Hello, Victor Storm

At last, the Spring Rains books created as part of my Kickstarter project have been delivered. There was a bit of a delay for a medical emergency that was not me but occupied a lot of my time, and for some reason the shipping was delayed after the printing, but everything is delivered now.

All the books of the Spring Rains omnibus (Winter Kills, Angel of Death, Swamp Monster, and Bad Apples) have been finally uploaded everywhere. Check them out.

And get ready, because this coming week, from February 26 to March 2, all the Victor Storm books will be on sale everywhere for $2.99 and $3.99. You’ll be able to pick up the whole set for only $13.96. Sweet!

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Two More Kickstarters

I’m working hard now to get all the Victor Storm books properly edited, proofread, packaged, and published. It’s a lot of work, but I want it done this week. This means long, focused days. Focusmate to the rescue.

I’m eager to finish these projects because, I’ve pretty much decided to do the dangerous but cool Kickstarter I mentioned before–next week. It will be a lot of fun, but also dangerous, and probably four weeks long.

And, that one will be followed a week later with another one that’s even cooler.

I can’t wait to share the details. First, though, I need to get these Victor Storm books out.

Word Goals

I’ve been considering how to go forward, and now that I’m almost at the place where the main work is writing new words, I think it makes sense to have word goals again. I’ve found word goals to be fun and useful when the main work is writing new words, but frustrating and counterproductive when the main work is reworking projects.

Beeminder has been a good tool for word goals in the past, and I enjoy it when it goes well, which it does when the main work is writing new words every day. When the main work changes to something that doesn’t mean cranking out new words, it becomes a distraction, at least for me. However, it does offer the ability to share a progress graph on my website, which would be useful for the spectacle Kickstarter projects I have in mind.

So, I’ll probably be adopting word goals again, as soon as Monday morning, and I’ll likely be sharing them in the sidebar of my website. Watch for it. Like many things lately, it should be fun

Focusmate = Magic

While I’ve been doing the work to package and release the Victor Storm novels of my Kickstarter, I’ve been mapping out the books I want to finish and get out over the next few months. What I have planned is a lot of work. But, I have a secret weapon for staying on task: Focusmate.

Focusmate, if you haven’t heard, is a website that lets you schedule a block of time you’d like to work (25, 50, or 75 minutes), then pairs you with someone else working at the same time for the same duration. At the scheduled time, you then have a little conference with that person, almost always with your cameras on so you can see them working and they can see you. You greet each other at the beginning of the session, set your intentions as far as what you hope to accomplish in the session, then usually mute your microphones and go to work. At the end of the session, you unmute your microphones and tell briefly how it went. Then you sign off and either go to the next block or do whatever you want.

It probably sounds awkward to some people, and completely unnecessary to others, but I and many others find it almost magic. Something about having another person visibly working with you makes it easy to stay undistracted and on task. It’s very powerful, and it’s how I’ve gotten some of my best work done over the past few years.

Give it a try if you have work to do.

Funded, Next

I’m working hard to deliver the rewards promised from my just-ended Kickstarter, and I hope to have SIX new Victor Storm novels out in the next two weeks, plus two bundles. I don’t think I’ll do another Kickstarter for the next Victor Storm bundle, though.

But that doesn’t mean I’m done with Kickstarter. I’m toying with the idea of launching a two-week Kickstarter, and in the duration of it write the novel that is the subject of the Kickstarter. I would post daily updates, and it would be a lot of fun. Maybe it would generate interest.

If I decide to do it, and I probably will, I will probably launch it within two weeks. Also, it will have a topic that should garner more interest and support than vigilante thrillers.