy of the manuscript. Afterward I wrote another 6800words, though, and I’m back to 23K into the manuscript like before cutting out those 5K. Same but different is good, and these characters still have surprises, I’m happy they get the spotlight now! 😀

I should have waited until next year, but well… this is just too good. April 1, 2011 also marks the publishing of my first novel, Books of the Immortals – Air. It’s its 9th bookversary, LOL! Since it falls on a Wednesday this year, I doubt next year it will be as perfect, so… I’ll celebrate now, hehe!

paperbacks of Books of the Immortals - Air

An extra happiness is…

I remember I made press releases, sent out 50 eBook review copies (and it still has less than 10 actual reviews on Amazon, so you understand why I stopped doing that) and even did a Goodreads Giveaway with the paperbacks I had left – I ordered 25 copies from Lulu back then. Then I did a new edition with Createspace, now KDPprint.

I did all of that only for that first novel. The rest just came out, announcing it on the blog and on Facebook and on Goodreads and that’s it. Because all that marketing effort had been close to useless, I stopped doing it. I kept doing guest posts and character interviews for a little longer, though… I stopped that too. I don’t think anyone ever bought one of my books because they read a character interview somewhere.

I might do more, eventually. I might do more Backstage Passes on the publisher’s page, or post something in my Facebook group. At the moment it’s hard enough to just write something new, without bothering with marketing stuff. I even stopped drawing (I’m falling behind with the latest strip, so I’ll probably use next week off day job to catch up and finish it, and I’ll do the paperbacks in May, when I doubt I’ll be able to do that trip I hoped to do) because it gives me time to think…

I know I’ll bounce back – I always do. Meanwhile, if you’re thinking of writing That Book, Kristen Lamb is back and she’s going to help you doing it! 🙂 Or you can take an online course or finally do That Thing you’ve always wanted to do, something creative you didn’t have time for so far… Or you can check the reprints from Kris Rusch’s Freelance Survival Guide! 🙂

Sunday night I had enough of writing and beta-reading, so I re-watched Kaabil. Next week I hope to watch something else, but being off Day Job I’ll have to schedule the week differently. Maybe I’ll even manage to finish Book 6 by Easter and move on to Book 7 the following week! 🙂

We’ll see. Meanwhile, stay home, stay safe and have a great week! 🙂

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Last week I wrote a little over 9K which brings the yearly total to 488K. Another 12K and I’ll have reached my wordcount goal. I might reach it this week, or next week at the latest, wrapping up a project after I’m done with the Anthology Workshop assignment.

I guess Magical Friends was my last pre-order for the time being. Just when Smashwords introduces some pre-order goodies, or so they say, LOL! But this kind of thing doesn’t work for me (my one and only fan does get things in advance every now and then).

It was the 15th pre-order and like the previous 14 it hasn’t gathered any sales. So I’ll spare myself the hassle of pre-orders and getting Amazon reminders and all that jazz. I guess I’m not famous enough to have rabid fans eagerly waiting for my releases, therefore it’s one thing I can tick off the publishing list. Phew! 🙂

Anyhow, it’s live now, so go grab it. The awesome mockup above was done with a Covervault template. I hope you enjoyed the characters’ interview and, in case you missed it, the backstage pass was all about those two – well, those stories, from childhood to adulthood. And the maps included on the book page will be in the paperback next year.

If you missed Cockygate and the Dragon Slayer trademark controversy, fear not! You have a summary here because yes! Some writer did it again! Trying to trademark a word! When will this madness end? Like someone says in the comments, here’s to hoping the judge fines the stupid author… and not in an alternate reality! 😉

I’ve been reading some fiction, catching up on my TBR pile – made mostly of bundles – but I shall make my recommended reading post closer to the end of the year. Some of those bundles have short stories as well as novellas and novels, so I’m writing down the ones I like for future curated anthologies (next year at the earliest, not going to bother fellow writers during the Holidays!).

And since it’s the Holidays, I’ll have a bunch of guests over on Sundays, so stay tuned for the upcoming writers interviews! 🙂

And if you wondered about the difference between WMG Business Masterclass and 20BooksTo50K, Kris Rusch explains the difference in the latest business post, along with how to raise the bar in your own way – which is on my to-do list of New Year’s Resolutions, by the way. Try new genres, try other things, still a little hazy, but hopefully it will soon be clear.

Finishing with another inspirational video: Kris Rusch on Perfection at 20Books! 🙂 Have a great week!

Sunday Surprise


Hi guys,

I’m Samantha and I come from another world – the original, old Silvery Earth, where people are immortal and never grow up. When I’m not switching bodies at will, I travel to other universes, especially books or movies. That’s how I met Rajveer the Vampire, for example!

