Sunday, December 21, 2014
In the event you were looking for more information regarding the latest Dr. Jessica Coran novel, The FEAR Collectors - #13 in my most popular series, The Instinct Series, find it here: https://www.blogger.com/The%20latest%20in%20the%20Instinct%20Series,%20Bk#13 is now available: The Fear Collectors - a Dr. Jessica Coran M.E. mystery (The ... How dark can a killer's mind get?
Merry Christmas and Thanks to all my READERS and future READERS!!
Rob Walker
Sunday Mornings and TIME...
find me all over the place...
Sunday, Sunday... a day to take stock of all that we have accomplished during the previous six days... a day of respite and relaxation but for most writers, also a day of serious reflection.
An author is nothing if not a clock watcher. How much can get done in fifteen minutes otherwise wasted? Time is a useful tool that a prolific writer puts to work at every turn, which may well annoy hell out of those around him or her, and yet we all know nothing gets completed without our noses to the grindstone, and we only get there, to that grinding when we use our time wisely.
Setting goals begins with time at the job. Treating one's writing as a job or career puts us in the frame of mind that we need a schedule, and if not a schedule an attitude that prompts up to get things done and use our time well in the process.
Putting work off and off and off as a procrastinator is only good and worthwhile during the staging or planning or research phase of writing a full-length work of fiction or nonfiction for that matter. Pages only accrue if we put in the time.
People call time a man-made artifice and as true as that may be, we still have to use it and not let it use us entirely; that is allow time to wash over us as if we have NO control over it. In order to get a novel thought out, organized, written, edited, rewritten to completion, we must rope time and ride it like a bucking bronco--that is, if we really and truly want to have a finished product at the end of our labors.
While writing may be a labor of love, it is also the product of a great deal of blood, sweat, tears, and TIME put in. Without being conscious of time and ignoring it as a useful TOOL for the author, said writer will accomplish less, lesser, less still.
Time is a precious commodity; give over to it those things you prize. If you truly prize writing, you will create a time and place for it to happen. And yes, a writing space/place is just as important - a setting where one can utilize writing time without the many distractions that are pulling at us all the TIME. Distractions that rob us of our time at the keyboard.
Sunday, Sunday... a day to take stock of all that we have accomplished during the previous six days... a day of respite and relaxation but for most writers, also a day of serious reflection.
An author is nothing if not a clock watcher. How much can get done in fifteen minutes otherwise wasted? Time is a useful tool that a prolific writer puts to work at every turn, which may well annoy hell out of those around him or her, and yet we all know nothing gets completed without our noses to the grindstone, and we only get there, to that grinding when we use our time wisely.
Setting goals begins with time at the job. Treating one's writing as a job or career puts us in the frame of mind that we need a schedule, and if not a schedule an attitude that prompts up to get things done and use our time well in the process.
Putting work off and off and off as a procrastinator is only good and worthwhile during the staging or planning or research phase of writing a full-length work of fiction or nonfiction for that matter. Pages only accrue if we put in the time.
People call time a man-made artifice and as true as that may be, we still have to use it and not let it use us entirely; that is allow time to wash over us as if we have NO control over it. In order to get a novel thought out, organized, written, edited, rewritten to completion, we must rope time and ride it like a bucking bronco--that is, if we really and truly want to have a finished product at the end of our labors.
While writing may be a labor of love, it is also the product of a great deal of blood, sweat, tears, and TIME put in. Without being conscious of time and ignoring it as a useful TOOL for the author, said writer will accomplish less, lesser, less still.
Time is a precious commodity; give over to it those things you prize. If you truly prize writing, you will create a time and place for it to happen. And yes, a writing space/place is just as important - a setting where one can utilize writing time without the many distractions that are pulling at us all the TIME. Distractions that rob us of our time at the keyboard.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Dirty Deed Done of Late...
This year I have been extremely busy, and as a result have had to put aside blogging for awhile...a long while. I have done two new Instinct Series titles, #12 & #13. The Edge of Instinct was completed last January or so and placed up for Kindle publication. It is a combination book, that is it combines the Edge Series characters with the ensemble from the Instinct Series. The Edge of Instinct has a lovely, distinctive cover by the way, done by www.srwalkerdesigns.com and looks like this:
The novel is also an audible.com title as well, along with many other Instinct and Edge Series titles. I have placed up 37 audible.com titles this past year and a half.
