Sin-City Newsblog

Progress... DEFINETELY Progress!

2008-02-12T21:41:00.002-05:00

[Publishing News]

Well, the good news is "Two of A Kind" passed the distribution standards, and is now listed on the major bookseller sites out there.

YES! We're global, kids! Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders and the whole lot! You can find my novel by typing my full name in the search fields. Of course you can buy the book through these sites -- it's the same price, 16 USD -- or you can come to Lulu.com and buy it there. I've included a buy-it link here on this journal, to make it easier.

As well, good news on the future publishing projects of ARTWerks Books, in that the tax man came and gave me back nearly all of the taxes I paid out last year. So that means it will be full speed ahead for the next book "Pacifica Skies" as well as "The Royale Treatment".

[Writing Progress]

On that note, "The Royale Treatment" got the most love this past week, as it is slowly picking up speed and will probably see Chapter 2 finished by this week's end. I blame Patricia Briggs and her book "Blood Bound" for helping me get over the hump. Her book gave me some much needed inspiration.

Well, that's all for now, kids. So, keep your hands above the table and don't take any 'pushes'!

-- Stephen

Progress, After a Fashion, Pt. 2...

2008-01-15T19:31:00.000-05:00

Well, some progress made, but more on the organizational front (since I'm notorious for being sloppy with my files at times).

I've sorted all of my current fiction progress -- separating these key files from all the "chaff" that's been collecting in my Fiction folder -- and put them in a new file that will become the central one I work from to complete my backlog of work unfinished. As it currently stands, I have 3 novels, 2 planned anthologies and a short list of short fiction to work on... should be enough to see me through the year, and give me plenty of incentive to finish up and get some work out there circulating in the markets.

For those that wish to, you can follow along with the Worklist over on the right side of this blog (under my list of links).

Now, with that done... on with the show! As always, keep your hands on the table and never take the hard pushes, kids.

-- Stephen

2008-01-08T00:10:00.000-05:00

Well, best to apologize before anything else... sorry for the lack of updates, but the later part of 2007 did not go as planned. To just summarize, I got sick just prior to Thanksgiving -- which forced me to take a two-week stay in the local hospital -- got told before my discharge that I have Type-2 Diabetes, was unable to complete my participation in NaNoWriMo, and had somewhat of a lackluster Christmas.

But, I am adjusting to life A.D. (After Diagnosis), and I hope to get everything back on track in the new year.

Basically, that means I will still be working on "The Royale Treatment", as well as the novel I started for NaNo -- "Pacifica Skies". While my focus here on the blog here will be on all things SCW, you will be hearing more news on the other books and projects in the works.

So, with that, here's hoping everyone has a great 2008! So, keep your hands on the table and never take the hard pushes, kids.

-- Stephen

News, NaNo and the End of October

2007-10-31T21:02:00.000-04:00

Well, kids... October is ending with a Tropical Storm threatening, and hopefully when he heads off into the Atlantic it will take the writing doldrums with it. Because with October's passing, it's time to get set to do the 50K word sprint to December... that's right, National Novel Writing Month is here again!

Considering the last time I participated, my entry ended up becoming my first published novel... let's see if I can keep the streak going (to make it 3 times won, and 2 novels published in a row).

And with that:

[Publishing News]

The last print proof copy of "Two of A Kind" arrived tonight, and it did pass final muster (no major errors left, everything lined up and formated properly, etc.). So I am happy to report that I gave it the final approval step on Lulu, and now it has to go through the other side of the approval process for distribution. In 2-3 weeks, I'll know if the printers have any major problems that need to be corrected -- I pray not! -- and then, in 8 weeks by the most I should see the book listed on book seller sights like Amazon, Barnes & Borders.

Of course you can still buy the book on Lulu, but hearing that the book can be bought on the big book selling sites will be so great!

[Writing Progress]

There's been some prep progress for "The Royale Treatment", in getting ready for NaNo. For the most part, expect a leap out of the gate, and I hope to maintain an average of 2,000-3,000 words a day. Just watch this space for further updates!

