Focusing on reaching Christian readers

AuthorAppleton on May 2, 2016

Thank you to all who participated in my 2016 Reader Survey! I learned some valuable things that have helped me make some important decisions for moving forward with my website and writing. Finally I have enough data to move forward knowing who is being blessed and responding best to my writing. Before I get into the fun stuff (for the changes I’m instituting for this year) let me share with you some of the survey results:

The vast majority of my readers are devout Christian singles under 26-years-old. They are most interested in getting more novels in The Sword of the Dragon series (including the Neverqueen saga). On my blog they prefer to read about Reinforcing Christian Values through Writing Fiction.

Writing a weekly post for my blog has become all-consuming of my writing time of late, especially with my other commitments. To be candid I am writing far too little fiction and making far too little progress in continuing the novels and stories you all have asked me for. So to free up my creativity I am going to assign my blog posts to the first Monday of each month, no longer putting out a weekly article. Every now and then I plan to throw in an extra writing tip or glimpse into what I am writing. This will allow me to focus on the best content for the website but also to focus on the fiction writing.

I am spread too thin and my energies have been less effective as a result. It is my hope that this will empower my writing to get back on track with the fiction writing, putting my mind back in the story creation process. I have so many good stories to tell and I so badly want to finish writing them. But all in good time!

The second change I am making is a big one for me. My novels have had broad market appeal, reaching people from many different political and religious persuasions. But the people who disagreed with my stances prove time and again that I cannot “straddle the fence” so to speak. Some who despise my Christian values have gone so far as to attack by calling me names or reaching assumptions that were not true. I know in Whom I have believed and I believe He is able to bring all to a knowledge of repentance and that all must repent of sin and turn to God. This message resonates with the readers who are my kindred spirits and I fully intend that my focus will now be on writing chiefly as a Christian author. Christian readers most appreciate where I am coming from, they know me best. They rally behind the right things and call out the things that are wrong.

We are in a spiritual battle, and the way I am gifted to fight the spiritual is to lead hearts and minds through powerful writing that convicts, uplifts, and strengthens the faithful as I grow in my walk with the Lord. It is time to narrow my focus to the Christian readership because there my writing is having the right impact on people’s lives. Please pray for me as I move forward with these changes. Some will not be happy with my decision, but I know that ultimately God will bless it.

Q: How does your faith impact your creative pursuits?

2016 Reader Survey! Please participate

AuthorAppleton on April 18, 2016

Another year has gone by… it’s hard to believe I have published over a hundred posts on this site. Some posts receive a lot more attention than others and honestly it is hard to know sometimes what content you would most enjoy getting from me. As an author, editor, former publisher, and writing coach it is a challenge for me to determine what aspects of my content to focus on. In order to keep me on track I need your help!

This is your opportunity to let me know what you want. You are my audience and I derive great satisfaction from producing content that you like. Not only that, but my writing livelihood depends in part on knowing where to focus my energies. I have a day job, and a busy family life (which I love) but my time is at a premium. My energy needs to focus on completing the projects that appeal most to you so that I can get back to writing full time again, and consequently that will allow me to produce the products you like with greater frequency.

Thanks for sharing your valuable time!

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The New Fantasy Beast

AuthorAppleton on March 7, 2016

Innovative fantasy creatures are born from strange ideas. In my writing experience it is easy to invent creatures. But it is not enough to create new creatures, they must be memorable in their uniqueness. They must be believable in their physical and behavioral traits. …Such a creature is the Cat Beast.

Some of the creatures I created for The Sword of the Dragon series were more successful than others. The most popular so far have been the Megatraths. Six-legged monsters of an ancient lineage that has been lost to legend. Offspring introduced these beasts with a cruel Megatrath whose consideration of humanoids was that they were little more than playthings for his cruel amusement. Then we trekked into the desert homeland of the creatures and met Vectra, matriarch of the Megatraths. The Megatraths are neither cruel nor thoughtless. Cunning, yes. Of great physical strength, definitely. Breathing fire, exhaling poisonous vapors.

