Wayne Batson Interview--Day 2

The Rise of the Wyrm Lord by Wayne Thomas Batson is the book featured on DAY 2 of our interview with Mr. Batson.

Don't forget to visit Waynes website, www.thedoorwithin.com and his blog at www.enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com

Now on to the second part of our interview!

7.) Have you found the process of "getting published" to be difficult and do you think that it's getting harder to break into the industry as a Christian fiction writer?
Getting published IS hard, and is probably getting harder. But, here’s the thing: if you write a great book, you will get published—but only if you persist. It’s daunting to pile up rejections. But you’ve got to work at your craft all the time, making your product harder and harder to resist. Timing is important also. Pay attention to where the entertainment market is going, not just books, but all media. If you know that winter 2008 Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit will come out, you may have a better chance selling a fantasy title. The Door Within took 13 years to get published, and I needed every one of them. God put me through the fire, taught me to write all over again, and allowed me to learn about the business side of publishing. Now, I’m better prepared than I ever would have been years back.

8.) Christian fiction is such a new genre, what do you predict might happen for it; growth or do you see it struggling for acceptance?
I’m an eternal optimist. That said, I see Christian Fiction having HUGE growth over the next 5-10 years. We’re starting to see Hollywood make more “family friendly” or “wholesome” movies, and I think the reason is that the heartland of America still yearns for that which is noble and good. And I think we will see more and more Christian publishers sign and promote more “crossover” titles—books with Christian themes versus preachy tomes. Our society seems to be welcoming to crossover titles so long as they don’t hit people over the head with the Jesus Stick. I’m a firm believer in the gradual evangelism approach. You write a story that makes the reader ask questions that ONLY Jesus can answer.

9.) Your Door Within trilogy has been compared to C.S. Lewis' Narnia. Do you find this sort of "profiling" to be a good thing or are writers being expected to fill shoes they never intended to fill?
To have my name in the same sentence as C.S. Lewis is humbling to say the least. I don’t really see it so much as profiling as it is a way for people to get a handle on the type of tale I tell. Readers do it all the time when they shop for a new book. “I’ve read all Tom Clancy’s work. You have anything like it?” The Door Within Trilogy certainly has some similarities to Lewis’s work, but there are enough HUGE differences. It’s not derivative. In fact, I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’ve still never read The Chronicles of Narnia all the way through.

10.) Which of your trilogy books has been the most popular and why do you suppose that is?
A little hard to say at this point because all three titles have not had the same time on the market, but The Final Storm took off the fastest. I think the reason for this is that it’s the series finale, and uh, well…I left readers with an evil cliffhanger in The Rise of the Wyrm Lord. ;-)

11.) As a Christian, have you found it more difficult to write in the realm of fantasy and stay true to your faith?
Not really. Criticisms of my work have been about minor things, but not my theology. I think the fantasy genre, by its very nature, allows a writer to explore unique ways of expressing your faith.

STAY TUNED FOR THE CONCLUSION OF OUR INTERVIEW TOMORROW!

Wayne Batson Interview--Day 1

The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson is our featured book for day one of our interview with Mr. Batson. I'm personally reading this book and have been enjoying it very much. Mr. Batson the physical and spiritual conflicts of the Christian life into a wonderous allegorical fantasy world that never ceases to thrill.

Don't forget to visit Wayne's website at www.thedoorwithin.com and his blog at www.enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com and now onto our interview with Mr. Batson!

1.)How long have you been writing and is the Door Within the first novel you tried to have published?
I’ve been writing since the 6th grade. Seriously, when I won a short story contest, and they gave me chocolate—I was hooked. The Door Within is the first novel I tried to get published. Initially though, I was very naïve about the business. I submitted my manuscript to dozens of publishing houses, before the story was really “there,” and I didn’t use an agent. So, I piled up the rejections.

2.) Do you have a favorite scene in the trilogy? If so, what is it?
There are big action scenes or wild twists that gave me chills when I wrote them. Falon’s surprise in the Labyrinth or Captain Valithor’s return in The Door Within. The discovery of The Sepulcher and the epic battle in the Blackwood from Wyrm Lord. The fireworks display over the Blue Mountains and the huge battle in The Final Storm—they all mean a lot to me. But my favorite scene is a smaller, tenderer moment. It’s when Aidan, Antoinette and Robby find themselves locked away in the dungeon at the end of Final Storm. It is here that Aidan announces that if he must die, then so be it. He would rather die with the praises of his King on his lips, than to live while denying Him.

3.) Why do you write for young readers in particular and do you find them to be more enthusiastic fans?
I’ve been a middle school reading/English teacher for sixteen years, so I’ve always loved the tween audience. Truthfully, there wouldn’t be a Door Within series if it wasn’t for my students. And they are enthusiastic. They are such a wonderful mix of cleverness, curiosity, and creativity—fantasy just works for them, perhaps more than any other age group.

