Rob Parnell's Blog

PURGE by ROB PARNELL
Recently I met an editor online by the name of Peter Wilson. 

I can’t quite remember how we began talking. I think he emailed me a question about one of my Academy courses and we hit it off. We got to chatting. 

I was interested in what he had to say because he said he’d been editing a detective thriller that had just been released on Kindle. 

It was a genre piece and I wondered if he might be interested in editing my next detective thriller, at the moment called, All The Right Reasons.  

Peter said he’d be interested and where was the manuscript? 

I had to break it to him that although I’d finished the first draft, I wasn’t ready to hand the story over to him yet. 

You see, that’s the thing with work in progress manuscripts. 

The author has to do everything he can to make the story AND THE TEXT perfect BEFORE he hands the MS over to an editor.

That’s the way of the professional: make your manuscript PERFECT before you even think about letting anyone else read it.

Never show people work in progress!

Not even family members.

Not even writer friends.

NEVER anybody associated with publishing books! 

Now, sadly, a lot of lazy new authors don’t think this way. They think they can write any old crap and just get an editor to fix it. 

Admittedly this phenomenon is a lot more common in the modern nonfiction publishing world where many would-be writers - who are actually more like salespeople disguised as authors - write very quickly to produce often very short e-booklets - and then release them on a weekly basis.

This may seem like a strange way to make a living but I kid you not. 

I’ve read blogs produced by these people and they say that it’s the only way THEY can make a living on Amazon Kindle: they have to release a lot of short (crappy) e-books on a continual basis.

Why would you want to do that? 

Because that’s not my experience. I’ve found that if you take your time and write longer, quality books, then they tend to stay in the book chart for much longer, sometimes AGES. 

For example, some of my books are still in the top 100 of their category TWO to FOUR YEARS after their initial release. I believe in creating the best possible books I can. Whether fiction or nonfiction, no matter how long they take to write and GET RIGHT!

But this article is actually about fiction.

Fiction is generally a much harder sell these days because there’s so much more competition than there used to be. 

In the old days, traditional publishers were able to effectively hold back the tide of new novels by rejecting 99% of all author’s books. Now, authors don’t need to bother with these self-appointed gatekeepers. 

I read recently that about TWENTY new novels are appearing on Amazon and Kindle EVERY DAY. 

That’s a seriously huge amount of authors vying to be read and taken seriously.

And in a world where only the cream will rise to the top, the only trick necessary for a new writer is to remain consistently good. 

It’s tempting to be cavalier about such things, especially when you’re starting out. Plus it’s all too easy to get so scared of putting something online that you never get around to it. 

That’s why you need to engender a nice balance between courage and skill.

Plus, get yourself good beta readers and especially good editors.

As much as you can do yourself, you can NEVER catch all the typos. For some reason, the brain can override what you see and actually put in words that aren’t in the manuscript. 

You literally CAN’T SEE your own mistakes. It's a very strange phenomenon.

Hence the need for a great editor. 

All of which is a preamble to announcing the re-release of my crime thriller novel PURGE.

Considering it’s fiction, the book has done pretty well. It floats in and out of the charts all the time and the reviews are great.

To cut a long story short, Peter - from an editing company he’s calling Grizbokkit Editing Services - offered to edit  Purge  because, as he put it, it would help him get to know my writing style in preparation for the follow-up novel, All the Right Reasons.

I think he’s done a superb job of editing the story, especially improving the references to Boston, where Peter used to live.

Now if you don’t know already, Purge features my hero character, Matt Johansen. He’s a young cop who keeps getting passed over for promotion and is eager to prove himself to senior management. 

He wants everyone to know he’d make a great detective. Problem is, his behavior and his youthful temperament doesn’t sit right within the Boston Police Department. 

So, he goes it alone when he discovers a serial killer has caused the death of his long lost sister. Purge is a story about redemption because not only is Matt trying to rid the streets of crime single-handedly, he’s also trying to purge some inner demons that keep him from powering ahead in his career.

Of course, there’s an autobiographical strain to Purge - and the follow-up. 

Yeah, Matt is a bit like me, well, more like the way I used to be when I was his age. 

Okay, simply put, in the spirit of constant improvement and giving my readers the best possible experience of my novels, I have updated Purge, probably my best novel. 

And I’d really love for you to get it. It’s only 99 cents for the next couple of days. Feel free to grab it while you can especially if you’re intending to read the follow up when I release it - probably before Xmas this year.

Keep Writing!

Rob@easywaytowrite.com

Your Success is My Concern

https://www.amazon.com/Purge-Matt-Johansen-Crime-Thriller-ebook/dp/B00NETG5F8/

Hi Peeps,

Click on the link below to read the next installment of my thriller in the making.

Chapter Five

Thanks for all the great feedback. Writing a novel with a weekly deadline is harder than I thought - what with everything else I have to do - but it's good discipline.

Here's what's happened up to this point:

In the caves around Qumran in the Israeli occupied territory, a priest and his young charge have been forced to leave their home following an assault on their town by fearsome mercenaries. They took with them a box of unknown contents.

