The Gift

I am very happy to announce that my newest book is finished. It is titled Strange Visions: The Gift. Yes, I’m reviving the Strange Visions series, though I think it will probably only be for one book. This one is for all the people who supported me from the beginning and loved Trent and Ally’s stories.

Now, I should probably tell you what it’s about. There was always a time gap between the first and second Strange Visions books. Trent and Ally were in high school during The Beginning, and by the time Yesterday’s Sins began they were in college. There are a few months that we never got to see of their lives, and that is where The Gift starts. It’s a story about time and relationships that is filled with action and one all-important mystery that will change everything about how you look at the Strange Visions universe.

You’re probably wondering why I came back to this series after so long. The answer is simple. I missed the characters. I knew if I came back to it that it couldn’t be for more short stories or a side book, however. It had to be about something that mattered. These characters deserved that much, so I thought about what this story should be for a long time, and an idea finally came to me that fit so well that I knew I had to write it.

In this installment, the cast grows narrower, so I’m able to concentrate only on Trent, Ally, and Dan for most of the story, and I believe it serves the story well. There are also more revealing factors throughout the book that better explain the origins of Trent’s gift and why it works the way it does. To put it simply, The Gift ties up loose ends, but it’s also so much more. I think it might actually be my favorite Strange Visions, and I wish I could say more, but I might spoil the plot if I did.

Strange Visions: The Gift will be released on April 15^th. I will put up a link to the preorder option at the bottom of the page, as well as a picture of the cover. I hope everyone likes it. This was a project that gave me so much joy and was a great reminder of why I love to write. I can’t wait to share Trent and Ally’s world with you once again!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XYH6R1Q

PSV

So it has been a while since I wrote a blog. I know. What’s my deal? I could at least update everyone on what’s going on once in a while. The truth is I’ve been really busy over the last couple of months, though. I’ve been working on a new series that is actually finished. It consists of four books, but I wrote them as one gigantic story before realizing that no one wants to read a 1,600 page book (who do I think I am . . . George RR Martin?), so then I split it up at logical points. I don’t know for sure what I’m going to do with this series, though. Normally, I would put them on Amazon to share with all of you, but things are a bit complicated.

Here’s the bad news. Emma’s Story, my last book, was pirated. In fact, the last 6 or 7 books I’ve released through Amazon have been pirated pretty quickly. It’s frustrating, and I don’t think the majority of people understand why, so I’m going to explain it. Imagine that you work on something for ten hours a day for two months, and then you have to work on it for several more weeks to make revisions and consider everyone else’s opinions on what you’ve written and how people will perceive it. To make a long story short, you end up spending about 1000 hours of your life on something, and then once it comes out you find that for every one person who purchases your book, 20 more steal it. Most authors do not make as much money as Steven King. We aren’t rich, and seeing our hard work being taken, altered in many cases, and then having absolutely no control over what we created is troubling, to say the least. Imagine if your boss told you that you can only have 5% of your salary because people broke in and stole the rest. I feel for people who can’t afford to buy books. Those aren’t the ones I’m calling out, but I would be willing to bet that 95% of the people who read Emma’s Story aren’t poor.

I don’t know if I can put this new series on Amazon if it’s just going to be pirated. I know. There’s no stopping it in today’s world, but I really believe in this new project. I started working on it about a year ago, and it has blown my mind how different it is and how much I have grown as a writer. I want it to mean more, so I’m considering writing a few letters to an agent and seeing what I can do. There are no guarantees in writing, and I know that, but I think I have to take a shot on making this series more than just a pirated effort that leaves me feeling a bit empty.

On a lighter note, I wrote a children’s book this morning. I didn’t know they were so short. It turns out they are only about a 1,000 words. I don’t know what I’m going to do with it or if it should be anything at all, but it’s certainly fun to think about where my writing journey has taken me. I started unpolished and clueless in so many ways, but I’m learning and exploring. With this new series, and maybe with this children’s book, it’s starting to click, however. I’m finding ways to use my voice in the best way for my readers. Before I just wrote what came into my head, and I suppose I still do that now, but these new four books were completely redone afterward with my readers in mind. This isn’t a story that’s a reflection of my daydreams, but rather what I believe will provide the proper balance of action, romance, and description to a level that I haven’t delivered on in the past.

Finally, I wrote at least one last book for my kindle readers. Even if my new series won’t be coming to you independently, there was one story left to tell. I want the reveal of it to be a surprise, but it’s a story I should have written a long time ago. In some ways, it’s a thank you to all of the people who have stuck with me and supported me through the most wonderful journey. PSV is the abbreviation I’m using for the title at the moment. It is finished, and it’s being edited as we speak. I think it’s very close to being ready for release. It’ll have action, a little romance, and one important mystery in it. Whether it’s pirated or not, I want to share it with you because I believe it’s just the type of book the people who have been with me from the start will love. It takes me back to my roots while applying everything I learned through writing my new series and taking some time off simply to study new techniques and styles, many of which I used and put my own spin on.

   I’ll have more news about PSV soon, and I’ll give you its actual name, along with a few teaser images. Stay tuned. The next month should be fun!