It’s difficult to believe that 2018 is nearing its end, but here I sit with the end of the year staring me in the face. It’s been a busy year sitting here at the keyboard. Since taking a little bit of a break writing, I’ve nearly worn out the seat of one pair of pants while pecking away at the keyboard. I noticed my “new” keyboard now had letters nearly rubbed off.  Apparently, I use the letters “a” and “n” the most.  Good thing I happen to know where they’re at.

At any rate, I’ve mostly been involved with the series, Lifting the Veil, with the goal of completing it by the end of the year.  It looks like I’ll be able to complete that goal.  What initially began as a two-book series quickly blossomed into four.  I recently received the third book, which is now titled Lifting the Veil: Emergence, from the first editing phase. So, this next week will be spent going through those.  Ugh.  Have I ever mentioned that I hate editing? No, well, I do.  I think I’d rather shove push pins under my fingernails. But, without it, the stories wouldn’t be what they are.  So, yay for this week.

The cover for Lifting the Veil: Emergence has been completed, with the exception of small details. Oh man is it a great one.  Dean Samed has entered new endeavors, so I had to seek out another cover artist.  Based on his recommendation, I selected J Caleb of J Caleb Design.  I can’t wait to show off the cover he designed.  Once I finish this first round and send the manuscript off for the second round, it will take about a month to finish that process. When it’s about a week from getting it back, I’ll do a cover reveal.

While waiting for the edits, I managed to get about one-third of the way through the rough draft of the fourth book, Lifting the Veil: Risen.  And as Emergence is in the next editing process, I’ll continue along with that.  So, hopefully Risen won’t be long following.  I have to say that it’s been an interesting series to write, as the forehead marks on my desk will attest to.  At times, it has been the most frustrating book to pen, and at others, the most fun.  I will both miss it and Snoopy dance with joy when the series is completed.

Once this series has reached its conclusion, I’ll start back on Red Team.  I’ll have to read through it to get my mind in synch with the team, but I have so many notes and ideas that need put into coherent sentences.  I’ve long thought about heading back to A New World, but I have a couple of new ideas about that one that are in a battle with one another.  So, I’ll let those thoughts battle with each other for a while longer.  Once one settles in, I’ll go back to wrap up the threads in that story.

As a last note, Lifting the Veil: Winter has been released as an audio book.  Mark Gagliardi has done another wonderful job and I’m so pleased that I found him so long ago as a narrator.

As always, I really appreciate the support you’ve given me over the years.  It really humbles me to think about where this has gone since I put the first word down on A New World.  So, thank you!

John

I thought it perhaps time for an update. Lifting the Veil: Emergence, the third book in the series, is now in the first stage of editing. This process will take about 5 weeks or so to complete and then I’ll be hitting the publish button. This one was a fun book to write and flowed fairly easily. I pretty much knew that a fourth book would be required early on as I was only a few days into the people emerging and nearly half way through the intended size of the book. The fourth book will be a little more difficult as I attempt to pull all of the pieces together. But, I foresee a bit more action-oriented scenes. I hope you’ve enjoyed the tale so far and Emergence carries that on.

The audiobook of Lifting the Veil: Winter was competed yesterday and is in Audible’s QC process. That means it should be available in about a week. That’s really about it.  I hope you have a wonderful upcoming weekend and thank you for the reviews and all of the support you’ve given.

John

The second book of the Lifting the Veil series is now live on Amazon.  It will become available on the other eBook sites within the next week or so; each site has differing timelines for publication.  The print version should also be ready.  For those who enjoy audio books, I will be starting that process here very shortly.  It takes about a month for the entire narration process to be completed, so I ask your patience in getting this done.

I am also about a third of the way through the draft of the next book in the series.  So far, the book has flowed smoothly, but I know it won’t be that way further in as I have to finesse all of the points to a convergence.  One aspect that is bothering me is that, while I’m a third complete with regards to the normal size of my books, I’m only two days into the emergence from the shelters and there is so much story to cover.  I’m not going to say this early on that the series will be extended, but that remains a possibility.

Here is the link to the US Amazon location:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GRDJ4GG

Thank you for all of your support through they years.  It is truly appreciated.  I feel so humbled to be in this position of telling stories.  When I first sat down at the keyboard, I had no idea it would blossom into what it has become.  So, thank you all!

John

 

It’s summer and with the sun out here in the Northwest, it’s been time to get out before the gray sets back in. I’ve been doing some here and there at the keyboard, but my time has mostly been spent with yard improvements. Retaining walls have been built, land leveled, raised beds constructed, and dirt moved…a lot of dirt. I’m pretty sure that the Earth has changed its rotational spin with the amount of dirt brought in. If you’ve felt that wobble, I apologize. But, that work is nearly completed and it’s time to get back to putting Ramen back on the table.