Next day, a Harvard professor of antiquities is killed by an assassin looking for the professor's files on the Essene Copper Scroll.

In Coober Pedy, Outback Australia, ex-psychic Jake Moss is hiding from the world after a public meltdown in Boston. He needs to feel better about himself before he faces the world again.

In a London TV production office, the host of a Channel 4 show about strange phenomena decides to follow the story of the death of a Harvard professor and his connection with the Essene Copper Scroll. She sets out to find a psychic to help her.
 
Back in Coober Pedy, Jake is trying to write a book - without much success. To escape his unhelpful mind, he ventures out to clear his head. On the road outside of town, he stops to pick a beautiful girl, who introduces herself as Danica Palmer.

Read on to discover what happens next!

My best to you.

Rob Parnell

Hi Peeps!

Chapter 4 of my new super-charged thriller in the making is available now. Click on the link below:

CHAPTER FOUR

Thanks for following this story - your feedback has been awesome!

To recap - in case you missed the previous parts:

In the caves around Qumran in the Israeli occupied territory, a priest and his young charge have been forced to leave their home following an assault on their town by fearsome mercenaries. They took with them a box of unknown contents.

Next day, a Harvard professor of antiquities is killed by an assassin looking for the professor's files on the Essene Copper Scroll.

In Coober Pedy, Outback Australia, ex-psychic Jake Moss is hiding from the world after a public meltdown in Boston. He needs to feel better about himself before he faces the world again.

In a London TV production office, the host of a Channel 4 show about strange phenomena decides to follow the story of the death of a Harvard professor and his connection with the Essene Copper Scroll. She sets out to find a psychic to help her.


Chapter Four picks up the story at this point.

My best to you!

Rob Parnell

The link to Chapter Three of my new thriller in the making is here:

CHAPTER THREE

To recap - in case you missed the previous parts:

In the caves around Qumran in the Israeli occupied territory, a priest and his young charge have been forced to leave their home following an assault on their town by fearsome mercenaries. They took with them a box of unknown contents.

Next day, a Harvard professor of antiquities is killed by an assassin looking for the professor's files on the Essene Copper Scroll.

In Coober Pedy, Outback Australia, ex-psychic Jake Moss is hiding from the world after a public meltdown in Boston. He's trying to write a book without much success. He needs to feel better about himself before he faces the world again.

Chapter Three picks up the story at this point.

Enjoy!

Feedback is welcome.

Hiya

You can download the next installment of my thriller in the making here:

CHAPTER TWO

This is where the hero is finally introduced.

To recap - in case you missed the previous parts:

In the caves around Qumran in the Israeli occupied territory, a priest and his young charge have been forced to leave their home following an assault on their town by fearsome mercenaries. They took with them a box of unknown contents.

Next day, a Harvard professor of antiquities is killed by an assassin looking for the professor's files on the Essene Copper Scroll...

Chapter Two picks up the story at this point.

Enjoy! 

Hiya,

Here's the link to the first chapter of The Essene Heresy - a super-charged thriller in the making!

Click HERE

If you missed the prologue, you can go HERE to get that too.

All FREE!

I've had some terrific feedback for the story so far. If you like fast paced thrillers about buried treasure and international intrigue, then climb on board - I mean subscribe to this blog! - and get some action!

My best to you,

Rob Parnell

If you're an email subscriber to my author blog, you'll have already received a link to the prologue of The Essene Heresy - the first part of an online thriller to be released weekly as of today!

If you're not on my blog list, you can download the prologue by clicking HERE

Make sure you get the next installment of the thriller by signing up to the box on the top right of my blog page: HERE

My best to you,

Rob Parnell
Author

The time has come!

If you're an email subscriber to this blog, you'll have already received a link to the prologue of The Essene Heresy- the first part of an online thriller to be released weekly as of today!
If you're not on my blog list, you can download the prologue by clicking HERE.
Make sure you get the next installment of the thriller by signing up to the box on the top right of this page!
My best to you,
Rob Parnell

My editor and I have decided that the most effective way to ensure quality chapters of The Essene Heresy serialization is to delay the prologue by a week.

