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

New Book Series Underway

Hello all,

I have finished the second Chronicles of Soone book: Sons of Perdition and I have begun writing for a new novel series entitle Perditions Gate. (No relation)

Perditions Gate begins with the first book, Escape from New Eden and the series will be a Tribulation novel series. Now, you might be saying, "Gee, we've got enough of those right now with The Left Behind Series and a few others, but Perditions Gate will have a signature twist like I added to The Chronicles of Soone series. The Chronicles of Soone took place in another creation of God. Perditions Gate is taking place in the Tribulation period but I've advanced the timeline to 2091.
BTW--if you plan on borrowing from this idea, remember that the novel is already in writing and this Blogpost is dated--so be forewarned if you have any plagiaristic tendencies.

The series will also be told from the standpoint of an unbeliever who is part of the Antichrist's organization to start with, but is soon running for his life after tragic events convince him to leave the world leader's devilish organization. Along the way he will be in contact with renegade Christians as they struggle to survive in this terrible time of persecution and Heavenly judgment.
Perditions Gate will take full advantage of the futuristic setting to introduce new technology and weaponry, along with insight into the worlds everyday happenings at this point in history, should we be around that long. I will following scripture very carefully in this story. The Tribulation is after all an event that no one can set a date for. I'm really going to enjoy writing this one, but in the meantime, don't forget to keep an eye peeled for the upcoming release of The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King in November 2006 and hopefully the follow up Sons of Perdition perhaps sometime in 2007?

--James

Major Character Death At End of Chronicles 2

Hello everyone,

I am about to pen the final chapter of The Chronicles of Soone: Sons of Perdition, the second book in the Chronicles trilogy. I've just killed off one of the most important characters in the series. It's like watching the end of Star Trek Generations all over again. (clue)

Of course anyone becoming interested in the Chronicles series with the release of Heir to the King in November 2006, will have to wait probably another year to see what I'm talking about in Sons of Perdition.

I'm going to set this book aside when I'm finished, allowing a bit of time before going back to proofread and edit it the first time. I want to have enough of a break from it so that mistakes will really jump out at me and ultimately save time in the editing process.
I plan to submit Sons of Perdition to my Publisher, Breakneck Books, sometime following the release of Heir to the King in November. Hopefully, they will decide to grab it up for publication in 2007, but we shall see.

James

Editing, Formatting, PDF All Done--Reviews Time

Hello all,

The Editing is done (thank the Lord!) and BNB has finished the formatting and sent me the final PDF of Chronicles and it looks great. I couldn't be more pleased with how everything is progressing.

Now the review copies (ARC) go out to various reviewers and hopefully they will be good. All the pre-release reviews have been wonderful so far.

The comic is progressing and I may have some Character designs to share soon...I'm working on the script right now and things are going smoothly. I hope to see this comic proposal accepted for publication by a comic publisher in the near future.

--James

Finally Done With Editing

Hello one and all,

I pulled a long one last night, staying up until 2:30am to finish the edits for The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King.

The manuscript goes back to Breakneck Books for formatting and then the book will go out to reviewers as ARC's.

November is closing in!!

I'm working with a comic book artist on a proposal series that will serialize the novel. The artist is a graduate of the Joe Kubert School, supposed to be the best, and we hope to submit to various comic book publishers in the near future.

--James

Chronicles Comic Book?!

Hello one and all,

Well, some exciting news to share.

First there may be a Chronicles of Soone Comic series coming sometime in the future. I am currently corresponding with an Artist-graduate of the Stanley Kubrick school, and he has expressed interest in putting together a proposal to shop around to Comics Publishers. One Publisher has already expressed interest in reading my novel when review copies become available from Breakneck (very soon). So we shall see what happens from all of this, but I'm working diligently to try and spread the story around to different media. I believe the story will definitely benefit from visual media like comics and hopefully everything will work out.

I am close to finishing edits and the book will be formatted and sent out as ARC's to reviewers after that. I love reviews!! So far the ones I secured before being published have been extremely positive, and of course they are posted at my website www.jamessomersonline.com and at www.breakneckbooks.com along with brief synosis and my author interview with Breakneck Books.

I'm also working with my website designer on a HTML email newsletter style notice to send out far and wide when the book becomes available for sale.

Stay tuned!

Editing Time!

Hello all,

I've just been noticing that the book is getting popped well, over at www.popcurrent.com under the books heading and so is the website.
I'm about to jump full force into the editing phase of the book's publication. As soon as I recieve the manuscript back from my editor, it will be non-stop corrections and ironing out any wrinkles.

The book is officially slated for a November 2006 release and I'm definitely looking forward to that day when its finally available to the public.

The second Chronicles book, Sons of Perdition, is fast approaching completion and it will be time to do some major proofreading and revision before I submit the manuscript to Breakneck Books. If all goes well, Heir to the King will be successful and my publisher will decide to publish Sons of Perdition; maybe even next year.

Beyond that I'm planning on taking a break to do some reading. I've got The Didymus Contingency and Golem to read and I'm going to be doing a review for J.C. De La Torres' Ancient Rising while he will be doing a review a for Chronicles.

