Category Archives: KINETICS

Leading Up to Release Day!!

#Productivity2020, inspiration, KINETICS, New Release Details, updates, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hola, my fellow Vikans!

So, if you missed my [[last blog post]], the third book in my KINETICS series, titled “KINETIC HISTORY”, will be released on January 31st, 2020!

KineticHistory_promo

Look at the amazing cover. Just look at it! [[Designed By Starla]] worked her magic again!

*ahem*

Moving on, because I’m sure you all want to know everything that is happening leading to the release, as well as the aftermath. If so, keep reading.

Starting Monday, January 20th, 2020 (TOMORROW, PEOPLE!!), the first book in this series (“KINETIC REBIRTH”), will be free for Kindle through to Friday, January 24th, 2020. Yes, you read correctly: FREE KINDLE BOOK.

I addition, the second account of the KINETICS saga (“KINETIC MEMORY”), will be having a Kindle Countdown promotion. At 08:00 PST on Thursday, January 23rd, 2020, this second part of the incredible journey KINETICS will drag you along will be only 99c! However, on Sunday, January 26th, 2020 at 16:00 PST, the price will jolt up a tad to be $1.99, which is still a bit better than its list price of #2.99, which is what it will revert back to at Midnight PST on Thursday, January 30th: just one day before “KINETIC HISTORY” will drop into the mass chaos of Amazon’s self-published authors.

For a timeline of promos and releases, read on:

January 20th-22nd:
—-KINETIC REBIRTH (#1) = FREE
—-KINETIC MEMORY (#2) = $2.99
—-KINETIC HISTORY (#3) = PREORDER

January 23rd:
—-KINETIC REBIRTH (#1) = FREE
—-KINETIC MEMORY (#2) = $0.99
—-KINETIC HISTORY (#3) = PREORDER

January 24th-25th:
—-KINETIC REBIRTH (#1) = $1.99 (discounted new price)
—-KINETIC MEMORY (#2) = $0.99
—-KINETIC HISTORY (#3) = PREORDER

January 26th-29th:
—-KINETIC REBIRTH (#1) = $1.99 (discounted new price)
—-KINETIC MEMORY (#2) = $1.99
—-KINETIC HISTORY (#3) = PREORDER

January 30th:
—-KINETIC REBIRTH (#1) = $1.99 (discounted new price)
—-KINETIC MEMORY (#2) = $2.99
—-KINETIC HISTORY (#3) = PREORDER

[[RELEASE DAY]] January 31st:
—-KINETIC REBIRTH (#1) = $1.99 (discounted new price)
—-KINETIC MEMORY (#2) = $1.99
—-KINETIC HISTORY (#3) = $2.99

After February 16th:
—-KINETIC REBIRTH (#1) = $1.99 (discounted new price)
—-KINETIC MEMORY (#2) = $2.99
—-KINETIC HISTORY (#3) = $2.99

 

Sound like a fun timeline of promotions?

Also, if you are more of a print book person, the kind that loves the smell of a new physical book, here’s a preorder list to fill out for SIGNED and PERSONALIZED copies of all three books, should you want them. You can find pricing details in [[this blog post]], or just keep reading (almost done, I promise)::

 

Pre-Release SIGNED book deals
— Pricing details —

KINETIC REBIRTH (KINETICS #1)
> Each Copy: $8
> Shipping: $4
>> Form closes 2/16/2020
>>>>> [FORM]

KINETIC MEMORY (KINETICS #2)
> Each Copy: $8
> Shipping: $4
>> Form closes 2/16/2020
>>>>> [FORM]

KINETIC HISTORY (KINETICS #3)
> Each Copy: $9
> Shipping: $4
>> Form closes 2/16/2020
>>>>> [FORM]

All 3 Books (KINETICS #1-3)
> Each Order: $25
> Shipping: $5 per set
>> Form closes 3/1/2020
>>>>> [FORM]

 

Leading up to this has been a challenging road. The day of KINETIC HISTORY’S release marks three years without my Jessi on Earth. That day haunts my memories in ways I can’t explain. She was so full of life and energy, the most kindhearted, helpful, comforting, spontaneous, and random bundle of energy I’d ever met. Without her in my life, I never would’v e met my husband, and we never would’ve gotten married. If you want to know more to that story, it’s told within my “Acknowledgements” section at the beginning of KINETIC HISTORY when it releases January 31st.

Now, after over 2 years of not producing new, fresh, written content, I release this one on the very day a part of my heart was ripped out. Felt it was the best way to honor a truly special person and guardian angel and muse for everything I’ve written since meeting her, both before and after her life on Earth.

And, yes, I know it’s been a while since I’ve done a Summary Sunday, but I hope to pick those up soon. And, to be entirely honest, between release prep, new job responsibilities at day job, and searching for a house with the Hubby, my writing time has been quite pathetic. However, I got hit with inspiration last night, and began a potential new series. Still in the early stages though. BUT, hopefully, once the chaos of KINETIC HISTORY’s release dies down a bit, I can pick back up on the #Productivity2020 train and push through!

Hopefully you Vikans out there will help support me in this series. It’s my baby, and I want to share it with the world!

Keep Faith, guys.

And, as was said in KINETICS many, many times, “Assume Nothing.“

– C

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Release! KINETIC HISTORY (Book #3)

KINETICS, New Release Details, publishing, updates, , , , , , , , , , ,

So, I’ve been hinting at KINETICS news for the last several months, and that waiting is about to pay off, Vikans!

*ahem*

The third book in my KINETICS (KNU) saga, KINETIC HISTORY, will be published for your enjoyment on January 31st, 2020!!

KineticHistory_promo

(((Cover made once again by the ever-amazing Designed By Starla)))
(((You want a cover as cool as this one? Find her at her website [here])))

Summary::

Friendships can be complicated…

A month after the Hyndon excursion, Jaden is still rattled at meeting the infamous Faust, once a myth, now a horrible reality. When Jessi gets kidnapped by the demonic soldier, it’s up to her and Kiran to rescue her. Faust’s clues lead them to new information, self-realizations, and reunions with old friends.

