James Peters's Blog
November 3, 2018
Bright, shiny and new projects
Currently, I'm about a little over a third of the way done with what will begin a new series. I'm not ready to divulge too much about that series yet, but I will say a little: It's Space Opera and I'm having a blast writing it!
Once that is done and off to my alpha readers, I'm getting back to work on book 3 in the Black Swan Planet series, "Black Swan Empire." I have a little done on it, but after spending months writing Raka's saga, it was time for me to "see someone else" for a bit :-)
It seems that rarely a day goes by that I don't think of some idea that I think I should write a book about, so in no particular order are a few "back burner" projects that may or may not ever see the light of day:
"Stardust to Stardust" - a follow-up short story to "Carbon to Carbon" following Aegis on his next adventure
"Group Therapy" - a comedy story about a stressed out fellow and his adventures in a self-help group. (no sci-fi here, just modern day fiction)
"Untitled Lit RPG Story" - a teenager gets trapped inside a computer game and must find an escape. He and his team know its all a game, but there's real danger if he doesn't complete the game and escape
"Steamy Steve the Carpet Cleaner" - an R rated story about a college kid's adventures cleaning carpets in a cougar town, in the "Cinemax After Dark" mode
I would love to hear any feedback on any of these - who knows, it might spur me into a hyper-writing mode!
All the best -
James Peters
Once that is done and off to my alpha readers, I'm getting back to work on book 3 in the Black Swan Planet series, "Black Swan Empire." I have a little done on it, but after spending months writing Raka's saga, it was time for me to "see someone else" for a bit :-)
It seems that rarely a day goes by that I don't think of some idea that I think I should write a book about, so in no particular order are a few "back burner" projects that may or may not ever see the light of day:
"Stardust to Stardust" - a follow-up short story to "Carbon to Carbon" following Aegis on his next adventure
"Group Therapy" - a comedy story about a stressed out fellow and his adventures in a self-help group. (no sci-fi here, just modern day fiction)
"Untitled Lit RPG Story" - a teenager gets trapped inside a computer game and must find an escape. He and his team know its all a game, but there's real danger if he doesn't complete the game and escape
"Steamy Steve the Carpet Cleaner" - an R rated story about a college kid's adventures cleaning carpets in a cougar town, in the "Cinemax After Dark" mode
I would love to hear any feedback on any of these - who knows, it might spur me into a hyper-writing mode!
All the best -
James Peters
August 29, 2018
Black Swan Antithesis Giveaway!
Black Swan Antithesis
To celebrate its release, I'm giving away 10 copies of Black Swan Antithesis on Kindle!
See this #AmazonGiveaway for a chance to win: Black Swan Antithesis: Book 2 of the Black Swan Planet Trilogy (Kindle Edition). https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/19377f4... NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.
Official Rules http://amzn.to/GArules.
To celebrate its release, I'm giving away 10 copies of Black Swan Antithesis on Kindle!
See this #AmazonGiveaway for a chance to win: Black Swan Antithesis: Book 2 of the Black Swan Planet Trilogy (Kindle Edition). https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/19377f4... NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.
Official Rules http://amzn.to/GArules.
August 23, 2018
Pins and Needles
Pins and Needles.
The Kindle version of Book 2 in the Black Swan Planet trilogy, "Black Swan Antithesis" is on pre-sale currently, for delivery on Aug 24th. It can be found here: http://a.co/d/fWiOY0y
Paperback and Audible versions will follow.
It's taken approximately one year from start to finish, and while it was a blast to write, I'd be lying to say that everything about the process is all rainbows and unicorns. I love to write, but working on cover designs, promotions, etc. are not what I live for.
Don't get me wrong, I love being an author! But there is always a bit of dread when I get a manuscript back marked up from an advanced reader, editor or proofer. Also, I know no matter how many eyes we get on the book, there's going to be at least a few mistakes able to slip through the cracks.
Multiply that by a thousand when you pull the trigger to start the sales. What if this book gets bad reviews? What if the success of book one was just a fluke? What if monkeys start flying out of my ass? At 3am those thoughts run through my head, typically driving me from bed to the couch.
Now the trigger has been pulled, and its up to the readers to decide if they are ready to take another wacky journey with Raka, Maven, Marco, as well as some new friends.
Regardless, book 3 is already in the very early stages (as in the first chapter has been started). I plan on a release in 2019 about this same time for it.
Additionally, I'm working on another project. I'm not ready to get into the details of that yet, but it will be a new adventure with a new hero, still lots of humor but not quite as bonkers as the Black Swan Planet series.
Carry on!
James Peters
The Kindle version of Book 2 in the Black Swan Planet trilogy, "Black Swan Antithesis" is on pre-sale currently, for delivery on Aug 24th. It can be found here: http://a.co/d/fWiOY0y
Paperback and Audible versions will follow.
