Category Archives: Uncategorized

Writing werds in public

Ok then, another round of writing in public. This time, a little different: I won’t be writing continuous posts on a weekly basis, but rather writing them daily (unless there’s a good reason not to). Even better — I won’t be writing new posts at all. I’ll be updating this one, which I’ll keep pinned. Reason? Don’t want to spam people’s inboxes with daily digits. But you’re free to come here if you want to see how I’m doing.

Goal: 2k words a day … with a full time job. Yeah. Tall order. I’ll try to make up any words I miss during the week on the weekends. I’ll post word counts sometime between 6pm and midnight EST.

So what’s all this about? Well, I’m trying to write 3 books in a row, between 60-80k each. A separate project from Hell’s Children, as I’m in much need of a break after all that YA violence. Afterward, I hope to polish off Hell’s-3 and then go on to pursue a career in interpretive break dancing.


July 19, 2017 — 1000 words: Considering the day I had, I’m happy. Hopefully I’ll make up the difference by Saturday.

July 20, 2017 — 1733 words: I’m getting there. What a bad week to start this, but a worse week is next week. Because it’s always next week when there’s work to do, isn’t there?

July 21, 2017 — 200? — Don’t laugh. I still have my day job. This is probably going to happen a lot. Hopefully can catch up this weekend (looking forward to it, actually).

July 22, 2017 — 1500 — Getting there.

July 23, 2017 — 1044 — think I may be doing some rewrites early. Not sure yet, we’ll see.

July 24, 2017 — 1300 — Decided to rewrite chapter 1. I think it’s better now, though not quite done…

July 25, 2017 — 1091

July 26, 2017 — 500? — Lots of rewriting today. And a feeling like I want to start this fractal on a good foot, so yeah, taking my time here.

July 27, 2017 — 498

July 28, 2017 — Very few words today, not even gonna count. What writing I did was rewriting this and that. Still waiting for my groove. But still showing up at the keyboard every day.

July 29, 2017 — 1200 — Received a great email from a reader today saying they loved Hell’s Children, and particularly Lisa. I needed that email. Thank you kindly.

July 30, 2017 — 1000 (+/-).  Good day for writing, all considered. Interesting that most of the 1k took place in about 30 mins, because I felt rushed. Might be something to that …

July 31, 2017 — 0.  Mom-in-law in hospital for pneumonia. She’s fine, no worries. They’re keeping her overnight. She’s weak, a little chest pain, etc., but expected to be fine. Need to make sure I get my writing in every morning and not hold out for the evening…

August 1, 2017 — 1500! — Good stuff, too.

August 2, 2017 — 1200 — more good stuff. Still not 2k a day, but not too bummed. Quality over quantity. I’m just happy to know what I’m writing vs. spending a lot of time waiting for inspiration, which never goes well.

August 3, 2017 — 1500! — Oh yeah….

August 4, 2017 — 650 — Oh no…

August 5, 2017 — 1350 — Happy dance.

Continue reading

Advertisement

4 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Hell’s Encore Is Live!

Wow, that took a long time, didn’t it? But Hell’s Encore is finally live. I think it lives up to book one in all ways and exceeds it in others. But obviously I’m biased.

Book One is 99 cents for a week. If you know anyone out there who enjoys post-apocalyptic fiction, or who might enjoy a more modern Lord Of The Flies tale, I’d love it you let them know. Links below:

Book One (Hell’s Children):

Book Two (Hell’s Encore):

4 Comments

Filed under new releases, Uncategorized

Was recently on the Story Studio

For anyone who likes podcasts with writers, this one was pretty cool. For readers: I mention the name of the next book in the “This Dark Age” series (Hell’s Children). I also talk a little about what was going through my head when I wrote book 1. Enjoy!

