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Showing posts with label beta-readers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beta-readers. Show all posts

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Nathan Takes Over The Blog Today...


Okay, I’m taking over the blog today since the authors have been down for the last couple of weeks fighting with a nasty case of bronchitis/pneumonia.


Mind you, they’ve also been trying to get the anthology finished and ready for release. We’re all hoping for it to go out before Halloween, but with all that’s been going on it might not be until early November. We’ll see how things work out.
In the meantime, let’s talk about that anthology.



What’s it all about?
Untold tales not just about me but Lisa, Marisa, Otto and even some familiar faces from the first two books in the Para-Earth Series (“The Bridge” and “The Ship”) which we’re a part of. A few of you may be asking, why does the Para-Earth Series seem to have smaller series within it? It’s more a case of different sets of characters being focused on within the series. As you will see in the anthology, the authors are starting to mix us all together in anticipation of a much bigger cross-over that is currently in the works.
Mind you this is not just a one-shot deal kind of cross-over like you get with a lot of comic books.  Oh no, this is the beginning of something bigger and permanent. It all starts with “The Door”...



Or rather towards the end of that upcoming novel (which admittedly has been in the works for several years) which the writers hope to have close to (if not actually finished) before the end of next year.  Part of the problem with that book was the fact that me and my friends’ story got in the way and had to be put out first. Then, life got in the way which further complicated getting “The Door” heading in the right direction. But things are improving on that front and progress is being made as I type this entry.
I will be making not one but two guest appearances in it as well as some ‘friends’ you’ll be meeting in “The Vampyre Blogs – One Day At a Time”. So you see, all these delays do serve a purpose as Allan and Helen continue to introduce you all to more Para-Earths and those who inhabit them. Some of those being we meet will be scary, some will be friendly, others well... you’ll have to wait and see. But rest assured, all of us will do our best to keep you glued to your seats while trying to get your hearts racing with each new installment.
As for the anthology’s release... Allan and Helen are waiting to hear back from the last few beta-readers, but so far the response has been very enthusiastic with a lot of big thumbs up.  So stay tuned. In the meantime, please accept everyone’s heart-felt wish for you all to have a very...



Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Time to talk anthology...


Big news, my wife and collaborator Helen just got hired on by the county so she will be working in the same building as me and sharing the long commute.  With her being hired, we are now looking towards possibly moving again and are already doing some packing here and there. Plus she is still taking a couple of intense college courses. This leaves both of us less time to write, especially in her case.

However, the anthology was 95% finished with only 2 stories incomplete. We've decided to drop those from the release and go ahead and publish the anthology with 23 stories, six of which are brand new. We're sticking to the 12th Night of Christmas release date.

In the meantime we're looking for Beta-Readers for feedback and to spot any problems with the collection. Unlike our previous novels which weighed in at 100K words, this volume is about 60,000 words in length. If you are interested in being a Beta-Reader please let us know in the comments section below.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Big News Update...

The 2nd draft of "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home" is now completed.


That's right folks, the 2nd draft is now officially done and I couldn't be happier.  I know this book has been a long time in the making, but Helen and I have wanted to get the story just right.  We take a lot of pride in delivering a quality book to our readers.  Of course, the book is not quite done yet.  

Starting this week, we'll begin the loud readings with our editor to make sure the grammar and punctuation is right.  But possibly even more important, we'll be making sure the story sounds right.  if the words used are not flowing the right way.  We've both read books where 'odd' wording can disrupt our enjoyment of a story, sometimes at a crucial point and ruin the enjoyment of the piece.  So we'll be spending the next couple of weeks getting things just right.

Then comes the 2nd to last stage of the work... beta-reading.  We'll be looking for beta-readers to check out the nearly finished product and give us feedback so we can make whatever final changes are needed.  Those beta-readers will also receive a free copy of the final version in either paperback or e-book form (their choice), as well as a mention in the Acknowledgements page of the book.

So unless there's a major disruption at some point, our plans to release the book this October is looking great.  

Stay tuned for more updates as well as new stories from Nathan and company.  With university over for this semester, we hope to be adding new tales of adventure very soon.

Thanks again for all your patience and support.

Sincerely,  

Allan and Helen Krummenacker


Friday, April 29, 2016

Lisa's Private Thoughts - March 24, 2013 "In Search Of... Part II"


I couldn't make out the man's face, or his upper torso, because he was literally buried under a huge pile of crumpled papers.  I didn't know whether to laugh or scream.  It looked so comical, but there was also the very real possibility that this man was injured or worse.