However, playing his game can’t be their only option, if they want Jessi back in one piece. When the answer for turning the tables lands in her lap, Jaden doesn’t have faith that she can do it. But, she doesn’t want Faust to get under her skin either.

Faust wants to play a game?

Then he better be prepared to lose.

 

THIS. IS. NOT. A. DRILL!!!!

*squeals*

I’M SOOOOOO PUMPED!!! It’s been a full 2 years since KINETICS #2 came out (January 2018, yikers!), so I’m excited to finally get a new one out!

Oh, and coming back to the ever-awesomeness that is Designed By Starla, she has to be psychic, knowing things that I really didn’t fully tell her, and she delivers something better than anyone could’ve ever pictured.

Follow this with me, okay?

This is a cropped portion of the cover::

KineticHistory_promo_PSD_OG

As you read the book, you’ll understand why I point this out. This character in particular used to be pure and kindhearted, as seen from the right half of his face:

KineticHistory_promo_PSD_Theo

But, if you look at the left side on its own…

KineticHistory_promo_PSD_Faust

… You can see he might not be that kind any longer. And that devilish smirk (*swoons*)… Couldn’t see it when looking at the full face, could ya?

Again, Starla. Is. Magical.
Change my mind.
Come at me, Bro.

So, eBook for Kindle devices is already available for preorder on Amazon [here], if you are the digital, tablet reading-type. But, if the smell of the crisp pages of a new print book are thrilling to you, here’s a special option, just for those of you that find access to the below details and links…

Now, special deal for all you Vikans out there. I’ve created a form that puts you on a list for print copies of KINETIC HISTORY after the print is released. However, this isn’t any ordinary list. This is a special list. Those of you who like signed copies, this list is your shot! Fill it out, and once I get copies of the physical books, I will sign AND personalize copies based on the recipient’s details filled out on the form. Once I’ve got the supply, I will reach out to each of you, confirm you are still interested in your order, get your address to mail a copy / copies to you, and then purchase through PayPal. Copies are only $9 a piece (list price on Amazon starts at $10.99 for the print copy), with an additional shipping charge of $4.

Interested in this deal? The form will only be active until the evening of January 30th at 9 PM EST, after which the form will be locked. So this is a limited opportunity.

Also, I have decided to run this type of deal with the previous books as well. There’s a form for KINETIC REBIRTH (#1), a form for KINETIC MEMORY (#2), and a form for ALL THREE BOOKS!

Pre-Release SIGNED book deals
— Pricing details —

KINETIC REBIRTH (KINETICS #1)
> Each Copy: $8
> Shipping: $4
>> Form closes 2/16/2020
>>>>> [FORM]

KINETIC MEMORY (KINETICS #2)
> Each Copy: $8
> Shipping: $4
>> Form closes 2/16/2020
>>>>> [FORM]

KINETIC HISTORY (KINETICS #3)
> Each Copy: $9
> Shipping: $4
>> Form closes 2/16/2020
>>>>> [FORM]

All 3 Books (KINETICS #1-3)
> Each Order: $25
> Shipping: $5 per set
>> Form closes 3/1/2020
>>>>> [FORM]

 

So, guess that’s about it!

I’ll update the “Kinetics” tab to reflect the new release details in the next few days. If you’d like, look around the rest of my website.

I also have other series to explore, if they sound intriguing enough for you:
>>> [“Kinetics“]
>>> [“Terrara Vikos saga“]
>>> [“The Chaos Accounts“]

I’ve started offering Fiverr Gigs (see this [blog post] on starting a Fiverr business, as well as my [FIVERR] tab, also found at the top bar menu), so maybe I can help some more of you creatives out there do you. I’m on Fiverr [here]. My “FIVERR” tab has yet to be updated from recent changes in Gigs I offer, but should have that fixed soon. If you want to directly see my gig offerings, go to my [profile] and check ’em all out!

Anyway, Keep faith, guys.

Book Three makes you question the stakes even more.

And assume nothing.

Because this Kinetic adventure is just getting started.

– Chrissy

 

 

Reflections: New Year, Here I Come!

Affirmations, KINETICS, Out in the World, Ramblings, updates, , , , , , ,

So, yeah, missed a #summarySunday AND ran late on writing my Obligatory New Year’s post, but better late than never, right?

So, 2019, huh? What’s happened there? Lots of laughs and smiles and hugs and togetherness. But also lots of tears and pain and loss and senseless violence.

Then again, that’s every year nowadays, right?

So, I’m reflecting on my personal 2019, with my outlook now that we’re back in the “Roaring 20s” era. Here’s some key parts of my life from 2019, as I reflect on the previous year:

Smoky Writers Retreat – February-March 2019

I accomplished so many words this year. The biggest goal I achieved both broke me and gave me most of the closure I needed. I FINISHED KINETICS. At least, the first drafts. Obviously, Books One (“KINETIC REBIRTH”) and Two (“KINETIC MEMORY”) are already out in the world. And Book Three… Well, let’s just say there will be a blog post tomorrow or Sunday giving some exciting news about that one. But, the full main series was a total of 5 novels. I finished Book Five’s first draft on March 1st, 2019. My uncle – the man who inspired me to follow my dreams and who helped give me that push toward writing – died March 1st, 2004, exactly fifteen years after his death. I’ve joked about the timing as Jessi and my Uncle Dave plotting the timing of this finale from the beginning. The best part was that I told my husband (fiance at the time) that it would be so cool to finish Book Five at Smoky, because this series started at the 2017 Smoky retreat. Ironic it actually happened that way, and I’m so glad it happened then! My fellow Smokies were there to comfort me, give plenty of hugs, encourage me to still join in on the fun activities of the retreat, and talk to me through my panic attacks and depression crashes as closure attempted to settle down in my body. Couldn’t ask for a better writer’s family.

