I am SO Excited to share this adventure with you! If you want more in-depth details on the process from finishing up the book to publication jitters, read previous blog posts I’ve made since May that talk about this journey I’m taking with Jaden and crew.
I’ve said this in a bunch of blog posts too, but it means so much to me that I have to keep sharing. If you’re new to this blog of mine, WELCOME! As for background, here’s a video with me and my best friend JV on my vlog channel (I will post new videos there again soon, I promise), discussing the start of our friendship.
It was from the base in this video that JV and I started writing roleplays over Google Docs together, just the two of us, creating dozens of character over five/six storylines and settings. It was a basis of our friendship, and led to the two of us working on a book series together. A book series that has reached a halt, as her notebooks were taken for a trial next year.
“Why a trial?” You may ask. Well, JV unfortunately was killed in a crash at the end of January this year. It still hasn’t really sunk in, even over seven months later. She was my closest companion for over 5 years, and just like that, she was gone. I’m glad it was quick, so she wouldn’t have to suffer, but I struggle with understanding why she had to go. She was so young, so full of life, and expecting a child with her husband of one year this past August. It’s heartbreaking that someone so gentle, so kind, and so giving had to die, but at least we know she didn’t suffer. She wouldn’t have wanted that, and to be honest, neither would we. It’s sad she’s gone, but at least she felt no pain going out of this world.
Here’s a video off my Youtube channel, talking about what I learned from losing her:
ANYWAY, back to KINETICS. All the characters in Book One of this series were ones that were created while interacting with JV. Two actually were characters that her other best friend, Ne, had created in a similar fashion to me and JV, roleplays and such, but the rest were between me and JV. I plucked them out of their stories, aged them a bit, and shoved them into this universe. It took a lot of brain power to make this a decent book while not completely altering the character’s personalities unrealistically. In short, I wanted their personalities to be accurate as to their old ages in our roleplays. Then, I had to figure out plausible events that would shape who they grew up to be, especially with characters who had a drastic change between RP and KINETICS. And, I’m actually proud of myself for figuring that out over the first few days of my annual Smoky Writers retreat.
Apparently, I did a goo job with my Jessica character too, based on my editor’s notes:
If you have a Kindle, Kindle app, or are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, the eBook of KINETIC REBIRTH has been available since September 19th. So, you should go download it off Amazon NOW!
But, as of last night, the print book went live on Amazon. You can go buy a copy [here]. http://amzn.to/2fQQpO3
If you’ve been a few of the amazing people that bought, downloaded, and read my book, I would REALLY appreciate a review on the product page! The idea behind letting eBook out first was to generate interest and possibly reviews. Even a sentence or two would be AMAZING!
Also, I have news concerning KINETICS real soon. And it involves a sequel.
*more author squealing*
*ahem* ANYWAY! If you want to read about the adventures that Jaden, Lukas, and the twins (one of which is a realistic reflection of JV in real life, aka, based off her) are going on, then go get a copy.
…
Why are you still here? GO GET A COPY!
Keep Faith, Vikans.
And, remember, “Assume Nothing”. Because you might not have a tomorrow.
I am currently panicking. With KINETIC REBIRTH releasing digitally next Tuesday (September 19th), my day job taking a sharp turn on a rocky mountain side, and my creativity monster giving me flack, my mind never shuts off. I have woken up slightly late every day this week thus far, luckily only arriving a few minutes late to day job. My brain has been going a hundred miles an hour as I prep for release day, which makes my body exhausted. If that wasn’t bad enough, I’ve been getting crippling chest pain, which doctor’s tell me is due to anxiety.
No. Frickin. Way. NEVER would have guessed THAT. (Catch the sarcasm?)
Anyway, long story short, lots of stuff going on. KINETICS #2 (Title TBD) reached 40,000 words a few weeks ago, with a total goal of minimum 60-65k. ACCOUNT OF SECRETS, my Chaos Accounts Story #4, is only two or three scenes away from its cliffhanger ending, so close I can taste it.
I haven’t touched either in a week.
My creativity and inspiration has been floating back to the series I was writing with JV. If you want an idea of how we decided to coauthor a book together, that story starts as far back as when we first met in October 2011. Check out the videos JV and I did for my Youtube Channel: [Part 1 here] and [Part 2 here]. Part 1 talks about our friendship, while Part 2 talks writing a book series together. Also, if you want a good grasp of JV’s character and personality (and mine as well), check out [this video] (also below) of us acting like goofballs::
This has happened once before, back in April, where my inspiration for writing always crept back to Lite & Darke (Our series title). It’s a struggle, because, currently, I do not have access to her notebooks. Legal stuff I’m not going to get into. The point is, I coped with it by finishing a few unfinished chapters I’d written, and updated our outline/word count spreadsheet. That gave me enough satisfaction to finally move back to projects I might actually have a chance of finishing, aka, Chaos Accounts and Kinetics.
Well, it came creeping back into my brain lately, probably because of the nearby release date, and the fact that JV would have had her baby around the seven month marker since her death.