4.) What is your favorite fan comment or experience?
A young lady emailed me after she finished the Door Within Trilogy and had this to say, “I truly cried during this book. It all touched my heart so strongly! I couldn't stop crying. My sister asked me if I was upset. I answered her: "No, Maggie. No, far from it!" I knew in my head, I was certain at that point, and still so certain, that I loved God. I love God!!! And I know that he loves me. I am certain for the first real time in my whole life.

And that is what I have to thank you for. You brought me, not back to God, but fully to God. You are doing wonderful work by spreading God's messages, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks that. You set such an amazing role model to young Christians of what a child of God looks like. I would hug you now, if I could!”

I’m still astonished when I read it. God gets all the credit, but to be along for the ride is…well, a dream come true.

5.) Have you done many book signings and were you surprised by the turnout one way or another?
There’s a Barnes and Nobles near the school where I teach. I did a signing there for The Door Within, and in about ten minutes into the event, the place was PACKED!! I signed 200 copies of The Door Within that night. Another special signing was at a local HisWay Christian Books. A wonderful young lady who works there, hand-painted four shields (four foot shields) based on The Door Within books. She had them arranged in the store for the signing, complete with broadswords, helms, and a rather interesting battle axe. How cool is that?

6.) Are you a disciplined writer, utilizing rigid outlines or do you write when the mood hits and create as you go?
Definitely an outliner. But my outlines are fluid. I spend as much as a month outlining the story, and that’s where a lot of the coolest ideas hit me. Then, pounding the keyboard for the manuscript is much easier.

STAY TUNED FOR TOMORROWS --DAY 2 INTERVIEW!

Chronicles of Soone 2 Update*

LOOOK! It's a bird...It's a plane...it's Super...uhm, well, yeah, it is a plane. Sorry.

If you're just standing around waiting for the next Chronicles of Soone novel to come out later this year, then I have good news!

The awesome new cover is nearly complete for The Chronicles of Soone: The Rise of Lucin. The book is going into the editing phase as we speak and we'll be having an advance showing of the new book cover here on the blog, very soon. Now, the new cover will be slightly incomplete as it will be finalized with some author reviews and blurbs that will grace it by the time of press, but you will get the ARC (advance reader copy) view and man does it look good so far.

Authors who have already laid claim to an ARC of "The Rise of Lucin" for review and cover blurb purposes are: Wayne Thomas Batson (The Door Within trilogy), R.W. Ridley (The Oz Chronicles series), Sarah Onderdonk (Little Sins, Big Problems), and our good friend Jeremy Robinson (Raising the Past & The Didymus Contingency).

The Christian Science Fiction Fantasy blog tour is coming up on January 22nd, for Wayne Thomas Batson's Door Within trilogy and we'll be having a three part - three day interview with Mr. Batson during the tour. The next post after the last portion of Wayne Batson's interview will reveal the new Chronicles of Soone cover.

I hope you will all join us for the blog tour and Wayne Batson's interview and then be sure to check back the next day for the unveiling of the cover for, The Chronicles of Soone: The Rise of Lucin.

Arms of Deliverance, by Tricia Goyer
Tricia Goyer is the author of five novels, two non-fictionbooks, and one children's book. Tricia was named Mount HermonChristian Writers Conference "Writer of the Year" in 2003. In 2005,her book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion.Also in 2005, her novel Night Song won ACFW's Book of the Year forLong Historical Romance. In 2006, her novel Dawn of a ThousandNights also won Book of the Year for Long Historical. She's writtenover 250 articles for national publications and hundreds of BibleStudy notes for the Women of Faith Study Bible. Tricia lives inMontana with her husband and three kids where she homeschools,leads children's church, and mentors teenage mothers.

Interview: Raising the Past author, Jeremy Robinson

Raising the Past, by Jeremy Robinson, was an exhilarating page turner for me. being a fellow author with Jeremy as Breakneck Books, I had been eager to read the novel and wasn't disappointed. I had previously read his first bestselling fiction novel, The Didymus Contingency, and had enjoyed the unique time travel story which involved a return to the time of Jesus Christ's earthly ministry, but I have to say, as good as that one was, I really enjoyed Raising the Past even more. The book is blur of action from cover to cover and anyone who's read my work knows that's what I really enjoy.
I contacted Mr. Robinson about sharing a little with us and he was glad to do so. The following is a short interview Jeremy did for us and gives us a bit of insight into the views and experiences of this up and coming novelist.


1.) Having self published your first fiction novel, The Didymus Contingency, in 2005, do you think you've benefited from the experience? If yes, in what way?

Absolutely. Publishing The Didymus Contingency myself was the best thing I’ve ever done for my career. It has sold and is still selling thousands of copies. I signed two foreign translation deals for the book ( Romania and Bulgaria ). I landed a top literary agent. And it provided me with thousands of loyal fans who are gobbling up my second novel, Raising the Past.

2.) I've noticed you're quite diverse, being both a published fiction and non-fiction writer. Which area do you feel most holds your heart and why?

My heart is with fiction. While non-fiction is good for the money aspect, it’s not nearly as satisfying for me personally. The Screenplay Workbook evolved from worksheets my friend and I were making for our personal use...and making a whole book just seemed like the next logical step. That we put it together in a month and sold it the next is a bit amazing. It was my first published book though, and in that way opened up a lot of doors. The second non-fiction book, POD People, was written out of necessity. I receive e-mails almost everyday (three so far today, two yesterday, etc, etc) asking for advice on marketing Print-On-Demand books. I like to respond to all of these e-mails, but it was eating up time that I’d rather spend writing. So I put the book together and now when I receive those e-mails, I just point people to the book.

While those projects are great fun, they do little to satiate my desire to tell stories and entertain people through words. Thus, my heart is with fiction.

3.) Having read Raising the Past myself, I can honestly say that it was an excellent sci-fi thriller and had me furiously turning pages. Tell us the one thing that most excites you about the story, perhaps your favorite scene in Raising the Past, and why?

There is a lot I like about Raising the Past. It’s a blend of so many genres I love and its pace was as fun to write as I hope it is to read. But I really enjoy the twist at the end and the way the book tosses around the idea of free will. The novel is based on a screenplay I wrote years before and the screenplay, being limited by 120 pages, lacked the interesting ending and in depth theme. So those elements that make the story something special are what excites me most, because as it was in screenplay format, they didn’t exist.


4.) When you're writing do you find yourself to be an outliner and a disciplined schedule setter or are you more of a "when-the-mood-strikes" kind of a writer?

I'm very disciplined when it comes to sitting down and writing. Once I get into a novel I try to write at the same time everyday for the same amount of hours, usually from 1pm to 5pm. This only changes when I approach the end of the book, then I’ll write in the morning and late into the night as well.

As for outlines, I start by laying out key scenes—things I know will be in the book, and then I come up with an ending—where I know I’m going to end up. As for a detailed outline, I create several “where I’ve been and where I’m going” outlines along the way, plotting out all the minor scenes from one key scene to the next. I do this perhaps four times throughout the writing process, mostly as a guide to keep me from forgetting anything important and to help continuity. They aren’t rigid though. I like the story to lead where it may and don’t bind myself to any outlines. This is how the cool new ending in Raising the Past came about. It sort of developed on its own.


5.) What one thing do you believe has most inspired you to be a novelist?

I can’t say I was inspired to be a novelist at all. I have always been inspired to tell stories. It’s been an innate passion of mine my whole life. First I started with art. This stayed true through college where I was an illustration major. I moved on to comic book illustration and ended up writing a few issues. From there I took up screenwriting and then moved on to novel writing. The move to novel writing (at first) was more of an odds choice. There are 300 movies made every year and something like 40,000 screenplays written every year. Those are bad odds, especially in an industry where who you know is more important than how good your story is. With books, the odds are better and I took a stab at it with The Didymus Contingency. I was pretty surprised that after spending so much time on art and screenwriting (not the most literary of writing) that I had a knack for novel writing. The Didymus Contingency was the first prose fiction I’d ever written. It shows (a little) but I’ve tirelessly dedicated myself to improving as a writer. Raising the Past was my second novel and the growth is evident, just as it is between Raising the Past and my recently finished fifth novel, Kronos.

6.) Having written both Christian fiction and secular fiction novels, briefly explain why you have chosen to write in both areas when most authors stick to either religious fiction or non-religious fiction?

I’m a Christian. It’s who I am, so it sneaks into my books, sometimes more blatantly than others. But I’m not a “Christian author” like Jerry Jenkins, Frank Peretti or Ted Dekker. I write mainstream books for a mainstream audience (Christian, non-Christian, etc) and sometimes they have Christian or Biblical themes / plot devices. Sometimes they don’t.

7.) As a consumer, what do you find to be the top three selling points for a fiction novel?

