Stephen Drivick's Blog - Posts Tagged "sometimes-we-ran-3"
Almost Time to Lift the Curtain.
I just sent Sometimes We Ran 2: Community off to the editor. I've done all I can. It's up to the professionals to make it into a book.:)
It's about 68,000 words, and it continues John and Claire's story as they try to survive in a shattered world. It feels a lot like the first book, so I hope zombie fans will enjoy it.
Now on to new business. How about Sometimes We Ran 3? :)
It's about 68,000 words, and it continues John and Claire's story as they try to survive in a shattered world. It feels a lot like the first book, so I hope zombie fans will enjoy it.
Now on to new business. How about Sometimes We Ran 3? :)
It Begins Again.
"I stopped for a moment on the slushy road to take a drink from my water bottle. Hunting zombies is thirsty work." - First line from Sometimes We Ran 3.
Finally got some time to write.:)
Finally got some time to write.:)
E(X)cerpt-Sometimes We Ran 3
This is my sixteenth entry in the A-Z Blogging Challenge for April, and it happens to be X. X is hard, so I am going to cheat. Here's an e(X)cerpt from my work in progress Sometimes We Ran 3. It's rough, so I'm not responsible for misspellings, plot holes, terrible pacing, or bad words.:)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We stood in the kitchen doorway, and got our first up-close look at Zombie-Boy. He stood before the stainless-steel refrigerator. The monster slammed himself into the large appliance over and over trying to attack his reflection. Sometimes he used his teeth and hands leaving smeary handprints on the steel. His frostbitten feet made squeaking noises on the marble floor.
I put away the flashlight, and drew my gun. Nothing fancy. Just kill the bastard. As if Elizabeth read my mind, she took cover behind the door frame and readied her weapon. She looked back at me, and I nodded. The kill was hers.
Before Elizabeth could pull the trigger and extinguish the zombie's spark, it lifted its head and took a deep, snarling sniff of the air. The zombie had caught our scent. After taking in few more gulps of air, it pinpointed our location and turned around. Zombie-Boy hunched over into attack position, and a low growl that made the hair stand up on my arm escaped his rotting lips.
“Shoot it, Liz!” I called out. At the same time, the Red-Eye pounced on us from the kitchen. It knocked me to the ground, with my gun coming out of my hand. It fell to the floor, and disappeared under the dining room table. I watched from the ground as Elizabeth retreated from the doorway, fumbling with her rifle. She hesitated as the zombie got near her, and she never raised her rifle or fired a shot. The zombie grabbed onto her jacket, and began to attack.
Elizabeth had hesitated. Her hesitation might have killed us both.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On a side note, I had to step away from the A to Z Blogging challenge for a few letters. I did something to my shoulder and it hurt to type. It's also hard to type when there's an icebag attached to your shoulder.:)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We stood in the kitchen doorway, and got our first up-close look at Zombie-Boy. He stood before the stainless-steel refrigerator. The monster slammed himself into the large appliance over and over trying to attack his reflection. Sometimes he used his teeth and hands leaving smeary handprints on the steel. His frostbitten feet made squeaking noises on the marble floor.
I put away the flashlight, and drew my gun. Nothing fancy. Just kill the bastard. As if Elizabeth read my mind, she took cover behind the door frame and readied her weapon. She looked back at me, and I nodded. The kill was hers.
Before Elizabeth could pull the trigger and extinguish the zombie's spark, it lifted its head and took a deep, snarling sniff of the air. The zombie had caught our scent. After taking in few more gulps of air, it pinpointed our location and turned around. Zombie-Boy hunched over into attack position, and a low growl that made the hair stand up on my arm escaped his rotting lips.
“Shoot it, Liz!” I called out. At the same time, the Red-Eye pounced on us from the kitchen. It knocked me to the ground, with my gun coming out of my hand. It fell to the floor, and disappeared under the dining room table. I watched from the ground as Elizabeth retreated from the doorway, fumbling with her rifle. She hesitated as the zombie got near her, and she never raised her rifle or fired a shot. The zombie grabbed onto her jacket, and began to attack.
Elizabeth had hesitated. Her hesitation might have killed us both.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On a side note, I had to step away from the A to Z Blogging challenge for a few letters. I did something to my shoulder and it hurt to type. It's also hard to type when there's an icebag attached to your shoulder.:)
A Novel On Your Cellphone
I am going to a car show next weekend, and will be away from my computer for a few days. Because of my shoulder problems lately, I feel like I have fallen behind on my work in progress, Sometimes We Ran 3. Not being able to work on it for a few days was going to put me further behind.
My laptop is more a stay-at-home computer these days, so I scoured the mighty Amazon website for a cheap solution. I considered small notebooks, a new Kindle Fire HD, or even one of those cheap Android tablets with attached keyboard. Most of these solutions were either too expensive or had horrible reviews on the mighty 'Zon.
I then remembered my cellphone. I have a Samsung Galaxy Express with Android 4.1.2, a 4.7 inch screen, and a Bluetooth connection. It's not a real fancy phone, but it does work well in everyday life.
But could you write a book on it? I decided to try it out.
