Category: Author Journey

I’ve Written in Various Genres, but One Keeps Popping Up

By John Irvin

            When I first started writing, all the way back in high school, it was superheroes. Into college I grew an interest in science fiction—mostly Star Wars and StarGate. I started the StarQuest series back then.

            That became the novel published several years back and the added e-book episodes published this past year.

            I’ve delved more into the fantasy genre, still read some sci-fi though. I’ve written in both genres along with apocalyptic and historical fiction. But, looking at my two main series I’m writing at the moment and the few short e-books leading up to them, I’ve noticed a trend.

            Dark Fantasy is the Realm I live in, deep within my mind. Looking back over dreams and nightmares I’ve experienced since I can remember, it always has been.

            Something about the magic with the shapes-hifters or sorcerers has always drawn me in.

            When it takes place on a totally different world—like in High Fantasy—it’s even cooler. Like in my Wolf’s Rising e-book.

            One would think at first it might be related to my Longevity series, such as Blood of the Father.

            But the star of the book, Duncan, a Wolf-Born has nothing to do with the Wolf-Born of the Longevity world.

            Duncan wakes up in a dungeon, he can’t remember who he is until a woman is thrown into the dungeon with him.

            Then, while they make their escape, he finds the world he is returning to was one he had sought to rid his people of.

            The Dark Elves have long since held the Wolf-Born Race under bondage, but there’s a rebellion. Only things aren’t going as planned—for both sides. When Duncan is sent to the Otherworld, he finds a Shade seeks dominion over his home. On accident, he returns only to find he’s let out the Shade and his minions.

            Enemies must become allies.

            This is one of many dark fantasy books I’ve enjoyed delving into. The other main series I’m presently working on, besides Longevity, is the Magic’s Time Split series. If you haven’t bought the first book for free—yes, I know, that’s kinda contradictory. How can you buy something for free?—then go here download it!

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I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

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Getting Up Before the Dawn

By John Irvin

            Yes, I’m one of those early risers kind of writers. I find I write best before 9am. After that, it gets harder and harder to focus for some reason.

            Normally, I get up around 4:30 a.m. and write in a journal while I wait for my coffee to brew. Then I do a little reading and some spiritual mediation. This usually takes about an hour.

            Then sometimes I have my exercise routine followed by a shower before finally sitting down to write—other times it is in reverse.

            Oh, so I finished Living the Braveheart Life by Randall Wallace—author of Braveheart—yesterday and let me tell you, I want to buy every friend and family member a copy. I truly felt a kindred spirit within those pages.

            So it is Monday today, this means, I only have six days before I’m ready for the professional editor to go through my manuscript for Book 2, Independence, in my Longevity series.

            Yesterday, I ordered the cover art for the E-Book boxset and the Print-copy for Shattered: The Complete Collection so it is only a matter of days now till that one gets published. After over a year the five volumes of the Shattered series will finally be together AND in print!

            That’ll be my first complete series published.

            The next series I’ll probably end up finishing first will be my Magic’s Time Split series. Though there are ten books in that one, so we shall see. I just feel like I’ll be focusing on it and the Longevity series more than any of my other books.

            Although I do hope to publish a couple stand-alone novels in the midst of the eight books of Longevity and ten books of Magic’s Time Split.

            Book 1, Hidden Lake’s Light, is for free on Kindle and Nook!

            Next year, after Independence comes out in January, I’m going to start talking about certain plans for later that year. I’ve been tossing them back and forth inside my head, running them by friends, and hopefully soon I’ll be able to actually sit down and write it all out.

            There are some amazing things ahead—I want to keep this 4:30 a.m. schedule going too as I love finishing all my author business-related work before noon.

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Write Every Single Day, No Matter How You Feel!

By John Irvin

This is something I’ve had to learn over the years since going full-time as a writer-author-entrepreneur. There are days when I do not feel like writing a bit or revising a draft or whatever.

Then I remind myself, you’re an author, this is your job. I show up to other jobs even when I’m sick or exhausted, right? Well, my writing is my job, why shouldn’t it get the same priority?

Like while I’m writing this post, I’ve been battling a sinus infection all week. It has slowed me down a little bit, but I’m so happy to say, I’m still a couple days ahead of schedule for my writing.

Always a good feeling to be ahead of schedule! I hate having to rush things at the last minute. I’m also told people can tell when I’m hurrying through my writing.

The way my schedule is today, I managed a few pages of the second draft for Conspiracy, Volume 5 in the Shattered series. I’ve written in my weekly schedule, “Finish first phase of second draft for Conspiracy” set for tomorrow morning.

My second drafts come in two phases, I don’t remember if I’ve shared this before.

Basically, my steps of writing a book goes: first draft, then I enter second draft stage which is split into the ‘mark’ phase and the ‘revision’ phase, then I go through in a personal edit before sending it to the professional editor.

The mark phase is me printing off the first draft and going through with a pen to mark and underline and blot out and yell at myself in written comments.

Yes, I’m funny like that.

Also, tomorrow, I’m ordering the Boxset e-Book cover for the Complete Collection along with the in-print cover art. I’m so excited to share this with you. This means, it’ll be maybe a week or two and the Complete Collection will be published.

That’s a blessing, because it shows just how far ahead I actually am. On my 2019 Plan Schedule, I have “Publish Shattered: Complete Collection” set for 29 October.

So I wanted to share all this to encourage you. Give your dreams and goals your priority. Do not let a head cold or busy day schedule or whatever the power to keep you from reaching those goals!

Kind of like the old Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron song lyric, “Get out of my way, get out of my face or give it your best shot.” You need to defy life’s punches and punch back.

If you feel stuck, make it your priority to find a way to move. It’s up to you, no one else is going to help. Don’t mean to sound all “tough love,” but it is the truth. You need to set your dream in first place.