In the Neverqueen Saga I wanted to introduce a new beast that would hold us with a similar fascination as the megatraths. This may be same storyworld as the primary books in The Sword of the Dragon series, but here I wanted something that would personify the different sort of stories these books will tell. Neverqueen is more about finesse and beauty that hides souls in pain. It may sound a bit strange, but Hey! let me apologize. This is the writer’s mind.

What creature is more subtle than a cat? More resilient than a mountain ram? What sort of beast would rival a dragon in a fight even if it possessed no scales and could not breath fire?

The Cat Beasts are rarely seen. Possessing the strength of a dragon and near a dragon’s size, but often rivaling a dragon’s intelligence. They seem to be all but extinct. A couple are known to remain of the species… until the events of Neverqueen2. But there is one more truth that could determine our perception of them: they serve the wizard, Turser.

Such beautiful creatures. Yet such a pallor of uncertainty and fear surrounds them.

Q: What type of beast most fascinates you?

Cover reveal! Neverqueen2

AuthorAppleton on February 22, 2016

It has been exciting to receive feedback from more readers with each passing month who’ve greatly enjoyed delving into The Sword of the Dragon expansion series Neverqueen. Many have loved the characters Violet and Alfor, and the prophetess along the Eiderveis River. But as many questions as that novel answered, it opened up even more. There is so much more to tell in the Neverqueen Saga… and I am pleased to now reveal the final cover for Neverqueen2. This book releases Spring/Summer 2016!

For this cover I used the same artist as my last two. His name is Benjamin Roque and you are already familiar with his work. He illustrated The Phantom’s Blade (The Sword of the Dragon book 4) as well as Neverqueen (book 1). This work is, I think, the best yet.Neverqueen2 fantasy book coverWhen approaching the artist about this project I was concerned with getting several elements right, the most important being the design of a new original fantasy creature I crafted for this novel: the Cat Beast. With the face of a cat, ram’s horns on his head, a body the size of a dragon, feathered wings, and a spiked tail. This beast is a rival in battle to many a dragon. His name is Destrono and he is a pawn of a wizard whom you are familiar with.

Neverqueen2 will release in paperback and on Kindle e-reader Spring/Summer 2016.

Q: Are you going to share this book cover with your fantasy-loving friends? (-; Please do! Thanks in advance!

Backstage pass! Specter: the story continues

AuthorAppleton on February 1, 2016

Often when writing a fantasy story the original drafts do not contain all of the key elements that flesh out a good tale. But in future drafts as the story evolves, especially if you are a seat-of-the-pants writer, new elements and even new characters come into play. When writing my first novel Swords of the Six I created an utterly unexpected character with which fans of the books fell in love. He is the most popular protagonist, yet his story (for that series) came to an end in Key of Living Fire. Many people have wondered, “What happened to Specter?”

For a few years I have toyed with the idea of following Specter on his journey away from the events in The Sword of the Dragon series. Now, I am pleased to say, the opening chapter to a forthcoming episode following Specter is written. This will likely flesh out into a novel of its own, but for now I am writing it as a longer short story. One that you will find a satisfying addition to the fantasy genre. For now it is titled Specter: By the Portal’s Glow and I am looking to release this Spring 2016.

Here is a tease of what is to come:

Specter: By the Portal’s Glow

Warmth enveloped Specter’s body, cradling him through waves of light and color as the portal sped him where it would. The darkness of the Hidden Realm was left far behind. Ribbons of light formed a veritable rainbow upon which he walked. Portal travel was not new to him, he let it speed him on and waited to see what undiscovered destination it held in store for him.

A few hours or more were lost to him. He waited for the destination to emerge, for never had a portal journey continued for such an extended time. He thought with satisfaction of the frustrated creature that had tried to pursue him. The white beast had been monstrous. Even the dragon Valorian, which vile beast Specter had long dreaded, had proved but a nuisance to the creature as it broke the dragon.

