Sunday, April 30, 2017

Update on Kid Sensation #6, et al

It's been a while since I've posted anything noteworthy about my writing, so I figured now's a good time for an update.

As with so much in life, there's good news and bad news.  The good news is that I'm pretty close to being done with the next book, which is the second Fringe Worlds novel.  After that, I'll probably go to the next Warden book and then Kid Sensation #6 (working title: Replication).  Believe it or not, I've actually got the bulk of the story for those two already worked out in my head.  The problem (and this is the bad news), is that I've been having difficulty finding time to write.

Oddly enough (and I may have mentioned this before), I'm actually a pretty fast writer.  If I ever reach a point where I'm doing this full time, I'll probably be cranking out a book every month. At present, however, without even taking the day job into consideration, the other aspects of the writing business are taking up gobs of time. 

Take audiobooks, for instance.  The audio market has been very good to me since I started releasing audiobooks a year ago.  However, there's a time component involved: for instance, I received almost 70 auditions from narrators for the audio version of Amped (which will hopefully be released in the next week or so), and I listened to every one of them - some more than once.  And, at the very least, you have to listen to the finished product after it's done, and in the case of some of my books that's close to 10 hours. 

Then there's also book promotion.  I was blessed to have achieved a fair amount of success as an author without doing much promotion early on. That said, to maintain longevity in this business you have to remain flexible and openminded, so I've been putting additional effort into marketing.  I've also gotten creative in terms of my offerings.  For example, just this week I created a boxed set that's sort of a "sampler," containing the first book in the Fringe Worlds, Warden, and Kid Sensation series:


I'm calling it Worlds of Wonder: Three Novels of Science Fiction and Fantasy (mostly because I think the name sounds cool).

Of course, authors box their series all the time, but I haven't seen many that have taken this approach.  I don't know how fruitful it will be, but again, you have to stay nimble and think a little outside the box.

But back to the subject at hand: my writing. Frankly speaking, I'm probably at the point where I really need to hire an assistant to do some of the non-writing tasks: booking promotions, listening to the final versions of audibook files, etc.  That would free me up to focus on writing books. In fact, that would increase my writing output significantly even without making writing my full-time gig.  (And to be honest, I actually like the day job.) Of course, I haven't even touched on the things outside of writing that also affect my time, such as being under the weather (I was out of commission for two weeks earlier this year), auto breakdowns (anybody feel like installing a new transmission?), family/social obligations...

As to the books currently on deck, if I can just get in some solid writing time, I believe I can finish the second Fringe Worlds book in short order. Depending on how fast my editor can get to it, I would be hoping for an early- to mid-June release. Then release Warden #4 by the end of July, and Kid Sensation #6 by the end of August.

Anyway, that's a rough estimate of my timetable.  After these next three books are released, I may go ahead and finish one of the other novels that I've started (like my zombie apocalypse story, which is currently trying to claw its way out of my brain).



***If you are interested in receiving information about my audiobooks - including new releases and free copies - please subscribe to my Audibook Newsletter.  (And if you do not have an Audible account, you can get a 30-day free trial and a copy of the audiobook of Sensation by signing up here.)




39 comments:

  1. August? I'm crying on the inside. (I literally just finished an incomplete series the other day by another author and thought to myself, I need some Kid Sensation to get my mind of that book series)

    Guess it's time to give your other books a chance.

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    1. In a perfect world, I would have finished Kid Sensation #6 (as well as the Fringe Worlds and Warden books) last year, but my schedule keeps getting seriously derailed. Frankly speaking, I was hoping to be on KS #7 (or possibly #8) by this point.

      Anyway, if it's any consoloation, I will try to crank out a second Kid Sensation novel this fall.

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  2. Awww i was hpoeing to put the new kidsensation book on my birthday 🎂 wish list (my birthday is August 14)😞

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    1. LOL! I will certainly try to get it out by then, but I can't make any guarantees.

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  4. I got Terminus weeks ago when it was offered either for free or $.99. It sounded interesting enough to try it when I had nothing else to read. Until I saw the art for your boxed set there, I had no idea you were the author lol I just hadn't paid attention.

    Amazon frequently offers "sampler" boxed sets containing the first books of several series. Of course they're usually by different authors lol

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  5. Just started listening to your books, I do a lot of traveling so I am constantly looking for stuff to listen to because I have a lot of down time. I really enjoyed the books that I have listened to. Keep up the good work.

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    1. Thanks for the compliment and the words of encouragement. I'm glad you are enjoying my work.

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  6. huh, I was honestly thinking you where popular enough to get by with just being an author. Times are tough

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  7. LOL. Everything's relative. Most people would probably view my author earnings very favoarbly, but - for me personally - it's not enough to make me want to quit the day job yet. (Plus, I like what I'm doing.)

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  8. Any news on kid sensation? Interested to see how he juggles the tangle between his betrothed and Electra. Not to mention how Gray responds to more aliens. I wonder if he will heal gramps and send him to visit Indigo.
    Love your writing style and how you develop the personalities.
    Will branch out to your other series at some point.

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    1. Thanks for the compliments. I'm still working on the next Kid Sensation book, but hopefully it will be worth the wait.

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  10. Hi
    I am really sad that ks#6 comes out August. Your other books are awesome but I'm pretty sure I can recite word for word the other 5 and what do you do for a living.

