Tag: novel (Page 1 of 2)

Kickstarter Backers: Site Changes for “Elite: Out of the Darkness”. It’s Been A Great Ride, But After 10 Years…

December 31, 2024 / T. James / 0 Comments

Looking back to 2014, I still remember the relief and elation at being able to complete and publish Elite Out of the Darkness. The gratitude to my backers, all those at Frontier Developments (a special mention must go to Michael Brookes, who has sadly passed away), and the writers, proof-readers, editors etc that got me over the finish line is still there. Thank you all.

Elite Dangerous the game has started to thrive after stalling for a few years, but the future looks brighter as Frontier engages more with the community and reveals new ships, features and stories for commanders, new and old, to discover.

With that said, time moves on. Elite Out of the Darkness did reasonably well in the grand scheme of things – I’m no Drew Wagar but I was selling enough copies to offset some of the costs of a website: writerandauthor.com. Over a decade later and that is no longer the case – there’s no tears or histrionics here, just the reality that after so long all book sales dwindle. However, given the cost of upkeep, the site has very few visitors (mostly “Web Developers” and “SEO Search Optimisers” who guarantee to catapult my online presence into some mythical stratosphere). I’m no longer going to pay the subscription and the site will revert to the host’s free tier on 25th February, 2025.

How does this affect you? One of my pledges to backers on the higher tiers was that I’d post their names on a webpage with a link to the website of their choice. This has been live for over ten years on writerandauthor.com, EOotD Kickstart Backers’ Honour Wall. Backers have also been able to download their ebooks (Google account needed due to hosting) on the Kickbacks page, using the password provided when the Kickstarter closed (although I think enough time has elapsed I count this pledge fulfilled). If the transfer to the host’s free tier has issues, then the Honour Wall page may no longer be available and neither will the ebook download. To be safe, if you need to (re)download your ebooks, please do so before 24th February 2025.

The paid tier enables the use of a custom domain and increased site storage. (My understanding is that the domain will change to some version of “hostsname / writerandauthor.com”. But I may be wrong). The available storage for the website will also be cut. The change in subscription tier could break the site. If that happens I could try to repost backers’ names on my blog, but there is no way I know of to copy the links intact from the current host’s server to my WordPress site. If the switch doesn’t work, I’m asking for your understanding as there’s no easy fix. Most of the backer links from the original Kickstarter are either dead, place-holders or sites that haven’t been updated for years. (Yes, I did check). For those of you with active sites, you won’t be losing any traffic as there’s so little to writerandauthor.com.

Hopefully everything goes smoothly, but if the switch breaks the page or the site, technically I’ll be failing to fulfil one of my pledges to my backers. After ten years online as promised, I hope you won’t hold it against me.

If the subscription switch goes smoothly (when does anything technical ever go smoothly?) then all that will change is the web address and this post will be irrelevant – we can only hope.

I’ll keep an eye on the comments on Kickstarter – let me know what you think.

o7 Commanders,

T. James.

Mind the Mundane: A Guest Post by Steve McHugh

January 23, 2013 / T. James / 4 Comments

This week I am handing my blog over to the talented and debonair Steve McHugh: writer of paranormal fantasy and breaker of hearts across the internet. Below are his very own words. (You may stroke your screen if that helps you feel closer to him, but salivating over your electronic web device may result in an electric shock that has nothing to do with Steve’s charged personality.) Continue reading

An “Elite: Dangerous” Book – “Out of the Darkness” (Kickstarter Project Launch)

December 9, 2012 / T. James / 2 Comments

And so it begins…

Anyone who has been attempting to email me, Tweet me or generally contact me in any way what-so-ever this week will have noticed how anti-social I’ve been. (I’m sure you’re all big enough not to take it personally.) I’ve been consumed, gripped, and generally possessed by a sudden impulse to try my hand at a Kickstarter project: to raise money to purchase the rights to set a science fiction book in the Elite universe.

Writers are always being told they need to find their audience and write about something they are passionate about. I’ve found both. There’s a community of dedicated fellow fans of Elite and I’ve loved the games for years. It’s a no-brainer for me to have a go at writing a story in the setting but, as usual, there’s a catch: I need to buy the rights to the franchise…

So, if you’re a fan of science-fiction books or an avid gamer, why not come over to Kickstarter and take a look—I tell you a lot more there. There are some rewards on offer too if you want to give me a “kick” by pledging.

Thanks for your support, but the clock is ticking… there is less than two weeks left.

KICKSTARTER LINK: An Elite:Dangerous Book – Out of the Darkness

The money raised also funds the development of the game, so everyone is a winner!

Procrastination: The Writer’s Disease. Is There A Cure?

November 19, 2012 / T. James / 14 Comments

So, I’ve finally been inspired for my new story. Have I made progress? Yes, some, but not as much as I could have done. Halfway through week one I contracted a serious case of procrastination—the writer’s equivalent of cooties. In fact, I doubt any conscientious keyboard-monkey will read this post for fear of catching it, but I hope some are brave enough because I also share the cure that worked for me. Continue reading

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

November 14, 2012 / T. James / 12 Comments

I was asked by talented writer of thrillers and paranormal tales, Sandy Coelho, to take part in this blog hop, which started on the She Writes website.

