Steven Novak's Blog
January 16, 2014
BLOODBOOTS IS AVAILABLE!
People have been reading Megan, and for the most part, they seem to be liking it.
Who knew?
I'm currently working on the sequel. Maybe trying to work on it is a better way to phrase it. Wait, actually trying to get started on trying to work on it is actually more accurate.
Things are moving pretty slowly.
I'll have it done by fall. I promise. I won't let all three of you down.
In the meantime I put together a short story that fits into the Breadcrumbs world. It's a bit different from Megan, darker, a bit more subversive. It's told from the perspective of Bloodboots, who by all accounts, isn't that great a guy. He doesn't look at the world the same way as Megan, or even Blueeyes. He's a little nasty and a lot gross.
You'll hate him.
You'll get to learn just a little about the world before everything went sour, how Travis made his living, a whole lot about his little brother Patrick, and what drove him to become what he ultimately became.
This one is available only as an ebook and it's cheap.
It's really cheap.
It's $0.99.
Which is pretty cheap.
If you liked Megan and want to hang out in the world a little more, give it a read. Even if you hate it you're only out $0.99. That's nothing. You can't even buy a Snickers with that.
~Steven
If you feel like snagging a copy for your Kindle, click HERE
Want to learn a little more about the series, click HERE
Who knew?
I'm currently working on the sequel. Maybe trying to work on it is a better way to phrase it. Wait, actually trying to get started on trying to work on it is actually more accurate.
Things are moving pretty slowly.
I'll have it done by fall. I promise. I won't let all three of you down.
In the meantime I put together a short story that fits into the Breadcrumbs world. It's a bit different from Megan, darker, a bit more subversive. It's told from the perspective of Bloodboots, who by all accounts, isn't that great a guy. He doesn't look at the world the same way as Megan, or even Blueeyes. He's a little nasty and a lot gross.
You'll hate him.
You'll get to learn just a little about the world before everything went sour, how Travis made his living, a whole lot about his little brother Patrick, and what drove him to become what he ultimately became.
This one is available only as an ebook and it's cheap.
It's really cheap.
It's $0.99.
Which is pretty cheap.
If you liked Megan and want to hang out in the world a little more, give it a read. Even if you hate it you're only out $0.99. That's nothing. You can't even buy a Snickers with that.
~Steven
If you feel like snagging a copy for your Kindle, click HERE
Want to learn a little more about the series, click HERE
August 19, 2013
A NEW BOOK!
I finally wrote a new book.
I'm not sure why it took me so long to write anything new. It's been a few years since I finished the Forts Trilogy. Work has been busy. I guess that's part of it. There's also my laziness. That probably had something to do with it too.
I spend my days as a graphic designer. I also have the luxury of working from home. I commute about fifteen feet, work in my underwear, and generally don't shower until noon. I do a lot of projects for social media companies, and small print houses. Occasionally I find myself with an illustration job. I also do most of the show branding for Koldcast.tv, and a bunch of other stuff I'm too bored to name. On top of my regular jobs, a while back I somehow fell into doing book covers for independent publishers and small publishing houses. I've done a lot of book covers.
Holy crap have I done a lot of book covers.
Basically, I'm trying to say it's been a busy year.
Busy isn't much of an excuse though. I like writing. I should have found the time to do it.
Also, I sit at a computer all day long. It can be tough to convince myself, and my wife, that I need to sit at it even longer.
It takes me a while to formulate an idea. I don't plot. When I come up with something I really like, I don't even write it down. If I can't remember it, it probably wasn't very good. That's what I tell myself. It's dumb. I know it's dumb. I like to pretend it's smart, but I secretly know it's dumb.
It's also an excuse to be lazy.
I had the basic idea for the new book about two years ago, a few big moments, specific lines of dialogue. I knew how I wanted the story to begin and I knew where I wanted it to end. When it seemed too big an idea for one book I decided to break it into three. Then I sat on it for a year.
Then I sat on it for another year.
Remember the whole laziness thing?
At no point during my sitting did I ever forget about the book. I thought about it all the time. When I was taking my noonish shower, I'd play out certain scenes in my head, imagine them with some snazzy background music. When I was snacking on bag after bag of delicious, fattening potato chips, I was working stuff out. When I went for my nightly run to burn off those potato chip calories, I cleaned up bits of dialogue in my brain. When I was naked with the wife I was thinking about it too.
That last bit stays between you and me, got it?
Somehow, despite being too lazy to take a single note, I remembered everything. The big moments that popped into my head two years ago are the same big moments that made it into the book. The same characters get smacked around and the same characters die. Some of the stuff in-between has been tweaked, but it probably wasn't good enough to remember anyway.
I like the new book. It took a while to get from my brain to the page, but it was mostly worth the wait. It's a solid read, heavy, unforgiving, violent, maybe a little gross. I'm sure a few people will complain that it's a bit short, but I'm oaky with that. A lot happens. It feels like the first chapter in something bigger, because it is. There are zombies, and mutants, and cannibals, and guns, and monsters, and explosions. Despite that very awesome nonsense, I think it all has a point. The characters aren't just fodder for the next explosion.
Rest assured, they do blow up.
When they blow up, they blow up for a reason.
It's classy like that.
Overall, the book says what I wanted it to say. It's not going to sell a heck of a lot of copies. It's not the kind of book the masses are buying these days. No one falls in love. There's nothing romantic about it. There's no kinky sex and there's no strange, kinky-romantic sex. Plus I'm lazy about promotion. The chances of me knuckling down and promoting the hell out of it are slim. If a few people buy the book, awesome. If a few people like it, double-awesome. It really doesn't matter. I didn't write it because I thought it would sell and I'd be able to quit my day job. I like my day job. I work in my underwear. What's not to like?
I wrote the story because actually writing it was the only way I'd stop thinking about it.
Now I just need to finish it.
~Steven
If you feel like snagging a copy for you Kindle, click HERE
Paperback copies, click HERE
Want to learn a little more about the series, click HERE
I'm not sure why it took me so long to write anything new. It's been a few years since I finished the Forts Trilogy. Work has been busy. I guess that's part of it. There's also my laziness. That probably had something to do with it too.
I spend my days as a graphic designer. I also have the luxury of working from home. I commute about fifteen feet, work in my underwear, and generally don't shower until noon. I do a lot of projects for social media companies, and small print houses. Occasionally I find myself with an illustration job. I also do most of the show branding for Koldcast.tv, and a bunch of other stuff I'm too bored to name. On top of my regular jobs, a while back I somehow fell into doing book covers for independent publishers and small publishing houses. I've done a lot of book covers.
Holy crap have I done a lot of book covers.
Basically, I'm trying to say it's been a busy year.
Busy isn't much of an excuse though. I like writing. I should have found the time to do it.
Also, I sit at a computer all day long. It can be tough to convince myself, and my wife, that I need to sit at it even longer.
It takes me a while to formulate an idea. I don't plot. When I come up with something I really like, I don't even write it down. If I can't remember it, it probably wasn't very good. That's what I tell myself. It's dumb. I know it's dumb. I like to pretend it's smart, but I secretly know it's dumb.
It's also an excuse to be lazy.
I had the basic idea for the new book about two years ago, a few big moments, specific lines of dialogue. I knew how I wanted the story to begin and I knew where I wanted it to end. When it seemed too big an idea for one book I decided to break it into three. Then I sat on it for a year.
Then I sat on it for another year.
Remember the whole laziness thing?
At no point during my sitting did I ever forget about the book. I thought about it all the time. When I was taking my noonish shower, I'd play out certain scenes in my head, imagine them with some snazzy background music. When I was snacking on bag after bag of delicious, fattening potato chips, I was working stuff out. When I went for my nightly run to burn off those potato chip calories, I cleaned up bits of dialogue in my brain. When I was naked with the wife I was thinking about it too.
That last bit stays between you and me, got it?