Not an hour has gone by every day since January 31st that I don’t think of her. She was my closest friend, practically a sister. I made a promise to her while during the funeral home viewing and at the church ceremony, as well as promised each of her family members and close friends, that I would finish Lite & Darke for her, and her name would be on the covers right next to mine. While KINETICS is my ultimate dedication to her life and personality, Lite & Darke is my way of showing how we helped each other to grow as writers, how we had a chemistry with creative juices and thought processes. In fact, one of us would have an idea for a scene, and when telling the other over the phone, the other would cut the original plotter’s description, but say the exact same thing the originator was going to say. I swear the two of us had some kind of psychic bond between us, which is probably why her being gone is so painful.
Anyway, to conclude, I went into my Lite & Darke folder on my computer and opened my merged file with all of our completed or partially completed chapters, as well as the Book 1 Outline we only partially finished filling out. Don’t think even for a second that was all we’d planned together. No, we outlined the whole series in our heads and words, and I remember every single idea, even without written/typed documentation.
I did some minor editing, finished up a partial chapter, and updated the Outline with the total Word Count so far.
30,000 words.
Yup, you read that right: Thirty Thou, baby!
This doesn’t include all the scenes that JV handwrote during her breaks at work. Like I mentioned before, those are locked up until May 2018 at the latest. However, I found a loop hole. In our Outline, we designated chapters to each of us, labeling each chapters as “C”, “J”, or “Toss Up”. While I can’t work on the “J” ones just yet, and I remain wary of the “Toss Up” ones as well, I can still writing the scenes I was assigned, at least until my creativity monster is satisfied with the progress and lets me go back to Chaos Accounts and/or Kinetics.
Oh, and just FYI, KINETIC REBIRTH is currently doing preorders for the Kindle version, which, as mentioned above, released on September 19th, 2017 (Next Tuesday // SIX DAYS!!). I’ve been a bit disappointed at the lack of preorders I’ve gotten, so if you’ve got a Kindle or a Kindle app, PLEASE preorder a copy! Preorders count once release day hits, and every one matters to me. To preorder the Kindle copy, PLEASE click [here]! It would mean THE WORLD TO ME!
If you’re a print-book type of person, [subscribe] to my email list. You will receive an email closer to print release date, which is October 19th, the six year anniversary of when JV and I became friends. You will also receive an email the day of digital release next Tuesday morning, as well as a reminder on Print release date as well. Print might not be perfectly timed for a recorded release of October 19th, as I’ll have to approve it prior to October 19th to ensure it is live and available for purchase by the 19th, but I will send the print reminder as soon as the book goes live.
Also, if you have a Kindle, you can get a taste of my KINETICS series on Instafreebie, where you can download KINETIC TRAGEDY, a short prequel story available only to Instafreebie subscribers currently. You can get that story [here]. Also, by downloading that story on Instafreebie, you are automatically added to the above aforementioned subscribing e-Newsletter list. So, not only will you get an email alert when my books/stories release, but you get a free story out of it too! 😀
Maybe a snippet of the first chapter of KINETIC REBIRTH might give you an idea of whether or not you want to join Jaden, Lukas, Kiran, and Jessica on their journey home.
As a final word before the sneak peek…
“Assume Nothing”
SNIPPET START:::
Chapter 1
Keyboard keys tap-tapped all around Jaden Walker. She ripped her gaze from her computer screen to gaze around the competition room. Her spot sat in the second row from the back, with about ten rows of students and computers in front of her. Supervisors scattered around the rows, keeping an eye out for cheaters. Jaden didn’t see the point in that, as every competitor’s test had been randomized out of a pool of questions. In order to cheat, you’d either need a camera and earpiece or be an idiot. That first option screamed “Idiot” to her too, to be entirely honest. After a quick sweep of the testing room, Jaden locked gazes with one of the Supervisors. His burning amber hair stuck out like a sore thumb as he smiled crookedly at her, as if he knew something she didn’t. That look pointed out the obvious, as he – being a Supervisor – already functioned in an aspect of the business world and obviously would know more than college freshman Jaden Walker. Rolling her eyes, she directed her attention back to her test. Despite the beaming talent surrounding her, she knew she would wipe the floor with them. About twenty minutes later, she closed down the testing browser, grabbed her coat, and scooched her way down the narrow walkway to get out of the square of competitors. Right as she reached the edge, she ran right into somebody. “I’m sorry-” “Shhhh…” the man whispered, “Others are still testing.” Jaden nodded. “Sorry.” She kept her voice hushed as well. When she looked up at the Supervisor, she recognized him as the red-headed man who’d made her feel annoyed earlier. “May I ask your name?” Scoffing, she replied lightly, “Like you need to know.” The smallest of smiles crept onto the man’s face, his green eyes gazing down at her as if analyzing her every move. “I’m sure I’ll know it soon enough.” “Riiiiiiight…” A chill shot down her back, which she shrugged off. As she turned around to leave, she felt his eyes on her the whole walk to the back exit. As the door shut behind her, she relaxed, releasing a heavy