I’m very happy to announce that A Man With A Gun is now fully released, in both paperback and Kindle formats! Even better, the book has a nifty new trailer! Check it out:
The trailer was produced by Two Edged Studios, which is run by the same awesome guy who did the beautiful cover art for Frostwalker. Give ’em a look – they do fantastic work.
The Kindle Edition of A Man With A Gun is now available for preorder! If you’re inclined to do your reading via Kindle, you can pick it up now and it will be auto-delivered upon release on March 30th, 2021.
Go grab it, ya’ll!
Off the beaten path. Under the radar. Off the grid.
As a young man Virgil Cain fought with the resistance to restore liberty to an America sliding into tyranny. The resistance lost. Three decades later he runs guns, ammo, electronics, books, all the little things the government has banned. He’s been keeping a low profile – smugglers live longer that way. If you’re small time they might overlook you for a while… maybe for a lifetime.
When a woman in a federal inmate’s uniform literally falls from the sky and into his path all that caution is put in jeopardy. Marilyn is trouble, but not helping would be as good as killing her himself. Now Virgil has found himself embroiled in events bigger than he could have imagined, in a fight more deadly than the resistance ever was. Feeling his age, outgunned, outnumbered, among old friends and new enemies, Virgil is in for a hell of a ride.
The paperback edition will be along as well, likely releasing around the same time, at the end of March. However, there isn’t a preorder option for that via Amazon. If you’re like me and prefer your books tattooed on the corpses of trees, stay tuned. I’ll be sure to announce the paperback release here as well as on my Facebook page.
As teased recently on my Facebook page, the cover art for A Man With A Gun is ready to go! In fact, not only that, but the preliminary formatting for publication is also underway and a proof is on order for final approvals. Pretty soon, the book will be available for pre-order – finally!
So, without further ado, have a gander at what my next novel release will be wearing out and about:
This lovely bit of work comes by the blood, sweat, and tears of Nicholas May. Be sure to check out his portfolio on his site!
Once the final adjustments are approved, print and eBook formats will be up for pre-order. Watch this space, or my Facebook page, to stay in the loop, and please be sure to tell your friends!
Just a bit of a minor update. If you follow my Facebook page, you probably know this already, but the manuscript for A Man With A Gun has already felt the pitiless lash of my wonderful editor, Pauline Nolet.
She’s already made one pass on it, reminding me in no uncertain terms that I really, really need to have an editor and that I simply have no idea how to properly use commas. I’ve made my pass in response, and the MS is back with her again for another round of strict corrective action.
I suspect we’ll see a finished draft soon!
In related news, my original cover artist has found life to be a bit busy of late. However, another artist has stepped up to the plate and shown great enthusiasm for the project. I’m looking forward to seeing what he comes up with. The manuscript is still being tinkered with, but it’s mostly complete, if in need of final polish, so it’s about time we put some clothes on this baby!
So… 2016. That was something, wasn’t it? Some ups, some downs. But, all in all, it was certainly 366 days of, well, interesting events. But, enough about that. This post is about what I did in 2016 (or didn’t do) and what my plans are for the coming year.
To wrap up the past year, what have I got to look back on? Sadly, not a lot. Since I set out to “seriously pursue” this writing thing about five years ago, 2016 has got to be one of the absolute least productive years I’ve had. Just by sheer word count, it was utter shit. I wrote almost nothing new this year and nothing was finished. Not gonna make excuses (much). There was one major highlight out of 2016, and for me, it was a pretty big one. My first novel, Frostwalker, was released as an audiobook, narrated by Jack Wallen. It’s been somewhat successful, and my future novels will almost certainly be going to audio when they are released. Seriously, if you’re an indie author, do not overlook audiobooks!
I’ve talked about it before, but the current day job I have is simply exhausting, mentally and physically. That said, I’ve been trying to make progress. That lack of time and energy isn’t the only thing holding me back – I’ll get back to that in a moment.
First, there’s something that needs to be said. The past year and a half of this “new” job has brought about changes in my life that are still being figured out. It’s not just the exhaustion and demands the job puts on my time. For most of my adult life, we’ve been poor. Varying from just “first world poor” to some close calls that have nearly put us on the streets. Without the support system of extended family, we would never have made it. Now, at last, we’ve reached a place that we’ve never been at before – we’re more or less financially secure and self-supporting. It’s hard to describe what it’s like, and 18 months later, we’re still discovering ways that this has changed our lives. This is a good thing, but man does it ever cost a lot in time and energy. It’s not easy to put into words, but if you’ve ever been poor and finally made it (most of the way) out of that, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. So, this past year has been amazing in a lot of ways, but it’s been a big adjustment.
