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Wednesday Weekly Roundup


So last week I finished Book 10 and remembered I wanted to write a shorter sequel, so I embarked in Book 11 – a novella sequel. So by the end of the week I had almost 11K new words, bringing the yearly total to 300K+. Now I’m giving the final touches to that novella and probably in the coming weeks I won’t be that productive, but I can’t complain, can I? šŸ˜‰

I still haven’t decided what to write next, I’m kind of enjoying writing on Earth, albeit in the future… I could either go back to the vampires in the past or work on that shelved project. We’ll see. I should write a few more Silvery Earth titles, but now is not a good time for secondary world high fantasy.

And you have a new title out! Tori, don’t rush to get it, since it will be included in Star Minds Interregnum Volume 2, coming out in 2 weeks. Just sayin’. Everybody else, if this cover speaks to you, go check it out! šŸ˜‰ She-wolves Team is more or less contemporary to the Lone Wolves Team, in fact at some point they meet.

This was the first time in a long time that Amazon was the last to publish the title. I uploaded it on Saturday, and whether it was the 4th of July, Covid or the fact that Mighty Zon is in Seattle, it took them 48 hours to send it live instead of the usual 12. Oh, well. Considering that on Monday I missed the bus and had to wait 1hour with 37Ā°C in the shadows for the next one to do 5km… It’s July!

Actually, Sci-fi July, LOL! With the last two titles of the Star Minds Universe (for now, unless I come up with fourth generation stories) and the two curated anthologies about Future Earth, we’re all set! And don’t forget the Smashwords sale, that is not just about sci-fi, but everything else! šŸ˜‰

And my friend Rob Vagle also has a new sci-fi title out! šŸ˜‰ I’m kinda bummed he didn’t send any of those stories to me for my antho, but well… here you go!

In a world . . .

Where a new form of execution transforms more than just the condemned.

Where a being made of gears and scales calculates a human lifeā€™s monetary worth.

Where a stranger courts away mirror reflections of others, leaving one narcissist desperate and alone.

Where the Earth holds what completes each of us to fill the hollow inside our bodies.

Where one woman glimpses her alternate lives in a strange and sudden room.

Where a burning creature of the sun pines for the little blue planet in the distance.

If you’re just starting, I highly recommend you get David Gaughran’s Let’s Get Digital – it’s free right now! I have the first edition and still haven’t read it (I know, shame on me) and unfortunately if there’s something I really cannot do at this time is read all those ebooks for authors.

I still have to read his Amazon Decoded and Kris Rusch’s Creating Your Author Brand, so… I’m going to pass on this fourth edition. But if you’re just starting, grab it. I sent the link to a friend who is considering indie publishing, and he thanked me for it.

Now I’m going back to write fiction even if I’m not maximising sales, but that’s really something I can’t handle right now. One thing is hiding in a fiction world (even if it’s Earth), another is to struggle to get through in the real world! šŸ˜‰

And even though I can’t stand AC and the heat is probably going to send me in some kind of dreamstate, I will survive… hence closing up with Gloria Gaynor to cheer us up! šŸ™‚ Have a great week! šŸ˜€

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by Barb on 08/07/2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 08/07/2020

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2020/07/08/wednesday-weekly-roundup-40/

Sunday Surprise


And a monthly feature again, words of wisdom, writers on writing or whatever you want to call it, here’s your five author quotes for June! Have a great Sunday!

My first publication was about 8 years ago, in a now dissolved webzine, Darkest Before the Dawn. No pay, just exposure. Since then Iā€™ve been paid for certain projects, but routinely submit to publications that pay, and to publications that pay nothing. I have an MFA in nothing. Iā€™m a low status individual and wear that title with pride. I know it sounds like sour grapes, but ultimately, all Iā€™m seeking is for my creative freedom to someday overlap with financial freedom. Iā€™ve heard it said the greatest thing about having money, is not worrying about it. I can honestly say Iā€™m not driven by status or money.

– Scotch Rutherford

And you know what, weā€™re right. The life of an artist is for others ā€” because we just said so, and in saying so, we make it true.

But hereā€™s the rub. Even after negating our creative potential, weā€™re bound to wake up the next day to a tickle of an idea dancing in a far corner of our mind, a memory that is trying to push a door open, a strange other world that is calling us. We wash those dishes, we pay that stack of bills, we drink that cheap bottle of wine, but we know thereā€™s something elseā€”we know thereā€™s something more.