When I go to the book store there are actually three things I do to make a decision about buying a book. It’s pretty simple. 1. The cover. The book has to draw my attention...and then it has to hold it. If the cover gives me enough information about the story and it looks good, I’ll pick the book up and read the back cover. If that's good, then I move on to step two. 2. The author. I always read dedications and acknowledgements. I don’t think many people do this when considering a book, but I always do. They tell me what kind of person the author is. Most authors are nice and very gracious in their acknowledgements, but a few aren’t and I’m less likely to buy a book from an author who seems...unfriendly. 3. I read the first sentence. If it grabs me, I read the first page. If I find myself turning the first page to read the second, I’ll probably buy the book. I was a reader at a literary agency and this sort of became a habit, judging a book by the first few pages, but I’ve never disliked a book I’ve bought, so it seems to work for me.


8.) What is your favorite "fan" comment or experience?

My favorite fan letters have been from non-Christian fans of The Didymus Contingency who recognize the book as being a positive portrayal of Jesus Christ, but who aren’t put off by it. So far I’ve received fan letters from Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, atheists, agnostics and good old “I don’t believe in anything” types. All enjoyed the book regardless of their different beliefs, and that’s really what I wanted the book to be. It’s nice that people can appreciate my Christianity without feeling assaulted by it.


9.) Is there any area of your writing that you hope to improve upon?

I sometimes notice that in my haste to write action I sometimes forget details, things that make the story more tangible. I go back and add where it’s missing, but I’d like to get it on the first time through. Also, something I’ve worked on for a long time is my “cheesiness factor”. This is a hold over from my days writing comic books (and reading comics for years) and involves corny jokes and melodrama. It’s pretty much out of my system now, but I still have to watch out for it.

10.) What can we all look forward to, in the future, from Jeremy Robinson?

There is a lot on the table right now and I don’t have any specifics, but I’m expecting at least one 2007 release, perhaps two. I’m not going to speculate as to which of my novels these will be (though I have an idea). I’ll be writing my sixth novel this winter and spring and my seventh this summer and next winter....I hope. I’m researching both now and will decide which to go forward with in the next week.

New Interviews Coming

In the interest of giving readers more content on the blog, I'm going to be doing some interviews with several authors I've come to know recently, upon reading their work. They're quite talented authors and I'm sure many of you will be interested in hearing from them.

Our first author scheduled will be the bestselling author of The Didymus Contingency, Jeremy Robinson, and a fellow Breakneck Books author with his second fiction offering, Raising the Past.

Our second author interview will be with the IPPY award winning author of The Takers: Book One of the Oz Chronicles, R.W. Ridley with his upcoming release of the sequel, Delon City.

And our third scheduled author will be fellow Breakneck Books author, Sean Young, with the release of his debut historical thriller, Violent Sands.

Until then, I leave you with the links to the book trailers on the book titles and RW Ridley's Taker's trailer is found on the amazon plog. They're all quite good and I'm looking forward to sitting down (virtually) with these talented authors to discuss their work.

I hope you'll grab a sandwich and join me!

Interview with Warner author, Jeff Rivera

How long was your novel out in self published form and how were its sales during that time? Forever My Lady was out for about a year before it was purchased by Warner. It had about 8000 books in circulation at that time.

Did you use Print on Demand for digital printing or did you do a print run for your novel?
I did print on demand.

How big was your initial print run and what percentage (if any) were sold versus given away as a promotion?
My initial print run I think was just 25 books (that's all I could afford at that time). As soon as I would sell some copies I would then reinvest every penny in printing more books. I think I gave away about 100 copies the rest were sold. I also made the book available online as a free ebook for a time too, then I cut it down to just a couple of chapters that were available to read.

What process did you go through to promote it? I did mostly online promotion because I didn't have ANY money at all. I did everything from participate in forums, email blasts, and online interviews. But the real success came from after people read it they told their friends. 100% of my success as a self-published author is because of the readers. Another thing I did was sold the book face to face at speaking engagements and any where I possibly could.

Why did you decide to go from self publish to trade publisher and what steps did you take on your way to publishing with Warner? I guess because I was looking to go the next level, I knew I had to find the right editor so did research online for the houses I wanted to be with and eventually hooked up with the right agent at Levine Greenberg Agency who helped me. I knew I had to prove there was an audience for my niche market, so I was prepared with a marketing plan of how to reach them. I'm glad I self-published and I would do it all over again if I had to. I loved every moment of it (except living on Ramen noodles, unemployed, and panicing about where the rent money was going to come) but the process of writing, printing, and promoting it, I loved every moment of it.

How much effort did you put into seeking agent representation or a publisher contract before deciding to self publish your book "Forever My Lady?" I didn't put any effort at all into seeking an agent. I knew from the beginning I was going to self-publish. I did however have representation for the screenplay version of "Forever My Lady" which is how the novel began.

Do you regret not seeking trade publication for your novel, through agent and publisher submissions, before going the self publishing route? Why or why not?
I don't regret it at all. It was a wonderful experience and I would do it over again. And I just might self-publish more books, who knows. But things are going really well with Warner (Hachette Book Group) and I plan on having a long-term career working with them. As far as self-publishing, it's what I wanted to do from the beginning. I wanted to be that one exception to the rule, the guy who self-publishes and eventually gets picked up by a major publisher.

