A New World: Sanctuary is Underway!

I don’t know why I even create a plot line for these books.  I spent a bit of the weekend and a lot of yesterday creating the plot line for Sanctuary.  Again, I don’t even know why I do that as the book seems to speed away without my control once I start.  I sat the past few days and plotted out the this and then that thing.  As with the previous books in the series, those items I come up with disappear or happen entirely different than when I sit and go through the book outline from a mind perspective.  It’s like someone else is writing and I am only the conduit for them.

Okay, maybe it is just me and amazed at the flow the books take as I begin writing them.  I have to have those outlines before I become comfortable sitting down at they keyboard but, once I do start pounding away, the story leaps out.  I am taking a small break in the writing to type out this blog.  The story sits waiting patiently, well, perhaps not so patiently, on a tab at the bottom of my screen.  This last hour since starting the third book in the series has seen the first 1,200 words flow onto the paper/screen.  it is calling and begging for more.

Yikes, maybe I need either more or less caffeine.  I am still startled and amazed by the response for the first two books.  I want to thank you so much for the wonderful support you have given.  It has taken off beyond my wildest dreams.  I could never have imagined such a favorable nor large response.  This may sound like a huge cliche, but, it is for you, the readers, that I am writing.  I want to share this story running through my head.  Feel free to drop by and leave a message or say hi, either on here, the amazon pages, or FB.

I wish everyone a happy Tuesday and hope all is well!

The Time to Write is Here Again!

I have been feeling the itch to put words on paper with the next book in the series; tentatively named A New World: Sanctuary.  The story runs through my mind, shifting and turning about.  I am sitting here enjoying a fresh Hef, to be complete with Nachos here shortly, and hashing through the plot line as we speak.  Or as I write this.  The plot line is mostly complete but the events have to be set in order.  Of course, as with the other books, they tend to write themselves once I get started and I am only the conduit through which they tell themselves.

Earlier, under the effects of a quad shot, I hashed out a bit of the series overall.  I have to tell you that, without really looking in detail at each book, that the overall story may take 9 or 10 books to tell.  Of course, that was the caffeine coursing through.  I am excited to continue with this next book and the ones to follow.  I will be deeply immersed in the next book by this weekend having put the plot line together.  That plot line is subject to change with the first word on the screen.

Okay, nachos are here.  Time to put the pad and keyboard down.  First though, I want to thank all of the readers so much!  You have been wonderful with your comments and support.  I wish everyone a happy Wednesday evening!

Dream Talk

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope the weekend went well and the injuries have healed 🙂  I want to take a little different track today and talk about dreams.  Or, more specifically, someone to help with dream interpretation.

My mother, June O’Brien recently retired from the working community where she worked with and ran drug and alcohol treatment centers; also conducting reviews and studies for others around the world.  A tremendously intelligent and wise woman – no bias here:)  Along her journey, she became very immersed and knowledgeable with dreams and dream interpretation.  There are those, including local tribal leaders and medicine men, who seek her out to talk about their dreams.

My point is, yes, there is one, that she has started to do dream interpretations online for others.  If you find yourself interested, you should head over to her site and check it out:

http://dreamtalkwithjune.com/

I wish everyone a very happy day and hope that your dreams come true!

Small Break is Over!

I sat down and basically did nothing for the past couple of days after getting A New World: Return out.  I had to rest my weary and aching mind – yes, I might like some cheese with that.  But, now it is back to work.  First on the agenda is to get A New World: Chaos and A New World: Return formatted into paperback editions and get them out.  That should not take too long to get them formatted as I have the previous rough draft already done.  It is just a matter of copying the latest versions and getting the page count right.  The timely aspect will be receiving the books to review and giving the okay for print publication.  That may take a couple of weeks at least to accomplish.

In the meantime, a touch of my time will be spent on some marketing and putting together a clean outline for the next book which is tentatively set to be called A New World: Sanctuary.  Response has been great on the first books in the series so far and I want to thank you all for your support.  Makes me happy that you are enjoying them.

A timeline for the next book you ask?  Well that is really hard to say.  The writing on the second book took off after the first 20,000 words and I was getting in anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 words a day.  10,000 was a top day and averaged really from 5,000 – 8,000.  I don’t know if this next one will flow like that but I am hoping so once I get the plot and plot lines figured out.

I send the very best wishes to everyone on this gorgeous Saturday!

 

John

A New World: Return Published

The editing for A New World: Return is finally finished.  Yay!  That was a mind numbing week to finish in time.  The book has been submitted to Amazon but the author name came out incorrect so I will have to republish it once it gets out of the review process.  The book will still be available however.  I also submitted to Smashwords and is up and running there.  I expect the approval to come soon for the expanded distribution making it available to Barnes & Noble, Sony, iTunes, and the other eBook distribution sites within the next couple of weeks.

I really enjoyed writing this second book in the series, sans the editing process, and I truly hope you enjoy this next set of adventures for Jack and his group.  Next on the agenda is to format A New World: Chaos and A New World: Return into paperback versions and publish.  I am hoping to have those out by the end of October.  Then it is on to the third book which I am tentatively planning on naming A New World: Sanctuary.

I hope everyone has a tremendous day!

Release Date Set

The date for the second book in the series, A New World is set for 23 September, 2011.  A New World: Return will be available on this date in eBook format for Amazon and Smashwords with the book becoming available at Barnes & Noble, Sony, iTunes, Diesel, and Kobe in the following weeks as it propagates out to them.