And there is something more. Thereā€™s the creative life. You donā€™t need a certificate for it, you donā€™t need to apply to do it, you donā€™t even need to ask permission to do it. You just have to claim itā€”and claim it every day by showing up to do it.

Itā€™s not easy, of course. There will be naysayers, those people who think itā€™s silly or trivial to be a ā€œcreative typeā€, those who think itā€™s audacious and pretentious for you to write a novel, those who think you canā€™t do it because you lack the qualifications and the training. Unfortunately, because humans are social beings by design, we tend to measure our worth according to the opinions of others. Opinions that come from who knows where, but most likely othersā€™ own insecurities, their need for you not to fulfill yourselfā€”because if you fulfill yourself, you might make them feel small.

The arts donā€™t belong to a chosen few, though. Quite the opposite: every one of us is chosen to be a creator by virtue of being human. If youā€™re not convinced of this, just step into any preschool and observe the unbridled creative energy of kids as they immerse themselves in fingerpainting, telling wild stories, banging on drums, and dancing just to dance. Theyā€™re creative types because they breathe.

– Grant Faulkner

ā€œImagination is like a muscle. I found out that the more I wrote, the bigger it got.ā€

ā€• Philip JosĆ© Farmer

Bloggers and podcasters love to discuss the state of the publishing industry. Depending on whom you ask, itā€™s either stronger than ever or plunging toward certain death. Generally itā€™s the latter, because bad/shocking news gets more attention. Thatā€™s why you hear more about teenagers dying in car crashes than elderly people going in their sleep. When I was a new author trying to break in, I gave these ā€œpublishing punditsā€ too much stock. I was genuinely concerned that by the time my debut was published, physical bookstores would no longer exist.

The truth lies somewhere between the two extremes. Yes, the publishing industry has undergone some major changes, especially in the past two decades. Major publishers have been consolidated into five big entities. More recently, the introduction of e-readers like the Kindle fueled the rapid growth of e-books. Brick-and-mortar booksellers like Barnes & Noble are struggling to adapt to a world in which more and more consumers shop online. So are most physical retailers, by the way. Google ā€œholiday sales 2017ā€ if you need convincing.

The publishing industry is not dying. It is evolving. People still buy books. They just do it online because you donā€™t need pants to shop online. People still visit libraries, but now they can use their library cards to borrow e-books and audiobooks. People still read, but they do it on their phones.

Change is the way of the world. Smart authors, agents, and publishers adapt and survive. Those who donā€™t adapt will eventually fade away. Itā€™s that simple.

– Dan Koboldt

Some of the things Iā€™m going to relate here I seem to learn anew with every book. For example, for me a book comes together not from a single idea, but when two or more ideas clash in a kind of mental pile-up. Iā€™ll have all these things swimming around my brain all the time, making me stare at walls and not hear my wife calling me. Thatā€™s just being a writer. But then something will happen. One idea about a character will stroll through my thinkmeat just as another idea about a cool scene is trying to make out with a third idea about ā€œwhat if this was thatā€, then something greater than all those parts happens and boom! Thereā€™s a book. My brain is a strange place. HIDDEN CITY grew from just such a collision of cool ideas: parasitic fungus, magic out of control, a harmless drug turned deadly, a broken-down, grief-stricken citymageā€¦ But even then, once the idea collision had occurred and I saw a bigger picture in the shape of a novel, I still needed the story. This is the thing I learned again. The ideas were cool, but theyā€™re not the story. As people wiser than me have said, plot is what happens, but story is why we care.

– Alan Baxter

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by Barb on 28/06/2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 28/06/2020

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2020/06/28/sunday-surprise-252/

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Last week I wrote over 13K and reached the new events, since the start of the book is a recap of the previous ones. And again I got surprised by the turn of events, so I’m speedily going towards the completion of this series (at least for now. Next generations might show up eventually, like in the Star Minds Universe, LOL!).

