Sales

The Point of Acceleration

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With every story I write, it seems there’s a point of acceleration. I feel I can’t be the only author to have this sense. I’m working on a story, and maybe for that first ten percent or so while the words do flow, they sometimes come with stoppages or clumps of story that take a bit to figure out exactly how to get them out onto paper.

But then, after a certain point, it’s as if my characters see the completed setup before them and say “No no, we’ve got this” and the story just accelerates, the words rushing out and the characters all jockeying to blitz through their story.

And yeah, Axtara – Magic and Mayhem feels as though it’s hit that point. Axtara is just beating her wings urging me to keep up as the story explodes out. With the setup and intro done, she is ready to fly across Elnacier.

Basically, this is my way of saying that despite a holiday weekend, work on Axtara – Magic and Mayhem—aka the sequel—continues at a satisfactory pace. The draft is—and this is prior to today’s writing—sitting at 40,000 words, and I’d say we’re about a third of the way into the story, as the main plot threads are starting to pick up and come together after being teased and hinted in the background. As to what those threads are, I won’t say. But I’ve seen some of your predictions, and all I will say is that I think you’re going to have fun and be caught unawares. Maybe not. We’ll see!

In other news, today is the second to last day you can grab the entire UNSEC Space Trilogy on sale for the week of Independence Day! That’s right, all three books are on sale! Colony, first in the trilogy, is 99 cents, while you can grab Jungle and the epic conclusion Starforge for 50% and 20% off respectively.

But only through Friday. After that, you’re paying full price for all three of them again. Given how epic of a Sci-Fi trilogy this is, it’s absolutely worth that price ($22 for 1.3 million words of some of the best modern Sci-Fi? You bet that’s a good deal), but when you can grab it for a little over half that, well …

Hey, I know money’s tight these days. That’s why I point out sales.

Anyway, you can click that cover there to go right to the trilogy page on Amazon and grab whichever of the three you need to finish out your collection before the sale is over!

Last bit of news after the jump!

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Happy Independence Day!

Max Misc , , ,

I know, readers, it’s technically tomorrow. Today’s only the third. But the celebration where I reside has been going since Saturday, the 1st. So happy Independence Day, whether or not you’re a resident of the US.

Now, as some of you might have guessed due to the title, there will not be a Being a Better Writer post this week. The series will return next week, as expected, with more writing topics. Though I will note we’ve only got three topics left on Topic List #22, so there’s going to be a topic call coming up next week. Start thinking of writing topics you’d like to hear about!

Now, if you’re interested in reading about a fight for independence, then I’d recommend taking a look at the week-long Independence Day sale for the UNSEC Space Trilogy, which you can check out here. Or, if you’ve read the series and want to spread the word, share that link somewhere!

In any case, I’ll see you all later this week for updates and news, and next Monday for more Being a Better Writer! Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

The Entire UNSEC Space Trilogy Is on Sale for the Independence Day Week!

Max Books! , ,

One of the most epic Science-Fiction adventures of all time is on sale starting today! That’s right, the entire UNSEC Space Trilogy is discounted for the week of Independence Day! Now that’s prime! And if you didn’t get that reference, it’s a good sign you need to read the series!

So, what can you expect, if you’ve somehow found this page and never been exposed before to the trilogy? Well, the UNSEC Space Trilogy is a Sci-Fi Epic Space Opera Adventure. If you know what those words mean, then you likely already have a good idea of what you’re in for. If you don’t, I’ll break them down really fast. Sci-Fi is Science-Fiction, which means the story is set at a point in the future and features technology we don’t quite possess yet at this point in time (though since the publication of the first book in the trilogy, some have gotten much closer). Space Opera means that you’re going to see some warfare and combat of the “ship on ship” and “fleet on fleet” variety—though the “adventure” tag means there’s plenty of other action as well, as well as mystery! Epic means that this is indeed a hefty tale with far-reaching consequences: Expect to see governments and rulers vie for control of mankind’s stellar future as empires are made. Or broken.

Yeah, if that all sounds great, or if you knew what those terms meant and zipped down this far to get a little more info, then you’ll want to start with the first book in the trilogy, Colony. Colony is where you’ll be introduced to your protagonists: A trio of strangers from Earth brought together by a job for a megacorporation and shipped off to a colony world to help track down a missing computer programmer the megacorp would rather not have anyone asking questions about. You’ll follow these three—Jake Tames, a corporate investigator, Annalyne Neres, a professional soldier-for-hire, and Ray “Sweets” Candy, a white-hat hacker—as they travel to Pisces and start looking into the history of their employer’s mysterious programmer … all while trying to keep boiling tensions between Pisces rulers and its citizens from splashing onto them.

