Greetings, fellow Bearers!
Well, I come bearing (hopefully) grand news today: at the end of last week, I submitted The Summoning of Clade Josso to the Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. This is a shot for people to become exposed en masse to the novel, which would be awesome. To tell the truth, I'd be perfectly happy with just getting a bigger exposure for the novel, win or lose the contest. Perhaps, God willing, it'll happen.
On another note, the short story "10:15" has become (for me at least) a runaway hit! over 70 downloads in three days: considering I'm not a big time author who's well-known, I'm pretty happy about that! If you are one of those who downloaded and liked the short story, please check out my other works as well. Even though Clade Josso isn't a horror novel, it does have some elements of horror to it that will appeal to the horror fan.
So, in the meantime, thank you for reading, keep the downloads coming, and enjoy my increasing library of works!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Showing posts with label Clade Josso. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clade Josso. Show all posts
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Prepping another short story...
Greetings, Bearers!
While OLD VELT is wrapping up, I thought I'd let you know that I'll be posting another short story on Smashwords in the next week or so. This one is called "10:15", another one about an incident taking place in a school, still maintaining a horror element, although it's different than "Fraidy-Cat" on a few levels. All I need to do is get the cover for the story ready (Smashwords won't put stories on their premium catalog lists unless you have a good cover), and finish some minor formatting points, and we'll be ready to go.
While I'm thinking about it, another round of "thank yous" goes to those of you who continue to keep "Fraidy-Cat" and the other stuff I've put up on Smashwords popular. It's still getting downloaded and read, which is very cool to see.
And for those who have downloaded CLADE JOSSO lately, a thank you and hat off to you as well. I'm hearing good things from people who have read the novel. If you happen to be one of those people, please don't hesitate to put up a review on Amazon or Smashwords-the more, the better!
So keep up the good work, and I'll get back to working on OLD VELT!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
While OLD VELT is wrapping up, I thought I'd let you know that I'll be posting another short story on Smashwords in the next week or so. This one is called "10:15", another one about an incident taking place in a school, still maintaining a horror element, although it's different than "Fraidy-Cat" on a few levels. All I need to do is get the cover for the story ready (Smashwords won't put stories on their premium catalog lists unless you have a good cover), and finish some minor formatting points, and we'll be ready to go.
While I'm thinking about it, another round of "thank yous" goes to those of you who continue to keep "Fraidy-Cat" and the other stuff I've put up on Smashwords popular. It's still getting downloaded and read, which is very cool to see.
And for those who have downloaded CLADE JOSSO lately, a thank you and hat off to you as well. I'm hearing good things from people who have read the novel. If you happen to be one of those people, please don't hesitate to put up a review on Amazon or Smashwords-the more, the better!
So keep up the good work, and I'll get back to working on OLD VELT!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Cubs and inquiries
Greetings, fellow Bearers (and inquisitive minds)!
This week, I want to touch base on two things. First, I've got a poem dedicated to the Chicago Cubs. Any of you who are diehard Cubs fans who lament the century plus of heartbreak brought on by the Northsiders of the Windy City, this one's for you. Don't worry: one day they will do it.
Funny enough: I don't live in Chicago, and having grown up in Michigan, my team was the Tigers. But I caught this documentary on HBO called "Wait 'til next year," which tells the story of the Cubs and the ups and downs they've gone through. Even if you're not a baseball fan, it's an interesting watch. And while baseball isn't my favorite sport, that documentary resonated with me. Last year I went to see the Cubs play the Tigers in Detroit. Great game, although I and my son were forced to leave by the fifth inning (Ever felt humidity in Detroit? It ain't fun). People have asked me who I would root for if the Cubs and Tigers ever met in a World Series. My response? I'll let you know when it happens :D
Second, I've been receiving several requests from people who have asked me to try to describe what sort of fantasy the World of the Vein embodies. This is a difficult one to answer, because anyone who has read The Summoning of Clade Josso will tell you that it's not your typical Tolkien-style fantasy. In other words, you don't have knights and elves and orcs and dragons and what not. While I appreciate the influence Tolkien has on the fantasy world (and let's face it: he deserves a lot of the credit for it, if not almost all of the credit), I didn't want to go in that direction. That's been done by enough authors in my opinion.
