Writing
I have always been a visual artist, since I was very young. I spent a lot of my time drawing characters and making my own comics. I guess, deep down I had narratives that I wanted illustrate and drawing was my medium of choice for story telling. Needless to say I ended up with a lot of half-told stories and strange characters. In the last few years since becoming a schoolteacher I have been reading a lot younger adult’s fiction and comics. Reading more often as stimulated my curiosity about writing my own books. Since 2013 I had decided to commit myself to exploring urban fantasy genre. This resulted in the Australian based ‘the post-humans’ series. Where the world has more secrets than normal people would expect and people with special abilities inherit the role of humanities protectors against its oldest enemy. So far I have three planned in this series and at least two shorter novels that fit between the main books, there may be more between book two and three yet. We will see…
I am also a massive fan of science fiction and post-apocalyptic adventure, which I want to explore in future books. I have written one called ‘testament’, which is about a man who tells a chapter of his life story to a doctor every morning after breakfast.
Fantasy was always my genre of choice when was growing up. I have always been an avid fan of Raymond E. Feast and Jane Welsch, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I want to try my hand at writing a fantasy series. For many years I had been drawing various characters and creatures from a particular fantasy world, inventing the adventures of its key characters. I have started the first book, which is so far called ‘the black city’ which is about a group of characters that band together to investigate the growing threat that seems to radiate from an enormous cursed city that dominates the southern landscape. Some of these characters I invented while I was still in high school and some of the creatures I had crafted myself over the years.
Writing is a journey that is new for me, but it feels like an amazing creative outlet that I intend to explore as best I can and I will make my stories available to those that wish to read.
I am also a massive fan of science fiction and post-apocalyptic adventure, which I want to explore in future books. I have written one called ‘testament’, which is about a man who tells a chapter of his life story to a doctor every morning after breakfast.
Fantasy was always my genre of choice when was growing up. I have always been an avid fan of Raymond E. Feast and Jane Welsch, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I want to try my hand at writing a fantasy series. For many years I had been drawing various characters and creatures from a particular fantasy world, inventing the adventures of its key characters. I have started the first book, which is so far called ‘the black city’ which is about a group of characters that band together to investigate the growing threat that seems to radiate from an enormous cursed city that dominates the southern landscape. Some of these characters I invented while I was still in high school and some of the creatures I had crafted myself over the years.
Writing is a journey that is new for me, but it feels like an amazing creative outlet that I intend to explore as best I can and I will make my stories available to those that wish to read.
What's happening so far...
1/5/2018
Well, it has been some time since I have posted on here. What has been happening? I have Jack Lorde ready for formatting and publishing, but work has been at the forefront for me this year. A different year with different students and a whole sack of different issues. I will do my best to get the book published in the next couple of months. I also have a bunch of others requiring editing, but they need new eyes...and those eyes are quite often busy teachers as well.
I have recently been to the North island of New Zealand recently and we traveled from Auckland, down through Rotorua and Taupo to Wellington. It was an amazing trip where I had the opportunity to visit Hobbiton, a bunch of great breweries and a whole lot of volcanic sites and waterfalls. I would love to go back so I can try to catch some of their beautiful trout. Other than this, we have been getting some stuff done at home. There is always something.
I haven't written since last November, which is disappointing. I really need to get The Black Syndicate written, but at least while it is in the early stages I can give some thought to the direction of the story and the changes I need to make.
15/12/2017
Hello there!
This year has been very busy, with me working in a different position and trying to publish more than one book this year. The latter has not really gone to plan... My editors have been busier than I have, so there are drafts laying around the house waiting to be finished. I'll have to poke and prod my editors over the Christmas holidays to get them reading again. NaNoWriMo was also unsuccessful this year for me. I began as I always do, but it fell during the busiest work period. I got to around 12,000 words and had to pull the plug to get the other things done. After all I need a day job!
The good news is that Jack Lorde is finally ready for formatting!!! I plan on getting it published before the year is done...or at least over the holidays. The cover has been finished for a while, so that is sorted. Now, my mission is to get Gemini Rising, Who We Are In The Dark and Selling Sally Black edited ASAP. Then, perhaps I can continue writing the third in the Post-Humans series- The Black Syndicate. I'll try to keep this blog updated. I feel bad for letting work tear me away from writing...but we needs da cash.