So, back on topic, what was it that made the past year such a disappointment with regards to my writing? I think, mainly, I’ve gotten stuck in a first draft hole. Those who have been following me the past couple of years have heard about my second novel, currently under the title A Man With A Gun. The first draft of AMWAG was finished on February 8th of 2015 – damned near 2 years ago. That date was also the end of my last solid stretch of daily writing. Since that time, I’ve had a few weeks here and there where I put in some words on a couple of small projects that may or may not become finished works. But, I keep getting stalled and losing motivation.
What happened? Well, once that draft was finished, I hit the brakes and decided to breathe for a bit. Meanwhile, I set about finding beta readers for AMWAG. It’s been hard to do. I’ve had a lot of difficulty finding people to read the manuscript, mainly because my usual readers are unavailable, or just too busy. Some have read it, both from my usual suspects, and a few new folks. I’ve gotten some feedback, and a lot of it is looking really good. Meanwhile, I had those side projects that I kept trying to work on, but they kept fizzling and stalling for me.
The issue arises due to a personal quirk I have. To put it simply, I don’t like having too much going on at one time. This has always been the way of things with my creative outlets. I don’t like working on something when another project is calling for my attention. Part of becoming a better author is getting to know how to access your creativity and how you work. Discovering what is the process that works for you. For me, while I know it’s maybe not the best or most efficient process, it really is difficult to move forward on one project while another is unfinished.
Right now, it feels like A Man With A Gun is what should be the focus (and it should be, I think). However, due to the scattered way the beta reading has been going, one or two readers here and there, always someone new going through it, I keep waiting on all the feedback.
Looking back, I should have set a deadline for when to end the beta phase. It’s been too easy for me to set aside other projects and tell myself, well, right now AMWAG is what I’m working on, so this just can’t have my focus. It became a crutch. So, to end that, I’m going to set that deadline here and now. The first round of revisions on A Man With A Gun is going to start February 1st of this year. So, if by chance you are currently one of the folks reading the manuscript for me, having your feedback to me before then would be nice. If you’re interested in reading the first draft, feel free to drop me a line, but be quick about it!
Another goal, this one a little less solidly defined: I want to have A Man With A Gun released before the end of the year. Should be easy to hit that one… Then again, I had hoped to have it out last year.
But, that’s not all that’s going on in 2017. There’s another (somewhat major) endeavor I’m hoping to undertake. As most of my followers know, I’m also a gamer. While my gaming has taken a serious hit, and obviously, I have to balance my very limited free time with the writing, I do plan to use it as another creative outlet.
To that end, I (and my wife) plan to begin streaming video game sessions on a regular basis. This will be another way for me to connect with you folks out there. If you’re the sort who likes to game, and especially if you enjoy livestreams, please consider stopping by. Most of my streaming will probably be late night, since I am (and always have been) the second shift sort. If the streaming works out, I hope to bring it together with my writing platform as a part of how I interface with those of you out in the wider world.
So, that’s that. Here’s hoping that 2017 will be a productive year! Good luck out there!
I’m happy to announce, after much struggle and a great deal of effort on the part of the fantastic Jack Wallen, the Frostwalker audiobook is now finished and available for sale!
Let’s just go ahead and get it said: You can grab this great story, read by a great narrator at Audible and Amazon right now. It’s also available on iTunes!
Come for the story, stay for the venison!
It’s been a long, sometimes difficult process. While Jack worked quickly and without complaint, he also waited patiently for me to find the time to go over the various iterations of the audio files. As I’ve discussed recently, my current situation has left precious little time and energy for creative pursuits, but Jack was very understanding whenever I was slow on my end. Sometimes, I was very slow indeed.
I also learned a great deal about how one goes about creating an audiobook, and had some great chats with Jack along the way.
So, now what? Now you go get it! But, more than that, I would like to ask my friends and followers, readers and fans (yes, Mom, this means you) to help get the word out. Frostwalker isn’t a new release, but it’s currently my only full-length novel (more on that in a moment). With such a limited catalog available, I need all the help I can get letting people know about my work. If you want to help an indie author out, the best thing you can do is tell your friends about them! Please do so, and thanks in advance!
