Trying out a new blog theme

I just switched blog themes from WordPress 2016 to WordPress 2017. If it isn’t working or you have strong feelings or opinions about the change, please let me know.

I know I’ve been sparse about posting on this blog, but that’s hopefully going to change soon. I’m gradually putting things in order to allow me to post more frequently, and not just whenever I have a new release or some group promotions or something. It helps that I have a more permanent living situation now, that isn’t so ridiculously stressful.

Some of you have asked me to blog about my outlining process, so I will be posting that within the next week. Until then, take care!

End of summer update

It’s been a couple of months since I wrote a blog post that wasn’t just a new release, or a bunch of book promos. Life got a little bit insane for a while, and I neglected the blog to take care of other things.

Life is still pretty crazy, but it’s starting to fall into more of a routine. Thankfully, even though I dropped the blog for a while, I’m still writing—in fact, I’m writing more than ever. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote the first draft of Gunslinger to the Galaxy, and I should be finishing up with the revisions in the next couple of days.

Also, I started work on Queen of the Falconstar, a bridge novel between Sons of the Starfarers and Gaia Nova. This is my first real attempt at making a detailed outline, and if the outline turns out to be true, it will be my longest novel yet. The deadline is February 2nd, 2019, and I hope to do three revision passes as I write it.

It’s all very organized, which is a relatively new thing for me, since I always used to think of myself as a “pantser” or “discovery writer.” But my opinions on that whole paradigm have changed, which will soon be the subject of a lengthy blog post.

I also ran my first BookBub promotion last week, with some pretty incredible results. I definitely hope to do some more promotions with them in the future. Retooling things to make that possible.

So that’s what I’ve been up to. I’ve got a new release scheduled for every month from now to December 2019, with all-new full-length novels to come out every four months for the forseeable future. My writing schedule is booked from now to May 2020. Again, it’s all very organized, and that organization is starting to bear fruit. Now I just need to make more time to read, seeing as I have a tendency to acquire books faster than I can read them. Also, it would be fun to post some book reviews.

I did a podcast!

The guys over at the Sci-Fi Shenanigans Podcast recently had me on for an interview, and now it’s up for your listening pleasure! We talked about a whole bunch of geeky stuff, including Halo, Star Wars, the Vorkosigan series, the Drenai saga, and some of the classics by Orson Scott Card, Robert Heinlein, and Ursula K. LeGuin. We also talked all about my Star Wanderers series, which was lots of fun.

Check it out!

It’s out! The ninth and final SONS OF THE STARFARERS book!

Victors in Liberty

Victors in Liberty

$9.99eBook: $2.99Audiobook: $8.99

As Gulchina's forces bombard Edenia II from orbit, Mara Soladze and the Deltana brothers rush to the planet's aid. Trapped on the surface, Reva finds an unlikely ally—one who proves to be a game changer for them all.

More info →

It’s out! Four years and two months after the publication of Brothers in Exile, the Sons of the Starfers series is now complete!

This book release marks the end of an era for me. I have to admit, there were times I wondered whether it was worth finishing this series at all. But I made a promise when I published the first book, and just like Sam Kletchka, I always keep my promises, dammit.

Judging from the reader response over the last couple of books, I’m glad I did. And the next time I launch a 9+ book series, I’ll be sure to write all of the books first, before publishing the first one. Four years is far too long to drag out a series like this.

In any case, Victors in Liberty is out now, and if you’ve enjoyed the rest of the series, I think you’re really going to like how it all wraps up. I certainly had fun writing it.

Thanks for reading!

Joe

My life is CRAZY right now

Oh my heck. How can I count the ways?

  • My writing computer crashed yesterday. Upgraded to Ubuntu 16.04, and it crashed again this morning. I think I have a fix, but only time will tell.
  • I started a new job on Monday. Carpentry crew. Nine to five. It’s exhausting, but the pay is good, and that’s what I need right now.
  • The brakes on my truck need work. Pads for sure, and probably rotors too.
  • I’m months overdue for a dentist appointment.
  • I need to find a new place before the end of the month, or the first week of July at the very (very!) latest. Unfortunately, everything is overpriced.

When I make progress in one area, things seem to fall back in another. And of course, everything’s time sensitive. Still making writing progress, though—that is, when I have a machine to write on!

If this blog goes silent for a while, here are the reasons why. Don’t worry about me, though. I’ll figure it out.

In the meantime, here’s something I’ve been listening to: