Paperback book giveaway

I am currently holding a book giveaway on Goodreads for my novel The Old Royal. I will be giving 5 signed copies to some lucky individuals. The giveaway ends Aug. 23, so don't delay to sign up for your chance to win.

Anthony Jessup is a daydreamer who works at a dead-end help desk job. His greatest fantasy is to become a famous novelist like his idol, Roger Kurrey. However, Anthony's stories receive more rejections than accolades from editors. When Anthony receives an old Royal typewriter as a birthday gift, he soon learns that the typewriter is more than meets the eye. Armed with the ability to alter the past, Anthony realizes that he can fulfill his dreams. But, to do so comes at a cost. If you could change the past, would you? If so, at what cost?

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Old Royal

by J.R. McLemore

Giveaway ends August 23, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

What's new, pussycat?

Sorry I've been MIA for a while. I've been busily working on some new projects. My son and I began a new silicone Halloween mask. He had never created one, so I wanted to walk him through the process with me. I figured it would be a fun learning experience, which it was. The sculpture turned out really well, as you can see from the picture(s) below. Unfortunately, when we began separating the plaster mold, it broke, so that was the end of that project. All that work down the drain. Eventually, I'll start over as Halloween draws closer.


In other news, I am wrapping up my novella, Rabbit on the Run, which will soon be available via all of my typical distributors. I will provide links for anyone interested in obtaining copies once it is officially released. In addition, I am dividing my time to edit Carniville, a murder mystery involving human oddities; rewriting The Consuming Darkness, formerly known as The Shadow People, the first novel I'd ever written and has undergone many rewrites. (Most of these books I've mentioned in a previous post, which you can read here).

I've stalled on Youthanasia, a science fiction novel about the pros and cons of immortality, due to a lack of enthusiasm. That's not going to stop me from finishing the story and publishing it, though. When I say "lack of enthusiasm", I don't mean it's a substandard or mediocre story. It just means that some other ideas have stolen the spotlight in my imagination and I'm choosing to focus on them right now, which I will talk about in a minute. Also, I've kind of run up against a wall as far as the plot is concerned. I'm not sure where to go with the story while keeping the reader engaged in finding out what happens next. After I let it ferment and mellow for a while on the back burner, I'm sure I'll find a way around that obstacle.

The story who holds my heart at the moment is a new work of horror that I'm currently writing called What Goes Around. I've only spent two days working with it and, already, I've managed to put down a little over twenty pages worth of story. If you don't know what to make of that, let me just clarify by saying that the words are flowing like Niagara Falls; coming extremely easy, which isn't always the case. Since it is still in its infancy, I won't divulge too much, but I will give you the synopsis to whet your appetite. It goes something like this:

In the fall of 1958, in front of onlooking parents, nine children riding a carousel suddenly vanish. Despite efforts to explain the phenomenon, the children were never found, questions went unanswered, and the amusement park was closed.

Until Now...

Nearly sixty years later, three teenagers sneak into the newly-opened park on a dare and spin up the old carousel. They face a startling discovery when the nine children unexpectedly reappear. The boys and girls look the same as the day they vanished, but something is fundamentally different, because...

What Goes Around, Comes Around

I'm excited by this story's potential and hope readers are, too. I've already developed a cover for it and plan to hone this story into a reasonable facsimile of the product I see in my imagination. If I'm successful, then this will be a creepy romp through a sinister landscape that keeps readers captivated, turning pages to find out where these children have been and what mysteries the merry-go-round holds. Already, while writing it, I've given myself plenty of goose bumps. I hope I can pass them on to anyone who chooses to indulge in the story. As I get nearer to finishing it, I'll release a sneak peek of the cover.

Finally, I have some exciting news about an available title. My novel, The Old Royal, has been optioned to be made into an audio book. The narrator is a talented individual named Stephen Self. I've already listened to his audition for the book and his performance of the first chapter. I'm excited by what I've heard and anxiously await the finished product, which will be available on iTunes, Audible.com, and Amazon. Once I know the details for where you can get a copy, I'll post the links.