What else is going on? There’s good news there, as well. First and foremost, I’m happy to say that I’ve finally managed to return to writing – a little. The day job is, frankly, a serious drain on my energy, even when it’s just the normal eight hours. However, the past week has seen slight progress on a couple of stories I started work on last summer.
Beyond that, I’m also still in the early stages of revision on my second novel, A Man With A Gun. There are more (new) beta readers looking at the manuscript. Soon, I hope to begin edits. Yeah, I know, you’ve heard that one before, but seriously, the book will be coming out eventually! Heck, if you really want to give it a read, you could always volunteer to be a beta reader and help make it the best book it can be.
It’s been difficult, but I do hope that this recent return to writing will be a long term development. I’ve missed sitting here at my writing desk, putting on my writer hat, and… well, you know! If you want to be a writer, you gotta write!
I hope to begin doing more frequent updates in the future. For now, thanks for stopping by!
So, it seems that all of the time left in 2015 has leaked out and now we’ve got a whole other year ahead of us. That went fast!
To kick off the new year, how about we start with a major announcement? After two and a half years since initial publication, the Frostwalker audiobook is almost here!
The audiobook will be narrated by the inimitable Jack Wallen. Many of you will know him, either through his own fiction, the numerous audiobooks he’s narrated, or possibly even from his stage career. Principle production is complete and now we’re into the nitty-gritty of polishing up the final product.
While the final release date for the audiobook is still undecided, it shouldn’t be too far off. For now, here’s a look at the audiobook version of the Frostwalker cover art:
Looks kinda familiar…
So, that’s pretty cool! But what else is going on?
Well, the short answer is: Not much. As I discussed previously, my employment situation changed and the new job has utterly devastated my productivity. The good news on that front is, I’m beginning to adjust a bit, and I do think I’ll be able to eventually start devoting more time to this whole author thing again soon. It likely won’t be much, but with luck, it will be enough to make progress on my various projects. Slow and steady wins the race, right?
Unfortunately, no further progress has been made on any projects since the last time I posted. My final word count for 2015 came to 95,795. If you recall, my goal set at the beginning of the year had been to average 500 words per day. In the end, I only managed a smidge over 262 per day, on average. The first half of the year had seen daily averages well above target, but after faltering during the middle of the year, then getting this new day job, that was doomed.
I’m not sure how feasible setting a goal like that is for this year. With the situation as it stands, I’ve held off on setting a concrete word count goal. But, there are things I plan to get done!
One particular item, A Man With A Gun still needs to be finished up and prepared for publication. Technically, the manuscript is still in the first draft stage, and there are still copies out with beta-readers. The focus for now will be on getting A Man With A Gun through the editing process, and ready for release.
A whole new year is set out before us. A lot can happen in a year, as the previous one has shown. Here’s hoping for a productive and successful 2016!
Those who follow me might have noticed that I’ve not been nearly as active on Facebook or anywhere else for the past month or so. In fact, while I thought I might be doing updates like this every month, the last “monthly update” was back in May. I’ve posted since then, but not a proper update on what’s going on with my writing. Still, I have at least posted various bits of interest over the past two months, so that’s not so bad, I guess.
So, what’s my current status? Dead in the water – for now.
At the beginning of this month (hey, it’s still August for several hours yet) I started a new job. Gone is the part time janitor gig that gave me plenty of free time to devote to my writing. This is a full time manufacturing job. But, it’s more than that. This is a very physically demanding job, and I’ve never been the most robust of individuals. More, the products we make are in high demand right now, and the company is understaffed – in part because a lot of people work a few hours and decide to throw in the towel. It’s just that miserable. So, due to this high demand and lack of personnel, overtime isn’t just super available – it’s frequently mandatory. In the past four weeks, I’ve had one Saturday off, and several long shifts (10 and 12 hours). I believe only once was that voluntary.
But, there is also good news – otherwise, why would I put myself through it? The big thing is that this new job will finally allow me to meet some financial goals I’ve had for a very long time. It was through necessity that I took on the full time job (the mail-order business isn’t doing what it used to, and the janitor gig was insufficient given some new expenses that have come up). But, this new job will allow me to take on the new expenses and more. So, that’s good stuff. The benefits are okay as well.
But, what about the writing?