Only the best to you, that's what I say!
All writers know that we can't put out writing that is in any way substandard: random typos, missing words and (worst of all) suspect grammar. I'm determined to release only the finest version of this upcoming novel that it is possible to create.
So the prologue is written. As far as I'm concerned, it rocks - but it's going to spend a week being polished and edited to perfection.
I want my readers to have the very best experience possible when they finally get to read the first installment. I want to truly entertain you with this story - as if you're reading something you bought from a quality bookstore.
I hope you'll be forgiving of this slight pause in the proceedings.
I'm sure you'll think it's justified when you witness the final result!
What I'm trying to do with this exercise is create a full-on unique experience whereby you get to see a quality thriller in the making. And to be part of it - and, if you like, get involved.
As you can see (above, top right corner) I've put together a draft cover for the book, just so there's a visual reference point. In case it's hard to see, it's a rendition of the famous Copper Scroll overlaid with an exploding car with the main characters - Jake Moss and Danica Palmer - running from it.
The Copper Scroll is interesting because academics and archeologists don't really know what to make of it. On the surface it looks like a treasure map to precious metals presumably buried in the Qumran area.
But some researchers suggest it's either an elaborate 2000 year old hoax, or that it refers to treasure long since dug up by the Romans.
It's assumed that the Copper Scroll is Essene because it was found in a cave behind some of the Dead Sea Scrolls - but what doesn't make sense is that the Essenes were known to be a semi-monastic order who would be most unlikely to have stockpiled treasure, unless it was of religious significance.
I use the Copper Scroll as a starting point in The Essene Heresy. Curiously, the scroll refers to another scroll which has never been found but is said to contain more specific information about the treasure - including perhaps the reasons for its existence. Here is where my fiction takes over.
I won't spoil the plot for you - except to say that at the beginning of The Essene Heresy, a digital file of the alleged second scroll is apparently in the possession of a Greek professor living in Boston - until he's found dead, clearly murdered. His computer - and all his research notes - are missing…
Please, sign up for weekly installments of The Essene Heresy - a supercharged thriller in the making - and be part of this unique literary experiment!
The best to you.
Rob Parnell
PS: I've updated my author page on Amazon this week. You can view it here:https://www.amazon.com/author/robparnell

Last week I asked subscribers - and fans - which story they would most like me to pursue as an online serialized novel. As you can see from the graph, the most popular choice was for The Essene Heresy.

This result surprised me - mainly because of all the stories listed it's probably the one that would be leastlike anything else I've written!
Don't get me wrong - that doesn't make it an unattractive project. Far from it. But what's clear is that over 51% chose the story simply because they thought it sounded good - and not particularly because it's the kind of story people would associate with me. But that's fine!
I've spent the last week drawing up plans, researching history, juggling the plot and the characters in my mind. It's been quite a mental adventure.
As I said last week, I originally had little more than a synopsis for this idea. Most of the other story ideas - like Purge, Dead Center and Jack and the Wild - are fully plotted. Not so with the The Essene Heresy - until now.
During the last week I've made a whole bunch of notes concerning the main story which I've decided I'm going to split into three parts:
Part One: The Second Scroll - where the protagonists and the bad guy are seeking out the legendary twin of the famous Essene Copper Scroll - in the hope they might find the whereabouts of a sacred book.
Part Two:Sacred Books - where the UK, US and Israeli governments get involved in stopping the protagonists, a German drug company and a group of mercenaries from retrieving sacred books from The Holy Land.
Part Three: Buried Treasure - where the action - and story arcs - culminate in a battle over Essene sacred artifacts in the land (and minefields) around the Qumran caves.
Obviously it's a lot more complicated than that, but it's a start. I decided to plot the first part reasonably fully - but leave the second two parts with a looser structure until later on, when I can see how the story is unfolding.
I've drawn up story arcs for most of the main characters. It's not something I normally do but for this action/adventure thriller, I thought it was necessary.
Especially because I probably have too many potential characters at the moment - and I need to work out which ones are essential to the final story.
Here's an example of the hero's arc:
Jake Moss is 32. He was born in Boston to parents who died in a car crash when he was seventeen. Jake is a regular guest psychic on a radio show where he's famous for 'remote viewing.' During a live broadcast his bitter ex-wife calls in to expose Jake as a fraud. Jake suffers a crisis of confidence and wonders if he really is psychic - or ever was. He leaves Boston and heads for a small town in Australia to lose himself - and perhaps find himself too. He's hunted down and approached by Danica Palmer, a UK TV presenter who wants him to help her find lost Essene artifacts for an upcoming show she's producing. Jake doesn't want to do it at first but his resolve is sharpened by a mounting trail of bodies that result from a seemingly insane global hunt for the artifacts. Throughout the story, Danica teaches Jake to trust his instincts. By the end, Jake can see that with more trust in his intuition and Danica's belief in him, he can achieve anything.
And for good measure, here's the arc for the antagonist:
Wilhelm Beidermann is old by corporate standards and in danger of being voted off the board of Maximo Therapeutics, despite being its CEO. He needs to spearhead a new drug to save his career and pass on a legacy to his only son. Hearing about a lost Essene scroll that appears to detail a magical elixir of youth, he assumes they might be referring to a hitherto undiscovered drug that could prolong life - and even be responsible for the Christian stories about resurrection. Gaining no support for research from the MT board of directors, Beidermann engages a team of mercenaries to seek out the lost Essene treasure. Wilhelm quickly gets in over his head and realizes the commandos are much more violent than he was ready for. However, giddy with power and the promise of the Holy Grail, he continues. By the end of the story he realizes, too late, he's gone too far. 
I have lots more notes on locations, research and pieces of the plot but I don't want to overwhelm you at this stage - or spoil the story!
Suffice it to say, the first part of the serialized novel of The Essene Heresy will most likely begin next week. My good friend and novelist Chris Ryall has offered to edit and proof the story as it appears.
Interestingly, some people who emailed me about the story said they weren't sure about having zombies in it. I'm still in two minds. I think the story will work without zombies - but that it's an option that is still available at this stage.
If you want to share your thoughts and ideas, I'm happy to hear them. About anything to do with the story.
Even if you just want to be in it!