Stay tuned for further details. And, as always, thanks for stopping by!

It's official: The Old Royal has been released!

Yes, you read that correctly. I have finally released The Old Royal. The release that seemed like it would never happen finally did.



Currently, The Old Royal can be found on Amazon, Smashwords, and, for those of you who prefer a physical copy, a paperback edition is available at CreateSpace. Barnes & Noble, as usual, is dragging their feet. I uploaded the necessary files yesterday, and still, they haven't gotten around to making it available. I promise, as soon as B&N gets around to releasing it, I will update my webpage for The Old Royal.

As a special bonus for my readers, I've created a discount coupon over at Smashwords. The coupon will save you 80% off the cover price ($4.99 US), which means you can have a copy for the low, low price of a buck ($1 US)! When checking out, just enter coupon code KN34M to save some dinero.



The Old Royal is a story about Anthony Jessup, a daydreamer working at a dead-end job as a helpdesk technician. Anthony dreams of becoming a famous novelist like his idol, Roger Kurrey. However, Anthony's stories only receive rejections from editors he submits them to.

When Anthony receives an antique Royal typewriter as a gift, Anthony soon discovers that the typewriter has the ability to send him into the past. Anthony devises a plan to turn his dream into a reality, but it comes at a price!

If you could change the past, would you? If so, at what cost?

I hope you'll take advantage of the coupon and grab yourself a copy of The Old Royal. If you enjoyed it, I encourage you to tell your friends and, hopefully, leave a review wherever you obtained your copy. It would certainly help me out. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Georgia Renaissance Festival

Today was the last day of the Georgia Renaissance Festival. I've never been to a Renaissance Festival (nor has my youngest son, Sean), so we went today with my wife, who has been several times. I didn't have high expectations. I imagined it would be full of LARPers and other über geeks. I wasn't too far wrong about the geeks, but there were also plenty of people dressed in period garb, which means corsets and boobs.

I'm a big fan of boobs, so that aspect was extra cool. On the other hand, there are some boobs that shouldn't be on display and not even a corset can help. But, even those were on display. The costumes are neat and so are all the various wares for sale, from swords, to suits of armor, to everything you can imagine deep-fried and served on a stick.

I had a fun time. So did my wife and son. I hope to go back next year now that I've had the chance to experience it. If you've never been and enjoy a lively atmosphere of jousting and geeks in costumes, I encourage you to go.

And, since this is an author's blog, I imagine you are here to read something about the next book I've been discussing. That book would be The Old Royal. I have good news to share: the book's release will most likely be sometime next week, June 10 through 16. I've gone through the paperback proof, made changes, and am waiting for the second proof before giving it the final go ahead. Also, I've formatted the digital version, but haven't yet viewed the final product in various reading devices. I plan to do that this week and make any necessary tweaks. So, I hope you will check back in a week and get your copy. As always, thanks for stopping by.

Feels Like the First Time

As the title of this post reads, it feels like the first time, and to borrow from Foreigner even more, it feels like the very first time. You may be asking yourself what the hell I'm talking about. Have I gone crazy? Some people would tell you I probably did that a long time ago.

Here's a hint:

I know I've been hyping that cover for some time now and I keep saying, "It's coming, it's coming." Well, it's definitely not long now! It has been in front of several of my beta readers. Edited and edited until I'm tired of going through it. I formatted the manuscript, uploaded the cover, set all of the interior images, etc., and ordered two copies of the paperback proofs.

Those proofs arrived today!

Here me now and believe me later when I tell you, I was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning to see the package on my doorstep when I arrived home from work today. I immediately opened the box and began inspecting the books. Upon a cursory glance through the interior, everything looked all right. There was a small problem with the cover, which I believe I've taken care of, and one graphic missing from the inside text (which I'd taken care of before the proofs arrived), but aside from that, everything looks great. Now, you might be asking, "So, when the hell are you going to release it?"

