So, there is this blog thing where someone tags you and then you tag other people in turn and it either summons one of the more benign Elder Gods or your least favorite aunt.  I may not have the details down. However! It is fun and spreads the word about lots of writers’ new projects, and can that ever be a bad thing? Well, except for the whole descending into ichor-soaked madness, maybe. Sorry about that.

The Next Big Thing

1. Give credit to the person/blog that tagged you. Kate Paulk, she of Vlad the Impaler and ConSensual fame
2. Post the rules for the blog hop. Right here…
3. Answer these ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress). Below…
4. Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.  I suck like a shop-vac. (translation: people were asked but declined) So, go out and tell authors you like to do this!

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:

1. What is the working title of your book? Scent of Metal
2. Where did the idea come from for the book? I’ve never been completely convinced that mind-reading belongs in science fiction, but what about connecting to an AI?
3. What genre does your book fall under? Science Fiction
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Maybe Mary-Louise Parker for Lea, and Aaron Eckhart for Ivars. Not sure about the rest. Argo could be played by Deep Blue.
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? An ancient, abandoned alien ship is woken up by a visiting computer geek and runs off to the nearest port without asking first.
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Self-published, like all the rest.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Longer than I like to think about, since it was during my epic get-everything-epubbed frenzy. A year and a half.
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Please tell me. Aliens, without the facehuggers, maybe?
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book? The cruel expulsion of Pluto from the planetary club. This is totally a revenge fantasy, for PLUTO! Besides, it’s always acted a little oddly…
10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I interviewed some Special Forces soldiers for this project, for reasons that will become apparent to the reader…

Yes, I’ve been busy. Yes, some of that busy is writing new books. Another sizable chunk of time was taken up with formatting the print versions of the three books of the Sequoyah trilogy, now available from CreateSpace!

CreateSpace links (Same price, but I get more money if you choose this route vs. Amazon)

The Long Way Home

Raven’s Children

Queen of Chaos

Amazon link (for some reason it takes a long time for the ebook and print book to get “connected up” so you have to search specifically for print books for now) Sequoyah in print

Appearances!

Okay, only one appearance. I will be attending Orycon this year, in Portland OR (Nov. 2-4). Rumor has it that someone smuggled out a few Official Umbra glow-balls from FarCom, which might be available to discerning clients fans on a limited basis. Allegedly. You didn’t hear it from me, though.

Of course my clever readers knew the ARC version was available on my store, but now everyone can get Queen of Chaos! Now with fewer typos! This version is also available on my store, and yes, I get more money that way. It is easier for non-technical people to load books directly from the main stores though, so I don’t mind. Whatever makes my readers happy…

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

So, what’s next? Scent of Metal is complete as a first draft. I succeeded in my Writeathon goal but didn’t quite hit the donation mark — so I will be putting up one chapter sometime soon to tease you with. The preliminary audiobook tests have gone well, but recording takes a LOT of time so don’t hold your breath.

The Last Mage Guardian is now available on Amazon as a paperback! I think it came out very well, thanks to CreateSpace’s nifty templates and guides. I have never laid out a print book before but they made it rather simple. I was even able to keep my little decorative fleurons. And thanks to Dean Wesley Smith‘s recent Blurbs & Pitches workshop, it has clever new back copy and blurbage!

The plan is to put all of my books up in print, starting with the Sequoyah trilogy. I’m still on the learning curve and it takes some time to get it all done right, so no real estimate on when. Plus, the day job is shaping up to Death March status so I won’t get much new stuff done for a few months. Never fear, Queen of Chaos is all ready to go and the first draft of Scent of Metal is complete. There will be new books!

UPDATE: If you want to order directly from CreateSpace instead of going through Amazon (same book, but I get more money) here’s the link.