This path of light now spirited him out of the creature’s reach. Not that he was a coward. Specter allowed himself a smile as he lifted before his face the prized skeleton key that the water skeel had sought to obtain. Fire played on the key, burning from within its bronze surface. With this now in his hand the power of living fire would remain sealed in the Hold. It would remain accessible only to the stouthearted man wielding the sword of the dragon.

Perhaps now was the time to bring Specter’s life to an appropriately humble retirement. He glanced at his other fist, flexing his ice fingers. It was a strange thing but wondrous. Where his hand had been severed he had grown one of ice from the realm of the Water Skeels. And his icy fist grasped the two-handed sword of hard crystal that he had crafted from water. A thing of beauty, he had carved through Valorian’s host with this weapon. He had formed it in the image of the sword he had wielded a thousand years ago. It was time to lay this weapon aside, to leave behind the nemesis that he had been to the Grim Reaper. That vile being was dead by his hand, its skull shattered and scattered to the wind in the city of Netroth. And Specter’s pupil, Auron, thinking himself capable of continuing in the Reaper’s steps, now lay dead in the Hidden Realm.

“I saved you once, Auron,” Specter whispered to the vast streams of color. “I saved you and your demise was just. I will not weep at the death of one as vile as you. Instead I embrace the future of those like Ilfedo and Oganna who will seek righteousness and justice.”

In the midst of Specter’s musings the streams of color flashed with angry white. Over his shoulder he glimpsed the tunnel of light collapsing in his wake. His eyes widened in horror. He possessed knowledge spanning over a thousand years, yet he could not recall even a mention of anything similar to this occurrence.

The walls of his tunnel of light thinned. He glimpsed the black depths of space stretching in all directions. Stars flashed by in a blur, for his passage among them was swift. His heart thudded in his chest, such as he had not felt in a long time. He was helpless. Trapped. He had chosen wrong. By stepping into the portal he had succeeded in preserving the power of living fire, yet invariably he had doomed himself by passing into a failing portal.

He held the key of living fire before his face once again, frowning as he studied it. Could it be used to fuel the portal to propel him to the end of this journey? He shook his head, stuffing the key into the lining of his cloak. At least here, in the black depths of the sky, the key would remain safe. There was no greater hiding place than this.

Kneeling in the shimmering current, he resigned himself to the care of God. Nowhere else could he turn. He closed his eyes against the tears his heart longed to bleed. He released his dream for his own future life of quiet, and the possibility of finding a life of peace. War had been his existence. War, treachery, and violence.

Suddenly the floor dropped from under him. He opened his eyes as he tumbled headfirst down a side shaft of light. Behind him the air screamed out of the light tunnel. As he rolled down the side shaft he caught glimpses of the passage vanishing into the void of space.

To be continued (in great detail)…

Q: Would you like to see a Specter novel?

Dealing with creative slumps

AuthorAppleton on December 14, 2015

We creatives are strange creatures. We are writers and artists who live off of the ideas that populate in our brains. Let me stop beating around the bush. Tonight I am admitting I am having one of those moments… one of those days… one of those weeks.

My creative well has run dry. I smile as I think about it because I have been here before. It feels frustrating. I want to write some fantastic blog posts that will give you some great information and, hopefully, entertain you. Yet I stare at the screen and foolishly smile at myself.

I think we all hit these times. If we are writers, artists, or some other type of creative. Our brain works overtime when other people seem to relax. When I am thinking hard on a story idea, world-building, or publishing and writing in general, my hands literally get cold. I am not sure if this is the reason, but it seems to me my forehead always feels warm even when my hands are cold, as if my brain is firing too fast and all the blood runs to my head instead.

So what am I to do, and what should you do when you reach these moments? I have been in a creative slump for the past few weeks. This year I ran on burnout for too long and I think it simply caught up with me.

So what will I do?

