Release announcement: Relentless

I'm happy to announce the release of Relentless, the second book in the After Z-Day series and the sequel to Hopeless. 

Just in time to celebrate the 4th of July, Relentless is currently available in e-book or paperback format on Amazon. For members of the Kindle Unlimited program, you can read the e-book for free! If you're looking for an action-packed story this holiday, check out Relentless!

Description: 

Seventeen-year-old Sara Sanders survived the initial days following Z-Day, when zombies took over the world. She also reunited with her brother, whom she first feared was dead.

Preparing to face life in a new world on their own, she and her fellow survivors overhear a broadcast from an army base. The soldiers at the base claim that they can protect civilians from the zombies and provide them with some semblance of a normal life again. The base sounds like a godsend. It is what Sara and her companions have been hoping for in the midst of the zombie apocalypse.

But is it too good to be true? Is anywhere truly safe after Z-Day?

Cover reveal: Relentless

Relentless, the sequel to Hopeless, will be released soon! In the meantime, I'm excited to reveal the cover and description for this second book in the After Z-Day series. Look for the new book next month! 

Description: 

Seventeen-year-old Sara Sanders survived the initial days following Z-Day, when zombies took over the world. She also reunited with her brother, whom she first feared was dead.

Preparing to face life in a new world on their own, she and her fellow survivors overhear a broadcast from an army base. The soldiers at the base claim that they can protect civilians from the zombies and provide them with some semblance of a normal life again. The base sounds like a godsend. It is what Sara and her companions have been hoping for in the midst of the zombie apocalypse.

But is it too good to be true? Is anywhere truly safe after Z-Day?

Very late book anniversary

Thank goodness I'm not as bad at remembering my wedding anniversary as I am with my book anniversaries. I recently realized that I've been an author for more than ten years (how did that happen??), and when I looked back at the publishing date for my first novel, George and the Galactic Games, I confirmed it to be true since it was released on November 10, 2011. 

Before George and the Galactic Games, I had written short stories here and there and made a few attempts at writing a novel, but none of them went anywhere. At the start of 2010, I made a New Year's resolution to seriously focus on writing, and in 2011, I resolved to complete a novel. Somehow, I stuck with my plans, and the end result was George and the Galactic Games. The novel holds a special place in my heart. Not only was it my first novel, but it was a story that had been brewing inside me and wanted to be told, and I'm glad I was finally able to share it. Writing the book also showed me that I could complete a novel, and it paved the way for eight more novels in the following years, with a ninth hopefully ready for release in a month or two.

Happy belated 10-year anniversary to George and the Galactic Games!

A writing update

I haven't provided an update on my writing progress since my 2021 NaNoWriMo recap, so it's time to let my readers know that things have indeed been moving on that front since November. For starters, I accomplished my goal of finishing the first draft of the sequel to Hopeless by the end of 2021. I just made it by the skin of my teeth, wrapping it up on the last day of the year. 

Since then, I've been editing the manuscript. After a two-week break, I spent the remainder of January and all of February on my first revision pass. As expected, this comprised many changes because the first revision pass is where I make sure the story makes sense and that I'm telling it the way I want to. I wound up re-writing the ending of the book during this phase.

I made my second revision pass during the month of March. This is where I fix my writing, including cleaning up spelling and grammatical mistakes. At the beginning of this month, I began the third revision pass, and I'm focusing on tightening up my writing and catching any mistakes that slipped through the second phase. My goal is to finish this round of revisions by the end of April.

Depending on how clean I feel the manuscript is after the third pass, I'll either embark on another round of revisions or pass the story along to an editor. In either case, I believe I'm still on track to release the as-yet-unnamed sequel to Hopeless in the middle of this year. I'm excited because this will be the first sequel I've ever written for one of my novels, and I look forward to writing more books in this series!

Thoughts on Brandon Sanderson's Kickstarter

 

One of the topics receiving attention in the author community this week is Brandon Sanderson's record-breaking Kickstarter campaign. For those who haven't heard, fantasy author Brandon Sanderson wrote four new novels in the past two years that he wants to get into the hands of his fans, and he launched a Kickstarter campaign to do so. (This video does a far better job of explaining what the campaign offers and the reason for it than I ever could.) Halfway through the month-long campaign, it's already raised over $27 million! Reactions to the success of Brandon Sanderson's Kickstarter have been all over the map, as expected, so I thought I'd throw in my two cents, both from the perspective of an author and as a Brandon Sanderson fan.

