I Have Not Been Woolgathering...

...Though, there were times when I thought I may have been.  It happens when you're a writer.

I've been relatively quiet on the social networking front (and the blogging) because (dang, it's just hard work keeping up) my head's been ambushed and held captive with writing projects.  So, again, I haven't been idle (even though I wanted to be).

To keep you in the loop, I've completed the 'first' draft of the full length TO CATCH A MARLIN (in the hands of betas) and setting it up for a second pass to tidy it and refine it some more. This is tentatively scheduled for an October 2012 release.  YAY!  Don't worry, I'll keep you posted.

While it's been 'out of my hands,' I've dragged out BENGARIA'S WAR (which had a glorious 3-month rest) and, right now, undergoing 3rd draft tweaks and squeaks and stuff.  Also in the works, another short story from the MARLIN series called THE NECROMANCER OF THE AVON.  This one, while complete, needs a little more polishing before it's done. (And guess what, I've another plot bubble pop up for our cheeky little Jax Marlin to star in...)  And finally, a short my brother and I are working on, with a working title called TIME FRACTURE, is also taking up my attention so the brain-webs don't fester.  You could say, my mind is full right now.

So, I'm still here, with Tweetdeck open in the background following the tweets, and the web browser at the ready, while I conjure up words and worlds and fixing things with some old fashioned elbow grease thrown in for good measure.

Cheers!

SFFSat - July 07

Welcome to another SFFSat, where a bunch of us post snippets from our written works and shoot the breeze.  Thanks also to everyone who stops by and leaves awesome comments.  Much appreciated!

Today, I'm featuring another short from To Catch A Marlin, this one titled, The Marlin Strikes Again. If you're interested in more from Jax Marlin, the recently released Ring of Fire Short Story Sampler Vol. 1, is available on Kindle.

For those out of the loop, To Catch A Marlin is a futuristic cat and mouse tale between Special Inspector Pedroni and the vigilante Jax Marlin, who just happens to be a super sexy woman with ninja skills.

In this scene, Jax is following a rather nasty target and has just stepped out of a coffee shop and made a distressing observation...

The street assaulted her with a sharp bite of cold.  Spring promised to be in the air, but it seemed winter hadn’t gotten the memo yet.  Either that, or Weather Control had fallen asleep on its own ass again.  She screwed up her rosebud mouth and pulled her long coat around her, deciding she didn’t like this city.  For a university town touted for its forward thinking 24^th century lifestyle, it struck her as backward as hell.  Crime, the disgusting kind, ran rampant within it and no one seemed to take notice.  Or if they did, they didn’t seem to care.  She might as well have been back home, in London.

If you're interested in participating in next week's SFF Saturday, stop by their sign-up blog which is open every Wednesdays.  And don't forget to follow the rules and use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

SFFSat - June 30

Welcome to another SFFSat, where a bunch of us post snippets from our written works and shoot the breeze.  Thanks also to everyone who stops by and leaves awesome comments.  Much appreciated.

Today, I'm happy to announce the release of the Ring of Fire Short Story Sampler Vol. 1. My short, To Catch A Marlin: Purged in Fire is featured, along with shorts from seven other talented and amazing author's. The sampler is available on Kindle in both ebook and paperback.

For those out of the loop, To Catch A Marlin is a futuristic cat and mouse tale between Special Inspector Pedroni and the vigilante Jax Marlin, who just happens to be a super sexy woman with ninja skills.

In this scene, from Purged in Fire, Jax picks a fights with a known criminal of the nasty variety. Don't worry, she's Jax -- she'll be alright.

She turned, twisted, deflected another blow, brought her leg up and around his neck and squeezed. She heard him gag. Pushing down with her leg, she brought his head to the floor, reared up and slammed a fist into his sternum. His body jerked from the pain. She released him quickly, spun around, punched under his jawbone and heard a crack as his teeth snapped together. His head shot up from the impact and he let out a pained moan. Unrelenting, she planted another blow in his ear. Immediately, disorientation took effect and Moor’s eyes went wide and unfocused. He staggered and slumped to the floor, struggling to get his bearings. For good measure, she punched him in the other ear.

If you're interested in participating in next week's SFF Saturday, stop by their sign-up blog which is open every Wednesdays.  And don't forget to follow the rules and use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

Brain Farting

This has nothing to do with brains — or farts, but everything to do with catchy titles.

See, I made you look. Mission accomplished!

So, yes. Catchy titles. How many of us have been drawn to buying a book, simply by the title? Some titles literally grab you by the eyeballs and you think: “Cool.” Cover art also helps but that’s another story.

Other titles are pretty much run of the mill and self-explanatory.  Then there are those titles that are catchy and have the wow factor, but like this post, you find out after buying it, has nothing to do with what the title suggests.

I’ve tried with my books, to give the title something of what the book is about. Admittedly, I like catchy titles — and quirky ones too. My current WIP is called To Catch A Marlin. Catchy, isn’t it? Of course, it has nothing to do with fish, but everything to do with a character called Marlin. Another WIP I recently completed is called, aptly, Bengaria’s War. I struggled with this one since various catchy titles came up. But in the end, I chose a one that pretty much explained it all. The lead character, Bengaria, is in a conflict with both herself and the powers that be. Oh, and there’s a war.

When I wrote The Lancaster Rule, the working title was once the staid and cringe-worthy, Time Flies.  It even had a variant, which was even more cringe-worthy: Tempus Fugit. (Gag!)  I owe The Lancaster Rule’s catchiness and somewhat classy title, to a friend who after having read the hideous first draft, thought it suited the book.  She was right!  Later on, The Master Key and The Eternal Knot were spawned (all on my own, thank you very much) and both suited the contents in the book.  They were still catchy, but also self-explanatory.  While The Master Key may have been used elsewhere and a pretty generic name for books, I thought it fitting, considering what the book was about.  At one point I was tempted to call it The Genetic Key, but that would’ve been obvious about what the story arc was all about. In the end, I stuck with The Master Key.

So, what motivates me in coming up with titles?  I really can’t say.  Some of them just sort of materialize organically, other just zap into my brain and I think: That one for sure!

Others sort of cogitate and formulate inside my brain, twisting and turning with variations until several vacuous thoughts spew out. Hey, wait, I am talking about brain farting. Ha!

Anyways, right now, I’m working on a few short stories as well, and the challenge is to keep them fresh and catchy at the same time, without them sounding dull.  These shorts are from the To Catch A Marlin tale, just in case you were wondering.  So, you can imagine the amount of brain farting I’m doing…

What is it you do to come up with a catchy title?  Do you have a certain ritual you perform?  Do you meditate on it?  Does it form organically as the story gets written?  Do you use working titles to keep the motivation going?  I’d love to know.

Cheers!