Do you really want to know about me? Even I don't find myself that interesting :)
If you have a question you want to ask just send me an email and I'll toss it up here with a response. Otherwise, a bit about me as a writer...
Why I started writing...
I wrote my first novel at the age of 16 I think. No idea where it is anymore. It got lost somewhere along the way. But I always wanted to write. Then I went about the life path most of us go down. Got two degrees (one in psychology, one in public relations); ultimately ended up working in the corporate world. Made decent money but I was the proverbial 'monkey in a suit' (watch the movie Revolver to catch reference) and it all seemed a bit pointless to me... a "you gotta pay the bills" existence.
Then I figured, no one lives forever and if you can, you should do what you really want. So I said 'screw it' and just gave it a go. I make it sound easy, but it wasn't by any means. In some respects it was, but in others, it definitely wasn't.
But I tend to believe things happen when they are meant to and I don't think I'd be the writer I am today if I hadn't gone down the paths I had.
Why don't I have a better web site, covers, etc.,?
I'm just getting started in the publishing game. I don't have deep pockets to build out all the bells and whistles that I'd love to have. I'm bootstrapping this until either I reach a certain stage where I can fund all the extras I'd love to have or I hit a wall and have to go get a "real" job. I do all my covers and typesetting and all that stuff. It's not ideal, but it's enough for me to get my work out into the world.
If things take off, you can rest assured I'll be upgrading everything big time.
Where do I live?
Ottawa, Canada. Although, I have to say, I'm not all that interested in geography. People always think places look nice or not, when in reality everywhere is nice and not nice at the same time. Usually it's just a function of how much money you have.
What are my publishing plans in the future?
Well, I'm five books into this journey and its been a ride.
My original plan was to write one book and see how it went. It went...badly. Not that the book was bad, simply that it's nearly impossible to get anyone's attention with just one book. So despite the lack of readers, I went ahead and finished The Fall of Man Trilogy. After that, things picked up a little. Started getting some feedback and readers seemed to like what I wrote.
Things were still a struggle though, so I had to assess how far down this road I was willing to go. I told myself, six books. I'd write three standalone books and if I hadn't reached a certain level of readership, I'd hang it up. Two of those three books are out now, Obey and A Manufactured Mind.
My logic in the three standalone books was that, aftward, if things were working out, I'd potentially turn one of them into a trilogy or simply go on to a new project.
As for where things are right now, they are both negative and positive. Response to my work is picking up. Income from writing is picking up slowly, but still a long way off from being able to say "okay, I can do this for the foreseeable future without worrying too much." I'm currently taking the plunge and spending a bit on promotion and we'll see where that goes.
If readers were telling me my work sucked, then my decisions about writing would be easy... I wouldn't :) But feedback suggests people like my writing, so hopefully I can punch through and take things to the next level and make all this sustainable.
Over the next month (as of March 2017) I'll be planning what I'll write for my sixth book. Beyond that though, the decision will be out of my hands. Either I'll reach the next plateau and can keep going, or I'll have to accept the climb up this mountain isn't doable.
What else?
I could list a million things here, most of which probably wouldn't interest you. So if something else comes to mind, I'll update this section, otherwise shoot me an email with your question and I'll respond.
If you have a question you want to ask just send me an email and I'll toss it up here with a response. Otherwise, a bit about me as a writer...
Why I started writing...
I wrote my first novel at the age of 16 I think. No idea where it is anymore. It got lost somewhere along the way. But I always wanted to write. Then I went about the life path most of us go down. Got two degrees (one in psychology, one in public relations); ultimately ended up working in the corporate world. Made decent money but I was the proverbial 'monkey in a suit' (watch the movie Revolver to catch reference) and it all seemed a bit pointless to me... a "you gotta pay the bills" existence.
Then I figured, no one lives forever and if you can, you should do what you really want. So I said 'screw it' and just gave it a go. I make it sound easy, but it wasn't by any means. In some respects it was, but in others, it definitely wasn't.
But I tend to believe things happen when they are meant to and I don't think I'd be the writer I am today if I hadn't gone down the paths I had.
Why don't I have a better web site, covers, etc.,?
I'm just getting started in the publishing game. I don't have deep pockets to build out all the bells and whistles that I'd love to have. I'm bootstrapping this until either I reach a certain stage where I can fund all the extras I'd love to have or I hit a wall and have to go get a "real" job. I do all my covers and typesetting and all that stuff. It's not ideal, but it's enough for me to get my work out into the world.
If things take off, you can rest assured I'll be upgrading everything big time.
Where do I live?
Ottawa, Canada. Although, I have to say, I'm not all that interested in geography. People always think places look nice or not, when in reality everywhere is nice and not nice at the same time. Usually it's just a function of how much money you have.
What are my publishing plans in the future?
Well, I'm five books into this journey and its been a ride.
My original plan was to write one book and see how it went. It went...badly. Not that the book was bad, simply that it's nearly impossible to get anyone's attention with just one book. So despite the lack of readers, I went ahead and finished The Fall of Man Trilogy. After that, things picked up a little. Started getting some feedback and readers seemed to like what I wrote.
Things were still a struggle though, so I had to assess how far down this road I was willing to go. I told myself, six books. I'd write three standalone books and if I hadn't reached a certain level of readership, I'd hang it up. Two of those three books are out now, Obey and A Manufactured Mind.
My logic in the three standalone books was that, aftward, if things were working out, I'd potentially turn one of them into a trilogy or simply go on to a new project.
As for where things are right now, they are both negative and positive. Response to my work is picking up. Income from writing is picking up slowly, but still a long way off from being able to say "okay, I can do this for the foreseeable future without worrying too much." I'm currently taking the plunge and spending a bit on promotion and we'll see where that goes.
If readers were telling me my work sucked, then my decisions about writing would be easy... I wouldn't :) But feedback suggests people like my writing, so hopefully I can punch through and take things to the next level and make all this sustainable.
Over the next month (as of March 2017) I'll be planning what I'll write for my sixth book. Beyond that though, the decision will be out of my hands. Either I'll reach the next plateau and can keep going, or I'll have to accept the climb up this mountain isn't doable.
What else?
I could list a million things here, most of which probably wouldn't interest you. So if something else comes to mind, I'll update this section, otherwise shoot me an email with your question and I'll respond.