sigh. “Sooooooo, how’d you do?” Jaden spotted Lukas, her closest friend, leaning against the wall with one foot flat against the tan wallpaper. “I hope you’re not leaving a shoe print on that wall. The convention center staff might not take too kindly to that.” Removing his foot, he smiled. “Avoiding the question, I see?” Shoulders dropping from exasperation, she snapped lightly, “How should I know? I won’t know until the awards ceremony tomorrow night.” “Jeesh, just asked a question. No need to be harsh.” Rolling her eyes with a small smile, Jaden walked down the testing hallway. Her eyes skimmed the walls, all plastered with promotional “BS” related to this Phi Beta Lambda national conference. She won first place in two state competitions and second in a third, which gave her admittance to the national level of testing. Even placing in the top ten would be amazing. Plus, it looked impressive on a resume when she would graduate in a few years. She’d just finished her final test, so all that was left of her agenda involved networking with business professionals (in her wording, schmoozing the big wigs) and tomorrow night’s award ceremony at Six PM. Lukas suddenly appeared at her side, matching her step by step, completely in sync with her pace and speed. “So, no weird people in there?” “Well there was one guy, but I think other people saw him, so not a figment.” The term “figment” referred to the hallucinations she’d had since she was a child. At first, her parents blamed it on an over-active, childish imagination. Once she’d reached high school and still saw people and animals who weren’t there, her parents worried deeply for their daughter. They employed the help of a shrink, who, for each session, she’d humored with breathing exercises and repetitive mantras and meds until she bolted out to go home and read a book. Rather quickly, she masked her diagnosed schizophrenia from the world, instead diving deep into her studies and avoiding as many social situations whenever possible. “You trust your sight yet?” Heaving a heavy sigh, Jaden responded, “Not entirely. You’re still here.” “Hey!” After whacking him lightly on the back of his head, she finally cracked a smile. Lukas had been her friend since third grade and stuck like glue to her side. In fact, he went everywhere with her. Weirdly enough, he’d frequently show up out of the blue during personal trips and vacations, insisting he wanted to surprise her. At first, his surprises did shock and elate her, but after a couple years of it, it became pretty predictable. His parents tended to be lenient toward him and his antics, and they somehow had the money for him to follow her pretty much anywhere. Part of her thanked God that he wasn’t another one of her figments. People saw him, talked to him, and played with him, so he existed. Since he’d been by her side for so long, she confided her mental handicap to him early on, and only him. Outside of him and her family, no one knew, and she wanted it to stay that way. She’d thought it was strange with how accepting he was with it. He didn’t freak out or get depressed or feel worrisome. He’d pretty much shrugged it off, like seeing imaginary people everywhere was as normal as pizza on a Friday night. Lukas rubbed where she whacked him. “Um, ow!” Her smiled widened slightly as she shoved him with her shoulder. “That didn’t hurt and you know it.” She knew it too, because he possessed a “high pain tolerance”, as he’d reminded her on countless occasions. With a light chuckle, he shoved her with his shoulder like she had to him. “Good, you remembered.” Then, he froze, stopping in his tracks. His icy blue eyes locked on something ahead. “Uh, oh…” Her eyes followed his line of sight and easily spotted two teenagers making a beeline for them. Or, rather her, because she went to address Lukas to discover he’d vanished. Again. He’d done this frequently in her life, and it always annoyed her. He didn’t up and poof away in a puff of smoke, but he always picked the perfect moment to disappear on her, usually moments he didn’t want to deal with. “Freaking kidding me, Wolfe!” The two kids stopped about three feet from her. The girl waved and greeted, “Hi!” Her personality bubbled with childish excitement, like a kid stuck in a sixteen-year-old’s rather bulky body. Jaden stared at her for a moment before weakly raising a hand as well. “Hi?” The boy with her rolled his eyes. “Jess, you’re freaking her out.” The girl’s eyes widened slightly. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.” “Not startled,” Jaden replied slowly, “Just weirded out. What can I do for you two?” The girl and boy looked at each other briefly before turning attention back to her. “My name’s Jessica, but most people call me Jessi. My twin brother here, Kiran, usually calls me Jess or JV, just randomly picking between four different variations of my name. It’s a good thing I’m used to being addressed with all four throughout my life.” Kiran’s head rolled back as he sighed, “Jess, diarrhea of the mouth again. I honestly don’t think she cares about your millions of nicknames.” Shaking a hand at him, Jaden said, “It’s fine. I don’t mind. My sister’s the same way sometimes. So, Jessi, Kiran… Can I help you with something?” The two teens exchanged looks again before looking back at her. Jessi told her, “We think someone might be looking for you.” Raising an eyebrow, Jaden responded, “Probably my parents. They’ve been wandering around this Gaylord center every time I have mandatory events. I’ll find them eventually, I promise. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She walked around them, but only made it two steps before the two kids stepped into her path. Holding up a hand, a “STOP” gesture, Jessi told her, “No, not your parents. Someone else. Someone bad.” In her mind, Jaden could only call them crazy kids with overactive imaginations. Right when that thought crossed her mind, she recalled that being her parents’ initial reaction to her seeing the figments. These two probably have been dealing with the same stuff she had her whole life, and she felt a pang of empathy for them. “Look, I’m sure security around here will be able to pick him up like a sore thumb.” Jessi shook her head, her sandy brown hair flying around at the rapid, overly-excited speed she swung it. Jaden caught scattered blonde highlights in the strands of her bob-like haircut. “No, they can’t, because no one can see him. Nobody but you.” Jaden’s heart started pounding in her chest, her skin chilled with goosebumps. Did these two kids, strangers at that, really know that she was a schizo? Shaking her head slightly to snap out of her worrisome, panicked thoughts, she replied, “I have no idea what you mean by that. Plus, I’ve got a seminar at four that I can’t be late for.” This time, Kiran spoke up, “Which seminar?” She hesitated. Clearly these two needed help, or at least needed to stick with their guardian or chaperone. But, she really didn’t see the harm in sharing. “‘Budgeting for Needs and Wants’. Since I’ll be coming out of college debt-free, thanks to my dad’s military benefits, I need to figure out how to budget once I don’t have my parents to help. I graduate in about three years, so it’s better to be prepared, you know?” Kiran’s eyes lit up, his irises a blue-green that reflected the color of the ocean. “Oh, cool! That sounds like fun! Mind if we tag along?” As much as Jaden wanted to get as far away from these unhinged children as fast as she could, she bit back her stress and told them nonchalantly, “Yeah, sure, that’s seems okay with me. You can join me. Make sure you have a notebook handy. I’ve heard the speaker is amazing and gives tons of good advice.” Kiran’s mouth widened into a huge smile. “That’s sounds awesome! Sold! C’mon, Jess, let’s go learn about finances.” Jessi stared at her brother for a few seconds before sighing heavily. “Alright, Mr. Studious Crazy, I’ll come too. Take notes for both of us though. I don’t want to zone out and not have the amazing knowledge this strange businessman has to offer.” Jaden recognized the slight sarcasm in the girl’s words, but Kiran’s excitement blocked him from identifying it himself. “Great! Lead the way…” He faded off, biting his lip. He glanced at her and then at his sister. Mentally rolling her eyes, Jaden filled in the missing blank: “Jaden. Jaden Walker.” With a smile, Jessi responded, “Nice to meet you, Jaden. I hope we won’t slow you down much.” As she held back a laugh, remembering a ton of times that Lukas had said that to her in jest, she told her, “Trust me, I’ve dealt with worse. Okay, I believe that seminar is in room 2B.” “Excellent!” Kiran rubbed his hands together, during which Jaden thought she saw sparks flying out. Trying to snap herself out of those thoughts didn’t work at first. First figments, and now I’m imagining electricity popping out of a kid’s hands. Don’t tell me my problem is branching out more… “Let’s go!” Kiran’s shout of excitement shocked her out of it. Her head snapped up from where it had been angled at the floor to find the two teens halfway across the atrium. Kiran waved at her excitedly. “C’mon, slowpoke! Thought this was your panel choice.” Her face cracked a small smile at his eagerness. As she walked to catch up with them, a question ran through her head that worried her. Did they know? Followed by a second one: How?
So, we’ve reached a point when I’m starting to get nervous. The Kindle eBook for KINETIC REBIRTH drops on Amazon in less than two weeks, on September 19th. This also lands on me and Boyfriend’s Two Year dating anniversary, so the excitement and happiness piles on each day closer to the 19th.
I am BEYOND excited for this release! I actually had all my preliminary files ready by the beginning on July. But, October 19th marks the day that the roleplay site begin years ago, the day that JV and I first met through mutual friends and a love of roleplaying.
As I have mentioned in every blog post since around May/June, this series is my ultimate dedication to JV. Almost every character is one we came up with for our own personal, multipl roleplays. And, yes, there were quite a few. Each story we played with was set in different worlds, with different pasts, and different magic and government and… Well, almost each RP we did in Google Docs was unique and completely different from each other.
The challenge with this KINETICS series was taking these characters from their old stories and somehow integrating them into an entirely new world, without compromising who they were or what life was like for them growing up. A number of these characters grew in age between JV and my RPs and the KINETICS storyline. I not only had to adjust their backstory to fit this new universe, but I had to ask myself, “This part of their personality is different than when the character was x years younger in the RP. How did that change come about? What had to happen to make sure a drastic change in personality, attitude, and character?”
And, yes, it had to be natural and believable.
JV was the harder one, to be honest. Because, while her backstory is entirely fictional, the KINETICS world Jessi needed to be as close to the real deal as possible. JV was a bright, fun, random, carefree soul, full of life, humor, and puns. WAY too many puns. xD
So, bringing JV back to life in my writing was extremely challenging. I had to recall every moment I spent with her, whether in person, or talking to her on her drive home. However, based on comments from people close to JV AND my editor:
… I’m pretty sure I did a good job. My one wish to this story was that Jessi was realistic and true to the real life JV as possible. And, with the above aforementioned statement, I couldn’t be more proud of myself.