So, I’m taking over the interviews on this blog! And here I am, meeting people from other books/universes/whatever! Today we have someone from the new Silvery Earth. And since I’m such an awesome witch, I shall ask them questions at two stages of their lives! Or at least at two stages for the human, since the other barely changed in twelve years…

Let’s get on with this. Meet Torik, woodcutter’s son at Bargsea Fortress, a small kingdom on the northern great bay of Varia – I wonder if it has a name, but I guess that lazy author forgot to give it any denomination… Tell me a little about yourself, Torik.

CHILD TORIK: Er… I’m Torik. I’m Human. I have no magic. I’m short-lived. I’m a barbarian to the Magical Races. I’m ignorant. I know nothing of gods and goddesses. I’m scared of dragons. I’m ten, but I already help my dad chopping wood.

ADULT TORIK: I’m twenty-two and moved to the castle a few years back. Wood-cutting duties fell to my younger brother Baldric and I became the prince’s companion. Lambert is king now, we’re the same age.

Describe your appearance in ten words or less.

CHILD TORIK: dirty-blond mop of hair and poop-colored eyes.

ADULT TORIK: Long dark-blond hair and brown eyes.

Do you have an enemy or nemesis? If so, who are they and how did they become an enemy?

CHILD TORIK: Hannibal! He’s a bully! Him and Klaus are the reason I left the village and found my magical friends!

ADULT TORIK: Myself, mostly. I feel like a failure and don’t understand why people would want to follow me.

Where do you live?

CHILD TORIK: in the village outside the castle of Bargsea Fortress.

ADULT TORIK: in the castle of Bargsea Fortress.

Are you involved in a relationship? If so, with who and what is it about them that you find appealing?

CHILD TORIK: Are you kidding? I’m just a child! Although I like gifting flowers to girls. Florina is quite nice among the Humans. And I like Kareena too, but she came and went too quickly, sigh.

ADULT TORIK: I’m a widower. I hope one day I’ll find Kareena and if she’s still free… Although I’ll probably never find her.

What is the biggest challenge you face in the story?

CHILD TORIK: Growing up?

ADULT TORIK: Finding a place to call home.

Do you have a family? Tell me about them.

CHILD TORIK: Yes! There’s seven of us – should have been twelve, but they died when they were really small. I have dirty-blond hair like mom, as does Mathilda, who is eight, Greta, who is two, and Baby Alric. Alexa, thirteen, Baldric, seven, and Elsa, five, have Dad’s brown hair. And then there’s Mom and Dad, of course.

ADULT TORIK: Greta, Alric and Mom passed away when I was still a child, which made me grow up faster. Alexa, Mathilda, Elsa and Baldric are all married and have children of their own now. Well, Elsa is expecting her first. My father is also gone, as is my wife and the children she gave me.

Please give me an interesting and unusual fact about yourself.

CHILD TORIK: I have four awesome magical friends!

ADULT TORIK: I still have awesome magical friends, they all grew up like me, except Copperscales…

Which leads us to our other guest! You might see her as a girl with brown braids coiled around her ears or a teen with the same looks, but she’s not really like that. Hello, Copperscales. Tell me a little about yourself!

I’m a Fajrulo cub, barely over a century old. When Torik is adult, I can be considered a dragonette, since I’ve grown in size – from donkey to elephant – but I’m still a cub. I will live about nine centuries, so my life is still in its infancy, sigh.

Describe your appearance in ten words or less.

Dragon cub with copper-colored scales and bat-like wings.

What is your role in the story?

Torik’s bogey man, then Torik’s teammate, then, twelve years later, Torik’s travel companion…

What is your relationship with the protagonist?

Torik is sooo cute! I want to mate with him when I grow up! Except I’ve been bluntly reminded that when I’m old enough to lay eggs, he’ll be long dead of old age, sigh!

Where do you live?

My lair is in a cave up the mountain towering over Bargsea Fortress and its forest, and it can be reached only in flight.

Please give me an interesting and unusual fact about yourself.

I’m a member of the Magical Races along with Goldenberry (Genn), Erwan (Waiora) and Winged Ylenia (Sila). Fajrulo don’t like their peers – in fact, after my mother left me when I turned a hundred, I’m the only one in the area – but they love humans. I’m particularly fond of Torik, in case you didn’t notice…

____________________________
Book(s) in which the characters appear:

Silvery Earth Kids (strip)

Silvery Earth Kids and Related Short Stories

Magical Friends

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Last week I wrote almost 10K (9965 to be exact) so I’m definitely back on track. Kaori’s story is a 15K novella, and then I wrote another 5K story to help me start on the Assassin story that I hope to wrap up this week, since on Sunday I’ll have to start writing for the Anthology Workshop, yay!