Ravencon 14 – April 2019

I was so blessed and lucky that I was selected as an Author Guest panelist again for Ravencon 14 out in Williamsburg, Virginia. I’ve been attending since 2009, so this one marked 10 years of attendance. Ravencon is like a home away from home, where I can be with my like-minded creatives.
I met some really cool people, made professional contacts by networking over similar interests, and gave the best advice I could muster to help out the other authors in the audience of each of my panels. As usual, JV Jr accompanied me and kept wanting food. That doll has the “nom noms” to the max, even when she was actually a living person on this earth.

Engagement Photo Shoot – April 2019

If going to Williamsburg for Ravencon 14 wasn’t enough, I invited one of my close friends, Allison, to provide her with lodgings for the whole weekend for free, so she could attend Ravencon the whole weekend: something she hadn’t been able to do in a long time. In return, she spent our last day in Williamburg by taking me and my husband’s engagement photos. The photo shoot landed EXACTLY one year from the day B-Roc (my husband) proposed. Here’s a sampling::

Wedding Day – September 2019

This day was magical. I was marrying my soulmate, my rock, my perfect match. I can’t even come up with the words to describe how amazing that day was, aside from one event that occurred before the actual ceremony. The Bride-to-be and father of the Bride get a horse and carriage ride down to the ceremony location at the base of a waterfall. While passing regular visitors to the park, most of the kids were in awe of the horses. But, there was this one little girl, maybe 2-3 years old, whose Dad had picked her up and moved aside for my carriage to get by. The girl’s eyes widened, and she said excitedly to her dad, “Daddy, look, look! A princess!” Then, she looked at me and waved frantically and yells, “HI, PRINCESS!”

One of the most memorable moments of my life.

Conclusion and Looking Ahead

By the end of 2019, I’d had so many memorable moments, most of them once in a lifetime. However, my life has not slowed down since my wedding. Maybe even before that, thanks to the planning and prepping chaos that happens for every bride when getting ready to devote their life to their perfect match. But, I’ve had family in and out of hospitals, getting surgeries, getting sicker quicker. My baby sister moved out of town before I even returned from my and B-Roc’s honeymoon (Vegas, baby!). My debt is a key issue that I’ve struggled with for years now (shopping addictions suck, man…), and planning how to pay it off and stop spending covered the latter quarter on my year. And, just within the last week, me and B-Roc have started our search for our perfect house to start a new chapter of our joint life together.

I’m going to be entirely honest here, a decade ago, if you told me everything I’ve accomplished, the high school me would’ve scoffed, rolled her eyes, and dismissed it. I wouldn’t have ever believed all the milestones, all the love of two families, all the moments I’d never forget, all the hospital trips. Going to college. Graduating a semester early, get a salaried job three months out of college, still at same job five years later. My first and only boyfriend, an engagement, a wedding, and the loss of an amazing, genuine best friend… I never could’ve imagined it.

But, you know what?

I survived.

And I’ve had a good feeling for the last two months that life was going to be great in 2020. I have this gut feeling that our lives will change in more ways than one. Good and bad, likely, but the anticipation of that gut feeling keeps me motivated, eager to see what changes and news and events are awaiting down this yellow brick road of 2020.

2020?

Bring it on.

This is gonna be a fun year!

Keep your eyes on this blog, Vikans. Big news this weekend, as well as (hopefully) some helpful things I may have for y’all!

Keep Faith, everyone.

And, as said in KINETICS – a phrase perfectly aimed at the anticipation for the new year of 2020:: “Assume Nothing.”

– Chrissy

#Productivity2020 Summary Sunday – 2019/Dec – Week 51

#Productivity2020, KINETICS, New Release Details, Summary Sunday (SS), updates, Writing, , , , , , , , ,

Well, guys, another bust week. Only wrote 2 out of 7 days, and not a ton of words, but at least I’m making some progress! Lots of barriers lately, with family members’ health, my new responsibilities at work, trying to kickstart some freelancing stuff on Fiverr and my new layout business here,… Oh and don’t forget the holiday season!

But, I believe this’ll smooth over soon, and I can try to reach a good streak with #productivity2020 when the new decade begins. I feel a lot is going to happen in my life in 2020. Not sure what or when, but good things are coming for me, and hopefully, you readers of mine too!

Anyway, onto the accountability portion of this #summarysunday blog post::

 

Summary Sunday

2019/12 – December – Week 51 out of 53

Total WC: 952

Projects worked on: “Cast The First Stone” (First Kingdom Files #1)

Percentage of Days Written (by week):

WriteYN-Wk51

Current Stats for week’s Projects::

“Cast The First Stone”

CurrentWCandPercent_CastStone_Wk51

Here’s a snippet from “Cast The First Stone”, the only project I worked on this week::

 

<<< Start Quote >>>

In a flash, her hand flew forward, instinctively stopping a staff of wood swinging for her head. Her eyes opened wider and snapped to the kNightmaster, who now stood just inches from her, putting light pressure against her aching hand. Through gritted teeth, he growled, “You have no idea who you’re messing with, Princess.”

Her own mouth twitching into a small smirk of her own from rising adrenaline, Chrissy replied lightly, “You know what? I think I kinda like it that way.”

<<<End Quote>>>
Aaaaaand, that, boys and girls, is how NOT to talk to a kNight. You’ll understand why when this book comes out. Hopefully sooner than I can picture right now.

Also, big news within the next week. Just trying to prep a few things on my end before making the official announcement, so keep your screens on watch mode. As a hint, it’s KINETICS related. 😀

****

Anyway, I’ll be checking in every Sunday, keeping myself accountable and giving you all updates as to my current status for my Productivity Goals for 2020.

If you’d like to take this journey with me, I will be uploading a downloadable Excel Spreadsheet template for you all to download and join in for the upcoming year. Also, if you want to participate, use hashtag #Productivity2020 on social media (Twitter, FB, Instagram, etc, etc), so maybe we can all motivate each other when one of us hits a low point.

