Greetings, Bearers!
First of all, I owe all of you a big apology for not updating my blogs here. Prior to last month, I had no problem whatsoever accessing this site from my work computer (I do it on my down time; don't worry, honey :D ) and did all of my posting from there.
Now, all of a sudden, this site is blocked, and I'm unable to use it. And for now, we don't have high speed Internet, so I haven't the ability to post at home the way that I'd like to. Needless to say, I was less than happy about the sudden blockage that occurred. Especially since The Summoning of Old Velt is now available on Smashwords.com.
That's right! You read it right; it's finally, truly, really, done and posted! :D
(I will pause for a moment while all of you let out your "It's about time, J. Dean!" exclamations)
But, because I can no longer post here regularly, I've been forced to change addresses. The address for the new blog is http://enterthevein.wordpress.com which will detail all of the information that's coming out about my works. Head on over and see what's going on, including the links for The Summoning of Old Velt! It's up, and a few more stories will be posted shortly. So I've not quit writing or anything like that. As long as God gives me breath and working fingers, I'll write, and keep writing.
So go on over and follow the Vein at the above site!
In the meantime, time for me to hit the sack (It's waaaaaaaaaay past my bedtime!) and get up early, and hopefully write a bit more while I'm at it!
Thank you all for your patience, and for coming along with me on this adventure. The best of the wild ride in the Meridian is yet to come for us!
See you in the Vein!
J. dean
Friday, October 29, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Sweet "home" Chicago
Greetings, fellow Bearers!
No, Chicago's not my home, but it's nice to be here with my son (a devoted Bears fan, which makes Sunday afternoons in our house really interesting, because I'm a Packers fan, my wife is a Patriots/Dolphins fan, and my daughter is a Seahawks fan). We're going to a preseason Bears/Raiders game, and getting in a little bit of sightseeing in the meantime. I have little doubt that my son will be taking up residence in the Windy City as soon as the opportunity presents itself...
Just as an aside, if you've never been to Chicago, go. It's definitely worth the time and money spent to visit. If I had the time and patience, I'd updoad some pictures, but I'm not too sure this hotel computer will permit that.
Well, the writing for The Summoning of Kran is on hold, but the book is already nearly halfway done. I think choosing to write at night has really been a good decision, as it's made it possible to get more done. Of course, that means I bite the bullet a little bit with regard to getting as much sleep as I like (I'm an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kind of guy), but more gets done without having to worry about stopping for the sake of an incoming class at school.
Editing for The Summoning of Old Velt looks like it will be completed by the end of September, and by then I hope to release it on Smashwords for all to see. I can't wait to get it out; the ideas I get while writing and editing are pretty contagious (if I may say that while still being understood as being humble :) ), and I get anxious to share them with all of you.
In the meantime, keep getting The Summoning of Clade Josso out to your friends via word of mouth. More happy readers contact me every month and tell me how pleased they are. I respond to them the same way I do with all of you in general: let the rest of the world know about it!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
No, Chicago's not my home, but it's nice to be here with my son (a devoted Bears fan, which makes Sunday afternoons in our house really interesting, because I'm a Packers fan, my wife is a Patriots/Dolphins fan, and my daughter is a Seahawks fan). We're going to a preseason Bears/Raiders game, and getting in a little bit of sightseeing in the meantime. I have little doubt that my son will be taking up residence in the Windy City as soon as the opportunity presents itself...
Just as an aside, if you've never been to Chicago, go. It's definitely worth the time and money spent to visit. If I had the time and patience, I'd updoad some pictures, but I'm not too sure this hotel computer will permit that.
Well, the writing for The Summoning of Kran is on hold, but the book is already nearly halfway done. I think choosing to write at night has really been a good decision, as it's made it possible to get more done. Of course, that means I bite the bullet a little bit with regard to getting as much sleep as I like (I'm an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kind of guy), but more gets done without having to worry about stopping for the sake of an incoming class at school.
Editing for The Summoning of Old Velt looks like it will be completed by the end of September, and by then I hope to release it on Smashwords for all to see. I can't wait to get it out; the ideas I get while writing and editing are pretty contagious (if I may say that while still being understood as being humble :) ), and I get anxious to share them with all of you.
In the meantime, keep getting The Summoning of Clade Josso out to your friends via word of mouth. More happy readers contact me every month and tell me how pleased they are. I respond to them the same way I do with all of you in general: let the rest of the world know about it!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Summer goes on, and so does the writing!
Greetings, fellow Bearers!
Well, there's good news and not-so-good news. Let me start off with the latter: I've not been doing too well on editing The Summoning of Old Velt. In part, this is tied to the good news, but it's a bit frustrating for some of you as well as me. But trust me, I will get going on the editing soon.