The whole adventure is just 99 cents this week, and for all the action and mystery you’re getting inside it, worth every penny. You can check out a free preview of the opening chapters here, or just click that cover to go right to the book itself and snag a copy.

Praise for Colony:
“Once I started reading, I found it difficult to stop. The way that three protagonists came together and their subsequent exploits kept me going until the end of the book.”
“… incredible imagination and talent …”
“… Colony had me on the edge of my seat …”
“... an excellent SF story … Good stuff and a great read.”
” …  this story is absolutely fantastic on multiple fronts. The world it takes place in is a captivating, expansive, yet dark and mysterious one, crafted with immense attention to detail and imagination. The characters we experience this world with are just as well-rounded and intriguing as the setting, and the plot of the story is a journey that will leave you guessing and hungry to read more.“

Of course, once you’ve done that, you might as well buckle in for the rest of the trilogy and see what happens after Pisces … and what became of those who made it out.

Jungle picks up just a short time after the end of Colony, opening in orbit around Earth … but doesn’t stay there long as our protagonists find themselves arrested, broken apart, and sentenced as a result of their actions on Pisces, shipped off to the edges of known space in order to put their skills to work for Earth’s mostly-unified government.

But there’s a lot more going on with their new assignments than it appears at first glance, and each of their operations may share overlap with the others in surprising ways. As the irregularities pile up and true nature of both events on Pisces and elsewhere come to light, Jake, Anna, and Sweets will find themselves facing a threat unlike any they’ve faced before, as well as alarming answers to some of Pisces’ most persistent questions.

Jungle is 50% off through the week of Independence Day, which means you can grab it for just $2.99. Click the cover above to go right to it.

Praise for Jungle:
“Gripping and intense.“
“I thought that after reading the first book in the series, I would be able to pace myself and read the second at a leisurely rate. Instead, I find myself once more up late and night to finish it, because I just couldn’t put it down once I started reading.“
“… absolutely fantastic!“
“… I can’t recommend this series highly enough.”
“I wish there were more than 5 stars to give …”

Once you’ve done that, it only makes sense to grab the last and final book in the UNSEC Space Trilogy: Starforge.

Starforge picks up where Jungle left off, bringing the tale that began with Colony to a grand conclusion worthy of the annals of Sci-Fi adventure! Forces unlike any mankind has ever seen have been unleashed, and world after world has fallen.

A desperate, last-chance gamble is made, sending a small team hurtling across the galaxy in pursuit of the one thing that may be able to once and for all put an end to a cycle of extinction that has persisted for millions of years: An alien megastructure more vast than anything mankind has ever encountered, one which should enable a final, desperate defense.

The end arrives. And it’s 20% off this week. You already bought the other two, so you might as well grab this one.

It’s worth it. Hit the cover, and begin the end today.

Praise for Starforge:
“A great read, and a delightful way to end the trilogy.“
“… a satisfying conclusion …”
“Florschutz at his best … If you haven’t read Starforge–or the UNSEC trilogy as a whole–you owe it to yourself to rectify that injustice.“
“This is a terrible review … just go read the book.”

This sale runs through Friday, July 7th, 2023, so be sure to grab all three before the sale is over!

Enjoy!

Axtara Soars, and We’ve Got a Sale

Max Weekly Updates , , ,

Hey folks! Just the usual weekly heads-up on what’s going on here behind the desk. Most of which you already know about, but hey, that’s how updates on progress work!

Axtara – Magic and Mayhem is moving along at a nice clip. It’s now 33,000 words in, and that’s before me getting to work today. The story is starting to click along at a good pace, Axtara’s doing banking things, pieces are moving in the background, and the big … Well, that’d be saying too much. Let’s just leave it at “Things are flowing well” and call it good.

Well, almost. I did want to share this fun little tidbit from the draft. Remember Wilfor, one of Vern’s apprentices in the courier business? Well, he’s been busy doing his job, as we can see here. Take a look!

“All right,” Axtara said as she found the page dedicated to Wilfor, his carefully scrawled name at the top. “For one prompt delivery of four letters, one Delarian dim.” She dipped her scribing claw into the inkwell, gave it a shake to dislodge the extra droplets, and then quite carefully and dutifully noted the deposit of a single dim into his growing account. Then she wiped her claw carefully clean and recapped the inkwell.

“Which brings your total …” She flipped the ledger around, tapping the final tally so that Wilfor would see it. “To fifty-nine dims.”

