Tag: Cape Cod Teen Writers Conference

Weekly Update – August 8, 2017

On By ronsonbeckIn Action Figures, Cover art, Event, Novels, Strongarm & Lightfoot, Well Behaved Women, Writing process, Young AdultLeave a comment

Starting off this week with a reminder about the Massachusetts Sci-Fi and Fantasy Authors group promotion going on through the end of the month. If you want to grab some free e-books (including a copy of Cheap Thrills Digest), go to the MASFFA website and sign up for the participating authors’ newsletters, and you’ll get free e-books as a thank-you!

Next, a big thank you to K.R. Conway for organizing and inviting me to participate in the Author Panel Night that capped off the Cape Cod Teen Writers Conference. More than 70 people, mostly (but not exclusively) teens, sat in on our rotating roster of discussion groups. Mine was “Heroes, Villains, and Lovable Losers,” and I had great co-panelists in Kim Savage, who is not what she seems (in-joke), and goth unicorn Hillary Monahan, who stepped into the role of moderator.

The Teen Author Night lineup.

WRITING PROJECTS

Well Behaved Women: I passed the 36,000 word threshold over the weekend and hashed out most of the rest of the plot (I am a pantser by nature so things like plot points tend to come to me in fits and spurts).

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Blades of Glory: In the editing phase, and I’m seeing some rough cover art coming in. It’ll be a fun image, reminiscent perhaps of old Dragon magazine covers.

Action Figures – Issue Seven: The Black End War: With WBW stuff still percolating in my brain, I used last week to go through Black End War again, and I now have a draft that is ready for editing! Obviously my editor has her hands full for a while, but once Blades of Glory is done, I’m shipping this right over to her so it will be good and ready for a late winter/early spring 2018 release.

Action Figures – Issue Eight: Crawling from the Wreckage: Second draft finished.

Action Figures – Issue Nine: Rough plotting in progress.

Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins: Audiobook recording in progress.

APPEARANCES and EVENTS

MISC

Here’s your reminder that I have a weekly newsletter that features some of the stuff you see posted here plus new, newsletter-exclusive material. Go click this link to sign up.

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Weekly Update – August 1, 2017

On By ronsonbeckIn Action Figures, Cheap Thrills Digest, Event, Novels, Strongarm & Lightfoot, Well Behaved Women, Young AdultLeave a comment

 

What’s this about? you might be asking yourself.

This is about a new group promotion the Massachusetts Sci-Fi and Fantasy Authors group is running throughout August. If you want to grab some free e-books (including a copy of Cheap Thrills Digest), go to the MASFFA website and sign up for the participating authors’ newsletters, and you’ll get free e-books as a thank-you!

WRITING PROJECTS

Well Behaved Women: I got a LOT of work done on this last week. Draft one of book one is up to 29,000 words. I’m taking a little time to hash out some story issues and then I should be getting back into it soon enough.

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Blades of Glory: I spent the weekend finishing up the latest draft and it is out to my editor Julie! I’ve also begun discussing cover art with Tricia, and we have a fun concept that might be getting a lot of mileage as a general promotional image as well as the book three cover.

So, what is book three about? Here’s the (draft) back cover text:

Adventurers Wanted!

Good pay for simple recovery job, payment to be rendered upon successful completion of contract. Interested parties please report to the Woeste City Council. Be ready to provide credentials upon request. No mercenaries, please.

***

Desperate for a little excitement and a big payday, Derek Strongarm and Felix Lightfoot and their companions respond to a call to adventure from the city-state of Woeste, recently victimized by a band of raiders who stole an ancient iron mask of historical significance but no intrinsic value — or so the city council claims.

Even though the council’s story doesn’t quite add up, it’s willing to pay good money for the mask’s return — and all the companions have to do is cross a cursed forest, search a lost necropolis, and recover the mask from a gang of armed bandits.

Easy.

But first they have to convince the council not to award the contract to a rival party, the legendary adventurers known as the Noble Blades.

That’s easier said than done when a sin from Felix’s past rears its head in an unexpected way — but if Derek, Felix, and their friends wanted easy lives, they’d go herd sheep or something.

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Blades of Glory is the third book in the irreverent fantasy series by author Michael Bailey (Action Figures), a tale of bold heroes, dastardly villains, terrifying beasts, magical artifacts, dark pasts, mysterious circumstances, deceptive motives, atmospheric locales, and a healthy dose of sex and violence.

Action Figures – Issue Seven: The Black End War: Second draft finished, third draft in process.

Action Figures – Issue Eight: Crawling from the Wreckage: Second draft finished.

Action Figures – Issue Nine: Rough plotting in progress.

Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins: Audiobook recording in progress.

APPEARANCES and EVENTS

MISC

Just a reminder, I now have a weekly newsletter that features some of the stuff you see posted here plus new, newsletter-exclusive material. Go click this link to sign up.

Weekly Update – July 25, 2017

On By ronsonbeckIn Action Figures, Event, Novels, Renaissance faires, Strongarm & Lightfoot, Writing process, Young AdultLeave a comment

This coming weekend is a big one, in a sense, as it’s the last completely free weekend I have before I’m eyeball-deep in rehearsals for the Connecticut Renaissance Faire. I’m returning as fight director and will be in the cast, on top of making a special split personality appearance as part of the Local Author Series (more on that below).

Fortunately, I started a new part-time job that actually gives me some more writing time during the week. The job involves short bursts of activity interspersed with long periods of sitting and waiting, and I’m free during the down times to read or write. On that note…

WRITING PROJECTS

Well Behaved Women: The first act is coming along nicely, and I had two days last week in which I banged out 2,500 to 3,000 words, which is a good day for me.

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Blades of Glory: Second draft of both the main story and the back-up short are finished. Heard back from another test-reader last week and I’m waiting on two others, and then I can get to work on the next draft. Sadly, chances are this won’t be ready for my day at CTRF but I do expect the book to be ready later this fall.

Action Figures – Issue Seven: The Black End War: Second draft finished, third draft in process.

Action Figures – Issue Eight: Crawling from the Wreckage: Second draft finished.

Action Figures – Issue Nine: Rough plotting in progress.

Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins: Audiobook recording in progress.

APPEARANCES and EVENTS

MISC

Just a reminder, I now have a weekly newsletter that features some of the stuff you see posted here plus new, newsletter-exclusive material. Go click this link to sign up.

Weekly Update – July 18, 2017

On By ronsonbeckIn Action Figures, Event, Novels, Strongarm & Lightfoot, Writing process, Young AdultLeave a comment

Thank you to everyone who signed up for the Innsmouth Look Publishing newsletter! I got a good initial response, and you should by now have received the first one.

While the giveaway part of the subscription drive is over, the drive itself is an ongoing project, so if you want to sign up, click this link. Hopefully as I get used to this new tool I’ll find a better way of integrating it with the website.

WRITING PROJECTS

Well Behaved Women: Work has begun on this long-in-planning secret project. I’m keeping the details quiet for a while, until I make some solid headway on what I plan to release as a trilogy.

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Blades of Glory: Second draft of both the main story and the back-up short are finished.

Action Figures – Issue Seven: The Black End War: Second draft finished, third draft in process.

Action Figures – Issue Eight: Crawling from the Wreckage: Second draft finished.

Action Figures – Issue Nine: Rough plotting in progress.

Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins: Audiobook recording in progress.

APPEARANCES and EVENTS

MISC

Speaking of the Teen Writers Conference, I have a few more details on the Author Panel Night. Because we have so many authors on-board, the session will feature five breakout groups, each group discussing a specific topic. Hillary Monahan, Kim Savage, and I will be discussing “Heroes, Villains, and Lovable Losers.”

Finally, thanks to Linda Kepner for giving me a guest spot on her website.

Weekly Update – July 11, 2017

On By ronsonbeckIn Action Figures, Cheap Thrills Digest, Event, Novels, Renaissance faires, Strongarm & Lightfoot, Writing process, Young AdultLeave a comment

Some of you might have seen the early bird announcement on my social media outlets yesterday, but I am finally launching a weekly newsletter.

My goal is to offer some of the same material you see here every week, but offer some newsletter-specific content to make it a different experience than the website.

To sweeten the pot, I will send a free copy of Cheap Thrills Digest to everyone who signs up for the newsletter this week! Simply submit your name and e-mail address, and the first 500 people who sign up will get a free e-book!

So follow this link and sign up today!

WRITING PROJECTS

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Blades of Glory: Second draft of both the main story and the back-up short are finished.

Action Figures – Issue Seven: The Black End War: Second draft finished, third draft in process.

Action Figures – Issue Eight: Crawling from the Wreckage: Second draft finished.

Action Figures – Issue Nine: Rough plotting in progress.

Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins: Audiobook recording in progress.

APPEARANCES and EVENTS

MISC

My Book Echoes interview is now live! Go here to give it a listen!

 

Weekly Update – July 4, 2017

On By ronsonbeckIn Action Figures, Event, Novels, Renaissance faires, Strongarm & Lightfoot, Writing process, Young AdultLeave a comment

Happy Fourth of July, eveyone! Don’t get (too) drunk and blow (all) your fingers off!

WRITING PROJECTS

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Blades of Glory: Second draft of the main story is done and with test readers, and I finished the first draft of the back-up short story over the weekend.

Action Figures – Issue Seven: The Black End War: Second draft finished, third draft in process.

Action Figures – Issue Eight: Crawling from the Wreckage: Second draft finished.

Action Figures – Issue Nine: Rough plotting in progress.

Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins: Audiobook recording in progress.

APPEARANCES and EVENTS

MISC.