I went back to Amazon, and purchased a portable Bluetooth keyboard, a foldable, reasonably-priced one in white from a company called iwerks, and downloaded an app called text edit from the Play store - Google's app store. After waiting a few days for delivery, the keyboard arrived in good shape.
I charged it from my computer for a few hours, then fired up my phone's Bluetooth. The keyboard paired, and almost like magic, the words I typed appeared on the screen. I could now write on my phone.
It's not perfect. The screen is kind of small, but increasing the font size helped. File sizes could be a problem, so the whole master file of Sometimes We Ran 3 will remain on the laptop. I'll copy a few lines from the last paragraph to my phone, and type from there. Any thing I write on the phone will be copied to the computer.
In all a pretty neat solution. I can still write a little and not have to lug my laptop around. Actually, it might be cool to write a whole book on your phone. Imagine composing a novel while waiting in line, riding a bus, or lounging around in a vacation hotel room.
Sounds like a challenge to me.
----------------------------------------
After a little more web-surfing, I found out this cellphone novel thing is nothing new. The Japanese have been enjoying cellphone novels for a while, and many people have written bestsellers on their phones while commuting. I may just have to give a cellphone novel a try.:)
My laptop is more a stay-at-home computer these days, so I scoured the mighty Amazon website for a cheap solution. I considered small notebooks, a new Kindle Fire HD, or even one of those cheap Android tablets with attached keyboard. Most of these solutions were either too expensive or had horrible reviews on the mighty 'Zon.
I then remembered my cellphone. I have a Samsung Galaxy Express with Android 4.1.2, a 4.7 inch screen, and a Bluetooth connection. It's not a real fancy phone, but it does work well in everyday life.
But could you write a book on it? I decided to try it out.
I went back to Amazon, and purchased a portable Bluetooth keyboard, a foldable, reasonably-priced one in white from a company called iwerks, and downloaded an app called text edit from the Play store - Google's app store. After waiting a few days for delivery, the keyboard arrived in good shape.
I charged it from my computer for a few hours, then fired up my phone's Bluetooth. The keyboard paired, and almost like magic, the words I typed appeared on the screen. I could now write on my phone.
It's not perfect. The screen is kind of small, but increasing the font size helped. File sizes could be a problem, so the whole master file of Sometimes We Ran 3 will remain on the laptop. I'll copy a few lines from the last paragraph to my phone, and type from there. Any thing I write on the phone will be copied to the computer.
In all a pretty neat solution. I can still write a little and not have to lug my laptop around. Actually, it might be cool to write a whole book on your phone. Imagine composing a novel while waiting in line, riding a bus, or lounging around in a vacation hotel room.
Sounds like a challenge to me.
----------------------------------------
After a little more web-surfing, I found out this cellphone novel thing is nothing new. The Japanese have been enjoying cellphone novels for a while, and many people have written bestsellers on their phones while commuting. I may just have to give a cellphone novel a try.:)
We Have a Cover - Sometimes We Ran 3
We have a cover for Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue, and it's a doozy. The initial concept was drawn up by an outfit called Damonza.com. After a few tweaks suggested by me, she emailed me the finals and I was impressed!
Now I'm only showing you half the cover (what a tease, huh?), but at least it's the good half.:)
Can't wait to see this cover on Amazon and the other sites. Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue - coming to an ebook store near you soon.
It is Complete!
The first draft, that is. :)
Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue is born, complete with misspelled words, plot holes, clichés, and other goodies.:) Now, it will sit for a few weeks and rest on my hard drive as we go through the holidays. I'm not even going to look at it again until at least early next year!
Getting the words onto the screen was the beginning. Now comes the editing and the revising and the rewriting until it sounds right. Then it goes off for a final polishing by an editor to become a real book.
I'm still shooting for maybe a Feb. 2015 release. Stay tuned, zombie fans!
Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue is born, complete with misspelled words, plot holes, clichés, and other goodies.:) Now, it will sit for a few weeks and rest on my hard drive as we go through the holidays. I'm not even going to look at it again until at least early next year!
Getting the words onto the screen was the beginning. Now comes the editing and the revising and the rewriting until it sounds right. Then it goes off for a final polishing by an editor to become a real book.
I'm still shooting for maybe a Feb. 2015 release. Stay tuned, zombie fans!
From Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue
She stumbled out of the darkness, almost like someone pushed her. Her head was down with dirty blond hair covering her face. Very unsteady, the zombie tripped over her feet a few times as it tried to track us. She had been a receptionist or maybe one of the designers at the plant. Now she was a shambling mess, her nice white blouse ripped open to the waist and blackened by blood and gore. Her shoes were missing, and her pantyhose were in tatters, with deep open gashes up and down her legs. A plastic name tag still hung around her neck from her former life. Something had worked her over good.
She walked like a drunk, swaying back and forth as she tried to reach the van and her possible next meal. The effort to remain mobile caused small grunts and cries as she walked in the open space of the shop. Blood, body fluid, and God knows what else trailed in a gory little path behind her.