But then I heard the faint sound of snoring, coming from deep inside the mountain of paper, and breathed a faint sigh of relief. 

Yet in spite of my attempt to be quiet, the unseen figure heard me because the legs flinched and the pile moved slightly, but not enough to uncover the man himself.  

Not that it mattered because he spoke at that moment saying, "Writer at work... no disturbing the creative process..." 

"Yeah right," I shot back with a huge grin, "You're getting high off the ink fumes again, Uncle Nathan."

An arm shot out of the pile, pointing an accusing finger at me.  "Hey, I thought we agreed you were going to drop the 'uncle' part."

That made me wince as I nodded, "Yes, we did.  Sorry, I forgot."

"Well don't let it happen again," the finger shook at me.  "Now be a dear and help me out from under all this."

Taking the extended hand I pulled Nathan out from the pile and then proceeded to help brush him off.  "What were you doing under all that garbage?" I asked.

"Trying to overcome a serious case of the dreaded 'Writer's Block'," he replied with a yawn.  "I've been trying to get past it for a week now.  I thought burying myself under all my failed attempts might allow me to sort through them mentally, so I could find a way forward finally."

"And instead you wound up falling asleep," I pointed out.

Drawing himself up to his full 5' 7", which is only an inch taller than me, he said in a dignified voice, "For your information I was meditating."

"Really?" I replied looking absolutely fascinated, "I always thought people who were meditating chanted 'Om'.  I never heard of anyone using snoring instead.  Must be a New Age thing."

Nathan made a face at me and then surveyed the clutter around us and shook his head.  "Unfortunately, whatever I was doing didn't help.  I'm still stuck."

"Maybe you should get white board and try jotting down some steps," I suggested.

"I don't do white boards," he shook his head, "The pen fumes give me a headache.  Although I do have a blackboard in another room, but that hasn't been helping much either."

"Let me take a look, maybe I can come up with a suggestion," I offered.

"Trust me you don't want to go inside that room," Nathan told me.  "I went a little overboard in there."

I rolled my eyes at him.  "You haven't seen some of my friends' bedrooms.  Trust me I can handle any mess you've got."

"Okay," he said with a shrug. "Just remember, I did warn you."

With that he led me out of the room with the papers and we headed down the hallway to a closed door.  "You're sure you want to go in there?"

"Yes," I sighed in exasperation, "I'm a big girl, now open it."

Nodding, he pushed the door open and I walked inside.

For a moment I thought I'd stepped into the opening of one of my father's favorite shows...


The entire room, save the floor, had been covered in blackboard paint, turning all the walls and even the ceiling into gigantic, fully usable, blackboards.  And every one of them was covered in writing.  I kept expecting Bart Simpson to step out of the corner at any second.  The only thing that saved me from that idea was the fact that none of the sentences or drawings were being repeated.  In fact, the room was starting to remind me of my physics teacher's classroom.  There were always notes, calculations, and other scribbles all over every blackboard in the place.

But now my eyes were really taking in the actual words and I could see Nathan was indeed dealing with a very involved scene.  "How many characters are in this thing?" I asked finally. 

"Too many," he sighed, "I'd brought one character from another part of my series into this one because the plot wasn't going anywhere at first.  But one I brought him in, the ideas came pouring out of me.  Things were going great, but then I started noticing the word count and realized, the book was going to be much longer than I'd originally pictured."

"How much longer?" I asked staring up at the notes he'd left on the ceiling.

"I was already 70,000 words into the story, and I still hadn't reached the halfway point," he answered looking around dismally.  "I've spent so much time getting everyone acquainted, and then exploring how complicated their relations might be, that things kind of stalled in the main story line itself."

I nodded and studied the walls some more and could see just how complicated things were.  "Had you thought about breaking it up into two books?"

"Yeah, but that would screw up the actual plot and I don't think my readers would appreciate it," Nathan replied.  "And quite frankly, I wouldn't be happy about doing that either.  It would ruin the flow of the story."

"I can understand that," I told him, "How important is the character you brought in to the story.  Is he vital?  Or was he just a plot device to help things along?"

"Plot device," he answered,  "Why?  Do you think I should remove him entirely?  He did help inspire a lot of new scenes that got the story going again."

"Yeah, but you still wound up hitting a wall and a huge word count," I pointed out.  "Can any of the previously existing characters still serve the same function to keep those ideas in place?"