I will probably manage to write all those Star Minds Lone Wolves stories before the end of the year since there’s the Holiday break, but you won’t see them until probably the end of February. I still have to book the editor for the new year. I also made a list of what’s left to write (4 more Quests on Silvery Earth, a Vampire Through the Centuries or three, a couple more books of the Future Earth Chronicles) so that I’ll know what to do in the first half of 2020.

And last week I also sent live Silvery Earth Kids! So, if you’d like to gift this paperback for Christmas, you have plenty of time to order it. The Italian version (in case you wanted to learn Italian through a strip) is unfortunately stuck in review with Amazon, but hopefully eventually they’ll approve it. I also anticipated the release of Magical Friends, it will now go live December 1st.

I started drawing the Star Minds Kids and Teens strip, but that’s another project that will come out next year. And this weekend I’ll be busy catching typo faeries, formatting and sending out the stories I wrote for the anthologies in the past couple of months. Most deadlines are Dec.31, a couple open in January, but I’m ready.

Oh, and I sold a short story, I shall publish the link when it goes live. It’s in the Star Minds Universe, like the story in Pulphouse #5, and it’s even kinda sorta the same thing – a battery-operated boyfriend in one, a sex robot in the other. The Star Minds Universe is becoming famous for the wrong reasons! 😀 Also, kind of clashes with the Star Minds Kids and Teens strip, LOL!

About innovation/tech news, I ran into this article on how blockchain tech can be used for the good of the music industry. If this blockchain thingy actually works, let’s hope they apply it to books as well.

From the time Naspter begun offering free music content in the 1990s, music piracy has been a chronic problem with most people taking it as the normal way of getting their music.

Unfortunately this applies to eBooks too, for different reasons. A lot of people are not willing to pay for the hard work of many writers or other creative people. So until the mindset changes, I don’t think anything will change.

And speaking of mindsets, I shall close with Dean’s video on the attitudes of fiction writers, a speech he gave for 20BooksVegas but I heard him say it often enough in person to confirm everything! 😉 Have a great week! 😀

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


And last week I got back to my 10K or so, both writing that last story for submission (that will head for the editor’s desk with the rest next week) and starting a new project that should be quickly done so I can start writing for the Anthology Workshop at the end of the month.

After brainstorming with myself I decided to go back to the Star Minds Lone Wolves and next year will see three more longer stories and at least another ten Lone Wolves Team missions with new members. I’ve started with Kaori, who has shown up quite a lot in all the published books, and wrote her story. No spoilers for whoever hasn’t checked them out yet, though.

She’s on the cover of Star Minds Third Generation Snippets, though, as Galaxy Police rookie. The Lone Wolves are set ten years later, so her book is abviously titled “Cop”. Then I’ll have “Assassin” and “Smuggler” and more Team missions.

But going back to Silvery Earth, did you know November is Fairy Tales Retold Month? Yeah, I made that up, but look at the coincidence: I published More Fairy Tales Revisited and Fairy Tales Revisited came out in a brand new bundle curated by A.L. Butcher! 😉

The Backstage Pass is also about those fairy tales and how they came into being. I wrote them all months ago, but hoped to make it a book as long as the first one – except I didn’t actually found another Rithvik and Kerrien to play with! 😉 So there you have it, a shorter book waiting for more to become Volume 2! 😉

All in all I’m quite happy that last week I managed to finish the lettering on the Silvery Earth Kids strip (both English and Italian) as well as writing new stuff. Now I’m back to DayJob, so I’ll have to go around it – although I might actually be able to start working on the Star Minds Kids strip in the mornings.

On Sunday I watched How to Train Your Dragon 3 with Dear Nephew, and we had a lot of fun. I think it’s a nice ending for the trilogy, and I liked the extras (although some I watched alone, since he had to go back to Mom’s to do some homework).

By Christmas he’ll probably be taller than be, but he’s still pretty much into those 3D stories. He even sort of summarized for me a story he has in mind, but I don’t know if I’ll ever manage to make him write it, LOL! He says he has all the character names down, though – all in English, can you believe it! 😀

Oh, and Sunday night I updated the trailer for Silvery Earth! 🙂 Not a masterpiece, but at least I took out all the ugly covers and the books that are no longer available!

And it’s Infinite Bard time again! Go check the latest story! Happy reading and have a great week!