The Ninth Avatar - map posted!

Special thanks to Cathy (and Amanda) for making this possible.



Click it for a larger version.

Wilderness and Review

I'm back.

We took a nice weekend off and went camping up in Pike Nat'l Forest, near Woodland Park. It was beautiful, the weather mostly cooperated, and the company was definitely worthwhile. We did a few miles of hiking, had lunch beside a reservoir, and enjoyed the peace and quiet that only a campsite can provide. It was a fun trip, all told, and the six of us (plus one baby and one dog) survived unscathed.

In other news, I read about 25% of Jacqueline Carey's Santa Olivia over the weekend. I inadvertently left A Clash of Kings in my car before we left, and had to start a new book so I picked the one with the cover I loved. Definitely a "different" book, as I was told at the signing event. So far, I don't know that I'm too in love with the characters or their motivations, but I'm going to push through to the end.

Another review for The Ninth Avatar posted recently, this one on Goodreads. Though he mentions the typos, and there were points were he "didn't know what was going on," it was all around a good review. An honest 4-stars. Thanks, Jake.

I have a lot of catching up to do on Authonomy, so I'm going to get to it. I'm also a little backlogged on responding to ID comments -- I should be getting to that today, as well.

Jacqueline Carey visits Denver!

Last night, Jacqueline Carey performed a reading and did a signing at the Tattered Cover in Lower Downtown (LoDo), Denver. From what I gathered, she had not been "here" before so it was quite a milestone. As part of her publicity tour for both Santa Olivia and Naamah's Kiss, she spoke about both as well as took questions on them and her writing process in general.

I attended, as it's not every day that an author I've read (and enjoyed) comes to town for a signing. My love of the Santa Olivia cover aside, it really is nice to clamor with the fans and meet someone who you respect as a professional author.

Carey's reading was from the upcoming sequel to Naamah's Kiss, cleverly titled Naamah's Curse, due out possibly June 2010. Of course, if the author were any authority on when their books came out, GRRM wouldn't be catching so much flak (meaning don't put all your eggs in the June 2010 basket). The writing was great, as we have come to expect, and it became more and more clear to me that Carey is kind of the Queen of Research when it comes to the culture in her books.

While she was signing books for me (Santa Olivia and Kushiel's Chosen), I mentioned that I had just published my own book this year. She asked what the title was, and to her credit she searched her memory when I said "The Ninth Avatar." She hadn't heard of it, of course, not yet, but it was still quite the courtesy. I don't know how many published authors come to her events, or mention their own work, but judging by the number of fans in the room it's not 100% likely she'd remember too many if they did. That's why things like Facebook are so important.

Jacqueline Carey was pleasant and approachable. I hope she makes her way to Denver again in the future.

Important links:

• Tattered Cover
• Jacqueline Carey's Official Website

Book Update Roundup

Some great things are happening in my little writing world, so I owe you all an update on them. This didn't want to wait until tomorrow.

The Ninth Avatar
Contests
As you might have seen the last post on Avatar regarding the purchase links, I'm running sort of an impromptu giveaway for a copy/some copies of the book if you repost the purchase links. Whether it's on Twitter, Facebook, your blog, your local coffee shop's bulletin board, or screaming from the rooftops, the goal here is to get the word out.

Reviews
In keeping with that theme, Amanda from Bunny Review has posted the first official, non-Amazon review of Avatar. Here are some choice excerpts that I couldn't pass up:

"The language and dialogue are respectful of the fantasy world while still maintaining a certain finesse Newton can call his own. The writing is exquisite, his settings realistic, and his characters astonishingly multidimensional."

"The plot ascends, with jaw dropping twists and turns, to an eventual ending that could only spawn from Todd Newton himself."

"I am breathless by how well written this piece is."

Read the whole review here.

As a side note, I'm not sure I'll get used to being referred to as simply "Newton." I guess I should appreciate that my last name isn't Martin, since two of my favorite authors already have that one covered. Mark Charan Newton may already have the last name covered, but I won't let that stand in my way.

Prequel & Sequel
The more I promote Avatar, the more I'm finding I love this world and these characters. Though the prequel & sequel plan wouldn't include them all (and shouldn't, which you'll know if you've read the book) I do find myself warming more to the concept. The idea is to branch out in both directions from the story at once, and (possibly) release a prequel and sequel simultaneously, and then maybe even continue from there. I'm still not sure how plausible this is, as I'm sure it will be incredibly difficult to think both forwards and backwards at the same time, but I'm more than willing to give it a try.