Which leads me to the good news: The Summoning of Kran, my third novel, is going on quite well! I've been really pushing myself on writing this one, and it looks like I'll have this novel finished before the end of this year, which is really cool, because Clade Josso took about a year, and Old Velt took even longer. Granted, a lot of that has to do with the difficulty of scheduling writing along with working a full-time job; when you're not writing as your primary source of income, then you have to set aside your desire to convert ideas to words in order to make sure that you can keep putting bread on the table.
Don't get me wrong: I'm a teacher, and the job is a good one. But there's something-contagious, for lack of a better word-that keeps me writing. Unless you enjoy writing, there's no other way to describe it. You have to put down what's in your head on the paper, or the computer screen. If you don't, you'll go nuts. Maybe that's why H.P. Lovecraft came up with Cthulhu: he put off writing for too long. Heck, if I did that, I'd start seeing squid-headed monsters too (Speaking of which, I wonder what some of my students will be like...).
Anyway, work is coming along. It's slow going in some ways, but moving along in others. I've not forgotten about you, my loyal readers. More will come, just be patient and keep enjoying what's out there!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Well, there's good news and not-so-good news. Let me start off with the latter: I've not been doing too well on editing The Summoning of Old Velt. In part, this is tied to the good news, but it's a bit frustrating for some of you as well as me. But trust me, I will get going on the editing soon.
Which leads me to the good news: The Summoning of Kran, my third novel, is going on quite well! I've been really pushing myself on writing this one, and it looks like I'll have this novel finished before the end of this year, which is really cool, because Clade Josso took about a year, and Old Velt took even longer. Granted, a lot of that has to do with the difficulty of scheduling writing along with working a full-time job; when you're not writing as your primary source of income, then you have to set aside your desire to convert ideas to words in order to make sure that you can keep putting bread on the table.
Don't get me wrong: I'm a teacher, and the job is a good one. But there's something-contagious, for lack of a better word-that keeps me writing. Unless you enjoy writing, there's no other way to describe it. You have to put down what's in your head on the paper, or the computer screen. If you don't, you'll go nuts. Maybe that's why H.P. Lovecraft came up with Cthulhu: he put off writing for too long. Heck, if I did that, I'd start seeing squid-headed monsters too (Speaking of which, I wonder what some of my students will be like...).
Anyway, work is coming along. It's slow going in some ways, but moving along in others. I've not forgotten about you, my loyal readers. More will come, just be patient and keep enjoying what's out there!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
A new interview done...
Greetings, Bearers!
While summer continues on and I push ahead with finishing my editing of The Summoning of Old Velt while writing The Summoning of Kran, HERE is a nice little interview which I did courtesy of Debra Martin and David Small, who were kind enough to set aside a little space for me to talk about The Summoning of Clade Josso on their website (Thank you both very much, Deb and Dave!). Enjoy the interview, and let the word get out about Clade and the Bearers!
I have a couple of other things on the plate as well, some of which I can't quite discuss yet (it might end up being a good thing), but unfortunately it's put a dent in my short story writing. So for those of you waiting for my next short stories, I apologize that they've been put on hold for now. But I promise that I WILL get back to them, and not wait too long for it. Hopefully, I'll have some real nice ones for you to read before the summer is up.
So, keep reading, and keep enjoying!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
While summer continues on and I push ahead with finishing my editing of The Summoning of Old Velt while writing The Summoning of Kran, HERE is a nice little interview which I did courtesy of Debra Martin and David Small, who were kind enough to set aside a little space for me to talk about The Summoning of Clade Josso on their website (Thank you both very much, Deb and Dave!). Enjoy the interview, and let the word get out about Clade and the Bearers!
I have a couple of other things on the plate as well, some of which I can't quite discuss yet (it might end up being a good thing), but unfortunately it's put a dent in my short story writing. So for those of you waiting for my next short stories, I apologize that they've been put on hold for now. But I promise that I WILL get back to them, and not wait too long for it. Hopefully, I'll have some real nice ones for you to read before the summer is up.
So, keep reading, and keep enjoying!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Summer calls...
Greetings, Bearers!
Summer is on its way, and with it comes open doors for writing and promoting for me! This will be a great opportunity to spread the word about Clade Josso, as well as finish editing Old Velt (over halfway there!), and dive into writing Kran! Due to the haphazard nature of Summer, though, it'll be difficult for me to post more regularly, so my blog count will be a bit reduced in June, July, and August. Take heart, though; I'll be back in September, with two more novels completed (I plan to have Kran edited a little faster; God willing, it will be). Also, there will be a booksigning that I'll be a part of at the Great Lakes Crossing mall in Auburn Hills, Michigan, sometime in July. I'll put the date up and send out bulletins for all to see!
