Author: jspeet

Well, thanks to all my beta readers, Trekker is now on it’s cyber way to the editor for the final leg of it’s journey before going through formatting and cover art.  Not much is changing – probably because I think the story line is about as good as it’s gonna get (unless I throw in some Blue Meanies, and that ain’t gonna happen).  Bit more action than Surveyor, but still, it’s a trek, so what you gonna do?

So, back to Explorer. This will be the sequel to the sequel to Surveyor. And, yes, I’m still a jerk about how I wrap up the story.

So, not much writing going on – very little internet access. Why, you wonder? Simple – I’m helping my wife fulfill one of her goals since a traumatic car accident that almost killed her just before Christmas, 2015. In mid-April, 2016, when she finally came home, she saw the movie “The Way” and decided that she wanted to walk the Camino. For those not in the know, that’s the Camino de Santiago – a Pilgrimage that starts in France and ends in Santiago de Compastle, Spain (use Google Maps for this).

Now, for a woman with 19 broken bones, several of them still not healed, and one being the big bone in the ankle that supports all your weight, to make this decision, means a lot. So, I did the manly thing – “Yes, dear.”

For the next two years she progressed from wheelchair to hiking shoes. During that time she also went through numerous surgeries to repair bones that weren’t healing (in total, 13 surgeries).  Finally, we reached the point where she could walk 5 miles with a pack. Quite the accomplishment.

Fast forward to now. She hike across the Pyrenees!

Think about that for a minute. Two-and-a-half years ago she was in a coma. A bit over two years ago she was in a wheelchair.

Of course, the trip hasn’t been a stroll in the park. The first two days were a real struggle. She was carrying a bit more weight than she had trained with, and covered more ground and elevation. The first day out her ankle (remember, the one with the shattered talus and six screws?) swelled up like a softball. The second day, it took her 9 hours to cover 13 kilometers and about 750 meters of elevation gain – something an otherwise healthy adult would probably cover in four to six hour. But she did it!

I won’t mention my role – I think sag-wagon and Sherpa are now my official titles.

So, what I’m getting at is, I’m not writing much until this pilgrimage is done.

See you next month.

Buen Camino!

 

Well, so much for getting much writing done while on the road. Even with a 9 hour flight from Washington to England, then a 5 hour delay waiting for the flight to Dublin, I barely got any writing done. This is mainly because Norwegian Air flights are so packed that typing on my small keyboard was physically painful 😦  So, unfortunately, not much progress to report on Explorer, the third book in the Corps of Discovery Series.

On another note, Trekker is out to the beta-readers, and so far the comments are mainly positive.

Well, since I’m in Dublin, did you expect me to sit at a computer all day writing? BTW, if touring the Guinness facilities, get your tickets online and go early. Even Sunday morning it took 45 minutes to finally get in (plus side, a beer is included with your ticket purchase).

Well, it’s official. The first draft of Trekker is complete, at a bit over 86K words (which, according to my wonderful software, is between 1 and 477 pages long). Realistically, it’s probably around 300 pages long right now – less than Surveyor, but there’s less world building.

Now, off to the Beta Readers (actually, off to them once I finish formatting).

Okay, Joe and Clairese – I’m done. Soon to print.

On Monday I posted that I was back in the groove and hoped to hit 70K in Trekker before the weekend. Well, here it is Friday morning and I’m already approaching 76K.  I’ve pretty much set up most of the today through Sunday for writing, with the intent on wrapping this up at about 90K. Point of reference, Surveyor is 102K (originally, it was 126K but I chopped out a whole lot of detailed stuff, which I liked but others didn’t). I don’t expect to be doing as much chopping with Trekker.

So, yesterday I posted about finally getting back into the groove and hoping to hit 60K. Quite the change since then. Today I made some significant progress and crossed the 65K threshold. Not sure if I’ll be able to keep this up the rest of the week (something to do with having to do my “day job”), but I’ll give it a try. Next goal – 70K before the next weekend.

Well, it’s been a while since I posted. For good reason. I’ve been busy. Along with checking out colleges for the youngest spawn (I believe she’ll be attending Digipen Institute of Technology in the fall – so buy lots of copies of Surveyor, tell your friends to buy lots of Surveyor, and if you want to be on the pre-release of Trekker, shoot me an e-mail with Trekker in the subject heading) I’ve been working, teaching, and writing (and watching the odd stupid movie, like Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (a totally stupid move that I thoroughly enjoyed!).

Speaking of Trekker, I decided to deviate from my usual chronological writing style, and jump forward into the story to get the creative juices flowing again. That seemed to do the trick, as I’ve pumped out several thousand words this week, and should be over 60K by the end of the day.  Don’t expect Trekker to be as long as Surveyor, but you’ll find it to be more action packed. No spoilers.

So, rather than sitting down at my computer, I just spent the last five days in the Bay Area (that’s San Francisco Bay Area for those of you not on the West Coast). Youngest spawn is checking out colleges (man, am I really that old?). That meant leaving Trekker at home while I traveled. Buuuuuut, I did start  a new series, mainly YA (Young Adult). Same timeline, some of the same characters, but a different plot. The goal is to knock out about 3-4 40K novels in this series while completing Trekker and Explorer (or should I focus on Openings?) Decisions, decisions.

To Joe and Clairese – yes, I’m still working on Trekker.

For the second time I’ll be attending Norwescon – “the Pacific Northwest’s Premier Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention” (per their website – http://www.norwescon.org). Looking forward to it. Always lots of interesting workshops and panels. Not sure if I’ll be seeking a publisher for Trekker or continuing to go the Indie route. We’ll see.  If you’re there, let me know. I’ll have books, cards, and a pen 🙂

Last year I went alone (and learned a hell of a lot that pushed Surveyor forward, along with the genesis of Openings – the prequel that the prologue of Surveyor opens with). This year, it turns out the entire fam is going – my wife is working on a memoir, youngest spawn is working on fan fiction (apparently has a larger following than do I!), and who knows what eldest spawn is working on – probably a screenplay.

Anyhow, doubt I’ll get any writing done over the next four days (but you never know – I’ll bring my tablet with me, regardless.

Somebody on Facebook suggested I drop the price of Surveyor “a couple of bucks.”  Here was my response:

“I know many people want to only pay $2.99 (or less) for a book, but isn’t several hours (8-11) of entertainment worth paying more than a Starbucks Latte? Heck, you can’t even get into a movie theater (two hours of entertainment) for less than what you would pay for the paperback version of Surveyor.“

Let’s think about this for a bit. Everyone (including me) wants something for nothing, or at least as for as little outlay as possible (I’ve been called “Cheap Charley” so many times I sometimes think that’s my formal name). But, what is the value of something? As most of us know, the more we’re willing to pay for something (car, house, education, etc.), the more we’re invested in it and the more we value it. Basic economics. So, should I reduce the price of my book, which took a year to write and cost a couple of thousand dollars in art and editing fees to produce, to a point where it’s practically valueless to the reader? I think not.