And The Winner Is...

Last week I posted a long diatribe about how I'd failed as a writer in 2012, and my plan for being better this year, and to make this the year of finishing projects. (You can read that drivel here.) At the end of the post was a poll for the readers to vote on my first project to finish for 2013. The poll was open for 6 days and the results are in!

After a massive voter turnout, with a whopping 67% of the votes, the winner is.....

Echo-13: From the Files of the X-Corps - 2
The Dytek Enterprises Field Agent Handbook - 1

Here's a little teaser of what Echo-13 is all about.

Somewhere in the depths of space resides a small band of men. Men who do the impossible. Men who take on the dirty jobs nobody else can or will do. This is their story...

Legends and myths have been passed on from generation to generation throughout time. Missing star fleets of mighty warships. Lost planets of unbelievable wealth. That the home of the human race was a small, undistinguished, third rate, blue-green planet orbiting the star Sol. Some say that these are just children's tales, to be told at bedtime and nothing more. But all myths and legends are somewhere based on truth. Over the past few years a new legend has arisen, about a group of men that run around the galaxy doing the impossible. Most credit these tales to drunken starpilots. But a few believe that the legend is true, that this mysterious group of men is real. You decide.

I"ll post updates as I go here, and on twitter.

January Word Count: 0 / 15,500

And The Horses Are In The Starting Gate

Well, It's Jan 1, 2013. We survived the Mayan doomsday. The world kept turning on Dec 22nd, and the 23rd... Guess they got that one wrong. Since we're all still here, I might as well get traction on this year.

New year. New goals. To that end, I've decided I need to get better at a writing schedule and sticking to it. The vast majority of my new writing last year happened in November. In the first two days. At that point, I really hadn't written anything since Nov '11, and very much at all going back to July before that.

November rolled up, and with it the annual NaNoWriMo - the National Novel Writing Month Challenge. For those who haven't heard of NaNo before, it's a challenge to write a 50,000 (or more!) word novel in the 30 days of November. I'd won this 4 consecutive years, a veteran. I'd hit 50K words in as little as 15 days one year. I figured I'd grab an idea and run with it all month. Been there, done that, I'd have it in the bag. No sweat. I failed spectacularly.

A couch slug does not simply buy brand new sneakers and then run the New York Marathon.

To go from so much inactivity to trying to crank out 1667 words or better a day to keep the NaNo pace just wasn't going to happen. After 12hr door-to-door days at the day job (You know, that thing that pays for life's little niceties, like food and internet), I didn't have the mental energy to write my name much less 1667 words a night.

So, I'm going to stretch this year before running that November marathon. Here's how:
January - 500 words/day for 31 days = 15,500
February through July I intend to add 250 words/day each month, ending up with 2000/day in July.
August I'm dropping back to 1000 words/day, building up again 1750/day in November. Notice, this is ahead of NaNo pace. December I cut myself a break and drop back to 1000/day.

Grand total for this schedule as presented is 464,500 words.

I want to prove to myself I can win this thing with a full time day job, and if I stick to this schedule I'll be in shape to win that marathon. I also want this year to be one not of new beginnings, but of finishes. I have stacks and stacks of projects with notes attached, and maybe a few paragraphs, or  WIPS (Work In Progress) with 5-10K words and a few notes for later. I've even got one WIP that, if I'd had a child when I started it, the kid would turning 21 in July!

The only snafu I have with this whole grand scheme is this: which of my (many) unfinished projects do I work on first? I'm going to let you, the readers decide. I'll post a short synopsis of each contended and let you all vote until Sunday on which I should start on first.

1: Echo-13: From the Files of the X-Corps - the oldest horse in this race. Ultra-deep top secret special forces action with the fate of the galaxy hanging on their next move. Lots of gun battles, space fights and explosions everywhere. I've said for the last several new years that I would finally finish it. Will this be there year?

2: The Dytek Enterprises Field Agent Handbook - Urban Fantasy. One man simply trying to clear his name at work. Oh, he works as a regional field agent for Death.

3: Jameson Hewitt Airship Mysetery - A Steampunk-ish mystery thriller set on an airship crossing the Atlantic at the beginning of a worldwide war.

4: Hunt Starfire Saga - Scifi, chronicling the birth of a mercenary startfighter unit. Book 1 of a planned 6-7 book series.

There they are! Go vote in the comments. I'm looking forward to seeing which horse wins this race.

Fey Lights Review

"Fey Lights" by Liana Brooks

Let me start off right now by telling you there *will* be SPOILERS in this review. I'll do my best alert the reader before-hand, so that those who enjoy their reviews spoiler free may enjoy this one.

"Fey Lights" is a sci-fi novella. Interwoven among it's plot lines is a touch of adventure, a dash of action, a pinch of mystery, and a sprinkling of romance. Stir it all up and let it simmer in the tropical island setting, and you have a receipt for a tasty dish.

I had the chance to beta read this novella. There were few places I could find to poke holes in the story, and the author added some extra seasonings to make the published version of this story twice as nice.

