First Draft is Layout Is Back

Welcome everyone!

I got the first draft of the layouts for Book 03, and they look great! I'm super excited to see them almost complete. To review, my original layout artist (and also cover artist) when bankrupt and quit the business shortly after The Huntsman and the Vampire came out. As a result, I've had to scramble to replace that invaluable service. Thankfully, mercifully, I have found some competent contractors to replace them. As a result, cover and interior reveals will begin soon! 

The next step is to request revisions from the layout artist. I expect those to be back before Christmas. Consequently, I think I can start revealing things to you after New Year's! Expect a lot of exciting things to be coming your way.

I want to thank all of you for sticking with me through this. It's been a trying time, lately. You're support has been uplifting for me. Google tracks my visits every day and gives me a report about it. It's so good to see how many people check back for updates on this website. I can't thank you enough. Love to all.

Peace,

-Troy

I Have Contacted A Layout Artist!

 Welcome everyone!

I've made contact with a well-recommended layout artist. My order is a pretty complicated one since I need it done in eBook, paperback, and hardback format. My books also have those lovely illustrations you've come to expect, so it's not just something anyone can do.

I hope to hear back within the next couple days. I'll be keeping everyone posted. In the meantime, happy holidays and I hope all is well with you!

Peace,

-Troy

Proofreads are in!

 Welcome everyone!

I got my proofreads back! So, now it's time to finish up my corrections, and then it's it's off to the layout artist. Hopefully that will just take a few weeks. Then, we'll have to decide on a publication date. I don't think I want to publish around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Folks are just way too busy around that time to pick up a new book. We'll have to see what happens.

Once again, thank you for sticking with me. It's been a long, tough road. I'm looking forward to the end.

Peace,

-Troy

And So We Hit a Snag

 Welcome everyone!

We are still making progress toward publishing Book 03 in my Hunter's Rose series. However, my proof reader (the last editor to see the book before publication) has had some unforeseen personal difficulties arise. She must address those before continuing work on my novella, and I'm only too happy to extend our contract time. I know how hard problems like these can be.

I'm hoping to hear from her again soon. I'll contact her in a couple of weeks to see if the situation is resolved. I don't believe this occurrence will delay my book all that much. It's just another hurdle to overcome in a process that's seemed to have more hurdles than I ever could have imagined, haha!

So what does that mean? Well, the delay has opened an interesting opportunity for me. While I'm waiting, I might as well make good use of my time. I've started something I'm going to call PROJECT X. I think I'll be able to get it finished before my book is ready for corrections. It will need some extra work after that, but as soon as I feel it is in good enough shape, I'll share it with you. I think you'll love it, even though it's different from what I've been doing in the past. Intriguing, right?

Anyway, take good care of each other. I'll be back soon with more updates. Thanks for sticking with me!

Peace,

-Troy

I Just Watched The Rings of Power!

 Welcome everyone!

I just finished watching the first two episodes of the Rings of Power series on Amazon. If you've ever read my author bio on my Amazon page or my hardback, you know that I am a bit of a Tolkien nerd. Proudly, a Tolkien nerd.

I have to say I enjoyed it a great deal. The scenery is gorgeous and very reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings movies. I loved the real sets and the prosthetics for the elves, dwarves, and orcs. The CGI dwarves and orcs in the Hobbit movies really took me out of the world.

Anyway, I do wish there had been a bit more action sequences in these first couple episodes. One thing I've learned about writing is that you really need to hook the audience early. However, given what I know of the history of this era, there should be plenty of battles and duels to come.

Anyway, if you have Amazon Prime, I highly recommend getting into this show while you wait for my third book. It is a real treat for the eyes!

Peace,

-Troy

The Cover is Finished!

 Welcome everyone!

The cover for Book 03 is now completed! It looks great. The new company I went with did an excellent job of recreating the motifs of the first company (see image below of my previous two covers). The look isn't an exact match, but since Book 03 marks a turning point for the main character, the change is fine with me.

When will I do a cover reveal? Well, I'm still waiting to hear back from my proofreader. Once she is done, then I can make the final corrections to the book and get it to a layout company. After that, it's just a few more technical, business-side stuff, and I'll be ready to publish. We're almost there, gang!

Be back soon with more updates.

Peace,

-Troy

Progress on Book 03 Cover is Underway!

 Welcome everyone!

I have some fantastic news to share today! I just received the first pass on the cover for my third book, and it looks great! I won't belabor the point since anyone who has read my blog for a while knows that my original cover artist is no longer able to work with me. As a result, I have been delayed in releasing my third book due to an enormous amount of angst concerning the cover. Well, that anxiety is relieved. I am so happy with what I've seen so far, and I just need to request a few corrections before I start the cover reveal. It'll be coming soon!

Now, a discerning eye will be able to not subtle differences between the first two books and Book 03. However, I think I'm just going to go with it. Book 03 has a very different tone and purpose from the first two books. While the major motifs for both the text and the covers remains the same, Book 03 represents a shift in my storytelling style. Therefore, it seems natural that the elements of the cover should shift too.

What this mean is: the covers for Book 04 and Book 05 will also have small, subtle changes to reflect the arc of the main character. Doing so will give me some symmetry in the way the books appear on a shelf. So Books 01 and 02 will have very similar cover elements. Book 03 will be unique on its own. Then Books 04 and 05 will look similar to each other. 

I hope that makes sense. And if it doesn't, you'll just have to keep coming back here for more updates to see how it all unfolds (wink wink). So anyway, the bottom line is this: the new cover is going to look amazing. I am so relieved that my new cover company could make it happen. Once all the final touches are done, I'll move on to finishing my proofreader's comments and then it will be time to publish!

I can't wait to share it with you!

Peace,

-Troy

Final Revisions for Book 3 Completed!

 Welcome everyone!

I'm so glad to finally share an update with you. The pandemic has hit us all in different ways. Isolation, confusion, exhaustion, and more have been our most consistent company these last three years. In the midst of dealing with all of these, I have continued working away at the third book in my Hunter's Rose series.

I am very pleased to announce that all edits are now completed. There will be no major or even minor revisions to the book. The story is complete!

There is just one more step: proofreading. Spellcheckers and grammar checkers have come a long way since they first appeared in the 90's. However, they are no substitute for a trained professional. I cannot stress how important is it to have a human being carefully examine your book to make sure that there is consistency in the spelling of names and use of accents in dialogue. No spell checker that I'm aware of can match the human mind in these instances.

In addition to the pandemic, one of the biggest issues I've faced is not being able to work with the same people who helped me with The Huntsman and the She-Wolf and The Huntsman and the Vampire. I've talked at length about how my interior artist and cover/layout company have gone out of business. These were severe blows to me.

I also thought that my editor would be unable to work with me again. She's recently given birth and launched her own novel at the same time. However, in a surprising and fortunate twist of fate, she was able to edit my book! I'm so grateful to have that consistency. Likewise, the proofreader I previously used has agreed to proofread Book 3! This is absolutely fantastic news. 

For a fantasy novella like mine, familiarity with the names and characters is critical for success. The fact these two women already understand my imagined world and my writing style has made and will make the final correction process so much easier.

Proofreading is the last step of writing. No further changes to the manuscript will be made once that process is done. All that will be left to do is cover, layout, and publishing.

I can't wait to share this book with you. It's going to be great! 

Peace,

-Troy