Category: Short Stories

Late October update

I’m running at about 70% to 80% right now, but should be back up to 100% next week. However, since the blog is usually the last thing I get up to speed after a major life event, it will probably be another week or two before the blog is running like I want it.

Right now, I’m finishing up A Queen in Hiding and getting ready to send that to my editor. I’m still shooting for a November 3rd deadline. After that, I’ll take a week to go over the edits for Patriots in Retreat and put that up for pre-order.

I’m also working on a short story for an anthology with a deadline of November 1st, so that might throw a wrench into things. Fortunately, I’ve got a lot more time to write now, so that shouldn’t be as much of a problem.

Lots and lots of stuff going on behind the scenes. Right now, I’m getting my tasks all lined up so that I can hit them all in quick succession. One of the things I want to do is put out a print version of everything I’ve published electronically. KDP Paperback has advanced to the point where I can finally do that, so be sure to look out for that in the near future. Right now, I’m typesetting Gunslinger to the Stars.

I’m really looking forward to getting all the Sons of the Starfarers books written. Should happen within the next three to four months, if all goes well. There are so many other projects that I’m excited about, but I’ve committed to this series and I’m going to finish it. I don’t know if it will be my best work, but without sacrificing any more time I’ll strive to make it as good as I possibly can.

You may have noticed some changes in my prices. I’ll blog about that in the next few days. Also, I need to catch up on book reviews. I’ve found that I can dramatically increase my writing when I make a conscious effort to read more books, even if my writing time goes down. So that’s another goal.

Point is, things are happening even if it doesn’t seem like it. Ideally, I want to be up at the point where I always have something on preorder, and a short story publication coming out every month or so, most of them reprints, some of them new. So far, I’m at two short story publications this year—better get out and submit to more markets!

Now, back to writing!

Free and 99¢ books for September!

Hey guys, just a quick update to let you know about some book deals I have going on right now.

First, I have a free short story this month!

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Second, Desert Stars is 99¢ for the rest of September! I believe this is one of my best books, and it won’t be on sale again for a while, so be sure to pick it up now!

Desert Stars

Desert Stars

$13.99eBook: $4.99
Author: Joe Vasicek
Series: Hameji Cycle, Book 2
Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction, Space Opera
Tag: 2011 Release

He is sheikh’s sole heir, a young man raised by desert tribesmen after falling from the stars. She is the sheikh’s most beautiful daughter, promised his hand in marriage—but only if she can convince him to stay.

Together, they must travel to a land where glass covers the sky and men traverse the stars as easily as tribesmen cross the desert. At the ancient temple dedicated to the memory of Earth, they hope to find the answers that will lead them home.

But the call of the stars soon threatens to bring their budding romance to an end. And as the moment of decision draws near, the choices they must make will drive them toward a future that neither can foresee.

More info →
$1 off the ebook with coupon code: BUY DIRECT
FREE ebook when you buy the audiobook direct!
FREE ebook when you buy the paperback direct!
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Apple Books
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble Nook
Buy from GoodReads
Buy from Google Play
Buy from Kobo
Buy from Scribd
Buy from Smashwords

Finally, if you’re looking for a good free read, or perhaps you want to try out some new authors, I have books in three InstaFreebie group promos going on right now. Check them out!

SFF Book Bonanza (11 – 17 September)

September Sci-Fi (11 – 17 September)

Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror Full Length Novels to Chill and Thrill You! (10 – 30 September)

That does it for now. Thanks for reading!

Joe

End of July update

Holy crap, is it the end of July already? I guess it is.

A Queen in Hiding
Phase:2.0 Draft
100%
MyBookProgress by Author Media

So I’ve been making progress on my current WIP, A Queen in Hiding (Sons of the Starfarers: Book 7). Not quite as much as I would like, but it’s coming along. As usual, of all the stories I could have written, I’ve chosen the hardest one to write, but that’s okay because it’s going to turn out quite well. And if it doesn’t, I’ll put it aside and come back to it later.

I haven’t been writing as many short stories as I would like, but I’ve got a couple in the works that should open up some interesting new universes. Also, my thoughts on short stories are starting to change. There aren’t very many markets for original fiction that are really worth it, once you factor in the wait time and the circulation along with the payout. However, there are a ton of places that pay only token amounts but take reprints and simultaneous submissions.

