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What book is everyone writing right now?

These are the ones I can recall.


Short story

Purgatory - Male main character. A relationship story that tracks between fantasy and science fiction.

Zombies Among Us - Male main character. Similar to 1800s science fiction but not steampunk.

Choice - Male main character. Medieval fantasy.

Besieged - Female main character. Fantasy.

An Inconvenient Cruise - Female main character. Science fiction.


Novella

Down Deception Way - Male main character. Noir fantasy.


Novel

The Dread Spirit - Male main character. Fantasy.
The Dread Spirit II.

Jump Loader - Male main character. Science fiction.

Station Mystery - Male main character. Science fiction/mystery.

My Spirit Within - Young female main character. Juvenile fantasy. Culture similar to native American.

The Miner's Wife - Female main character. Science fiction.

Tournament Of Troth - Young male main character. Medieval nobility story.

Alien Tales - collection of autobiographical stories narrated by an alien.

Bond of the Blue Stone - Young male main character. Juvenile fantasy.

The Bone Singer - Male main character. Fantasy.

Hallowed Ground - Male main character. Science fiction.

Weaver - Female main character. Military science fiction.
Weaver II.
Weaver III.

God Child - Young female main character. Juvenile fantasy.

For Whom To Love - Female main character. Medieval nobility story.

Demon Love - Female main character. Fantasy/romance.

Mystery On The Island - Young female main character. Juvenile mystery.

The War For Human Extermination - Various main characters. Military science fiction.


Items I'm not currently working on

The Book of Dreams Past - prequel to the book of Genesis

It Arose From The Sea - This was alternative history taking place during WWII which involved elements of the book of Revelations.

Dragon Islands - This was fantasy. The islands are cut off from the mainland because the dragons have turned hostile and the magic tubes that separate fresh water from salt water are failing. The main character and another have been given a mission to solve the problem or people will soon begin dying. It's kind of an interesting story which I may work on again at some point. The second character is modeled after someone I used to date.

In Case My Dinner Attacks - This involved an alien female's popular book based on an alien anthropological study of humans in North America.

Mother Bolo - This would be science fiction in Keith Laumer's Bolo Universe.

The Demon Hunter - Male main character. Fantasy.

Homestead - Male main character. Science fiction.

To Serve - Science fiction.

Howl Of The Wolf - Male main character. Science fiction.
 
Skeptic Ginger said:
So did you like it or not? I'm a big girl, your honest opinion is wanted.
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Okay. About halfway through:

"Chose your poison couldn't have been more literal..."

That's the only typo I noticed. I did wonder if that was yours or theirs.

I didn't really understand the layout of the beach until later. I didn't realize how big the crabs were until they killed the first person. I couldn't really identify with the main character. She seemed very cold. In fact, she even said that she didn't care about the others. There was a very small attempt to make her seem not so sociopathic when she "had to look away" but it didn't work for me. I didn't really care what happened to her. And the other deaths were so fast they seemed almost gratuitous. The climb up the cliff seemed much too quick for how difficult it was described.

Well, I can't say I was thrilled with gigantic crabs. Of course, Arthur C. Clarke had very similar, giant, mechanical, killer crabs in Rama II. I never bothered to finish that book. Obviously they are implausible. I can't imagine what hundreds of giant crabs would find to eat or how they would hide at high tide. Being snatched by the bird at the end seemed almost comical. But, it was similar to the ending of The Grey. Even Anthony Hopkins couldn't save that movie. But I can't really say that the hopeless ending was the problem since there was one survivor in Frozen. The Frozen I'm talking about is the one where they are trapped on the ski lift, not the Disney cartoon. In that one, when they climb down, wolves just show up from nowhere to kill and eat them which is similar to The Grey. And Frozen was a truly, awful movie. I recall one science fiction story that had an even more unlikely monster. And that story got a Nebula award. Of course, they gave San Diego Lightfoot Sue a Nebula award too so that probably isn't saying much.

It seemed like the plot in Stone Games perhaps wasn't as developed as it could have been. I felt like the characters needed more substance in order for me to care about them. And, certainly it would have been better to me if the main character wasn't so calloused. I think of horror as being about anticipation, not just knocking off characters. For example:

John went for a walk. He was attacked by a lion and killed.
​
This isn't horror. So, death isn't sufficient.