Nathan's brow furrowed as he thought about it.  "Actually, they could.  And a huge part of the word count comes from the character I introduced interacting with the others."

"And if you took him back out entirely, would that help the word count?"

"Let's find out," Nathan replied and led me back to the room where I'd found him.

Opening up his laptop, he pulled up two chairs so we could sit side by side.  Then his fingers began flying over the keyboard in a blur.


Now, I consider myself a fast typist, but believe me when I say, I'm like a tortoise in slow motion, compared to Nathan.  I'm almost surprised the computer itself can keep up with him.  

Within half an hour, we've removed all references to the character he'd added and reallocated the plot devices he'd helped inspire, to some of the supporting cast who already existed in the story.  And sure enough, we'd lopped off over 30,000 words from the story, making it sleeker and faster paced.  

By the time we were done, Nathan was looking much happier when we stepped away from the computer and headed downstairs.  "That was a huge help, Lisa.  Thank you so much."

I waved my hand and said, "It wasn't that big a deal."

"I beg to differ," he insisted, "Look, even after publishing a dozen books, I'm still learning about writing.  There's no one straightforward path that anyone can take.  It's a learning process that never ends.  A writer is always discovering something new they'd never thought about before.  The same thing holds true for artists who sculpt or paint.  In spite of all the techniques you know, you always find some new trick or effect you've never tried before that gives your piece a whole new look."

That made me think, about my own artwork and special effects make-up I'd been working with, and I realized he was right.  Creativity is a never ending learning process.  You always want to try not to simply copy what you've done before, but create something new and original that makes people smile and stare in wonder at your work.

-Fin-

****A quick note from the author: The basis for this entry came from a recent experience of my own.  As many of you know, I had planned to bring Nathan into the novel "The Door" which stars several of my other main characters.  I'd been having trouble moving the plot along and had decided to bring him in to help open up new avenues and it worked.  However, the length of the book was becoming too unwieldy and I was finding myself being sidetracked by too many new ideas.  So I sat back and re-examined the story and found that much of what Nathan was doing in the story, could be done by existing supporting cast members, so I decided to remove him entirely from the piece.  

Now, many of you may find this disappointing because you were eager to see him in a full-length novel before this year was out. 

Well then you'll be pleased to hear that this will still happen.  "The Door" is still not finished, but "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home" is nearing the end of it's 2nd revision (which is why I haven't been posting here more frequently, it's been a very time consuming process).  Next month I'll be sending it out to beta-readers, and based on the feedback we get, I will do a 3rd/final revision and release the book in October.  So we're just 5 months away from Nathan's debut novel.  As for "The Door", if it's ready in time, I'll release it in December or early next year.

So keep visiting, more short stories are coming soon.  In fact, you'll soon be reading entries by my wife, Helen, who is co-authoring the "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home" with me.  I think you'll like what she has in store for you all.  

Thanks again for all your patience and support.

Sincerely,

Allan Krummenacker

****









  

Sunday, October 18, 2015

A Quick Word From The Author...

Sorry to interrupt this current storyline, but I felt it was important to let you all know what will be happening in the next eight-nine weeks.  As you all know I'm attending university classes.  What I haven't shared is the fact that in addition to my studies I also have to perform 'Service Hours' for one of my classes, and that is taking up more and more of my time, along with the increased workload from my instructors.  I'm spending almost 7-9 hours a week, outside of class, to work on my Pre-Calculus homework and studies alone.  


Furthermore, I'm struggling with trying to get Nathan's first novel "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home" into shape and sent to Beta-Readers for feedback.  Unfortunately, with my schedule I've still got 50,000 words of editing to do before that happens. 



What does this all mean for this blog?  I'm going to finish the current story with Nathan and his stroll down Memory Lane with Mae West next week.  After that, instead of leaving you all high and dry without any new material, I will post snippets from the novel so you can see what's coming.  I will of course be careful not to reveal too much of the story-line itself or some of the outcomes.  I want to keep you all guessing and wondering where the book is going to go.  

I can promise you will see other sides of Nathan, including some darker moments.  But rest assured he will still be the fellow you all have come to like and be intrigued by.  And as here on the blog, you will be seeing and hearing from him in his own words, but also through the eyes of others.  

I hope you'll all stay with me as the day the book is released draws nearer.  And if anyone is interested in being one of my Beta-Readers, please let me know in the Comments section below.  

