Just a tiny update to let everyone know that the blog for FLEE is now live and can be reached at the following address:
www.fleenovel.blogspot.com
There's not much there to look at now, but it might be worth bookmarking!
Monday, August 21, 2017
Friday, August 18, 2017
“Flee" now in final stage
For those who've asked and emailed, good news! FLEE's third draft has been successfully completed and is now in the hands of a small team of proofreaders. After I get the results back, I'll go over the feedback, make the needed changes, and that's that! That means it should be no problem to get the book done by September as promised. (Whew!)
However, with this book and its sequels, the online blog release and Amazon release will work a bit differently. In the past, I'd start releasing chapters on the blog first, and the Amazon download and paperbacks would follow some months later. This time, I'll be releasing both at the same time. That way, readers won't have to wait months to get the whole story. For those not in a rush, you'll still be able to get the entire book for free on the blog (one chapter a week as usual), and once all the chapters are released I'll put the epub and mobi files up for download. I think this is a great way to reward readers who are purchasing books and helping me to sustain this hobby of mine, without excluding anyone else.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for being so supportive of these writing projects, whether by purchasing books on Amazon or by via small donations. As this hobby of mine has evolved over the years, I've become much more disciplined with my approach to writing, researching, and editing, and that has meant an increase in time spent on each subsequent book, so support in any form means a lot.
However, with this book and its sequels, the online blog release and Amazon release will work a bit differently. In the past, I'd start releasing chapters on the blog first, and the Amazon download and paperbacks would follow some months later. This time, I'll be releasing both at the same time. That way, readers won't have to wait months to get the whole story. For those not in a rush, you'll still be able to get the entire book for free on the blog (one chapter a week as usual), and once all the chapters are released I'll put the epub and mobi files up for download. I think this is a great way to reward readers who are purchasing books and helping me to sustain this hobby of mine, without excluding anyone else.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for being so supportive of these writing projects, whether by purchasing books on Amazon or by via small donations. As this hobby of mine has evolved over the years, I've become much more disciplined with my approach to writing, researching, and editing, and that has meant an increase in time spent on each subsequent book, so support in any form means a lot.
Friday, August 11, 2017
The daunting world of audiobooks
So apparently, audiobooks are a thing.
If you're not sure what I'm talking about, audiobooks are audio recordings of entire books that can be purchased and downloaded online. Typically the books are read by professional voice actors or the authors themselves. About a decade ago, I downloaded a few audiobooks to try it out myself, but didn't get very far before giving up. I chalk this up to the fact that I'm a very visual person. It's the sense I'm most in tune with. It's the way I write (I blogged about this very topic here) and it's the way I read. If the words aren't in front of my eyes, my mind is apt to drift to other matters. So I prefer reading over listening.
For a long time, I suspected I had this in common with most people, but it turns out that I am wrong. A LOT of people love listening to books read aloud. I guess part of this is the hectic pace of people's lives these days. It's rare for readers to have the luxury of a few spare hours to sit around thumbing through a book, so instead, they listen to bite-sized portions of a book while driving, jogging, or running errands. It's not the way I like to enjoy literature, but I get it.
Anyhow, for years now I've been getting emails asking if I've considered doing audiobook versions of my novels. I dismissed the notion outright at first, because recording my own book (obviously I'm not going to hire a non-Witness reader, and I would hardly be able to afford one anyway!) would be a tremendous investment in time and resources. Of course, in the digital age it's much easier for people to record audiobooks at home. Gone are the days where only expensive, state-of-the-art studios could produce quality recordings. Believe it or not, more than a few professional authors use a room in their house, set up a mic and a laptop with some recording software, and throw blankets over everything to absorb the sound and get right to it.
So for me the real cost is in time. It's no small task to record and edit a reading of a 100,000 word novel. Also, there's quite a bit of skill involved, as I've learned while doing research on the topic. A lot of this is encompassed in our Benefit book, but with a reading as dramatic as that of a paperback, there area also other skills that need to be refined, like being able to quickly switch between voices so that the listener can easily tell when the speaker changes (I tried, it's hard!) and conveying the right kind of emotions in dialogue so that the result isn't A) too lackluster or B) too overboard. So really, it's a mix between reading and acting. And I'm not sure my acting chops are up to the task!