So, here’s where things stand on that. My yearly goal of averaging 500 words per day is likely sunk. I was beginning to lag behind last month and this new work schedule has almost certainly put me too far down to catch up. Frankly, the new job has been brutal. The first few weeks, all I could do was go to work, eat a little, and sleep. Just catching up on Facebook was difficult.
However, my body is beginning to adjust. Also, I can feel the creative juices starting to flow again. I hope that’s what those juices are, anyway…
The point is this: Two weeks ago, I despaired to think I might never have the spare time and energy to ever seriously write again. But, in recent days, I’m finally seeing a little light at the end of the tunnel. My free time is still going to be severely limited, and putting in three or five hours at the writing desk in a night isn’t likely to happen any time soon. However, I can see now that my energy reserves are recovering and getting in a few words after work may be a possibility. Hooray for hope!
Those who’ve been following along will recall that I finished two projects early this year. One was A Man With A Gun and the other was an undisclosed novella to be released under a pseudonym. Both of those are still in the first draft stage – more or less.
You may also recall that since that time I’ve started on two new projects, as well as considered tinkering with the longer version of Out After Dark. Those projects are on hold for now. The first sort of fizzled but may be resumed later. The second also fizzled, but remains at the forefront of my mind. As for the long version of Out After Dark… Who knows? It does keep coming back to me, though.
Right now, my priority projects are the two finished drafts. I plan to get those revised, edited, and ready for release before the end of the year. Yes, A Man With A Gun should be out this year if things go as I plan. Cover art for both of those projects is either in the works or almost finalized. I am still waiting to hear from many of my beta readers for A Man With A Gun, but will likely move forward with revisions soon regardless. So far I’ve had a lot of excellent feedback from those who have finished their read-through and it looks like this is going to be a popular read!
Finally, there is some pretty big news coming soon, so stay tuned. I don’t know if things are at a stage where I can talk about it, but I hope to make an official announcement in the coming weeks. I hope that was vague enough for you…
Anyway, that’s where things stand right now. Stick around, and let’s see how this all shakes out!
OH! Just in case you missed it: I was proud to be the first sponsor for Armand Rosamilia and Mark Tufo‘s new podcast, Arm N Toof’s Dead Time Podcast. My spot ran on episode three. Good stuff! A big thanks to Armand for the very kind words!
So, I’ve been talking with a couple of developers in recent months who are working on a new tool for authors to convert their manuscripts to ebook formats.
The basic premise of what the final product will do is this: Authors will upload their manuscript (in MS Word’s .docx format to start with). You then make adjustments, setting chapter breaks, setting up the various sections, and so on. Then, once you have it exactly how you want it, you download the ebook in whichever format(s) you need.
The project is still in development, but they want to hear from as many authors as possible to make their tool the most useful it can be. If you’d like to take a look at a prototype of the interface and let them know what you think, just click this link right here!
IMPORTANT: This is just a mock-up of the interface for testing and feedback purposes. It will almost certainly change as things are refined and as they learn more about how authors want to use the service. The interface shown at the link above is competely non-functional – it’s just to show you how the final system would work, as it stands now. They want to know how YOU would change it to make it work best for your own projects.
If you click on the screen, you’ll see blue boxes flash to show different parts that you can interact with to see how the final product would work. Experiment, play around, and give your feedback to the developers!
After you’ve explored the interface and have some ideas or thoughts to send along, send them an email at typebookfeedback@outlook.com and let them know what you think! Also, visit their landing page at www.typebook.co. At that site, you can see some of the early proposed pricing for the service. They also want to know what you think is a fair price for the service, so send that info along as well. The listed prices are just preliminary at this point. At the bottom, there’s a sign-up box so you can be contacted for follow-ups. Also, if you’re so inclined, follow their official Twitter account.
Now is the time where authors can make their thoughts heard! They want to make this project the best, most useful tool for turning your manuscript into an ebook. But, they need your help to do it! Please consider taking a look and sharing your thoughts with them.
One final note: I’m not affiliated with Typebook in any way. I just happen to know about the project and think they’ve got a shot at creating a really useful tool here. They’ve asked me to help spread the word, which I’m happy to do.
That’s a pretty grim headline isn’t it? After all, so many of us are chasing just that exact dream: Quit the day job and spend all day following our imaginary friends around our fictional worlds – in between rounds of Candy Crush and Peggle, of course. Sitting in your underpants, swilling coffee and slinging words. What’s not to like? Continue reading
Brandon R. Luffman 