What has self publishing first, taught you "not" to do again? I learned not to do anything that you can't track the results to, so you know exactly if your time and energy is worthwhile in certain areas of promotion or sales or if you should refocus elsewhere. For example James Redfield (the author of Celestine Prophesy) told me on the set of his movie that he gave copies of the self-published version of Celestine Prophesy to bookstore clerks and they promoted the book for him naturally but for me it didn't work as well as other things I did.

What do you see as the greatest benefit to your overall success, by self publishing before contracting with Warner? I got to learn about the business end of the publishing industry. I recognized that even when signing with a big publisher you still have to go out there and promote and so things won't change that much for me in terms of efforts to promote once the Warner edition comes out in Summer of 2007. I'll still do just as much promotion and probably more. I cannot sit back and wait for the company to do everything.

What would you say to writers who believe that a manuscript should be shelved if it doesn't find a home with a Publisher or Agent representation?
I would take a good look at your story, do "real people" outside of the industry think it's great? Not just your close friends and relatives, if they do think it's great then definitely consider self-publishing, if anything, just to get the story out there.

Would you say that self publishing your book, to begin with, has better prepared you for publishing with Warner? If so, how?
Definitely, the lessons I learned from promoting the book helped me win the deal. Before Warner made an official offer they asked us (my agent and I) how they should market it. I wouldn't have known how to create the marketing plan if I hadn't based it on what I'd done already.

What would you say is the best marketing strategy for an author, self published or not?
In order to see the results immediately then I would say do speaking engagements but only in places where the people are already there (ie: the Optimist Club, college classrooms, business conferences -- wherever your target market is), not in a situation like a booksigning where you have to promote in order to get people to show up. In terms of online promotion I would say adding your link to your website to the signature of your email and the signature of any forums you might participate in.

What is the most important thing, about self publishing a novel, that you see authors doing wrong?
They get a horrible cover. The cover is 90% of the sale. Or they claim they're too shy to promote the book themselves. Even if you have the next Gone with the Wind you can't sit by and wait for people to come to you, you have to promote.


Any final advice to authors who are having a rough time getting published and might be considering self publishing their book?
Do what's best for you. Don't listen to the "experts". Consider what they have to say, but follow your own instincts. And if you're going to commit to self-publishing don't expect sales to happen over night (they could, anything's possible) but plan on spending even as long as 3 years promoting that title. Also, don't spend some much time promoting you forget to write your next few books. Have them lined up because the first thing people say after they finish reading your book is "where's the next one?" Have the next one ready. If I could do it over again and knew the book was going to do so well I would have written Forever My Lady 1 and Forever My Lady 2 at one time.

Jeff, thank you for your time and sharing your publishing experience with us. When can we expect to see your book coming from Warner and are they requiring any big changes to the book before publication?
Thanks for the interview. Forever My Lady is coming out July 2007. No big changes to the Warner edition just lots of copy-editing. :D

Booksigning in Johnson City, TN

Now, you might be saying, "James, you're looking kinda girly there," but this is not my picture.

A book signing can be a lonely experience even for a famous person like anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, seen here at her booksigning near the president's Crawford, TX ranch.

Fortunately, we had a few visitors at the Mr. K's booksigning for the Chronicles of Soone, over the three hours I was there. It's interesting to me to see what happens at a booksigning--this was my first.

We sold about 10 signed copies and I'm grateful to those who stopped by the table. For the most part, if someone investigated the table and book, then they got a copy, but I was surprised at how little people even bothered to investigate.

This had me wondering about how unnoticed one's book can be in a bookstore if it's not a bestseller at the front of the store. My book was showcased at the table and yet few people gave me more than a passing glance. Now, imagine the new or midlist author whose book doesn't receive the big press and marketing campaigns that land it up front "face out" in your local Barnes & Noble. It's easy to see how these books, relegated to a "spine out" life can go completely unnoticed and then, eventually, out of print with their publisher due to low sales.

This gives emphasis to the fact that today's author must be proactive in their own promotion of their work. The fact of the matter is, most books receive very little attention, otherwise.

James

New Series: A World Within

Hello, everyone and Merry Christmas! I've begun a new series just this week called, A World Within.

This is a fantasy series and will be somewhat reminiscent of LOTR or Narnia in scope, but with my style. I love lots of action, so we'll see what happens.

