Epic Apocalypse - Surviving The Epicenter [The Edge of Time Series]

Epic Apocalypse - Book 2

Lovers of apocalyptic fiction, feast your eyes on Book 2 from The Edge of Time Series, Epic Apocalypse.

As usual, I had a blast laying down these words and banged out this second installment of the series in no time.

In full disclosure, I wrote the three books in about a month (about 300 pages).

Most of the time after that, several weeks, I spent editing and proofreading, tweaking the covers, etc.

All that work for me was minimal because I keep 95% of what I write and how I write it. It so happens that this series for me is easy to put down as is since it just flows effortlessly. Although, most of my writing goes that way, these days.

Including this blog. I rarely change a word of it and bang it out in about 20 minutes. I hope that doesn't show too much, but I am extremely busy otherwise and I have very little time for anything else. In a way, writing on this blog and others I tinker with, for the past 10 years has been a good discipline for me. And, truth be told, Grammerly helps a bit. Not that I'm promoting it but it is quite helpful, especially if you're in a hurry.

Good Lord, Ernest Hemingway had it made in the shade back when he was writing his first novel, The Sun Also Rises in Paris and Spain. Yes, it's no secret that EH is one of my favorite authors and I'm in no way comparing myself to a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, but Hemingway had the luxury of banging out raw chapters early in the morning before he started his day of fishing and debauchery.

He'd then wire that text to his long-time editor and friend, Maxwell Perkins, circa 1925 and his writing chores were done for the day, usually before daylight. Perkins took care of everything else.

Most of us don't have that lifestyle these days even if we're published by one of the big agencies because we're still expected or required to help promote our books. And if we're self-published, we are most certainly in deep publishing shit.

"Life is full of Boo-Hoo Moments, So take it in, Tamp it down, And Suck it Up, Buttercup!"

I relish the day when I can bang out raw pages and send those bitches off to my editor and go fishing for the rest of my 20 hour day of leisure. What a racket that would be. I might just be the next Hemingway if that were indeed the case. Or maybe a better version of myself.

No, I did not just slight Hemingway. His head and brain were twice the sizes of mine so I know my place in the world. I'm a mutt of a writer by comparison but obsessed with all things related to Ernest Hemingway and his way of life. A man's man and a man's writer for sure (no disrespect, ladies). Toni Morrison was an outright genius and another of my favorite writers. And in many ways, I think women are by and large better writers than men. (Right, I'm not sexist at all.)

Edge of the Apocalypse - Book 1

But enough of that. I'm just rifting along while I have a bit of time.

I also want to mention that starting February 1, the first book of the series, Edge of the Apocalypse is available for free until the 5th. If you haven't had the chance to check it out, now is a good time because I made several important edits to expand (improve) the opening a bit. I'll include the link here when it's available for free download on Amazon.

I must say, that's one advantage we have these days, especially as self-published authors. We have total control of our content and I love that aspect of it the most. We can update our digital content at will and that's a Godsend.

Listen nobody cares how much we sweat. All the blood, sweat and tears mean nothing to the end-user. They just want to read a damn good story. That's it. Suffer all you want, and suffer you will just don't let it show.

In other words:

Life is full of Boo-Hoo Moments,
So take it in,
Tamp it down,
And Suck it Up, Buttercup!

Yes, there's a t-shirt in there somewhere. 
First one to feature on Merch, takes all!

New Apocalyptic Board Games and Books 2020

Millennium Board Game

Happy New Year, folks!

Here we are, the year 2020 and I for one am grateful to have made it this far. (For those who have cheated death before, you know the feeling.)

And as you can see, Millennium is still on board, beaming down and standing tall like a monolith from another time, waiting to be discovered.

Actual landing time is 9/11, 2020 so it's coming, and before you know it, it's here for the world to see and play.

Sounds dramatic, I know and only time will tell how this game and the books that precede it will be received. I'm working on a shoestring budget so promotions are limited. I'm still testing the waters and so far, I'm happy with the results but in a perfect world I'd market these products in a more traditional way.

ebook, Edge of The Apocalypse

I'm hoping to get a bump from The Game Crafter website, once I release the game for sale. That's the only venue that will offer the game for now until I can get it distributed in stores. And TGC, these are the folks who produce the working prototypes.

Right now, this game and several others in development are a family affair and mostly designed and promoted entirely by myself, and that's difficult enough because unlike most gaming endeavors, I don't have a team of pros to help me get this out there.

Luckily, I'm well-versed in many areas, but that doesn't mean I have it locked down by any means. When all is said and done, there are going to be plenty of loose ends in play.

There's so much to do and so little time to get anything done so it's a challenge in more ways than one, but no excuses. You do your best, make adjustments, and let it go.