“Wow,” Wilfor exclaimed, his eyes wide. “That’s a lot of money.” Then he paused, looking confused. “I don’t know what I’ll do with it.”

I don’t know. I just thought it was cute. Did you think I was going to post spoilers here?

Moving on, the big 4th of July sale starts Saturday! I’ll do a post on this tomorrow because, well, yeah, promotion. If you know of anyone looking for a deal on Sci-Fi bundle, keep the sale in mind. Colony will be 99 cents, Jungle $2.99, and Starforge $7.99.

And with that, I really don’t have any other news. I’m going to get back to working on Axtara – Magic and Mayhem now, because the plot is in motion and things are happening …

Have a great weekend everyone! And happy Independence Day!

The Magic of Progress and a 4th of July Sale!

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Hey folks! It’s a news update! And unlike last week’s, I actually remembered this one.

Only because I made myself remember it. Because dang I want to be writing Axtara – Magic and Mayhem right now. I missed Axtara’s enthusiasm and personality! And where I left off yesterday was a big moment—sorry, no spoilers—and so I’m just ready to get back to it!

But first, I should confirm that yes indeed, I am still working on it. I’m still in the first quarter, with the various pieces of the plot coming together, but the story is moving along and the primary focuses arriving in play.

Is it going to be released in another month? Hah, no. I’m not even a quarter of the way in, and there will be plenty of editing and polishing to do even after the story is done. That work takes time. And Axtara isn’t going to make a public appearance until her scales are nice and shiny.

I may post a paragraph or two on Patreon that’s really winning, though. Just for fun and to give the supporters some glimpses.

All right, with that said, I’m going to take a brief aside here before talking about the upcoming sale to talk about the impact of my Alaska trip on the site. Specifically, on site stats and rankings.

See, even with articles written in advance, viewership halved in the month I was gone. It’s started to slowly build itself back up, but it’s a slow process.

This isn’t new. Losing half the regulars due to a lack of me just being at the desk happens any time I take a trip that lasts more than a week. In the world of the internet, news that someone will be away for a week or more is, to many, apparently cause to just stop checking up on things.

I will note that it’s even worse if I don’t post anything at all, which is why I schedule stuff in advance. But even then, a 50% traffic hit is a rough hit. It usually takes three or so months to bring that traffic back up to whatever it was before I left.

Why do I mention this? Well, it’s interesting for one. The web behaves in odd ways, and it’s telling how much I have to sacrifice just to have more than a week away. Even taking my usual Christmas break tends to hammer sight metrics. This is just how the web works, with search-engine-optimization and the like. Content content content is the name of the game. Sands, my own site host amusingly advertises potential topics to me each day so that I can be a daily content generator.

Also amusingly, these suggestions are terrible, like “Where was your first kiss?” They’re wholly unrelated to what I do, and I take even further amusement by the host notifying me of how many people did respond with a blog post to that prompt and encouraging me to join in.

Content content content.

Anyway, point is the viewership is back on the upswing again, and it’s still very likely this year’s site metrics will still best last years, given where things were at this same time last year.

But things aren’t quite healed yet, and the numbers haven’t matched up yet with what they were before I left. More work to do, I supposed.

Enough rambling. Hit the jump and let’s talk about this upcoming sale!

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An Almost-Missed Update

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I think it says something that I was enjoying working on Axtara – Magic and Mayhem‘s draft enough that I almost completely forgot about making a news post today.

I did forget about it yesterday. Because Axtara is awesome, and she’s a lot of fun to write.

So, how’s progress on the draft coming? Well, I actually wiped the first two chapters and started over. The initial go worked, but not as well as I liked, and I saw a much better option to take. So I cut the initial start out (saved it in a cut file, as one does, so it’s still there), and then started over.

New chapters are going much better and deliver a more succinct vision of both what’s going on for the familiar reader combined with enough information for a new one to grasp the pieces.

Well, in theory. Ultimately it’ll be the Alpha Readers who say whether or not it works. But we’re months from that. Still, work on Axtara 2 is coming along nicely. So well, in fact, that I kind of just want to wrap this post up and get back to it.

But I do have one other bit of news. The “Congratulations Colony for passing 100 reviews milestone sale!” is coming. When? Well, I was thinking about it and realized that it is entirely thematically appropriate for the sale to happen over the upcoming US Independence Day week. If you’ve read Colony, then you know why. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for? A sale?

Good news for you, then. The whole trilogy will be on sale that week! I’ll toss out the specific days next week, but it’ll be a decent length. Though I am tempted to try this “multistage” sale thing that I’ve never done before.