What I wanted with the Vein was something fresh and different. Something that blends the past and the future, and has a completely unique look and feel. The beauty of this is that you have a world and a story which stands out in a very unusual way, because there's nothing to compare it to. The drawback, however, is that it's difficult to relate the World of the Vein with anything else out there, because there's nothing to compare it to. That's why I tell people "You just have to read the book."
I suppose that, if there were to be any comparison to make, the closest concept I could compare the Vein to would have to be Stephen King's Dark Tower series, but even this falls short, because from what I understand (I've not read much of it, so I'm going by what little I know), King still relates his fantasy to elements of the "real world," such as New York City and Topeka, Kansas, both of which are found in his series. The hero, Roland, is a gunslinger-a cool concept, I admit, but a very different character in development and motive than the Vein's Clade Josso.
I would certainly welcome anybody who has read both King's novels (or at least The Gunslinger) and mine to put up a comparison of the two. I've intentionally refrained from reading any of King's DT works because I've wanted to keep mine as orginal as possible. Granted, if I did read his novels, it wouldn't change what I have planned, but I think I'll wait until my work is all finished.
Besides, knowing my past with Stephen King, I'll end up dropping off the end of the earth if I start reading anything of his (That's a BIG compliment to Mr. King-I can't put his books down :D )
So, until then, check out the work put up on Smashwords, and Old Velt WILL be finished up soon. Promise.
Until then, See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
This week, I want to touch base on two things. First, I've got a poem dedicated to the Chicago Cubs. Any of you who are diehard Cubs fans who lament the century plus of heartbreak brought on by the Northsiders of the Windy City, this one's for you. Don't worry: one day they will do it.
Funny enough: I don't live in Chicago, and having grown up in Michigan, my team was the Tigers. But I caught this documentary on HBO called "Wait 'til next year," which tells the story of the Cubs and the ups and downs they've gone through. Even if you're not a baseball fan, it's an interesting watch. And while baseball isn't my favorite sport, that documentary resonated with me. Last year I went to see the Cubs play the Tigers in Detroit. Great game, although I and my son were forced to leave by the fifth inning (Ever felt humidity in Detroit? It ain't fun). People have asked me who I would root for if the Cubs and Tigers ever met in a World Series. My response? I'll let you know when it happens :D
Second, I've been receiving several requests from people who have asked me to try to describe what sort of fantasy the World of the Vein embodies. This is a difficult one to answer, because anyone who has read The Summoning of Clade Josso will tell you that it's not your typical Tolkien-style fantasy. In other words, you don't have knights and elves and orcs and dragons and what not. While I appreciate the influence Tolkien has on the fantasy world (and let's face it: he deserves a lot of the credit for it, if not almost all of the credit), I didn't want to go in that direction. That's been done by enough authors in my opinion.
What I wanted with the Vein was something fresh and different. Something that blends the past and the future, and has a completely unique look and feel. The beauty of this is that you have a world and a story which stands out in a very unusual way, because there's nothing to compare it to. The drawback, however, is that it's difficult to relate the World of the Vein with anything else out there, because there's nothing to compare it to. That's why I tell people "You just have to read the book."
I suppose that, if there were to be any comparison to make, the closest concept I could compare the Vein to would have to be Stephen King's Dark Tower series, but even this falls short, because from what I understand (I've not read much of it, so I'm going by what little I know), King still relates his fantasy to elements of the "real world," such as New York City and Topeka, Kansas, both of which are found in his series. The hero, Roland, is a gunslinger-a cool concept, I admit, but a very different character in development and motive than the Vein's Clade Josso.
I would certainly welcome anybody who has read both King's novels (or at least The Gunslinger) and mine to put up a comparison of the two. I've intentionally refrained from reading any of King's DT works because I've wanted to keep mine as orginal as possible. Granted, if I did read his novels, it wouldn't change what I have planned, but I think I'll wait until my work is all finished.