We stood frozen in morbid fascination. None of us could move as she continued her death dance in front of us. She reached a point a few feet in front of me, and raised her head. Twin red orbs greeted me from beneath her matted hair.
She showed her scary, red eyes.
From Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue.
Available in the Amazon Kindle book store, and part of the Kindle Unlimited program.
http://tinyurl.com/SometimesWeRan3AMZN
She walked like a drunk, swaying back and forth as she tried to reach the van and her possible next meal. The effort to remain mobile caused small grunts and cries as she walked in the open space of the shop. Blood, body fluid, and God knows what else trailed in a gory little path behind her.
We stood frozen in morbid fascination. None of us could move as she continued her death dance in front of us. She reached a point a few feet in front of me, and raised her head. Twin red orbs greeted me from beneath her matted hair.
She showed her scary, red eyes.
From Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue.
Available in the Amazon Kindle book store, and part of the Kindle Unlimited program.
http://tinyurl.com/SometimesWeRan3AMZN
Cruising
With the snow now behind us and warm Spring temps ahead, it's time to think about cruise-ins again. First up is the Po Boys car cruise in the great city of Canton, GA - still one of the biggest cruises in the South.
Every third Saturday from March till October, hundreds of car guys and girls meet in a strip mall to park and show off their rides. When the weather cooperates, the parking lot fills to capacity with neat rides from every decade. Spectators who came to shop or maybe to get a bite to eat find themselves surrounded by classics, muscle cars, hot imports and other automobilia.
I've been coming for the past ten years, its never the same cruise twice. You have your "regulars", but first-timers with all types of cars fill the rows. The show draws cars from all over the South. In the past, I've seen plates from Tennessee, Kentucky, and even Florida.
No trophies, no judging. Just a lot of great cars and people getting together. And for car lovers just there to spectate, a little bit of everything. Camaros and Mustangs? We got them. Hard-working pickups? We got a few rows worth. Muscle cars? Exotics? Old fashioned cars from the Thirties? You'll find a few. We even had a Kaiser Manhatten.
If you ever find yourself in Canton, GA on the third Saturday of the month and need a car show fix, come on by. Just look for all the cars with their hoods up. :)
Highlights from the March 2015 Po Boys Canton, GA cruise: http://goo.gl/Mu0u6h
**********************************************************************
FYI: I haven't forgotten (or abandoned!) Sometimes We Ran 3. Delayed by a sick editor, it's back in my hands ready for correction. It will be a book eventually ...I promise. :)
Thanks for waiting, Zombie fans.
Keep Fighting Until They All Come Home.
Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue is (finally) released to the general public! Right now, you can buy it from Amazon and DriveThruFiction. NOOK, Kobo, Apple, and Scribd coming soon.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VYWHZP6
DriveThruFiction: http://goo.gl/3p9dNR
I hope everyone enjoys it, and thanks to all the zombie fans out there.
Now, on to Sometimes We Ran 4: Enough with the Zombies already!. :)
Link to the cover if you want to take a peek: http://goo.gl/9UVuA5
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VYWHZP6
DriveThruFiction: http://goo.gl/3p9dNR
I hope everyone enjoys it, and thanks to all the zombie fans out there.
Now, on to Sometimes We Ran 4: Enough with the Zombies already!. :)
Link to the cover if you want to take a peek: http://goo.gl/9UVuA5
Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue - Now in Print Form!
It took four attempts to get the cover right, but Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue is out in print through Createspace! The fault is mine...took me a while to understand the dang template.
The link: http://goo.gl/oTeqTy $7.50
They should look great. Createspace always does a good job.
For those of you playing at home, this opens all my sales channels. Here are the links:
Amazon Kindle (Almighty 'Zon): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VYWHZP6
NOOK (more action there lately): http://goo.gl/4haHVD
Kobo (got a few fans over there):http://goo.gl/zsyjwi
Apple (picked up a sale here): http://goo.gl/8CwJ5v
DriveThruFiction (always a few zombie fans over there): http://goo.gl/41Dzgv
Scribd: http://goo.gl/be7Ryb
It's also available at:
Page Foundry: http://goo.gl/8xJynP, and Tolino.
It's also available at Libiro, the all indie bookstore. It comes and goes, so buy it when you see it. It may not be there next time. :)
Where all fine e-books are sold. :)
Later on, zombie fans.
The link: http://goo.gl/oTeqTy $7.50
They should look great. Createspace always does a good job.
For those of you playing at home, this opens all my sales channels. Here are the links:
Amazon Kindle (Almighty 'Zon): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VYWHZP6
NOOK (more action there lately): http://goo.gl/4haHVD
Kobo (got a few fans over there):http://goo.gl/zsyjwi
Apple (picked up a sale here): http://goo.gl/8CwJ5v
DriveThruFiction (always a few zombie fans over there): http://goo.gl/41Dzgv
Scribd: http://goo.gl/be7Ryb
It's also available at:
Page Foundry: http://goo.gl/8xJynP, and Tolino.
It's also available at Libiro, the all indie bookstore. It comes and goes, so buy it when you see it. It may not be there next time. :)
Where all fine e-books are sold. :)
Later on, zombie fans.