Either way, I feel the 4th of July week is a fitting time for that Milestone sale. So look forward to that!

In the meantime, I’ve got to get back to work on Axtara – Magic and Mayhem! Max out!

One Drink Celebrates Its Tenth Anniversary, Plus a Topic Call and Other News!

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Well, it’s been a long road, hasn’t it? As of this week, One Drink, the first title I ever published, is ten years old. It released ten years ago, on February 20th, 2013. The first step in what would become a much wider, larger writing career.

Where it all began ...

So to celebrate this fact, I’ve made it free this week! Yup, all you have to do is click that cover there on the right, and you can grab a copy of your very own to keep and enjoy.

Sure, most of you probably have it already. I wouldn’t be surprised at this point. After all, it’s been ten years. And in my own personal opinion, it’s not that spectacular a book. Though that’s a point where I’ll be happy to disagree with my fans, many of whom consider it much better written than I do.

But hey, you can’t argue with free!

Better yet, its sequel, Dead Silver, while not ten years old, is on a 75% off sale too. It’s a safe bet that if you enjoyed One Drink in any capacity, you’ll find the sequel an even more entertaining read.

Again, as before, if you click the cover there, you’ll go right to it.

Though I’ll warn you, Dead Silver is a sequel. So I advise reading One Drink beforehand if you haven’t. You don’t have to, of course, but since one is free, if you’re grabbing Dead Silver to complete the set, you might as well read them in order.

Or not. I don’t have any control over that. And I’m well aware that some people like to read things backwards.

Anyway, it’s been TEN YEARS. It’s amazing to think that it’s been so long since I published my first book. Since those days, I’ve seen the world of writing shift and change. I’ve seen publishers people believed were unstoppable titans topple and fall. I’ve seen the authorial view of trad vs indie shift and slide away from the former and toward the latter, right up to the point where we’ve got authors at their peak doing forty-million dollar kickstarters and breaking from their old publishers.

And I’ve watched my books steadily climb in readership. I’ve watched the progression of new readers, new fans, and the slow but steady climb upward, my sales in one month now topping what I used to manage in a year.

And it’s still going. I won’t wax on this for much longer, but I hope most of you can excuse me a little bit of bittersweet satisfaction at how far things have come. It’s been a long ten years. At LTUE’s closing event, a particular speaker who I shall not name-drop spoke of writing and selling books as trying to climb a mountain, only to reach the top and realize you built that mountain, stone by stone. Or perhaps book by book.

They’re right. And while I don’t consider myself near the peak of this journey yet, right now taking a glance back and seeing the mountain of words I’ve assembled so far, with characters like Anna and Axtara, Jake and Jacob, Sweets and Salitore … Well, it’s been a long, steady climb.

But there’s a lot more to come.

Thank you. Readers, reviewers, folks that shared their favorite titles with friends. Patreon Supporters. Without all of you, the last ten years … Well, it couldn’t have happened. A man can build Rome, but if no one shows up, what good is it?

Thanks for reading, folks. And I hope you stick around for the next ten years. Because I’m not done yet. Not by a long shot. There’s more to come, more Axtara, more Indrim, more Jacob Rocke, and even a bunch of new worlds you’ve yet to set foot in.

Thanks for reading, sharing, and reviewing. I’ll build the mountain. You guys mine it.

Now, before we hit the jump for some other news, there’s one more thing I want to address: A Topic Call!

Yep, that’s right! It’s time again. Topic List #21 has reached its end. It’s time for Topic List #22.

Now, those of you that have been around for a while? You know what that means. Hit the comments below and post your topic requests!

Those of you that are new? This is a primary manner with which to request topics for future Being a Better Writer topics!

That’s right! Got something you want covered by Being a Better Writer? Post it! And Topic List #22 will take shape with your questions on it! Then watch each Monday, and your Being a Better Writer request will show up!

That’s all there is to it. So get to the comments and post the writing topics you want to hear about!

Now, on with the other news. Which isn’t much, but it’s news. Hit the jump for it!

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Forward and Back – A Look Ahead at 2023, and at the Accomplishments of 2022

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Wow. 2022 was a year.

No, not in the way 2020 was. In fact, I mean that in the best possible sense. 2022 was, by almost every metric available to me, a standout year. Sales were up overall despite a few slump months, with books such as Axtara – Banking and Finance finding success in almost double the number of markets as any of my other closest books, and then Starforge smashing its way to victory in the final months of the year. Site hits were up—in fact, the site saw more traffic, interaction, and the like in 2022 than it ever has. That’s including two prior years in which a single post in each year went a bit viral and accounted for a good majority of all traffic.