For those who do not know what a Beta-Reader is or what's expected of them I'll explain.  A Beta-Reader is a person who gets an advanced copy of the novel in its current form to read.  I will need you to read the entire story and provide honest feedback, as well as letting me know if you run across any spelling or grammar issues.  Please note, that I will need you to finish reading the entire book and provide me with your feedback no later than the end of November.  So only volunteer if you are sure you can do this.  After all, I do know the holidays are almost upon us and people will have family and other things coming up.  The book is 84,000 words long, which makes it about a third shorter than my two previous novels.

Thank you all for your continued support and I look forward to hearing what you have to say.  Again, the fourth and final part of the "Theater" story will be up sometime this coming week, so stay tuned.





Friday, November 7, 2014

An Important Announcement About "The Vampyre Blogs" Novel Release Date...





For those of you who don't already know, I started attending the California State University at Monterey Bay in August and the workload had been fairly manageable, until recently. Things are heating up and I have less and less time to work on "The Vampyre Blogs". I had planned on getting the latest draft finished, edited, beta-read, etc. so I could have it out in time for this Christmas. 


Unfortunately, that is not going to happen. I'm afraid I'm one of those authors will not release a book until it's had all those things done to it. Currently, I'm still trying to finish the 2nd draft and I'm still not entirely happy with the piece. Plus I haven't even started on a cover for the book. I do have this, which I made on my computer.




However, I'm not totally sold on this version really. I'd prefer to try and do a soft pastel piece like I did with my other two novels. But instead of doing the entire cover in soft pastel, I'd like to create more of a background and then super-impose the image I have on top of the background. In short, I'd like a nice blend of the two and that's going to take time.


All this is bad enough, but there is also the issue of the holidays getting closer and closer. I'd still need to get the novel to my beta-readers, but they're going to be busy with family stuff like cooking, visiting, and shopping. I don't feel right asking them to take time out of their schedules to read the book and give me their feedback. That wouldn't be right.


So I'm going to continue to finish the 2nd draft and getting it edited and whatnot over the holidays. Then I'll be sending beta-versions out in January and doing another draft after that. I hope to have it all done my March, but I won't be releasing it then. Instead the book will come out in late October to coincide with Halloween. Why wait until then? Because the story begins in early fall and ends just around Halloween, thus making it a a more seasonal novel.


Now for anyone worried they have to wait for more Nathaniel and company until then, never fear because I'm still going to be posting more mini-stories here. Plus, I'm working on a special 'free' short story for this Christmas that will involve Nathaniel and several characters from my other novels in the Para-Earth Series. Anyone who's read "The Bridge" or "The Ship" will be pleased to see some old friends as well as our favorite Civil War vampyre.


I'll be releasing the short story through Smashwords which carries e-book formats for all the new e-readers and laptops people will be getting as gifts. You'll find Mobi (for Kindle), Nook, Apple, Sony, Phones, and even plain good old PDF for those who just have a computer/laptop. And in the spirit of the season, the story will be "FREE". So stay tuned. I'll be announcing more as the day draws near.


Finally, I want to also let you all know that Nathan will not be a one-book wonder. I intend to keep him going for some time. When you've got someone who's over a 150 years old, you got a lot of room for many tales. I'm even considering making an anthology filled with short stories from different eras he's lived though. But that's a little ways down the road. For now, I'll leave you with the following list of novels I'm working on and their intended release dates for the next 2-3 years:

October/December 2015 "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home"


In 1862 Nathaniel Steward was only sixteen years old. He left home to fight in the Union Army, knowing the experience might change him. He had no idea how much it would. Now, 150 years later, he's finally coming back to what he thinks is an empty manor. What he doesn't know is someone has been waiting, and some 'thing' is following him, a being that does no belong in this world.

Coming Mid-2016 "In The Shadow Of The Door - Book 1"

Cassandra's ghostly protector Brandon has always been an enigma to many. Now, we get to hear his story which will lead directly up to the events that took place in my third book, "The Door".

Coming December, 2016, "The Vampyre Blogs - Family Ties"

Nathaniel is back and he's not alone. A mystery involving a member of his family has arisen, but so has an old enemy. New dangers arise that threaten not only those he loves, but his entire hometown. Like any soldier he will fight to protect his place of birth, but it may cost him his very existence.