The eBook is only going to be available on Amazon Kindle, but preorders have already started! KINETIC REBIRTH goes live as a Kindle eBook on September 19th, a full month before the print, which is still staying firm on October 19th, 2017 release.
If you are into eBooks and/or want to read it before the print is released, you can go [here] and preorder your Kindle copy.
If print is more your thing, sign up for my email list [here], so when we’re closer to release dates, my e-Newsletter will remind you that it’s coming up. I won’t spam inboxes too much, I promise.
Also, there’s an alternative to signing up for my email list. I have a prequel eBook up on Instafreebie, one that precedes KINETIC REBIRTH, and delves briefly into past events that are crucial to the story. You don’t need to read the prequel to enjoy the first book, but it provides at least a teaser of background information before it releases. It’s a quick read, and available as eBook download [here] on Instafreebie. When you download KINETIC TRAGEDY (the aforementioned prequel), you are automatically added to my subscriber list. So, not only will you get reminder emails, but you get a nice piece of teaser fiction as well.
Anyway, I’ll leave you with a small set of Teasers, straight out of both KINETIC TRAGEDY (prequel) and KINETIC REBIRTH (Book One).
Hey, everybody! Welcome to another #WildNewsWed blog post!
So, a few updates, along with a short snippet from KINETIC REBIRTH, the first in my KINETICS series, which, if you’ve read any of my blog posts since May/June, you’ll remember it’s releasing October 19th this year. LESS THAN THREE MONTHS! EEEP!!
Anyway, I noticed I got a lot of people reading my blog when I posted [this post] about my communication difficulties. I got an overwhelming response to that, so I want to open up again, just a little bit. And, it partially has to do with my writing journey too.
So, for KINETIC REBIRTH, I had written it in a month. Granted, half of it was written during my Smoky Writers retreat week…
but I still felt so accomplished finishing it within 30-ish days. As this series is my ultimate dedication to my best friend JV, I felt extremely proud of my output, and was super eager to release it as soon as edits and covers were done. However, I wanted its release to mean something to me, as this series would never have existed if I never met JV. I needed a way to honor her, and by picking the date of October 19th, the day we first met via Hyndon roleplaying with mutual friends (see [this] video that talks about this forum-based RP in more detail).
However, as of last week, everything was done. I had finished with my professional editor at the end of April, gotten a cover by mid-June, and finished reediting my proof copy and uploading updated, final draft for release. However, as Createspace doesn’t allow pre-orders for print books (which seems counter-intuitive in my business-oriented half of my brain, as trad-Published authors get that chance, but Amazon won’t do it for their own authors? Seems odd, but that’s Amazon for ya), I can’t hit that “PUBLISH” button until October.
I’ve been keeping myself busy working on Book 2. In fact, I’m already 30,000 words in! My productivity has spiked instantly, and I utilize my free time the best I can, whether five minute waits, lunch breaks, or most nights tapping away at my keyboard. Boyfriend puts up with the transcribing every night, and I am VERY grateful to have him in my life.
HOWEVER, that “Publish” button is a tease. I want to push it right now, and release my best work to the world, so JV can live on forever in the written word. I keep telling myself, “Only three months. That’s all.” While three months is cake compared to the time that passed since I started it in late February, it’s still a pressure I live with every day. I hold onto the meaning behind the release date, reminding myself that this series is ultimately for Jessi, so her spirit, happiness, and energy will live on forever within my writing. And THAT is what makes it worth it. Knowing the meaning, and remembering the fun we had in Hyndon, makes it worth the wait.
I do have a surprise for y’all though. My cover reveal is August 19th, exactly two months before the print release. The surprise will be revealed then.
Also, I have rebranded myself as “C. McDonnell” from now on. As such, I updated all of my previous short stories by adding the new pen name AND, in the case of the Tales of Terrara Vikos stories, BRAND NEW COVERS! I will update the covers here on my website this coming weekend, and you still can’t search “C. McDonnell” on Amazon for some reason, as my stories won’t show up with that. Unfortunate, and hope it’ll be fixed soon.
If you don’t want to miss out on the double reveal, Like my Facebook Author Page!
Well, that about wraps it up. See ya guys next #WildNewsWed!
So, life’s been stressful lately, but I won’t bore y’all with details. However, I will update you guys on my writing endeavors. I owe you guys that much for reading coming over here to my slice of the Interwebs.
So, we have less than 3 months until the official print release of KINETIC REBIRTH, the first in my KINETICS series. You know, the one I’ve been talking about non-stop for months? Yeah, that one.
It’s due to release October 19th, 2017, and I have NEVER been more excited in my life! HOWEVER, some reveals are closer. I’ve decided to do the official cover reveal on my social media on Saturday, August 19th, exactly two months from the print book’s release. Along with it will be a surprise pertaining to KINETIC REBIRTH’S release, which I’m sure will make some people super excited.
Or, at least, I hope.
Anyway, if you want to make sure you get notified of the cover reveal, Like/Follow/Subscribe to the following pages, so you’ll see everything when the news goes live.
