Whats up.

     ​ Just thought I’d put out another blog to let people know what I’m up to.
     A few weeks ago I downloaded an app called Grammarly.  People had informed me that there were quite a few grammar errors in my books.  They were indeed right.  Even though I would go through my books several times before publishing them       I was still making mistakes here and there.  This was keeping me from getting a higher star rating on Amazon.  I have since corrected these books.  Unfortunately, it can’t tell me if my plot makes sense or if the characters are real enough.
I’ve also gotten Mailchimp which helps me to gather emails so that I might eventually send out newsletters.  I haven’t figured it all out yet but I’m learning.
     I’ve just released a book titled “The dark Strain”.  It is the second book in the “Dark” series.  The first book was “The coming of dark’.  The books are related but can be read separately since they have their own story.
     “The dark Strain” is a supernatural story much like the superhero genre.  In this story, however, they are not off stopping crime.  They all have their problems and a deadly issue that they are not aware of.
     I’ve had troubles with the cover of “The Dark Strain”.  I’m on my second one.  It just came out on Amazon.  The first one I made was too simple.  I had the second one made and unfortunately, I had trouble communicating what I wanted.  After a couple of revisions, I selected one of the three copies sent to me.  It’s not exactly what I wanted but it’s not bad.  You can view it up in the corner so I’ll let you be the judge.
     I hope to have another book out this month.  I’m working on the editing now.  This book has taken a while since it is about twice the size of the rest of my books.
     I have plans for my middle-grade book as well.  This book has just been sitting there.  I’ve done no formal advertising of it and have rarely mentioned it.  Soon, I hope to find an illustrator to make the book more appealing and then I can start putting some effort into advertising.
     I’ve been toying with the idea of having a few hardback copies made of “The old man and the girl”.  A little later I will look into the cost of doing that and if there is enough interest from others.
     I’ve got a lot of partial stories that I would either like to finish or scrap.  The problem with writing is that it takes such a long time.  It takes me several months to write a book comparable to what I’m writing now.  Then I’m faced with the possibility that no one will want to read it.  Which brings me to something else.
     Soon, I will be looking at finding three of four readers that will look at my work before it is published.  They won’t be looking at grammar errors or anything like that.  They will be looking at my plot.  Does it make sense?  Is it intriguing?  What about the characters?  Are they believable?  Are they consistent in their actions?  Can you relate to them?  Does the book keep you interested?  Does it drive you forward wanting to know more?  And so on and so on.
     Some might assume I’m sitting at home watching television while drinking margaritas but that’s not the case.  I have an urgency to do as much as I can while I can.  I can’t depend on living as long as Jimmy Carter.

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