J.C. Long's Blog

Ok, my first writerly update in a while. I know I've not been super active, and that's my bad. I'll work on it, I promise! But I HAVE been writing, I have. You can follow my progress on my twitter where I've taken to posting daily updates of my progress. So what's in the pipeline for me?

First off, I've got the 3rd Hong Kong Nights book, A Matter of Justice, coming up, and then my sci-fi story On Andross Station, and then the 3rd Gabe Maxfield Mysteries book, Palm Trees and Paparazzi.

I've now finished getting edits for the A Matter of Duty audiobook back to the narrator--guys, he's doing a phenomenal job. it's amazing. I'm so excited for this. Hopefully I will have more news on this front in the very near future.

I'm writing a fun detour project for me, an urban fantasy featuring a reluctant vampire. The book is tentatively titled Dead Man Walking and it's been heaps of fun. When this is finished I've got the fourth Hong Kong Nights book mostly all outlined. Though to be honest, the fourth Gabe is trying to wedge its way in there. I'm itching to write a mystery again. So which of those will come next, I'm not sure. But I'm working, guys. I am working.

Also, I may or may not be fiddling around with the 2nd Broadway Boys book. This is a complicated issue for me, because while I own the story, the original publisher has right of first refusal, for the next five years, and I am not sure that's the route I want to go. We'll see.

On the life front, I've now got a live-in boyfriend, so that's taken some adjusting, but it's gone well, so I'm pleased.

An update. So, when I finished the third Gabe Maxfield book, Palm Trees and Paparazzi, I was feeling creatively exhausted. I've written a few snippets of things here and there, but nothing really excited me. Well, i've finally picked up the pen again and have made a LOT of progress on the outline for the fourth Hong Kong Nights book, which is currently being called A Matter of Trust. We'll see if that title lasts, who knows, and I expect to start writing on it around the last week of October, or however quickly I can get the outline done.

Aside from creative exhaustion, there's also been lots of things going on personally, as well--most of them good. I'm excited to get back to the writing grind, though, and can't wait to see what craziness these guys bring me now!

So let's talk about audiobooks. I posted on my Facebook recently and realized I never got to the blog with it. Well, here it is: The first book in my Hong Kong Nights series, A Matter of Duty, will be getting the audiobook treatment! Working closely with NineStar Press, we found an incredible LGBTQIA+ narrator with an amazing voice. 

Now, this doesn't mean that it will be out any time soon. It's quite a process. The narrator will first produce the first 15 minutes, which I will then listen over and give approval or point out changes that need to be made. Once approval is given, the narrator will begin work on the rest of it. Then it will be uploaded chapter by chapter for me to read and give notes on or approve. Each chapter can be redone twice, depending on if there's any errors I catch. Remember that A Matter of Duty is upwards of 80,000 words, so it's going to take some time to record it all and edit it all. Once that's all done it's submitted to the distributor and god knows how long it will take them to get it up.

My hope is that the rest of the Hong Kong Nights series will follow, with this guy as the narrator. NSP and I want to keep the same narrator if at all possible. But that's not even on the horizon yet. We've got a lot to get through before then. But, it's coming, and I couldn't be more excited.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but I took a mini vacation for the last week to clear my head. It was really helpful for me, I think, and I've also brought some great news. First off, I'm back to work on Palm Trees and Paparazzi, and I fully expect to finish it in the next two-ish weeks. 

First big news: I've commissioned some character art for the upcoming release of A Matter of Courage! I honestly could not be more thrilled with the way things turned out, and I can't wait to show them to you! I'll be posting one a day here on the blog, along with some fun information about each of them, starting September 1st through September 4th. The last two images will be exclusive to my newsletter subscribers, so please sign up to receive it!

But the biggest news of the hour is that I've got an audiobook in production! My novella Broadway Babe is first up to take an audiobook bow. I'm super excited. The process is only just underway--the contract with the producer was literally just finalized--but I'm thrilled. The narrator has a lovely voice and I'm fully confident he's going to bring Tate and Mike's story to life.

Alright, guys, we're well into August and I'm late. Sorry! Woot! Things are progressing as always, and I focused a bit on things in my personal life, and decided that after more than a year of constantly writing for my next release, the next deadline, I needed a bit of a break where I wrote something that I thought was fun. It was a nice change, and it helped recharge my creative juices, which is exactly what I was hoping for. Now I'm back in the saddle and hard at work on Gabe Maxfield #3--I've been teasing the title on Facebook and Twitter. Here's a hint: The title is: P_______ T______ and P________. Good luck figuring it out!