David Gaughran is back with a few publications for writers – although I still have to go through the first editions of Let’s Get Digital and Amazon Decoded, you might want to check them out! Don’t be lazy like me! šŸ˜‰

I guess each one of us reacted differently to lockdown – I hid into writing and can’t be bothered studying the marketing part yet. But I’m still publishing, so whenever I’m ready to study and give everything a marketing boost, I’ll have plenty to choose from! šŸ™‚

Another Kickstarter worth checking: Funny and Stupid Stories (That No One Should Read) – ain’t that a great title? Go check it out, the ebook is for everybody, although the paperback is only for the UK… And yes, it’s a Kickstarter in GBP (although I see it in Euro and you probably see it in USD or whatever your currency is!)! šŸ™‚

This is a collection/anthology of funny stories. I write in all genres, but mainly horror and supernatural crime. In between the “serious” stuff, I write a few funny stories to relax. This is a collection of those stories.

And if you prefer a trilogy of paranormal mysteries set in small town Kentucky featuring psychic Ash Jericho, To Die For is still going for a few more days.

The Ash Jericho series is a three book paranormal mystery series. It’s possible there will be more books and stories in the series at a later time, but my goal is to publish these three books quickly, back to back, so that readers can enjoy their visit to Ash’s small town.

Or if you’re fore epic fantasy, this is a first novel campaign to help get a decorative edition of the book.

Firefrost Ā is epic fantasy at its finest: danger, magic, swords, and crowns.Ā It’s a standalone novel about overcoming the darkness inside each of us and the prejudices that keep us captive. The novel is set in a burning, war-torn world, and is full of a dark and powerful magic that consumes hearts and kingdoms.

One day I might do my own Kickstarter, but it’s not going to happen anytime soon – conflicts with my DayJob, don’t ask me why, but that’s one more reason to quit and move to a country where things are simpler! šŸ™‚

I’m reading the books from a vampire bundle I got some time ago from StoryBundle, but I realized maybe it’s also time I read Homo Deus by Harari, since I’m dealing with our future… so as soon as I finish this 3 Musketeers retelling with vampires, I better go back to that before I finish that bundle! šŸ˜‰

Last weekend ended up being Rock N Roll weekend. I realized Saturday was a former muse’s 60th birthday, so I watched Sugar Town (his only movie with a decent role – but he’s not an actor! He’s John Taylor of Duran Duran, there, I gave out my age again! *Waves at other Duranies still out there*) after lunch. After dinner Rock On.

Sunday I watched Rock Star after lunch (with world’s sexiest drummer, Blas Elias! šŸ˜‰ ) and Rock On 2 after dinner. Techie Bro didn’t come over to sleep, so I felt free to watch whatever I wanted. He came on Monday, though, since he had no bed to sleep in either at the old house or the new one.

So, after a very musical weekend… summer came. So I’ll probably sort of kind of vanish now. Oh, wait, I have plenty of titles for Sci-Fi July… I’ll try to postpone my summer letargy, LOL! Stay tuned for the coming publications, announcement on the publisher’s page in a few days! Have a great weekend! šŸ™‚

 

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by Barb on 24/06/2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 24/06/2020

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Wednesday Weekly Roundup


And the last Happiness is… actually applied to my weekend, since I got the idea for the next strip – or “waves” like they’re called on Instagram (or so I’m told). So I do have something else to draw whenever I feel like it!

Also, having written my 12K by Friday last week, I used the weekend mostly to upload the Star Minds Lone Wolves Team collection and working on other projects. Which kept me busy also on Monday, when I set up a couple of projects coming out in July – it’s going to be a very busy publishing month, stay tuned! šŸ˜€

So, the Lone Wolves Team is over, I have another shorter story about another team of fixers for the end of the month and a last Star Minds Universe title, then moving on. Although Future Earth Chronicles won’t start publishing until August, I’m afraid. But, like I said, plenty of awesome books coming up! šŸ™‚

And while you wait for my own curated anthos, don’t forget to check Nuns With Guns, a fun collection of nuns and guns stories, available also in paperbacks. There are reviews on Amazon to check if it’s for you, if you don’t trust me to tell you it’s an excellent collection! šŸ˜‰

A post on switching gears and various writing methods by David Farland. I’m mostly a one-draft writer who had a regular writing routine in the sense that I write every day until I finish a project, then I can take a couple of days off (like the past week). I might write short novels, but words add up.

So I’m already past halfway for my goal this year, and still writing mostly in the dark, although when I get to the story, I sometimes have to scrap whole chapters because I took a wrong turn. But it’s never wasted words, IMHO. Last February I learned a term that I loved – exploratory draft.

