Blogging about writing – Page 16

October 15, 2020October 13, 2020

Publishing More Books and Something New Approaching

You’re probably going to be tired of me or get to know me better and enjoy it…one or the other.

By John Irvin

These past couple of weeks I’ve been working on finishing up my Magic’s Time Split series—as you well know, if you’ve been following. By next week’s blog, I’ll be publishing the final book in that series.

Wait. Take a deep breath. Sigh.

Okay, then it’ll be moving on to new and exciting things. But, I’m not leaving them for good. I’ll be stopping by their corner over on their book page to share goodies with you over the next year and beyond.

It’s amazing how time flies. I feel like I just started this series, now I’m finishing up the tenth book and everything is finally coming together.

Part of me wants to take a break. But, the other part knows, that’s not possible. When I’ve finished this book, I’ll be returning to the Longevity world because there is still so much going on there.

I’d like to take this moment and ask forgiveness for the issue with Book 3, Wandering, in the Longevity series. It was not until after I approved it for print, publishing it on 3 October, 2020, that two weeks later Ingram Spark sent me an email, letting me know the interior hadn’t been fixed to fit the dimensions.

Thanks.

I think my formatter is fired.

Anyhoo, maybe I’ll see if I can figure out how to actually format pdfs and that’ll, not only give me experience and another skill, but also cut down on the publishing costs. That $100—which depends on each book—could be used for something else!

Also, on top of finishing the Magic’s Time Split, I’ve been working on something else. It has to do with what I was originally going to set out to do when I started my YouTube channel, John Irvin, Author Journey Series, last year.

I’ve been feeling like I’ve been neglecting that channel these past few months. Well, not anymore. Don’t worry. Maybe another week and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

I hope last week’s blog wasn’t offensive to anyone. The last thing I want to do is making someone angry or hurt someone else. But, my team and I have simply been wondering what on earth is not getting through to people? What about our GoFundMe Book Tour fundraiser is not resonating?

Are we doing something wrong? I mean, we have one person who has already given hundreds and then there’s a few who’ve given a fifty or a twenty or a ten. One friend even gave $200 in cash.

But, then, there’s those 2,000 plus people that I know on my social networks alone—this is not counting the rest of my team members and their networks.

Maybe there’s something else we should be doing? Maybe we’re not asking right.

We don’t know. All we do know is, we can ask. You have not because you ask not. So, we’re asking, please help us by joining our supporters and launching us to our goal so we can take this Toward the Pacific Book Tour in Spring 2021!

Spring 2021, Toward the Pacific Author Book Tour (CLICK THROUGH)

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!

I’ve now been hosting a YouTube channel called John Irvin, Author Journey Series. Check it out at YOUTUBE.COM/AUTHORJOURNEY

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

October 1, 2020September 28, 2020

Back on Track with the Authorpreneur Life

It’s a beautiful morning and I’m getting to do what I enjoy most!

By John Irvin

Finally, back on track with the author life, writing away, editing away, and publishing tomorrow!

Book 7, The World Burns, in my Magic’s Time Split series brings us back to the Deadlands where Jenna and Gael discovered zombies are real. Only, this South American continent is transforming into something totally different.

There’s an Ifrit—not your every day friendly wish-granting genie—more zombies, and other new creatures introduced in this new installation of the series.

Even more exciting news, I get to publish the consecutive books on a weekly basis this month—can you believe it’s already October? So I’ll be finished with the Magic’s Time Split realm in four weeks. Such a bittersweet thought. But, I’m finally ready to move on to the next world!

My plans for the rest of the year? I’ll be returning to the Longevity series while also considering a few stand-alone novellas that have been waiting to be published this year. They’re only missing their cover art.

We’ll see how things go.

I’d like to share two of them: Unexpected Friends and Bringing Him Back. One is about a werewolf and a mermaid and the other is about a woman on the quest to resurrect her husband in a paranormal city.

Yes, I know, sounds out there, right?

This is one of the things I enjoy doing: sharing some of my most far-fetched imaginations with you, my wonderful readers.

As you know, if you’ve been keeping up with my posts, I’ve switched my Patreon account to a tip-giving basis. There are some people out there who enjoy helping artists out and don’t want rewards. So, if you’d like to start giving a dollar a month, that would be so appreciated! But, you don’t have to.

It’s just there for anyone who wants to: Click Here!

Now, another thing I’ll be working on with my author career for the next month or two is I’m switching up my YouTube channel again. I’ll be returning to a daily episode posting. So these next several weeks will be crammed with my stocking up on videos. I want to have a stash before committing to this.