I'm actually beginning this series as a short story that will hopefully appear in a new fantasy anthology sometime after summer in 2007. I was asked by author, William Kooiker, to be a part of the project and hopefully my story will make the cut. Normally, I don't write strictly "High Fantasy" with wizards and elves, etc, but the Lord gave me a different angle and I'm hoping everyone will enjoy it. The great thing about sci-fi / fantasy is that you can build your worlds and characters from scratch which is alot of fun!

Chronicles of Soone continues to do well with Breakneck Books and I should be approaching or past 300 copies sold by now. Perditions Gate (my other new thriller series) is well underway and I hope to be submitting the first book to agents and publishers in the spring 2007.

For anyone interested in the new series: A World Within, here is a brief synopsis, that I'm working from.

A World Within

Daniel Harwick: Master Hardwick is quite wealthy, or at least he comes from money. This is how he has come to be a resident at Ekhart Academy for Young Boys. Children should be seen and not heard, they say. Master Hardwick’s parents, however, prefer neither from their only son. He’s not athletic, but rather scrawny yet brilliant and imaginative and his antics have made him some enemies among the older boys.

William Harding: William is Daniel’s best friend. Daniel has helped him to keep his grades up so that he can remain at Ekhart Academy on the scholarship for the less desirable that was given to him for playing soccer. In return, William often looks out for Daniel’s welfare among the other boys, some of which would like to catch him alone. Within the Living Land, young William will appear as a Mem, a vision that advises and strengthens Daniel’s resolve in the situations he must endure. He claims to have been dragged into the Living Land by Daniel, but he cannot physically aid him there.

Meineke: is a Wil. A Wil is a high spirited shape shifter approximately three feet tall. A Wil desires nothing more than to be free. They tend to answer to no one, but the arrival of Mortis in the Living Land has changed everything and now the inhabitants search for the Wielder. Mortis searches for the Wielder as well so that he may take the life from him and bring death to the Living Land, becoming all powerful.

Mortis: is a purveyor of death. He hails from a void known as Necrom and his power is the ability to animate the inanimate and control it. Mortis seeks to extend the borders of Necrom across the entire living land. Since he has no direct power over that which possesses life, he seeks to stamp it out completely and become all powerful. Only the Wielder can stop him.

The Wielder: is the sustainer of the Living Land. He has never been seen by any of the Living Land’s many inhabitants, but they know of him. The Wielder holds the power of the Living Land at his disposal, but when he finally appears to put a stop to the encroachment of Necrom, will he know how to utilize this power? When young Daniel Harwick finds himself transported into the Living Land, he has no idea that he is the key to winning the conflict taking its toll there.

The Living Land: is the world within young Daniel Harwick’s mind only he doesn’t yet know it. He is transported to this place when an injury leads to a massive head trauma and coma. There are many strange inhabitants in the Living Land, all born of the imagination of the Wielder. A desperate battle rages in the Land to prevent Mortis from spreading the Necrom void across the land. In the meantime, a brave band of warriors including: A human male, a griffin, a Wil, and a female from the Order of the Bard, has been dispatched to search for the Wielder. Little do they realize just how close he might be.

Book Signing This Weekend!

Well, I'm going to be having my first book signing this weekend, Saturday December 16th, and I'm frankly quite nervous about it. This being my first, I'm not really sure what to expect.

I've read plenty of stories where an author shows up, but no one else does. I certainly hope that I can have all copies sold by the end of it. I've got about 30 copies that are either on consignment in this independent bookstore already or that I'll have with me when I come. I've put out hundreds of flyers for it over the past week and the store owner has a list of contacts that she sends out signing announcements to when they have them--so, we'll see what happens. I'll post about it next week.

If anyone is local to Johnson City, Tn -- the signing is at Mr. K's new location on Roan street near the mall from 1pm-4pm. I'm hoping to have a powerpoint going with some new samples of the Chronicles Comic pages that have been produced by artist, Ed Watson.

James

Blog tour participants

Here are the blog tour participants this month as we showcase Kathryn Mackel's wonderful second book "Trackers" for the Birthright series!

Jim Black Jackie Castle Valerie Comer Frank Creed Gene Curtis Chris Deanne Janey DeMeo April Erwin Beth Goddard Todd Michael Greene Karen Hancock Elliot Hanowski Katie Hart Sherrie Hibbs Sharon Hinck Joleen Howell Jason Joyner Karen and at Karen¹s myspace Oliver King Tina Kulesa Lost Genre Guild Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium Terri Main Rachel Marks Shannon McNear Rebecca LuElla Miller Caleb Newell Eve Nielsen John Otte Cheryl Russel Hannah Sandvig Mirtika Schultz James Somers Stuart Stockton Steve Trower Speculative Faith Chris Walley Daniel I. Weaver

Christian Science Fiction/ Fantasy Blog Tour

Trackers, by Kathryn Mackel, is the second book in the sci-fi fantasy "Birthright series."