So yeah, I do a lot of exploratory drafts these days, but still get the job done. I’m fast anyway, because I’ve been doing it for so long, that I miss it when I’m not writing for too long. Perks of growing up in the age of the typewriter, with no internet to distract me! šŸ˜€

I also used some weekend time to rewatch some Bollymelodrama… the movie that started it all, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (courtesy of British Airways on a trip to LA) and another Karan Johar movie, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… – which according to some should be remade in Hollywood, but I still think in CinecittĆ  would be more appropriate, although I haven’t thought about the whole cast yet.

I mean, Italy and India have similar visions of family and parents and yadda yadda yadda – that’s not something I see in America much, so I doubt Hollywood could adapt that movie, but it could be an Italian comedy of some kind.

Next weekend we’ll see, since Techie Bro is moving homes and I might have guests… So if he’s game, I’d rather show him some Bollywood action, I’m sure he’d appreciate it much more, LOL!

Back to day job this week, so mornings are busy again, sigh. I better get back to writing, one more book for Future Earth Chronicles and then I can send the batch off to Mighty Editor… Have a great week! šŸ™‚

 

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by Barb on 17/06/2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 17/06/2020

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2020/06/17/wednesday-weekly-roundup-37/

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Last week by Saturday I had almost 17K (and another short story to throw in the last batch of Star Minds stories), so I took a break during the weekend, also to get on with the strip. By Week 23 I already reached 250K (of 500K for those who arrived later), so whenever I’ll be able to travel again and I’ll skip a week, I won’t have to worry about reaching my goal! šŸ˜‰

I also cleaned up this very blog, in case you didn’t notice. I had already changed the blog description to My Name – Writer, now I cleaned out all those very unprofessional pages at the top. Doesn’t it look better like this? No? Oh, well. The free anthos are still there, if you want to read them. And there’s a neat clean page of links to the other books (and if you’re a reader, you might want to follow the publisher’s page, it gets updated only with new releases or sales announcements).

And welcome new followers, for whatever reason you subscribed to this blog feed! šŸ™‚ Just be warned I will ramble a lot – but at least it’s only once a week, LOL! Almost like a weekly newsletter! šŸ˜€

I cleaned up also my DeviantART page before closing the account… I don’t know when yet. But I took down more than half of the art I had uploaded there. I cursed them a whole afternoon while doing it. Glad that WordPress’s updates are much more discreet and I’m not forced to use them (yet!)…

And I finished coloring the current strip! Below is a wordless strip, the rest is coming on Instagram, every Sunday as usual! Star Minds Kids and Teens will also have a prose version for the visually impaired, like Silvery Earth Kids.

Kol-ian and Toybot finish the homework and go to play in the park, climbing a tree

I got the new Kindle along with a couple of paperbacks, and I already hate it. It does have airplane mode, but otherwise it’s constantly on wi-fi. It’s a hassle to turn pages on lists and I turned off the front light (since I have a Kindle for the e-ink, not for the built-in front light. I’m not reading in the dark). I might have gotten used to touch screens since 2011, but I still prefer KK.

In fact, I downloaded a couple samples on KK, and eventually I’ll synch the New Kindle (that shall not have a name, sgrunt!). My own mobi files go on the New Kindle, along with the bundles and other books I got from elsewhere, since KK can still connect to the Amazon store, but the cable doesn’t connect it to the laptop anymore, so I can only download stuff from Amazon and not add other books like I used to. Sigh.

I still have quite a few books to read on KK anyway, so the New Kindle will stay offline until I’m done with that. Then I’ll synch it and start using it, possibly next year, giving how fast (read: slow!) I am at reading ebooks! šŸ˜€

As for the paperbacks, one is Snow Glass Apples by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran, a highly recommended graphic novel, a Snow White retelling with luscious artwork. I love all of Colleen’s works, and the pairing with Neil Gaiman is awesome. The other paperback is non-fiction and I haven’t started it yet…

I reworked the blurb and cover for The Fern and The Cross, go check it out! I hope I made it better, not worse, LOL! A special thanks to Anna Lowenstein for the consultations on the blurb (and correcting my mistakes) and Joleene Naylor for the consultations on the cover and introducing me to That Group.

I left the old cover on the book page (like I did for Brainwaves) because I think the old cover was more faithful to the history and the character, but if the new one sells… readers should get what they want! šŸ˜€

See how the right one has the heraldry of FougĆØres and the flat-topped helmet and that crusader look? But comments said it wasn’t clear what it was about, so I changed pictures (there was the color version of the first one) and decided to forego historical accuracy…

Now I’ll have to update the banners, both here and on the publisher’s page… but I’m waiting for the Future Earth Chronicles cover reveal and possibly other new covers! šŸ™‚

Now I better get back to writing and wrap Book 8 and 9… I still have Book 10 to start and finish in two weeks, yikes!

Some Kickstarters worth checking:

Ask Jericho: To Die For by Bonnie Elizabeth Koenig.

Despot: Science Fiction and Fantasy Anthology by Van Alrik. This is an anthology that is trying something new with the editing side of things. It is matching by computer stories to classic author’s styles and forms. Read it to understand what he is doing.

The Cold Poker Gang by Dean Wesley Smith. This is trying to get the series into hardback and to give readers and fans an early look at the new novel. It also has workshops and some good stretch goals. It has now funded and gone past two stretch goals and gaining on a third with about eight days left

One laat link this week, something that was shared in the Italian version by one of my FB friends. The Human Library. Now I’m pondering if I could be a book in this library or should try to read some titles before applying… Have a great week!

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by Barb on 10/06/2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 10/06/2020

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2020/06/10/wednesday-weekly-roundup-36/

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Last week I wrote almost 14K words. And after deleting 2K I decided to change the books order… so Book 8 will be Book 9! Glad I’m writing them all before sending them off to Mighty Editor and hit that Publish button, LOL! Although I did have to modify the book # on the covers I prepared, but it’s just one minor change.

I hope to finish this book in a couple of days and then I’ll have to decide if I continue to the next or go back to the one I skipped because I wasn’t expecting things to go this way. Perks of writing into the dark. I must say the second batch of books is really surprising me and keeping me entertained! šŸ™‚

And of course there’s another Team Missions book out, in case you were waiting for it. Unfortunately the last 3 books have lost interest for my Kobo Australia reader, unless they’re in lockdown and haven’t realized the series is continuing. Oh, well. The full collection will be out mid-June, so maybe that’s what they’re waiting for! šŸ™‚

And you can now buy face masks in my revived Zazzle Store, either with my strips characters or with yours truly. I also put the art on mugs, in case you broke all your mugs in frustration during lockdown.

Here’s the collection with yours truly…

And the one with the strips characters

I had a lot of fun preparing them, hope you like them! I ordered one for myself, but I haven’t received it yet, I’ll post a pic when I get it! šŸ˜‰ They’re still working on my order, so we’ll see…

And the Smashwords sale ends soon! Here’s a link to the currently discounted books from yours truly. Next week I hope to post a link to the next project I’m in, an anthology I’m currently reading so I’ll be able to tell you more about the other authors who keep me company… stay tuned! šŸ˜‰

I can watch only comedies at the moment, and I was in the mood for She-Devil because while writing I feel a little like Meryl Streep in that movie (although it’s from 1989, she has an electric typewriter and writes romance, the publishing world has changed A LOT since, but well… it’s Meryl Streep as Successful Romance Author! šŸ˜‰ ), stopping and thinking of a better word and correcting and all that.

Although obviously I don’t have a palace overlooking the ocean and I’m not a successful romance author, but you get the idea! šŸ˜‰ Things are slowly re-opening on this side of the world as we enter Phase 2, but spring has also exploded and the heat has arrived, making me want to move north immediately.

Unfortunately, even though in June we’ll be able to travel to Europe, I doubt I’m anywhere close to leaving the damn DayJob and moving to a cooler country. Sigh. I’m really considering going to IceCon in November, so I’d be able to see the Northern Lights and maybe book a tour or two with the Tour Bunny before or after the convention…

That’s all for now! Have a great week! šŸ™‚

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by Barb on 20/05/2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 20/05/2020

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Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Last week I wrote 12K on book 8 and spent Sunday afternoon drawing for a change. Well, the portrait took only 2 hours, but I also had a new Italian title out and covers to tinker with. Now I’m back to writing and hope to wrap up Book 8 by the end of the week, so I can move on to Book 9.