I hate to keep you in suspense by prolonging it, but I assure you, it will be very soon. I only need one more person to read through it. That person is my brother. He was the one who read a copy of Majoring in Murder after it was already available through all of my distributors and alerted me to nine...yes NINE mistakes which all of my beta readers (myself included) had previously missed. It just goes to show that someone with more time who reads slower can find more of my egregious faux pas. I promised to let him read every subsequent novel I publish from that point forward. As I've said previously, I want to release the best possible book I can hope to create for my readers. I hope you'll understand and appreciate that.

I'm hoping to release the book, in all formats, at the beginning of June. I hope that date's still fairly vague as I need to format the digital version, make any changes my brother points out (in all formats), and upload the files to the distributors (which will undergo a verification process before they will be available). So, even at this stage in the process, things are not set in stone. But, I have my fingers crossed and feel pretty certain that everything will be on track for the first week in June...but (as I've pointed out before) don't hold me to it. I hope you'll buy a copy of The Old Royal when it comes out. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a music video that seems appropriate to this blog's title. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Resurrecting Dead Stories

I've written a lot of short stories over the years. I think some of them are exceptional and I published a few of those in An Adverse Anthology: Strange & Disturbing Short Stories. As for the rest...well, some are fair and some are not very good at all. Even the bad stories, though, are still special. I spent the time to write them, after all, and burying them in a desk drawer forever just doesn't feel right to me.

You may already know that I am very close to releasing a book called The Old Royal (if not, you can find more info about it here and here). This is the story of a man who wants more than anything to become a famous writer like his idol, Roger Kurrey. In the story, I wanted to embed snippets of shorter stories to add verisimilitude to the tale of a struggling writer. To do this, I wanted to resurrect some of my older stories; those considered dead.

The bonus stories in The Old Royal are:

1. Bad Bank Heist - This story is the only one not previously written, so it can't be considered resurrected. It's simply an idea that occurred to me spontaneously during the writing process (note the cliched name).
2. Suicide Suite - Originally untitled; about a traveling salesman who wants to commit suicide, only to be interrupted.
3. Rabbit on the Run - mentioned here and here; this story has languished in the writing process for a while. I hope to release it at a later date.
4. When the Clock Strikes Three - A story that had three different plot ideas. I wrote one of them, which was horrible, but decided to pursue one of the better ideas in this book.
5. The Final Chapter - I think the concept for this story is very interesting, however, my original execution was an abysmal failure. I think I did it justice in this context.
6. The Black Talon - Originally titled As the Crow Flies, this story never got off the ground. One day, I may write the whole thing. I came up with the concept and wanted it to be a book. I think its better as a short story, though.

So, there you have it; a list of some short stories and ideas that I had originally mined earlier in my writing career only to turn out a bust. Some of them were complete failures on my part. Some were ideas that I felt passionate about writing, but never fully materialized. I think that in the context of a larger story, these will help give the reader some pleasant bonus material to read and help add to the richness of the larger story as a whole.

And, for those of you wondering about the status of The Old Royal: never fear, it's inching closer and closer to publication. I'm simply waiting on beta readers to help ferret out my mistakes. I won't release a book until I feel it's ready and by ready, I mean that I want it to be the best that it can possibly be. So, I hope you keep checking back for the big release which should be coming very soon. I also hope you'll pick up a copy and let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by!

Status Update and Cover Sneak-peek

I haven't posted any status updates in a while, for those who might want to know what's going in the world of J.R. McLemore. Let me appease those few people now. If you recall, I posted a while back a list of projects I was working on. Well, that list has changed.