During my break, I will also be doing some final planning for my next novel, which will be a futuristic thriller called Night Falls (subtitle pending). I am planning to write this novel in between Sons of Perdition and the final Chronicles novel, They Kingdom Come.

Keep looking for The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King hitting stores worldwide November 2006 and please visit my new website at www.jamessomersonline.com

--James

Release Date announced/ animated

Hello all,

Breakneck just added this cool animation with review snippets to help announce the November release of The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King. It is viewable at www.breakneckbooks.com once you click on the cover art.

Author interview up at Breakneck Books

Hello all,

My interview with Breakneck Books Publishing is now up on their website www.breakneckbooks.com and perhaps you might find some of it interesting.

I am now beyond the half way point in the next Chronicles novel in the series, Sons of Perdition, and I hope this will end up as my next Breakneck Books title when it is finished.

The story picks up immediately following the close of the first book, Heir to the King, and the pacing is just as much Breakneck speed as HTTK. This time around the veiled mysteries surrounding the spiritual nature of the conflict is going to get blown wide open by the introduction of a new character, Aija the Prophet.

Breakneck Books has now officially made the release date for The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King--November 2006.

I hope you will be looking for it, and hey, just in time for Christmas!!

--James

Official author website is up and running!!

Hello one and all,

I wanted to announce that the official website for myself and Chronicles is up and running-- www.jamessomersonline.com
It contains links to: this BLOG, my email, Breakneck Books, and will have a live link to the books Amazon.com page when it's available for purchase.

I'm about 100 pages away from completing the second Chronicles book, Sons of Perdition. This book will blow the mystery surrounding the true nature of the conflict in Heir to the King, wide open.

I'll keep you updated on Heir to the Kings progress and release date as it draws near. The book is currently in the editing process and November will get here sooner than I think. Hopefully response from readers will be good--but that's up to you. Spread the word!

--James

Here's the New Book Cover.

I really do like this cover a lot. Breakneck Books has outdone themselves as far as I'm concerned. That's one thing I really like about my working relation with Breakneck as a smaller publisher--I get to have some input on things like this, and that's very important to me. Most people judge a book by its cover, including myself, and I not only wanted to have the book published but also be able to enjoy the finished product myself--to be completely happy with it.
I hope everyone enjoys the total package for The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King. I really want readers to feel like they've spent their hard earned money on a book they really enjoyed reading, and that they look forward to reading the other books that will be following in this series.

Hello its me

New Book Cover now on Breakneck site!!

Hello one and all,

The new book cover for The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King is now available for viewing on the Breakneck Books website. I am very, very pleased with this cover! The book itself is scheduled for a fall 2006 release, and my author photo and interview will be coming shortly at Breakneck.
I am currently working with a very good web designer, who actually did the new Breakneck site, to get a professional looking author website going with links to everything including this Blog.
I'll keep you posted as more updates come in.
If anyone has any questions about the book, please email me, I will try to be very accessible to anyone with an interest in the series!

--James

New cover is underway.

Well, I've gotten to see the concepts for the new cover art and text and things are progressing nicely. I am quite pleased with the way it's going to turn out and I know Breakneck Books was the right choice for publication of the book.

Hopefully my ugly mug will soon appear on the Publishers website along with the book cover, and an exclusive interview between myself and Breakneck Books.

For those who may be interested in the release of The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King, the tentative release is supposed to be no later than November 2006, although that is subject to change.

The second book in the series is already underway and I'm 107 pages into it so far. Lord willing the book will be picked up by Breakneck as well. The tentative title for the second book is The Chronicles of Soone: Sons of Perdition, and it is shaping up as just as much of a nitro rush read as Heir to the King.
This one will open up a great deal of previously unknown information on the nature of the war and the spiritual conflict surrounding it. The introduction of a new character, Aija the prophet, is especially key to the unfolding storyline.

I'll try to keep you posted on new developments.
send me an email if you have any questions regarding the books!

--James

Breakneck Books will be publishing The Chronicles of Soone!

Hello, one and all. By way of introduction, I am James Somers, the author of the new Christian Science fiction thriller, The Chronicles of Soone. The first book: Heir to the King is due to be released by Breakneck Books tentatively by November 2006.
The book has recieved several wonderful pre-release reviews already, including one by bestselling author Jeremy Robinson, author of The Didymus Contingency, Raising the Past, and POD People. To see all of the availabe reviews please visit the Chronicles of Soone website.

So far the book is being compared to such science fiction greats as Star Wars, Star Trek and Dune, but this novel and the series as a whole will have a christian setting for the story in a separate creation of God. Here's the basic premise:

"Not so long ago, in another creation of God...Fallen angels have instigated a devastating interplanetary racial war among the clans of humanity. Cursed to dwell among men in half physical forms they seek to undermine the prophetic events that spell out their ultimate doom.

Long the ordained guardians of peace, the Barudii have been reduced to a scattered remnant struggling to survive. Young Tiet Soone is the last remaining heir to the Barudii throne. He sets out against unimaginable odds to reconcile the warring clans of mankind, even as dark spiritual forces oppose every effort at peace in their campaign to dominate humanity in opposition to God's will."

For more on the series, myself, and the latest reviews and release dates on the books please visit The Chronicles of Soone website or Breakneck Books.