Author Appleton

Writing. Fantasy. Sci-fi. Mystery

The Phantom's Blade

How past success motivates current endeavors

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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

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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?

My intention with “The Phantom’s Blade”

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I do not write stories simply to tell them. I do not look for the stories to merely entertain. I want them to have staying power and so they reflect the moments of my life. My next story explores the grim reality of loneliness and the hope of companionship. It shapes a future that is ever brighter because we must place our hope not in ourselves, but in the strength we find in doing good. Enter The Phantom’s Blade (The Sword of the Dragon book 4).

November 6th is the date! Finally it’s time to continue The Sword of the Dragon series and see what happens next with Ilfedo, Oganna, and Ombre.

I am so excited for this! It’s been a few years that I’ve been working on the material for this novel. The hardest part for me when writing Key of Living Fire was to leave a slew of newly-found characters in the underground city of Dresdyn. There are elements of the Hemmed Land’s history that have long hinted that they came from a land long lost. A history where technology was far in advance of what Ilfedo’s people currently understand as they exist in a near-medieval condition.

This book was written with sweat and tears… almost literally 😉 as I struggled to balance the many things going on in my life. Family, work, illness, moving to South Carolina, my fourth child being born, and now moving into our first house. It’s an exciting time as God has opened the doors so that now I can build a home business of writing, speaking, and editing. When your read my novels you are reading a reflection of what has happened and is happening in my life. My confusion, my revelations, my times of pain and of joy. The characters are put through much so that I can continue to evolve as a writer. So that my writing is not merely the telling of stories, but rather the sharing of visions striven for and attained.

Stories change hearts. Stories make a difference in our lives and in our culture.

So be sure to mark your calendar and warm a spot on your bookshelf for The Phantom’s Blade (The Sword of the Dragon book 4). Available on November 6th 2015.

Finishing The Phantom’s Blade (in the midst of my busy life)

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For the past two years my readers have been asking, “When is the next book in The Sword of the Dragon series coming out?” This fourth installment is titled The Phantom’s Blade.

This writing project has been my most difficult yet. Why? Because I am juggling family, a full-time day job, and writing projects. This hasn’t been easy but at last I have found a “schedule” that is allowing me to get The Phantom’s Blade completed.

I work during the day, return home, and my kids are going to bed about 8 o’clock. Most nights I don’t get home until after 8 if not 9. I tried getting onto a morning schedule but so far without success. The challenge of that is that the kids can often get up in the middle of the night, so my level of energy and motivation in the morning varies greatly.

Up until I was seventeen I spent most nights stargazing with my telescopes (I’ve always loved astronomy). Often I stayed up until 3 or even 4 in the morning. The night hours have, ever since, remained my most productive time.

The Phantom’s Blade is passed 77,000-words now. I have been writing it late at night. Coffee has been the ticket to getting me passed midnight at which time my brain usually gets a second creative wind. The story has turned out really well. Many characters that readers of Swords of the Six, Offspring, and Key of Living Fire will recognize return for further development. I anticipate this book finishing at 90,000-words…

Expect The Phantom’s Blade to be available in paperback this Fall 2015.