One way is Instafreebie. When you download KINETIC TRAGEDY, the eBook short story prequel to October’s novel release, your email is added to my e-Newsletter subscribers list. You’ll get pertinent information, and I promise I won’t be sending too many emails to my list. At least, not yet. To download the story AND be added to my subscribers list, go [here] to download it! If you just want to be a Newsletter subscriber, but don’t need the eBook short for whatever reason, you can directly sign up [here].
You can also Like my Facebook Author page. Either search C. McDonnell on the FB search bar, or just click [this link]. Yes, I did change the title of my author page. This is because I learned back in 2011, when I released my first short story, that there is a children’s book author that also has my name. So, all upcoming and future projects will be under author C. McDonnell, to stop confusing searches on Amazon, B&N, etc.
Another place to keep up with me is Twitter. My user is @discoverywritin, or you can click [here] to go to my Twitter page. Don’t be afraid to say Hi! I don’t bite, I swear.
Okay, one last update.
As of the beginning of June, I have been working diligently on Book 2 of my Kinetics series. Yep, the sequel to the above aforementioned October 2017 novel release. (Sorry, mouthful). As of now, title is TBD, as is completion date and release date. From June 1st until yesterday, I have written over 24k words (24,000 words, for those of you that don’t understand the abbreviation). YA Fantasy generally has an accepted 50k minimum word count, but I’ve never had a problem surpassing that in my other 7+ completed manuscripts that I’ve set on the back burner. So, essentially, I’m halfway to the least I can publish. While it is just an objective minimum, it gives me a calculable goal, and I know this book will surpass that easy peasy.
Also, to give a bit more details, this second book will encompass more of me and JV’s friendship, going back to our roots, back to when we first met and became friends back in October 2011. We met through mutual friends, through a forum-based fantasy RP they’d created. If you want more info on our journey through our five and a half year friendship, go to [this video] on Youtube, where JV and I discuss how we became friends. Part Two (found [here]) delves into our transition into coauthoring a series together.
And, for clarification, the KINETICS series is NOT the one we were coauthoring. Currently there’s a snag in getting her writings for it, but once that snag is untangled, then I will pursue that series as well.
Anyway, back to my information on Untitled Kinetics Project #2.
It goes back to our roots, in a little town called Hyndon. We created characters about 1-2 months in that were in a relationship together. Even after the RP site went inactive, JV and I continued those characters’ story within private, shared Google Docs files. That led to multiple different Google Docs of varying role-playing, each with their own sets of characters, settings, magic systems, etc, etc.
My Kinetics series is my ultimate dedication to JV, and the friendship we had together. This series will get crammed with so much of our writing together, that you will hopefully know her as well as I do.
Monday marked 6 months since she passed from this world, and I cried all day and all night, and didn’t sleep well that night. When I woke up the next day, my boss asked me, ten minutes into the work day, if I was okay, and that I looked like I was in bad shape. Have I mentioned how awesome my boss is before? Well, I am now.
However, within a few hours, I looked at my JV Jr doll, who I’ve taken to work every day since the funeral, and also looked at the photo on my desk, and realized crying won’t bring her back. To be honest, I’d give up my creative mind if it meant bringing her back, but since that isn’t a possibility, I have to utilize my gifts to make sure she forever lives on through my writing. So the world can see how pure, creative, fun, and amazing a person she was. This is our friendship’s legacy, and I hope you’ll get copies when KINETIC REBIRTH is released, so you can see for yourself how much she meant to me, and to everyone else she cared about.
So, links are in brackets where each social media platform is mentioned. You can also locate me on the links on my “Contact Me” tab [here].
And, my new sign-off for Kinetics related stuff…
“Assume nothing.”
Also, Keep Faith, guys. Life may be hard now, but, at a certain point, you can only go up from there.
These weekly updates posts are keeping me accountable so far, and I hope to keep it that way. Hopefully I don’t drop it like a weight when I get busy.
ANYWAY!
So, over the weekend, I released a short story prequel to my upcoming October release. It’s titled “KINETIC TRAGEDY”, and takes place six years before the events of “KINETIC REBIRTH” (slated for an October 19th release). It’s a quick read, and leaves you with more questions than answers. Perfect fodder for this author. >:)
It is currently only available on Instafreebie, but a month or so before the novel’s release, I will be publishing this eBook prequel story on all digital retailers to prep for KINETIC REBIRTH’s release.
Get your copy off Instafreebie [here]. And PLEASE sign up for the email list! I make it optional, but if you want to make sure you get a reminder email closer to the novel’s release, I’d suggest signing up. 🙂
Everything is set and ready to hit that “Confirm” button and release KINETIC REBIRTH into the wild. “So, why wait?”, you might ask. Because that release date is more than just a book release date. It’s the day I first met JV. The start of our 5+ years of friendship. October 19th, 2011. The reason I know that is because that’s when the roleplay launched that connected the two of us through mutual friends. We’ve had a blast crafting dozens upon dozens of characters for a good handful of roleplay documents, either public or private. Since KINETIC REBIRTH includes most of those characters we crafted together, it’s only fitting to release this first novel to celebrate the day it all started. Celebrating her life and not focusing on her death.