Thomas Redpool Goes To Hell
This one is still sitting pretty on Authonomy, just below the 400's mark in ranking. Based on a recommendation from my Writer's Group, I've contacted a new company here in Colorado, Trapdoor Books, and they are currently reading and evaluating its merit. They're also taking a look at Avatar.

Thomas has his own twitter account, @thomasredpool, so give him a follow if you're in the mood for some witty banter.


Scions of the Shade
I have copious notes on this story and what I want to do next... I just haven't written more on it. Currently I'm torn between shelving this for a time while I work on the Avatar PQ & SQ, and toughing it out to finish the first draft before I try to focus on something else. Either way, I know I need to devote more time to just writing.

Aside
I have been reading a lot more lately than in recent weeks. I tore through A Game Of Thrones, again, and found myself just as impressed the first time. Last night I started A Clash of Kings, but I think reading through the first book has helped my motivation already.

Since I resolved my microphone issues, I have posted a few more episodes of Avatar on Podiobooks, and have even received some fan mail. After posting the updates to the Wordpress site yesterday, I got a lot of hits and a bit more interest. I have something in the works that will be a nice little extra for the book, so keep your eyes open for that announcement.

Thanks, as always, for your reading and interest!

Updates to The Ninth Avatar site

I have made some necessary and long-overdue additions and alterations to The Ninth Avatar's page over on my Wordpress web home. Find the links below and check them out, if you're curious to know more about the world and characters. As always, I appreciate the feedback! Spread the word and keep it coming!

The Ninth Avatar homepage ^*updated!*

Visit the Details page! ^*new!*

Visit the Characters page! ^*new!*

Where is the map?

If you've picked up (or even read) a copy of The Ninth Avatar, you'll notice that it is missing what some would consider a staple of any decent Fantasy novel -- a map.

This was partially deliberate, since I believe that a book should be able to stand on its own. Meaning if you don't have an idea where places are in geographic reference to each other, then it's the author's fault (not the fault of map-absence). The other part is because, frankly, I am not a good artist (I like doodling weapons and bad guy sketches, but can't draw faces or women's anatomy to save my life) and because I did not know anyone who was "good with maps."

Sure, I could have googled someone, paid them a few bucks, and accepted whatever I got. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world.

Now, though, a few people who have finished reading the book have commented on the lack of a map. It does help to have one, I know, because it helps flesh out the world that little bit extra. It shows how much work the author put into building his idea.

But what if the map is shit?

That's my main question at this point, because I have both a scanned version of the 3x5 sketch map and an MS-Paint version (sue me, I lost Photoshop when I upgraded laptops). Both are horrid, ugly, child-with-crayon representations of the world of The Ninth Avatar. I might consider working on this and improving the situation a bit, but I want to gauge its worth.

Any thoughts?

The Ninth Avatar - Purchase Links

Here are the various ways you may acquire The Ninth Avatar:


Createspace (paperback)
https://www.createspace.com/3364237

Amazon (paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/Ninth-Avatar-Todd-Newton/dp/1441403620/
Amazon (Kindle)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Ninth-Avatar/dp/B0026MRF1C/

Smashwords (various electronic formats)
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1942

OR . . .

Paypal - send $13.95 via Paypal to get a signed copy with free shipping, plus a free sticker and pin!

***
Tell a friend!
Re-post this for a chance to win a FREE copy of the book!
Let's go viral, people!

Point A to Point Z

It recently dawned on me, just a few seconds ago in fact, that when it comes to writing (or rather, the lack thereof) lately, I seem to be missing something. I have one project, The Ninth Avatar, firmly under the belt. One project, Thomas Redpool Goes To Hell, is firmly in the holster (if we're going to continue with "belt" analogies). Finally, Scions of the Shade is floating in the nebulous fog around my head, like a bee, alternating between flicking my ears and screaming "FINISH ME" in a style reminiscent of Mortal Kombat.


Yes, I hear you. I am lacking a goal.
Shame on me -- I did a Writer's Group presentation about this not too long ago.

Being a strictly by-the-book Type B personality, I am by-the-book terrible at setting goals. Believe it. My future-planning skillz equate somewhat to bumbling around in the dark, groping until I find a project to solve, solving it, then resuming the plan from square one. In this darkness of non-planning, I can barely see my hand in front of my face. I feel like I'm in some kind of Resident Evil (game-not-movie) knock-off, perhaps a bit more Silent Hill-esque except I never played more than a demo of those games. To clarify, I'm wandering around with an inventory full of green herbs and rubbish, just waiting for a zombie to jump out so I can blow its putrid head off.