Some publishing news: Cash Flow for Creators is now live. I beta-read it and can vouch for it. It’s clear, fun, and if you’re not sure how to start your writing business, you should give it a try. If you’re not American (like yours tryly) some things might not apply, but at least you’ll learn how to add a business mind to your writer mind and publisher mind. I know, us indie must wear many hats.

Apple Books for Author launches with PC access, so if you ever wanted to go direct to Apple but don’t own a Mac, now you can do it! šŸ™‚ Personally, I’ll stick with D2D for now, I’ll wait to see how this goes. I already have to open another account, probably with Book Funnel, to put out some reader’s magnets, I don’t want to bother learning another retailer interface.

This year I’ll just keep going like I always did, maybe next year I’ll have the energy to do a complete relaunch – more paperbacks, more audiobooks, whatever. At this time I have barely the energy to resume publishing regularly (and yes, next weekend you’ll get another Lone Wolves Team eBook) to the usual suspects.

A good projection on Schrƶdingerā€™s Future by the always awesome Kris Rusch, which is another reason why I don’t want to do much yet. Besides, my 10-year-anniversary is next year, so it makes sense that I keep the good stuff for next year. Of course I’ll have to start working on it at the end of the year, but hopefully by then we’ll be less stressed out.

On a happier note, we are now in Phase 2, and some businesses are open again, albeit as takeaway. I was able to have breakfast at a coffee shop and this week I know that if I catch that bus, I’ll find my pizza place open (it used to have tables so you could eat in there, but now, of course, it’s all takeaway), so I won’t have to cook 2 meals per day, yay! šŸ™‚

Monday I was off day job again because there can’t be more than six of us at the office, so I stayed at home doing those online courses (officially) and finishing the cover rebranding of Future Earth Chronicles, even though the launch is still a couple of months away or more.

And for your reading pleasure, my friend Tameri Etherton has a free book out on Amazon – well, free until the 14th, so go get it now! Link is not geotagged, but I’m sure you’ll find your own Amazon store if you’re not in the US (just change the .com with whatever your Amazon store end with, that’s what I did to see it on Amazon IT)! šŸ™‚

She’s just a girl standing in front of dragon asking him to love her. Or, something like that!
Fall in love for free! Snag your copy today! Free until May 14th!

Or, if you prefer epic fantasy, now’s your chance to get all four books in the Song of the Swords epic fantasy series for FREE!
Epic fantasy at its best! Free until May 14th. Snag your copies today! Love fae? Love assassins? Love fae assassins for FREE? Sweet! FREE for a limited time! Get your faerie assassins here free until May 14th! Yes, my good friend Tameri is giving away a lot of books until tomorrow! šŸ™‚ Go get them now! šŸ˜€

If you’d like to try Latinx Dark Fiction there’s a new bundle out at StoryBundle, as well as the WriteBundle2020 if you want to work on your craft/business of writing. I know all the authors of the Write Bundle and I can only highly recommend them – they know their stuff! šŸ™‚

Now I’ll be waiting for a couple paperbacks I’ve been wanting to read and hopefully order the new Kindle. Although I still have quite a lot of stuff to read on KK, but wellā€¦ it’s getting bothersome not being able to check files and having to use Kindle4PC! šŸ˜‰ Have a great week!

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by Barb on 13/05/2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 13/05/2020

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Happiness is…


by Barb on 04/05/2020  •  Image  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 04/05/2020

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/happiness-is-542/

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


By Wednesday last week I had finished Draft Zero of Book 7, so I had to stop, re-read, adjust, and so on. So only 8400 new words. Having found some mistakes on the first five books while writing 6 and 7, I decided to go through the paperbacks (something I used to do immediately, but since I moved to KDPprint and had to send the books live to order copies, I had shamelessly skipped the process) and catch typo faeries and adjust mistakes to what I’ve been writing.

It’s really minor changes for my one and only reader so far, and you can download the updated version from Smashwords for whenever you want to read them again. Whoever gets the series now (and on Smashwords it’s still 9$ for 5 books…) will get the corrected version. I hadn’t sold any paperbacks, so I’m not worried about those, LOL!

