Motifs I'd Like To Use #10 - The Labyrinth

Welcome everyone!

I think mazes are fun. When I was a kid, I used to get books of mazes and have a blast trying to figure them out. One of my most favorite Atari games (yep, I'm that old) was Maze Craze. I used to play that against my friends and cousins all the time.

So, it would be really gratifying for me if I could include some kind of maze in one of my future books. Mazes offer a lot of really cool possibilities for traps, information gathering, and characterization. There should also be something at the end worth obtaining.

The biggest challenge to introducing a labyrinth to a story is to make it seem like a natural part of the world. These things don't just grow on their own; they have to be built for a purpose. If you can't find a good justification for it, the maze will just seem forced.

But that's a challenge for me. Hopefully I can overcome it. Wish me luck!

Peace,

-Troy

My Favorite Pictures

Welcome everyone!

One of the most gratifying things that I get to experience as an author is getting pictures like the following:

I absolutely LOVE seeing books in people's hands. Any book. Now, when I see one of MY books in their hands, it's doubly exciting. When people send me pictures like that, it makes all the free time I sacrificed and all the emotional stress I endured worth it.

Writing The Huntsman and the Vampire took a lot of out me. 2019 was a tough year at times, and 2020 hasn't been any easier.

Thank you so much to everyone who's sent me pics like that one and like this one:

And this one:

You guys keep me going. You really do!

Peace,

-Troy

Goals for the Weekend 2020-02-21

Welcome everyone!

This weekend, I'm back at the grindstone with the audio book. Also, starting up work on Book 3!

Here's my goals:

• Edit more chapters in the audiobook for book 2.
• Continue early work on Book 3.

If I can do all that, I'll have a successful weekend. I hope you do too.

Peace,

-Troy

Vids I Like #6 - Worldbuilding

Welcome everyone!

One thing I'd really like to accomplish with Book 3 is world-building. If you've read The Huntsman and the She-Wolf and The Huntsman and the Vampire, you've learned a lot about characters such as Tristan, Thaul, Mersha, Mikhelena, and Leo. But what about Vitalba village itself? Or Everpass Hold? Probably not much.

So, what I want to do is take more time to build the history and culture of my setting in the third installment. As a result, I'm doing some researching in that area. Below, I'll share an interesting video I found on the topic. If you are working on your own world, maybe you'll find it useful too:

Peace,

-Troy

Site Updates are Rolling Out

Welcome everyone!

I've been busy updating my website. I've gotten links to The Huntsman and the Vampire and the Hunter's Rose series all fixed up on the right hand column now. I'm really happy with how it looks. I can't wait to have the whole series over there. It'll be amazing when it's done.

Also, I'm still going back through all the old posts on this site and adding tags to them. This way it'll be easier to search for various topics. For instance, if you wanted to find all the posts that have the character roses on them, you could just click that label at the bottom of one and the site will generate a list for you.

It's a slow process since I'm also working on the audio book and my health has been less than perfect lately. However, I'm getting things the way I want them and I think that will improve everyone's experience when it's all done.

Be on the lookout for more updates down the road! Exciting things are coming :)

Peace,

-Troy

SOLD OUT!! - But Not Really

Welcome everyone!

I hope you had a good weekend. I got some work done on the audio book for The Huntsman and the Vampire on Saturday despite coming down with a pretty severe chest cold. I haven't recovered fully yet, but at least my fever broke Sunday night.

Anyway, if you go check out the Paperback or Hardcover for THATV on Amazon, you'll notice it says "Temporarily Out of Stock." If my memory serves correctly, the same thing happened with my previous book.

That out of stock issue should be resolved in a matter of days as Amazon orders some copies for its warehouse distribution centers. My understanding is that they prefer to distribute books themselves rather than rely on my printer (IngramSpark) to do it for them. Of course, it's still listed as "In-Stock" on other sites like B&N and BAM.

It is kinda fun to see "Sold Out" by your name. It gives the impression that your product is in high demand, and relatively speaking, THATV is! But it's not really out of stock and people can still order it and get it in a timely fashion. The shortage is due to Amazon's own idiosyncrasies. Haha!

Happy Presidents' Day. If you have the day off, I hope you feel rested and rejuvenated by the end of it. :)

Peace,

-Troy

Goals for the Weekend 2020-02-14

Welcome everyone!

Happy St. Valentines day to you. Perfect day to BUY A ROSE, don't you think? Haha! Anyway, this weekend is marked by a time of transition.

Print and eBook editions of The Huntsman and the Vampire is officially released, and now it's on to the audio book and also Book 3.

So here's what I plan to do:

• Edit and Master at least 3 chapters in the audio book
• Outline and begin drafting the inciting incident for Book 3

If I can do all that, I'll have a successful weekend. I hope you do too! :)

Peace,

-Troy

The Book Launch Was a Huge Success!

Welcome everyone!

The launch party I mentioned last week for The Huntsman and the Vampire was a HUGE success! The turnout was fantastic- we packed out the library. I got to sign so many books, in fact, I'm pretty sure I did nothing by write messages and sign my name for an hour strait! It was awesome.

For those that came out for it, I really appreciate it. The weather was terrible. We had torrential downpours at times and even some lightning, I think. It was pretty nasty day outside, but inside it was a tremendous party.

By the time I made it home, I was physically drained but my mind was racing. I got to shake the hands of 40-50 attendees, interact with young people interested in writing, and spend time with friends, colleagues, and fans who all wanted to wish me well. Everyone was absolutely wonderful.

Nothing makes an author happier than getting to put the written word into somebody's hand to read:

Well, now that the party is over, where do we go from here? First, I'm still promoting the launch. The first month is the most critical in drawing readers, and I can't wait to report how February goes. I think it will be my best month ever.