Here’s where you can find me, keep up to date on me, and follow my marathon that is writing for a majority of 2020:

My Facebook Author Page:: https://www.facebook.com/cmcdonnellauthor/
My Twitter Account:: @discoverywritin
This Website/Blog:: https://terraravikos.com/
My Vlogging Youtube Channel:: @RandomChrissy
(^^^Haven’t been active for a while, but planning to change that. Support my Patreon below if you might want to see video content from my creative and twisted mind. Mwahahaha…)
My Nightcore/Knightcore Youtube Channel:: @TerraraVikos
(^^^Above is part of a partnership with Angel’s Lite Creativity; see this [[POST]] for details)
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/discoverywritin
(^^^Pledging to me will help boost my confidence and motivate me to write even more. Even a $1 a month would be AH-MAZING!!!)

Strap in, y’all. This is gonna be a wild ride!

Until next Sunday (or sooner, *hinthint*), Keep Faith.

We got this, guys.

We got this.

– CM

 

 

#Productivity2020 Summary Sunday – 2019/Dec – Week 49

#Productivity2020, Fiction, KINETICS, Summary Sunday (SS), updates, Writing, , , , , , ,

So, to keep myself accountable in 2020, I plan on doing these “Summary Sunday” posts, where I post screenshots of progress, talk about the events that either limited my writing time or boosted my inspiration, and potentially give a random snippet of something I’ve written from that week. Sounds like fun! Right?

This month, as it is still 2019, will be my “Trial Run” month, getting me into a rhythm and giving my mind and muscle memory a fighting chance when the marathon of #Productivity2020 begins on Jan 1st, 2020.

Then here we go!

Summary Sunday

2019/12 – December – Week 49 out of 53

Total WC: 4,933

Projects worked on: Cast The First Stone (First Kingdom Files #1)

Percentage of Days Written (by week):
WriteYN-Wk49

Current Stats for week’s Projects::

“Cast The First Stone”
CurrentWCandPercent_CastStone

Here’s a snippet from “Cast The First Stone”, the only project I worked on this week::

<<< Start Quote >>>
“And you didn’t bother to mention your name, jackass,” Chrissy snarled, “So… ‘Well, well’…” She noticed a slight twitch in the man’s jaw as she mimicked portions of what he’d just said in the thickest, most sarcastic way possible. Okay, appeared she could get on his nerves if she needed to. Bonus news. “What should I call you? Because as of now, all I can come up with is the Man in Black.”

His wicked grin twitched a few times, with a dribble of blood slowly creeping from the corner of his lips. The man scooched to sit upright with his back against the tree’s trunk and commented flippantly, “Well, last I checked, that name is already taken by the Dark Tower series and movie by Steven King. Gotta say, Matthew McConaughey was brilliant in that movie adaptation, so I am flattered that would be the nickname you give little ol’ me-”

Scowling, Chrissy swiped her arm out again, sending more Wind at him. She heard a slight crack when the man snapped the tree from the force and tumbled further back. The tree crashed to the ground in a heap. She gazed down at her hands which were flashing between her skin color and bright white. How did I…

“Seeing that strong of power makes me a giddy as a kid in a candy store.”

<<<End Quote>>

 

So, in that scene, we are introduced to the mysterious kNightmaster, a young man not too much older than my protagonist Chrissy. He’s both a sadist and a masochist, and loves toying with his prey. Unfortunately for our heroine, in this moment of time of her story, Chrissy appears to be this vicious, twisted man’s new prey. Will that turn out to be true? And why would he want her as his prey? And how long was he on Earth to be able to see “The Dark Tower“, as it released in theaters in 2017. And, you might be asking about the timeline. Trust me, it’s a knot of interweaving stories that I’m still trying to untangle, but I knw it’ll be worth it in the end. Look out, world. I might have just started working on an intertwined universe that could rival Marvel and the MCU at some point.

… A stretch, you say? *shrugs* Eh wishful thinking. Can the chronically depressed author be psitive every so once in a while?

Anyway, I’ll be checking in every Sunday, giving updates as to my Productivity Goal for 2020.

If you’d like to take this journey with me, I will be uploading a downloadable Excel Spreadsheet template for you all to download and join in for the upcoming year. Also, if you want to particpate, use hashtag #Productivity2020 on social media (Twitter, FB, Instagram, etc, etc), so maybe we can all motivate each other when one of us hits a low point.

Here’s where you can find me, keep up to date on me, and follow my marathon that is writing for a majority of 2020:

My Facebook Author Page:: https://www.facebook.com/cmcdonnellauthor/
My Twitter Account:: @discoverywritin
This Website/Blog:: https://terraravikos.com/
My Vlogging Youtube Channel:: @RandomChrissy
(^^^Haven’t been active for a while, but planning to change that. Support my Patreon below if you might want to see video content from my creative and twisted mind. Mwahahaha…)
My Nightcore/Knightcore Youtube Channel:: @TerraraVikos
(^^^Above is part of a partnership with Angel’s Lite; see this [[POST]] for details)
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/discoverywritin
(^^^Pledging to me will help boost my confidence and motivate me to write even more. Even a $1 a month would be AH-MAZING!!!)

 

Strap in, y’all. This is gonna be a wild ride!

Until next Sunday (or sooner, *hinthint*), Keep Faith.

You got this, guys.

You got this.

– CM

Diving into Uncharted Territory – FREELANCING!

inspiration, KINETICS, New Release Details, Out in the World, Publishing & Writing Career, updates, Writing Process, , , , , , , , , , , ,

So, I’ve added a new tab to this website, if you didn’t already notice. It’s up there… Somewhere in the middle… Yeah, says “Layout Design” or sumthin’? Yeah, that one!

So, yep, I’ve been a closeted layout designer for a few years now, doing the interiors for a lot of my print and eBooks, along with a few others who put their trust in me with their babies.