*Here there be SPOILERS*

"Fey Lights" starts not with a bang, but with a crash. Literally. Main character Jeani finds herself shipwrecked on a back-rocket planet in the middle of nowhere, on the trail of a missing colleague, and on the run from a slave dealer. Then Jeani's life gets complicated when ghosts of her past she can barely recall turn up, bearing torches.

Throw in flying jellyfish, a sea creature or two, a few daring escapes, and a head-spinning plot twist, and you have a read that is both enjoyable, and leaves you wanting more.

*Spoilers Finished*

The author offers up a grand universe to explore in just a short novella. Competing empires, competitively cooperating police forces, shape-shifting humanoids, native species with their own colorful local customs. There's enough here for an entire series to explore.  There were mere hints of a larger back story that I hope the author brings to light. I for one would enjoy another outing in the Fey Lights universe. I think most other readers would too.

"Fey Lights" is available now. 

Amazon  B&N  Kobo  Smashwords  Goodreads

Unspun & Bloody Promos

Rachel Firasek stops by to give readers her take on being a newly indie-published author, and to share a little about her new Book "Unspun".

Bloody Promos

As I write this, my fingers are bleeding. It’s the first of 5 million blog posts for the month of July. The world of promoting a new release, especially my first indie-pub release is demanding and extracting of plasma. Yes, I said it, plasma.

Wikipedia’s definition=Blood plasma is the yellow liquid component of blood in which the blood cells in whole blood are normally suspended. It makes up about 55% of the total blood volume.

So, now that I’m weak from plasma and blood loss, I’ll try to humor you fine people on what it’s like in my world right now. There is a reason so many authors’ fight, beg, offer favors of devious intent to find the magical agent that will love their manuscript enough to beg, offer favors…etc. to a New York market.

Once that book is in the hands of a lovely editor in the “big” world of publishing and their marketing department, the author can sit back and relax, right? Wrong. But, it is still better than what those of us less than mid-level authors have to work with. Forging on to find our place in the market, we must sweat, pant, and yes, sometimes bleed for the recognition that will, hopefully, place our books out in the world.

I woke from a sweaty dream last night, no---get your minds out of the gutter---to realize I was sweating over all the months of hard work I’ve put into booking blog spots, chats, vlogs, and now, even a Skype conference with a book club. It’s here and I’ve done so much work finding homes for my lovely words, that I haven’t written my posts! Yikes.

So, night sweats and all, I’m putting on my happy face, and marching on. It’s what I do. For those of you selling a book, start now, not when the book is for sale on Amazon--or worse--on clearance. It will take months of developing treasured relationships, finding people you can trust to share your work with, and finding the right homes for your promo.

I know some of you probably think I’m all over the place and so put together, but the truth is, what you are seeing is half a year of work in the making. I put aside my shy and hiding nature and stuck out my hand/keyboard to introduce myself to other bloggers, writers, and yes…authors. Guess what…they didn’t bite. So, here I am, celebrating my release with you, and writing this hopefully entertaining post on promo. Have a great day! And, now I must go wrap my poor mangled hands in gauze and allow them time to heal before I begin writing my 499,999,999^th post. Happy July everyone!

Here's a little about the book! :)

She gave away her heart…
Giving her heart to a mortal wasn't something the First Fate planned. Losing him nearly shattered her soul. Upon his death, Clotho swore never to love—or weave life—again. Hoping she'll change her mind before it's too late, Zeus commands the spinner of life to take a much needed vacation from her immortal responsibilities.

He had to hide his...
Dane is close to cracking the drug ring he's spent the last two years infiltrating, but needs to perform one last heist to meet the head man and prevent an impending war. An undercover agent, he’s now on the run from drug lords, thieves and with the very woman whose tears make him forget his purpose.

Together they’ll find a way back from the dark.
Chloe will have to put her trust in the man she believes may have killed her fiance, or face an eternity on Earth. Without the desire for life, hope could slip through the cracks of time if he doesn’t love away her sorrow.

BUY NOW!

AMAZON 

B&N

Rachel’s writing career began at the impressionable age of twelve with a poem dedicated to the soldiers of Desert Storm. A dark macabre affair that earned her a publication in an anthology and many raised eyebrows from family and friends, she hid her poetry and artistic style for years…

Tucked away in the heart of Central Texas, with the loving support of her husband and three children, she dusted the cobwebs from her craft. Returning to those twisted regions of her mind, she creates dark urban fantasies and soul-searching paranormal romance.

To learn where love twists the soul and lights the shadows, visit Rachel at http://www.rachelfirasek.com/

Rachel Firasek
True Love Devastates...
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Lucky Day

Well, it's Brain Drippings' 1st blogiversary. Considering my reluctance to begin blogging *at all*, I'd say the blog is lucky enough to have made it this far. So, in the spirit of bon chance (What the French would call good luck or good fortune), I thought I'd tell you about a day I had happen to me once.

