Yearly Archives: 2017

All I want for Christmas

Is a million books sold.

Laugh with me. Go ahead.

However, that isn’t really hard. All I need to do is–put my name out there, become a YouTube or podcast star, write tons of critically acclaimed books, and voila! A million books sold.

Becoming famous is either a lightning strike or slogging through mud. The ones who slog through the mud aren’t heralded as loudly or as much as the lightning strikes. But while the lightning strikes last only a short time, the ones who slog last forever. I suppose I would rather be one who slogs. But most of my fame will be posthumous, I guess.

Next blog I will reflect on the year and give you an update of what’s coming up for next year. My Goodreads giveaway was a success–over 600 people entered the sweepstakes and about 10% of them put my book on their to-read list. I sent out the winner with Thursday’s mail. I think in February I’ll do another giveaway, with books 1 and 2 along with “Self-Defense”.

“Virgo” just had its big reveal…at 6K words. I’m at the point of “Now what?” I guess I’ll throw in an explosion, because I have about 25K words to go. I’ve been thinking about Capricorn and might sit down to write that one instead of Virgo, and let Virgo sit for a little while. Not sure. Taurus I need to do some research for. Queer Romance Ink, here I come.

Full Crone

You know you’re old when you have to wear glasses to drive now.

I just celebrated my birthday this Friday. I am officially supposed to be a crone (yep, showing my age), but I don’t feel that way. I write YA stories, speculative fiction, not tedious memoirs and cozy mysteries. I listen to hard rock from the 1990’s and 2000’s (Turbo and Lithium on Sirius XM). I play video games. I don’t feel my age. Go figure.

Episode 11 of the Dark Mystic Quill podcast should be up by the time you see this. It’s about altars and what goes on them. There’s also a cameo appearance from Tom, my cat.

I’m still writing Earth. I’m feeling the time crunch. I have some scenes in mind to put in, but they’re not sex-related, they’re story related. I don’t know if what I’m writing is erotica or a story with explicit sex. The sex is not what drives the story, the paranormal elements are. Oh, Water is going to be an audio book, and the narrator is wonderful. That, hopefully, will be available soon.

I got the cover for Grimaulkin Redeemed, and OMG…it’s beautiful. Just what I pictured. Now I have to write it. But I’m not going to write it until I get to War Mage. The publisher said he doesn’t think I’ll end at three books. I might not. But that’s all I have in mind, and I can’t see myself going something like ten or fifteen books like the Dresden Files. Eventually, you get to a point when both you and your readers are bored. Though I’ve had Grimaulkin around for ten years, so I  don’t think I’ll get bored with him anytime soon.

So, in the meantime, I get to yell, “Get off my lawn!” and be official about it.

The Joint

I just released a new short story taking place in the Grimaulkin world called “The Joint“. It’s a free download, and it’ll be a free story that I’ll give away at my appearances.

So far, no appearances are coming up. Except for WorldCon 76 in San Jose, CA in August. More about that in March.

Working on Earth, Virgo in particular. I’ve read two M/M novels within the last week, and both of them have sex within the first 10% of the book. I suppose I have to get sex within the first 5% since it’s a novella. I consider the story in erotica to be more important than the erotica. There has to be a little lead up, not just sex, sex, sex, right? Maybe it’s from being a girl writing gay stories.

Grimaulkin Redeemed may be ready for August. Sure. I can do that.

So go pick up “The Joint” and review it on Goodreads. Oh, by the way, I am on Goodreads, too. (They just fixed me so that my author name comes up on a search.)

 

Expo success!

I had the best spot at the Author Expo. First row. People saw me when they first came in and took a left from the entrance.

I sold 8 books, the most I’ve ever done. Most of them were bundles. I’m going to try and do the bundles from now on. They were a really good draw.

Grimaulkin Tempted went well, also. Sold five over the course of the week (both at the Expo and to people at work). At the Expo, I had two people who actually came there looking for me! I have fans! (Welcome if you’re new here.)

I’m right now working on Earth. Virgo, in particular. I hope to have that done this month.  Then there’s Capricorn and Taurus. Then…War Mage. After that, Grimaulkin 3 (Grimaulkin Redeemed).

I have a busy year coming up. I’ll also be at WorldCon in San Jose from August 15-20–planning on buying my tickets this week for the flight. Although I’m not nominated for any awards, I plan on being there with Paper Angel Press to sign books and to help at the booth.  I’m excited and nervous at the same time. It’s my first big Con.