I’m also considering taking a break from fiction writing and finishing a nonfiction ebook I started last year. It’s called, Paranormal Passions: How to Write with Ghosts, Vampires, and Werewolves.

I figured, now that I have more than thirty published books under my belt, it’s time to start giving back and helping those younger aspiring writers out there. So, the idea is to have this book out there for free while also offering a writing webinar.

Now, don’t hold me to this, it’s only been bouncing back and forth inside my brain along with the gazillion other ideas in there.

I’ll have to research and study how to design the best webinar as I don’t want to waste anyone’s time or money. That’s being a thief and I hate thieves.

So there’s just a couple of the hundreds of ideas I’d like to make reality this coming season. It’ll be Christmas before we know it and I have no holiday stories planned for publication this year—sorry if you feel like I’m cheating you.

Oh, the other point before I close today. GoFundMe fundraiser for the Toward the Pacific Spring 2021 Book Tour. Yes, I’m going to keep bring this up until we’ve reached our goal. Please, join our supporters and help my team raise what we need. Help us make this dream come true!

Have a great life, see ya next week.

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’ve now been hosting a YouTube channel called John Irvin, Author Journey Series. Check it out at YOUTUBE.COM/AUTHORJOURNEY

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

September 24, 2020September 23, 2020

Hurricane Sally Welcomes Me Home!

When you’re returning from a two-week-out-of-state-trip and a Hurricane decides to pop up and give you the grand reception.

By John Irvin

All right, so I was gone to Kentucky, visiting my folks, and was keeping steady with my writing work. I’ve finished the first draft round of the last four books in the Magic’s Time Split series and was already beginning the round of second drafts.

I had a list of things I needed to accomplish when I returned home to Pensacola. Within the last couple days: BAM! My phone informs me a Cat. 2 hurricane named Sally hits Pensacola out of nowhere and decides to hang around for a few days.

I flew down over her while she was climbing up Alabama, worried about my friends and neighbours.

Thank God, He had His hand on them and no one in my circles was hurt. Although there was a big mess when I got home and the power was out all over the county.

I must say, I am thankful for friends who took me in while we waited for the power to come back on.

Now, power’s on, so it’s back to business and I’m commencing Operation Catch-up. A lot to work on over this week and so many plans I’m going to be executing over the coming months.

It’s an exciting time for both my author business and my freelance proofreading!

Still working on figuring out better ways to promote my team’s fundraiser over on GoFundMe because, when Spring 2021 comes around, I want to be ready and prepared for the best debut book tour!

If you have any ideas, please reach out. Also, click through the photo or link and join our supporters by donating whatever amount you’re able to then share with your friends. This is called crowdfunding and it’s a new way of supporting each other as entrepreneurs, business adventurers, or just friends!

On that note, I’m looking at my schedule for this week and it looks like a large pile, but I’m not at all daunted. I feel pumped and ready to conquer.

So, on this note, I’m going to say, talk to you next week, stay safe, and have a great life.

Also, I will be forgoing my YouTube video for this month as I’ve got to begin work on a new endeavour over this next month. But, you could still click through the link shared below and hit follow then catch up on a few of the previous episodes. It’s a work in progress, but it’s getting better.

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

I’ve now been hosting a YouTube channel called John Irvin, Author Journey Series. Check it out at YOUTUBE.COM/AUTHORJOURNEY

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

September 17, 2020September 14, 2020

Writing, Listening, and Observing.

Writers are meant to listen and observe the world around us so we cane have more substance for our writing…

By John Irvin

I find the more I observe people and situations, the more I have to write about later. People don’t realise the unsaid messages they give off.

At present, I’m listening to three different podcasts to help me along this business journey with my two jobs as writer and freelance proofreader.

Joanna Penn and her “The Creative Penn Podcast” has always had a wealth of information and ideas for this indie author. She’s a fellow indie author who has taken her business to the six figures! I’m always finding goodies on that show.

I’ve been collecting her books as well and claim her as a authorpreneur mentor.

The second podcast would be the “Six Figure Authors” podcast, hosted by Andrea, Joseph, and Lindsay. They’ve been a funny trio, answering questions from their listeners as well as discussing various ideas on how to market your books.

The third channel I have tuned in on my podcast app is Work-At-Home Heroes by Caitlin Pyle, she is an advanced freelance proofreader with a side hustle of helping others enjoy the freedom of the freelance world.