It's taken approximately one year from start to finish, and while it was a blast to write, I'd be lying to say that everything about the process is all rainbows and unicorns. I love to write, but working on cover designs, promotions, etc. are not what I live for.
Don't get me wrong, I love being an author! But there is always a bit of dread when I get a manuscript back marked up from an advanced reader, editor or proofer. Also, I know no matter how many eyes we get on the book, there's going to be at least a few mistakes able to slip through the cracks.
Multiply that by a thousand when you pull the trigger to start the sales. What if this book gets bad reviews? What if the success of book one was just a fluke? What if monkeys start flying out of my ass? At 3am those thoughts run through my head, typically driving me from bed to the couch.
Now the trigger has been pulled, and its up to the readers to decide if they are ready to take another wacky journey with Raka, Maven, Marco, as well as some new friends.
Regardless, book 3 is already in the very early stages (as in the first chapter has been started). I plan on a release in 2019 about this same time for it.
Additionally, I'm working on another project. I'm not ready to get into the details of that yet, but it will be a new adventure with a new hero, still lots of humor but not quite as bonkers as the Black Swan Planet series.
Carry on!
James Peters
June 24, 2018
When you're the only one who knows your story
June 24, 2018
Recently, I finished my first draft of "Black Swan Antithesis", the sequel to "Black Swan Planet."
Now I find myself in a peculiar situation that only authors will understand - I'm the only person in the world who knows this story. Sure, I have beta readers started on it, and am getting feedback as they make progress, but there's nobody for me to share an inside joke with who knows the entire plot.
I found myself at wits end, not sure what to do with myself while I'm waiting. So I created a video to promote the first book - which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFf1r...
While that was fun, it kept me busy for a few hours. So I did what I knew I needed to do, and I began book 3 in the trilogy, "Black Swan Empire." And now I have new characters that nobody will know for a long, long time. But I have to write, and the more I get done now while I'm waiting for others is bonus, or "dual processing" as I like to call it.
Stay on the lookout for book 2. We're working to fast-track it as much as possible, without sacrificing quality!
James Peters
Recently, I finished my first draft of "Black Swan Antithesis", the sequel to "Black Swan Planet."
Now I find myself in a peculiar situation that only authors will understand - I'm the only person in the world who knows this story. Sure, I have beta readers started on it, and am getting feedback as they make progress, but there's nobody for me to share an inside joke with who knows the entire plot.
I found myself at wits end, not sure what to do with myself while I'm waiting. So I created a video to promote the first book - which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFf1r...
While that was fun, it kept me busy for a few hours. So I did what I knew I needed to do, and I began book 3 in the trilogy, "Black Swan Empire." And now I have new characters that nobody will know for a long, long time. But I have to write, and the more I get done now while I'm waiting for others is bonus, or "dual processing" as I like to call it.
Stay on the lookout for book 2. We're working to fast-track it as much as possible, without sacrificing quality!
James Peters
June 12, 2018
"Gimme back my bullets"
If you grew up in the 70's, you're probably familiar with the Lynyrd Skynyrd song of that title, but you may not know what it referenced, and might have thought it was about literal bullets being fired from a gun and the singer wanting you to return them to him, adding insult to injury perhaps?
Billboard magazine tracked song popularity, and when a song moved quickly up the charts, they would print an icon of a bullet next to it, so a disc jockey might say "This is song number 20 with a bullet, rising fifteen spots in this week's polls." Lynyrd Skynyrd wanted to feel the rush of having songs climbing fast in the charts, thus writing that song.
Being an author on Amazon, I get a similar sense of rush when I see I'm rising in the ratings. As I write this, my author rank is 72,769; which means that is precisely how many other authors are more popular than I am on Amazon, as of this instant. Their handy chart gives me updates throughout the day, and with every sale I make, I see an uptick in my ranking. After that sale, my rank begins to slip, until I sell another copy of something. Upticks make me happy, dropping in the charts makes me sad.
Therein lays the problem. As I get on the computer, around the “Critical Windows Updates,” checking in on social media, answering email, etc., I find myself obsessing over sales. So instead of doing what I need to do to increase my sales, as in finish of the next book, I end up wasting time checking this rating, and reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Audible and Bookbub.
Perhaps someday I’ll be confident enough to not worry about things like this. Today is not that day.
James Peters
Billboard magazine tracked song popularity, and when a song moved quickly up the charts, they would print an icon of a bullet next to it, so a disc jockey might say "This is song number 20 with a bullet, rising fifteen spots in this week's polls." Lynyrd Skynyrd wanted to feel the rush of having songs climbing fast in the charts, thus writing that song.
Being an author on Amazon, I get a similar sense of rush when I see I'm rising in the ratings. As I write this, my author rank is 72,769; which means that is precisely how many other authors are more popular than I am on Amazon, as of this instant. Their handy chart gives me updates throughout the day, and with every sale I make, I see an uptick in my ranking. After that sale, my rank begins to slip, until I sell another copy of something. Upticks make me happy, dropping in the charts makes me sad.