30/1/2017
Hi, everyone.
I has been a while since I posted, but I am back. The end of last year was fairly hectic. My job as a school teacher becomes a little tense in the last few months, plus I was vigorously trying to get Jack Lorde edited and published. The sad news is that Jack Lorde is still being edited, but the good news is that I have won the NaNoWriMo challenge again in 2016.
For those of you who don't know, the NaNoWriMo challenge is an international writing competition. Writers aren't really competing with other writers, but they are challenging themselves to write 50,000 words in the month of November. This is the second time for me. In 2015 I wrote Who We Are In The Dark, which is being edited now and 2016 I wrote Selling Sally Black, which I haven't quite finished. Selling Sally Black is another story based in the Post-Human universe. It follows Deadfall as a sequel, yet its main character is one of the supporting characters from Deadfall; Mirage. This story reveals her troubled origins and at the same time still follows The League and its sequel Gemini Rising.
The fantasy novel I have been chipping away at is currently on the back burner, which makes me sad, but it is a story that I have been planning for years, so I should be able to jump back in and finish it during this year. My other plans for 2017 are to publish Jack Lorde, Who We Are In The Dark and Gemini Rising. It will be a lot of work, but I gotta do what I gotta do.
This year I also plan on updating this blog more frequently so you have some idea about what I am up to.
9/10/16
Well I have had a lot of positive feedback for Deadfall and there have been some readers want to read more about the secondary character, Mirage. Fortunately, she has been a little more than secondary for me and I endeavour to write a novel dedicated to this character and the role she has yet to play in the Post-Humans universe. I have begun planning and will write this story next month for the annual NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). So Mirage will be created in the duration of a moth under the title Selling Sally Black. Pressure!
In other writing news I have been putting a lot of work into writing my first fantasy novel, The Black City. As I have mentioned before in these blogs, it is a story that has been in the making for a decade or more. It is now up to its 33rd chapter and I am still working away at it. My hope is that I can finish this whole book before NaNoWriMo starts next month. My other project is the planning for The Post-Humans volume 3- The Black Syndicate. It is more or less planned, but I didn't want to start writing while I had so many other stories going. I want to give this one all my focus if I am able.
25/7/16
Well, it has taken a long time, but it is finally done!
Deadfall is finally available on Amazon and Kindle.
It has taken a long time because life gets so busy and editing takes so much time. My plan for this year is to publish multiple books this year because I have them there ready... Anyway, Deadfall is finally here and it makes me immensely happy. Jack Lorde is not far away either. I would estimate that Jack Lorde will be complete in the next week or two. Sadly Print copies of the books always take a lot of time, so they will be a month or more away. The aim is for two more after Jack Lorde, but it will depend on my editors and the time they have.
I have been killing my waiting time with a little more writing, which has been nice. I started writing my fantasy series. This is a story conceived years ago that I have carried with me for a long time. It will be brilliant to get it well underway.
22/6/16
So my publishing year has finally kicked into gear and there are quite a few books in the works.
The cover for Deadfall is about done and the draft is undergoing it's second edit. Jack Lorde is undergoing a second edit too. Who we are in the Dark and Gemini Rising are both drafted for editing and I will sort out covers for those two in the next few weeks. These last two books will have covers designed by myself, but will employ a designer to compete the layout.
Ben Langdon's latest book Charli Conti: Small Sacrifices is finally available too in hard copy and ebook, which is exciting. This an illustrated teen superhero fiction.
I have also been writing The Black City, which is a story that I have been carrying with me in parts for many years. I have only done two chapters, but it already feels good.
16/3/16
It has been a little while since I have posted on here, so it's well overdue.
Since I last wrote an update there has been some progress by Kalamity Press and there have been a few setbacks. The setbacks being, our plans to have representation at OZ Comic Con have been temporarily put aside for now due to expense and time constraints. The other setback is that the editing process is once again bogging us down. I currently have three books that I am self editing and I have got another two editors lined up, but it has taken longer than expected to get this process off the ground. I am hoping that from now on we will see some progress!
In other news, Ben Langdon's second book is in its final stages and will be published before mid year.