Now, for a slightly different, but not unrelated topic: my emotional state.
I am hanging in perfectly right now. Each piece that went into KINETIC REBIRTH, from the editing, layout, to uploads and short stories, made me slightly happier and more positive. The biggest increase in positivity was when the AMAZING [Designed by Starla] create the covers for both the novel and the KINETIC TRAGEDY short. When I saw those covers, that’s when it started sinking in: THIS IS HAPPENING. THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. FOR REAL.
Once I see the proof copy, I will probably burst into tears. Because, this series would never had existed if I had never met JV. We actually were in the midst of coauthoring a series together when she passed. NOTE: NOT THIS SERIES. Our series was different, and none of those characters will cross over. I just can’t handle reading her notebooks just yet. I WILL FINISH THEM. And her name will be on ALL four covers for it, right next to mine.
Dang, getting off track. Long story short: I’m doing better now than I have been in the last five months. It’s hard to believe it’s been five months since I’ve heard her voice. I will get through this. All of us that knew her will get through this. And, by including JV as one of the heroes in my KINETICS series, she will continue to live on forever in the words and stories within those pages.
Oh, and I got a haircut and color. IT’S SO LIGHT AND THIN. WISH IT COULD STAY THAT WAY.
So, summary: Short story on Instafreebie, KINETIC REBIRTH update, and hair cut.
Unfortunately, things got chaotic last night, and I never made a #TeaserTuesday photo. I’ll try posting on for Thursday. Yes, I know it’s a different day. I don’t care. :p
OH! And Cover Reveal for KINETIC REBIRTH will be in the coming weeks. GET PUMPED!!!
Hey, Vikans! (I’ve decided to call my fanbase [all of ya’ll] Vikans, after the citizens of my Terrara Vikos saga [Link to the published ones {HERE}],
So, as of yesterday, my #FearlessChaos campaign came to an end. With a total of 81 downloads of “Account of Anxiety” in less than a month, I think we’re well on our way. All these downloads added up to $24.00 to be donated to Freedom From Fear, a non-profit, mental health organization.
If you’re one of those 81 people, THANK YOU! It’s because of readers like you that make me want to write more and more each day. However, since reviews for the first story in THE CHAOS ACCOUNTS are in short supply (aka – zero, zilch, nada…), I’m going to be doing two ‘campaigns’ this time, one for charity and the other to benefit my most avid readers.
The first one I’ll talk about is the one for my readers for IF or WHEN you read “Account of Anxiety”.
Between today (2/16/2017) and first day of March (3/1/2017), if you leave a review of the first story on Amazon, shoot me a message via my Facebook Author Page [linked {HERE}] and tell me. If I can determine that you actually read the story, you will get an invitation to join my own personal Division READ (readers, know what I pulled that name from?) group on Facebook! Division READ membership has only been limited to my $10+ patrons (Patreon link {HERE}) so far, but now it’s fair game for the public until March 1st, 2017. If you want to ensure that you get approved, in your review on Amazon, mention your favorite character, and a key part of their personality or appearance (physical description, quirks, emotional flaws), or what you liked about them.
This group will get news at the same time as my patrons, which means the members on this group will receive story news and updates before the mass public. Members will also receive unedited, first-look snippets, as well as be a knowledge backbone should I need help with a particular topic. In some cases, member of Division READ might actually get to contribute to the stories themselves! Exciting, right?
But, I will repeat: this opportunity ends March 1st at 11:59 PM EST, so post a review before then. After this campaign (#Chaos1Reviews) ends, the perk of gaining membership will fall back to my $10+ patrons only. You’ve been warned. 😉
Now, the other campaign is my charity campaign for “Account of Unrest”, Story #2 in THE CHAOS ACCOUNTS. This story follows Gael, the seemingly optimistic, naive Commander who actually is haunted by his dark, twisted past. Read the story if you want to know why.
The hashtag for when you share this sales campaign is #ChaoticNewborns. This story went live TODAY (2/16/17), and is currently available on [Amazon] or [Smashwords] for 99c. [I will update the {MY WORKS} page, as well as {THE CHAOS ACCOUNTS} story listing when other formats become available]
All profits I make on “Account of Unrest” between today (again, 2/16/2017) and March 9th, 2017 will be donated to an organization that has a lot of meaning in my current life. The organization is called Newborns in Need. They supply needy families with newborn and baby supplies to parents who need them. The reason I felt this organization fit is because this organization also supplies newborns who didn’t last long with clothes, so their parents can see them dressed up before having to say goodbye after such a short time.
I felt JV behind me as I was researching organizations, and when I came across this one, I could hear her say, in her positive, firm, JV way: “That one.” So, in honor of JV and her unborn child, I’ve chosen this charity. I also plan on sending a letter to them (in the hopes of getting it to a higher up director or something) and telling her about JV’s life, how she’d devoted herself, her past, present, and future, all to children. If you feel like you want to donate directly to this organization in JV’s memory, you can donate both {MONEY} and/or ship some {ITEMS} instead as well.
