Thank you so much for backing the publication of my three fantasy novels. I am thrilled to be able to see the completion and publication of the stories. For years, they have thrilled my students, and I am excited to see how you enjoy them.
Catch the Wind is expected to be published and sent to you in November of this year. Here's a look at where I am in its completion:
Once the cover and copy editing are finished, I will start working on the final layout and design of the novel itself. Then it will be sent to final proofreading and printing/ebook production.
Once Catch the Wind goes into its final editing stage, my writing focus will shift to the second of the three novels, Red Horizons, Crimson Skies. This is the shortest of the three, and my goal is to be finished with its first draft by the end of August. As of right now, the first draft is approximately 75% complete.
This should be ready for publication in May of 2023.
Children of Pandora is the novel that was in many ways invented by my students, now nearly 10 years ago. I had the idea to write a story for them so they could see what the real writing process is like -- especially in regards to being willing to scrap ideas in major revisions. What do you want, I asked:
So I wrote. Every year I wrote a few chapters more, but it remained unfinished. There was always a competing project vying for my attention. Often it was a musical -- I have written five for my youth theater in the past 7 years, including the original musical version of Catch the Wind. Last year, it was the first draft of the novel Catch the Wind.
Finally, to the great joy of my former students, nothing will be competing with Children of Pandora. The previous two novels on this kickstarter should be finished with the main writing and in production and revision stages. Which means that once September hits, all my attention will be focused on Children of Pandora.
Kickstarter FundsAgain, thank you all for your contributions to this Kickstarter. There are several pre-publication costs involved with publishing. Some have already been mentioned -- commissioning artists, paying for editors, etc. The funds that have been contributed will cover all of these costs, plus the printing and production of the novels. The money will also enable me to print a set of finished novels for my classroom.
But really, my hope is that in the end these are all just secondary things to you, my first backers.
My first hope is that once you receive the novels, you read them and say to yourself -- "Well, those were fantastic. Without question, these are books worth buying."
On we go!
Catch the Wind is expected to be published and sent to you in November of this year. Here's a look at where I am in its completion:
- I have hired the artist to design the cover. The design will start in about 2 weeks. Based on the artist's previous work, I am very excited to see how the final cover turns out. It should be fantastic.
- For the past month, the novel has been read by several Beta readers, who have given input for the final round of revisions. I am thrilled with how this process has gone. The story is the same, but the suggestions and revisions have made it stronger and more powerful. I am proud of this story.
- The manuscript will be ready to be sent to for copy editing next week.
Once the cover and copy editing are finished, I will start working on the final layout and design of the novel itself. Then it will be sent to final proofreading and printing/ebook production.
Once Catch the Wind goes into its final editing stage, my writing focus will shift to the second of the three novels, Red Horizons, Crimson Skies. This is the shortest of the three, and my goal is to be finished with its first draft by the end of August. As of right now, the first draft is approximately 75% complete.
This should be ready for publication in May of 2023.
Children of Pandora is the novel that was in many ways invented by my students, now nearly 10 years ago. I had the idea to write a story for them so they could see what the real writing process is like -- especially in regards to being willing to scrap ideas in major revisions. What do you want, I asked:
- "A story about an island in the sky!"
- "A fantasy!"
- "Science Fiction!"
- "The island is called Pandora!"
So I wrote. Every year I wrote a few chapters more, but it remained unfinished. There was always a competing project vying for my attention. Often it was a musical -- I have written five for my youth theater in the past 7 years, including the original musical version of Catch the Wind. Last year, it was the first draft of the novel Catch the Wind.
Finally, to the great joy of my former students, nothing will be competing with Children of Pandora. The previous two novels on this kickstarter should be finished with the main writing and in production and revision stages. Which means that once September hits, all my attention will be focused on Children of Pandora.
Kickstarter FundsAgain, thank you all for your contributions to this Kickstarter. There are several pre-publication costs involved with publishing. Some have already been mentioned -- commissioning artists, paying for editors, etc. The funds that have been contributed will cover all of these costs, plus the printing and production of the novels. The money will also enable me to print a set of finished novels for my classroom.
But really, my hope is that in the end these are all just secondary things to you, my first backers.
My first hope is that once you receive the novels, you read them and say to yourself -- "Well, those were fantastic. Without question, these are books worth buying."
On we go!