In other news, I have been doing a little more travel, getting some more inspiration and enriching my personal experiences. This time my adventures took me to Cambodia with a little time in Bangkok, Thailand with my father. In the wilds of Cambodia, we visited around thirty of the temples and city ruins of the ancient Khmer Empire. It was truly an amazing experience. Beside the history aspect of the trip, we got to explore the rural capital of Siem Reap and try a few things that we wouldn't have considered doing at any other time. I got a taste of the Cambodian night life and tasted scorpions and tarantulas. We also took tours through the countryside through outlying communities and quaint rural villages. All in all it was inspiring. I played with some story concepts and have perhaps got another two stories in mind that have been inspired by this journey and our trip to Europe. I can't wait to get writing again!
28/1/16
Well it have been a little while since I posted on my blog. I have decided to add my blog updates to Goodreads as well as posting it on my website. The idea of this blog is for me to share some of my experiences and my ideas with my readers, family and friends so they can follow my writing process from ideas to finished books.
Since I last posted I haven't written any more. My last book was the NaNoWriMo novel that I will begin editing as soon as I can. I have another two books being edited at the moment and I'm considering a forth. My writing has been prolific, but the publishing is slow. My aim for 2016 is to publish some of what I have and hopefully begin to get some ratings and visibility on Amazon. I also want a small selection for a stall at OZ Comic Con. Kalamity Press will be doing our best this year to try and get ourselves recognised.
As for my personal escapades... My wife and I have spent a month living Europe. We travelled Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, visited Amsterdam and spent a lot of time in Paris, Florence and Rome. We had an amazing time rushing around seeing everything we can. This was a great opportunity for me to explore some those details that inspire writing. I will hold off writing for a while, but I am inspired to start a new story with settings around Europe. I have literally thousands of photos to use as reference, so I won't forget any details.
Anyway, 2016 is well underway and Ben Langdon and I are determined to make this and important year for Kalamity Press.
4/11/15
So it is National Novel Writing Month and Ben Langdon has got me onto the the NaNoWriMo challenge!
Basically, it is a novel writing challenge hosted by the NaNoWriMo website. It is a bit of fun really with a chance for writers to to challenge themselves and their fellow authors. The objective is to write a 50,000 word novel before the end of November. If you succeed, there is a chance that you can win free editing and publishing opportunities.
Now, I don't know that I can do 50,000 words this month, but according to my wife, if I write 2000 per day there is a chance. At the moment I'm sitting on 9,000.
The story should be really cool. It is an idea I have been working on for a few months, so the completion has just given me a reason to get me typing fingers into gear and push myself. It is fairly dark, more so than my previous books with a 15 year old boy as the central character. His world is going to be turned upside down by some strange and surreal experiences.
I am still writing The Beetle Collector, but for now it is on hold. My next plan of attack is to do some self editing on Deadfall and Gemini Rising so that they might both get published before next year's OZ Comic Con.
Fingers crossed.
2/9/15
Well Gemini Rising is finished, the sequel to The League is finally done. Now I can move onto the other projects that I've been excited to start. The Between is postponed for now. It is quite complex and I want to make sure I'm going is with a clear picture of what I want to write. I have started writing The Beetle Collector. This story is loosely based on my own experiences and some of my travels. This will be more of a drama/comedy/adventure. I will steer myself away from the fantasy elements for this one because I really want to explore human characters and realistic adventures. That's the idea anyway.
14/8/15
I have three books in the Post-Humans series planned: The League, Gemini Rising and The Black Syndicate. But recently I have been thinking... What if it go further? What if I just can't wrap it up? Well maybe it could be a four part series. There are so many possibilities for me to take it further.
Another thing I have been really eager to do, is to write a story from first person perspective in a post apocalyptic scenario.
13/8/15
Its about time I got back on here and wrote some updates one where I am at and what I am doing.
First of all I have been spending a lot of time trying to get The League edited. I have had some very experienced readers doing some editing for me and giving me some feed back and now finally the book is finished and it is being professionally formatted by Polgaris Studio and it should be finished and published in the next two or three weeks.
Besides The League I have been trying to get the 'in between' story Jack Lorde off the ground. The cover is complete, as you can see for yourself on the Post-Humans page. I really happy with it. It is similar to The League's cover, so the style is carried across, which I like. That book is currently being edited, so I hope that it takes less time than my first. The League was, after my first, so it had more creases to iron out.