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/story-studio-self-publishing/id1140596479?mt=2

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

My interview with “The Reading Lists”

A written interview with moi, where I talk about books and reading and such. Very little about publishing or writing. It’s an interesting site — this guy really does a great job on presentation, with pictures of books and links and all that. I think he has an interview somewhere with Henry Rollins. Totally cool.

maroonbluelogo

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Frankly, My Book Could Save Your Life!

It’s the Witching Season, or soon will be. Also the Vampire Season. Yes folks, it’s Vampire Books For Blood, a charity drive that is sure to drive you, well, batty. #VampBooks4BloodR…

Source: Frankly, My Book Could Save Your Life!

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Kick

One of my favorite reviews ever for “Kick.” 🙂

Eyes & Ears Book Blog

by John L. Monk

I may be unique in the universe, but after 2 years of not being able to read due to an illness, my return to the world of books included a complete change in the way I select material.  Many readers stick to their list of known authors.  I did that for a long time.  If a Grisham, King, Cook, Clark, hit the stands, that was who I read.  This is fine, but now that indie authors have many ways to get their work out to the public, sticking to known authors is a disservice to yourself, and some pretty talented people who didn’t necessarily get a big break from publishing companies.

I also no longer stick to genres.  In my younger days, I was post-apocalypse (before it suddenly became the “in” thing), medical and legal thrillers and some real life crime drama.  I still like that…

View original post 717 more words

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

To fans of the Mountain Women series…

Great deal from a great author.

Welcome to the Mountain Women Series

There’s a gap of 100 years between the mountain women of the historical series and Angela, the main character in my contemporary “romantic suspense” novel Ridgetop, but the setting is the same. Angela’s hometown is the fictional mountain town of Winkler, and she’s a descendant of some of the characters in the historical series. Ridgetop - EBook150x200

On sale this week for 99 cents

View original post

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

A Letter to Neil Gaiman, reprise

A letter to Neil Gaiman about an amazing woman I never met, but know I would have liked to. I dedicated “Hopper House” to her.

Belly-up!

It’s been nearly a year since my sister Gretchen died, and I still don’t know quite what to do with myself and this blog. It may go the way of the dodo. In the meantime, I’m writing and illustrating again, and the antrollogy will soon be republished with two new stories and a couple of fine new Easter Eggs. But now, in honor of a year’s passing since her passing, here is a reprise of my post about Gretchen, A Letter to Neil Gaiman:

Dear Neil,

The odds that you are reading this are slim. Very slim. I probably won’t finish writing it, but if I do, I almost surely won’t be brave enough to send it to you. If I am uncharacteristically brave, what then? I send it, and it never reaches you; it slips between the cracks of your magically real life and goes to Neverwhere — or wherever…

View original post 682 more words

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Finally available in paper–

Save a pixel, buy a paperback! The latest from Awesome Indie Carol Ervin. Take that, trees! 🙂

Welcome to the Mountain Women Series

For readers who are dedicated to physical books, I’m happy to say The Women’s War is now available in paperback, both from CreateSpace and Amazon. It may take a few more days to be available from Barnes & Noble and other distributors in the US and abroad. Women's-War.Final

I’m a Kindle reader now, but back in the day when I browsed bookstores, I always read the cover copy and the opening paragraphs. You can do that easily with Amazon’s “look inside” feature on physical books, and if you have some kind of kindle e-reader (free for computer, ipad, and phone) you can have a free sample of an ebook sent to your device.

I know the decline of brick and mortar bookstores is an unhappy fact for some readers, but for those of us who do not have a bookstore in our neighborhood, or for those who prefer having a 3″ x 5″ library of thousands of…

View original post 61 more words

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Interviewed by author C.W. Thomas about Hell’s Children

Where do the ideas come from? How is the sausage made? Find out that and more:

http://cwthomas-fantasy.blogspot.com/2016/06/author-interview-john-l-monk.html

Fun interview. I laughed, I cried, yada yada, bada bing bada boom, pichow, bang bang! Ugh, he got me … he got me … *gasp*.

Lying motionless…

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized