Charge!

Once again, apologies for not updating in a few weeks. The good news is it's all because I've been working on new and exciting things to be read/seen later on in the year. 

The editing of 'Lay Me Restless' is picking up speed! I'm averaging about twenty-five thousand words a week on it now, so it should only be another four or five weeks of editing before it's ready! My editing process is one of the longest of all of the authors I've spoken to. Some send their work to their Beta-Readers after the first draft, others thinking if they didn't feel the need to change something in the first three drafts, they probably won't want to in the fourth. All are valid, it's all about finding what works for you.

I'm having a rest week this week, spending some time in Manchester with my girlfriend. I got an extra day off from the cafe this week and figured it was the best use of the time. I might write an article or try my hand at a short story or two while I'm here. Then next week it's back to editing; onto the final push on this draft before another read through!

I've been reading 'The Stormlight Archive' by Brandon Sanderson recently and I'm absolutely loving it. If you're looking for an alternative to 'A Song of Ice and Fire' this is definitely worth a look. 

I'll try and update more regularly from now on (probably)!

Sam

New Year, New Books

Happy New Year, fantasy fans!

So after a few weeks rest I've come back to writing energised and refreshed, ready to complete various projects. The book should be done within the next couple of months, behind schedule, but it WILL get done!

I'm not really one to make New Year's Resolutions, but I do have a few goals to achieve this year.

1) Finish 'Lay Me Restless'

2) Publish 'Lay Me Restless'

3) Start book 4

4) Build up a bank of short stories to enter into competitions

5) Collect a bank of poetry to publish

6) Further things with the theatre company

Hopefully it should be a successful year and I've certainly got a lot planned for it! I've also made a pledge to take more time for myself, which means no more overtime in the evenings. I got a little run down at the end of last year, so this could be for the best. The quality of my writing's going to suffer if I'm too tired to do any. That seems obvious and yet it took me a surprisingly long time to realise...

I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's been a part of this writing journey with me so far. You all do so much, even if it's just reading tweets and blog posts like these. It's greatly appreciated :)

Here's hoping for greater things to come in 2015!

Sam

Sidelined

Hey fantasy fans!

As you might remember from my last blog post, I'm a little behind schedule. Well, that looks set to continue. After a few software issues and a bad cold, I've decided to start my Christmas break early! I'll be starting writing again in the New Year, but I'll need to do the next edits on the play before I can get back to Lay Me Restless, so the Beta Reader stage looks quite far away now. 

Strangely, I'm not frustrated. I think I need a break and it's well earned. This has been a really busy year and I've worked really hard to get to this stage, it's understandable that I'm a little run down. With these two weeks to rest I can bounce back in the New Year and make 2015 just as productive as this year!

Have a fantastic festive season and I'll speak to you all next year!

Sam

Setbacks

So, again, sorry for not updating in a while. As so often happens, editing has taken over my life. Unfortunately, it's a slower process than I was expecting. I was hoping to get the sixth draft to the Beta Readers by Christmas, but that's now looking impossible. Obviously I will get this done as soon as I can, but it's now looking more like February. 

That said, I'm really enjoying the process! Sitting at a computer for eight hours is a little gruelling, but I'm seeing the manuscript shape into the book I always wanted it to be, which is a very gratifying experience. I'm excited to see it completed and hope the Beta Readers enjoy it as much as I'm expecting. 

In other news, Christmas is almost here! I'm very excited; it's my favourite time of year. Good company, good food and a little relaxation. Throw a new book in under the tree and what could be better?

Thanks for reading,

Sam

A Quick Update

Sorry about the radio silence recently. In short, now that I've hit the editing process, I figured it was better to just get on with it all than giving constant updates. I'm about to start the fourth draft, so 'Lay Me Restless' is really coming together! I'm hoping to have it to the Beta-Readers by Christmas (who wants a manuscript in their stocking?). So, if anyone does want to put themselves forward as a Beta-Reader, now is the time to let me know!

So that's about it really. Once I've got the final draft done (I tend to do about six), I'm thinking of writing blogs about issues surrounding writing, if that's something people would be interested in? I do a similar thing about video-games in the magazine I write for which you can find here: http://www.altmaguk.net/?m=1

Thanks for reading!

Success!

Last Saturday was my book signing in East Grinstead and I'm very pleased with how it went. I reached loads of new readers who otherwise wouldn't have been introduced to the series, and I walked away with a tidy profit which is always handy! The owner of the shop said he'd love to have me back at some point too, which is fantastic news. 

I learned a lot too. I've worked out that some readers are very sceptical of genres that are unfamiliar to them. It's a lot easier to sell fantasy to fantasy fans. That said, after explaining a little about the books, how they're really about the relationships between the characters set against a fantasy backdrop, I even managed to sell some copies to some fantasy sceptics, which was very gratifying indeed. 

This week I hear back about the revisions needed for the play, but so at the producers seem very happy! And only three and a half chapters left to go on the first draft of Lay Me Restless! Want to be a beta reader? Let me know :)

Sam

A Continuation of Good Things

So, what's new? In short, not much but also a lot. No, I'm not being philosophical or mysterious, just truthful. 

But what exactly do I mean? Well, in terms of 'Lay Me Restless' I haven't done much work at all. I've only got about six chapters of the first draft to write, so I'm hoping that when I get back to writing it the process should be pretty quick. Then it's just a matter of a few edits (I say this like it's a small job! Any author will tell you this is every bit as difficult as the first draft) before I send it to the Beta Readers. While I've got you, if anybody would like to be a Beta Reader (in other words get an advanced copy to give feedback on) then let me know! Message me on Facebook or Twitter or simply comment on this post. The more I have the better!

I suppose the obvious question is; 'Sam, if you're so close to the end of the book why don't you just write it?' And, for anyone who follows my blog posts regularly, the answer's probably quite obvious too. I've been focusing on the play I've been commissioned to write. I'm almost finished! I think I really just need one more full day to finish the story and then a little time to polish it up a little before I send it to the producers and director. With any luck, that should be next week. It's been a fun process, but a taxing one. With the play being an adaptation there's a lot to think about; making it your own, whilst also staying true enough to the original story for it to be recognisable. Still, it's soon to see the light of day and I can't wait :)

The independent bookshop at the cafe is going really well! I'm the best seller and the customers are all really interested. Even the ones who don't buy anything look at the novels (especially 'In the Footsteps of the Behemoth') and every time they do that the covers, titles, and my name become more recognisable. 

My book signing is next Saturday (20th) at East Grinstead bookshop. It's looking like it should be a really fantastic day. It's a beautiful bookshop in an old Tudor house. Surrounded by books, talking about books all day! What could be better?

In other news, I've just finished the Inheritance Trilogy by N.K Jemisin which is a must-read for Fantasy fans looking for something a little different. There will be reviews on Goodreads soon, but, for the moment, I'm back to working my way through 'In Search of Lost Time' by Proust. Yes, I am a literature nerd and I am okay with that.  

Until next week!

Sam