Coming Mid-2017 - "In The Shadow Of The Door - Book 2"

Brandon's story continues as he and his uncle continue to struggle with the family curse that everyone believed was over. The threat has been thwarted but not ended and time is running out. Soon the door will be reopened and nothing will be able to stop what will come out of it if they don't seal it for good first.

Coming in December 2017, "Harlequin House"

When Alex Hill was only twelve years old he went inside the most haunted place on the planet as part of a team of paranormal investigators from the university his older cousin Rick was attending.

  Within those walls he watched most of the team die one by one, and barely got out with his sanity intact.  He swore nothing would ever make him go back.

Tonight he will enter the place the very place that has haunted his dreams for the last twenty years, to save his father. Will he be as fortunate this time?

OTHER BOOKS IN THE PARA-EARTH SERIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE NOW FOR ALL E-READERS AND IN TRADE PAPERBACK:


THE BRIDGE


Alex Hill buried his psychic talents for eighteen years. But with the scream of tires and twisting metal all this changes. Upon learning his girlfriend Police Sergeant Veronica Ross was nearly run down by two teens he becomes concerned. But when he learns both the driver and passenger had been dead for almost twelve hours when they nearly ran her down, he knows what he must do...

*NOTE: You can sample the book for free at:





THE SHIP





What starts as a simple surfing lesson, turns into a struggle for survival for billionaire heiress Cassandra Elliott and her new love interest the Seneca shamaness Julie Cloudfoot.

Cassandra is knocked off her board by an unseen assailant who leaves a terrifying gash in her wetsuit, along with a small red mark on her leg. Soon terrifying visions of a ghost ship begin haunting the heiress' dreams. She also begins to find herself strangely drawn to the sea whenever a strange fogbank appears in the distance.

Something hiding within the miasma, but what does it want from her, and what connection does the entity have with the legendary "Lost Colony of Roanoke" and the tribe of Tuscarora Indians who Julie is distantly related to...

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Another Note From the Author....


Hello everyone, sorry for the slow updates recently.  I had planned on another post today, but life has a way of kind of being really getting in the way sometimes.  Especially when you're going back to college.  I started attending my first university this week.  Prior to that the past few weeks have been chaotic with my wife getting a new job. 

She got her Bachelors Degree last spring at the same university where I'm going now.  She studied to become a high school math teacher.  This summer had been a rough one for us for several other reasons as well, including her taking special summer courses for her credential to be come a teacher.  I had to drive her around a number of places including a couple of schools where she was interning.  A lot of that driving meant time away from the keyboard both for this blog and the novel itself.    There were a lot of things to be done around the house that only I was available to do (cleaning, laundry, errands, etc.)

I also had to go through some skin cancer surgery, which didn't always leave me in the best of shape to be working on things.

However...

These last two weeks, I was spending a lot of time on the novel itself thanks to my wife's new job.  She had to go through the interview process, be offered the job, accept it, and went through a couple of weeks of training at the new school so she could settle in.  Now the location of her job was in another town about 1/2 an hour away from where we currently live, which is actually quite a nice drive. 

But even better, the town where she's working has the most beautiful library, where I parked myself for hours working on the book.  I'm happy to announce that the 1st draft is almost finished.  I'm within pages of finishing it off.  Once that's done, I'll be doing a second draft to iron out certain issues such as clarity of thought, spelling, making sure the story flows, and finally getting to work on the actual cover.

After the 2nd draft is completed it will be going to my proofreader/editor.  Then I will do the 3rd draft at which point it will be unleashed on some willing Beta-Readers.  Once I hear back from them, a final draft will be completed and the book will be released. 

How long will all that take?  I don't have a clear idea yet, but the release will happen between late October and early December.  That much I can tell you.  It will all depend on how long it takes for others to get back to me (editing, beta-reading, etc.)  Once the 1st draft is completed the second one will come fairly quickly.

So hang in there, the actual novel is coming.  I will be posting more blog entries by the various characters you'll be meeting in the book very soon.  Some will be funny, others interesting, a few tearful, but I'll try not to leave you bored.  

A new post will be here in a week.  From what the characters are telling me, we'll be hearing either from Nathaniel, Lisa, or Marisa.  Or someone completely new.  Some characters can get kind of pushy.  

For now I bid you a pleasant week.  Come freely, visit frequently, but always leave a bit of the happiness you bring to this blog.  (paraphrased from Bram Stoker's Dracula).  This is my copy.  As you can see, I've read it a 'few' times, give or take...