And with that, I'll close this for now. So, keep your hands on the table and never take the hard pushes, kids.

-- Stephen

Getting Ready for another NaNo

2007-10-21T15:27:00.000-04:00

Yes, kids... it's that time of year again.

The National Novel Writing Month event is gearing up again, and this year I hope to make it a hat-trick. I've been a participant for the past three years, and this year I hope to make three in a row after completing the run of 50K words two years straight.

No surprise, I'll be using "The Royale Treatment" as the vehicle for this years run. But getting those first fifty-thousand words will be key to getting me to that 80,000 goal for the overall length of the novel.

You can find my participant page HERE. If you are a participant, add me to your buddy list so we can keep tabs on each other's progress.

Will be updating more progress and news as it comes. So, until next time, keep your hands on the table and avoid the hard pushes, kids.

-- Stephen

Progress, After a Fashion...

2007-10-16T20:36:00.000-04:00

Well, after a rough day of cross-city travel to my local post-office hub... it has finally arrived!

Yes, the final proof copy of "Two of A Kind" is here!

I am pretty pleased with the quality of the printing work that Lulu does for their paperbacks, and so far, from the looks of things the print looks good, the cover is fantastic with Christi Hayden's artwork and all of the previous nits I found were fixed.

However a few small errors on the copyright page were evident (the biggest being "First Edition June 3007"!), so I'll have to fix them before approving the book for the next step.

Otherwise, progress is progress... and soon I should have more to report on, including progress on the second book as well.

Until then, keep your hands on the table and avoid the hard pushes, kids.

-- Stephen

The Next Step Taken....

2007-10-08T23:12:00.000-04:00

[Publishing News]

The ISBN for "Two of A Kind" arrived in today's e-mail!

Spent the majority of tonight going through the virtual-hell of making the needed changes, before struggling with converting the original manuscript to postscript and then to Adobe PDF for Lulu to incorporate into the publication... but, it's finished, and I've ordered the 'final' proof copy (I hope it will be the final one!) to approve it before taking the next step in promoting the book.

With that done, maybe now I can get back to working on the second book!

That is all for now, folks... so remember, keep your hands on the table and never take the hard pushes, kids.

-- Stephen

Application Process Started...

2007-10-04T17:30:00.000-04:00

[Publishing News]

Today it has begun....

Thanks to a paid writing commission, I applied today to get a Published by You distribution service from Lulu.com. This service will get a unique ISBN number and a EAN-barcode for my book, but it won't be until several weeks -- and pending approval with publishing, printing and industry standards -- when my book will be available from retail booksellers.

Will be keeping everyone posted on progress as it happens.

That's all for now, so keep your hands on the table and never take the hard pushes, kids.

-- Stephen

Welcome to the Party...

2007-10-01T21:11:00.000-04:00

Greetings Readers,

This is the Official Blog for all things about my series of stories and novels set in the world of "Sin-City Walker". Here you'll get the updates on progress of future stories, publications and more info on all the characters and locations within the neon-light-and-shadow world that John Walker inhabits. As well, you'll get to hear small bits and bytes about myself (though I promise to keep those down to a minimum).

So, with that said, On with the show:

[Publication News]

"Sin-City Walker: Two of a Kind", the first John Walker novel is now available from Lulu.com as a 279 page paperback book. For 15.99 USD, you can buy your copy today and begin your journey into the world of John Walker and his unique slant on life, love and the dark places between the neon lights of Las Vegas. You can go here for more info : http://www.lulu.com/content/1009428 .

The first independent short story of the SCW Universe, "Blood Red Jade" received its first rejection this past weekend, so it will go back into circulation for a new prospective market. Will post new progress as it comes in.

[Writing Progress]

The second novel in the ongoing saga of John Walker -- titled "The Royale Treatment" -- is in progress as we speak. I'll be posting a running word count with every future Blog post, as well as possible teasers, to whet your appetite for next chapter.

5200 / 80000 words. 7% done!

That is all for this first entry... so keep your eyes peeled for the next entry coming to a desktop or laptop near you! Until then, keep your hands on the table and never take the hard pushes, kids.

-- Stephen