What I am writing right now.
I am currently writing the sequel to The League, Gemini Rising. It follows the first one fluently I hope. The story literally kicks off a few days after the first book finished at the scene of the final event (people who have read it will know what I mean). I feel like this story has started with a very fast pace. I have tried to make sure the action starts quickly and continues till the finish. This story takes the events of the last the book and opens up a whole universe of possibilities. There are some new and awesome characters both hero and villains, some of which cross over from the Jack Lorde book. I only have about four chapters to write before I do my first self-edit read through.
Other stories.
I have been so inspired since I started Gemini Rising. I have at least two other books that I need to edit after Jack Lorde: Deadfall and Testament and I have The Black City started, which I am excited to continue. I have also had some great ideas for books I haven't started yet. I have One called The Between which will be a horror story. I have been reading a lot of Lovecraft lately and I love the way he builds suspense in his stories, so I want to try this for myself. The other is another 'in between' story or side story in the Post-humans universe called Ledbrook. It will probably revolve around the the College and the different expeditions that they undertake or past one coming back to haunt them. This will probably have the character Jack Lorde and Eli Elliot, but that isn't final.
Well, it has been some time since I have posted on here. What has been happening? I have Jack Lorde ready for formatting and publishing, but work has been at the forefront for me this year. A different year with different students and a whole sack of different issues. I will do my best to get the book published in the next couple of months. I also have a bunch of others requiring editing, but they need new eyes...and those eyes are quite often busy teachers as well.
I have recently been to the North island of New Zealand recently and we traveled from Auckland, down through Rotorua and Taupo to Wellington. It was an amazing trip where I had the opportunity to visit Hobbiton, a bunch of great breweries and a whole lot of volcanic sites and waterfalls. I would love to go back so I can try to catch some of their beautiful trout. Other than this, we have been getting some stuff done at home. There is always something.
I haven't written since last November, which is disappointing. I really need to get The Black Syndicate written, but at least while it is in the early stages I can give some thought to the direction of the story and the changes I need to make.
15/12/2017
Hello there!
This year has been very busy, with me working in a different position and trying to publish more than one book this year. The latter has not really gone to plan... My editors have been busier than I have, so there are drafts laying around the house waiting to be finished. I'll have to poke and prod my editors over the Christmas holidays to get them reading again. NaNoWriMo was also unsuccessful this year for me. I began as I always do, but it fell during the busiest work period. I got to around 12,000 words and had to pull the plug to get the other things done. After all I need a day job!
The good news is that Jack Lorde is finally ready for formatting!!! I plan on getting it published before the year is done...or at least over the holidays. The cover has been finished for a while, so that is sorted. Now, my mission is to get Gemini Rising, Who We Are In The Dark and Selling Sally Black edited ASAP. Then, perhaps I can continue writing the third in the Post-Humans series- The Black Syndicate. I'll try to keep this blog updated. I feel bad for letting work tear me away from writing...but we needs da cash.
30/1/2017
Hi, everyone.
I has been a while since I posted, but I am back. The end of last year was fairly hectic. My job as a school teacher becomes a little tense in the last few months, plus I was vigorously trying to get Jack Lorde edited and published. The sad news is that Jack Lorde is still being edited, but the good news is that I have won the NaNoWriMo challenge again in 2016.
For those of you who don't know, the NaNoWriMo challenge is an international writing competition. Writers aren't really competing with other writers, but they are challenging themselves to write 50,000 words in the month of November. This is the second time for me. In 2015 I wrote Who We Are In The Dark, which is being edited now and 2016 I wrote Selling Sally Black, which I haven't quite finished. Selling Sally Black is another story based in the Post-Human universe. It follows Deadfall as a sequel, yet its main character is one of the supporting characters from Deadfall; Mirage. This story reveals her troubled origins and at the same time still follows The League and its sequel Gemini Rising.
The fantasy novel I have been chipping away at is currently on the back burner, which makes me sad, but it is a story that I have been planning for years, so I should be able to jump back in and finish it during this year. My other plans for 2017 are to publish Jack Lorde, Who We Are In The Dark and Gemini Rising. It will be a lot of work, but I gotta do what I gotta do.