Somehow, despite being too lazy to take a single note, I remembered everything. The big moments that popped into my head two years ago are the same big moments that made it into the book. The same characters get smacked around and the same characters die. Some of the stuff in-between has been tweaked, but it probably wasn't good enough to remember anyway.
I like the new book. It took a while to get from my brain to the page, but it was mostly worth the wait. It's a solid read, heavy, unforgiving, violent, maybe a little gross. I'm sure a few people will complain that it's a bit short, but I'm oaky with that. A lot happens. It feels like the first chapter in something bigger, because it is. There are zombies, and mutants, and cannibals, and guns, and monsters, and explosions. Despite that very awesome nonsense, I think it all has a point. The characters aren't just fodder for the next explosion.
Rest assured, they do blow up.
When they blow up, they blow up for a reason.
It's classy like that.
Overall, the book says what I wanted it to say. It's not going to sell a heck of a lot of copies. It's not the kind of book the masses are buying these days. No one falls in love. There's nothing romantic about it. There's no kinky sex and there's no strange, kinky-romantic sex. Plus I'm lazy about promotion. The chances of me knuckling down and promoting the hell out of it are slim. If a few people buy the book, awesome. If a few people like it, double-awesome. It really doesn't matter. I didn't write it because I thought it would sell and I'd be able to quit my day job. I like my day job. I work in my underwear. What's not to like?
I wrote the story because actually writing it was the only way I'd stop thinking about it.
Now I just need to finish it.
~Steven
If you feel like snagging a copy for you Kindle, click HERE
Paperback copies, click HERE
Want to learn a little more about the series, click HERE
February 19, 2013
PRE-MADE COVER EXTRAVAGANZA!
So, here's the deal.
I do a lot of covers for a lot of people these days. Sometimes when I whip up something for a client it doesn't exactly work for their book and I have to give it a second go. It's all part of the process. It happens.
Unfortunately, this means that I'm left with a pretty decent cover that doesn't have a home.
Covers are just like people, right? Every cover wants to be loved and every cover deserves a home.
Also, I'd like to at least get my money back for the stock images. That's a part of it too.
With that in mind I've decided to implement the First Annual Pre-Made Cover Extravaganza! (You know it's important because it's in caps.)
Here's how it works: Have a look at the covers below. If you think one of them might work for something you've written all you have to do is drop me a line at novakillustration@gmail.com (or leave a comment in the comments section) and it can be yours.
I'll remove the novakillustration.com watermark, plunk in your title and your author name, and even putz around with the fonts a bit if you think you'd like to try something different. If you like most of the concept but want to make some changes I'm sure we can work out a price that'll make every happy.
I'll do all of that for a measly $40. (Payable through Paypal)
Come on, that's a serious deal. Final images will be sent to you in printable 300dpi quality, as well as three sizes for all of your online needs.
Deal city, people. Deal city.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Steven
COVER 1 - AVAILABLE
COVER 2 - SOLD
COVER 3 - AVAILABLE
COVER 4 - AVAILABLE
COVER 5 - SOLD
COVER 6 - SOLD
COVER 7 - AVAILABLE
COVER 8 - AVAILABLE
COVER 9 - AVAILABLE
COVER 10 - AVAILABLE
COVER 11 - SOLD
COVER 12 - AVAILABLE
COVER 13 - AVAILABLE
COVER 14 - AVAILABLE
COVER 15 - AVAILABLE
COVER 16 - SOLD
I do a lot of covers for a lot of people these days. Sometimes when I whip up something for a client it doesn't exactly work for their book and I have to give it a second go. It's all part of the process. It happens.
Unfortunately, this means that I'm left with a pretty decent cover that doesn't have a home.
Covers are just like people, right? Every cover wants to be loved and every cover deserves a home.
Also, I'd like to at least get my money back for the stock images. That's a part of it too.
With that in mind I've decided to implement the First Annual Pre-Made Cover Extravaganza! (You know it's important because it's in caps.)
Here's how it works: Have a look at the covers below. If you think one of them might work for something you've written all you have to do is drop me a line at novakillustration@gmail.com (or leave a comment in the comments section) and it can be yours.