So what did I accomplish in July?
I finished and submitted A Matter of Justice, Hong Kong Nights book 3.
Signed a contract with NineStar Press for my first sci-fi work, On Andross Station
Finished all rounds of edits on A Matter of Courage, the second Hong Kong Nights book.
Outlined Gabe Maxfield #3 and began the writing
Continued work on Unzipped Shorts #3
wrote 46,000 Words
I haven't done this on past monthly summaries, but I've decided to start throwing out there some goals for the next month. So here's what I hope to accomplish in August:

Finish Gabe Maxfield #3
Finish Unzipped Shorts #3
Begin SECRET PROJECT
Write 60,000 words

A halfway point update!

We're halfway through the year, and since I know not everyone goes to websites and such, I thought I'd give a little update on my progress and where we are for the rest of the year!

This year I've released 4 projects so far, with a guaranteed four more, hopefully a fifth if a project is picked up or I finish the third Unzipped Shorts fast enough. As of this moment I'm drawing close to the end of A Matter of Justice, the third Hong Kong Nights book. These boys are giving me a wee bit more trouble than in the previous stories. When this is done I'm going to finish the third Unzipped Shorts and then spend some time on a nice relaxing project that might end up being "just for me". In August I'm back to the grind and working on the third Gabe Maxfield Mysteries book, and September sees me return to the Hong Kong Nights world with the fourth book. In NaNoWriMo month I'll be working on Gabe Maxfield Mysteries #4, and in December, well, I haven't decided yet. I have a few possibilities.

In terms of releases, July 31st sees the release of the FF paranormal anthology "Into the Mystic, Volume One", which includes my short story "Zero Hour". September 4th is the release date for the anticipated second Hong Kong Nights book, A Matter of Courage. Sometime in October I'll be releasing "Hula Dancers and Hauntings" my Halloween-themed short story set in the world of the Gabe Maxfield Mysteries series. November 6th will see the release of Tiki Torches and Treasure, the second Gabe Maxfield Mystery. While it's definitely not set in stone and probably won't happen, I wouldn't mind getting Unzipped Shorts #3 out in December.

Well, that's where we stand for the remainder of 2017. I'm a busy busy guy. Speaking of busy, I've got to get back to Hong Kong and get some men out of a spot of trouble I put them in.

It's the book birthday of Mai Tais and Murder! I could not be more excited for Gabe and Grace and Maka and the other great characters in this story to get out into the world and make new friends!

A new release is always a little scary, though. At least it has been for me so far. There's a lot of self-doubt that comes in to play on the eve of a new book. What if they don't like it? What if no one thinks the little puns or quips I threw in are funny? What if they find the characters annoying? But that's a writer's life, and it's one I gratefully take, because it comes with the reward of seeing my stories touch the lives of other people. If even one person looks at my work and gets a smile, or feels excitement, or has any kind of reaction at all, then I've done my job.

I hope you all enjoy taking a trip to Hawaii and seeing it through Gabe's eyes. Enjoy the beaches, the warm sun, and don't forget the dead body!

About 3 days away from the release of Mai Tais and Murder! I'm super excited but also super nervous. I tried something new for myself with this. I didn't go the hyper serious route. I chose a cozy. I've seen it called "over the top" and it definitely is that, because cozy mysteries are meant to be. The police aren't swooping in to save the day; it's all about the amateur sleuth solving the crimes their own way. is that realistic? Nope. But it's what a cozy mystery is! What you're getting in this book is Murder, She Wrote, not Law & Order. If you want something nice and sweet and sexy and fun to read on the beach, then I think I've got just what the doctor ordered! :D

Okay, the blog tour for Mai Tais and Murder is all laid out! Here's the info, and of course I'll be sharing links as they go live!

6/12 Out Of My Head
6/13 Butterfly-o-Meter Books
6/14 Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews
6/14 love bytes
6/15 Sharing Links and Wisdom
6/15 MM Book Escape
6/16 Bayou Book Junkie
6/16 Happily Ever Chapter

I really hope you join me on the tour! There will also be several release day reviews dropping, so I'll be posting links for those, as well! Mai Tais and Murder

I know I've got a few other releases between here and there (Broadway Babe this month and Unzipped Shorts 2 next month) but I've just received the official release date for Hearts in Ireland, my contribution to Dreamspinner Press's World of Love novella series. It will be hitting digital shelves May 10, 2017! Nice news to wake up to this morning! Now, diving back into the current WIP!