Joshua P. Simon - The Accidental Author

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
-Ferris Bueller

I thought that quote was a good way to start off this post. It definitely speaks to how I feel lately. Juggling family, work, writing, powerlifting, and other hobbies, I’m admittedly pretty worn out. The last few months have been especially tiring. I say all that because I know my blog posts are few and far between and honestly, I don’t know if that will change any time soon.

However, I do want to make a conscious effort to at least provide updates on my writing several times of year as news comes in.

Therefore, I’m happy to announce that The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel books have new covers!

I liked the original covers as I felt they had a pulp feel to them that fit with the sword & sorcery/action adventure genre the stories fall into. But despite positive feedback on the stories and characters themselves, the series has never really gained traction like Blood & Tears or The Tyrus Chronicle.

So in an effort to bring more readers to the series, I had Mario Teodosio (creator of The Tyrus Chronicle covers) redo the Andrasta and Rondel covers in his style. Check them out below and leave your thoughts in the comments. Personally, I think they came out great!

I haven’t done a very good job of updating my blog these last six months or so. Other than a few random posts and some end of year lists, it’s mostly been information about new releases. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not ideally what I’d like my blog to be about either. Even my Music Monday posts are getting less consistent.

There are a lot of reasons for that, but mostly it goes back to time and priorities.

You see, though I do get some traffic here, it isn’t a huge amount so it is hard for me to justify writing a deep and meaningful blog post that may take 30 minutes to 2 hours (depending on content and length) only to have it go mostly unread. Especially because I can be more productive using that time to write and get my next book out sooner (something most people reading this would probably rather anyway). Even still, I’d like to get a bit more regular with blogging again. I thought the best way to do that might be to get some general updates out the way.

New state, new house, new job and so on . . .
We moved from North Georgia to North Texas (in order to be closer to family) in February after a quick job search and house hunt. It was in the middle of all the crazy snow and ice storms so that made life pretty interesting for us (try traveling with 3 kids under 5 across that many states and then camping out in a single hotel room).

We got a lot more house than what we had before with only a fractional increase in price (Thank you Texas!). Overall, we love it, and the area. However, like most people we’ve been busy with all the small things you have to do with a new place: a heavy cleaning, some painting, fixing clogs and leaky toilets, replacing ceiling fans, etc.

Most of the pressing improvements are out the way, but there’s still a few things we’ll be working on in the coming months.

The new job is great too. It’s a step up in position and salary with lots of room for growth. The work is interesting and the people are really great (a few are big geeks like me). The one negative is that I don’t have quite as much personal time as I did before. 7:30-5:00 are the core hours with not much in the way of flexibility. The different hours and the inability to write during my lunch break as I used to have taken some getting used to. Making my word count is a bit more difficult.

Though I can’t write during lunch, the group I work with plays board/card games in the conference room during that time (pretty geeky ones) and that’s been really awesome. I’ve always loved that stuff, but rarely have I been around people with that interest. I’ll have to do a separate blog post on those I’ve played so far.

Writing . . .
Wayward Soldiers came out earlier this year. It’s sold well so far and helped increase sales on the first book in The Tyrus Chronicles, Forgotten Soldiers. I’ve been really pleased with how well the series is doing, even more so because there has been a carryover into my backlist. Hopefully, that continues.

Overall, they books have been well reviewed too, especially from those with a military background or interest which really means a lot to me. Granted, the series is different than most of what’s out there so it doesn’t necessarily resonate with everyone. That’s ok. To paraphrase Wayne’s World: “Even Led Zeppelin didn’t write songs that everyone loved.”

The fourth Andrasta and Rondel book, The Maze of Hidesi, is off with betareaders right now. Fingers crossed on feedback. It should go to my editor in early July. I’m hoping for a late August release.

I’ve started work on the third Tyrus book, Resurrected Soldiers. Though it’s early, I’m really enjoying the process so far. Ava gets to take a more prominent role in the narrative than she has in the past, and I think the story will be better because of it.

So, that’s it for right now. Busy as usual. Lots of stress and little sleep. But isn’t that everybody?

The Tower of Bashan is now available as an audiobook!

The journey to the Tower of Bashan has tested Andrasta and Rondel’s partnership, threatened their friendship, and left them with a wealth of scars. After months of research and careful planning, the tower is now before them. They are confident that with the knowledge they have gained, they will defeat the guardians protecting the Jewel of Bashan within.

Their progress is halted when they discover that the entrance is no longer the same. With the tower taunting the pair and their plan useless, they take out their frustration on each other until a quick-witted, young girl gives them an idea on how to succeed. A new plan is formulated, creating political waves and upsetting the criminal underground.

They entered Bashan to steal a jewel, but they may just quicken a civil war.

The Tower of Bashan is the third volume in The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel.

You can get your copy through Amazon or Audible by clicking on the buttons below.

The City of Pillars is now available as an audiobook!

Andrasta and Rondel have spent months in the city of Zafar, obtaining knowledge they will need to steal the famous Jewel of Bashan. Something goes wrong when pilfering an artifact crucial to their goal, bringing the wrath of the local authorities against them.

A beautiful woman helps them escape Zafar in exchange for their help recovering a family heirloom.

The seemingly simple job turns complicated as they learn the heirloom is in the possession of the feared Hubul’s Host, a band of warriors devoted to the Erban father of the gods.

The City of Pillars is the second volume in The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel.