My current Patreon page
The Chaos Accounts [Link to list {HERE}] is funded by my loyal patrons on Patreon {LINK}. There are a lot of fun perks to becoming one of my patrons, plus the funds help motivate me to keep this story saga going on for a very, VERY long time (I hope…). Also, I have decided to dedicate every story in The Chaos Accounts to JV, as she was my biggest fan, cheerleader, coauthor, and best friend. In fact, I updated my goals on Patron as well. My final goal, originally, was to published “Children of Destiny”, the start of the Trials of Terrara Vikos trilogy that The Protektor’s Reality and Tales of Terrara Vikos short stories precede to. That has been changed. Now, that last stretch goal on Patreon will fund me publishing the first book in our (me and JV) book series. She had fallen in love with the plot, the characters, the ideas as a whole, and it had a huge spot in her heart.
Now, while writing the rest of the series by myself is a little daunting, and I know it will take a while to build up the courage to transcribe her notebooks eventually, but I WILL get them published. To get a good view of how inspiring and helpful and kind she was, here’s part of a conversation we had two days before she passed on::
Me: Jes, I don’t know what to do! All of this is so hard.
JV: Just tell yourself, “I WILL get through this.”
Me: *sighs* I hope so…
JV: NO. There’s no ‘hope’. There’s no ‘maybe’. Everything WILL be fine. Everything WILL be okay.”
(She was always the optimist, and her sweet nature helped me through a LOT of difficult times.)
I promised her, I promised her family, and I promised myself: I WILL get those stories written and published one day, with her name on each book’s cover next to mine. So, every pledge pushes me more and more to confront my depression over losing her, and also pushes me to finish the series as it was meant to be. Every pledge is a motivator, and as I watch the pledge amounts go up, I can just hear JV whispering to me, “Everything WILL be okay, alright?”
If you want to scope me out on social media, visit my {CONTACT ME} page. A list of my total published works can be found {HERE}
So, it’s already been a week since one of the most precious rays of sunshine in my life passed on. JV was my best friend. She made me a better partner, a better writer, and a better person. A week has passed, and my brain still won’t accept she’s gone. I even saw her, looking almost asleep, so peaceful with that stuffed teddy bear next to her.
While my brain is grappling with the truth, I’m still sticking to my promises I sent up to her up in Heaven. I WILL get our books published someday. I WILL keep up with my Youtube Channel. And I WILL continue to write. My uncle inspired me to be a writer, but JV motivated me to continue to be a writer.
THE CHAOS ACCOUNTS saga is now entirely dedicated to JV’s amazingly bright life that ended WAY too soon. Each story will have a unique dedication, instead of the same one copy/pasted, because she deserves the extra effort.
The first story, “Account of Anxiety“, still has 6 days left until its #FearlessChaos charity campaign ends. Every download of that 1st story will equal a small monetary amount that I will donate to Freedom of Fear. Also, if you’ve already read it, head over to Amazon and leave a review, as reviews equal an added donation to the pool. We’ve raised about $20 since release day; let’s see if we can get more!
Also, this post is my official announcement of the second story in THE CHAOS ACCOUNTS, titled “Account of Unrest”. This story follows Gael, Commander of Division 3 and how his struggles with his past affect him in the present. Release Date is set as February 16th, as that would have been JV’s birthday.
The charity I’ve picked for “Account of Unrest” is Newborns In Need, an organization that supplies needy families with baby things, such as clothes, blankets, bottles, toys, etc. I believe this organization is perfect, given what has recently happened in my life. This organization also gifts clothes and blankets to grieving parents of newborns who didn’t make it, so that they can see their beautiful baby in a beautiful outfit as one of their only memories of their child’s short or non-existent life. That teddy bear in JV’s casket was gifted by one of her sisters to resemble the baby she would have had this coming August. In honor of JV’s unborn child, I am choosing this charity.
Any sales between 2/16 and 3/9, I will add it up for a monetary donation toward Newborns In Need after that last day of this charity campaign. I plan on writing a letter, that they can hopefully get to the director of this organization, outlining JV’s life, how she touched so many people, and how I know she would have wanted to deliver actual items to them, because children were a big part of her life. I – and everyone that knew her – knew she would be a great mother, and it pains me she never got the chance…
Their Wish List is linked [HERE], if any of you would like to donate items to this charity for JV.
The hashtag for this campaign is #JVsChaoticNewborns
Hopefully, I can get preorders set up within the next day or two (this is a first for me, so fingers crossed I don’t mess it up), and will share links as they become available.
Between today (2/16/2017) and first day of March (3/1/2017), if you leave a review of the first story on 
Also, this post is my official announcement of the second story in THE CHAOS ACCOUNTS, titled “Account of Unrest”. This story follows Gael, Commander of Division 3 and how his struggles with his past affect him in the present. Release Date is set as February 16th, as that would have been JV’s birthday.
Terrara Vikos 