I’ve conversed with Caitlin before and find her an encouraging mentor in this side hustle of mine. Her podcasts always have good info to chew on as well.

Speaking of ideas and information, I’ve been considering returning to an every-single-day-blog-and-vlog phase taking my readers to new heights as I advance this blog and my YouTube vlog over the hill.

I’m thinking, after 169 articles, returning to a 90-day run, posting every day, maybe I’ll be able to launch this business higher. The thing is, I need to write all those blogs and film all those episodes first in advance.

Just throwing ideas at the wall right now as I prepare to market my books in the bookstore now as well as that upcoming Book Tour, hope you don’t mind.

Speaking of that Book Tour—the Toward the Pacific Author Book Tour for Spring 2021—we’re making our way to the first milestone and with your help we can get there. You can join our supporters who have already donated and launch my team to new heights!

What do you say?

Toward the Pacific Author Book Tour 2021

Click through this link or the picture and it’ll take you to our homepage and you add to our climbing pile as we prepare for an amazing Book Tour this coming spring!

gf.me/u/xp24cf

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’ve now been hosting a YouTube channel called John Irvin, Author Journey Series. Check it out at YOUTUBE.COM/AUTHORJOURNEY

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

September 10, 2020September 7, 2020

Reading Books, Drafting Books, and Publishing Books

Which Books am I reading now and what about my second drafts?

By John Irvin

For this one-hundredth-and-sixty-eighth blog post, I’m going to chat a little about what’s going on in my book life.

Last week, on the 3^rd of September—a week ago—my third novel in the Longevity series, Wandering, finally came out in Hardcover through IngramSpark.

Ihon Iraes travels through time and lands, searching for the true source of who he is. He’s lost so many loved ones, he’s not sure what makes him tick anymore. Somehow, through all his wandering, he discovers friendships in each place that propel him forward.

Will he find what he’s looking for? Will he at least find a reason to settle down again?

While this book was coming out and last week’s blog popped up on the internet, I was flying up to visit my family in Kentucky. I’m up here for another week and enjoying the time spent with them.

But, I’m keeping my writing going—I hold to the old adage: a non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity—so I’m happy. I can spend time with my brothers and parents yet still keep my writing going.

Magic’s Time Split has six books published and four more to come soon!

I’ve finished the first drafts of the last four books in the Magic’s Time Split series, it’s now the second drafts round and I’m steadily working through that. Thankfully, I’m still on track and this series will be published on time it appears!

Though I’m making sure to spend more time this vacation with the family, I’m keeping my reading up. Every man and woman should read for at least fifteen minutes EVERY single day!

For now, it’s only fiction books on my list—yes, I usually have a reading list, most of the time it’s three books at a time. Sometimes I’ve read up to four at a time. I usually read a chapter in each per day. I feel more accomplished that way, I guess.

But, right now, being on vacation, it’s only two.

Tyrant’s Tomb in the Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling.

Both great works of fiction and I recommend each series!

Make sure you keep your reading up and grow your mind. Like the body, the mind needs exercise and reading is that exercise.

In other news, remember that artist website called Patreon? It is a place people can go to support creatives like myself by sending either monthly payments or per-work payments.

I started off with $5 per month tiers and gave those supporters a weekly short story serial, but that was cancelled at the beginning of this year.

I’ve been listening to a podcast from other authors and they mentioned having a $1 per month tier for people who just enjoy supporting authors—kind of a tip-jar—but don’t really care about receiving anything.

There are people out there like that, one of my Patrons is actually like that. Even after I cancelled the serial until further notice, I reached out to him because I didn’t want him giving me money for nothing. But, he told me he just likes to help me out.

Warms the heart, doesn’t it? Knowing with all the critics out there, some people do actually still believe in me and my dreams!

So, I’m going to set that tier on Patreon for anyone else who would like to do that. I don’t expect much, but I definitely love and appreciate those who do throw dollars at me each month. Those little extra singles do help!

Now to the GoFundMe fundraiser for the Spring 2021 Author Book Tour, it’s still open if you’d rather throw cash at that to help that dream be realised. Now that I’ve got my books in-store at Bodacious Bookstore & Café, I can start preparing to launch the tour next year and start there with the first Author Event.

But this will only be possible with your help! Here’s the link:

gf.me/u/xp24cf

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’ve now been hosting a YouTube channel called John Irvin, Author Journey Series. Check it out at YOUTUBE.COM/AUTHORJOURNEY

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

August 27, 2020August 24, 2020

Finishing Up a Ten Volume Series…

Could humans seriously survive a timeline-altering catastrophe like Magic being unleashed on the globe and killing Technology?