I'll get to the changes in a moment, but first, let me assure you that The Old Royal is still slowly marching its way toward publication. It is currently in the hands of a third beta reader and I am anxiously awaiting feedback. Hopefully, there will not be any major changes needed. I'll review the feedback, make the necessary edits, and hand it over to a fourth beta reader. When I receive the story back from that last reader, I will go over it one final time and then publish it. I know this sounds like a lot of beta reading, but I want it to be the best story I can deliver and I feel that having more people look at it and point out faux pas for me to address is the best way to ensure a quality story.

In that previous post mentioned above, I said I had a southern Gothic book called Lathem's Lament that I needed to edit. This has not changed. Nor, I am sad to admit, have I done any editing on this story. I promise, though, I will. My thought was to release Lathem's Lament simultaneously with another book, which I will mention in a moment. Since Lathem's Lament is not crime fiction, I was hesitant to release it separately. I thought it would be better received if it was released along with a crime story for those readers who don't care to read southern Gothic. We'll see what happens closer to the release date. Maybe I'll release it separately, maybe not.

And now for the change. But, first, let me be open here and confess that I tend to flip-flop between projects. I will get excited by a story idea before I finish outlining it, only to start writing prematurely. Once I realize that the story needs more time to mature, I abandon it with the intention of returning to it later. I've done a lot of flip-flopping during the previous months. I finally settled on a story called Carniville that has been lurking in my Story Ideas file for a while now.

I turned the plot over and over, filling in obvious plot holes and sketched a cast of characters that I felt comfortable with. I pitched the idea to friends who provided enthusiastic feedback and, after feeling comfortable with the notes and outlines I've made, decided to proceed. Carniville is a locked-room mystery. It is the story of a murder that takes place at a small apartment complex in Florida where sideshow freaks live when they are not touring the carnival circuit. When the fat lady is murdered in her apartment, and her husband becomes the prime suspect, a resident name Blake feels obligated to expose the real killer in order to clear the husband's name.

I'm not very deep into the story--only about 50 written pages so far--and I am very excited by what I currently have. I've never written a mystery, especially a locked-room mystery, so this is a real challenge for me. I feel that it's coming along very nicely. In fact, I'm so excited about it, I've already developed the cover, which I've included below. I welcome any and all feedback regarding the cover and what you think of my short synopsis. Does it pique your interest? I hope so. Also, I hope you'll stick around to read it and The Old Royal when I publish them. Thanks for dropping by!

One of those days

I've been juggling several projects recently. I'm excited about getting through another round of editing for The Old Royal. That just means it's inching closer to publication. I know there are some guys I work with who will be happy to hear that. But, alas...

On the tail of the good news comes some not-so-good news. Work on Rabbit on the Run has slowed to a stop. It seems my motivation to write dries up when I sit down to work on it. I'm still excited about the story. It just seems like Royal is sapping my motivation. Who knows? Perhaps when I get The Old Royal out the door things will pick up for Rabbit. This doesn't mean I'll let this story slip through the cracks. Hear me now and believe me later: I fully intend to complete this novel and have it published this year.

Of course, there is also Lathem's Lament to look forward to. I've already completed one editorial pass on that story, so I don't have to contend with creating something anew. This is perhaps the only occasion when editing isn't such a drag. After much thought, I've decided to release Lament and Rabbit simultaneously. I came to this conclusion after I realized that I was jumping around genres. Since it is a Southern Gothic and Rabbit also has similar characteristics, I've decided it would be best to release them together. That way, I can give my readers who want crime fiction a book while also reaching out to some new readers. Lament is a book I wrote several years ago and I refuse to see my efforts go to waste. Besides, I really like the story and think others will, too.

However, this post wasn't meant to be a status update. I wanted to express my frustration with the state of my writing. On the surface, it seems like I'm not being very productive. My blog posts are lagging, stories seem to be stalling in progress, I'm becoming distracted by external activities, and I've gained some weight. Yeah, I know, that last one has nothing to do with writing. But, it still sucks, especially since I was so good last year and lost 50 pounds.