Episode 11 may come out next weekend for Dark Mystic Quill. At least that’s what I’m aiming for. It will be about witchy stuff, since I haven’t been doing much of that lately.

Almost there!

Grimaulkin Tempted is to be released on December 1. On December 2 is the launch party at the Author Expo at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet. (The Kindle edition is available right now on Amazon, I noticed.)

I sold two copies to my local fans so far already. I’m waiting on feedback from one of them–he reads fast, and said he would definitely read it this weekend.

Started work on War Mage, getting through a block right at the beginning of the book. I know the things I want to set up, but the problem is how long it will take me to set them up, and I also don’t want to insult the reader. See, Brent is supposed to be a detective, but he’s not. Clues have to be pretty obvious to him. I’m afraid of pissing off the reader by bopping them over the head with obvious clues. I don’t want them to scream at the book, “But can’t you see that blahdy-blah-blah????” How do I get him to grow into being a detective? That’s one of the transformations of the character.

A character needs to be transformed by the end of the book. It’s not the same person as it was at the beginning. Brent, at the beginning, feels that the Army is giving him a second chance, and if he blows it, he’s screwed. In addition, he’s scared. Scared of failure, scared of trust, scared of getting tortured again.  At the end, he might fail in one sense, but he’s a stronger man for it. In the first draft, my beta reader said that he was a pussy at the end. Well, I have to change that. I know the beginning. It’s getting to the end that’s giving me problems.

Earth is supposed to be next on the docket. I really should, timewise, work on that. It’s due for…March? But writing erotica is easy once I get started. I practice it in Champions and I have an excellent partner. I pick up lessons from him that I may use in my erotica.  It’s the story that I get hung up on. Erotica is more than sex, sex, sex, scenery, sex, sex, dialogue, sex… There’s a story, with characters and a plot and a reason for their pairing. For Taurus I’m stealing a plot that someone posted on Queer Romance Ink; well, not really stealing. Modifying. The original plot includes werewolves. My world in Zodiac does not include werewolves. For Capricorn, I’m modifying Hell on Wheels. And for Virgo, it might be a sweet romance in the middle of a tumultuous time.

Well, it’s back to chiseling out of marble that is War Mage. Time to burn some incense and invoke the muses. Let’s see what they come up with for today.

 

 

Grimaulkin Giveaway on Goodreads!

Just in time for Christmas (if you don’t live too far away).

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Grimaulkin by L.A. Jacob

Grimaulkin

by L.A. Jacob

Giveaway ends December 20, 2017.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Ah, the smell of new books!

I just got Grimaulkin Tempted in the mail yesterday, both hardcover and trade paperback. It looks so cool!

Although it’s officially not going to be released until December 1, I needed them for the Author Expo on December 2, which will be my launch party! I’ll have special bundles there, buy Grimaulkin 1 and 2, get $5 off. Or pay full price of the two Grimaulkin books, and you can get Homecoming for free. And, of course, you’ll get a copy of Mike’s origin story “Self Defense” for free. And card readings if you want.

I’ve decided to put aside War Mage for the display, although I still will have the dragons as eye-catchers. For the past week, I’ve been working on War Mage, doing some exercises to try and generate ideas for the story. I’ve got the trajectory, point A, the beginning, and point Z, the end. It’s how to get to point Z from point A that I’m having trouble with. I know what the theme is, but it’s really hard for me because I, myself, don’t believe in the theme.

Maybe I should change the theme into something I believe in. But that would make for a dark story. I wanted it to be uplifting. I want the main character to succeed. But the way I have it now, he fails in one way, but succeeds with the theme. If he fails in his environment, it’s the end of the series.

Maybe that’s what the muses want. I’ve been working on this story for 2 years now. It’s been on the back burner for all this time, and I really should get it going. I’ve written it three times. It’s a story that I’ve promised, but I can’t seem to deliver.

I’ll keep working on it over the Thanksgiving weekend. Maybe something will come to me by then that will make the 4th rewrite of the story an actual charm. I should have done it for NaNoWriMo, but I thought the memoir would have been easier. It wasn’t. Check out my podcast as to why.

So my homework this week is to keep working on War Mage, and get myself psyched up for selling Grimaulkin on December 2.

NaNo NoNo

If you’re new to this page, welcome!

I started writing the memoir. Then, I noticed something.