If you might be interested in giving me a spin with your books, my (minimal) details on my rates are located on that above tab, ofr you can just click [[HERE]].

Oh, and as an FYI, my #Productivity2020 is off to a good start. Four out of Five days had writing in them so far! Yippee!

One more thing…

A New Release announcement this coming weekend! Stay tuned, because I am BEYOND thrilled and excited to FINALLY be publishing new content once again. I’m back in the game, baby!!

Anyway, that’s for my quick update for y’all.

Keep Faith!

And remember, “Assume Nothing”.

– C

Winter Sales – Free eBooks and Discounts and Promos, OH MY!!

KINETICS, New Release Details, publishing, , , , , , , , , , , ,

So, it is now December. The world swirls with holiday cheer, decorating, families coming together… And freezing cold weather. For some. Not mentioning any places *cough* Virginia *cough*

However, as the holidays draw near, I decided to do a quick 4 day Kindle promo for KINETIC REBIRTH on Amazon. Starting today through to midnight PST on 12/7, KINETIC REBIRTH, the first book in my KINETICS series, the Kindle version will be free to download!

Also note that if you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber already, both the first AND second (KINETIC MEMORY) are enrolled in Kindle Select program, making them free to you guys as well.

Also, starting in early January, I will be temporarily discounting Books One and Two at different rates and promos. This is related to some upcoming news concerning this series, so the promos are a way to pump you all up!

 

Here’s the links to the Amazon pages as of 12/3/2019::

Book #1: KINETIC REBIRTH

Book #2: KINETIC MEMORY

 

By the time this post drops, that link for KINETIC REBIRTH should have been updated on Amazon to be free through to Saturday!

Also trying to figure out timing for a discount promo for Book Two [KINETIC MEMORY], so that might happen soon.

If you want to get ahead of the crowd, you can buy them now, or, if preferred, buy them during some of the upcoming promos.

Also keep an eye on this blog in the coming days. I’ve got a big announcement once all my ducks are in a row, and it’s something I hope you all might be excited about. I know I’m so excited I might explode with happiness!

2020 looks like it’s gonna be a great year, my friends!

So, until later, Vikans. Keep Faith.

– C

Oops, forgot I had this thing…

#ChaosAccounts, Affirmations, KINETICS, Ramblings, Writing, Writing Process, , , , , , , ,

So, I can’t believe I’ve spaced out so much lately. I thought about this blog this week, loaded it, and gasped when I saw my most recent post on here was from New Years this year.

JANUARY 2019.

OOPS.

I know I said I’d do better, so I’m going to be more diligent when it comes to anything author-related.

That being said, first step was getting into writing again because, unfortunately, haven’t written much since Smoky Writers back in February/March. During which, by the way, I finished the draft to Kinetics #5, the fifth and final book in my KINETICS saga. For the entire story behind my KINETICS saga from start to present day, check out this separate blog post [PENDING POST] for the whole history of it. It’s a long, emotional roller-coaster of a journey, so it deserves its own post.

Needless to say, when I was deciding which project to pick up again, I did what I always do, and review my spreadsheet. For those of you that are unaware, or just didn’t pick up on it, I am a very organized, task-oriented person. My messy room would have you fooled, but when it comes to computers and digital content, I am more OCD than out in the real world. I also work in IT for my day job, and I’ve even had managers in my career that say I am the most task-oriented person they’ve met, and applaud me for it, saying they could never have the persistence to record and organize my tasks and projects so detailed, so creative, and so flawlessly quick.

As example, I will go back to the original point: my writing spreadsheet.

Here’s a few photos of the many tabs that make up this spreadsheet::

Tabs1-As_of_2019-06-09

Tabs2-As_of_2019-06-09

Tabs3-As_of_2019-06-09

Didn’t think I’d be that digital OCD, did you?

I warned you.

Oh, and it gets WAY worse. Just keep going! (*insert laughing with tears emoji here*)

The un-colored tabs are for my productivity records, which I’ll cover in a bit. The highlighted tab colors signify their use/status. I’ll list them in order, skipping the purple one to cover later (and trust me, your brain will explode at what’s in that tab).

Here’s the color guide::

Light green = Current WIP (works in progress, for those of you unfamiliar with that term). These are projects I am currently working on. These could also be projects I’ve just started a bit, presently writing a few words here or there, while getting deep into nitty-gritty research and profiling and mental plotting for the story as a series and as a whole.(Spoiler alert: I can’t do one-off/single books. I’ve always been a series/serial kinda gal.)

Yellow = Projects I’ve started recently that are my backups for if I get writer’s block / LOI for my Light Green projects. (To learn the term LOI that I created, see [this blog post] to see if you agree with the differences). These ones are projects and/or series I’ve gotten a decent amount into, and can still feel a flame of inspiration in my heart; barely there, but waiting for that fuel to truly flame.

Red (both shades) = These are projects and/or series I’ve put on hold for now. Ones that have caused my lack of writing in recent months, or ones that tormented me months or even years back that I still want to attempt someday. Light red projects are hopeful ones to pick up; the dark red tab is the one currently in question on what format to output, due to reasons I will NOT be getting into.

Blue (both shades) = The blues are ones barely started, not touched in ages, and can’t be considered for the Red “Hold” highlight due to the length of time they’ve been on hold. I might revisit them someday, but those can wait a good amount longer without breaking my inner college writer. The darker blue one already has stories published, but there’s 1 or 2 more stories I want to write for it. However, those 1 to 2 stories haven’t been worked on since 2014, and still not urgent to feed my inner imagination and inspiration as an author.

Dark Green = These ones are series in which every book/story is completed. Could be all first drafts, could be all edited drafts, could be partially published works, or a combination of the three.

Now, to really make your heads spin.