The other Instinct title is The FEAR Collectors - #13 in the Instinct Series, and it takes a whole new twist. These last two titles come after Jessica Coran has retired from the FBI, but she is continuing as a 'gun for hire' as a consulting profiler and medical examiner. She's as tough and as strong as ever. Here is the cover art for The Fear Collectors also done by my favorite cover artist listed above:
This title is a Kindle ebook only. I will eventually get it into audible.com and like oher of my works, hopefully get it into paper via Createspace.com The Fear Collectors puts a whole new twist on Dr. Jessica Coran, showing that she can still GROW and Flourish...but it comes at terrible price.
In addition to the two above titles completed over the past year, I also dredged up an older manuscript that I feel is an important story that does for the American Indians what Glory did for the Black soldiers of the American Civil War. THE RED PATH - Indian Brigades in the Civil War is what I am referring to. I have a hugely soft spot in my heart for this title. I cannot count the number of times I have written and rewritten this book, first attempts being a nonfiction title. Finally, I went back to what I know and turned it into a historically accurate account intertwined with an imagined romance. Here is the cover art here, also done by www.srwalkerdesigns.com :
This title is only available for now as a Kindle eBook (and via Kindle app. of course). It tells the true story of the Indian Brigades who fought on the side of the North and the South. Per capita the "state" of Indian Territory lost more men in the war than any other state in the Union or the Confederacy. Per capita, that is. Many lives lost when brothers of the same campfire came to blows in the White Man's War. I mix in a romance to keep the pot boiler boiling.
In addition over the past 14 months, I also rewrote two other early novels for the Young Adult market. One was strictly a boy's book on how George Washington's first artillery 'fell' into his hands. A fascinating historically accurate account mixed with a coming of age imaginary tale of Ben Cross & The Guns of Ticonderoga. Cover art below done by same graphic artist company:
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This title is a kindle eBook but also a wonderfully narrated audible.com title. I love what the narrator did with this novel. Stirringly read!
Finally, in this same 14 month time-period, I just completed a 3rd novel lifted from my old trunk. This one a Young Adult historical romance set during the time of the Black Hawk War in the Fox River Valley, Illinois entitled ANIMIKI & The Keepers of the Fire. It has been such a pleasure doing these YA titles, and they really can be appreciated by any age group. Here is Stephen R. Walker's cover art again (my son, the genius):
This title is at this time a Kindle eBook only. Eventually hope to get it in audible.com with the same narrator who did such a tremendous job on The Canoneers. This tells a love story--an Indian love story that moves our hero to great lengths but it is a young adult historical romance and a coming of age story that can be appreciated by anyone of any age.
So as I said, I have been extremely BUSY of late. I am hoping to revive the Dirty Deeds blog here.
Thanks for reading this far!
Rob Walker
The other Instinct title is The FEAR Collectors - #13 in the Instinct Series, and it takes a whole new twist. These last two titles come after Jessica Coran has retired from the FBI, but she is continuing as a 'gun for hire' as a consulting profiler and medical examiner. She's as tough and as strong as ever. Here is the cover art for The Fear Collectors also done by my favorite cover artist listed above:
In addition to the two above titles completed over the past year, I also dredged up an older manuscript that I feel is an important story that does for the American Indians what Glory did for the Black soldiers of the American Civil War. THE RED PATH - Indian Brigades in the Civil War is what I am referring to. I have a hugely soft spot in my heart for this title. I cannot count the number of times I have written and rewritten this book, first attempts being a nonfiction title. Finally, I went back to what I know and turned it into a historically accurate account intertwined with an imagined romance. Here is the cover art here, also done by www.srwalkerdesigns.com :
In addition over the past 14 months, I also rewrote two other early novels for the Young Adult market. One was strictly a boy's book on how George Washington's first artillery 'fell' into his hands. A fascinating historically accurate account mixed with a coming of age imaginary tale of Ben Cross & The Guns of Ticonderoga. Cover art below done by same graphic artist company:
Finally, in this same 14 month time-period, I just completed a 3rd novel lifted from my old trunk. This one a Young Adult historical romance set during the time of the Black Hawk War in the Fox River Valley, Illinois entitled ANIMIKI & The Keepers of the Fire. It has been such a pleasure doing these YA titles, and they really can be appreciated by any age group. Here is Stephen R. Walker's cover art again (my son, the genius):
This title is at this time a Kindle eBook only. Eventually hope to get it in audible.com with the same narrator who did such a tremendous job on The Canoneers. This tells a love story--an Indian love story that moves our hero to great lengths but it is a young adult historical romance and a coming of age story that can be appreciated by anyone of any age.
So as I said, I have been extremely BUSY of late. I am hoping to revive the Dirty Deeds blog here.
Thanks for reading this far!
Rob Walker
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