The first book, A New World: Chaos will continue to be on sale for $2.99 through the rest of September.  I want to thank everyone for the great reviews and for supporting my Indie endeavor.  The sales for the first book have exceeded any expectations I have had and it is truly my hope that everyone who has read it enjoyed it.

I am really enjoying writing this series and it makes me happy to think that you are enjoying the book.  I hope that you enjoy the second book as much.  Off to finish the editing and I wish everyone a great Friday!

John

Fantastic News!

First, Happy Monday to everyone!

The book sales on the first book, A New World: Chaos have skyrocketed in the past two weeks.  I would like to thank everyone for supporting my endeavor.  I have completed the second book, A New World: Return.  I have the book back from the editor and am now going through those edits.  I may have to change the publication date for this book for several reasons.  One is that JL Bourne is releasing his third book on September 27th and I don’t want to step on his opening.  Another is that I may not be able to make the edits in time to get the book out before his release thereby pushing the publication date out to October.   The learning experience from publishing the first book makes me want to put out a finely-tuned, edited edition the first time.  I found several mistakes in the first book and had to republish that one.

Now, for the great news and one other reason the second book may be pushed back.  I have been contacted by Permuted Press and offered a publishing deal for the first three books in A New World.  I don’t know what this means for the current publication nor for the second book’s publication date as yet.  I don’t know whether to take the deal or not as yet as I do like retaining the rights for my babies – yes, that is how I think of them.

If anyone has any opinions or experiences with the Indie versus traditional publishing, I would certainly enjoy hearing from you.  I am stuck on the royalty, book momentum, and rights aspects.  Overall though, I am ecstatic over the deal and feel very privileged to be contacted and offered a deal.  It makes me feel good about the book and that the readers are enjoying it.

I wish everyone a great day!

John

New Cover Art!

The new cover art by SM Reine arrived last night.  I loaded up the new cover art for A New World: Chaos late last night to Amazon and Smashwords.

Here is the cover art for A New World: Chaos and A New World: Return:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am still waiting for A New World: Return to get back from the editor and then it is announcement and publication date.

For those of you looking for a cover artist, seriously check into SM Reine.

smreine (at) gmail (dot) com
http://smreine.deviantart.com/

Off to the editing world for a little while.  I wish everyone a very happy Tuesday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great Day for A New World!

First of all, I hope that everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend!  The sun has finally come around and I want to thank everyone who sent some of their sun out way.

It has been a busy few days.  The first run-through’s on the edits for the second book, ‘A New World: Return,’ have been completed. and it is off to the editor for the red mark annihilation.  I am hoping the final editing will be finished within the week and will be looking for a publication date around the middle of the month which, miraculously, was my target.  I will announce the actual publication date soon.

I also found an amazing cover artist:
SM Reine
smreine (at) gmail (dot) com
http://smreine.deviantart.com/

If you are looking for cover art, she does great work, her response is quick, and her rates are very reasonable.  We have completed a cover art revision for the first book, ‘A New World: Chaos’ which will be uploaded within the next day or so.  I will make sure and put the new cover art on here to share.

Finally, I have begun formatting both books for print publication in paperback versions.  I plan to test the waters on Amazon first and then expand out to others depending on the response.  The response for ‘A New World: Chaos’ have been great in the last couple of weeks and I want to thank everyone who had a chance to read it and those that submitted reviews.  I wish I could thank everyone in person.

Here are the links for the first book:
Amazon kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W0CL2Y

Smashwords:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/57851

Barnes &Noble Nook:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/New-World/John-OBrien/e/2940011299674?itm=1&usri=a+new+world+chaos

 

Sony:
http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/john-o-brien-jr/a-new-world-chaos/_/R-400000000000000387087

iTunes/iBooks:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-new-world-chaos/id440693135?mt=11
It has been a busy one and still continues to be.  Once I get the second book published, it will be onto the third book.

Again, thank you and I hope the rest of your day treats you well!

John

How I published A New World: Chaos with Smashwords

 

I had a story to tell and had to put it write it down as I wanted to share it with others.  I wrote the series with one thought in mind – What would I actually do in the event of an apocalyptic event?  This story and series being true to the actual skills and experiences I possess. No super heroes or someone possessing miraculous abilities, just a normal person seeking to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.

Months later, the first book in the series was complete.  But not my feeling of completeness as it wasn’t being shared with readers.  The thought of getting it published was daunting.  First, because I had heard the stories of how hard it is to get published.  Second, because I was stepping into completely unfamiliar territory.  But, I was determined and really wanted to share what I had written.

Rejection after rejection came from agents.  And then, I happened across Smashwords.  The ease of getting published with them was mind-blowing.  And they have a fantastic distribution channel allowing me to get my book out to all of the major distributors through one outlet.  I found that I don’t have to manage a lot of sites at once.  Their guidelines are easy to follow and adopt.

I only had to read their ‘how to publish’ document How to Publish and Distribute with Smashword  and follow the easy to use style guide  Smashwords Style Guide.  I was and still am amazed at how easy it was to get my story out and the response has been overwhelming.  I read about and talk with other authors, who are either finishing their books or have finished them, who worry about getting published.  I tell them the success I have had with Smashwords and how simple, easy, and quick it was to get my book in front of readers.  I would recommend this to all who read this blog as well.

The one tip I can give is to follow the style guide line by line and letter for letter.  I did this one step at a time with my manuscript and my book was accepted on the first try.

Get your work out so you can continue your writing rather than spend time worrying about publishing the one you finished.  Keep writing and have a great day!