So I hope that all of you will enjoy your summer as much as I plan to enjoy mine, and keep reading. More will be on its way!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Summer is on its way, and with it comes open doors for writing and promoting for me! This will be a great opportunity to spread the word about Clade Josso, as well as finish editing Old Velt (over halfway there!), and dive into writing Kran! Due to the haphazard nature of Summer, though, it'll be difficult for me to post more regularly, so my blog count will be a bit reduced in June, July, and August. Take heart, though; I'll be back in September, with two more novels completed (I plan to have Kran edited a little faster; God willing, it will be). Also, there will be a booksigning that I'll be a part of at the Great Lakes Crossing mall in Auburn Hills, Michigan, sometime in July. I'll put the date up and send out bulletins for all to see!
So I hope that all of you will enjoy your summer as much as I plan to enjoy mine, and keep reading. More will be on its way!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Friday, June 4, 2010
A brief comment on the upscaling of prices...
Greetings, Bearers!
For those of you who like to read Ebooks, there's a bit of news that you need to be made aware of. The rumble on the Internet is that Amazon.com is changing the royalty option for authors. In summary, it's this: if the Ebook authors will up their prices to $2.99, then Amazon will give them a better royalty per sale.
Now, I begrudge no fellow author who ups their price. If you think about it, paying 2.99 for a novel is still a good deal, especially when the paperback version of that same novel runs between seven and nine dollars a pop. Furthermore, unless you're one of those stubborn folk who prefer the feel of the paperback in your hand (like me), as opposed to using a Kindle, a Sony e-book reader, a Nook, or any other such device, you'll appreciate the savings you get, as the reduced costs of Ebooks over and above their physical counterparts adds up over time. So for my author friends who go with the change in price, best to you.
But for myself, I will not do that. Not right now, at least. My goal in getting Clade Josso and the world of the Vein out there is not simply for profit. Do I want to make money on this? Absolutely. But first I want to establish a base of interested readers, and that means putting accessibility to the first novel over and above making money at this point in time. What that means is that I'd rather entice more people with the novel, even if that means not pulling in as much for royalties-and that's fine with me for now.
So, for now, Clade Josso remains at 99 cents. Perhaps in the future, I will release three or four of the Ebooks in a package deal for $2.99, or do something else of that sort, but the drawing of an audience is my priority for now. Again, a big thank you to those who continue to purchase and download the book! Tell other people about it!
Until next time, see you in the Vein!
J. Dean
For those of you who like to read Ebooks, there's a bit of news that you need to be made aware of. The rumble on the Internet is that Amazon.com is changing the royalty option for authors. In summary, it's this: if the Ebook authors will up their prices to $2.99, then Amazon will give them a better royalty per sale.
Now, I begrudge no fellow author who ups their price. If you think about it, paying 2.99 for a novel is still a good deal, especially when the paperback version of that same novel runs between seven and nine dollars a pop. Furthermore, unless you're one of those stubborn folk who prefer the feel of the paperback in your hand (like me), as opposed to using a Kindle, a Sony e-book reader, a Nook, or any other such device, you'll appreciate the savings you get, as the reduced costs of Ebooks over and above their physical counterparts adds up over time. So for my author friends who go with the change in price, best to you.
But for myself, I will not do that. Not right now, at least. My goal in getting Clade Josso and the world of the Vein out there is not simply for profit. Do I want to make money on this? Absolutely. But first I want to establish a base of interested readers, and that means putting accessibility to the first novel over and above making money at this point in time. What that means is that I'd rather entice more people with the novel, even if that means not pulling in as much for royalties-and that's fine with me for now.
So, for now, Clade Josso remains at 99 cents. Perhaps in the future, I will release three or four of the Ebooks in a package deal for $2.99, or do something else of that sort, but the drawing of an audience is my priority for now. Again, a big thank you to those who continue to purchase and download the book! Tell other people about it!
Until next time, see you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Visualize the Cloud Specter...
Greetings, fellow Bearers!
This little gem-or nice piece of imitation gem, at least-comes from the Kindleboards forum. I was describing what it would look like to see a Cloud Specter, and came up with THIS for a visualization of what Clade was seeing when he encountered it. Check it out and tell me what you think!
Til then, back to editing and writing!'
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
This little gem-or nice piece of imitation gem, at least-comes from the Kindleboards forum. I was describing what it would look like to see a Cloud Specter, and came up with THIS for a visualization of what Clade was seeing when he encountered it. Check it out and tell me what you think!
Til then, back to editing and writing!'
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
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