A Shrouded World: Valhalla, the fourth book in the series, is at the publisher and should be available soon. “Should” is the key word to focus on here. That series is released in all versions at once, so it takes time to compile everything and have the narration for the audio books completed.

I have nearly finished the editing for the second book in the Lifting the Veil series, Lifting the Veil: Winter. This books will take you into the lives of the survivors as they wait out the years until they can again emerge from their shelters. I will say right off that it doesn’t have a ton of action or heart-pounding moments. It’s time to set that bar low. This is the pause before things get really interesting. You can see the storm clouds rising on the horizon and feel the ozone start to build. But first, we have to get to that point and make sure all of the duckies are in a row. The cover is almost complete and I will share that when I get it into my greedy mitts. I anticipate a release before the end of the month, perhaps sooner.

Once I have Winter released, I’ll continue with the scant parts I’ve written on the concluding book. That one is going to be interesting to write, but I’m looking forward to it. I have a ton of ideas and we’ll see which ones make it into the story. Following the finish of this series, it will be time to dive back into Jack and the rest of Red Team.

I have a thought sitting in the recesses of my brain to develop an action/adventure series of books involving Red Team, different from the current series. This one won’t involve monsters, but instead as a special ops unit taking on various assignments. I’m not sure about this one as yet, but there’s a tickling of ideas emerging.

So, that’s about it for now. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

John

Well, the editing with the fourth book of A Shrouded World has finally been completed and with the publisher.  I don’t have a specific date for when it will be released as all versions with that series are released together, so the narration has to be completed.  But, it’s finished and should be ready sometime this summer.

The first stage of editing the second book of Lifting the Veil has also been completed and was sent for the second round of editing this weekend.  This book was difficult to write because it’s less about action and more about putting pieces in the right places.  The conditions had to be correctly set in order to move into the third book.  I’m used to having action break up the monotony of the phases in between, so moving from one survival camp to the next without blood-splashing actions scenes was tedious to write.  I learned that I’m much better with action scenes than I am with any other aspects…or that I enjoy writing them better.  But, the tedious scenes are necessary for the story to evolve.

Now, with the completion of the second book’s draft, I can move on to the concluding third book.  There is a lot happening in my mind with regards to the final book that just needs translation into words on paper.  The forces of light and dark will work to bring the bring the souls to their side and eventually collide with a  decisive battle.  I’m looking forward to diving into the book and will do so shortly.

Thank you all for your support!  If you wouldn’t mind taking a moment to leave a review for all of the books, I would greatly appreciate it.  I hope you had a great weekend and that your week treats you well.

John

It’s been a while since I’ve updated matters, so accept my apologies.  I’d like to say that I’ve been chained to the keyboard, but the fact of the matter is, I haven’t.  I injured my hand and that’s been keeping me from endlessly pounding out words.  I have recently been able to start back up and am progressing with the second book of Lifting the Veil.  So, I haven’t been totally slacking and here’s where we’re at with books.

The fourth book of A Shrouded World, titled A Shrouded World: Valhalla, is at the editor as we speak.  That should be back in Mark’s and my hands in about three weeks.  We’ll have to go through the usual post-edit process and then submit it.  I have no idea when that will be actually published as it will have to be narrated first.  The plan is to release all versions at once, so be patient, it’s getting closer.

The narration of Lifting the Veil: Fallen has been completed and is in Audible’s QA process.  In the past, that’s taken about a week or so before it’s on the market.  Along those lines, I’ve begun writing on the final stages of the second book of Lifting the Veil and am but a short sprint from finishing that one.  I’ll hopefully have the rough draft completed in the first part of May, then that will begin the editing process.  As it does that, I’ll start working on the third and final novel in that series.  Yes, I know that there’s been a clamor for more Red Team and I’ll work on that series following the completion of LTV.

I will say that Lifting the Veil has been a different process.  Normally, I pretty much free flow the writing, but that can’t be the case with this series.  Everything has to be carefully fit and that’s a chore with my limited brain cells.  I do want to thank everyone for all of your support.  I’m still floored on a daily basis by all of you, so thank you!  You don’t know how much I truly appreciate it.

John

So, I took a little time off during the holidays and it’s taken me a little to get started back up.  However, I did start back up on a limited basis a little while ago.  Part of the reason is that I came to a point in the second book of Lifting the Veil where I had to make a choice that would be the ultimate direction of the series.  When I first envisioned the story, it was to be a two-book set.  I was going to do something a little different and have a higher level look at events, with Michael as my main character.  That began to change part way through the second book as I could go one of two ways – to continue as planned, or extend the story to include more of a view with the characters introduced during the first book.  I felt, as this was to be a completely different story than I’m used to writing, that to shortcut anything would be to short-change the story and thus the readers.  But, to change directions in mid-story is not the easiest thing to do, so I had to carefully ponder how such an extended story might look and could it be done with what I wrote in the first book.  This series is difficult enough to write, although fun, as each piece has to fit in so tightly.  So, my daily word count hasn’t been what it should be.  But, I am now looking at three books in this story, which means that Red Team may have to be put off for another book.  However, I have felt those characters calling to me and had a complete scene of Red Team envisioned during one of my many sleepless nights.  So, not to fear, Jack and the others will return and I may have to fit them in between book two and three of Lifting the Veil. We’ll see.