Ever have one of those days when things just go right for you? Even when things go wrong, they still turn out right for you? One of those days where Karma decides "Let's let him/her have one today." Happened to me a couple years back.

The gf and I were going out of town to an airshow in San Angelo, Texas. We were leaving DFW and driving west to the part of Texas that, on a colored map, changes over from green to yellow-brown. We stopped at the bank around lunch-time, and I'm sitting there, waiting to get into the parking spot in front of the building. There's a man blocking the open space while he's getting something out of the backseat of his Tahoe. He's a tall black guy, tall enough to look over the top of his Tahoe; could have played guard or forward on a basketball team, he's that tall. Something is on the ground next to his feet, so the gf hops out and tells him about it.

He thanks her, picks it up (looks like a checkbook or something that size), and she goes on into the bank, and he follows a moment later. I pull into the slot and wait. When she comes out, she's holding a bank envelope. (We weren't picking up cash or anything, so this is a little odd) She tells me that the man was waiting for her by the door to the bank with the envelope. He'd thanked her again and handed her the envelope and said "This is for you and your husband. Lunch is on me." She opened the envelope in the truck, and there's $100 in 20s in the envelope! We both looked at each other and I said "Well, there's gas money for the weekend!"

Then we went across the street to Target. She wanted to look at digital cameras, and found one she liked. It was already 30% off. The only one left in stock was the display unit. She asked if anything would be taken off the price because it was the display. They did. She ended up getting a $250 camera for less than half. Our day just kept getting better and better.

We picked up the boy after school, and got out of DFW around 4:30, after fighting some monster traffic on 820 headed west & south around Ft Worth. After we stopped for dinner, and finally made it to San Angelo, (And nearly hitting a deer at night on a 4 lane highway in the middle of nowhere, Texas) we arrived at our hotel at 9:30pm. We'd booked a double with two queen-sized beds on a credit card. This was a price of around $75/night for two nights.

When we got to the hotel, and the gf hopped out to go check us in, it was several minutes before she came back out. She had bad news, and good news. The bad news was that the hotel, at which several of the performers and show personnel were also staying, needed our room and gave it away, since we were so late in checking in. The good news, however, was that since we'd booked it on a credit card, they had to give us another room. The only thing they had available? The $155/night suite over the lobby! King-sized bed, living room with fold out couch, small kitchenette, two tvs and a decent sized closet. And, because we'd booked it on the card, they gave us the suite for the rate of the double we'd originally booked.!

Tell me about your lucky day! Comments are always welcome.

Flight For Control

"Flight for Control" is a new aviation thriller that reads like a mystery by Karlene Pettitt.

Three airliners have crashed in the last year and nobody knows why. After a ten-year leave, Kathryn Jacobs has been invited back to the N.T.S.B to investigate this series of unexplained airline crashes. But her husband, Captain Bill Jacobs, has his concerns. While her twin daughters are off at camp, and Bill is actively campaigning for the Pilot Union Presidency, Kathryn secretly begins her investigation.

What she learns will shock the nation.

Flight For Control is a thriller that reads like a mystery. But to Kathryn, there is no mystery on the condition of the airline industry—it’s broken. Planes are crashing. Pensions are lost. Pilots are financially and emotionally bankrupt due to fatigue, furloughs, and loss of seniority. It’s time that someone takes control before it’s too late—unless it already is

Karlene Petitt is very qualified to write an aviation thriller. She's an International Airline Pilot who is type-rated and has flown and/or Instructed on the B744, B747, B767, B757, B737, B727 and A330. Petitt is a 33-year veteran of flying, and has worked for Coastal Airways, Evergreen, Braniff, Premair, America West, Guyana, Tower Air, Northwest Airlines and currently flies an Airbus for an international airline. She is the mother of three, grandmother of six, and holds MBA and MHS degrees. 

"Flight for Control" is now available at Amazon and B&N.

But wait, there's more!

Just return to the blog and show a proof of purchase in the comments section and be registered into a world-wide drawing for Karlene Petitt to fly to your location and talk to your book club, in person! Not only will she come to speak with your book club, she'll bring five copies of "Flight for Control" for the club as well!

You get a great book, and get the chance to win a really cool prize!" 

A Cry For Help

'Help me Blog Readers. You're my only hope."

I'm at the fork in the road. Actually, I am deciding between 3 choices, so technically this fork is a trident. :D I'm looking at buying a Kindle of some kind (I still love you most paper books!), and I'm trying to decide between the Kindle Keyboard 3G (139.00), the Kindle DX (379.00) and the Kindle Fire (199.00). My problem is, I don't know which to choose. I like the size of the DX, but I like that the Fire is in color. I've seen and used Kindle Keyboards before, but I've heard zip about the DX.

My primary use would as an e-reader first; both for pleasure and for reference when I'm writing- so I don't have to change screens back and forth all the time. Music or videos would be a distant secondary use.

What's been your experience with the gaggle of Kindles available today?