But never say never, right? Anyway, I'm looking into it. It's actually kind of an intriguing idea, and if I get enough requests, it'll probably happen. I've set up a little poll to the right of this blog where you can give me some feedback regarding the possibility of audiobooks. (Please keep in mind that due to file management issues, I would need to host them on an external platform like Amazon, so they wouldn't be free of charge.)
So, do you like audiobooks? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
If you're not sure what I'm talking about, audiobooks are audio recordings of entire books that can be purchased and downloaded online. Typically the books are read by professional voice actors or the authors themselves. About a decade ago, I downloaded a few audiobooks to try it out myself, but didn't get very far before giving up. I chalk this up to the fact that I'm a very visual person. It's the sense I'm most in tune with. It's the way I write (I blogged about this very topic here) and it's the way I read. If the words aren't in front of my eyes, my mind is apt to drift to other matters. So I prefer reading over listening.
For a long time, I suspected I had this in common with most people, but it turns out that I am wrong. A LOT of people love listening to books read aloud. I guess part of this is the hectic pace of people's lives these days. It's rare for readers to have the luxury of a few spare hours to sit around thumbing through a book, so instead, they listen to bite-sized portions of a book while driving, jogging, or running errands. It's not the way I like to enjoy literature, but I get it.
Anyhow, for years now I've been getting emails asking if I've considered doing audiobook versions of my novels. I dismissed the notion outright at first, because recording my own book (obviously I'm not going to hire a non-Witness reader, and I would hardly be able to afford one anyway!) would be a tremendous investment in time and resources. Of course, in the digital age it's much easier for people to record audiobooks at home. Gone are the days where only expensive, state-of-the-art studios could produce quality recordings. Believe it or not, more than a few professional authors use a room in their house, set up a mic and a laptop with some recording software, and throw blankets over everything to absorb the sound and get right to it.
So for me the real cost is in time. It's no small task to record and edit a reading of a 100,000 word novel. Also, there's quite a bit of skill involved, as I've learned while doing research on the topic. A lot of this is encompassed in our Benefit book, but with a reading as dramatic as that of a paperback, there area also other skills that need to be refined, like being able to quickly switch between voices so that the listener can easily tell when the speaker changes (I tried, it's hard!) and conveying the right kind of emotions in dialogue so that the result isn't A) too lackluster or B) too overboard. So really, it's a mix between reading and acting. And I'm not sure my acting chops are up to the task!
But never say never, right? Anyway, I'm looking into it. It's actually kind of an intriguing idea, and if I get enough requests, it'll probably happen. I've set up a little poll to the right of this blog where you can give me some feedback regarding the possibility of audiobooks. (Please keep in mind that due to file management issues, I would need to host them on an external platform like Amazon, so they wouldn't be free of charge.)
So, do you like audiobooks? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Characters over Events
Recently, some of my readers have asked about what appears to be a gaping hole in Critical Times. Where, they ask, was the cry of peace and security?! In truth, the only time the words "peace and security" show up in the novel is in a bit of dialogue between Luke Harding and Agent Meade, who believes that the stamping out of all religion will bring about "peace and security". This, however, is unrelated to the initial cry made by the United Nations as per our current understanding of the global stage set before the outbreak of the Great Tribulation.
The cry of peace and security doesn't feature in the book because the events in the novel take place just after it occurs, as the US, and then other nations around the world (led by the UN), take aim at Babylon the Great. But why, readers might wonder, would I neglect showcasing such a momentous moment in Critical Times?
Answer: It isn't part of the plot. Critical Times begins as social attitudes towards religion are reaching a tipping point. Most people are already frustrated and disillusioned with the churches, making it a fairly simple matter for the governments to step in and strip the harlot of her wealth. The stage is already set to begin Luke's story, and this is the central plot.
