R.W. Krpoun's Blog, page 13

This is delayed because I had to my annual qualification for my retired card, and then did the rounds of the stores. We had excellent weather for shooting: cool, overcast, no breeze. It was good to see the other retirees.

I am amazed at the great deal the PD is getting by leasing patrol Tahoes; what I can’t figure out is how the company running the project is making money, because just a couple years of police work will really leave a vehicle worn down. Given the scope of the operation (scores of agencies), obviously it does pay. I wonder if they have an overseas market for used Tahoes.

Managed to get some sunburn despite the overcast, and may have picked up a touch of the flu while shopping. Crashed Monday when I got home, woke up at 0700 Tuesday (I feed the outdoor cats in the morning). Normally I stay up all night and sleep during the day.

Grog II is at 75,000 words, and I had an inspiration for the final arc that should speed things along, once I finish the current arc.

There’s my target after fifty rounds. Not perfect, but not bad. The head shots were part of the course (in case of zombie outbreak as a result of botched COIVD vaccine testing, I believe). I’m pulling a little high when switching from center mass; I’ll have to work on that.

Progress continues apace. Grogg II has reached 72,000 words of rough draft, and the final plot arc is shaping up well.

I’m eager to find out how the audible copies of Grog are selling; its had a couple reviews and a number of stars, but I won’t know how it was received until I get my first quarterly report.

Hope everyone is staying healthy!

Well, Grog II has reached 67,000 words, and I am hammering out the final story arc. I’m not making any predictions, but I’m about one flash of inspiration from the final run to completion.

Reviews are flowing in, and sales are robust, particularly of the Phantom Badgers. I don’t know how the audio version of GRog is doing; reviews have been very thin on the ground; I’ll know more when Tantor sends me my royalty statement, which will come at the end of December, I believe.

In any case, I am still hitting the keyboard. Stay healthy, and I’ll post again.

Aging is a lot like being a trooper in Custer’s detachment of the 7th Cavalry on that fatefully day on the Greasy Grass: your friends are dropping one by one around you, and you’re having to face the fact that you’re not going to get out of this one alive.

Since my last update this blog received its 10,000th hit, and Dark Obligations got a one-star review, my second ever. Meanwhile, sales continue ticking along, and the Phantom Badgers series continues to hold a dominant sales position in my library, second only to Grog, even if the PB aren’t getting a lot of review love.

Grog II has reached 62,000 words of rough draft with its plot holding together (after a couple fixes), and while it is still too early to say it will go the distance, the chances of it reaching novel length are growing. I try never to let myself get overconfident.

Stay well, and keep reading, my friends.

My big news is that on 8-25-20 Tantor publishing will release Grog as an audiobook on fourteen different venues, to include Amazon.

This is extremely exciting, as it is a venue I would not have reached otherwise. Here’s hoping it goes well!

Meanwhile, the plot issues in Grog II have been worked out (at least for the moment) and I am hitting the keyboard. Currently it stands at 52k words of rough draft. Crossing the 50k mark is always a significant moment for me; it feels like the point where I can start seeing the end game, and the fears of stalling begin to recede.

I got a uplifting message from James Fuller, a former colleague of mine who had enjoyed the Master’s Compass. It was good to hear from him, and that he enjoyed my work.

While I’m not adverse to making a buck, it is the idea that people enjoy my writing that means the most to me. I have enjoyed so many books in my life (and still do), that being able to add to the wonder that is writing is actually very fulfilling. And I honestly never thought I would say anything so hopelessly corny as that last sentence. I’m not a sentimental person by any stretch of the imagination.

Grog II’s plot issues came to head in the last week, and I had to review from the start and make some adjustments, which cost me a lot of time and a few hundred words of rough draft. Nothing major in the way of plot changes, but rather a general tightening up of the flow. Grog II stands at 46k words, and I’m primed to push forward again.

I ran inton a massive plot issue not long after my last update, but I have just been slowed, not stopped. I believe I can see the end of the bog ahead, and am still moving forward. Grog II stands at 45k words of rough draft.

On other fronts, the cover for the audio version of Grog has been created, and I am hoping for further word.

Grog II stands at 42k words of rough draft. As my target for a novel is 80,000 words, this puts me on the downslope of the project, although just barely.

I am relentlessly seeking out inspiration; I’ve found a couple new (to me) books by Stephen King, while I’m not an absolute fan of his (the Gunfighter/Dark Tower didn’t grab me, and some of his wilder plots loose me) but his clear manner of projecting the reader into the thoughts of his characters never fails to motivate me.

Jack Vance, while a completely different style, works the same for me; his Cugel series is one of my all-time favorite books. Dan Abnett also works for me, although again, not all of his work appeals to me.

As always, stay well, and if you find the time, dash off a review of the books of mine you liked. Reviews are hard to come by, but they help spread the word.

Grog II’s plot has seen some major inspiration this week; the word count stands at 38,000 words, which is not as far as I would have liked, but the point is to keep writing.

The Phantom Badgers have seen record sales all this month, which makes me toy with the idea that the next fantasy novel should be from that series, but I will definitely need a break from fantasy when Grog II is done, so it is just an idea at this stage.

As usual, the search for inspiration and motivation continues. More later, stay healthy!

OK, Grog II is still on track at 35,000 words of rough draft. Plot holding together, no major issues so far.

Nothing much else to report. I’ll be hitting the keyboard, and reporting back next Monday.