December update… and yes, things are progressing with the preparations to publish The Spinner’s Game on Kindle (and POD), launch date: 20th March 2020, Vernal Equinox.
Editing…
I can report with great relief that Books One, Two, Three and Four – The Spinner’s Child, Lake of Dreams, The Pole That Threads and Lady of First Making – are all polished and every word sparkling. Yay!
The Spinner’s Sins (Book Five aka Asaric Sins, working title)
The rewrites and revisions have begun and are progressing well, to my satisfaction. Some chapters take longer than others, needing just that little bit more attention.
And whilst doing that, I’m giving each finished chapter its final edit.
Where am I with this? About halfway through.
And hey, here’s another chance to show off Lauren Willmore’s fantastic cover design.
Maps. Yay! Maps.
Have I said before I. Love. Maps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, I’ve now got to grips with a map-making app Inkarnate. And as a first try out, I produced this. It was done on the freebie version. To produce maps to use commercially, I need to buy the licence. I thought I’d wait till after Christmas for that. But I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a much better version.
The Spinner’s Mythic World – A Traveller’s Guide
The Supplement Giveaway, to be offered with Pre-Orders, loosely styled on the Lonely Planet Guides. The material for this is still lodged in my head although I have made notes. So that’s another step nearer.
Still much work to be done before that Launch Date arrives. And meantime, thoughts arise of What About After?
Bellinn Road
Bellinn Road is less a sequel more another story in the Asaric Tales series. I hope to get it out on Kindle by mid-summer. More news of that anon.
Next e-book update will be… Sunday 5th January 2020
crispina kemp 
Yay! Hoorah! Yippe-ky-yay! Oblesquort-min-fung! Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!
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Brian, you are such a piss-take. But you do make me laugh! 🙂
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I had to look up “piss-take,” Crispina. It’s not common usage among us former colonialists. And I don’t think I want to go into all the possible meanings that came to mind. 😉
But, seriously (oops, already I’m hitting a credibility problem), my congratulations on the progress to VE (Vernal Equinox) Day and, hey, I’m a map fiend, too, on the map.
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Of course, I ought to remember that. Well, that was only the first draft. It’ll look lots more professional once I move onto the licenced version. I’m doing maps for books 1, 3, 4 & 5… Five will be the town of Lohanit and the Gusrikt settlement. For Book Four I want to show the Gimmrin towns around Green Lake, prior to flood, in relation to the Plain of Gushan. I’ve been playing with the map for Book Three, allowing for the fact when I come to do Alsalda I shall need a similar map but with the subsequent sealevel rises. And I’m itching to get them done but… must finish this final polish of Book Five. Several scenes needing rewrites. But we push on.
And is it true, that term isn’t so well known across the pond? Gosh.
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Ooooh, I’m drooling with anticipation. (So it’s not just my usual day-to-day ordinary halfwit drooling.) And “piss-take?” Wiki’s article on “taking the piss” suggests the longer form is a U.K./Ireland/South Africa/Australia/N.Z. thing. Still, it does show up in some online dictionaries that are undoubtedly U.S.-based.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taking_the_piss
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Yea, I didn’t think it was totally Brit. Though those other places listed are Commonwealth places
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Although, speaking as a completely impartial observer, and in no way affected by my own citizenship, you might find some object to calling Ireland a “Commonwealth place.” 😉
But I know what you mean. 🙂
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Oops, sorry. But as you said, you knew what I meant.
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No apologies necessary.
Oh, and btw, I was thinking of your photography over the Thanksgiving holiday here, as we went walking through a nearby woodland, and one of the other people was trying to identify all the fungi we saw growing on trees. I see you’ve a new one posted, which I’ll get a look at in a few hours from now, after I go run some errands.
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It’s a shame flowers and fungi aren’t universal; what grows on your trees mightn’t grow on mine, and vice versa. Yet the main families remain. And I bet you find loads of birch brackets, cos brackets love birches… or it seems to me
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IN FACT, you are EXACTLY right. Glenn (who is EJ’s brother) was identifying brackets that were specific to particular species of birches.
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Birch is host to several types of brackets. As is the oak. The next fungi-attractinng tree is the beech, which has a tendency to play host to a huge range of oddities… including the jelly ear.
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Why do you need license to create your own maps? It is set in a mythical place is it not? Hmmmmm… Congratulations on your fine progress….
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You need to licence to publish, commercially, maps produced with their software. Cos you’re using all their detaily bits.
And thanks for your congrats… I’m getting there 🙂
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Aha! It is 230 am and I have already learned something new. Thank you my wellspring….
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Your wellspring. I like that. Thank you. 🙂
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I hope to read them. Yes I really to make a map of my fantasy world, and I have no clue how to go about it. I know what it looks like in my mind, but my drawing skills are pretty rudimentary. I think I should take a look at that map software.
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Check out YouTube first. There are several demo videos, tuition & stuff, gives you an idea how to use the app. Good luck. And enjoy.
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Loving this news, the creeping on of Asaric Tales. And Maps! Who doesn’t love a map in a fantasy novel? I always find them really useful. And family trees or lists of characters too – you including any of those or am I just being awkward? Looking forward to the launch very much x
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No genealogies, sorry. Although when I come to do Bellinn Road, I might include some. But really, there aren’t enough main characters in The Spinner’s Game to need it.
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That’s a really good point. Having three map is a wonderful idea though. As is the additional material you’re giving away with our orders. Great idea
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Thank you. Full of ideas, Lynn… something about having a marketing background. 🙂
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I envy you for having the ideas! If I self pubbed I’d need to pay someone to give me marketing ideas, as well as proofing, cover art etc …
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Oh, loads of books on then subject, and YouTube videos.
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I think the map is shaping up fantastic. And, so very nice to have found software such that you can concentrate on the shaping of your world and have some nice tools made for that purpose.I like the mountains and the compass rose. Its black and white but I presume you can colorize it if you want to. Or even do a parchment – ish antiquing to the map. I have utilized things that were free for the personal use or play, then buy the license if you plan to use it commercially. I have done that with photoshop brushes and a couple of fonts I’d used on cards. The web has given us such massive access to the creative and intellectual property of others to work with and its nice to respect and support that. I really feel great anticipation for your publication date and can’t wait to see it out there!! Good going!!
I can’t write a novel but maybe I can go and find a fungus to share!! 🙂
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🙂 That postscript made me laugh. Not a good idea when you’ve a mouthful of coffee.
The map app produces in colour. But to colourprint in POD is pricey, so I’m converting the colour to B&W. I’m emailing you the two I’ve done, the colour versions
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Got em and they look really good…its gonna be nice when you are all done. What a project too with places over the span of 5 books and a kind of immortal life time. I guess each book could have its own area of concentration though and one big globe too!! Whew!!
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Each book does have it’s only area of focus.
I remember long ago reading of how to write a bestseller. A story that spans continents, and ages. But I’m not looking for a bestseller. Just to be accepted.
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I looked at that tool – very cool, but it’s obvious you had to spend a lot of effort to get yours to look so perfect!
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Nah. That version took about 20 minutes. But then I put it through Polarr, the app I use for my photos, to make it pop a bit, and convert it to B&W. But thanks for the compliment.
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The post processing did help the effects a lot.
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Yes, I do admit. Although my later results were better than this. I’m itching to get onto the Pro-Version, but if I do that before I’ve finished the edits… ha-ha… those edits won’t get done. 🙂
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