This book is getting some excellent customer reviews over at Amazon.com and it was published october 2006, by Westbow Press.

Read the reviews, check out the book and then head on over to the website for the birthright series for more great information.

The genre of Christian Sci-fi/ fantasy isn't exactly new, but it is limited by a lack of titles. This is something we as Christian writers hope to see change with time and new Christian writers who are being published.

Email Mishap!

Well, I've had a mishap with my old email. I really need to get in touch with my partner on the comic book proposal, Ed Watson. Ed if you read this, my new email is jamessremos@yahoo.com and for anyone else, as always I'm very open to comments from readers.

Chronicles is doing pretty good right now, but an after Christmas slump is expected. Maybe that won't be the case. It's in the Lord's hands anyway, right? Of course it is.

I've been working on my new series, Perditions Gate, and have come up with what I believe to be a very good query letter for the time when I finish the novel and send out to agents for representation. Thanks to everyone I asked for opinion's from on the query letter. Your comments really helped alot! Hopefully it will find agent representation easily, when the time comes next year. Also in the Lord's capable hands.

James

C.O.S. Gets Awesome New Review / Interview at Fantasybookspot!

Well, I'm skipping through the dandelions with joy today. My debut novel, The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King has just received an excellent review / interview combo over at Fantasybookspot.

www.fantasybookspot.com/node/1465

This site reviews everything under the sci-fi / fantasy sun from bestsellers to...well, me. Anywho, this is an excellent review from a group of people that have a good reputation for telling it like it is, and I certainly appreciate that.

Other good news includes some excellent reviews from happy AMAZON.com customers that have bought the book--if you're one that left a nice review over there, I appreciate you! One of the reviews at Amazon is by R.W. Ridley, the author of the gripping young adult horror novel, The Takers: Book One of the Oz Chronicles. I've read and really enjoyed that book, so his kind words mean alot to me as a fan of his writing.

My publisher has recently told me that, Chronicles is doing well so far, and also that the new VIDEO TRAILER has been viewed 500 times so far. CLICK HERE if you haven't seen it yet.

To everyone that has purchased the book, I appreciate you so much and hope to return with the second installment of C.O.S. this coming year. My publisher is waiting to see how this first book does before committing "COS: Sons of Perdition" to the 2007 line-up. So, the more word of mouth this first book gets, the better the chances of getting the next book out in '07.

Please Help me get the word out--if you've enjoyed the first book!

James

Some Secrets Will Have to Wait...

To those who have been following the blog and the Chronicles series so far...I'm sorry to say that I can't reveal the character that will die in the second book, except to say, "It's a major one. But the series will still go on beyond it."

Sorry to be that way, but how else can I maintain the suspense and give people some gripping piece of prose-candy to savor when it comes? All I can say is, that when I saw "Spock" get killed in Star Trek II, I was peeved, but it was gripping. I want to keep Chronicles gripping as well. I promise readers won't be disappointed when it comes time for the second installment to come out, hopefully in 2007. Think of Heir to the King as "A New Hope" and my Sons of Perdition as "The Empire Strikes Back"--I liked Empire better and I like the second Chronicles even better.

So far customer reviews are calling Chronicles the next "Star Wars" and that is high praise indeed. I'm a star wars fan, so I really appreaciate those types of wonderful comparisons. May it become as successful!

James

Things are moving right along

Hello,
Well, The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King has officially been released. It is selling some copies on Amazon-USA-U.K. and is selling some through Barnes and Noble locally. I have talked with one independent bookstore chain owner who has agreed to stock some copies of the book on consignment in possibly two of the store's locations (where I live now-Johnson City, Tn-and my hometown-Oak Ridge, Tn). The owner also offered to host a booksigning in the J.C. store which is a nice location. I've never done a book signing before since this is my first published novel, so I hope everything goes well and people actually show up. The signing should be in mid-December.

The second Chronicles novel is on submission with a couple of publishers and agents including Breakneck Books, but I doubt it would be released, even by Breakneck, before this first novel has been out one year. I'm not sure whether or not another publisher would be interested in picking up on the second book in a series, but Breakneck's acquisition editor has already shown interest in the whole series, so long as it maintains the same level of interest and action--personally, I think it's even better, but I might be the slightest bit partial?

The Chronicles comic proposal is well underway and material for 10 full comic pages of six panels each has already been written by myself and artist, Ed Watson, is working on the art for those pages. He has recently completed sketch character designs for several other main characters in the series and I'm very pleased with the result. These designs may be seen at the Amazon.com bookpage for The Chronicles of Soone--just click on the thumbnails below the cover image. Ed Watson and I are hoping the comic proposal will be finished in time to meet the December 31st deadline at Dark Horse comics, for their "New Recruits" program. This is an exciting opportunity to have our work viewed and Lord willing, published!

