STILL ROLLING (AND WRITING)!

While I didn’t have a monster week like I did last week in working on my two projects, I think it was still pretty impressive. My novel jumped from 160 pages to 198. The story is coming together really nicely. It’s all in my head, I just need the time to get it on paper.

My other project is a biography I am doing on a businessman from Kaua’i. I’ve now completed everything on that book up to our last interview. I’m scheduled to talk to him next on Saturday. Once I speak to him I I will be back to writing some more on that project.

I also met a guy who very well may be the feature of another book… and another challenge. The guy is a young homebrewer who is pursuing a dream to open his own craft brewery. If we can work out the details, I’m planning on following his journey and writing about it. This is something totally new for me as he’s still about two years out from getting his business going. It should be an interesting project and make for a really cool book. I hope this one comes through. I am scheduled to talk to him later this week as well.

It’s all exciting stuff. It always is!

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CYBER MONDAY & THE INDIE AUTHOR

All of my work is done for 2014. I do not have any further works getting published this year. I am starting on a couple of project that will be out next year. I’m working on both some pre-production work on both my novella and my book on bourbon (I have the companies I want to approach identified and I will be contacting them soon).

Even though I don’t have any other books coming out this year, it doesn’t mean I’m done promoting my current work. Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, is the busiest online shopping day of the year. Many of you will spend a good deal of time shopping the many deals being offered for this retail event (even if it means you are a little less productive at work).

Even I, and indie author, want to get in on this action!

First of all, my latest book, Leo the Coffee Drinking Cat Gets on TV, is a great item to pick up if you are shopping for someone in the 2 – 6 year old set! It’s a fun story and my “primitive” drawing style (as my Mom labeled it) actually works well with the young ones. They seem to like the simplicity of my work.

At a price point of less than $8, it’s an affordable gift and it may even help you round out your shopping cart on Amazon.com if you are looking to get to their $35 threshold for free shipping.

I’m even starting off the holiday season by giving a few gifts for you. Two of my mini eBooks containing single chapters and bonus material from my book Small Brand America IV: Special Beer Edition, are free on Amazon on December 1 and 2. You can download both Brooklyn Brewery and Odell Brewing Company for these two days only. Just click on their name above to go directly to the site (if you don’t have a Kindle device, just download their free app). I only ask that you please review these books on Amazon as return of the favor of these free gifts.

As always, I thank you for your interest in my writing and wish you a happy and healthy holiday season!

BEER, BUDDIES AND A COFFEE DRINKING CAT

I’ve been working with several of the craft breweries featured in my book Small Brand America IV this week. With the holidays coming up, I’ve got a pretty interesting plan to promote my book this Christmas season. If this comes together, it has the potential to be my largest book promotion yet so I really hope some of the companies featured in the book are on board.

Next year I’m planning on writing my first novella. It’s represents a great progression in my writing from my nonfiction work, my children’s book series and my short stories. I’ve done a lot of work on the story, which is about two buddies living in Hawaii, and I’ve even managed to start an outline. The really fun part is the fact I’ve got some friends in Hawaii that I met while writing the third edition of my Small Brand America series which focused on food companies based in Hawaii.

Two of the people in that book have personal backgrounds which fit so nicely in the book so I asked them to be in it as characters. The good news: they are in! It’s kinda becoming a signature move for me to incorporate real people into my fictional work. It makes for this unique blurring of reality and fiction and the inclusion of these two individuals is going to really make for some fun in this one!

My biggest news of the week is the fact I’ve completed writing on the third book in my Leo the Coffee Drinking Cat™ series. The book is written and illustrated. I just need to complete the editing (yes, even kid’s books need to be edited) and get the cover back and then it will be ready to publish. Can’t wait to get this one out there.

Any way you look at it, that’s a pretty good week!

BEER

I’m officially off-and-running with Small Brand America IV. Hence the hint in the subject line:

BEER

Yes, it’s a great way to get most people’s attention. It’s there because Small Brand America IV is once again going to be a special edition. This time focusing on craft brewers.

My first interview is in the books. I spoke to Ron Jefferies of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. Fascinating guy. He will be a great addition to the edition!

Back to writing…