I won’t blame you if you don’t want to read the Future Earth Chronicles now, though. A side effect of the Covid-19 pandemic? Reading got a lot harder. Especially reading sci-fi:

Lisa Yaszek is also trying to be kind to herself. These days, the last thing the professor of science-fiction studies wants to do is read more science fiction. She already feels as if sheā€™s living through a disaster, Yaszek said. She doesnā€™t need the excitement of somebody elseā€™s.

Of course, she said, some might find comfort in dystopian stories, like E.M. Forsterā€™s ā€œThe Machine Stops,ā€ about a world where society lives underground, reliant on a giant machine to provide its needs, and the machine breaks down. The parallels are obvious.

Lots of science fiction is inherently optimistic, said Yaszek, who teaches at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Itā€™s about the possibility that people might put down their differences and work together. Reading those narratives can feel discomforting right now, she said, because when youā€™re done, you return to this imperfect world, where people are making imperfect choices.

So don’t worry, the series will still be out there, possibly with five or six more books, when this is over! šŸ™‚ We’re living through history, and it’s obviously keeping our minds busy with all the bombardment of contrasting news about the pandemic. Be kind to yourself and carry on! šŸ™‚

What are your best practices? I can’t “write by committee” because I started on my own. In this time of upset, I moved brainstorming from drawing to playing Bubble Witch Saga 3 (sue me! šŸ˜‰ ) and by now I’m well adjusted at doing my first draft on my writing laptop instead of longhand. The writing is not suffering, it’s everything else that went on the backburner! šŸ™‚

Althoug I updated both the Future Earth Chronicles and the Star Minds Universe series pages. I’m still pondering if I should change the covers of Future Earth Chronicles – at least the ebooks. I’m working on new ones, experimenting before I buy the images for the next five or six books! šŸ™‚

And our mighty curator A.L. Butcher put out another bundle! Here Be Aliens is now live on BundleRabbit and the usual suspects. In this bundle you can find Adventurer, the first of the Star Minds Lone Wolves books, along with a few more. Or you can check the series discounted on Smashwords (the first 7 books are 30%off as mentioned on this list of discounted titles).

This is science fantasy/space opera, so it should take you away from this planet for a while (although Adventurer starts on a different future Earth, where we have joined the Star Nations and are traveling to space, yay!). It’s also alternate future because the shift happened back in 2012! šŸ™‚

Also, for your reading (dis?)pleasure, the trainwreck… of traditional publishing. I shall stay tuned for the indie version. The IASFA has also a Facebook group. And they’re NOT like the Author Guild mentioned by Kris Rusch in her post, that’s for sure.

Now off to working on the next book of Future Earth Chronicles... Have a great week! šŸ™‚

 

by Barb on 29/04/2020  •  Permalink
Posted in real world inspiration, struggles to get through
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Posted by Barb on 29/04/2020

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2020/04/29/wednesday-weekly-roundup-30/

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Last week I ended up writing 17K+, which brought the yearly total to 150K, which means that on week 15 I caught up with the wordcount. To reach my goal of 500K/year I need to write 10K/week with two weeks off… so at the moment, I’m back on track and can still take two weeks off to go somewhere in the second half of the year, if things have settled down. Yay! šŸ™‚

And like I announced on the publisher’s page, the new title is now complete, so I’m posting the cover. Still a short novel, but at least it has flashbacks! šŸ™‚ You can now know a little more about Alex’s past! šŸ™‚

If you write SFF, you know have two options of professional organizations looking out for you. The SFWA that is more traditionally oriented and has the Writer Beware blog, and the IASFA, that is indie-oriented… set up by Craig Martelle of 20BooksTo50K, it’s starting to build up… and it’s free to join! šŸ™‚ I can say I was among the first 15 members, LOL!

A nice post on how to cope right now. Be kind, to yourself and others. Yes, I miss the coffee shop coffee and having lunch with a colleague or three, but we’ll get over it. Yes, it was a lonely Easter time, but I’m sending out tonz of virtual hugs for whoever needs them right now. And yes, I sometimes hold my hand, especially when I go to sleep, just to remind myself I’m still alive and still human.

Also, here’s the truth about introverts. Yes, it’s hard on us too. And yes, I’m lucky I still get to go to work three days a week to get my dose of people. I don’t look forward to when it will be all peopley out there, but I hear ya – introvert or extrovert, we’re all grieving these days.