This is what is on the purple tab, labelled “Overall Index”. Don’t hurt your eyes trying to read. (Again, *insert laughing with tears emoji here*)

Overal_Index_Tiny-As_of_2019-06-09

flail_kermit

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

This tab lists every project I’ve worked on since Spring of 2011. As you can probably tell, there seems to be more projects than what the number of tabs suggest (Just kidding, your brains are already mush by this point; no one assumes that). But, if you are sane enough at this point to think that, you’d be correct. I do have projects on the Overall Index that do not have their own tabs. Yet, at least. Planning on adding them eventually, then hiding them until I might want to pick them up a few years from now. You know three years… five years… twenty years…. something like that.

Now, to cover the painful proof of my LOI (again, here’s my [blog post] for LOI comparison).

Here’s my current Word Counts for the year 2019 thus far, broken up by project and month:

WC-As_of_2019-06-09_14-40

I know, I know, 64k in less than six months is nothing to sneeze at. However, I made a goal for myself at the beginning of the New Year: a goal instead of a resolution, something to try your best to achieve and not give up when you mess up once. My goal was to write every day, no matter whether it was 5 words, 500 words, or 5,000 words. Wouldn’t matter, as long as I got something written down, some progress, however small, is still progress.

These next two photos show why I’m slightly disappointed in myself.

Here’s a screenshot of a table I made which shows my productivity by week, making an average that compares the number of days each week that I wrote (the “Y” column) verses the days I didn’t write anything at all (the “N” column)::

Yes_No_Comparison-As_of_2019-06-09_14-40

(This is as of today (6/9/2019), and I wrote today, which is why Week 24 shows 100% “Y”, because Sundays are the start of my week counting)

As you can see, some weeks are 100%, meaning I wrote something each day of that week. Some also have partial percentages, meaning only wrote a few times that week, less than 7 days, but at least 1 day of that week.

Then look at the 0.00% rows.

Nine weeks of 23 (still ignoring Week 24), I didn’t write ANYTHING at all.

ANYTHING.

And, here’s the comparison between “Y” days and “N” days for the full year::

Ttl-Yes_No_Comparison-23_Weeks-As_of_2019-06-09_14-40

Nope.

Not good enough.

Not gonna cut it.

So, after looking into all my older projects, I decided to pick up a series I’ve been working on since early 2017; a story saga which released its first 3 stories in 2017, 2 more in 2018, and the first collection of those 5 stories releasing March of this year (2019).

A series I hadn’t touched since mid-2018, when I finished the first draft of the fifth story.

A series I haven’t written new words for since this past April.

A series with an entire TWO more story arcs.

Figure it out yet?

Yes, Vikans, I have picked up THE CHAOS ACCOUNTS short story serial once more! [This Page Link] will take you to the links to all the published stories thus far in this hidden war between the MRC and ChaosBlaze.

The fifth story left off at a slight hangover, with Division 3 promising each other they would regain the friend they lost: a friend who gives himself up for the rest of the team’s lives.

Not spoiling any more than that, but trust me on this::

The story is just beginning.

I’ll be publishing my post on my KINETICS journey sometime soon, and once I do, I’ll link it in the appropriate locations on this post.

Until then, Vikans…

Keep Faith!

-C

 

Wow, New Year already?

Career, Dear Diary, KINETICS, Out in the World, Ramblings, , , , , , , , , ,

What happened? 2018, gone just like that? Where’d the year go?

When I realized what that meant, I felt like I’d barely accomplished anything of value in my life. Had I written stuff? Yes, I had.

However, the kicker for me was this…

I hadn’t published much of anything.

Granted, three works got published, but without really any noticeable success, either reader-wise or sales-wise. “Account of Secrets” and “KINETIC MEMORY” both were released in January 2018, with the 5th CHAOS ACCOUNTS story (“Account of Risks“) released in July 2018. Yes, these are published works, but my mind believes that even with those releases, there is a lack of accomplishment or fulfillment. Especially because the last two months, as 2018 started coming to a close, my inspiration and motivation to write weakened, due to anxiety of holidays, day job, and prepping for my wedding in Fall 2019. (Getting engaged was one of few high points in 2018, let me tell you.)

I feel a bit weird about all of that in general. Think about it for a second. 2017, after I lost JV, was my most productive and active year of my writing career thus far. I wrote the first 4 CHAOS ACCOUNTS stories and published 3 of them. I also published a prequel ebook (“KINETIC TRAGEDY“; only available on Instafreebie) and the first KINETICS book (“KINETIC REBIRTH“), as well as written that whole first book, its sequel, and the fifth CHAOS story, rounding out that series’s first Arc.

Move onto 2018. I wrote as much as I could, but the inspiration and motivation started to wane and weaken. I ended up transferring to a merger company that my day job joined with, a company that started business early 2018. Since I had to learn a completely new system and way of doing day-to-day activities, plus having to interact with people of lots of different personalities and work ethics. That was a HUGE learning curve, and I think that stress and elevated anxiety was probably a root cause for lack of activity.

Now, like I said above, I got a LOT of writing done in 2018, at least in the first half or so. Highlights:

— Finished writing AND personally editing first drafts to the third AND fourth KINETICS books, as well as written 1/3 of the fifth and final installment

— Wrote a couple thousand words for CHAOS ACCOUNTS #6, as well as began formatting for the first CHAOS ACCOUNTS collection, for Accounts #1-5 (Aiming for physical copies of this as well)

— Worked on editing old WIP projects

— Started writing new WIPs – one that I’m presently working on in hopes of traditional publishing (hopefully)

However, still hardly any publishing credits for most of 2018. I have a good amount of finished projects, as well as dozens of WIPs. You want proof?

Image may contain: screen and laptop

Yeah, looking at that makes my head spin too.

The above and below screenshots are a spreadsheet that catalogs progress on any projects I’ve written for as far back as New Year’s 2011. That means today marks eight years of consistent writing, and hopefully useful words and maybe eventually books / ebooks. I created this Spreadsheet around 2014/2015-ish, and any projects I’ve made progress on since then actually keeps track of my word count each day for whatever project I wrote for. I’m OCD to the max, I already know this. 😉 But, the above is almost all my projects, either WIPs, completed novels, or spin-offs/sequels to earlier projects in the first two categories. Any project since 2011. ANY.