Now that I give it more consideration, I think I'm just in a temporary funk. My writing hasn't really hit any brick walls. This is just a temporary mental thing that everyone experiences from time to time. I just need to stop dwelling on it and move on. I'm about to meet with a writer-friend for our weekly lunch where we talk about reading, writing, and practically anything else that interests us. I always enjoy our discussions because we're very like-minded. I'm sure it'll be fun and I'll get motivated again. Thanks for stopping by and listening to me rant. I promise, I'll try not to do this very often.

2012: The Lineup

I've been busy as hell trying to get some projects closer to completion. While I've been heads down working, I haven't really given the blog much attention. When I happen to think of it, I flush with embarrassment because it seems like I'm neglecting a loved one. I don't want to neglect any loved ones, especially my readers. So, I thought I'd give you guys (er, and gal(s)) a glimpse into the things I have lined up for this year.

First, I'm trying to right a wrong by publishing The Old Royal. I said in a previous post that I hoped to release this by the end of January. I had to eat crow in the previous post. I'm happy to say that my wife returned the manuscript to me and assured me it didn't require a rewrite as I had initially suspected when I jumped the gun. I am more pleased to say that I managed to edit nearly a third of the manuscript this past weekend, which, for me, is an astonishingly immense amount of editing to accomplish. I think I've said before how much I hate editing. I'd rather have my fingers pounded with a ball peen hammer. So, I hope to have this completed and handed over to my beta readers soon.

Second, I am still in the early editing phases of a Southern Gothic called Lathem's Lament. I mentioned a little bit of what it's about in this post. This is a story set in the 50s in rural Georgia. It's mainly about a family dealing with life at home while their son is fighting over in Korea. The story follows the family as well as some of the neighbors and each chapter is told from a different character's point of view. I know it's a deviation from my usual crime and horror fiction, but it's a story that I had in me and begged to be written. I obliged and hope I do it justice and that my readers will enjoy it. There is a crime that takes place in it as well as a supernatural event. Anyway, I'm working on getting it ready to hand off to the wife, too. When I release it, I hope to hear some positive reviews for it. After all, the readers are the final judges.

In addition to this vintage story, I have a Southern Gothic/crime caper in mind that I've been itching to write. I've already started it, but haven't gotten very far with everything else in line ahead of it. This is a story set in the early 30s (also in Georgia—can you see the theme here?) about a black man on the run from a lynch mob for murdering a white girl. I'm still a little sketchy on the ending because I haven't nailed it down, but I've got some ideas about how it might end. You'll have to stay tuned to find out more about it. The tentative title is Rabbit on the Run. If I can execute it the way I see it in my head, I think it'll be a fantastic read.

I mentioned a ball peen hammer earlier, which brings me to this last project. Another book set in rural Georgia, this time in the 70s. The protagonist is a Vietnam vet who witnesses a meeting between some members of the Dixie Mafia and a politician. He's running for his life as the Dixie Mafia pursues him (mainly a thug who enjoys using a ball peen hammer on his victims) and, at the same time, trying to expose the corruption he has recently discovered. I'm excited about this one, but I'll be lucky if I can release it this year. The title I have in mind is Greasing the Squeaky Wheel.

There you have it! Four big projects, all in various stages of the writing/editing process. I hope some of these sound as exciting to you as they do to me. Check back to learn how I'm progressing and watch for the stories that interest you most. They're coming. I don't know when, but I can assure you, they ARE coming. As I get closer to the publishing date for each, I'll provide some sneak peeks at the covers. Thanks for reading!

The Old Royal release date pushed back

*SIGH* Okay. So I said earlier that I wanted to release The Old Royal near the end of January. Well, here we are, the end of January and sadly I have to announce that I am not even close to releasing the book. (I guess my audience of one will be disappointed. Sorry about that.)