I'll remove the novakillustration.com watermark, plunk in your title and your author name, and even putz around with the fonts a bit if you think you'd like to try something different. If you like most of the concept but want to make some changes I'm sure we can work out a price that'll make every happy.
I'll do all of that for a measly $40. (Payable through Paypal)
Come on, that's a serious deal. Final images will be sent to you in printable 300dpi quality, as well as three sizes for all of your online needs.
Deal city, people. Deal city.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Steven
COVER 1 - AVAILABLE
COVER 2 - SOLD
COVER 3 - AVAILABLE
COVER 4 - AVAILABLE
COVER 5 - SOLD
COVER 6 - SOLD
COVER 7 - AVAILABLE
COVER 8 - AVAILABLE
COVER 9 - AVAILABLE
COVER 10 - AVAILABLE
COVER 11 - SOLD
COVER 12 - AVAILABLE
COVER 13 - AVAILABLE
COVER 14 - AVAILABLE
COVER 15 - AVAILABLE
COVER 16 - SOLD
September 21, 2012
A CARING DEED FOR BECKY
Last year I illustrated a picture book titled, A Caring Deed For Becky for Featherweight Press. It was written by Susan Wigden.
I've spelled her name "Widgen" incorrectly at least a thousand times, but that's neither here nor there.
In any case, Susan is currently making the rounds with the book and I thought I'd post a video of a school reading she did earlier this year.
Want a copy? Of course you do.
Get it through Amazon HERE and Barnes and Noble HERE.
I've spelled her name "Widgen" incorrectly at least a thousand times, but that's neither here nor there.
In any case, Susan is currently making the rounds with the book and I thought I'd post a video of a school reading she did earlier this year.
Want a copy? Of course you do.
Get it through Amazon HERE and Barnes and Noble HERE.
July 7, 2012
WIFE IS GONE - BAD GUYS COVER
My wife has been gone for a week. She's visiting family in another state and won't be home for another nine days.
I'm up late. I miss her.
I'm bored.
Here's the cover for The Bad Guys #3
That is all.
I'm up late. I miss her.
I'm bored.
Here's the cover for The Bad Guys #3
That is all.
June 30, 2012
GOATS EAT CANS IS FREE!
In honor of the long awaited release of Goats Eat Cans Volume 2, Goats Eat Cans Volume 1 is completely and totally free as a Kindle download for three days!Three days!
Three measly days!
For three days this thing won't cost you anything more than the time of your life that you'll eventually waste reading it!
For three days you can take money from my pocket and food from my table!
For three days you can rip me off and feel good about it because I'm asking you to do it!
Hell, I'm begging you to do it! I'm on my hands in knees in a leather outfit that leaves little to the imagination with my pasty white cheeks in the air, and I'm just begging to be spanked. Hit me damn it! Hit me and watch my ass ripple like the midsection of the world's most unattractive belly dancer!
CLICK HERE and punish me like the sad excuse for a man that I am! You know you want to.
Oh, and when you're done with that, maybe you could CLICK HERE and plunk down a couple bucks for Volume 2 to thank me.
Crazy ass-obsessed cheapskates.
March 10, 2012
HITTING THE ROAD WITH GOATS EAT CANS!
As the above graphic states so wonderfully, for the next couple months I'm hitting the road with my new book, Goats Eat Cans Volume 1, in a desperate attempt to sell some books! That's right, it's carnival barker time, bitch.
NOTE I shouldn't type the word "bitch". I'm way to lame to pull it off. END NOTE
The tour is being spread into two sections - the first of which is being sponsored by The Virtual Book Tour Cafe and the second of which is being sponsored by my pals at The Literary Underground (basically a bunch of people I now owe favors).
Along the way I'll be doing guest posts, and giving away stuff, and working my ass off to convince you that $1.99 isn't too much to spend for three hundred pages of fart jokes and references to Kim Kardashian's posterior. Sometimes those things are one in the same.
The dates and links are listed below.
Click HERE to visit the official Goats site.