You can get your copy through Amazon or Audible by clicking on the buttons below.

I'm excited to announce that The Cult of Sutek is now available as an audiobook!

Rondel, a once famous minstrel is crippled and rotting away in prison. He has nothing to live for until Andrasta, a mysterious warrior, gives his live meaning again. The pair escapes prison and in the aftermath, form a partnership they hope will lead to fame and fortune. Their journey is a long one, filled with peril, adventure, and even failure.

The ancient cult of Sutek grips the land of Iget. Framed by the cult for kidnapping and attempted murder, Rondel and Andrasta help a young noble rescue his sister in order to clear their name.

The Cult of Sutek is the first volume in a planned series of standalone sword and sorcery adventures in The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel.

You can get your copy through Amazon or Audible by clicking on the buttons below.

In January of 2014, I posted the following writing related goals. The results are bolded.

1. Write two to three books. This will probably be Book Three of The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel (currently working on this…about 35K into the rough draft), completing Book Two in The Tyrus Chronicle, and either working on Book Three in The Tyrus Chronicle or going back and doing Book Four of The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel series.

Done. I wrote The Tower of Bashan: The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel, Vol. 3 and published it this past summer. I also wrote Wayward Soldiers: The Tyrus Chronicle – Book 2 which is currently with my editor. I’ve started The Maze of Hidesi: The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel, Vol. 4 (over 50K written so far) and will finish it early this year.

I was hoping to be a bit further along in Volume 4, but overall it’s been a pretty productive year considering what I’ve published.

2. Publish four to five novels. This will be the first three books in The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel and at least the first book in The Tyrus Chronicle. I’m hoping I might be able to publish the second book in The Tyrus Chronicle as well, but I’ll have to play that by ear. If I do get it out it will probably be around December.

Done. I later decided it made more sense not to push things and publish four books in 2014 (still quite a bit of work) rather than kill myself and my wife trying to get one more out.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how the year turned out from a writing/publishing perspective.

2015 Writing Goals

1. Publish Wayward Soldiers: The Tyrus Chronicle - Book 2
     1A. Hoping to get this published in February 2015.

2. Finish writing The Maze of Hidesi: The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel, Vol. 4
     2A. Hoping to publish this in Late Summer 2015.

3. Write Resurrected Soldiers: The Tyrus Chronicle - Book 3
     3A. Hoping to publish this in November or December 2015.

4. Start writing either Book Five in The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel series or possibly the last Tyrus book. This will depend mostly on my state of mind at the time I’m ready to start working on these.

5. Maybe publish a short story I’ve got lying around that needs a bit more polish and a cover. It would be a good way to get one more thing out this year from me if I can get it together.

6. Release the first three Andrasta and Rondel books in audio format. I’ve hired a voice actor/producer I’m really excited about these. The plan is for all three to be available before the summer months.

So, those are the writing goals. If I can accomplish all of it, I’ll consider it a very successful year.

What are your 2015 goals?

The Cult of Sutek: The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel, Vol. 1 is now free at Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, and Amazon CA. My plan is to keep it that way.

I’m doing this to entice readers to give the first book in the series a shot as I have confidence they will want to pick up Volume 2, The City of Pillars and each subsequent title afterward.

So, if you like a good adventure story with plenty of fantastical elements, there is no risk to give it a shot.

Here’s the description of the story:

Now that I have two published series set in two unrelated worlds, and since the images of the maps may be hard to enlarge on a smartphone or reading device, I thought it be nice to have a home on my blog for all the maps for both series.

Click on the "Maps" tab on the menu above or click here to see all the maps that my wife has created for the Blood and Tears series and The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel.

Enjoy!

The Tower of Bashan: The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel, Vol. 3 is available at Amazon.

If you do not have an ereader or a phone capable of acting as an ereader and you're interested in reading the story, you can always download the Amazon Kindle application for your desktop or laptop and read it from your computer.

The paperback will be available at Amazon later this week for just $11.99.

Here is a brief synopsis of The Tower of Bashan.


The fourth (as yet unnamed) standalone novel will be released next year with several more coming over the next couple of years.

To read an excerpt of The Tower of Bashan, click the “Sample” button below.


If you enjoy the story or any of my other works, please consider leaving a rating or review at the site of purchase as well as other places such as Goodreads and Librarything. Like many other indie authors, I do not have a marketing team working for me and a positive review (even if only a couple of sentences long) can go a long way in enticing others to give my works a try.

You can also shoot me an email at joshuapsimon.author@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Thank you for your continued support!

The City of Pillars: The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel, Vol. 2 is available on Amazon.


If you do not have an ereader or a phone capable of acting as an ereader and are interested in reading the story, you can always download the Amazon Kindle application for your desktop or laptop and read it from your computer.

The paperback will be available at Amazon later this week for just $11.99.

Here is a brief synopsis of The City of Pillars.

A partnership formed. A friendship grew. Both are tested. Neither may endure.


Volume 3 (The Tower of Bashan) is also planned for a summer release.

To read an excerpt of The City of Pillars, click the “Sample” button below.


If you enjoy the story or any of my other works, please consider leaving a rating or review at the site of purchase as well as other places such as Goodreads and Librarything. Like many other indie authors, I do not have a marketing team working for me and a positive review (even if only a couple of sentences long) can go a long way in enticing others to give my works a try.

You can also shoot me an email at joshuapsimon.author@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Thank you for your continued support!