It read like a newspaper report. This happened, then that happened. There’s no guts. No feeling. No reason. No lesson. And when I cast back to try to remember, I don’t remember many feelings at the time. It was do this, do that, make sure this happens. If anything, I was angry at my family, at his family, angry at the world. That’s all that I remember.

So I put it aside. I know I need to go deeper, and I don’t know if I’m ready for that.

Instead, I’m working through the book 90-Day Novel, which requires me to write every day and answer five or six questions a day. Also weekly homework of contemplation on the world. I’m doing this for War Mage, since I’m so stuck on that novel. I have to write 1600 words a day for NaNo. I’m lucky if I clear 1000. So I don’t think I’m going to win this year.

“The Joint” which is my new short story, probably won’t be available at the Author Expo on December 2, but “Self Defense” will be. And also Grimaulkin Tempted! I have a special bundled price: Grimaulkin and Grimaulkin Tempted if bought together will go for $25, with a free copy of “Self Defense” AND a free card reading.

Well, there’s a free card reading with any purchase anyway.

Podcast will come out next weekend. Unsure of the topic, probably NaNoWriMo. Or spells. Or both!

 

Non-fiction is hard

I’m in the midst of writing my memoir, and it’s been really hard. Going back ten years, and gathering bits and pieces of conversations, moments of getting together, things said, people spoken to, quotes and how things went…feelings of other people, and, really hard: my own feelings.

I was numb then. All I knew was I have to take care of things.  It reads like a newspaper article. There’s no feelings here and there. Maybe I didn’t have any. I don’t know. I don’t remember that.

I told my son that he can read this after I’m dead. If he wanted to publish it then, that’s fine. But I can’t see myself publishing it when I’m alive because it makes me look like I was cold and uncaring. After I’m dead, he can do whatever he wants with it.

I don’t even know if I can drag it out for 50K words. Right now it’s almost 9K. I suppose half of it will be “how to handle grief and loss” or something like that. Something I need to research and regurgitate.

On a more happy note, Grimaulkin Tempted is complete and ready for printing. Hopefully I’ll have some copies for sale at the Expo on December 2 (though I don’t expect to do a booming business there due to 124 other authors being there as well). Maybe I’ll do a “2 for $25” deal–books 1 and 2 for $25. Or even $20. I’d prefer $20. That would be a good sale, and being that we’re all a bunch of cheap Yankees…

I’ve also written a story of Mike’s prison time called “The Joint” which is also complete though we only need a cover.  That won’t be ready by December 2 unfortunately. I don’t know when my next appearance will be, but I’m going to strive next year to go to the RI Comicon. Yes, I know, it’s expensive, but I think I can sell more stuff there. So instead of the Narragansett thing, I’ll save my money for Comicon. I need a banner for that.

After NaNo, I’ll tackle Earth.

Oh, and next week I’ll be on WADK at 10:30 on November 8. Only about 15 minutes though. A two-hour drive and $8 toll for a fifteen minute spot. Not worth it, but what the heck, right?

My interview on WNRI was great. I plugged the Press, and Zarra, plugged all my books, and we talked about writing and publishing. It was excellent. I didn’t get to plug my podcast, but that’s okay.

So onward. If I can squeeze out 2K words today, I’ll be happy. I tried to get 3K words yesterday, but the muse was reluctant. And I kept getting interrupted by a bored kid. If I do 2K a day, I’ll succeed.

Post 150!

Today I took a ride to Newport to find the radio station WADK that I’m going to be on November 8 at 10:30. I found the offices, but I don’t think that’s the studio, so I’ll call them tomorrow and ask for directions. This Tuesday at 9 a.m., I’ll be on WNRI talking about Grimaulkin.

Finished the final edits on Grimaulkin Tempted. I did them in about 6 hours. Just little things like extensive commas. I am a comma abuser.

I wrote a tie-in story called “The Joint” which I’m letting rest right now. It’s about Mike in prison, but told from a different point of view.

This NaNoWriMo is going to be a memoir, which I suppose will be published posthumously. It’s going to go into my life, how I was treated by my family, how I treated my family, and about cancer, death and living with autism. I think I’ll get 50K words out of it. But it’ll be hard, because it will be narrative non-fiction, something I’m not really good at.

On the blog of Paper Angel Press will be a press release for Under the 13th Star which has my short story in it. My website will have a link to that book. I might actually send the press release out to the Providence Journal or the Pawtucket Times or even the Valley Breeze to get an interview. If I do, I’ll be sure to post it here. And I’ll buy up all the copies!