Month: November 2018

In Sickness and in Health

Max Misc , ,

Sands and Storms, guys, I almost can’t believe how much I’ve been sick lately. Except I have to because I’m living through it. The little bout I had in October? Nothing compared to the last … two weeks. I swear I’ve caught every cold out there this season, one after the other, and cycled through them all. I think I’m on the last one: A chest cough that has knocked me down for a week and been the cause of much lack of sleep problems (though now that I can sleep, I’m catching up by, as I did today, sleeping until 2 PM).

The ultimate problem in all of this? I don’t write well when I’m sick. With the back-and-forth nature of the last few weeks I’ve had some good days and some bad days, but I’m likely to still come in a good 1/3 short of my monthly quota. For those of you wondering why that goes down … let’s just say all my Alpha and Beta readers can attest to what happens when I write with only a fraction of my normal brainpower. Things get bad. Fast.

Granted, my part-time job doesn’t help. They’re classic current US-job, which means you work if you’re sick or not. Oh, they might say at some point during the day “Why not see a doctor?” or something. But they’re paying low enough that seeing a doctor isn’t an option, and if you take a shift off? Well, that’s money you need, since their wages are low. To which you might say “Get another job!” but … it’s the modern world. Local businesses all know what their competitors are paying, so they all pay the same lowball number. Why compete when they can make everything just as appealing?

Unless you’re a manager. According to local data in my area, Managers make anywhere from 2 to 6 times as much as other employees. Curious that.

Anyway, not really sure what the point of this post is other that to say that I’m finally feeling better. Illness-wise, not job-wise. Job-wise I’m pretty sure that my company is an open-and-shut case for the current growing income inequality issues in America. But aside from that, I’m finally feeling a bit more alive and aware, so I’m going to try and finish up a chunk of Hunter/Hunted today and hopefully get things back on track. I really, really have not enjoyed all the crap getting in the way of my writing this year.

Anyway, with that in mind, I really need to get to it. Oh, but before I go, today is the last day in that week-long sale on my books. If you’ve been looking at one and sitting on the fence, now is the time to make your decision!

And with that, I’ve got writing to do!

Being a Better Writer: What is “Adult” Fiction?

Max Being a Better Writer , , , ,

Wow. Where did this month go? It seems like just yesterday it was the end of October, and now … Yikes. It feels like things just sped by.

One item of news to note: It is Cyber Monday! And yes, my books are still on sale from Black Friday (and will be through Thursday). If you’ve been thinking of grabbing a few for yourself or as Christmas gifts, now is the time to do so! The more I sell the better, and it’ll make up for a flat late-October/Early-November.

Anyway, you can check out the deals here, though note that if you’re on Amazon.co.uk, there are more deals, and that link takes you to the US-based site.

And … Sands, I lied. I have one other item of news to note: As of yesterday, I am sitting at 90 ratings/reviews on Goodreads! That’s right, only ten more to go before I break my year-end goal!

With that, my news is done. Little else to report. So let’s dive into today’s topic.

What is an “Adult” book?

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Black Friday Sale!

Max Books! , , , , , ,

Just a quick heads-up, but the Black Friday Sale is live and running! Here’s a brief break-down:

No matter where you are, there should be something on sale. UK-based or using that half of Amazon’s systems? You can get Shadow of an Empire for 50% off. US-based? Colony is 67% off.

No matter what, there should be a couple of books on sale for you to check out. Head on over to the books page and see what you can pick up!

Happy Thanksgiving, Readers

Max Misc , ,

Hey everyone. Happy Thanksgiving.

I know not all of you celebrate it. It’s a pretty American holiday after all. Based in old harvest festivals and American history, but still kicking, Thanksgiving is probably one of the most American holidays there is: Gather together, be thankful … and eat until our intestines beg for mercy in a traditional feast. Then eat some more.

But whether or not you’re participating in this great battle of gluttony, I do hope you’ve got something out there to be thankful for, small or large, that you can take some comfort in today. You don’t have to post it or share it.

