Q&A and Book Signing With Me This Saturday

Welcome everyone!

Please don't forget to make your way to the Nelson County Public Library this Saturday if you're going to be in the area. Doors open at noon. The author Q&A starts at 1pm, and I'll be available to sign and sell books following that.

Hope to see you there!

Peace,

-Troy

Starting Cover Design Ideas for Book 2

Welcome everyone!

I'm starting to brainstorm ideas for the second book in my Hunter's Rose series. I think I already have quite a bit of material to work with, and I'm really excited about that.

First, I love the cover of the debut novella. The artist did such a great job with the initial concept. From there, it was just a matter of refining it until we were both happy with the product. In the end, it turned out great, and I've gotten a ton compliments on it.

Second, since these books are a series, I feel it's important to keep a lot of elements the same. The covers can't look too much alike, so that's going to mean a change in the color scheme at the very least. Some of the other elements will have to be different as well. For instance, the ruins in the upper left are going to have to go. The wolf, as much as I love it, will be replaced as well.

Finally, I'm going to keep some things the same. the circle with the title, that will stay. Most of the lettering will stay the same. The text deliminater at the bottom of the cover will remain. Maybe some other things as well.

All in all, the second book will keep just a small part of what the first one offered, but the remaining elements will easily signal to the reader that A) this is a series and B) you're going to really enjoy it!

Peace,

-Troy

Want to Meet Me In Person?

Welcome everyone!

If you were hoping to have the chance to meet me or to get a copy of The Huntsman and the She-Wolf signed, you're going to have your chance!

Saturday, June 29th starting a 1pm, I will be taking part in an author panel at the Nelson County Public Library. The event starts at noon and will go until 4pm. I'll be available to sign books following the panel.

Also, I will have books there to sell. Since it will be an in-person event, I plan to offer a 33% discount on my print books. That means you'll be able to get my hardback for $20 and my paperback $10 (unless that violates library policy for the event)!

I hope to see you there! I think we'll have a great time together.

Peace,

-Troy

A Trick for Self-Editors

Welcome everyone!

I'm doing some of my own proofreading for Book 2. I've discovered something really cool that is helping me out a lot.

I downloaded an extension for Chrome that will read text aloud to me. It's got a funky robot voice, but that doesn't matter. It reads exactly what's on the page, and it makes a big difference.

One of the things I do quite often that is really irritating is typing a word twice. For instance, I might type something like, "He went went to the Lodge." If I'm just reading that on my own, my eyes will very likely glance right over the repeated word.

However, when the robot lady on Chrome reads it, I hear the mistake right away. It makes it much easier for me to find errors like that. Also, I might misspell a name like Partic instead of Patric. That's hard to see just as your reading, but it's easy to hear.

So, if you're self-editing your work, get a text reader. It's free and it really does help a great deal.

Peace,

-Troy

I'm Back! And I've Got 1st Quarter Updates

Welcome everyone!

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted, but that’s because I’ve been on vacation! I got to travel to some of the most beautiful and interesting places like Shenandoah National Park and the Libary of Congress.

I actually requested a book and got to do some reading at the Library of Congress, which was on my bucket list. The bad part is, I didn’t take pictures! I wish I had. It was really nice.

Anyway, I’m back, and ready to get to work. So how about we update the sales numbers of my first book? It’s been about 3 months since I launched it so this is pretty much the first quarter. Here’s the numbers:

98==Paperbacks
61==Hardbacks
31==Kindle Books
18==Audio Books
2==Books Sold in Person
2,700 Kindle Unlimited Pages Read
27 Books Signed

That’s a total of 210 copies sold so far. Starting soon, I’ll be selling even more books in-person. On Saturday, June 28th I’ll be a member of an author panel for the Nelson County Comic Con which will be hosted at the Nelson County Library.

After the panel, I’ll be selling paperbacks and hardbacks, and I’ll be available to sign books. So if you’d like to see me in person, that would be a wonderful opportunity. More details will come later in the week.

Anyway, it’s good to be back. I missed you, and I look forward to sharing more about Book 2 in the near future!

Peace,

-Troy

Finding a New Artist

Welcome everyone!

So I'm on the quest for a new artist. I've got some good leads, and I'm evaluating their bodies of work at the moment.

The most important thing to me in the artists I'm looking at is whether or not I feel they can illustrate my ideas for clarity. I don't idly choose the objects and locations for illustration in my book. I choose the things I believe are the most difficult to conceptualize OR the ones I want the audience to have a very concrete picture in their minds.

I plan on having five pictures in Book 2 in addition to five roses. That 10 in all. The roses are now done. I love them! The other five are going to take a while to get, I'm afraid.

I just hope I can get the majority of Book 2 done before the end of summer. That's when my schedule gets really hectic again.

Anyway, expect updates soon! :)

Peace,

-Troy