I will relax. I will watch TV shows and a good science fiction movie, pick up a good book, listen to music. In short, I will refill my creative reservoir.

As far as keeping up with my blogging, I cannot let that fall behind… so I have written a blog post about my lack of creativity. 🙂 And you know what? It was fun! Sometimes the path to victory in these slumps is to admit you don’t have it so that you can fill your mind afresh.

Don’t think of these moments as defeat. Think of them as a time to reset, and recognize that you will come out stronger. Great art is not forced. It must be allowed to slowly grow.

Q: What do you do in creative slumps?

How past success motivates current endeavors

AuthorAppleton on November 9, 2015

It’s amazing looking back over the past six years. So much has changed. I am a goal-oriented person and I am pleased to see that most of my goals have been reached. With the release of The Phantom’s Blade this past week I now have five published fantasy novels. It is important to reflect on what we’ve accomplished. It sets our mind in a positive way, looking ahead to greater things to come.

I can remember the thrill of holding my first copy of Swords of the Six in my hand. It was a dream come true. And somehow that feeling is duplicated every time I hold a copy of a new release in my hands. Each book represents numerous hours of thoughtful, sometimes painful attention to story and detail. Trying to make each book a work of art is always my goal.

Every time I hold a copy of one of my newly released novels in my hand I feel thrilled and relieved. Finally the hard work has paid off. Finally I can share with readers the story that has been banging around in brain, screaming to be released. Each story is a piece of my soul, as it were. A sharing of my deepest convictions, conflicts, fears, and hopes.

Storytelling is a beautiful thing. The task of writing a new novel is enormous. Each time I begin the journey the end seems insurmountably far off. But when I look back at the works I’ve already published I find encouragement and it helps me persevere until the task is completed.

Q: Do you get a thrill when you craft a story? Or when you read a new book that impacts you?

Backstage pass! the value of interior design

AuthorAppleton on October 26, 2015

People do judge a book by its cover. It’s a fact, like it or not. Thus the high priority on a good cover. Hiring a professional artist is a must… But the next impression is just as important and that is the look and feel of the book’s interior. This week I wanted to do something a bit different by highlighting what a good typesetter can do for a novel.

You know the feeling. As a reader you walked into your favorite bookstore and began perusing the shelves for that fresh read. If you are like me the title is the first thing that jumps out at you. You pass over the boring titles (and the ones that scream copycat) and your eyes pause on something that interests you. You pull it off the shelf and immediately resist the urge to let the bile out of your stomach. Yep, the cover is just plain awful. Some author’s niece did it and it screams amateur. Subliminally you are now weighing the possibility in your mind that the author took just as little care and consideration for the content on the pages of that book. You are likely going to flip it open to try the first page (or a random one if you’re one of those kind). But the layout of the book looks as if it were pulled directly off of its MS Word document. The font is all-to-familiar, the chapter headings bland, and the margins are not justified. Your impression? This isn’t worth my time!

You know the other feeling too, of that title that catches your eye. The cover that gives you that Wow factor. Then at last (with one eye closed in case you’re to be disappointed again) you open the book. This time the book’s interior design, layout, and the typesetting are tight. Thus, undeterred you read the first pages with a lot more faith than you did in that amateurish book.

I say all of this to point out that some people are really good at what they do. They have a gift for turning something ordinary into a work of art that will delight the reader’s eye. Sometimes I have made the mistake of looking for the cheap out when it comes to book artwork, design, and typesetting. Yet constantly I see that hiring professionals to produce a great product builds my brand far better than if I cut corners.

For my first book and my two recent novels I used Katherine Lloyd. If you are interested in seeing what a professional does with a book I highly recommend you check out her website: TheDeskOnline Recently Katherine finished typesetting The Phantom’s Blade for me, which will release November 6th 2015. The product looks terrific and gives that touch of artistry that will really make reading this new novel a pleasure.

Q: What books have impressed you with their presentation, and which have turned you away?