More importantly, Critical Times is a story about characters and themes rather than events. I think, as a Witness writer, it can be tempting (and fun!) to write a story that focuses primarily on events. A good example of this was my first novel, All Things New. Although that book was host to a huge cast of characters, they really existed only to retell the events of the Great Tribulation, Armageddon, and Paradise. They were basically just narrating a historical documentary. (This style of storytelling, incidentally, is called an 'oral history'.) As I wrote in the foreword, the project was started with the goal of exploring the answers to such questions as:
The reason I wanted to focus more on characters and themes than on events in Critical Times (and the reason that I will likely continue to do so for future books), is this: to me, the lessons we learn from characters' actions are more valid than guesswork of events that have not yet occurred.
Of course, writing detailed accounts about what may happen in the near future is interesting, exciting, and even thought provoking. But beyond starting conversations, how beneficial is it? This is the question I was forced to ask myself after the completion of All Things New. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the book, and if it helps readers to picture themselves in the New World, then mission accomplished.
For Critical Times though, the emphasis was shifted intentionally. Speculation is kept to a bare minimum as the focus shifts: Would Amy be honest with Luke about her studies, or string him along, leading to confrontation? Would Luke turn a blind eye to the violence and militarization of the police, or would he wake up to the insidious aims of his organization? Would the characters rely on Jehovah and listen to the brothers, or would they attempt to do things their own way?
By making the book primarily about the characters and their decisions, I hoped to write a novel that was both entertaining to read, and a tool for self examination. Because regardless of whether or not any of the events mentioned in the book will resemble reality, the lessons contained therein certainly will.
The cry of peace and security doesn't feature in the book because the events in the novel take place just after it occurs, as the US, and then other nations around the world (led by the UN), take aim at Babylon the Great. But why, readers might wonder, would I neglect showcasing such a momentous moment in Critical Times?
Answer: It isn't part of the plot. Critical Times begins as social attitudes towards religion are reaching a tipping point. Most people are already frustrated and disillusioned with the churches, making it a fairly simple matter for the governments to step in and strip the harlot of her wealth. The stage is already set to begin Luke's story, and this is the central plot.
More importantly, Critical Times is a story about characters and themes rather than events. I think, as a Witness writer, it can be tempting (and fun!) to write a story that focuses primarily on events. A good example of this was my first novel, All Things New. Although that book was host to a huge cast of characters, they really existed only to retell the events of the Great Tribulation, Armageddon, and Paradise. They were basically just narrating a historical documentary. (This style of storytelling, incidentally, is called an 'oral history'.) As I wrote in the foreword, the project was started with the goal of exploring the answers to such questions as:
"How would the U.N. attack false religion? How would the Witnesses later be targeted? How would Jehovah protect his people? What would Armageddon be like? What (and who) would be left? How would we reorganize? Communicate? Travel? Rebuild? What would return to perfection be like? How would a perfect child think? What would the Resurrection be like?"In Critical Times, however, events are no longer the primary focus. Instead, the characters and themes are. While we do get a sense of the changing political scene, societal chaos, and anarchy, (events) these are primarily presented through news snippets that the characters witness as they move through their own personal journeys. While the characters are certainly affected by these external struggles, their conflict is fundamentally internal, and serves as the underlying themes of the book: Luke experiences a paradigm shift as he goes from perpetuating an establishment, to doubting it, to challenging it, to opposing it. Amy, on the other hand, struggles with being torn between her husband and the truth.
The reason I wanted to focus more on characters and themes than on events in Critical Times (and the reason that I will likely continue to do so for future books), is this: to me, the lessons we learn from characters' actions are more valid than guesswork of events that have not yet occurred.
Of course, writing detailed accounts about what may happen in the near future is interesting, exciting, and even thought provoking. But beyond starting conversations, how beneficial is it? This is the question I was forced to ask myself after the completion of All Things New. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the book, and if it helps readers to picture themselves in the New World, then mission accomplished.
For Critical Times though, the emphasis was shifted intentionally. Speculation is kept to a bare minimum as the focus shifts: Would Amy be honest with Luke about her studies, or string him along, leading to confrontation? Would Luke turn a blind eye to the violence and militarization of the police, or would he wake up to the insidious aims of his organization? Would the characters rely on Jehovah and listen to the brothers, or would they attempt to do things their own way?
By making the book primarily about the characters and their decisions, I hoped to write a novel that was both entertaining to read, and a tool for self examination. Because regardless of whether or not any of the events mentioned in the book will resemble reality, the lessons contained therein certainly will.
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