New Book Launch

I made it! My new horror novel Nanobite is now available on Amazon for Kindle. I was thinking about the process, so here's a few thoughts on it.

Writing the novel is the easy part - especially with this one. From the initial concept to the finished first draft took about three months altogether. The story seemed to flow really well, although the finished draft was somewhat different to the first ideas.

As an example, when I wrote the first few pages, I envisaged a story about the whole world being overrun by vampires, with just a few bands of survivors fighting them. About twenty pages in, I realised that what I really wanted to do was focus in on a small group of people and examine how they dealt with the situation they found themselves in. For me, this made the novel better (as attested to by the beta readers who kindly read and commented on the manuscript).

After the writing though, the hard work started. Re-read, edit, rewrite. Repeat. Consider all the beta readers' comments and incorporate those that I felt fitted the story or improved it in some way. I didn't keep track, but I reckon that almost three quarters of all the comments and suggestions received had some value and were used - some as they were, some were modified to better fit my vision of the story. (After all, it's my story and I'm in charge, right?)

Each round of editing caught less and less - the first read-through caught numerous typos and grammatical errors; by the final round of editing I only caught a few. Hopefully I caught them all.

So, write, edit, rewrite - this novel went through five rounds of editing and rewriting. Formatting came next - I did this in an evening using Amazon's excellent 'Building Your Book for Kindle' eBook. No major issues here, it's a simple process to follow.

I designed the cover myself - having taught Graphic Design for three years I was confident in my ability to realise the vision I had for the cover myself. This took a couple of evenings; it helps to have a firm idea of what you want the finished cover to look like.

Finally, uploading to the Kindle store. Again, a fairly straightforward process. Took me about an hour all told, taking it nice and steady. This is where the feelings of dread start to kick in - it's like your kid's first ever day at school - you nurture them until it's time to send them out into the big wide world on their own.

Once uploaded and published, it's time to think about kicking the marketing up a gear. I started marketing Nanobite from the minute I knew it was a viable concept; now it's released, I can concentrate on promoting it.
Except I've now got the beginnings of a plot for my next novel. Need to find time for that as well. Oh well, a writer's life is never dull.

New Cover



Okay, here's the first peek at the prospective cover design for Nanobite

 

Book Review: I Am Eternal Cowboys and Vampires by Athanasios

First off, let me say that I enjoyed this story. It's such a refreshing change to read a vampire story that isn't in the vein (sorry, couldn't resist that) of Twilight and all the other books in the current crop of teen angst-ridden vampire literature.
However, for me it was too short. Frustratingly so; I came away wanting to know more. It reads like a prologue to a much longer novel.
But that is my only real complaint. Due to the brevity, the characters are sketched in rather than fully realized; however, I found myself empathising with the protagonist. Yes, he is a killer, and all romantic notions of vampirism are stripped away; but the richness of the backdrop and historical authenticity adds a depth that makes you wonder what it would be like to exist (not live; the protagonist is very clear about this) for millennia. It also makes you wonder what effect the ennui of so many centuries would have on the mind.
There is also the beginnings of a sub-plot cleverly interwoven. The author manages to switch from dialogue-driven action in the first part of the story to a narrative voice for most of the remainder in a way that is seamless to the reader.
So, if you fancy a quick read and like vampire fiction, check this out. I really hope the author follows this with a longer novel that gives us more detail about Simon's life (or should that be unlife?).
I Am Eternal: Cowboys and Vampires

Developing plot and characters

The first draft of my latest novel, Nanobite, is racing along towards what I hope will be a satisfying conclusion. I've had several bemused looks when people ask me how it's going and I tell them that I can't wait to find out how it will end.

The usual response is along the lines of, 'but you already know how it ends - you're writing it!'

This is true only in the vaguest possible way. Yes, I do have a plot sketched out bit it's more of a work in progress than a finished document. I like to start by putting characters in a situation and seeing how they deal with it. Sometimes it follows my initial plot line quite closely; more often it deviates wildly from it.

I usually just go with the flow when this happens. I find it makes for far more fluid and believable writing and dialogue. On the few occasions where I've forced the story to stick to the plot (usually in a mistaken belief that it is essential to the story) I find I end up with stilted dialogue and wooden characters. More often than not, the scene will either be cut or rewritten.

Allowing characters to breathe and develop their own personalities is what makes them real for me, as opposed to two dimensional cardboard cutouts.

I also find that this way of writing works really well in terms of story development. You find yourself going off on a tangent to your initial plot and exploring other themes; this invariably makes for a more realistic narrative. For me, it also makes it more fun to write.

It's that magic moment when the characters come alive on the page and start talking, almost of their own volition.

I also find that some characters take on larger roles than I originally planned; in Nanobite, I suddenly realised that I'd brought in a character from my last book, The Surgeon. Totally unexpected and initially I thought it would be a bit part. Turns out this character has become quite important, which pleased me as it gave me a chance to explore their personality in greater detail.

So there we have it, my musings on plot. I have an idea how Nanobite will end, but whether or not the story follows that idea is another matter.