I've handed the manuscript over to my primary beta reader (my lovely and beautiful wife) who is still working on going through it. I don't envy her the job of proofing my work because...well, editing is a shitfest. There, I said it. Reading is one thing. But, reading something that you know may contain flaws, plot or otherwise, puts you on your guard. Not to mention, cross-referencing some fact(s) that may crop up hundreds of pages apart for accuracy. No, I don't envy her task, although that is what I do several times before ever handing it off to one of my beta readers. And, believe me, it sucks to read a book over and over and over. Even if you wrote it, I guarantee you will eventually come to hate reading it.

I think I painted a bleak-enough picture of the process so you will understand how badly it sucks. Just the other day, when I asked her how it was coming, she said I could read the notes she's already made. I told her I didn't want to do that, that I would prefer to wait and just hear the whole impression at once. She said, "Well, you could get a head-start on fixing the problems." That's never good to hear. I asked her if they were big problems. Basically, from what she alluded to, it's close to a rewrite, I think. I might be over-estimating the magnitude of said "problems", but nevertheless, it looks like the book will not be out for a little while.

Whenever she finishes, I will correct whatever is wrong with it, shaping it into the story I thought it already was and hand it off to the next beta reader. I usually get the opinions of at least three different people. So, now that I've made my announcement and eaten crow, I'll continue editing and writing the next couple of books in the queue. I've decided to quit trying to predict releases for this very reason. It sucks to be ambitious and announce a tentative release date only to miss the mark by so much. Until I get better at judging my progress, I'll just keep quiet about future releases until they are much closer to actually being finished.

In the meantime, I urge you to get a copy of one of my other books if you haven't already done so. Hopefully, you've read one...and enjoyed it. So, why not help a struggling author out and get another? I'd certainly appreciate it. You can find links to the various formats in the right margin. Thanks for reading and stayed tuned for updates as I get closer to the release.

P.S. This picture pretty much sums up how I feel...

The Idea Flood of 2012

Okay, so I finished my initial revisions for The Old Royal. I printed out the manuscript and am ready to hand it over to my wife, who will go through it with her editing pen (and, hopefully, not give me anything below a grade of B-). All right, so that was just silly. No, she doesn't actually grade my stories. Although, being an English professor, she could. I doubt I could stand that though.

Each revision from here on out will pass through several of my beta-readers. I'll make changes based on their feedback. Hopefully, it will meet with receptive, open arms, and not receive the cold shoulder. Of course, I'm sure this is every author's wish.

While I'm floating in limbo (is there really such a thing for a writer? I think not), I have begun the first-round iteration of editing an old Southern Gothic story I wrote in early 2010. It's called Lathem's Lament. I wrote it while I was bending the covers on some Erskine Caldwell, Steinbeck, and Faulkner novels. I really enjoyed reading those writers' stories and attempted to write one of my own. I think the plot is engaging and I'm eager to see it in print. I stuffed it in a desk drawer and only recently took it out again. So, I'm also eager to rediscover what happens to the characters and re-experience their trials and tribulations. It's been more than a year since I've thought about that story, let alone read any of it. Hopefully, it won't need any major rewriting.

In addition to editing Lathem's story, I have several ideas rushing into my mind, tackling each other, as they vie for my attention. Not only are there story ideas begging to be written, I've got a host of characters lined up who continue to walk onto the stage in my mind's eye. These are unique characters who I find intriguing and want to cast in some of these story ideas. I think they can definitely enhance the right story and make it really pop.

But, the main thing I want to point out is that The Old Royal is still marching toward publication, even if it is using baby steps to get there. I'm still hoping to release it by the end of this month. In it's wake, I'm remaining busy with other writing projects, all of which I want to release soon. I hope you are as excited about them as I am and I hope they live up to your expectations and give you hours of entertainment. In the meantime, check out some of my other stories, if you haven't already. Links to places where you can find them are over to the right, up top. Yeah, right there! Sorry, you can't see me pointing.

Thanks for stopping by!

Back From Vacation: Boo, boo! Hiss!

Just got in from my vacation in the Florida Keys last night. It was such a shock to return to cloudy skies and temps in the high 40s. I miss the sun and warmth.