Therein lays the problem. As I get on the computer, around the “Critical Windows Updates,” checking in on social media, answering email, etc., I find myself obsessing over sales. So instead of doing what I need to do to increase my sales, as in finish of the next book, I end up wasting time checking this rating, and reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Audible and Bookbub.
Perhaps someday I’ll be confident enough to not worry about things like this. Today is not that day.
James Peters
May 4, 2018
Why write?
Black Swan Planet
Over the years I've met hundreds of people and through small-talk, I end up mentioning that I'm an author. Responses can be typically broken down to three categories:
1. Meh. (Quick change of subject, no interest whatsoever)
2. Mild interest. (Sometimes even a "where can I find your stuff?)
3. Interest in the financial aspect of writing. (How much can you make as an author? Often the follow-up question, then why write?)
Somewhere on the internet (and you can't lie there!) I read the average author can expect about $250 off a novel. Now I know enough about averages to know that means a lot of people make nothing and a few people make millions.
Having said that, why would I spend hundreds of hours creating a work with an expected payback rate of perhaps 30 cents per hour? Because every once in a while, an author makes it big. I'm still waiting for that to happen, but I've seen the next best thing - random people reaching out to me to tell me how much they enjoyed one of my stories.
That's what makes it all worthwhile. The random kind words from a stranger. "Your story made me laugh during a hard time" or something of the sort.
Its the worst-paying job I love!
James Peters
Over the years I've met hundreds of people and through small-talk, I end up mentioning that I'm an author. Responses can be typically broken down to three categories:
1. Meh. (Quick change of subject, no interest whatsoever)
2. Mild interest. (Sometimes even a "where can I find your stuff?)
3. Interest in the financial aspect of writing. (How much can you make as an author? Often the follow-up question, then why write?)
Somewhere on the internet (and you can't lie there!) I read the average author can expect about $250 off a novel. Now I know enough about averages to know that means a lot of people make nothing and a few people make millions.
Having said that, why would I spend hundreds of hours creating a work with an expected payback rate of perhaps 30 cents per hour? Because every once in a while, an author makes it big. I'm still waiting for that to happen, but I've seen the next best thing - random people reaching out to me to tell me how much they enjoyed one of my stories.
That's what makes it all worthwhile. The random kind words from a stranger. "Your story made me laugh during a hard time" or something of the sort.
Its the worst-paying job I love!
James Peters
April 30, 2018
Writing updates
GBlack Swan PlanetJames Petersreetings -
Just a few updates on the writing. Black Swan Antithesis (Book 2 of the Black Swan Planet Trilogy) is currently about 80% done! Planning on completing the first draft in May, for a fall 2018 release to Kindle and Paperback, and Audible as soon as possible after that. Typically Audible takes the longest in the process, so it may be close to Christmas for that to come out. Cover images for Book 2 and 3 have been created already, by the fantastic artist Ali Hyder.
At this point, Book 3 is on a similar timeline for 2019.
Meantime, I'm working on getting a couple of short stories out. These are stories already written, so they won't delay Book 2 or 3 of the Black Swan series. These will be sold on Kindle and Audible only (for the time being). Sphere of Influence is the first one, going to Kindle as I type (just waiting on Amazon's acceptance). I've already talked to the wonderfully talented David Swanson and he has agreed to narrate this story for Audible as well, so I'm hoping to see it on Audible by end of May (crossing fingers).
One more thing - I'm also in the process of developing an epic space opera series. Creating characters and story arcs in the background as I'm working on the other books. Much more to come on this later!
All the best!
James Peters
4/30/18
Just a few updates on the writing. Black Swan Antithesis (Book 2 of the Black Swan Planet Trilogy) is currently about 80% done! Planning on completing the first draft in May, for a fall 2018 release to Kindle and Paperback, and Audible as soon as possible after that. Typically Audible takes the longest in the process, so it may be close to Christmas for that to come out. Cover images for Book 2 and 3 have been created already, by the fantastic artist Ali Hyder.
At this point, Book 3 is on a similar timeline for 2019.
Meantime, I'm working on getting a couple of short stories out. These are stories already written, so they won't delay Book 2 or 3 of the Black Swan series. These will be sold on Kindle and Audible only (for the time being). Sphere of Influence is the first one, going to Kindle as I type (just waiting on Amazon's acceptance). I've already talked to the wonderfully talented David Swanson and he has agreed to narrate this story for Audible as well, so I'm hoping to see it on Audible by end of May (crossing fingers).
One more thing - I'm also in the process of developing an epic space opera series. Creating characters and story arcs in the background as I'm working on the other books. Much more to come on this later!
All the best!
James Peters
4/30/18