Now, the top right of this spreadsheet made me feel at least slightly accomplished when I did my end of the year WC check:

No automatic alt text available.

Yes, you are seeing correctly. Eight years of monitoring my word counts, and in the year 2018, I reached over 1.1 million words written, either in completed works or the word counts in my present WIPs, since 2011.

Then, looking through my project tabs, I mentally remembered plot lines to the WIPs I hadn’t touched in years, smiled slightly. Those 1.1 million words created so many great ideas and so many happy memories. Hopefully one day, I’ll be able to share them with you.

I replacement of a New Year’s resolution (as no one keeps those anyway), I will be even more meticulous when it comes to my writing schedule. I’ve added tabs to that massive spreadsheet, where I will also record each day’s word counts. I’ve added a reference tab as well, where I outline the minimum word count I’d like to achieve each month, and even broke that minimum to how many words per day I’d need to reach the monthly goal. I chose different minimums for each month, varying depending on what activities I know will be going on that month, outside of author-dom existence. Hopefully I can stick to this OCD recording better than I have my blog in recent years.

I will also attempt to save money to eventually roll out KINETICS #3 and #4 in the coming years (as self-pubbing costs money, and I really don’t have a huge fanbase. Actually, to be honest, might only have a handful of them. Wish I was more visible…).

And, as always, I will write. I write for my readers. I write for myself. And, I write for my future, as well as the futures of anyone that cares to grab digital and / or print copies of my books and stories. As an author, the best part about getting your stories out there is to have people take a leap of faith and join your characters on their journeys. And, even with the minimal readers I have now, I will always write stories. Because, maybe one day, I’ll look back and be happy that I took a leap of faith too, hoping people might enjoy my stories. And, hopefully, that dream might become a reality.

Here’s to an exciting and unpredictable year!

2019, bring it on!

Have Faith,

– C.

 

 

Promos, Updates, and releases, OH MY!!

#ChaosAccounts, Career, KINETICS, New Release Details, Publishing & Writing Career, , , , , , , , ,

**Read whole thing for news, as this post is a straight running faucet of the mouth, if you know what I mean**

Howdy, Vikans!

So, I’ve been dark on my blog for a while, and I apologize for that. There are multiple reasons for this. One, I’ve been querying agents for an old series of mine. The first 2 books I’ve polished up a ton of times over the last four years, with the 3rd partially written and a chapter here or there for the final 2 books. If you know math, that adds up to a five-book series. I started it in college, and that first book’s writing consumption comes close to how fast I cranked out KINETIC REBIRTH, both only took about a month to write from start to finish.

Speaking of KINETIC REBIRTH…

Unfortunately, this blog post is happening halfway through one of the two Amazon Kindle promotions, but there’s still time for y’all to act. KINETIC REBIRTH, Book One in my KINETICS series, is currently FREE in Kindle form on Amazon! However, this is only through to July 5th at 11:59 PM. Snag a download while you can.

Also, there’s a second promo pertaining to KINETICS. Through the month of July, the second book, KINETIC MEMORY, is only 99c for Kindle. Links for those 2 two books are within the titles in this paragraph.

Since we’re on the topic of new deals, time to talk future publishing endeavors.

Remember my CHAOS ACCOUNTS short stories? If you need the annoying-frustrating timeline….

-(Account #1) ACCOUNT OF ANXIETY – Released 01/17/2017

-(Account #2) ACCOUNT OF UNREST – Released 02/16/2017

-(Account #3) ACCOUNT OF FRIENDSHIP – Released 04/15/2017

-(Account #4) ACCOUNT OF SECRETS – Released 01/01/2018

As you can see, the gaps get bigger and bigger when it comes to Division 3’s dangerous missions against ChaosBlaze, but the stories will be created and published soon.

HOWEVER!

My 5th CHAOS ACCOUNTS story, “ACCOUNT OF RISKS”, is scheduled for release on all eBook platforms on July 7th, 2018 (This Saturday). Preorders are up on the following sites as of typing this blog post…

[Amazon (Kindle)]   

[Barnes & Noble (Nook)]

[Smashwords (All digital formats)]

[iTunes (iBooks]]

Those are the main preorder links for Accounts #5. This one finishes the first Story Arc, with an ending that will keep you tense until the next installments, desperately wanting to know what happens when Division 3 plans to-

….

Oh, almost just spoiled the ending. Glad I caught myself.

Anyway, another announcement on the CHAOS ACCOUNTS front. As I mentioned above, Account #5 is the end for Story Arc #1, collectively labelled as the “Priming” set. The PRIMING set includes Accounts #1 through #5. I’m aiming for a late summer/early fall release of this collection set.

The best part?

IT’LL ALSO BE IN PAPERBACK!

Yes, you read that right. PAY-PER-BACK.

So, stay tuned for more news on that collections preparation progress over the next few months.

Moving to the writing front, or at least the craft part of it, I’ve finished me and JV’s first book in our 4-book series, but I’m putting it on the back burner for… well, reasons. I have also edited the first two in another series I’m in the process of pitching to agents, and hope to pick the third in that series back up. That series’ #3 currently sits at about just under 38,000, with a minimum goal of 65,000 or more.

I have also started CHAOS ACCOUNTS #6, the first in the next collection set. Both the story and the set are currently untitled, and my word count is very, VERY tiny, but hoping to continue the journey with Division 3, and I hope you all will too.

Finally, the other project I’ll be working on will be KINETICS #4. I don’t think I’ve publicly announced this yet, but the draft for KINETICS #3, tentatively titled “KINETIC HISTORY”. It’s been through my preliminary edits multiple times, and is now a polished draft.

BUT….