I just hope you have it.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. And don’t forget, with Black Friday (the other most American “holiday”) comes a sale on my books! There will be a post about it tomorrow, but if you’re one of those folks that really wants to get in early, it starts at midnight.

Now, I’ve heard there’s pie …

“A Game of Stakes” Has Been Submitted! And Other News.

Max Misc , , , ,

That’s it! As of a few minutes ago, A Game of Stakes has been sent out to the editor of the folks who asked for it. Thanks again to all you Alpha and Beta Readers, and as usual, when this gets published (either in the collection it’s been submitted for, or in More Unusual Events) I’ll make sure to ask how (and if) you want to be credited for all your help.

I’ll admit, I really enjoyed this one. It was just a fun story to write, and the characters and the faint inklings of the world were fun to play with too. I still do have to sit down and rewrite the original story that was going to be for the collection, which ended up being more of a novella length. That one I’ll likely publish separately (it’s been a while since I’ve done something like that) rather than stick into More Unusual Events since MUE is already going to have another novella length story in it. Two novellas in one “short” story collection is a bit much. I’ll get to that … maybe after the Halo novel submission. It’s just too good to let rest. I mean, the name is Axtara: Banking and Finance and the protagonist is a dragon. The original draft may have grown well past the scope of a short story, but as a novella? I think it’ll be a fun little adventure in economics, industry, and what happens when a young dragon moves to the edge of civilization with grand designs.

But I’m getting sidetracked. Point is, A Game of Stakes has now been sent in. Thank you everyone who helped with Alpha and Beta reading, and I’ll keep you guys updated.

Other news! Hunter/Hunted is about to enter Part three (the final part). I can see this being done early in December, or even the end of November if I get a few good writing sprints in. There is one specter hovering over it, however, and that’s the Christmas season. Long story short, Christmas means lots of hours available at my part-time job, and since hours are generally in short supply before Christmas, well … I kind of need the extra cash. I may be really limited with writing time in December.

Yeah, I know, the holiday season means working harder than the rest of the year. It’s just how things end up working out. It might mean a few delayed or missed Being a Better Writer posts, though, just so I can get Hunter/Hunted finished.

More news! Don’t fotget that a number of my books will be going on sale Thursday at midnight! Deeply on sale. Now’s the time to grab something if you’re tight on cash!

Okay, last bit of news: I’m only a few ratings away from cracking 100 ratings on Goodreads! My goal has been to surpass 100 by the end of the year, and as of right now, I’m only 14 away! If you have a Goodreads account and would like to help, well …

Anyway, that’s it for news. Thanksgiving is coming, along with a Black Friday sale, A Game of Stakes is in, and … Yeah, that’s pretty much it.

Time to get back to work on Hunter/Hunted.

Being a Better Writer: Repetitive Ticks That “Don’t Exist”

Max Being a Better Writer , ,

Welcome back readers! I hope you’re doing better this Monday than I am. As I am still sick. On the mend, thankfully, and I’ll be picking up some Nyquil today to at last give this cough the boot, but it’s been tenacious in hanging on.

Anyway, before I get to today’s topic, I do have one news topic to bring up: Thanksgiving and the Black Friday Sale.

Midnight on Thursday, and running through the next week, most of my lexicon of books will be getting in on the Black Friday sale goodness! If you’ve been holding out on a particular title, this will be the time to grab it! Or if you’re looking for a good Christmas gift for the reader in your family … this is it!

There’s only one catch. Due to Amazon’s bizarre handling of international digital markets, the sale isn’t consistent across all countries. Sorry. But I’ve done my best to put as many of my books as I can on a sale if possible.

And a steep on, too. We’re talking 50% off or more. Even for new books like Shadow of an Empire or classics like Colony. I’ll post more about it as the day approached, but for now? Set your alarms and get ready. If you know folks hunting for a deal or looking for Christmas gifts, let them know!

Okay, with that bit of news out of the way, let’s talk about repetitive ticks that don’t exist. With a title topic like that, I’d expect that a bunch of you are expecting me to talk about “Saidisms” and other repetitive words, but … nope! I’ve already talked about that. You can find that post here.