Speaking of CTRF, that show is going to be a little cuckoo for me. I typically don’t work the fall show, but then for a while it was looking like I might, then it was looking like I wouldn’t, now it’s looking like I am, doing some writing, fight directing, and performing. That means I’ll be at my table on my Local Authors Series day in costume, which I kind of hate. I like to be “Author Mike” when I’m appearing at any kind of event, and showing up in a costume, even if it’d be appropriate, feels cheesy.

Weekly Update – June 27, 2017

On By ronsonbeckIn Action Figures, Event, Novels, Strongarm & Lightfoot, Writing process, Young AdultLeave a comment

I lead off this week with a quick, last-minute event announcement. I’ll be at the Shrewsbury Public Library tomorrow starting at 4 PM for their summer reading kickoff event. I’ll be among two dozen local authors who’ll be there selling books and talking about writing, so come on by!

WRITING PROJECTS

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Blades of Glory: Yay! The second draft is done and off to my test readers! I’m now working on a short that will run as a bonus backup feature and I hope to get that done within the next couple of weeks.

Action Figures – Issue Seven: The Black End War: Second draft finished, third draft in process.

Action Figures – Issue Eight: Crawling from the Wreckage: Second draft finished.

Action Figures – Issue Nine: Rough plotting in progress.

Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins: Audiobook recording in progress.

APPEARANCES and EVENTS

MISC.

Registration for Arisia 2018 opened last week, and I’m waiting to hear whether I’ll be in the vendor room again.

Weekly Update – June 20, 2017

On By ronsonbeckIn Action Figures, Event, Novels, Renaissance faires, Strongarm & Lightfoot, Writing process, Young Adult2 Comments

WRITING PROJECTS

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Blades of Glory: First draft is done! I punched out another 7,000 words since last week to bring the story to its conclusion, and got a lot of work done on draft two. My goal is to finish the second draft this week and send it out to my beat readers — and then get to work on an all new project (mwa ha ha).

Action Figures – Issue Seven: The Black End War: Second draft finished, third draft in process.

Action Figures – Issue Eight: Crawling from the Wreckage: Second draft finished.

Action Figures – Issue Nine: Rough plotting in progress.

Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins: Audiobook recording in progress.

APPEARANCES and EVENTS

MISC.

The Worcester Writers Collaborative is back up and running after an extended hiatus! A bunch of us met last week to talk about where we all were individually and hatch some future plots, and it looks like the group is officially back in action. Woo!

Weekly Update – June 13, 2017

On By ronsonbeckIn Action Figures, Event, Interview, Novels, Renaissance faires, Strongarm & Lightfoot, Writing process, Young AdultLeave a comment

WRITING PROJECTS

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Blades of Glory: First draft is at 58,000 words thanks to a solid writing weekend. That’s 4,000 words since last week, and that’s with a half a day on Saturday (the rest of the day was spent at a scotch sampling).

Action Figures – Issue Seven: The Black End War: Second draft finished, third draft in process.

Action Figures – Issue Eight: Crawling from the Wreckage: Second draft finished.

Action Figures – Issue Nine: Rough plotting in progress.

Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins: Audiobook recording in progress.

APPEARANCES and EVENTS

MISC.

I had my interview with Connie Dowell for the Book Echoes Podcast last week, and it should be available some time next week. I’ll let everyone know.

Weekly Update – June 6, 2017

On By ronsonbeckIn Action Figures, Event, Novels, Strongarm & Lightfoot, Writing process, Young AdultLeave a comment

Yes, another slow weekend has come and gone, but the coming weekend is ALL MINE! Veronica is heading to NJ for some family time, so I have three full days of writing goodness ahead, and I’m going to be tackling the final action sequence — for which I have some choice 80s action films lined up to keep me motivated.

WRITING PROJECTS

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Blades of Glory: First draft is at 54,000 words. Got quite a bit of writing to do before it’s a good length.

Action Figures – Issue Seven: The Black End War: Second draft finished, third draft in process.

Action Figures – Issue Eight: Crawling from the Wreckage: Second draft finished.

Action Figures – Issue Nine: Rough plotting in progress.

Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins: Audiobook recording in progress.

APPEARANCES and EVENTS

MISC.

Tomorrow afternoon I’ll be chatting with Connie Dowell for the Book Echoes Podcast. The episode is tentatively scheduled for a July broadcast so look for it!

Finally, if you haven’t already, go see Wonder Woman. I’m not going to pretend it was an absolutely perfect film, but my personal quibbles are teeny-tiny and, ultimately, irrelevant. It got everything right where it counted, namely how it portrayed Diana and never forgetting that she was the hero of the story. Bonus: it has Robin “Princess Buttercup” Wright looking fierce and bad-ass — and at 51 years old, when Hollywood is too often ignoring perfectly capable actresses for any role, much less such an action-oriented one.