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  11. Thanks for the compliments, and I'm glad to hear you're enjoying my work. As for what I do (aside from writing), let's just say that after a misspent and wayward youth - followed by an early adulthood spent embracing loose morals (and even looser women) - I purposely, intentionally, and consciously chose to enter what is probably the most reviled profession on the planet and now spend my time advising others on the ethical, moral and legal consequences of their actions.

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  12. That sounds like a job that fits.

    Any new updates on the release of any of your three series? Your fans are starving for more.

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    1. The only real update is that I will probably switch the order of the books in the queue: I'm moving Kid Sensation #6 up ahead of the next Warden book, so that's next on my list after Fringe Worlds #2.

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  13. As another of your rabid fans, I have tried to content myself, as I wait for the continuations of your three series and the development of your new ideas, by rereading all of your published books and reading over your prolific comments. You are amazingly patient with our inane banterings.

    I selfishly wish your day job as a lawyer were not so time consuming, so that you could be even more productive. I would expect you to need a pseudonym given that profession.

    You have an amazing gift at storytelling, producing compellingly noble lead characters, developing support characters and even entire universes. Warm humor, selfless love, unexpected plot twists and interesting integrated background capture our imaginations and keep the pages turning long enough to get us addicts in trouble.

    Your worlds are so fertile and self-sustaining that you won't run out new angles to explore, especially in the kid sensation series. Clearly, we will see more of Berry, the struggle whether Tom takes back his job and his brother becomes an independent roving warden, the interesting support characters in fringe worlds, and the innumerable storylines in the sensation stories

    Can't wait to watch it unfold. And then come the movies...

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  14. LOL! You're far too kind with your praise, but thanks. Also, I actually love the comments and don't mind them at all, and I appreciate the fact that readers are generally patient with me. I've said it before, but - although you wouldn't know it from recent activity - I actually write at a pretty fast clip. It's just been harder to find the time lately. That said, I'm still committed to grinding and getting these next few books done, which hopefully won't take long since I alreayd know the story I ant to tell. (In fact, I've already got the plot for Kid Sensation #7 worked out and a working title, believe it or not.)

    Anyway, I will try to wrap up the next few books asap, since I know fans have been waiting.

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  15. Ummm shouldn't the book be put by now.

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    1. In a perfect world, yes. Unfortunately, there's been some slippage in the writing schedule.

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    2. Noooooo. Well then when will it probably be out. (Fingers crossed)

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    3. Hard to say. The day job has been crazy hectic of late. That said, Fringe Worlds #2 is just about done, so I will go full bore on it probably in the next couple of days.

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  16. Thanks for posting this update. I just marathon'd all of the kid sensation audiobooks and am anxiously awaiting book 6. It was my first exposure to your work and I must say, you sir, are a master. I was shocked to find out that this is merely a side job for you, given the quality of your work.

    The next time you're searching for a new narrator, please check out Jeff Hayes. I'm not affiliated with him, but he's my favourite narrator by a country mile (and I listen to A LOT of audiobooks). His range is insane -- nearly unbelievable. He can go from a gruff, ancient curmudgeon to an enthusiastic youth -- we're talking the full range of male voices in a broad variety of accents. But what really blows my mind is that he can do a wide number of distinctly different female voices that sound so genuinely feminine, I could've sworn he was partnering with a female narrator the first time I heard it. He also goes the extra mile in adding audio effects that sharply increase the level of immersion. Hire him, and it's like getting a both a male and a female master narrator, a musician, and an audio engineer all at once.

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    1. Thanks for the compliments. I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed my work.

      As to Jeff Hays, I've heard his work and he is indeed very good. Some of those guys just make it look effortless.

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  17. I really enjoyed reading all your books! ... and i really want to know When Will Kid sensation book 6 get released?

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    1. I'm trying to finish it by the end of the month. Assuming I can pretty much stick to that schedule - and depending on how long it takes to do everything else (editing, cover, etc.) - I'm hoping to release some time in February.

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  18. What the hell Hardman? Move your butt and get Kid Sensation 6 finished. Don't gives us anymore excuses and get it done!

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    1. LOL! Somehow I think I missed this comment earlier, but I'm working on it - I promise!

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  19. Where is Kid Sensation # 6? It’s now October

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    1. Working on it...

      Truth be told, I need 5 good days to get the book done. (And by "good days," I mean days when I can get to the computer and write uninterrupted for a couple of hours.) Getting those days, however, is proving to be incredibly elusive.

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  20. I just read all of the kid sensation books in a week thank god I didnt have to wait a millennium for your craftsmanship and if your right I wont be waiting very long for the 6th... I'm going to dread waiting for book 7 if this abomination of a time scale continues.. that being said I wish you the best in all your endeavors and will be looking foward to your work ^_^

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    1. LOL. No one hates the writing pace more than me. I never would have guessed it would take this long to finish. I mean, I've fallen behind before, but never to this extent.

      Anyway, I'm trying to knuckle down and get it done. Thanks for the kind words and well-wishes.

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  21. Assuming it gets done before the end of the month how long would it take to edit? Ps. The guy from yesterday lol

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    1. LOL. It usually takes a couple of weeks - depending, of course, on how busy my editor is. Then it's off to my formatting guy, who can usually get his part done in a couple of days.

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    2. So doc what's the verdict? ... dont lie to me I can handle it

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    3. I'm still grinding. Assuming no setbacks, I'm tempted to say I'll be done in... I really want to say a week, but the way things are going, I should probably say 2 to be safe.

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