Hello from gorgeous cow country in upstate NY!
What a time to be alive, isn't it? I can honestly say I have never before experience such a mix of utter helplessness and at the same time a desire to go out and be active. Both, together, produce more trouble than it's worth. And so, I was really grateful to see a comforting word in a place where comfort rarely comes: Facebook!
That simple message really gave me a jolt of energy, but also a desire to work on my inner self, you know? Over at the Art of Manliness blog, the writers called it an existential second wind. I agree, that's what it feels like.Â
So what might that look like for you? How do you find that existential second wind? For me, taking inspiration from the William Morris quote, I decided it was time to set aside distractions and embrace the wonderful discomfort of a regular, and accelerated, writing habit. Graham Greene wrote 500 words a day and published around fifty novels. On a regular, decent day, I can write 1500 words without breaking a sweat. So why have I written so little in the last year?
Time to set aside all nonsense. And I did. Over the past month, I've written more than 60,000 new words (that's around 200 pages). And guess what, I'm only hours away from finishing book 5, The Throne of the Gods. But even better than that, I now know for a fact that the thing I want to do most with my work day is write new words. And no, when the Resistance hits, I'm going to hit it right back.Â
And you're all the lucky recipients of my existential second wind. Here's what I mean:
Presents for Book 5's launch
1) First of all, I've discounted all the books in my Raven Son series.
Here's the link to the series page on Amazon.
2) I've included book 1 in a free books promotion, including some rather nice-looking other epic fantasies. This is one of those promotions where you exchange your email address for a whole bunch of free books. Check out the full list here.Â
3) I'm also pleased to let you know that J A Andrews, an author who has been on my facebook live channel for a fun interview, has just launched her new series. I've started reading it, and I'm enjoying very, very much. Here's the blurb:
The truth is neither plain, nor simple.
Sable, a reluctant thief from the slums, can feel truth when people speak. For years she’s been using that skill to try to break free from the vicious gang boss she's indebted to.
Escape comes in the form of an odd set of companions:
-a dwarf running from the past,
-an actor with a magical, glowing tree
-a too-helpful kobold,
-a playwright with a knack for getting stories out of people, and
-a man and woman with suspicious, magical powers.
But Sable’s freedom is short lived.
On the edges of civilization, they discover hidden, terrifying lies in the offers of peace from the brutal Kalesh Empire.
Now, she must return to the city she fled, and along with her companions, attempt an impossible task—convince everyone, including the powerful Dragon Prioress, of the truth.
Except the Kalesh web of lies has ensnared everyone.
With her land, her people, and everything she loves hanging in the balance, Sable is the only one standing between freedom, and certain death.
Pick up the first book of the Keeper Origins Trilogy today, and begin the tale of how an orphaned thief escaped the slums, united a nation, and brought a mighty Empire to its knees.
Here's the link to Janice's new book!
And those are just the first presents.
There will be more. Stay tuned, I'll let you know next week about some more fun stuff happening.Â
~Nicky
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