As an author, I congratulate him on the mind-boggling sum that he has been able to raise and thank him for opening our eyes to what's possible. I agree 100% with those who say that only a handful of authors can pull off what Brandon Sanderson did, but the point is that it's possible. If other authors are able to generate a tenth of the interest, or even 1/100th, that's still a significant amount. In many cases, $270,000 (1/100th of Brandon Sanderson's Kickstarter funding so far) is still more than what an author can earn through traditional publishing deals. What inspires me is not only the $27 million (and counting), but the fact that he has complete creative control over how the books will look once it reaches the hands of his readers. I don't know how much money Brandon Sanderson would have made if he published these books through a traditional publisher, but he wouldn't have as much say regarding the finished product as he will now.

What no commentary I've read so far has mentioned, and what surprised me the most about this campaign, is the fact that Brandon Sanderson wrote four extra novels in the last two years! If you've read about what he did in 2020 and 2021, they were both busy years. I was already impressed with his accomplishments, but to learn that he managed to write four additional novels during that time is mind-boggling!

As a Brandon Sanderson fan, I was giddy when I learned of the Kickstarter campaign. Four new novels from one of my favorite authors, along with the option to buy monthly swag boxes? Sounds good to me. There are few authors I'd be willing to shell out $40/month for four unknown books, but Brandon Sanderson is one of them. (I would likely do the same for Lisa Gardner, Laini Taylor, or Rainbow Rowell, in case any of them are reading this post and want to do something similar.) For me, the only question was which level to fund. Initially, I was drawn to the four books in premium hardcover format. They were what I mainly wanted. However, the more I thought about it, the more appealing the swag boxes became. While I probably won't like all the swag I receive, they could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So I took the plunge and pledged the top end Year of Sanderson option. I can't wait for my monthly packages to start arriving!

Are fantasy movies/shows better than the books they're based on?

 

Image courtesy of IMDB

 

It's often said that books are better than their film and TV adaptations, and for the most part, I agree. However, I've noticed one genre where adaptations are as good as or even better than the books they're based on: fantasy.

Consider some of the most popular fantasy movies and TV shows since the start of the millennium:

• Harry Potter
• Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings
• Game of Thrones
• The Witcher
• The Wheel of Time
  

Aside from the Harry Potter series, where the books are hard to beat IMHO, I enjoyed the adaptations over the books in all of the other cases. In the case of Game of Thrones, for example, my low opinion of the books led me to delay in watching the TV series until four seasons had aired. Fortunately, once I started watching it, I found that I enjoyed it much more than the books.

What is it about fantasy books that lend them to adaptations that are comparable or better? I can think of two reasons. 

The first is that fantasy books are usually lengthy. The first two books of A Song of Fire and Ice (all that I've managed to read) are over 800 pages long, and so is the first book in The Wheel of Time series. Did they need to be so long? I would argue that the answer is no. There's too much unnecessary filler in the books. Movies and TV series are time-constrained, so they need to pick and choose which parts include, and as a result, they're able to keep the interesting parts of the story while discarding the filler, making the experience more enjoyable for the viewer.

I also believe that the visuals in a movie or TV show help make fantasy stories better. Unlike books that take place in our everyday world, it's hard to imagine what a fantasy world looks like. Peter Jackson did a great job bringing Middle Earth to life, and one of the best aspects of the Game of Thrones TV series was the visuals, ranging from the settings to the costumes. It was grander than what I had pictured in my head when I read the books.

What's your take on adaptations of fantasy books?

1,000 books and counting

 

I didn't notice this until today, but I've logged over 1,000 books on Goodreads! 

Depending on whether I'm looking at the list of All books or Read books, I've included either 1,003 or 1,005 books since I started using Goodreads in 2011. (I'm perplexed by the difference between the two lists, and I don't know where the discrepancy comes from.)

If I've added 1,003 books, then my 1,000th book was Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams, which I read at the beginning of this year. If 1,005 is the correct number, then my 1,000th book was the last one I logged in 2021, The Therapist by B.A. Paris.

I'm excited to reach the milestone and look forward to another 1,000 books in the next ten years or so!