So then, what’s this post about? Well, it’s a curious one, but as the title says, I’m talking about repetitive ticks that don’t exist.

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A Note About Broken YouTube Links

Max Misc , , ,

So occasionally I’ll check outgoing links on my site from the control panel I’ve got, just to see what people are following, or in the case of YouTube links, watching. Sometimes I’ll use YouTube to show a video that serves as a good example of something.

However, in the last few weeks I’ve noticed that some of these links go to YouTube videos that no longer exist. Which … is fair. YouTube is changing a lot of its rules and operating terms lately, and channels are being shuffled around or closed off as it happens. It’s the internet. Things come and go.

But personally, I’d rather fix those broken links if possible. There’s simply one catch: My stats page doesn’t tell me what page sent my readers to that YouTube link, nor does YouTube tell me what the name of the removed video was (which would at least give me a clue). Thus, the only way for me to know what link could be bad would be to hunt through every single post on this site (which is several years’ worth) looking.

This … is not feasible. I don’t have that kind of time. And nor do you. But that doesn’t mean it’s without hope.

So open call: If you happen to be using the resources here and find a broken link? Just post a comment letting me know, and I’ll see about fixing it ASAP. Don’t feel a need to go hunting for them. Just … if you see one, I’ll see about fixing it. Or, if I can no longer find it, I’ll make that known in the original post.

Simple and straightforward. If you find something that’s broken and you feel like letting me know, do, and I’ll see about fixing it.

Over and out! I’ve got writing on Hunter/Hunted to do!

“A Game of Stakes” Beta Call!

Max Misc ,

Sorry this is a bit late, but the Beta Call for A Game of Stakes has been sent out … almost a week ago? Crud, yes, it was a week ago. If you’ve been a Beta Reader in the past, check your e-mail inbox! I’m going to try and have this one polished up by this weekend, next at the latest to get it in early before the submission deadline.

Check you inboxes. That’s all I’ve got today!

Being a Better Writer: Self-Deceiving Characters

Max Being a Better Writer , , , , ,

Hello readers! How was your weekend? Get any good reading in? I did. Working my way through Jack Campbell’s second Lost Fleet series, which has been good fun. Spoilers, but he has an interesting approach to alien life.

Anyway, there’s not much in the way of news (outside of the Beta Call for A Game of Stakes having gone out a couple of days ago, so check your inboxes) so we’re going to jump right to today’s topic. Which, by the way, is a companion piece to a Being a Better Writer post a month or so back on Ambiguous stories and characters.

See, over the course of that post it became clear that there was one aspect which needed its own time set aside. Sure, we can have a plot, events, or characters that is ambiguous or deceptive to the reader, and even to other characters through lack of information, the wrong information, or even the wrong position (all of which, if memory serves, came up in that other post), but what about a character who is ambiguous about things because they themselves refuse to acknowledge them. As in, well, the title today: A character that deliberately deceives themselves?

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The Gears of War Tabletop Report: Finale

Max Gaming , ,

So, you guys may have forgotten about this, but once upon a time on this site I did a small series talking about my experiences running a custom ruleset tabletop game for, of all things, a game based off of Microsoft’s Gears of War. Ultimately I stopped doing the session reports because they were digging into my time a little too much (I needed to be writing more important things, like the next book and whatnot), but the sessions themselves didn’t stop.

Until this last Tuesday, that is. Tuesday evening was the final session of the campaign. I won’t say it was a great one, because it was my first time being a DM, and it was a completely custom system that I built and had to do on-the-fly adjustments to … but there were definite fun moments and our team did have some good times.

So how did it end? Well, the players managed to prevent a surviving faction of UIR soldiers from setting off an experimental heavy-metal bomb (atomics, something the Gears universe isn’t very familiar with) in the middle of the COG defensive line on the Jacinto Plateau. Basically, they almost died, but saved the day, and in the end, were rewarded with a ship—something they’d been looking for all campaign. Sure, they had to fight for it, but with a gratuitous selection of high-powered weaponry, the players were able to find it, defend it, and then lay waste to everything that approached while loading it up.

The best campaign ever? Not by a long shot. But … they did have fun. And I did too.

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