Next, it's time to get the audio book finished. I'm already into the editing and mastering. So expect that in the coming weeks, depending on how long Audible takes to get it done.

Finally, it's time to get to work on Book 3. A writer's job is never finished. I'll telly you more about that down the road. A whole lot of outlining, writing, and revising are ahead of me. Wish me luck!

Peace,

-Troy

The Hunter's Rose Book 2 is OUT!

Welcome everyone!

The Huntsman and the Vampire is now launched on all major online retailers! This moment is the result of two years of hard work and support from all of you. Thank you so much for helping me make this day happen. You guys are the best.

Here is a list of the places you can now find THATV:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• Books-A-Million
• Wal-Mart

Once again, thank you so much for all your well-wishes and encouragement. I couldn't have gotten this done without you. Love you guys!

Peace,

-Troy

Book Trailer for The Huntsman and the Vampire!

Welcome everyone!

Here it is, the beautiful new trailer for my latest fantasy novella - The Huntsman and the Vampire:

Don't forget, The Huntsman and the Vampire launches tomorrow!

Peace,

-Troy

New Book Trailer Coming Tomorrow!

Welcome everyone!

Tomorrow I have a bonus reveal for The Huntsman and the Vampire. It's a brand new book trailer!

I love book trailers. There's just something invigorating about a visual presentation that a cover and summary (while beautiful and informative) can't add. They bring me into the world a bit more and spark my imagination in a whole different way.

Anyway, I am extremely happy with the book trailer for THATV. The same people who created the first one last year made this one as well. I can't wait to share it with you tomorrow. Until then, here's a reminder of what the trailer for The Huntsman and the She-Wolf looked like:

And don't forget, the launch is this WEDNESDAY, and I'll have having a launch party at the MCHS Library from 3:30 to 5:30pm. If you can make it, I would love to see you there!

Peace,

-Troy

*Thursday Reveal* An Audio Sample of Book 2!

Welcome everyone!

For the last Thursday Reveal for The Huntsman and the Vampire, I present to you the first chapter of the audio book via Sound Cloud:

Click Here to Listen

How's that for an opening? An uncle's mystery, a new location, the leader of the Lodge in a strange mood... Intriguing! Hope you enjoy it! Don't forget to pre-order tour books HERE!

Peace,

-Troy

One Week From Today - THATV Comes Out!!!

Welcome everyone!

The days are counting down. Seven more to go until The Huntsman and the Vampire will be released into the wild for the world to enjoy!

When I launched my first book, The Huntsman and the She-Wolf, I felt more frustration than anything. Learning how to coordinate my printer, distributor, and vendors was difficult at times. Setting up my eBook was intimidating, even though Amazon does try to make it easy.

This time, though, I feel nothing but excitement. I am very confident going into this that everything will go smoothly.

And to top it off, interest in my first book has spiked just before the second one launches. Check out the graph below:

To be in the top 25,000 books on ALL OF AMAZON is a tremendous accomplishment. It's the highest ranking I've ever achieved, and I am humbled by it. I want to give a shout out to all those who've purchased my book in one form or another. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

So what's going to happen between now and launch? Well, we have one more Thursday reveal to go. I have to work really hard to get it ready tonight. I'll be doing updates as we get closer and closer to launch day, and don't forget about the Launch Party that I posted about earlier this week.

Once again, thank you to everyone for your fantastic support. This has been a tremendously exciting time for all of us. You guys are awesome.

And if you haven't ordered your book yet, you can still get it by launch day if you order on Amazon. I'll be back with more tomorrow! :)

Peace,

-Troy

I'm Having a Launch Party!

Welcome everyone!

To kick off the release of my second novella, we're going to have a party! Bellow is the official press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marion County High School Library of Lebanon, Kentucky has invited Troy M. Costisick to celebrate the launch of his second fantasy novella, The Huntsman and the Vampire on February 12, 2020. A student session will be held in the library from 2:30pm until 3:30pm. A second party for the public will follow from 3:30pm until 5:30pm.

Costisick is a teacher at MCHS as a member of the English department. He has worked in the field of teaching since 2002 and has served at MCHS for the last 15 years both as an English teacher and an ECE collaborator. 

His first novella, The Huntsmen and the She-Wolf, was launched just last year to resounding success on March 26th. The launch of his follow-up work extends the story of Tristan DeSavoie as he endeavors to reclaim his family home from the mysterious powers that forced his father to sell it.

Copies of both books will be available for purchase and Mr. Costisick will also be available to answer questions and sign copies (at no charge). Copies will be available in both hardback and paperback. 

The Huntsman and the Vampire officially launches on February 12th, 2020 and is available with numerous online retailers including Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, www.troycostisick.com, and more. 

If you're able to make it, I'd love to see you there! Don't forget, if you can't make it to the party, you can currently pre-order my books in eBook, paperback, and hardback from Amazon HERE.

Peace,

-Troy

I Did it!!!

Welcome everyone!

I did it! After weeks of trying, I was finally able to finish recording my audio book for The Huntsman and the Vampire. Whew, that took longer than expected.

There are 24 chapters in the book, and each one takes me about an hour to record. Editing and mastering is about another hour each. Then there's the uploading and formatting for Audible. The whole thing is a massive endeavor.

So, the first step is done. Now it's on two the second: making it sound nice for everyone.

The audio book will not be available on launch day with the print and ebook versions, but it will be there eventually.

I'd also like to take a moment to thank everyone who has been supporting me lately. Getting Book 2 ready for sale has been hard at times, and the words of encouragement have really helped. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Love you guys!

Peace,

-Troy