Category: Fiction

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Heads Up, New J.R.R. TOLKIEN NOVEL!

  I am super excited about this one. Being a huge fan of Tolkien, owner of two first edition novels of his, and avid fan of the movies… this is huge for me! The new novel is titled The Fall of Gondolin. It looks like Tolkien’s son Christopher Tolkien is trying to get everything out as fast as he can… given that he’s getting … Read More Heads Up, New J.R.R. TOLKIEN NOVEL!

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The Ins and Outs of Publishing, A Directory of Advice.

Hello. I am writing my first novel and have absolutely no clue about anything publishing related. Any advice you can offer on that subject would help greatly! K.W. Riley  Hi there, I actually get this question an awful lot and with good reason. Publishing is a tough road to navigate. Please check out the links below. These are previous posts I’ve made about the … Read More The Ins and Outs of Publishing, A Directory of Advice.

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Podcasting/Interview Requests

  Hi all, So I’ve had some people come forward with interview requests and podcast guest appearances. I thought it’d be a good idea to put this out there for anyone who would like to have me on their show or conduct an interview on their blog. For Podcasts/Audio Spots: I typically do everything over Skype, though I can make myself available on other … Read More Podcasting/Interview Requests

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Social Commentary/Political Agenda in Writing, The Good and Bad.

Hi Jim, I’ve been reading through some of your posts regarding avoiding politics, and escapism in entertainment. You seem to be extremely anti-politics in your advice. You use Marvel Comics and others as your primary example, but you do realize that they have always been political, right? Most of the mediums and genres you’ve addressed have historically been political. So I’m not really sure … Read More Social Commentary/Political Agenda in Writing, The Good and Bad.

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Drakin, where to buy, and what’s next?

  Hello all! So it’s been a couple of weeks now, it looks like sales are going well! Thanks BTW! So I know I haven’t been around in a while since I published Drakin and for that I do apologize. However I had some inspiration come my way… and actually managed to write out a full sequel in a matter of weeks. It’s really … Read More Drakin, where to buy, and what’s next?

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Character Creation, The How To

Hi Jim, I’ve been working on my story for a while, but am having trouble coming up with new characters. I was wondering if you had any advice about how you create yours? By the way, I am a huge fan of Vlad from Soul Siphon. I love how you made him a salty old Soviet Commie! Thanks, Ty Hi Ty,   Glad you … Read More Character Creation, The How To

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Endings: Memorable is More Important Than Happy or Sad.

Hi Jim, I’m getting ready to publish my first novel. I’ve finished the rough draft and have given it to an editor. They came back with a critique and it honestly got me thinking. He said that my ending may shut readers off because of how sad it is. I will admit that my story doesn’t end on a high note, but now I’m … Read More Endings: Memorable is More Important Than Happy or Sad.

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A Drakin Sequel. Character Introduction

So I wanted to take a moment and introduce some of the new characters that will be appearing in the next book. If you’d rather wait until it comes out to read about them, feel free to skip this post. Sergeant Radley Zall: Radley grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. After his parents died in the Red War, he was moved to an orphanage. He lived … Read More A Drakin Sequel. Character Introduction

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A Drakin Sequel? Updated

First of all, I want to thank everyone for the kind email of support! Your critiques and comments are what keep me writing! I may not be able to respond to every comment and critique I get, but rest assured I do love reading every single one of them and make every effort to get back to you! As stated before, yes there will … Read More A Drakin Sequel? Updated

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Is Spellcheck Enough?

Hi Jim, I’m sure you’ve answered this before, but I can’t find it in any of your recent posts. I finished my book and just finished running spell check. Everything looks good and the only things it says I still have to fix are grammar errors that are part of the dialogue. Is that sufficient for submitting it to publishers? Thanks, Michel Hi Michel, … Read More Is Spellcheck Enough?

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Two Stories In One

Hi Jim, I’m having trouble with two separate stories I’m writing. I’ve got both of them complete, but neither one of them is particularly long and I don’t think they’re strong enough to stand by themselves. I wrote them as sort of a separate story in the same universe where the characters from both stories meet up at the end and basically finish off … Read More Two Stories In One

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A Drakin Sequel?

  I’ve gotten a few questions asking about the possibility of a Drakin sequel. I want to make it clear that Raiya and Jagger’s story is complete. There really isn’t much more to go over with them. That having been said… yes there will be a follow-up story. I have just finished the preliminary work on the sequel. I’m currently on the second draft and … Read More A Drakin Sequel?