I still think it’s a bad idea to self-publish first, but I may only submit to three or four markets before publishing my stories myself and moving on to the reprint markets. If I can flood the smaller markets with a bunch of my stories, that might be better than waiting for them to trickle through the submissions pipeline one at a time.

On the publishing side, the next big project is The Sword Keeper. I just got the edits back. Haven’t gone through them yet, but I’ll do that as soon as I’m finished with my WIP. The big holdup is finding a cover artist. This is my first fantasy novel, and I really want it to be awesome. Need to get the ball rolling on that real soon.

Ideally, I would like to get to the point where I’ve got a new short story coming out every two to three weeks, and at least one novel on pre-order all through the year. The idea is to put another novel on pre-order before the latest one is fully released. The short story end shouldn’t be too hard, as long as I can keep writing them. The novel end is a bit tougher, as it requires publishing four novels a year (maximum pre-order length is 90 days).

It’s not impossible, though. I’m scheduling the last four Sons of the Starfarers releases so that the next one is up for pre-order before the latest one comes out. That will hopefully buy some time to line up a few full-length novels in the queue. Just need to keep up a solid writing schedule for the rest of the year.

And on that note, I’m going to get back to writing. Take care!

So it’s the beginning of June already, and it’s starting to feel like summer here in Iowa. Because it’s so flat, the sky stays light F O R E V E R, which is kind of neat. Lots more time to go on walks, which is where I work out plot points and other stuff.

Patriots in Retreat
Phase:2.0 Draft
100%
MyBookProgress by Author Media

In any case, Patriots in Retreat (my current WIP) is coming along well. It’s turning out to be shorter than I’d expected; there’s only three chapters left, and it’s not quite 20k words. Will probably come in between 3ok and 25k, making it one of the shorter Sons of the Starfarers books.

Middles are tough, even for short novels. I have no idea if this draft is going to turn out clean or not. But I am trying to cycle through as I write, to minimize the number of drafts I need to do. If I can master that technique, I can double or triple my production.

The Sword Keeper is just about finished, only a few more touch-ups before I send it out to my editor. Need to get back in touch with him. We’re definitely still on track for a release this fall, and I’m super excited because I think this is one of the best books I’ve written. Look out for a WIP excerpt later on this week.

There’s a couple of short stories I really want to write, but I’m so swamped with the other stuff that I don’t know when I’ll be able to get to it. I’m not behind (yet) on my current WIP, but I need to keep a steady pace of just under 3k words to meet my deadline, which is going to take some effort.

I haven’t started writing Gunslinger to the Galaxy yet (the sequel to Gunslinger to the Stars)… well, that’s not quite true, because I have written the first line:

My name is Jane Kletchka, and I’m here to set the record straight.

…but in any case, I’m starting to get a bunch of great ideas for that one. Will probably start working on it sometime this fall.

Publishing-wise, I’ve got a ton of stuff to work on but not enough time to juggle it. Most of the stuff falling by the wayside is marketing stuff, which isn’t good, but sales seem to have picked up in the last month so hopefully that isn’t too much of a problem. Still waiting for some reviews to roll in for Gunslinger.

Major items on my publishing to do list include:

  • Write the author’s notes for “The Open Source Time Machine” single and short story bundle.
  • Compile the metadata for “The Open Source Time Machine” single and short story bundle.
  • Format and publish “The Open Source Time Machine” single and bundle.
  • Send The Sword Keeper to Josh Leavitt for editing.
  • Write the book description for The Sword Keeper.
  • Find a cover artist for The Sword Keeper.
  • Rewrite all short story descriptions.
  • Make a new cover for A Hill On Which To Die.
  • Upload all books to DriveThruFiction.

Not a small list—and that doesn’t include all the maintenance-type stuff!

So that’s the big challenge: making time for all of this while working the day job. It’s only 5-6 hours a day, but it adds up. I am saving money, though. My goal is to turn around at least $100 from my writing profits each month into investments. It would be really cool to start investing in space technologies, and the research for that could tie into my writing projects very well. Virtuous cycle and all that good stuff.

That’s what I’m up to these days. Peace, love, and penguins y’all. Thanks for reading!

New short story!

Hey guys! Just a quick post today to let you know that I have a new short story out! It’s a fantasy short this time, set in the same universe as The Sword Keeper. With this latest one, I’m still on track to publish something new every month. Check it out!

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