Gavin Magson's Blog: Ramblings of a wannabe author

As time marches on both priorities and commitments change, motivation and drive ebbs and flows, new and shiny video games get released. I could go on, but skirting around the truth does no one any favours.

I haven't been putting the time into Book 3 - that is the truth of the matter. I could come up with a thousand bullshit excuses, but the more words I type here the less I add to the next chapter.

This year I have been making a concerted effort to finally finish book 3. As of today, June 7th, the word count is just over 87k. Ideally I wanted to have the book ready for the end of this month, but I don't want to follow my previous trend of making wishful promises that I never deliver upon.

What I can promise is that book 3 will be released this year, come hell or high water. I want it out before the end of July, and that is a realistic time frame to get it done in.

I apologise to those of you that have been awaiting my next collection of words, I just hope that I can recapture your attention soon.
I will make sure to post another blog entry when I have a firm and confirmed date for book 3's release.
Until next time.

TL;DR (do people still use these?) - I've no one to blame but myself, book 3 is out this year, before the end of July is my aim.

Unfortunately I was unrealistic in my hoping to be ready for an April(ish) release of Book 3, and for that I apologise.

At the moment of writing this I am at an approximate 38.5k words through the third book. The reason I am not considerably further along in the development is how much I underestimated the amount of time the degree, and life in general, would require. If I manage to win the lottery I'll be partying like it's going out of fashion churning out 3-4 books a year with all that free time.
I say it's an approximate 38.5k because I am repurposing some of the original work towards a sequel from way back when, obviously with minor, and sometimes major, alterations to fit the new storyline.

I am half way through this semesters assignments, with another 3 on the cards to be completed ASAP. Exams will shortly follow, so I cannot realistically expect to get much time to work towards book 3. If I can slowly work away at the book I might be able to put 20k words into it before the end of May (and my exams).

It is my hope that I can finish the first draft and begin some seriously accelerated editing by July time, with a potential August release window. I don't want to make any solid promises in case I let anyone down, but rest assured that work has not halted on a sequel.

TL;DR - I gone f**ked up and need more time, hopefully ready around August 2016. Sorry.

I'm afraid to say that there is little to report, so far, as to Book 3's progress.

I have finally finished all assignments due in for my degree, which means I am onto that time of the year that I seriously fu*king despise dread - exam season.
I will be busy procrastinating revising for most of December, with the last exam over by the end of play Monday 21st. I won't be back in work for the best of 18 days over Xmas, which I intend to spend getting words committed to, err, Word.

I am only 6000 words into Book 3, but have managed to spend any free time plotting out the story so that the writing process should be swift. I'd like to think that figure would be closer to 40-50k by the time all the decorations have been packed away, which would put me back on track for an early 2016 release (April time, I hope).

To clear up confusion purposefully created in the last blog post I shall explain a little more about what Book 3, and the series as a whole, looks like at this moment in time. I hope this is easier to follow this time.

Book 1, as you all know, was split to form Rebirth and Relinquished. What was written as a continuation is not going to be Book 3, but will form a smaller part of it. As I talked to readers of both books it became apparent what they did and did not enjoy, which will be reflected, at least in part, in the books to come.
That original continuation will fit back into the series, quite possibly as Book 5. I might just be getting ahead of myself here.
I realised that the direction I was going in would escalate things too quickly, glossing over important and unexplored areas. Lets just say that there is plenty more to come.

I once joked to a colleague about having enough ideas for a trilogy of trilogies; I might end up closer to that than originally thought.
I know how the overall series will end, and have plot ideas for several more tales in order to expand upon the universe Konar is set within. I don't want to conclude the series without answering all questions it has created so far. A lot of the backstory for characters and the universe as a whole has been alluded to, so far. Answers are coming once I figure them out in future stories.

TL;DR - Life got in the way, Book 3 will be worked on heavily over Christmas. Books 4 - 9,001 are in development

Ajax: Relinquished, Book 2 in the Konar City Stories series, is a mere 4000 words of editing away from being ready for its grand proof reading by my trusty editor. Yes, he may have missed a fair few typos from Book 1, but I cannot hold that against him when dad's services are free he takes great pleasure in pointing out my mistakes.

If any of you have made it through my lengthy foreword you will know that Books 1 and 2 were originally one, split due to the ever increasing word count.
If you thought Rebirth ended on a cliff-hanger, you ain't seen nothing yet.
Don't think that just because I've split them that further editing has not inflated the word count (additional story has also snuck in there). Book 2 is now the lengthier of the two, so I hope you guys enjoy plenty o' words.

Originally I had started work on a sequel, which should really have been Book 2, but because I couldn't help myself and kept on adding to Book 1 you could call the sequel Book 3. To confuse matters more I have put that aside to go in a different direction, which means, as of two days ago, work on Book 3 (for real) has begun.
Confused? Good, that was my plan all along.

TL;DR - Book 2 is coming out September 2015, Book 3 is expected early 2016.