John, Bill, and Frank went for a walk. They were attacked by a lion and killed.
​
It still isn't horror. Increasing the number of deaths doesn't change this.

John, Bill, and Frank went for a walk. John saw a lion watching them and pointed it out to Bill and Frank. When the lion began walking towards them they fled. However, the lion chased them down and killed them one by one.​

It still isn't horror. So even multiple deaths and seeing the hazard ahead of time doesn't make it horror.

John, Bill, and Frank went for a walk. John saw a lion watching them and pointed it out to Bill and Frank. They began backing slowly away.

Frank whispered, "If he comes this way we'll have to make a run for it."

Bill replied, "It won't do any good. We can't outrun a lion."

The lion stood and began walking towards them. They fled and the lion gave chase. Bill ran to a small tree and climbed as high as he could. But it wasn't high enough. The lion's jaws clamped onto his foot and he was yanked from the tree, screaming. The lion's teeth sank into Bill's throat. John and Frank had stopped when they heard Bill's scream. Now watching, they saw the lion release Bill and start towards them again. They ran.

In full sprint, Frank was hit from behind and sent tumbling to the ground. He tried to scramble to his feet but heavy paws landed on his back, flattening him. Teeth sank into the back of his neck. There was a dull crunch as they went through his spine. The lion stood up again, looking for the third.

John had managed to find a tree branch and put his back to tree too big for him to climb. The lion didn't run. It walked, almost casually towards him. He brandished the makeshift club, and, as the lion drew close, he began swinging it, hoping to scare the beast away. Each time the lion drew close, John stepped towards it and swung wildly. The lion leaped back, out of range. But the predator didn't give up and seemed to grow bolder, moving closer each time. Finally, John landed a blow near its ear and it darted back, growling. John watched, daring to hope. But the lion came forward again. Still out of reach, it suddenly charged and leaped. John felt the air driven from his lungs as his torso slammed against the tree. Stunned, he couldn't even scream. The lion's teeth sank into John's shoulder. He thrashed. The lion released its grip and its teeth found his throat. John stopped thrashing.​

Okay, so now we've added conversation, separate actions by each victim, fighting back, and graphic detail of each kill. And yet, this still isn't horror.
 
barehl said:
I did edit one fiction novel for a small publisher, but I can't say that I qualify as a professional point of view.
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barehl is being polite. I'm in the stage of getting my ideas down - there is a lot of editing yet to do. Also, the story develops quite slowly - three chapters isn't enough to get an idea of what's going on. They are short chapters, but still.

What I'm trying to say is that my novel is, at this stage, still pretty crap. But I'm still working on it.

I'm going to delete my Patreon though. It has never been worth the effort. I might post individual chapters up on a Blogger site until I get my own website set up.
 
Information Analyst said:
My not-so-difficult second book - charting the air attacks on my home city during the Second World War - was published last week:

City on Fire - Kingston upon Hull 1939-45
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Very nice and interesting subject.

Strangely I was just taking a break from writing and needed a place for a person to be from .....Kingston upon Hull - thanks!

Oh suggestion: I would add your book into the wikipedia article on Hull blitz and any good tidbits
 
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I may have found my muse again. I occasionally write grown up stories where adult characters are lumbered with stuffed animal, or cartoon sidekicks. I have a vague idea about a man and his badger going on holiday, and getting embroiled in a Hitchcock style thriller, but not coping at all well.
 
barehl said:
Okay. About halfway through:

"Chose your poison couldn't have been more literal..."

That's the only typo I noticed. I did wonder if that was yours or theirs.

I didn't really understand the layout of the beach until later. I didn't realize how big the crabs were until they killed the first person. I couldn't really identify with the main character. She seemed very cold. In fact, she even said that she didn't care about the others. There was a very small attempt to make her seem not so sociopathic when she "had to look away" but it didn't work for me. I didn't really care what happened to her. And the other deaths were so fast they seemed almost gratuitous. The climb up the cliff seemed much too quick for how difficult it was described.

