Martian Invasion: From the Front Lines

Just wanted to add an update on how work is going on War Between Worlds. After a period when it felt like I was fighting for every word, things have started flowing again and it’s a good feeling.

One of the things I am enjoying about this particular story is how open I can be with my references, since they’re all in the public domain. While Wells’ invasion is the best known, and in some ways my primary influence, it isn’t the only one. In fact it’s some of the others that I want to write about today. Specifically planetary romances.

By far the best known of the Martian planetary romances is that of Edgar Rice Burroughs novel A Princess of Mars. First published in 1912, it’s widely seen as the origin of the genre. Naturally, it wasn’t.

While many people will point to Edwin Lester Arnold’s 1905 novel Lieut. Gullivar Jones: His Vacation, as not only a precursor to Burroughs, but also a major influence, I have to wonder. Part of the problem is that while Arnold’s novel does predate Burroughs, it was a relatively unsuccessful novel that was only published in the United Kingdom during Burroughs’ lifetime.

Another book which I think much more likely to have been an influence is A Journey to Mars, by Gustavus W. Pope, first published in 1894. In fact, I can even see an argument that Arnold could have been influenced by Pope. Among other things, not only was Pope’s book published in the United States, but it includes several elements Burroughs would use in his own later writings.

So naturally, I’m drawing inspiration from all three.

Now while Burroughs, Wells, and even Arnold’s influences are going to be quite visible, I have to wonder if anyone will catch my references to Pope…

It was late in September

This is basically just a quick update to let people know where things are sitting as I write this.

To start at the beginning, I have been getting work done on the War Between Worlds and can feel the returning momentum. It’s not a tremendous amount, but working on it doesn’t feel like pulling hen’s teeth, which is a huge improvement over the last little while.

Next, we move on to art. I do have a new artist who is currently working on the cover for book seven. It’s actually my daughter, who has been doing art commissions for others for a while now. I’m really looking forward to seeing how it looks.

I also added more content to my Patreon today, and I hope people will check it out. It’s the best way to get a behind the scenes look at both Doc Vandal and my writing process.

I’ll see you in Yesterday’s Tomorrow!

It’s Feeling Like a Dumpster Fire–But There’s a Plus Side

The last couple of weeks, and especially the month of July have not been good to me. But I figured those of you who do read this deserved an update.

First: I caught something about two weeks ago that really kicked my ass. At the time I thought it was just a summer cold, but it’s been much worse and lasted much longer than a cold usually does.

Second: Probably resulting from the the first, my production on book eight has really slowed down as the words have been fighting me harder than an entire Martian Invasion. It’s been hard to focus and almost everything I write just gets rewritten as it isn’t working. I’ll get there, but right now it’s a slog.

Third: Sales have cratered for July. June went well, but July has been abysmal on every platform.

So, with all that, I do have a couple of pieces of good news. I’ve been in touch with my cover artist and he’s getting to work on the cover for Book Seven. It will be revealed here once it’s been finished and paid for. Also, I have been in touch with my beta and should be getting the manuscript back for revisions in a few weeks.

In the meantime, keep reading, keep writing, and have fun.

When Words Invade

Just as the Martians are invading New York State in the novel, the words are invading my mind. While the words themselves haven’t been coming as fast this past week or so, they’re still coming but more slowly, it makes sense because I’ve been doing more research.

One of the catches of this particular novel is that it’s requiring a certain amount of research that wasn’t necessary for some of the previous books in the series. For example, New York Governor Herbert H. Lehman is a minor character in this adventure. Now I could just say this is an alternate world so it’s an alternate character, but I didn’t want to do that. I want a sense of verisimilitude, and that comes from research.

Some of the basics I had to determine were things like his politics, and his family. It’s not enough to know the political party, but it’s also helpful to understand what the man stood for. Also, given the situation these characters are in it helps to know his military record. In this case, he was a WWI veteran but not a combat veteran who achieved the rank of Colonel. I’m not sure how many of these details will actually hit the page, but everything that does hit the page will be influenced by these details.

I also found an interview show where he was a guest, so I was able to get an idea for his voice and manner of speaking. It also helped that it showed his stance on a number of issues, from defense to civil rights.

In other news, sales have been going quite well, especially in the last few days as I’ve not only sold a number of books on Amazon but books have started moving on other platforms as well…

Where am I?

Obviously, I’m not on Mars.

As of this writing I’ve just passed the 25% mark on my target length for War Between Worlds. At that rate I should be done the first draft sometime around the end of July, or beginning of August.

This one is an interesting book to write because I’m drawing so much from existing inspirations. Usually, I just take a single idea, but this time I’m drawing rather more. While I don’t want to go into detail at this point–and not just because it’s liable to change as I get further into the book–I’m trying to do something of a mashup of Burroughs’ elements in Wells’ framework as viewed through the eyes of Doc and the team.

Anyway, I don’t have a lot more to say this time, so I will close it here.

Remember, if you like what you read, leave a review. It helps.

The Martians are Coming

Just about three hours ago, I reached the end of The Skyscraper Thief. As I’ve said before, there’s still a process to go through before I’m ready to publish, but that story has been told and now I’m able to move onto the next one.

As regular readers of this blog know, that next book is tentatively entitled The War Between Worlds, and reflects Doc and the team’s experiences during the Great Martian Invasion of 1938. Anyone who could see my Mac’s screens would notice my Scapple notes on one monitor and the the beginning of the first scene in Scrivener on the other.

With any luck, and a dint of hard work, both books should be out later this year.

Before I close, a quick question for any writers who may be reading this: How long do you wait before starting your next book? Share your answer in the comments below and don’t forget to leave a review of all your favorite books.