Now, with that said, I reached the halfway mark through book two of Lifting the Veil, which I’ll now have to rename.  I’m thinking Lifting the Veil: Arrival.  The cover has been completed, but I’ll have to change the title.  I can’t wait to reveal this cover.  Dean has once again done his magic and put up with my nitpicking.

On another note, the audio book of Red Team: Strigoi should be coming out here in a couple of days.  I’ll begin the audio production of Lifting the Veil: Fallen in the next week or so.  I’ve slowly been catching up with the audio books and Fallen is the only one remaining.  ASW 4 is still with Mark, but should be ready to begin the editing process here soon.

I want to thank you for all of your support and hope you have an awesome upcoming weekend!

John

My first foray outside of my comfort zone with regards to writing is now live.  It’s the first book of a planned two-book series and details an apocalypse loosely based on the Book of Revelation.  Or, it’s better to say that there are elements of that in the book.  I’ve had the idea in mind for some years now, but the actual story idea slammed into me one night while lying in bed staring at the ceiling with ideas that wouldn’t cease – in other words, my usual night.  I had a vision, if you will, of a fantasy character being able to summon a shining sword of light and fighting evil.  That quickly transformed into the archangel Michael and the story in my head took off.  I was at the keyboard the following day and the story began to evolve into the tale in the pages.  I had so much research to do and it was a difficult process of formulating parts of Revelation into an actual story.  At any rate, the first part of the story is available in electronic format.  I’ll be putting together the paperback here soon and will eventually get around to the audio format.

I hope your day is going well and look forward to hearing how you like the story.

John

Well, the holidays, for those who celebrated them, have come and gone and we’ve now started marching down 2018’s path.  I took a couple of weeks off but now starting back at the keyboard.  So, I thought it might be time to give an update as to where things sit with regards to the books.

I recently finished the first of a new two-book series at it’s now out on pre-order for a 12 January delivery date.  Lifting the Veil: Fallen is a new venture outside of the usual box and, as such, I ask those that foray into the book to keep this in mind.  It was a difficult book to write and doesn’t really follow a single character or two through an apocalypse.  Rather, it takes a different look from a higher altitude.  I’ve taken a bit from the Book of Revelation and created a story based loosely on the verses.  I’ve also looked at how it might appear from the spiritual plane, so there are demons and angels in the mix.  Michael is one of the major characters, and to be perfectly honest, one of my favorite to write about.  The story itself is not meant to convey a political or religious belief; it’s just a narrative story that has been rattling in my brain for some time.  So, again, please just read it as a story if you decide to pick it up.

I’ll be picking up the fourth book of A Shrouded World as my next writing.  I’ll be working on my next part before sending it back to Mark for the last part. As it sits, we’re currently sitting at over half way through the book.

I’m still behind on audio books and just commissioned Mark Gagliardi to begin working on the third ARES book, ARES Virus: Phoenix Rising.  I’m hoping that one will be available by the end of January.  We’ll then start on Red Team: Strigoi followed by Lifting the Veil.  I believe that will catch all of the books up on audio.

Once I hand off ASW4, I’ll go back to finishing the second book of Lifting the Veil.  I’m nearing a third of the way through the concluding book in that series and will work on that while Mark is working on ASW4.  Once all of the aforementioned books have been completed, I’ll dive back into Red Team.  They’ve been sitting dormant for far too long and are hammering at me to be let out.

So, I guess that’s about it.  I hope the new year is a prosperous one for everyone.

John

As the title says, the audiobook for The Third Wave: Eidolon went live on audible this morning.  Mark Gagliardi did a tremendous job and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did writing it.  I have to say that this was just a fun book to write.

Currently, I have the first book of a two novel series at the editor and it’s scheduled to be finished and in my hands by the 18th of December. Although, the editor wrote and mentioned that they were ahead of schedule.  My hope is to get Lifting the Veil: Fallen completed before Christmas.  I am also past the quarter way mark though the sequel, Lifting the Veil: Risen.  However, I have set that one aside for a moment as I received Mark Tufo’s part from A Shrouded World, book 4.   So, I’ll be working on that and get back to Risen once I’ve passed that one back.

In the world of Audio, I’ll ask Mark to begin on the third book of the ARES series, Phoenix Rising and hopefully that will be ready toward the end of January or beginning of February.  In addition, A Shrouded World: Convergence, the third book in that series, is on pre-order for a 12 December release.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and see you on the other side.

John