First I have received a lot of request for this, so I am happy to announce the audiobook for Gold For Steel will be out this month. When more details to come on that soon but it is coming and soon.

Book 2!!!! (Maybe book 3?)
Yes, book two is coming along nicely. Hope to release it this year, but we will see. It is pretty massive, so I might split it in half and release book two and three at the same time. In either case, it is on the way, and I promise questions will be answered.

​So it is looking more and more like books two and three of "The Gates of Kastriel" will be released at the same time. It's funny because the entire series is just one big story in my head, but I was encouraged to separate it into smaller readable sections (individual books). The idea of splitting the story up into sections is necessary for readers I guess, but I refuse to look at this story as individual, separate accounts all wrapped up into one. A part of me wants to write the entire story out and release the whole series all at once. I won't do that but I think it would be the best way for the reader to experience the series. 

So I struggle with the title of writer. Yes, I have written a book, but I do not think of myself as a writer. Maybe it's because I often compare myself to other writers who inspired me to write. I read how they masterfully use the same words we all know to create feelings and express ideas that capture our hearts and imagination. There are some brilliant writers out there. Some traditionally published and others self-published.

I always think of writers as Jedi of the written word. A writer, a true writer; can write about anything. I can barely write a blog. Recently I was referred to as a writer, and it made me uncomfortable. I have labeled myself as a writer before because—well that's just what you do. Do I deserve that title though? Am I truly a writer? Maybe I have built up the title of a writer to a deity status that I could never reach. I am not sure either way, but I do know I am still not comfortable with that title.

Besides, I don't feel like a writer. I feel like a storyteller. Now that is a title I can get behind. I embrace the title of storyteller. I have always loved the art of creating tales of fiction. I enjoy trying to figure out pacing and balance. It is was pushed me into game development. I didn't want to be a programmer at first. I wanted to design an epic RPG. I wanted to create worlds that felt real. Worlds people could emerge themselves into and leave their day to day issues behind. I do that now through writing, but in reality, I could be just as happy doing it through C++. 

I write because I enjoy writing, but I don't think I am a writer. Tolkien was a writer. Stephen King is a writer. No one would ever dare mention my name next to theirs win referring to writing so why would we share the same title of writer?
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Either way, right or wrong; I think I am going to go with storyteller. I like that. It feels right. Let's see how long it sticks.

​So I am officially back to my audience of crickets. Well for those crickets who have been patiently waiting I have some big news for you. Production of the audiobook for "Gold for Steel," is on the way. Hopefully, we can meet our target date for a May release. Also the print version of "Gold for Steel" should be available next month. It will have all of the maps in it, unlike the digital version. 

​As a child of the 80's I grew up with the Jetsons, Star Trek, Star Wars, Back to the Future, the Ghostbusters and well... You get the idea. I remember thinking that hoverboards were real and it was only a matter of time until they would be approved for public use. Flying cars were right around the corner, and by the time we reached the year 2000, there would be a human settlement living on the moon. 

What the hell science? I will admit as an adult I am happy we do not have flying cars. Don't want to be killed while I am sleeping because of some drunk driver/flyer crashing through my roof. But what about everything else? It's 2018, and I still have to drive places instead of being instantly transported. We still haven't made contact with alien life that would allow us to form an intergalactic space council. Besides smartphones, we aren't any closer to living in Star Trek then when we were when I was a kid. 

Step it up science. Seriously I want to be able to enjoy some of this stuff before I die. I don't know what you need to do or who you need to talk to, but just get it done. Before I die, I better be able to send a clone of myself to China using a teleporter so he can buy the latest "Back to the Future" hoverboard for me to speed around on with my old ass. 

I have currently had two stories which I am dying to write. One of which I now am writing (the follow up to Gold for Steel) and the other is a project I have had in my head for years. The plan is to finish the series I am working on now from beginning to end before I venture off into the dark waters of new worlds and adventures. With that said it's going to be hard. Every day I wake up and think of new plot points and twist for both stories. 