However, I was able to finish the first draft of The Old Royal. I started my first editorial pass early during our trip. I thought I would probably get through it while I was away. Boy, was I wrong! I only made it through thirty pages. Not even a dent. Perhaps I need to reconsider my mid-to-late-January release. Oh well. Fortunately, this week at work is slow. With everyone taking their vacations, it's a virtual ghost town. Hopefully, I'll get a lot accomplished with the revision process.

My Feet Hurt: An Update Status

Hi everyone!

I hope your holiday season is progressing happily along. This title pretty much summarizes how I feel. Not trying to be whiny (that'd be a horrible of me since I am fortunate enough to be in a nice location), but my feet really do hurt. We're staying just off the main drag, Duval Street, only three blocks from South Beach. Whenever we go anywhere, we walk. I've walked from one end of Key West to the other. I got to see Hemingway's house, the southern-most point of the continental US, Highway 1's zero mile-marker, Mallory Square, Higgs Beach, etc. And, my feet are sore.

I've taken an ass-load of pictures and hope to take more. There's so much here to see and do! This morning, I laid out on South Beach and read some of Duane Swierczynski's, The Wheelman. So far...Awesome! I'm completely loving it. This guy can spin an engrossing crime story.

However, the best thing about this trip so far, aside from the typical vacationy stuff and time with family, is the part where I finished the first draft for The Old Royal. I thought I would have completed it two days ago. God knows I was at the finale when I'd left off at home. But, I didn't want to rush it, so I took my time, thought it out, and wrapped it up yesterday. Now, I've got about six days to try to complete an editorial pass through it. I think I can squeeze in the time for that. If not, I'm going to make the time. I'm still shooting for a mid-to-late January release for the book. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

I hope everyone's holiday season is great! Thanks for stopping by.

Hello, Vacation!

So, tomorrow morning, we're leave for the Florida keys where we will spend our Christmas vacation. I can't wait. I've got my swimming shorts packed, plenty of short and t-shirts, my camera (for plenty of pictures I plan to share with you all), my cell phone, which also has my Kindle app (so I can read plenty of crime fiction), and my laptop so I can finish working on The Old Royal, which, by the way, is near completion.

Currently, I'm reading Victor Gischler's Suicide Squeeze. So far, it's freaking awesome! Gischler's the man! I've also packed Duane Swierczynski's paperback, The Wheelman, which sounds like a kick-ass book. I hope I'm not disappointed by it. Something tells me I won't be.

I've been looking at pictures of Key West and they look beautiful, an island paradise. I imagine there will be plenty of photo opportunities. We'll see. Like I said, I plan to share a lot of the pictures I take with everyone when we return, but I don't want to even think of coming back when I haven't even left yet.

While there, I'll wrap up the first draft of The Old Royal. I worked on it quite a bit today and have reached the climactic end. I'm giddy with anticipation of its conclusion and I doubt you'll be disappointed. Of course, once I finish it, I'll start in on the editing. Yuck. That's the part I dread the most, but I'm excited about getting it out of my head and onto the page. I want it to be the best story yet. Let's keep our fingers crossed that I do it justice in the editing phase. Right now, I'm just daydreaming of sitting on the beach as the sun sets over the ocean (snapping some pictures, of course) and working on my story. Reminiscent of Ernest Hemingway, but with more of a Raymond Chandler twist. What can I say? I love crime fiction.

So, here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Kwanza, Happy Chanukkah...(whatever your preference, please don't be offended if I left one out) from the Keys.

Cover sneak peek: The Old Royal

Okay, I know I said in an earlier post that I planned to provide a sneak peek of the cover to my newest novel, The Old Royal, sometime early next year. Well, all that's changed. I'll show you the cover, but first I have to divulge some back story about it. The back story is important to me. If you don't care about it, just scroll down to view the cover.