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that KINETICS is a series in homage and dedication of my best friend JV, who died a year and a half ago in a deadly car accident. I finished the first draft of KINETIC HISTORY months ago, and I’ve been itching to get that one published, for both my peace of mind, and for you all – my readers- to enjoy as the adventure continues and the plot thickens. There’s just one factor that stands in my way of getting the third KINETICS adventure to publication.

MONEY.

Now, I know what y’all are thinking: “Save up!” It’s not that simple. For starters over the last two years, I have racked up quite a bit of debt. Secondly, sending to my editor and my cover designer ends up spending money as well. Luckily, I cut costs, as I do decent interior layouts myself, but between editing, covers, copies, and marketing/promotion costs… Yeah, it gets pricey.

Add onto that the fact that I’ll be getting married a little over a year from now (yeah, I know I never announced that here, but YAY, I’M ENGAGED!!!!), and money is scarce.

If any of you all like my blog, my writing, or just want to help an author out, here’s ways you can help me:

 

Pledge to my Patreon

–> Patreon is a platform that allows you to support content creators such as Youtubers, musicians, and authors like me, etc, etc. For my pledges, it’s only a once a month pledge, and the prices and rewards vary. Rewards include anything from getting into a selective group on Facebook that will hopefully help me out with ideas or feedback as I find it needed, to free books, etc. You can change or cancel your pledges at any time, but even a pledge for a handful of months would help. If I’ve learned anything in my life, it’s that every little bit helps, because little bits add up FAST. [Patreon link]

Buy my works

–> If you go to [this] link, you’ll be directed to the “My Works” part of this blog. You can also navigate there by the tabs at the top of this website. Each story or novel I’ve published is listed there, with short summaries and hyperlinks to various eBook platforms, or Amazon for print versions. Though I don’t get much from KDP or Createspace when it comes to royalties, it’ll add up.

Donate to my Tip Jar

–> Digital Tip Jar allows you to donate a ‘Tip’ of your choosing, to help fund my projects. Any amount helps. This is also a one-off payment, meaning not recurring/repeating every month like Patreon. This is a one-time donation, unless you want to do more tips for me down the road. The link to my Tip Jar is [here].

Leave reviews

–> This is just a general piece of advice, and applies to any authors in the world that you love reading. Go on Amazon or other platforms where my stories and books are sold, and leave a quick review. Only one or two sentences needed. Reviews are an author’s best friend, and a quite decent motivator to keep chugging along and doing what we do best: writing adventures for you to enjoy. Reviews also improve visibility for the little guys like myself. So, if you like my stories and want to help without breaking the bank, leave a brief review for me. Please. 🙂

Spread the word

–> If you like my stuff, TELL PEOPLE! You could send them a purchase link, give them a borrow from Amazon for the stories that have the capability to lend, or even just loan them your copy. The more people that know about me, the better my visibility will get. Hopefully, I’ll get

a few more fans.

Here’s a treat for you all to close out this (Exhaustingly long) blog post:

For those of you who have read the first two books, below is a small snippet of KINETICS, Book Three. For those of you who haven’t, there aren’t spoilers. Well, at least not too many.

Signing off before the snippet, so keep scrolling if you want to get a sneak peek.

Keep Faith, guys.

-C

////

Snippet from KINETIC HISTORY, “Kinetics, Book Three”::

Jaden heaved a heavy sigh. She fiddled with photos in her hands. Somehow it had ended up in her backpack when they were leaving Hyndon over a month ago. She’d unloaded the large pocket, mainly because that’s where her bag of dirty clothes was. The smaller pockets probably just had gum, or pencils, or feminine hygiene products or other junk stuff. When she decided to clean it out that day, she came across a small stack of photos. Some had crinkles of bad storage for years, others with bent corners.

The photo at the top of the stack of ten-ish pictures had been her focus for the last five minutes. She just stared at it. Her mind flashed between reality of looking at a frozen snapshot of time and the actual scene behind the photo. And no, not just remembering the memories. The memories flashed into her sight, gifting her with re-living those precious moments while not even leaving her bed.

This photo was her at around age eight in third-grade, with her new friends, Lukas and Pip. She just lost Kohei a few weeks earlier, and her eyes still looked a bit puffy. This was their first Fall picnic at their school. The three kids hung off the jungle gym, making nostalgically wild and crazy smiles at the camera. The scene came to life finally, the shrieks of elementary school children making real Jaden wince. She had now been inserted into the scene, with the memory blessing her with a three-sixty-degree view. However, she wondered how much of a blessing this magic really was.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in and let it out. When she opened her eyes, her surroundings had returned to her guest bedroom in the Second Kingdom’s palace. Glancing at that photo, she sighed and slipped it to the bottom of the stack. The next photo showed twelve-year-old Jaden, pouting as her sister took pictures as blackmail. The photo yet again came to life.

“C’mon, geek-a-zoid, give us a big smile!”

The glare and hatred in Jaden’s preteenage brown eyes said plenty. Muttering under her breath, she snapped, “Leave. Me. Alone.”

Dove’s musically-grating voice replied from behind the bulky red Poloroid, “One smile, Sneaks. Just one smile!”

When young Jaden’s mouth opened to form a pissed, teeth-grinding frown, she revealed the colorful braces that had been drilled into her mouth. She then grabbed the nearest couch pillow and threw it at her annoying older sister. “Buzz off, prick!”

Her sister simply laughed louder and said, “Ooh, I’m so scared of the female Inspector Gadget. C’mon, throw out your extendable arm and punch me.”

“Oh, is that an invitation?” Young Jaden roared, leaping at her sister.

Real Jaden closed her eyes, breathed, and returned to present day. She knew what happened next. Jaden had gotten sent to her room, went to Dove’s room once everyone was asleep, and cut off a lock of Dove’s long, blonde hair. Needless to say, the truth came out quick, and furious didn’t even scratch the surface on describing how angry the older sibling had been. Furious was actually a very generous term.