Update on my New Projects

I've found myself struggling to refrain from diving into new projects. I have a lot of ideas brewing that, really, I should leave until the new year so I can simply relax and enjoy the upcoming holidays. After a hard couple of years, I'm eager to get back on my feet and really make something of myself.

Here's a run-down of what's in the works right now, and still to come in 2015:

• Red Skies - Part 2 of Lady Raven is coming along nicely. I'm closing in on 30,000 words and I can see where the rest of the plot is going now. I doubt I'll get the first draft completed before the end of the year, but I'd say it'll be finished by the end of January, and if I can get another editing job done soon, or a successful Kickstarter, I would hope to have it in edits by March.
• Lady Raven, print edition - I do still plan to re-release Lady Raven in print. I've put off any work on this until the new year, however, because there's just too much else going on and I'd rather take my time on it. 
• The Long Road - In the wild places along the open road, myth still lives. My all-new series about a mother and daughter fighting monsters while on the run from enemies both mundane and supernatural. I plan to query this to publishers and agents, so it'll be a while before it's available.
• Origin - "Who can you turn to, when the heroes become the villains?" Realising that I have close to 200 followers on Wattpad, and wanting to release an e-serial in 2015, I've decided to return to an older idea, set in a world where superheroes began killing supervillains, and took things to the logical extreme. The world is under their control, and punishments for breaches of their many laws range from removal of rights to preemptive execution. This will be released initially in draft form, through Wattpad, before eventual full release on Amazon.

Sojourn 2

I've been a gamer most of my life, and my favourite podcast is Fear The Boot. Earlier this year they release an anthology of short stories called Sojourn. And now, just in time for Christmas, they've released a second volume, with even more fantastic stories.

Sojourn Volume 2 is available now, for Kindle and in print, and contains a wide selection of stories written by Fear The Boot's hosts and listeners. Included in this anthology is an all-new short story by myself, titled The Last Light. I find short fiction a challenge, as I tend to prefer longer story arcs, but I'm particularly proud of The Last Light, and thrilled to have it take its place among the work of so many other awesome gamers.

And for those of you hailing from my side of the Atlantic, the book is also available on Amazon.co.uk.

Sign Up For News and Updates

I'm finally getting on the mailing list bandwagon.

2015 is looking set to be an exciting year. The print version of Lady Raven is being re-released, and the series is set to continue with Red Skies and Blackened Wings. I'll also be working on my plans to return to traditional publishing, and maybe experimenting with a few fringe ideas I have.

So if you want to stay up to date on all of these as they happen, and get exclusive sneak previews of my latest titles, sign up to my mailing list here:

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Let me tell you a story...

It's December, and today I finished up the last of my big tasks for the year, which were both depressingly dull tax-related things. But now I'm free (there are no strings on me...), and I have a few more weeks to get through before I can officially say I've survived 2014.

I've been thinking a lot about what I want, having just come through being thankful for what I already have. I want to take some time to recover, honestly. I want to figure out when all the shit that's hit me started to fly, and make peace with it. I'm beginning to feel better, but recovery is a bitch, because you start to feel like you can dive back into your old routine. But any injury - physical, mental, or emotional - doesn't just take time to heal, but also leaves you permanently changed. Scarred. You can't go back to the way things were, not really.

I feel I've neglected this blog too much lately. I'd like to get more discussion going in the future, and talk about topics that you guys want to see. I miss connecting with my readers. You guys are amazing, and without you, I wouldn't be doing what I am.

I want to establish myself as a freelance editor. I love editing, and helping people with their own stories. It's something I could happily see myself doing as a career. More of this in 2015, please. Besides, I need some way to fund the rest of the Lady Raven series, right?

I want to share more about my family. I've got a regular spot on TV3's new Parent Trap site, writing articles about modern parenthood, so stop by and check those out.

I want to talk gaming and entertainment more. Critical analysis is a passion of mine, and some of my most popular posts have been me rambling on about a particular movie or game. Sure, I'll attract some trolls when I say something shocking like "I think women should be treated better", but I'm a gamer; I can handle trolls and goblins.

And I want to write. Wow, how much stuff I want to write. You guys have no idea. And not just Lady Raven, but my new ideas, new genres. While I want you all to get to know Cora and follow her adventures, I want to introduce you to Ashley and her monster-hunting mom. I want to bring back Bradley Rook, the boy cursed to become a monster. I want to push some limits, challenge some preconceptions. I want to write violent bloodshed, thrilling adventure, hot sex, deep and detailed worlds, with heroes and villains of every kind.

I have to grow as an author, as an entrepreneur, and as a person. I have a brand to build, as blunt and capitalist as that is of me to say. And I know now what that brand is. I know what makes me, and my style of storytelling, unique.

I write the stories we all wanted to believe in when we were children. Stories to show that monsters can be beaten.

I don't like spoiling an ending with cynicism or cheap tricks. I want to write heroes and adventures and tell people it's okay to love these, no matter how old you are.

Every adventure starts with a trail into darkness, which the hero endures to emerge in the light. If you want to feel that thrill, to lose yourself in tales like that, I invite you to come with me, and see where the trail leads. 

Let me tell you a story.

Lady Raven Re-Release

I wonder is there a prize for the quickest re-release announcement of a book?

At the end of October, I released Lady Raven, the first in the Lady Raven Series, and my first self-published novel. However, not long after that I decided to pull the print edition of the book from Amazon, as I made some mistakes on the cover design that need to be fixed.

Given that it's so close to Christmas, and I really don't want to spend the last weeks of the year worrying about whether or not I'll be able to get the new cover uploaded and proofed in time for people to order copies before the holidays, I figured I should just take the hit and delay the re-release. I'm disappointed in myself for not having the forethought and attention to realise the issues with the cover sooner, but I can't help that now. All I can do is take the time to make sure that the new cover is the best it can be.