Besides, knowing my past with Stephen King, I'll end up dropping off the end of the earth if I start reading anything of his (That's a BIG compliment to Mr. King-I can't put his books down :D )
So, until then, check out the work put up on Smashwords, and Old Velt WILL be finished up soon. Promise.
Until then, See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Whoops.... Call me Mr. Short-term memory....
Forgot to add the link for the VIRTUAL IMAGININGS. That's what I get for trying to do too much at once. My apologies.
Okay, NOW here is the short story anthology that I've been gloating about: LINK TO VIRTUAL IMAGININGS
This is the address for the digital copy. The hard copy paperback should be available soon. I will be happy to put the heads up for it as soon as it comes through!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Okay, NOW here is the short story anthology that I've been gloating about: LINK TO VIRTUAL IMAGININGS
This is the address for the digital copy. The hard copy paperback should be available soon. I will be happy to put the heads up for it as soon as it comes through!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Writing, writing, exhaustion, and more writing.
Oh man, this is what I get for working too much...
Last Saturday, I decide to go out and take care of yardwork. Good idea, right? Sure-until it leads to sinus problems :-( . Well, that's what I get for doing my house duties. Gotta shake it off and keep going.
Good news on the short story collaboration I'm involved with-the stories are collaborated! I believe the proofreader is finishing the once-over, and the cover designer put forth her ideas for the cover. It's pretty exciting, being a part of this. Not just for the exposure it will get all of us (nice though that is), but also because the proceeds will be going to a worthy cause, which is a good thing for everybody as well! The authors I'm working with are very good indie authors, and although I've not read all of their works, I get the impression (based on the postings they do) that they know how to write and write well (I don't have a kindle yet. Me too poor right now) :D
On the other hand, things have slowed down a bit for CLADE JOSSO right now; I'm trying to get my foot in the door regarding book clubs. If you happen to know of any book clubs that enjoy fantasy/scifi and have a flair for the unusual, send them my way! Again, those of you who have begun your descent into the Vein, thank you very much! Those who haven't-come on in!
By the end of this week, I should be putting up a few pieces from the Omnibus, which is being written along with the second novel of the Vein (Fish or cut bait, right?). Hopefully they'll serve to pique some interest in the distant observers of the Vein world, and draw them in to my nefarious trap!... *pause for maniacal villain laughter*
Ok... back to work.
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Last Saturday, I decide to go out and take care of yardwork. Good idea, right? Sure-until it leads to sinus problems :-( . Well, that's what I get for doing my house duties. Gotta shake it off and keep going.
Good news on the short story collaboration I'm involved with-the stories are collaborated! I believe the proofreader is finishing the once-over, and the cover designer put forth her ideas for the cover. It's pretty exciting, being a part of this. Not just for the exposure it will get all of us (nice though that is), but also because the proceeds will be going to a worthy cause, which is a good thing for everybody as well! The authors I'm working with are very good indie authors, and although I've not read all of their works, I get the impression (based on the postings they do) that they know how to write and write well (I don't have a kindle yet. Me too poor right now) :D
On the other hand, things have slowed down a bit for CLADE JOSSO right now; I'm trying to get my foot in the door regarding book clubs. If you happen to know of any book clubs that enjoy fantasy/scifi and have a flair for the unusual, send them my way! Again, those of you who have begun your descent into the Vein, thank you very much! Those who haven't-come on in!
By the end of this week, I should be putting up a few pieces from the Omnibus, which is being written along with the second novel of the Vein (Fish or cut bait, right?). Hopefully they'll serve to pique some interest in the distant observers of the Vein world, and draw them in to my nefarious trap!... *pause for maniacal villain laughter*
Ok... back to work.
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
Thursday, October 15, 2009
C'mere, I've got a question for you...
Greetings, fellow Bearers! (If you don't know what a Bearer is, you need to get a copy of CLADE JOSSO to find out! :D )
I'm working on a few side items, and would LOVE to have your input on a couple of matters.