Truth is, I can't wait. I've spent most of today working on the story. I'm nearing the 250 page mark with the first draft. I know. I know. A cover sneak peek seems premature when I haven't even finished the first draft. Here's another truth, I'm excited as hell about this book! I vow to finish it as soon as I can (obviously, I plan to make it the best story I can, otherwise I wouldn't waste my time).

Before settling down to write this morning, I spent a little time working on what I want the book cover to look like. What can I say? This is how I help motivate myself when it comes to writing my stories. There's always opportunities for the self-doubt bug to settle in and deter a writer from finishing a WIP. Well, to combat that, I find that tweaking book covers, inside matter (e.g. chapter headings and layout formats), and mulling over the plot looking for new conflict and resolutions help me stay excited about a work-in-progress.

Something you may not know: The Old Royal is a novel I started writing back in 2009. My wife thought the concept was original and interesting. In short, she was excited about me writing it. However, I was bitten by that self-doubt bug and got a bad case of the complacencies. The story became stale and I didn't want to write it any more. I set it aside and eventually forgot about it. I attempted to participate in NaNoWriMo this year, but just didn't feel ready to write the story I had in mind. I reset and began writing a new story. That one wasn't ready for me to tell either. Stories just seem to do that. One minute they seem hot and ready to play, the next moment, they're giving you the cold shoulder. It's rough.

Flustered, I decided to withdraw from NaNoWriMo. I knew I wasn't going to cross the finish line, so what was the point? I looked back through some of the stories I'd started and abandoned. I came across The Old Royal and pitched the plot to the guys I work with. They expressed a keen interest in it. Hell, one of them even said, "If I read that synopsis, I'd buy it!" That was enough to renew my interest and stoke the fires of motivation for me to continue writing it.

Since resuming the story, I found that I was able to get over the plot hurdle where I had dropped the ball. Motivation is a cool thing like that sometimes, stripping away the blinders leaving you with a clearer view for the solution to a problem. I'm plugging away happily and hope to have this book ready for publication early next year. Hopefully, very early. Say, January-ish.

The Old Royal is a story about time-travel, the old adage about the grass not always being greener, love and love lost, realizing one's dreams, and a lot of embedded short stories. I won't tell you too much, because I don't want to give anything away. Besides, you can read the synopsis on the back flap, which is all displayed in the image below. Now, without further ado, here is the cover...

Click to enlarge

Comments and criticism are welcome. Thanks for visiting!

Throwing in the proverbial towel

So, I was participating in NaNoWriMo this year and I was up-to-date with my word count, progressing smoothly with my story. Yesterday, after writing my required amount of words, I seemed to run out of gas plot-wise.

Prior to beginning the marathon of NaNoWriMo, I made some notes and discussed my plot with other writer, hoping to iron out any kinks. Well, apparently, I didn't map my outline well enough, because the plot seemed to lack the action I wanted. In addition, I think my red herring was more pink than it was red because it didn't distract the reader from the mystery as much as I wanted. I guess what I'm trying to say is the same thing that Bugs Bunny used to say, "I must've missed that turn in Albuquerque!"

When I lost that feeling of enchantment the story held for me, I remembered another story I started some years ago about a man who is able to visit the past where he attempts to steal a famous author's life by beating him to punch by writing his novels first. My wife was a big fan of that idea when I told her about years ago. She still is. And, when I ran the idea by my co-workers, they absolutely loved the idea. Their enthusiasm about the idea was so palpable, that I've decided to shelve my current work-in-progress (yes, you read that right; I refuse to give up on it because I still feel it's a great story given the proper preparation) in favor of continuing with that long forgotten work-in-progress whose title is The Old Royal.

And, for those of you wondering whether I plan to use this for NaNoWriMo, the answer is No. To bring in a piece that I previously worked on would be cheating, and I don't cheat, not even when it would only be cheating myself. I am hereby officially declaring defeat and gracefully bowing out of the contest. Best of luck to everyone still plugging along at their novels. I hope you make it.