So for now, Lady Raven remains available on Kindle, so if any of you, or those you know, get Kindles for Christmas, it's a bargain price and I hope you'll consider checking it out.

I'll re-release the print edition in the new year. Note that only the cover design and book dimensions are changing. Absolutely nothing about the content is being changed. Those of you who have the book for Kindle should be able to download the updated cover once it's up. And if anyone bought the print version and decides they prefer the new one, I am happy to send on a new copy, free of charge.

Am I Thankful?

Honestly, a year ago today I would have said I had no doubt that I'd be thankful right now. Setting aside for a moment its origins, and the awful mess of consumerism surrounding it, I love that there's an entire holiday dedicated to being thankful and surrounding yourself with loved ones. It's like an extra Christmas.

As I look around, it seems that almost everyone I know has had a rough year. Beyond that, I've witnessed hate grow and grow across the world. Whether it's Gamergate, ISIS, or Ferguson, you could be forgiven for thinking we're all sinking into the biggest dystopian fiction mashup ever.

But I have to remind myself what I can be thankful for. As bad as things look, the world will still be here when these events pass. People will still be here when these events pass. And those people, whether they are strangers to us, or our closest friends, need to keep on living. They can't do that if there aren't things to be thankful for, things to hope for.

So I'm thankful that my daughters are happy and healthy. I'm thankful my wife can look after them while I'm at work. I'm thankful I've completed my Occupational First Aid training. I'm thankful I have four novels out and am working on my fifth. I'm thankful for the family, both friends and relatives, who've stood by us and supported us this year.

I remind myself that light will always come after the dark, so long as people are willing to spread it, and I am thankful for that.

Let Books Be Books

Ladybird Books, one of the biggest publishers of children's books in the world, recently announced that they would be doing away with gendered labels on their titles. So no more will there be particular Ladybird books aimed at girls, and different ones aimed at boys. Instead, all of their books will be marketed as gender-neutral.

Some apparently consider this a bad thing, "pandering" to feminists.

I love the Let Books Be Books campaign, and the great things it's achieving. As an author, reader, and a parent, I want to see as many stories as possible available for all children, and all grown-ups, too. There's absolutely nothing wrong with writing a book with a particular target audience in mind. It's not possible to write a book that appeals to everyone, so you hedge your bets, so to speak, and focus on making the story the best you can. But I wholeheartedly believe that everyone should have the right to make the decision for themselves whether or not they enjoy a particular book, regardless of their gender, race, sexual orientation, etc.

It's hard enough getting kids to keep reading, without outright telling them that there are certain books that aren't meant for them. Reading is universal. It's something anyone can do. It's a joy to get lost in a world and feel characters come alive in your imagination, so I say, let everyone read whatever they want, and not get caught up trying to enforce the same old "this is for girls, that is for boys" attitude.

Who cares what some curmudgeonly old sods think? The cycle has to be broken at some point, and if that starts with a publisher no longer telling boys and girls which stories they should be reading, then so much the better. It makes the job easier for everyone.

Supernatural - The Genius of Who God Is

This post contains spoilers for Supernatural, at least up to Season 9. You have been warned, and now I'm just going to fill up space so that there's no risk of social media link previews giving anything away. Note that I haven't seen any of Season 10 yet, so no spoilers in the comments!

Moving Forward

We're coming to the closing weeks of 2014, and I'm not exactly sorry to see the end in sight. It's been a rough year, but instead of looking back on the negatives just now, I'd rather look forward to the things I have planned for the future.

Lady Raven is here, at long last, along with the epic conclusion to the Memory Wars Trilogy. I'm thrilled to say I'm past the 10k mark on Red Skies, the second in the Lady Raven Series, and have plans to, surprise, return to traditional publishing as well.

A little while ago, I was dared to write a YA novel about a mother-daughter team of monster hunters.

As it happened, I was already working on notes for a series called The Long Road, which was to be about a trio of travelling monster-hunters. I've been able to adapt this idea, and I'm excited to get stuck into this book once Red Skies is done. I like the idea of playing with the traditional gender roles in this kind of story. I've got ideas for separated parents, the father being the one to stay home and reject the monster-hunting lifestyle, while the mother is the one who stuck to her duties to keep the people she loves safe. I'll keep everyone posted on that.

I'll be looking at new ways to boost sales on my books, too. So be on the lookout for events, promotions, and ways to lend a hand, if you feel so inclined.

I've got a new website in the works, and those of you who've read Lady Raven will have seen www.paulanthonyshortt.com at the end. Currently the website redirects to this blog, but I'm looking forward to the launch of the new site.

Along with a new website and new writing projects, I've been looking at trying my hand at professional editing. I've got my first job and it's going well so far. I'm going to ease myself into this, but if anyone would like to ask about rates, get in touch.

Of course, even pushing sales on my existing books and trying to bring in some extra income with editing might not be enough to quite cover the costs of continuing to self-publish the Lady Raven Series. So, depending on how things go, I may have to look into crowdfunding in the new year.

Time to strap in for the last stretch of 2014.

Lady Raven Book Launch

Two book launches in the one year? Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment.

To be honest, I could probably have done with a break from organising this kind of event, but I put a lot of work into Lady Raven and I want to celebrate it.

The launch will be held on Sunday, November 23rd, in the amazing Liquor Rooms. Doors open from 5pm, and I'll be reading from the book and doing a Q&A session.

If anyone wants to attend, if you've already got a copy, bring it along and I'll be happy to sign it. Or, you can order directly from me, though the deadline for this would be November 10th, as I can't guarantee the books would arrive in time after that.