The Gates of Kastriel is well plotted out, and I know exactly where the story ends. But Project B is different. Opposed to GoK where I don't think of it as separate books, just one big story I am just dividing up into pieces. Project B is a single book. One story that is told from beginning to end in one shot. Kastriel is something that will take me at least the next three to four years to finish if I can put out two books a year (fingers crossed). 

I won't stray from the path, and I will keep working on GoK but, it is hard not to start a new word document and write about the Project B. When I do get around to writing that story I know it will blow people away. 

​So reviews for my book are starting to come in, and for the most part, they have been pretty good. There is only a handful on GoodReads and Amazon as of this post, but hopefully, that number will grow. I will say that every time I see a review, it is a bit nerve-racking. 

As a writer, you truly do bare yourself to your readers. People read a fiction story with imaginary characters, but those characters come from a real place. Before I started writing, I would hear people talk about "finding their voice." I honestly never knew what that meant until I started writing. As I traversed along in my literary journey, I eventually did find my voice. I found that part of me that I could share with the world that was unique to me. It's that voice that allows my fantasy story to read differently than the thousands of other fantasy stories. 

So now that I have found and shared my voice with the world, I have opened myself up to criticism. Some will be constructive and help me grow as a writer and some will not. Either way each time I see a new review posted by someone critiquing my story or better yet me; a rush of anxiety overwhelms me. I know eventually, I am going to have to stop reading the reviews. It will only be a matter of time before the extremely negative and unproductive ones come in. When they do, I will embrace them the same way I have embraced the positive praise I have received. I guess this is what comes along with being a writer. This is what comes along with sharing your voice with the world.

​So I am currently working on the first draft of my follow up to Gold For Steel, and I realize this story might by twice the size as the first book. It's not necessarily a bad thing but it kind of goes against my original intentions of writing this story. My original goal was to tell a fantasy story that was not too overwhelming for readers. Not sure if the story will be one big book or if I will just split it into two stories and release both at the same time. I guess time will tell.

​Well, well, well it looks like I am finally up and running. I have published my book and have told all of my family and friends about it. My plan was not to promote it at all until I wrapped up the sequel. Not sure if I will stick to that plan or not. I really just want to focus on finishing the first draft of the sequel. We'll see.

I have to say that I am pretty proud of this book being that it is my very first writing project. It's not perfect by any means, and I can see a TON of things that I could've done better. But, for the most part, I am pleased with how it came out. It was my introduction to writing. Hopefully, ten years from now when I have written a dozen more stories I can look back on Gold For Steel and feel embarrassed by my writing. Each story should be a vast improvement over the previous one. Even with Gold For Steel, I made massive improvements from the very first scene I wrote to the time I finished the last chapter. 

It's a good story. May not be a best seller or even read by more than five people. But I can honestly say I did a good job if I do say so my self.  

​Welcome to my blog/site/creative mind dump. So I am ramping up to release my first book, and someone told me I needed to create a blog. I didn't understand why until they told me how I needed to market my book and one of the many things I needed to do was create a blog. 

With that said, I decided to do some research on other writers to see what their blogs and vlogs were all about. Most of them cover "the writing process" and "how to be a better writer" with titles like "Five Tips to make a great MC." Well, instantly I saw a problem because unlike every other writer out there I don't know what I am doing. I don't have years of experience as a writer and am just trying to figure it out as I go along. I am just a guy who likes to write stories. Don't get me wrong I think I am a decent storyteller. Don't believe me? Buy my book and see for yourself. I dare you to prove me wrong. I defy you to buy my book and read it and not like it. 

But I digress. I don't know exactly what this blog will be about, but I know what it won't be. There will be no tips, tricks, and words of wisdom for aspiring writers. There might be random stories or just me talking about random daily stuff. Maybe talking about video games or how I am fighting against my dreaded nemesis adulthood. In any case, I just wanted to post something, so I can say I officially made my first post. And that's how this post Ends. I'm a writer!!!