Well, I can't say I was thrilled with gigantic crabs. Of course, Arthur C. Clarke had very similar, giant, mechanical, killer crabs in Rama II. I never bothered to finish that book. Obviously they are implausible. I can't imagine what hundreds of giant crabs would find to eat or how they would hide at high tide. Being snatched by the bird at the end seemed almost comical. But, it was similar to the ending of The Grey. Even Anthony Hopkins couldn't save that movie. But I can't really say that the hopeless ending was the problem since there was one survivor in Frozen. The Frozen I'm talking about is the one where they are trapped on the ski lift, not the Disney cartoon. In that one, when they climb down, wolves just show up from nowhere to kill and eat them which is similar to The Grey. And Frozen was a truly, awful movie. I recall one science fiction story that had an even more unlikely monster. And that story got a Nebula award. Of course, they gave San Diego Lightfoot Sue a Nebula award too so that probably isn't saying much.

It seemed like the plot in Stone Games perhaps wasn't as developed as it could have been. I felt like the characters needed more substance in order for me to care about them. And, certainly it would have been better to me if the main character wasn't so calloused. I think of horror as being about anticipation, not just knocking off characters. For example:

John went for a walk. He was attacked by a lion and killed.
​
This isn't horror. So, death isn't sufficient.

John, Bill, and Frank went for a walk. They were attacked by a lion and killed.
​
It still isn't horror. Increasing the number of deaths doesn't change this.

John, Bill, and Frank went for a walk. John saw a lion watching them and pointed it out to Bill and Frank. When the lion began walking towards them they fled. However, the lion chased them down and killed them one by one.​

It still isn't horror. So even multiple deaths and seeing the hazard ahead of time doesn't make it horror.

John, Bill, and Frank went for a walk. John saw a lion watching them and pointed it out to Bill and Frank. They began backing slowly away.

Frank whispered, "If he comes this way we'll have to make a run for it."

Bill replied, "It won't do any good. We can't outrun a lion."

The lion stood and began walking towards them. They fled and the lion gave chase. Bill ran to a small tree and climbed as high as he could. But it wasn't high enough. The lion's jaws clamped onto his foot and he was yanked from the tree, screaming. The lion's teeth sank into Bill's throat. John and Frank had stopped when they heard Bill's scream. Now watching, they saw the lion release Bill and start towards them again. They ran.

In full sprint, Frank was hit from behind and sent tumbling to the ground. He tried to scramble to his feet but heavy paws landed on his back, flattening him. Teeth sank into the back of his neck. There was a dull crunch as they went through his spine. The lion stood up again, looking for the third.

John had managed to find a tree branch and put his back to tree too big for him to climb. The lion didn't run. It walked, almost casually towards him. He brandished the makeshift club, and, as the lion drew close, he began swinging it, hoping to scare the beast away. Each time the lion drew close, John stepped towards it and swung wildly. The lion leaped back, out of range. But the predator didn't give up and seemed to grow bolder, moving closer each time. Finally, John landed a blow near its ear and it darted back, growling. John watched, daring to hope. But the lion came forward again. Still out of reach, it suddenly charged and leaped. John felt the air driven from his lungs as his torso slammed against the tree. Stunned, he couldn't even scream. The lion's teeth sank into John's shoulder. He thrashed. The lion released its grip and its teeth found his throat. John stopped thrashing.​

Okay, so now we've added conversation, separate actions by each victim, fighting back, and graphic detail of each kill. And yet, this still isn't horror.
Click to expand...
I appreciate the time you took for such a thorough critique.

The main character was supposed to be callous but principled so perhaps I got that part of what I was aiming for. Whether a reader likes the character or can identify with them is another issue.

I agree with you it's always an issue in these stories when some predator killing/eating the humans has no obvious food source.

The story follows a real event when I was on a beach in Fiji. There were these tiny little crabs living in holes. We threw pebbles and they would all run after them and when the first one reached the stone and put a claw on it, they all froze in place. Then they'd all retreat back into the holes and we'd toss another pebble and watch the drama replay.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback. :):thumbsup:
 
Information Analyst said:
My not-so-difficult second book - charting the air attacks on my home city during the Second World War - was published last week:

City on Fire - Kingston upon Hull 1939-45
Click to expand...

That's rather timely. When we see images of completely devastated cities in Iraq and Syria one wonders how or if they will be rebuilt or abandoned.

I agree with Hans about the Wiki page. There are two other books referenced and yours looks like it belongs there under further reading.
 