March 12 - Meet & Greet at VBT Cafe' Blog March 13 - Interviewed at From The Mind of Omegia March 15 - Interviewed at Bk Walker Books Etc. March 16 - Guest Blogging at Mass Musings March 20 - Interviewed at Writing Innovations E-zine March 22 - Review & Interview at Black Diamond's Book Reviews March 26 - Reviewed at Hire to Inspire March 28 - Reviewed at Ereading on the Cheap March 30 - Interviewed at Writing Innovations April 3 - Interviewed at Reviews & Interviews April 5 - Guest Blogging with Cindy Vine April 7 - Reviewed at Rhodes Review April 9 - Reviewed at Books, Books, & More Books April 11 - Review & Guest Post at Waiting on Sunday to Drown April 12 - Interviewed by Louise James April 17 - Interviewed at BK Media Entertainment April 19 - Interviewed at My World April 23 - Author Spotlight at AZ Publishing Services April 23 - Interviewed on KWOD Radio
April 24th - Reviewed at Moonlit Dreams April 25th - Reviewed at Pleased to Meat You April 26th - Reviewed at Completely Booksessed April 27th - Reviewed at Dispatches from La-La Land April 30th - Giveaway at Blog It Out, Bitch May 4th - Guest Post and Giveaway at A No.2 Pencil, Stat! May 7th - Guest Post and Review at Easily Mused May 9th - Interviewed at This Page is Intentionally Blank
February 14, 2012
Webcast Beacon Blind Date
About a month ago I signed up to take part in an interesting little exercise over at the Webcomic Beacon. Basically I was paired up with a random writer and we were asked to put together a little something webcomic(y) in honor of Valentie's Day.
David Tulloch of Virtually Comics was tossed in my way, he tossed a few script ideas my way, and we banged this little gem out.
Maybe "banged it out" was the wrong way to word that.
In any case, it was all said and done I was left sweaty and spent and I needed a cigarette. Also, feel free to head over to Dave's website and the Webcast beacon site by clicking the links above as well.
Steven
David Tulloch of Virtually Comics was tossed in my way, he tossed a few script ideas my way, and we banged this little gem out.
Maybe "banged it out" was the wrong way to word that.
In any case, it was all said and done I was left sweaty and spent and I needed a cigarette. Also, feel free to head over to Dave's website and the Webcast beacon site by clicking the links above as well.
Steven
January 26, 2012
GOATS EAT CANS IS COMING!
With the Forts series wrapped up, I've moved onto something else, and believe it or not that something else is getting released in March!
Goats Eat Cans is coming soon!
What the heck is Goats Eat Cans and why should you care about it?Trust me when I tell you that you're going to like this thing.
If you hated Forts and you hate me for writing Forts, you're still going to like this.
Goats Eat Cans isn't Forts. It's nothing like Forts.Nothing at all.
Click the picture below to head over the official Goats site.You won't regret it.
Maybe.
Goats Eat Cans is coming soon!
What the heck is Goats Eat Cans and why should you care about it?Trust me when I tell you that you're going to like this thing.
If you hated Forts and you hate me for writing Forts, you're still going to like this.
Goats Eat Cans isn't Forts. It's nothing like Forts.Nothing at all.
Click the picture below to head over the official Goats site.You won't regret it.
Maybe.
November 15, 2011
ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS IS NOW AVAILABLE!
The final part of the Forts trilogy is now available in both ebook and print editions. For all the links fit to link check out MY WEBSITE! The Kindle edition can be found by simply clicking the picture above. Let me just say that it feels great to finally have this series wrapped up. Could things have gone smoother? Sure. Would I have preferred to not have the issues with the original publisher of the series? Of course. In the end, I wrote three books. Me. I did that. That's nearly 600,000 words and three years of my life. Despite everything that's happened and the way things played out, it's something to be proud of. I like Forts. It was important to me to write it and even more important that I finished it. It was fun and it was therapy, and I learned a lot about myself and my work from it, and in the end I wouldn't change a word. That's a pretty cool thing. Steven
