The idle musings of a former military man, former computer geek, medically retired pastor and now full-time writer. Contents guaranteed to offend the politically correct and anal-retentive from time to time. My approach to life is that it should be taken with a large helping of laughter, and sufficient firepower to keep it tamed!
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
I'm back - and there's book news
The Internet problem seems to be sorted out on my ISP's side, after several hours' downtime and another couple of hours of, "We're up!" "No, we're not!" "Yes, we - oh, dammit!" It seems to have been a pretty widespread problem, covering quite a bit of north central Texas and involving telephone as well as Internet circuits run by my ISP. Here's hoping things are back to normal.
I'm very pleased that during one of the "up" periods, I was able to e-mail back to my publisher the final publication draft of my Western novel. Since we last spoke of it at any length, I've been working like a dog on getting it ready, with some equally hard work coming from my publisher's side. It's been poked, prodded, folded, spindled, mutilated and revived, only to go through the process once more. I've greatly enjoyed my first experience of working with a publication editor, and I'll have more to say about that in a short while.
As soon as I have a cover image and a definite publication date (we're talking weeks, not months, and not many of them either), I'll post more details here. Considering the moribund state of the Western genre right now, I have high hopes of being 'in on the ground floor' of a potential revival.
I hope normal posting will resume as of later today, when I can catch my breath.
Peter
Hey Peter;
ReplyDeleteOnce you have a date, let us ravenous fans know....I havn't read a good western in a long time.
Is your publisher Castalia House by any chance?
ReplyDeleteThe last good westerns were published by Louis L'Amour. I've reaall of his stuff and a good bit of Zane Grey's stuff (my grandfather knew ZG personally). I liked L'Amour better, but both had walked the western land and knew the culture of the old west as it still existed when they lived out west.
I hope your efforts are successful.
@Quartermaster: The publisher will be announced shortly. Watch this space!
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful news, and as I told your bride on the Book of Face - I can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes on your book; I hope everything goes smoothly.
ReplyDeleteI've been binging on your Maxwell and Laredo books for the past few days. Can't wait to see your Western come out.
ReplyDeleteplease also post when the e version will be available please. The Maxwell series are you still looking next month for that or was the pub house a longer experience than you thought?
ReplyDeleteGreat, but what about Maxwell 5 and the fantasy novel? :)
ReplyDeleteTo all who've asked:
ReplyDelete1. Maxwell 5 is in progress. I hope to have it out by the end of June. It's been delayed a few weeks by the (completely unexpected) publisher interest in the Western, but not derailed.
2. Laredo 3, the concluding volume of the Laredo Trilogy, is on track for the end of the third quarter to the start of the fourth quarter.
3. The fantasy novel is in progress, but at lower priority. I'm honestly not sure I have the sort of mind that can write good fantasy. I'm going to write it off and on over the course of a year or so, then see what alpha and beta readers think of it. I'll ask them to be honest. If I just don't have the sort of mindset needed to make fantasy work well, I won't take it further. If it seems to have promise, I'll work on refining it for publication.
Thanks to everyone for your interest.
I'm looking forward to seeing it and I do hope it's successful. The western hasn't enjoyed the popularity in recent years that it once did. A few years back, Bruce Thorstadt wrote a series of delightful western novels that, sadly, didn't sell well. He quit writing them because it wasn't worth his time financially. Happily four are available as Kindle downloads. I do hope your western does well. A new interest in the genre would be most welcome.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'D like to be one of the alpha readers for the fantasy novel if that's all right with you, Mr. Grant!
ReplyDeleteI have liked everything you have written. You probably have enough readers, but if you ever need another let me know. The email I check most is dlm1065@hotmail.com.
ReplyDelete