This year I also plan on updating this blog more frequently so you have some idea about what I am up to.
9/10/16
Well I have had a lot of positive feedback for Deadfall and there have been some readers want to read more about the secondary character, Mirage. Fortunately, she has been a little more than secondary for me and I endeavour to write a novel dedicated to this character and the role she has yet to play in the Post-Humans universe. I have begun planning and will write this story next month for the annual NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). So Mirage will be created in the duration of a moth under the title Selling Sally Black. Pressure!
In other writing news I have been putting a lot of work into writing my first fantasy novel, The Black City. As I have mentioned before in these blogs, it is a story that has been in the making for a decade or more. It is now up to its 33rd chapter and I am still working away at it. My hope is that I can finish this whole book before NaNoWriMo starts next month. My other project is the planning for The Post-Humans volume 3- The Black Syndicate. It is more or less planned, but I didn't want to start writing while I had so many other stories going. I want to give this one all my focus if I am able.
25/7/16
Well, it has taken a long time, but it is finally done!
Deadfall is finally available on Amazon and Kindle.
It has taken a long time because life gets so busy and editing takes so much time. My plan for this year is to publish multiple books this year because I have them there ready... Anyway, Deadfall is finally here and it makes me immensely happy. Jack Lorde is not far away either. I would estimate that Jack Lorde will be complete in the next week or two. Sadly Print copies of the books always take a lot of time, so they will be a month or more away. The aim is for two more after Jack Lorde, but it will depend on my editors and the time they have.
I have been killing my waiting time with a little more writing, which has been nice. I started writing my fantasy series. This is a story conceived years ago that I have carried with me for a long time. It will be brilliant to get it well underway.
22/6/16
So my publishing year has finally kicked into gear and there are quite a few books in the works.
The cover for Deadfall is about done and the draft is undergoing it's second edit. Jack Lorde is undergoing a second edit too. Who we are in the Dark and Gemini Rising are both drafted for editing and I will sort out covers for those two in the next few weeks. These last two books will have covers designed by myself, but will employ a designer to compete the layout.
Ben Langdon's latest book Charli Conti: Small Sacrifices is finally available too in hard copy and ebook, which is exciting. This an illustrated teen superhero fiction.
I have also been writing The Black City, which is a story that I have been carrying with me in parts for many years. I have only done two chapters, but it already feels good.
16/3/16
It has been a little while since I have posted on here, so it's well overdue.
Since I last wrote an update there has been some progress by Kalamity Press and there have been a few setbacks. The setbacks being, our plans to have representation at OZ Comic Con have been temporarily put aside for now due to expense and time constraints. The other setback is that the editing process is once again bogging us down. I currently have three books that I am self editing and I have got another two editors lined up, but it has taken longer than expected to get this process off the ground. I am hoping that from now on we will see some progress!
In other news, Ben Langdon's second book is in its final stages and will be published before mid year.
In other news, I have been doing a little more travel, getting some more inspiration and enriching my personal experiences. This time my adventures took me to Cambodia with a little time in Bangkok, Thailand with my father. In the wilds of Cambodia, we visited around thirty of the temples and city ruins of the ancient Khmer Empire. It was truly an amazing experience. Beside the history aspect of the trip, we got to explore the rural capital of Siem Reap and try a few things that we wouldn't have considered doing at any other time. I got a taste of the Cambodian night life and tasted scorpions and tarantulas. We also took tours through the countryside through outlying communities and quaint rural villages. All in all it was inspiring. I played with some story concepts and have perhaps got another two stories in mind that have been inspired by this journey and our trip to Europe. I can't wait to get writing again!
28/1/16
Well it have been a little while since I posted on my blog. I have decided to add my blog updates to Goodreads as well as posting it on my website. The idea of this blog is for me to share some of my experiences and my ideas with my readers, family and friends so they can follow my writing process from ideas to finished books.
Since I last posted I haven't written any more. My last book was the NaNoWriMo novel that I will begin editing as soon as I can. I have another two books being edited at the moment and I'm considering a forth. My writing has been prolific, but the publishing is slow. My aim for 2016 is to publish some of what I have and hopefully begin to get some ratings and visibility on Amazon. I also want a small selection for a stall at OZ Comic Con. Kalamity Press will be doing our best this year to try and get ourselves recognised.