My new novel series is well underway and the first book, Perditions Gate: Escape From New Eden, is about 60 pages in. I've got a way to go, but hopefully the book will be going out under submission by the spring of 2007. There's alot of research going into this book--I want to be sure that I maintain biblical accuracy first and foremost. The book is not the typical apocalyptic Christian fiction, Left Behind clone that many may be trying to put out in the wake of its success. The actual judgments take place as a background setting in the novel, with the plot being primarily character driven. Of course, there is still plenty of action and the plot is really about to heat up to a roaring fire where I'm at right now. This series has comic potential as well and Lord willing I'll pursue it at a later time if I have the chance.

My children's book, Chloe & Sam: Living in the Kingdom, is out on submission to a few publishers and agents and Lord willing it will be accepted somewhere. The book is a children's picture book taking the perspective of two children living in the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ.

For anyone buying the new book--please give me a buzz by way of email--and if you like the book then please stop by the Amazon page and leave a review.

Thanks,
James

So Much Happening--Comic Proposal Underway

Wow, there is so much going on right now. The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King is about a week away from worldwide release, the second Chronicles novel, Sons of Perdition is out on submission, my new thriller novel series, Perditions Gate, is well underway, and I'm also working on a new children's book series called "Cloe and Sam: Living In The Kingdom" which will have a different angle than any other Christian children's book I've ever seen, and now I have some artwork to share from the Chronicles of Soone: comic proposal that is in the works.

This is the character design for Tiet Soone, pictured with his ignited Barudii blade. Ed Watson, the Joe Kubert School graduate I'm working with on this proposal, is putting together some wonderful artwork to compliment my scriptwork and I'm very excited about getting this comic proposal out to comic publishers in the near future.

Please keep your eyes out for The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King. It should be appearing in the next few days at Amazon.com and available through all the major retail bookstores as well as the big online booksellers like B&N, Borders, waldenbooks, etc. The book is also featured as an upcoming Breakneck Books title in the back of bestselling author, Jeremy Robinson's Raising the Past...I've read this action thriller and boy is it good. I devoured it in a weekend and was not disappointed!

Stay Tuned for more!

Chronicles of Soone November 1st Release!!

Hello,

The official release date for The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King is November 1st, 2006. As I understand it, the book may appear a little earlier than that for pre-ordering.
This is a very exciting time and I hope the book will be well received by readers.

Stay tuned!

Chronicles Coming In Two Weeks--samples@BNB

Hello everyone,

The Chronicles of Soone is about to be released worldwide in app. two weeks--it may show up at Amazon.com for pre-ordering, but it's not certain that will happen. Also you might want to check out the two sample chapters that may be read at the Chronicles page at Breakneck Books website!
I will be sending out an html email newletter announcement of the release to every email contact I have--if you would like to be on the list to receive this notice then please send me an email tietsoone@yahoo.com and I will certainly be glad to include you. Also feel free to drop me a line for whatever reason--you never know if anyone is actually reading the Blog unless people contact you--so feel free!
I've just completed and sent out, to the artist, the comic book proposal script and hopefully we'll be seeing some exciting things for the series in the future. When the proposal pages are completed, the artist and myself will begin the process of submitting it to comic book publishers.

The manuscript for The Chronicles of Soone: Sons of Perdition has been sent to my publisher and hopefully they will desire to publish it sometime late in 2007, maybe in a year which would be best.

I'm hoping to resume PERDITIONS GATE soon, but with the Chronicles release about to happen, I'm buzzing about trying to prepare, so that people will know about it and where to find it.

An ad for Chronicles also appears in the back of Jeremy Robinson's new release from Breakneck Books, "Raising the Past"--I'm reading it now and it's quite good, as expected.
Chronicles has just received a new review over www.wrenreviews.blogspot.com and a review is forthcoming over at www.fantasybookspot.com as well.

If you are following the book, you are appreciated--don't be a stranger--send me an email and let me know who you are. I will always try to be very accessible to people interested in my work.

James

Beginning New Book

Hello everyone,

My book, The Chronicles of Soone, is about to be released worldwide through Breakneck Books and the second Chronicles book: Sons of Perdition is nearly ready for submission. Only a little editing remains.

I am beginning to move into full time writing on a new book, mentioned in previous posts: PERDITIONS GATE: Escape From New Eden. I'll try to keep regular updates on the book as it moves along. I'm very excited about this one.

As for the second Chronicles book--I'm hoping this will be my Empire Strikes Back--tighter and carrying even more punch than the first. I'm not sure who the publisher will be yet. Updates on that as it goes out for submission--of course Breakneck Books is on that list and we'll see who wants it.

James