By John Irvin

I can’t believe it! I know it’s cliché, but I seriously feel like it was yesterday when I started out on this adventure with my heroes of the Magic’s Time Split series.

I started writing the dark fantasy/alternate timeline series back in late 2018. I spent the first few months gathering up background information and researching various articles for the time period settings.

I wrote out profiles for the original five main characters—though, one of them didn’t get as much spotlight as I expected he would. Funny how characters do that to us authors many times. They’re stubborn people, just like their creators—sometimes more. I have a set outline, but they have minds of their own.

Anyways, my five characters are Gael Ilan, Jenna Ganne, Levi Vorel, Jessica Biar, and Colin Faller. They lead a group of families back through time to Hidden Lake, Montana Territory in the year 1815.

If you’ve been keeping up with my blog, my newsletter, or the books themselves, you already know what happens.

But yes, I finished Book 9’s first draft—When Gods Battle—and am working my way through the final installation: Fallen Star’s Rebirth. Some mysteries are being uncovered before my own eyes and a few plot twists have taken me by surprise in the shower.

This is usually where I get my plot twists, by the way. It’s either in the shower or late at night when I’m trying to fall asleep.

I’m interested in seeing what plays out with this last book in the series. I wonder what the epilogue is going show.

After I’m finished, it’ll be the revision and editing stage, then I’ll begin publishing these last four volumes one after the other by the end of November of this year. It’s been a long, but swell ride. I’m going to miss my friends.

Now what exactly would happen if Magic was unleashed on the world and Tech was obliterated? Or at least, what is my perspective? By reading this series, you get to see a variation of said perspective. Naturally, there are things that would go differently, I’d think, if this scenario truly did play out.

Personally, I wonder how Gael and Colin managed to build the time machine at the very beginning. Oddly, I saw things going in a different direction with that, but never mind.

When the Red Crystal was shattered the Magic stirred something deep within the bowels of this planet. Being the year of 1815, technology was pretty advanced, but not as advanced as today…naturally. They had guns, they had electricity, but still hadn’t come up with air travel or the train!

These United States were still infants and their federation under the new Constitution was tense at best. The President at the time was James Madison and only the fourth in the office. He was two years away from ending his term.

So would America survive a Magical take-over? Who knows? Would any nations of Earth survive such a world-wide event? I mean, they did have magic thousands of years ago…according to ancient legends and myths. But, with modern man—especially in the early 1800s—Magic was taboo. Ever heard of Salem?

You can imagine the panic in the streets, the riots, the insanity. With mythical creatures suddenly flooding out of the forests around them, I’m pretty sure a lot of the States probably managed to get wiped out quickly, at least cut in half. I’ve portrayed this in a very different light in Book 5, Beasts Will Change.

Not to mention the US Government always seems to enjoy tampering with things that don’t belong to them. So leave it to them to unleash a viral agent turning themselves into Vampires like in Book 4, When Nights Bleed.

Over in Europe, I’m sure there would still be a few strong countries able to survive the monsters and creatures of their nightmares. But, many of the humans to succumb to the various viruses or diseases or mutations that come with Magic’s reign.

I actually start to share maps of the world regions in the later books. I’ll share two of them here in this post.

So, in answering the question: yes, I believe mankind could survive a new timeline ruled by Magic. But there would be so many other sentient races arriving on the scene with this new era. Like the were-Beasts and, my favourite, the Fae. Tir Na Nog—the home realm of the Faerie peoples is reconnected with Earth, its portals opening back in the ancient moors of Ireland and reawakening to bring a major plot role.

Then, of course, there are the Immortals. The Ancients are one faction while the newbies build a home there at Hidden Valley, Montana—which, by the way, becomes a new kingdom of its own.

For more information, check out the series page: MAGIC’S TIME SPLIT.

This series—though only in ebook format on Kindle and Nook—will be coming with me on the Book Tour in Spring 2021! Please, join my team’s supporters by donating and helping us reach out funding goal for the Tour. Click through this link gf.me/u/xp24cf and send us your gift.

We’re hoping to send out gifts to all our donors, but we won’t be able to do that unless we reach our total goal. Thank you ahead of time!

Have a safe rest of your week.

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’ve now been hosting a YouTube channel called John Irvin, Author Journey Series. Check it out at YOUTUBE.COM/AUTHORJOURNEY

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com