(If you’re an author I tagged for this blog hop, your instructions are at the end of this post.)

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:

1. What is the working title of your book?

This blog hop caught me at the beginning of the project, so I only have a working title: The Making.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

The original idea came from a rough short story I wrote over a year ago, as background and a prequel to the novel I was working on at the time (now on hold, as it needs a full re-write and major fixing). I don’t want to give too much away at this stage, but the central plot arc is based loosely on a story from Greek mythology.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Although inspiration came from the Classics the setting is high fantasy, although elves and dwarves are notable by their absence. (At least at the moment—I’m still planning, so anything could happen.)

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Continue reading

Glowstar, by Matthew Lee Adams – A Review

September 9, 2012 / T. James / 10 Comments

A NOTE ON IMPARTIALITY

To be clear, Matthew Adams is a friend of mine, and any readers of this review will have to make their own judgements about its impartiality. For my part, I try to be objective and evaluate everything I read on its own merits. I can be very hard to please—just ask my crit partners.

DESCRIPTION

Alannah Brynne is a Touchstone, a being who endures the burden of raw human emotions gifted to her by the Gatherers. Her only solace lies in her Winnowing, a release from the torment of feelings she bears.

Her devotion to Eamon, a Light Gatherer, cannot overcome her distrust of his kind, nor dispel the bitter loneliness she feels.

One day she meets a human in Central Park, where she went to be alone. Instead, he draws her picture as a Sleeping Beauty, surrounded by thorns . . .

Enticed by a chance to masquerade as a human and liberate herself from her own sense of fate, Alannah develops a secret relationship with the young artist, Liam Griffin. Yet as they grow closer and she realizes Liam is falling for her, she feels torn by her deceptions to him, as well as by her own lingering love for Eamon. Continue reading

On Steve McHugh: The Man, The Myth, The Legend, & His New Novel, “Crimes Against Magic”.

April 30, 2012 / T. James / 17 Comments

Over the past few weeks I have been following Steve McHugh’s blog posts of the first chapters of his soon-to-be-released novel, Crimes Against Magic. (Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2) I’ve been enjoying the writing—it’s clean, dynamic and engaging, and it has a plot and characters with enough depth to keep readers hooked until the end. Here is Steve’s summary:

“It’s been almost ten years since Nathan Garrett woke on a cold warehouse floor with nothing but a gun, a sword, and no idea of who he was or how he got there. His only clue … a piece of paper with his name on it. Since then, he’s discovered he’s a powerful sorcerer and has used his abilities to work as a thief for hire. But he’s never stopped hunting for his true identity, but those who erased his memory have never stopped hunting for him. When the barrier holding his past captive begins to crumble, Nathan swears to protect a young girl who is key to his enemy’s plans. But with his enemies closing in, and everyone he cares about becoming a target for their wrath, Nathan is forced to choose between the life he’s built for himself and the one buried deep inside him.

Crimes Against Magic is an Urban Fantasy set in modern day London with Historical flashbacks to early fifteenth century France. It’s the first in a series of books called the Hellequin Chronicles, which shows the life of Nathan (Nate) Garrett, a sixteen-hundred year old sorcerer.” Continue reading

Cover Art & Description Version 2, for My Upcoming Novella, “My Mirror Self, and I”

February 20, 2012 / T. James / 25 Comments

After a round of discussion, I felt as though there was room for improvement in both the cover design and the ‘blurb’ for my novella.

Please leave your constructive comments and suggestions on the new attempt compared to the old in the comments section below… Thanks again, I really appreciate all your feedback.

A heartfelt ‘thank you’ to everyone who contributed opinions and suggestions after I posted the first versions of my cover art (post link). Continue reading

Long-term Project News (3)

November 6, 2011 / T. James / 3 Comments

My two longer term projects have been paused ‘under review’ for some time. After a little gentle prompting from Twitter friends Sandy and Kirkus I have decided to go back and revisit the short story, where I had been considering abandoning it. As was pointed out, I don’t know if it will ever be ready for publication, but the editing experience I will gain from finding out will be invaluable.

A fantasy novel (no working title), paused at around 60,000 words, it is the first thing I ever wrote. There are plot and pacing issues. I still remain undecided about this one, as there remains a lot of actual writing to do. This goes against my natural inclination, but not just ploughing ahead writing scenes as they come, and using a more considered approach will probably be a more successful method of actually finishing what I started. Now I just need that minor consideration: a plot…

A short story (working title, “Cassie”), which I hoped to publish, has issues with style and content. It covers the subjects of cancer, depression, disinterest and relationship breakup, and hope. It’s ambitious, but I’m (eventually) going to edit it to within an inch of its life, and then I’ll know the fate that I shall decree…

Long-term Project News (2)

November 4, 2011 / T. James / 4 Comments

My two longer term projects are ‘under review.’ I need to decide whether to proceed with either of them:

A fantasy novel (no working title), paused at around 60,000 words, is the first thing I ever wrote. It has plot and pacing issues. Can I resurrect it?

Decisions: Do I abandon them and move on? I don’t yet know…