Feeling a bit nostalgic today for the good old MTV days.
L.A. Guns – The Ballad of Jayne
So, this blog has been pretty neglected as of late and with good reason. The new year has been pretty brutal and stressful for our family. At least one person (usually multiple people) has been sick in our immediate family for the past six weeks (and we’re all sick now).
Besides that I had been looking for a new job which resulted in my flying to Dallas and going through four very long interviews over a 3 day period. The trip was productive though as it resulted in an offer (which I accepted) from a company I’m really excited about. On top of that, my wife flew to Dallas this weekend (while I stayed home with three very sick kids) and house hunted. And we are now under contract.
Today, I’m putting in notice to my current job (last day will be Feb 16th) and then it is all about transitioning off this job, moving from Georgia to Texas, getting settled, and starting a new job on February 27th.
And to top matters off, I was writing the fourth Andrasta and Rondel book before putting that draft on hold to finalize audio files with my narrator for The Cult of Sutek. And I will shortly begin work on final edits for Wayward Soldiers (Book Two of the Tyrus Chronicle). Given all the stuff going on above and a few other things I’m not going to get into, it will be difficult to get Wayward Soldiers out in February as I had hoped. So, early March might be the more realistic date.
Regardless, the beginning of 2015 is a pretty busy period for us. But also an exciting one.
So, in honor of the new job and subsequent new bills . . .
Huey Lewis and the News – Workin’ for a Livin’
Today is the celebration of a great man who probably doesn’t get celebrated enough. For some reason, we look to Dr. King’s inspiration today, but too often forget about him and what he stood for during the rest of the year. That should stop.
Most people know his famous “I have a dream” speech. However, he said countless other things that should be an inspiration for all of us each and every day. The below article I found provides a few of those quotes that are far less known than others.
http://www.vox.com/2015/1/19/7552977/martin-luther-king-quotes
Just about every death metal band out there owes something to Carcass (especially those on the melodic side). The classic Heartwork album is just unbelievable start to finish, especially the guitar work.
Plus, there’s a lot of good anger on this album as well and I never get tired of that. ;)
Heartwork
Embodiment
No Love Lost
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?
On December 26th, I got to see Stuck Mojo for the first time as the band got together for a reunion show. In my mind, they really don’t get the credit they deserve. They were one of the pioneers in combining rap and metal. However, they never got the fame of the garbage nu metal bands, but somehow still got associated with them which immediately turns most people off from checking them out.
And that’s a shame. Rich Ward is probably one of the most underrated guitarists in metal. Just a great riff creator and song writer. Bonz does an excellent job fronting the band with lots of energy. Plus, Corey Lowrey’s clean vocals are amazing and his bass playing is perfect for Frank’s groove behind the drums.
Lots of energy and an unbelievable live show. You know a show is intense when two people are knocked out with concussions (one had a wound on the back of his head) before the end of the third song of the set.
They ended up only playing tracks from their first three albums so I thought I’d give a small sample from each of those below.
Do yourself a favor and check it out.
Twisted
Throw the Switch
Not Promised Tomorrow
I hope everyone has had or is having a happy holiday season. Things have been pretty crazy for me. My wife came down with the flu and all three of my kids picked up a bad cold that we’ve all shared with each other over the last week plus. Therefore, all of our original holiday plans ended up getting nixed. My wife and I went into scramble mode to make sure Christmas was still fun and special for the kids.
I’ve still been writing/editing, but because of this and just a really hectic December, I’m admittedly several weeks behind of where I wanted to be. Nowhere near panic mode, just eating into the lead time I like to maintain on my releases so things never get to panic territory.
Anyway, as I usually do every year, below are my top 10 favorite reads of the year (not necessarily 2014 releases)
10. Eric by Terry Pratchett
9. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
8. The Cormorant by Chuck Wendig
7. The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
6. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
5. The Broken Eye by Brent Weeks
4. The Martian by Andy Weir
3. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
2. King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
1. Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
So, what are your thoughts? Read any good books lately? If so, share them in the comments.
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