1.) I'm in the process of putting together a sort of Omnibus of the world of the Vein. The entire Omnibus is going to take quite some time to finish (I'm going this alone for now, and at this point I don't have an artist to help me create images-believe me, you don't want to see my pitiful attempts at pictures!), but I've considered pasting finished sections of the Omnibus up for people to read. If this sounds like a good idea to you, let me know.
Which leads me to my second matter...
2.) If you or anybody you know is good at art, and you think they'd do a good job at putting to image the elements of the novel, feel free to send them my way! I'm afraid I can't pay a whole lot right now, as the book needs to sell some more copies so that I can get some $$$ to pay people for services and.... well, you know the cycle. But for those of you who have the novel, tell others about it, especially if they have artistic abilities!
Well, that's all for right now. Again, those of you who have bought the book, thank you for doing so. For those of you who haven't-what are you waiting for? Come and join us in the adventure!\
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
THE SUMMONING OF CLADE JOSSO
Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Summoning-Clade-Josso-First-Descent/dp/1439222738
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001S2RBFG/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1439222738&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0PHS4NY392Q5Z9S7XCVD
Kindle:
I'm working on a few side items, and would LOVE to have your input on a couple of matters.
1.) I'm in the process of putting together a sort of Omnibus of the world of the Vein. The entire Omnibus is going to take quite some time to finish (I'm going this alone for now, and at this point I don't have an artist to help me create images-believe me, you don't want to see my pitiful attempts at pictures!), but I've considered pasting finished sections of the Omnibus up for people to read. If this sounds like a good idea to you, let me know.
Which leads me to my second matter...
2.) If you or anybody you know is good at art, and you think they'd do a good job at putting to image the elements of the novel, feel free to send them my way! I'm afraid I can't pay a whole lot right now, as the book needs to sell some more copies so that I can get some $$$ to pay people for services and.... well, you know the cycle. But for those of you who have the novel, tell others about it, especially if they have artistic abilities!
Well, that's all for right now. Again, those of you who have bought the book, thank you for doing so. For those of you who haven't-what are you waiting for? Come and join us in the adventure!\
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
THE SUMMONING OF CLADE JOSSO
Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Summoning-Clade-Josso-First-Descent/dp/1439222738
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001S2RBFG/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1439222738&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0PHS4NY392Q5Z9S7XCVD
Kindle:
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
New site and Exciting news!
So here we are, with a new blog site! I welcome those of you who are first time visitors, as well as those of you who are carry-overs from the myspace site! I'm pleased to bring to you a new place for blogging!
How much nicer it is to have a blog site which doesn't get blocked at work! Don't worry: for those of you who are productivity-minded, I only work on this on downtime. Same with the second novel, which is getting closer and closer to being finished every day (Pause for cheers and applause).
Right now, between the next novel, the three bands I'm working with (http://myspace.com/episodicmusic, http://jasoneaton.org, and a third teacher band whose website I don't have right off the top of my head), my full time teaching job, and my family, I'm one busy fellow. Nevertheless, I will certainly keep you apprised with updates on the Vein Project, including progress on the novels, booksignings, etc.
Right now, some great news to share with you. Currently, several authors-myself included-who publish works for Kindle readers are in the process of putting together a short story anthology and putting it out for people to purchase, with all proceeds going to a charity or worthy cause (I think that we're putting the profits toward breast cancer research, which is certainly a good cause!). My submission is a short story called "The Accordion", a semi-horror story inspired by a humorous incident that happened in the life of one of my students. With her permission, I shaped what she told me and turned it into an eerie short story, which I hope you will soon be reading.
So for those of you who have purchased THE SUMMONING OF CLADE JOSSO, thank you for doing so, and keep telling others about the book! If you've not yet done so, The book is available through Amazon.com, or if you are a kindle reader, an earlier version is available through Kindle as well (The direct links are provided at the end of this blog, under my signature). And hang in there, Old Velt is on his way!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
The Summoning of Clade Josso: Amazon Links:
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