After all, that’s what you were put on this earth to do. Those desires burning in your heart were put there for a reason.

That’s all I wanted to say and share. Excelsior!

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I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

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Being a Writer of What You Love rather than a What Others Love

By John Irvin

            I couldn’t think of what to write today’s topic on. I was scrolling through Pinterest as I often do, reading and liking quotes or memes, when I came across this quote by Salman Rushdie.

            “Books choose their authors; the act of creation is not entirely a rational and conscious one.”

            This is so true, I thought. The books I’ve already written always came from ideas seeming to pop into my head out of nowhere. I’d like to say, Yes, I choose to write that story.

            But being honest, in the words of another author, often I don’t feel like the creator but rather just a journalist along for the ride. My characters don’t always end up doing what I’ve planned even after the first draft!

            I’ve been questioned by people amongst my circles. Why do you write dark fantasy? Isn’t it evil? Or they say things like, Oh, I can’t stand fiction. How can you write fiction? Isn’t it all fake?

            Yes, it’s fake. Are you happy? I am telling a story that isn’t true about people who don’t exist. But there is a reason beyond our own thoughts for the why I must write this.

            Any writer will tell you, The moment you start writing what other people want you to write is the moment you lose your self. It is your duty to yourself and to the world to write the book that is inside you.

            I find, if I’m unable to write the stories living inside me, there is a ledge I will end up skirting about. This ledge drops into the depths of insanity. I must write what is in me lest I be driven out of my mind from the demands and opinions of others.

            Call it a journey of self-realization if you must. But, you can’t live this life given to you to its utmost unless you know the why you were put here.

            I have no inner struggle towards my fiction.

            So you’re saying you were put on this earth to write about werewolves, you ask. Glad you asked that. I’m not saying that to the T.

            Yes, I write in the dark fantasy because those are the stories with the greatest allure to me. Why? It’s always been that way. Perhaps it is the underlying struggle of good vs. evil that draws me. The realistic issues of humanity hinted at all through the hero’s journey.

            Maybe it’s the naturalistic themes. I am somewhat of a naturalist, I believe God created nature for our enjoyment and benefit and too often times we are drawn up by the cares and worries and endless fast-pace of society to even ponder the marvelous world around us.

            There’s also a romantic side to the genre—I’m somewhat of a hopeless romantic.

            For whatever reason, these are the books that choose me. Do I think of writing non-fiction sometimes? Rarely, but I do. Do I consider writing literary fiction? Depends on what you mean, honestly, that is a genre from a by-gone era. What about children’s fiction, we need more clean children’s fiction? Of course, I’d love to. But so far, none of those books have chosen me.

            It’s okay if you’re not a dark fantasy or paranormal fiction fan. Everyone has their own group, their own flock.

            Just because you know me doesn’t mean you have to love my books. But please, don’t judge them, they are my children.

            If you would like to try out the genre, here’s a link to my Amazon Author Central page: amazon.com/author/irvinnovelist76

            My latest in-print dark fantasy—or gothic fantasy, I go back and forth between those two because they’re so closely related—is Revelation in the Longevity series.

            Whatever you decide, it is your life and your preferment. I love you either way!

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I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

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My Mermaid Seas Trilogy and Where She Came From

By John Irvin

            Ever since I met Princess Ariel, the Little Mermaid, in a book long, long time ago in the days of my childhood, I’ve loved mermaids ever since.

            Something about that wet red hair, I don’t know.

            I’ve read so many books that are either a different telling of the original Hans Christian Anderson lore, or something else all together. Mermaids are a classic.

            Then one night, about five years ago, I dreamed I was hanging with a group of college girls who I’d known during my last years in college. I dreamed we went scuba diving—well, technically, I went scuba diving, they didn’t need the gear—they revealed their true identities as an entire mermaid pod, or school, not sure what a group of merfolk is actually called.

            We were searching an ancient undersea ruin of some temple built eons ago. There was a message in the old language and somehow I knew what it meant. It was a prophecy made in Norse runes about a coming plague ending the world as we knew it.

            I woke up and thought, this should go in a book.

            About a year later, I was hanging with a couple coworker-friends who claimed to be mermaids—or at least, mermaids at heart. I told them about this story idea and they wanted to read it.

            So I set about writing what would become the Mermaid Seas trilogy.

            It took two years almost before the trilogy was finally completed.

            Each book is published—only in e-Book format right now. I’m sorry if that offends or disappoints.

            Book 1 begins with a man by the name of Cameron Weatherall during the War of Northern Aggression and set actually near where I live—a place called Fort Pickens, Florida. Only he’s a Confederate at the opposing Fort McRee.

            He meets his first mermaid and falls head over heels. Naturally. Who wouldn’t?

            Book 2 is set at present day in Charleston, South Carolina. Roger Overstreet is a teacher at a school. Unbeknownst to him, almost his entire teacher group is made of mermaids—or and one merman.

            Book 3 moves us into the fulfilling of the prophecy—over a hundred years in the future from us. Arthur Eden is an author who knows a mermaid personally—she has special connections by some means he doesn’t know. They are working together to save at least a piece of mankind before the fatal disease overtakes the world.

            Oh, also, in my fun times I like to add things that my readers don’t read or find out in the books. Just little things—miniscule connections between stories or characters—I like to have special secrets about back stories too.

            Every once in awhile I like to share these secrets.

            But in my spare time I drew a family tree and how the three main characters for the Trilogy are actually related—also giving dates so you know where we’re at.

            Now, it doesn’t play a role in the actual plot for the Trilogy, but I think it’s pretty cool. It could also help to explain how Arthur ended up knowing Cassandra is a mermaid.

            Here’s a picture of it. If you like family trees, I hope you like this one. Just for you!

If you enjoyed this post, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

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