And if you feel you need help to re-organize your life during lockdown, follow Kris Rusch’s advice. Also, prepare for the ultimate gaslighting – I think it’s going to be all over the world, not just in America. I had wished the world would stop, and now it has stopped, which is more or less fine with me, if the rest of the world wasn’t reacting so badly! šŸ˜‰

I hope you might consider this: what happened is inexplicably incredible. Itā€™s the greatest gift ever unwrapped. Not the deaths, not the virus, but the Great Pause. It is, in a word, profound. Please donā€™t recoil from the bright light beaming through the window. I know it hurts your eyes. It hurts mine, too. But the curtain is wide open. What the crisis has given us is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see ourselves and our country in the plainest of views. At no other time, ever in our lives, have we gotten the opportunity to see what would happen if the world simply stopped. Here it is. Weā€™re in it. Stores are closed. Restaurants are empty. Streets and six-lane highways are barren. Even the planet itself is rattling less (true story). And because it is rarer than rare, it has brought to light all of the beautiful and painful truths of how we live. And that feels weird. Really weird. Because it hasā€¦neverā€¦happenedā€¦before.

And, like he says,

From one citizen to another, I beg of you: take a deep breath, ignore the deafening noise, and think deeply about what you want to put back into your life. This is our chance to define a new version of normal, a rare and truly sacred (yes, sacred) opportunity to get rid of the bullshit and to only bring back what works for us, what makes our lives richer, what makes our kids happier, what makes us truly proud.

I finally started using those codes for RakutenTV and… I wasn’t impressed. I watched Sir – the only Indian movie I hadn’t seen that was available (there’s no Bollywood at all in their selection) – and the only options were Hindi (without subtitles) or Italian. So I had to watch the dubbed version (with the silly subtitle “Cinderella in Mumbai”), which wasn’t too bad since I didn’t know any of the actors and what they actually sound like.

Until we got to the part where the two sisters discuss Choti’s future husband. I have no idea why the people adapting this movie for dubbing put in Brad Pitt’s name, jerking me out of the movie in a heartbeat. 1) how can an Indian man look like Brad Pitt? Keanu Reeves is more likely, right? Oh, but nobody knows how to pronounce that, so forget it. 2) I’m watching an Indian movie about a maid who always wear a sari and they talk about a Hollywood celebrity? They might as well have used an Italian actor for Italian watchers… if they really didn’t want to use an Indian star’s name.

I tried to understand what they were saying in the original (probably Marathi, since it didn’t sound like Hindi – she’s from a small village near Mumbai), but the only name I could catch was Rajveer (I think). I mean, I understand trying to adapt (like the subtitles of ZNMD where they translated Manju into Romeo, but it was less jarring than this Brad Pitt thing and I was able to ask about the actual line to Hindi speakers), but this was really off-putting.

Come on, people, give us non-speakers some credit when we watch your movies. We want to watch and understand your culture, not see it whitewashed just in case we don’t get it. Sheesh. Besides that, I think it was a nice, realistic story that showed me something of India. I’m not surprised the movie received so many awards all over the world. I agree with this user’s review completely.

A beautifully thought provoking film!

12 November 2018 | by taherailseahmad ā€“ See all my reviews

It is really a film worth watching, the story and characters stay on with you in a fine, beautifully quiet manner even when the film is over! A wonderfully subtle but very definitely thought provoking film with a realistic story line!

Anyhow, I was reminded why I hate dubbed movies. The other three on my list should be English or Italian movies, so I can watch the original without subtitles. And I guess I’ll stick to DVDs whenever available for the time being. Watching on my laptop wasn’t the best experience, and I don’t have a smart TV – don’t want one, I don’t use it enough anyway.

On Sunday (Easter), I rewatched 12 Monkeys – remember when 5billions were supposed to die from an airborne virus back in 1996/1997? Well, we had another twenty years, and there aren’t that many deaths yet, probably will never be (that’s more what happened in my Future Earth Chronicles sometimes in the 21st century, but I will not tell the whole story of the apocalypse, ever – and by the way, last days to get the series half-price on Smashwords).

And that’s all for today… have a great week, stay safe and keep social distancing for a little longer. You can do it! Hugs! šŸ™‚

by Barb on 15/04/2020  •  Permalink
Posted in real world inspiration, the Human being
Tagged , , , , ,

Posted by Barb on 15/04/2020

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2020/04/15/wednesday-weekly-roundup-28/

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