And along the way, if you're stubborn like me, you break most conventional rules and try to set different standards in the industry. Probably not the wisest choice to start with, but that's my style. I'm basically going for broke, all in, do or die. (If I can think of any other cliches, I'll let you know.)

Meanwhile, I encourage you to live your dreams and start with what you have. Don't wait on anyone else. Take control and get going. You can learn along the way and if you fail, you've gained valuable experience for your next endeavor.

My reasoning behind these games and books is that I've set out to design and develop Sci-Fi games that I'd like to play and to write books that I'd like to read. Hopefully, many people will join me and connect on some level with these games and stories.

If not, I'm having the time of my life trying, and right now, that's keeping me motivated and driven to succeed. If you'd like me to feature your Sci-Fi game or book, let me know in the comments or drop me an email, I'd love to write it up here.

Please leave me your comments and questions below. Also, consider joining my private email list (above, right column) so we can stay in touch if you're interested in any of these games or books.

Until next time,

Play on!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I almost forgot to mention that I'm finalizing editing on all three books. If you'd like a free PDF file of Book One, let me know, or check out the Amazon Preview.

Epic Apocalypse - Edge of Time Book Series New Covers

Hey folks, the new year is almost upon us and I hope that all your aspirations are in place and taking place this coming 2020.

I've revised my book covers for the series once again because I needed to match them a bit better so they look like they belong together.

For now, this is what I've got and as you can see the book in the middle, Epic Apocalypse has a bit more color but what good is using fire if you can't show it burning hot?

Right, and so I've lowered the color saturation in the artwork quite a bit so it still has those dark edges and these covers seem to work for the series.

When designing your book covers for a series, keep in mind that you want your book covers to match either in colors, typography, or artwork, ideally all three should match. The middle cover is by another artist but I don't think it's off key. The other covers are my own design in Photoshop and I might still change the third book, although I do like how these three covers look together.

The main difference and what helps this trilogy is the red, white, and blue bands of color at the top. That's just a feature or "gimmick" to unify this trilogy, which gives the series a deeper meaning, plus it looks cool when you have the three books together on a shelf.

Only time will tell if this book series will be popular enough to make a bestseller list. I've really pulled out all the stops on this one and hope it will be a success. But it's hard to say at this point because I'm new in the game.

Don't underestimate yourself 

and what you know . . .

But here's the thing, don't underestimate yourself and what you know. You just might surprise yourself along the way. For me, the series will be a success in my mind because I've worked hard to get here but if the financial rewards are scarce, I'll learn from it and make adjustments to get it right next time.

Another thing is that this series doesn't necessarily have to identically match the artwork from the board game, although that wouldn't hurt, but these are standalone stories, so it's okay if the artwork is a bit different, as long as it's not too far off.

The board game does of course promote the books, and vice-versa, but each product should stand on its own, from a marketing point of view.

I've got plenty of work to catch up with so please feel free to leave any comments or questions below.

And as usual, play on!

The Edge of Time Book Series [An Accidental Series]

The Edge of Time Book Trilogy

You've heard it before. You've seen it before.

You've probably been advised before.

Never Quit.

Wise words this author now lives by because I have a good feeling about this amazing new series of books.

What is amazing to me is how this story has seized my mind and soul to the point where I think of very little else except to immerse myself into this apocalyptic world and go along for the ride of a lifetime because writing this series is the most fun I've ever had professionally. What more can one ask for?

I'm constantly taking mental notes, taking notes on my phone, notes on napkins, I'll scribble scene ideas wherever I can at any given time. I often wake up in the middle of the night or early morning to jot down plot events or chapter headings. I am totally obsessed with this story and that's a good thing because I'll have to live with it for a good while until I finish it.

The idea for the book(s) came to me as soon as I thought of including a journal for Andrea's character for the Millennium board game. Nice touch for the game, I thought as I proceeded to outline Andrea's journal. But in the back of my mind, all I could think of was; this could make a good novel or a series of books. Who am I kidding? I barely have time to breathe just trying to finish the board game.

But as the months went by, the journal kept growing and ideas just kept flowing and I couldn't stop writing. Still can't. 

Long story, short.

I wrote the first draft of book one in about a week and started outlining and writing the second book as I went along. Before long I had the concept for the series locked-in and hope to publish the two remaining books by early next year.

None of this was planned. It just evolved out of the journal and I am so grateful that I've seized the moment and I've run with it. Best part is that I'm enjoying and savoring every word and every scene as if I was there.

And I am.

I hope you will be too.

Join me on this extraordinary odyssey of words, events, and short stories that I believe can brighten our outlook of the future and add meaning to our days.

The Edge of Time Trilogy
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