Yes, that’s right. Without having a post go “viral” and score thousands upon thousands of hits, Unusual Things still saw more visitors, readers, and regular reads than in any prior year in 2022. And, while it’s still only week two of 2023, the current level of site traffic isn’t just holding steady … It’s growing. December of 2022 had more hits than November of 2022, which had more hits than … well, you get the idea.

And this introduction has already gotten away from me. Welcome, readers and writers, to a post-2022 news post, and a look ahead at what’s to come in 2023. We’re going to talk about what went on in 2022, what the impact was of the lone book release (but it was a big one), and then we’re going to discuss what’s in the pipe for this year.

And folks, I’ve got a good feeling about what’s to come. Hit the jump!

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Thanksgiving Sale!

Max Books! , , , , , , ,

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you’ve got great plans and make the most of it!

As for me? Well, I just clicked the button to upload the final manuscript for Starforge. Which, in case you weren’t aware, comes out next Tuesday. The 29th of November. We made that release window after all.

Of course, some of you have been waiting for the series to be complete, and for those of you who have—or are just discovering this epic Sci-Fi series for the first time—I’ve got good news! The first two books in the trilogy are on a steep discount this weekend to celebrate the conclusion of the trilogy! You can pick up all three books—over a million words of Sci-Fi adventure—for only $14.97. Click those covers and grab the whole series now.

That’s right. Less than fifteen bucks. This is a fantastic deal. Plus, it’s over the perfect weekend to curl up with a book.

And yes, this is now a complete trilogy. No hidden “fourth book.” No “surprise, we’re going to have another ending.” This. Is. It.

So happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Enjoy, and I’ll see you all Monday for the Reddit AMA.

Two Weeks …

Max Books! , , , , ,

Starforge releases in two weeks, people. Fourteen days. At this point you could put a countdown app on your phone to when Starforge will be available to read in your country if you wanted to. And I wouldn’t blame you one bit.

If you haven’t pre-ordered yet for some reason, then click that cover there. Do it! Do it now! The finale of the UNSEC Space Trilogy is only a few clicks away from being delivered to your device on November 29th.

Maybe you’re waiting for the reviews. Maybe you’re hesitant that Starforge can deliver what it’s promised, to both tie up all the lose ends from Colony and Jungle while still being an epic, satisfying ending.

I get that. But you’re in luck. One reviewer has already received their copy and posted their thoughts on it, which you can read at this link. It’s got some small spoilers, but the biggest of all I’ll drop in your laps is the rating. 5 out of 5.

And the word “stellar” is used, which is quite appropriate given the subject matter.

We’re fourteen days away from this six-year journey (for the readers, anyway) concluding at last. I hope you’re pumped for it. Because you should be!

All right, what about other news? This is technically a news post, so yes, there is a little more to talk about. Yes, Starforge comes out in two weeks. Yes, that is grand. Oh, and yes, it has now passed its predecessor, Jungle, for pre-order numbers and is tied for third place. Yes, it has several preview chapters you can read and cool lore bits filling in some details of the setting at this tag. But surely there’s other news, isn’t there?

Well yes, there is. For starters, I’m looking forward to being able to work on other projects again. Like a new Jacob Rocke book. Or that Axtara sequel that everyone’s really excited for. I’m excited for it too. It’s going to be great fun to both write her once more.

Speaking of Axtara, did you know that on Amazon she’s almost eclipsed Colony for reviews? It’s true. As of writing this, she’s only two reviews away. She remains a bit further behind on Goodreads, but she’s still the sitting with the third-highest number of reviews there. And over 80% of them are 5-Star. Everyone just loves Axtara.

Colony and Jungle continue to get some attention as well, but I think right now there are just a few readers who are catching up, while most are waiting for the big finale to drop.

Let me see … Other news. Oh yes! November 29th is the release date for Starforge, so November 28th, which is a Monday and would normally be a Being a Better Writer post will instead be a Reddit AMA! That’s right! The last time I did an AMA on reddit was for Jungle, and so it’s only fitting that the finale to the trilogy comes with one more AMA.

Oh, and one last thing before I wrap this post up. Yes, there is a price increase coming for my library. More on that before it happens. But … if you were hoping to pick up the entire UNSEC Space Trilogy (that’s Colony, Jungle, and Starforge all at once when Starforge drops) now that it’s a complete, finished set, you might just want to wait until, oh, November 23rd or so. Just for … reasons.

Max out! I’ve got more copy-editing to do!