Author Appleton

Writing. Fantasy. Sci-fi. Mystery

Book signings

Paperbacks ready for Signing & Packaging!

by Leave a Comment

My favorite Christmas memories involve unwrapping new books, then lounging on the couch to read while Christmas music played and my family laughed. Christmas is almost here, and the best way I know to celebrate is with a new book!

Among Broken Gods (The Sword of the Dragon series Book 6) already has 5 ratings/reviews on Amazon… and all of them say 5-Stars!

Ready for Signing and to be Packaged for Shipment!

Today my shipment of ABG paperbacks arrived. They look sharp on the shelf😎 Tomorrow, I will be Signing these, and my lovely wife is going to help me package them to ship out to the Kickstarter backers.

God bless you and yours!

Will God open these RV Bus doors?

by 9 Comments

Today I found an RV bus conversion on Ebay that looks like it will fit my family’s needs perfectly. As it turns out the owner is a Christian and a Pastor down in Oklahoma.

My wife and I would covet your prayers. Please pray that God will open these doors. We’ve been waiting for something like this for the past two years.

The price is perfect. If it is not this one I am sure God will make that clear, but for now I need to come up with the funds necessary for a purchase this size. I’m hoping to avoid financing charges because here in Connecticut the insurance cost would skyrocket on something like that.

At the moment this is a bit up-in-the-air but I always get this sense of spiritual freedom whenever I’m moving in the right direction and this bus does feel like the right decision. My family will travel full-time with me as we tour the country and share my books with youth from coast to coast.

If you are curious to see the inside of the bus, take a look at the pictures at this Link!

What defibrillators have in common with a Writing Career

by 8 Comments

A powerful jolt of electricity can get a dead engine running again. A defibrillator can make the human heart beat again. Everything needs a “jumpstarter” every now and then. My writing career took a few blows these last few years and sometimes it feels like I’m down for the count. But I’m not.

Urgo in Stargate SG-1

Remember that episode of SG-1 when Urgo is influencing the team’s decisions. “Try the paddles,” he says to Teal’c. So Teal’c grabs the defibrillator paddles and moves to use them before he is stopped. Really it was a funny episode!

My agent recently gave me the news that my publisher backed out of publishing the fourth book in my series The Sword of the Dragon. I can’t say this shocked me. I know that the publishing market has been struggling. But it still comes as a disappointment and I have to reassess some things. Before I get all of you worried, the rights for In Search of Dragons have reverted to me and I will be publishing it next year. Only difference is it will release from my company, Flaming Pen Press. Neverqueen sequels will also be released under FPP (more and exciting updates coming on this soon).

I have been eager to get back onto the road with book tours. I especially miss visiting middle schools. The interaction with fans was unparalleled and the excitement and interest it generated in my books was a constant source of strength and inspiration for my writing and my writing career.

On the upside I still have my literary agent. She has all the connections necessary to sell my manuscripts to publishers. On the downside working full-time in sales combined with family life leaves very little time to get my writing done. I have plenty of projects in-the-works, but I need to get them finished.

Take it from me there is nothing like pressing onward toward living your dream. I’ve lived it a couple of times. Right now I’m on sabbatical until I can work the kinks out so that I’m back out there nonstop writing, promoting, and selling. God will open the right doors as long as I keep working at it! (-:

Question: What discouragements have made you feel like ‘throwing in the towel’ on your dreams?