As for my personal escapades... My wife and I have spent a month living Europe. We travelled Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, visited Amsterdam and spent a lot of time in Paris, Florence and Rome. We had an amazing time rushing around seeing everything we can. This was a great opportunity for me to explore some those details that inspire writing. I will hold off writing for a while, but I am inspired to start a new story with settings around Europe. I have literally thousands of photos to use as reference, so I won't forget any details.
Anyway, 2016 is well underway and Ben Langdon and I are determined to make this and important year for Kalamity Press.
4/11/15
So it is National Novel Writing Month and Ben Langdon has got me onto the the NaNoWriMo challenge!
Basically, it is a novel writing challenge hosted by the NaNoWriMo website. It is a bit of fun really with a chance for writers to to challenge themselves and their fellow authors. The objective is to write a 50,000 word novel before the end of November. If you succeed, there is a chance that you can win free editing and publishing opportunities.
Now, I don't know that I can do 50,000 words this month, but according to my wife, if I write 2000 per day there is a chance. At the moment I'm sitting on 9,000.
The story should be really cool. It is an idea I have been working on for a few months, so the completion has just given me a reason to get me typing fingers into gear and push myself. It is fairly dark, more so than my previous books with a 15 year old boy as the central character. His world is going to be turned upside down by some strange and surreal experiences.
I am still writing The Beetle Collector, but for now it is on hold. My next plan of attack is to do some self editing on Deadfall and Gemini Rising so that they might both get published before next year's OZ Comic Con.
Fingers crossed.
2/9/15
Well Gemini Rising is finished, the sequel to The League is finally done. Now I can move onto the other projects that I've been excited to start. The Between is postponed for now. It is quite complex and I want to make sure I'm going is with a clear picture of what I want to write. I have started writing The Beetle Collector. This story is loosely based on my own experiences and some of my travels. This will be more of a drama/comedy/adventure. I will steer myself away from the fantasy elements for this one because I really want to explore human characters and realistic adventures. That's the idea anyway.
14/8/15
I have three books in the Post-Humans series planned: The League, Gemini Rising and The Black Syndicate. But recently I have been thinking... What if it go further? What if I just can't wrap it up? Well maybe it could be a four part series. There are so many possibilities for me to take it further.
Another thing I have been really eager to do, is to write a story from first person perspective in a post apocalyptic scenario.
13/8/15
Its about time I got back on here and wrote some updates one where I am at and what I am doing.
First of all I have been spending a lot of time trying to get The League edited. I have had some very experienced readers doing some editing for me and giving me some feed back and now finally the book is finished and it is being professionally formatted by Polgaris Studio and it should be finished and published in the next two or three weeks.
Besides The League I have been trying to get the 'in between' story Jack Lorde off the ground. The cover is complete, as you can see for yourself on the Post-Humans page. I really happy with it. It is similar to The League's cover, so the style is carried across, which I like. That book is currently being edited, so I hope that it takes less time than my first. The League was, after my first, so it had more creases to iron out.
What I am writing right now.
I am currently writing the sequel to The League, Gemini Rising. It follows the first one fluently I hope. The story literally kicks off a few days after the first book finished at the scene of the final event (people who have read it will know what I mean). I feel like this story has started with a very fast pace. I have tried to make sure the action starts quickly and continues till the finish. This story takes the events of the last the book and opens up a whole universe of possibilities. There are some new and awesome characters both hero and villains, some of which cross over from the Jack Lorde book. I only have about four chapters to write before I do my first self-edit read through.
Other stories.
I have been so inspired since I started Gemini Rising. I have at least two other books that I need to edit after Jack Lorde: Deadfall and Testament and I have The Black City started, which I am excited to continue. I have also had some great ideas for books I haven't started yet. I have One called The Between which will be a horror story. I have been reading a lot of Lovecraft lately and I love the way he builds suspense in his stories, so I want to try this for myself. The other is another 'in between' story or side story in the Post-humans universe called Ledbrook. It will probably revolve around the the College and the different expeditions that they undertake or past one coming back to haunt them. This will probably have the character Jack Lorde and Eli Elliot, but that isn't final.