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I've started a new novel, aiming for around the 90k mark on completion. It's Sci-Fi, set on a distant Earth Colony where things have gone dreadfully wrong creating a dystopian society.

After a war that resulted in the use of a biological agent the survivors for the most part have been forced into living in one of the few remaining domed cities, recycling everything they can to keep things going.

It is essentially a Sci-Fi Cop/Spy Thriller with a heavy Romance sub-plot.

It will also attempt to tackle a lot of heavy subjects about humanity, especially Same Sex Relationships, Stem Cell Reproduction, Genetic Engineering of Humans, Religion as a Theocracy and a few more.
 
Well Volume III published yesterday.

m90HbZk.jpg


The expedition leaves Bombay for Persia and onward to the River Oxus in Independent Tartary.

Hans said:
Volume II of my series published yesterday

[qimg]http://i.imgur.com/zyPYNlF.jpg[/qimg]

https://www.amazon.com/officer-Crown-II-Suez-Bombay/dp/0996998020

Ensign David Driscol continues his journey out from England to India, going from Suez to Bombay where he takes up with the Bombay Artillery, a bibi and preparations for an expedition into Independent Tartary (what we call Central Asia)
Click to expand...
 
Short "Lunchbox read" completed while recovering from an operation has been sent for the first round of proofing and editing. I'm now toying with scifi ideas.
 
So I'm about to publish my first book on Kindle, its a military sci-fi novel(which actually originated from a discussion thread in this subforum), any suggestions or hints about how to make sure it doesn't disappear without a trace would be much appreciated.
 
Garrison said:
So I'm about to publish my first book on Kindle, its a military sci-fi novel(which actually originated from a discussion thread in this subforum), any suggestions or hints about how to make sure it doesn't disappear without a trace would be much appreciated.
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First and best advice: Join the Indie Publishing News group on FB, sign up for their free magazine, and consider submitting to some of their regular features, as well as listing your book for a mention under the next issues releases (there are banners for 99c books, new releases, kids books, and a handful of other genres).

The best way I found to get momentum for releases is to join the right social media groups. Review groups are tricky, as many become places just to advertise books, with few good results. I found it better to join social groups, where you get to know people, make friends, and will be inclined to help them out, than the types of group where somebody will expect you to swap reviews.

On the other hand, if you join a next-in-thread group (you post your book on the end of a thread, and buy the book above to review) are quite sociable in themselves.

Personally, I got involved in a few groups, made friends, then got referred to people who have private groups for reviews. You send them a copy of their book, and they will offer it to a bunch of readers, from their group, who are fans of a genre. If you happen to have time to read and review in exchange, it is a nice way to meet new folks and swap tips.

Once you have made friends in the writers community, you will find people willing to hit share, and help books find readers. You will find people who will tell you which blogs are worth approaching, and how to make sure amazon reviews stay visible.
 
Tomtomkent said:
First and best advice: Join the Indie Publishing News group on FB, sign up for their free magazine, and consider submitting to some of their regular features, as well as listing your book for a mention under the next issues releases (there are banners for 99c books, new releases, kids books, and a handful of other genres).

The best way I found to get momentum for releases is to join the right social media groups. Review groups are tricky, as many become places just to advertise books, with few good results. I found it better to join social groups, where you get to know people, make friends, and will be inclined to help them out, than the types of group where somebody will expect you to swap reviews.

On the other hand, if you join a next-in-thread group (you post your book on the end of a thread, and buy the book above to review) are quite sociable in themselves.

Personally, I got involved in a few groups, made friends, then got referred to people who have private groups for reviews. You send them a copy of their book, and they will offer it to a bunch of readers, from their group, who are fans of a genre. If you happen to have time to read and review in exchange, it is a nice way to meet new folks and swap tips.

Once you have made friends in the writers community, you will find people willing to hit share, and help books find readers. You will find people who will tell you which blogs are worth approaching, and how to make sure amazon reviews stay visible.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that, alas I don't do Facebook.
 
Garrison said:
Thanks for that, alas I don't do Facebook.
Click to expand...

It is not the only tool out there, but it might be worth considering, to find the help you need.

You might also want to look up Adri Sinclair's Author Café. I haven't checked for a while, but she used to do a lot of affordable work to help direct your marketing, putting together images, and stuff, but you will have to do a lot of the actual work (getting them out there) yourself.
 
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