Finishing a book, then, I guess is some kind of boss fight -- the kind you don't really see coming and don't prepare for.

Even when I play actual video games, I do it without a goal in mind. I don't care as much about finishing the game as I do about how interesting the tedium actually is. Hence why Warriors Orochi Z (a linear path of battles you can re-enter at any time to gain experience and new weapons while generally kicking ass) entertains me so much while the Final Fantasy series (a linear path... the end) and other RPGs in the vein I used to enjoy cannot.

I get more entertained by the process than the accomplishment. Perhaps this is why I buy so few games. Who knows.

As a correlary (or supplemental irksome ear-flicker), I can't seem to finish reading a book, either. I get things from the library only to get about 20 pages in and quit. Gail Z. Martin's Darkhaven, a book continuing the Chronicles of the Necromancer, which are fun and interesting, fails to garner my full attention. Not the book's fault, not Gail's fault -- I just seem to be distracted by every shiny object that I amble across these days.

On the bright side, there's [currently] no penalty for taking my own sweet-ass time to finish Scions, but I am a bit concerned for how this particular personality trait will affect (see: impede) me in the future. Everyone has days where they'd rather watch YouTube than focus on the drudgery that is the "day job," but I think I've taken that to a whole new level.

Aside from some [very] minor efforts with Podiobooks & Podioracket, The Ninth Avatar is seriously suffering a marketing deficiency. Thomas Redpool reclines gently in the Authonomy den, thumbing its nose at the accumulated form-rejections while I try to "network" a better solution. I might not feel so bad about these things if I were pouring a considerable effort into my next project, but it just isn't so.

Ultimately, while I'm sure I have much more time than I need to "do some writing," I find myself doing other things instead. Less productive things. I guess sometimes when you break a routine of stress-work-stress, you fall into a routine of complacency-laziness-complacency. My work ethic is slumbering, a bit too peacefully for my taste.

To sum all this up, I think I need a goal. Avatar had a goal of being ready to self-publish. Thomas Redpool has a goal of being complete to enter the ABNA. I commonly use short-term goals of candy bars when I hit a 10,000-word "milestone," but the concept of "finishing the book" might just be too nebulous a destination for my wandering mind to grasp.

Anyone else have a similar problem? Do you use goals to overcome this semi-lethargy? Or to help you stay on task?

False Continue

Want to hear something lame? Now that my microphone issue is "resolved," I tried recording an episode. I got through the whole thing, with all my pauses and multiple takes, and my frustrated self decided to look over the tracks. Lo and behold, there were many places where Audacity did not begin recording until I was halfway through the next sentence. 35 minutes of episode (about 60 minutes of recording) down the tube. I'm starting over, but hopefully will be uploading at least one episode (if not two) before the end of the night.

Lame.

EDIT: It just started storming and pouring. No longer in the mood to record. Going to have a cigar instead.

Case of the Mondays

It's difficult, for me, to post on a schedule because I find myself sometimes reaching for ideas. I don't want to post, again, about how hard it has been lately to find the time to write. I've also posted a lot of personal stuff lately, so I don't feel the need to tell you all about our fantastic camping trip this weekend.

I did the BlogTalkRadio guest appearance last week and, though we didn't have any "callers," it was still very cool and productive. If you haven't done so already, check out Podioracket.com's podcast. They have contests and news all about Podiobooks authors, including me, and some very productive tips and recommendations.

On the microphone front, I "figured out" the problem last week. Hopefully this post finds its way to Google searches with keywords, as I'm sure I'm not the only person to do this. My new machine is a Dell Latitude D630 with the standard two-port sound card (line out plus microphone on the left). When I would hook up a microphone, it would default to Line-In instead of Microphone, and even when I switched it manually to Microphone it would not record. It had nothing to do with my lack of admin rights, since it happened even when I was signed in as part of the admin group. However, when I plugged the microphone into the port SLOWLY, the system detected it just fine. Defaulted to Microphone and recorded properly in Audacity. So, now I have a new headset mic to record with and two weeks of episodes to catch up on. Sorry about that, readers! As they say in the industry, it was a Physical Layer issue!

The Goodreads giveaway ended over the weekend, so congratulations to the 3 lucky folks who will soon be proud owners of fresh The Ninth Avatar copies (as soon as I can ship them!). I had a total of 554 entries -- way more than I thought I would -- so hopefully a few of those parties are curious enough to either check out this blog or purchase a copy themselves. Thanks to everyone who participated.

That's about all that's going on. Have a good week and, as always, thanks for reading!