Hades is OUT!

In the middle of editing Mage of Chaos: Book 1 of the Shadow Gods series, I received the final edits on Hades. Surprisingly, there were fewer edits than I initially thought there would be. I only had to re-write two paragraphs and make a few minor corrections. Within a couple hours I had completed the edits, did a review, and then formatted for publishing. Now it's out at both Amazon and Barnes&Noble. Hades is the forth novel of the Stone Vengeance series and the sixth book in the world of Jeremiah Stone. Since the book was on my mind, I wrote some more within the next novel in the series, Opal.

The difference with Opal is that the book takes place in the future. So far I've had a great time designing what the future holds and its not a normal extension of our current existence. As always, I take a thought to an extreme and then determine how to make it plausible. Usually I do this with characters, but this time I did it with the world. It's been amazing to picture a possible future from a series of events and ensure everything fits together seamlessly. I've done a pretty good job of it so far, but there are gaps and holes I have yet to completely fill in or even think of. However, I do have the next chapter or two figured out and my word count is already around 14,000. I've also figured out an ending (of sorts), though it may change to a mid-point climax.

All this work on Opal, however, is distraction me from editing my series, but I'm moving on that also. As most writers do, I multitask my books. Right now, both Opal and Mage of Chaos are a priority and I work on the one which suits my mood. Hopefully, you will enjoy both in the near future.

You can find all my books here: http://www.amazon.com/S.-Scott-Twigg/e/B007H3TEG4/

Editing and Writing

If you're following this blog, then you know I've taken on the task of editing my big series, Shadow Gods. With over a million words in it across 9 books, its quite the undertaking. Though I've only begun, I've found it both easy and difficult. For example, a majority of the writing is well done and only needs a slight change here and there. However, there are certain paragraphs which need to be completely re-written because my writing style has changed, the context and content has changed, and I'm trying to make the entire story flow better. These small sections are taking days to fix. In a way, I've bitten off quite a bit, but I have no choice. This is my Mona Lisa, so I want it to be as good as I can get it. I also don't want to remove any of the 'Easter Eggs' which will be explained later in the series. I do love my twists.

All this editing becomes tedious at times, so I have not put away my other projects, namely Ascension and Opal (book 5 of the Stone Vengeance series). I did put them down, but not completely as I put a few pages into Opal this past weekend. The challenge I'm finding, which is also intriguing to me, is how technology in the near future might change and how society might change with it. I still haven't figured out everything, not even close, but I am getting a better feel for the story as I begin to piece together the first few chapters. Here's a sample -

The constant buzzing of flies filled the air around the grizzly, sickly red scene. To look upon the mass of bodies and scattered heads made bile rise within Lt. Brim Thomas’ throat which he choked down with effort. He wasn’t used to this, but who could be. Then, with a glance at the other policemen around, he thought maybe the forensic unit was able to detach themselves from it all, but for him the brutal loss of life was staggering. At first glance, it was hard to tell where one body ended and another began. It was nothing like he’d ever seen before and he hoped he’d never see it again. Turning away from it all, his shoes rebelled as the sticky, dying blood held him in place a little longer. Staying here, however, was something his stomach couldn’t tolerate.

Taking twenty paces at an even stride, Brim walked away while regaining his composure before reaching the one eye witness they had to the slaughter. He found it odd that this dumpy, middle-aged man was even here to begin with, let alone had survived it. However, he understood why the man was still shaking even though it’d been an hour since the massacre. Just how the man was going to live through the nightmares of this night was something Brim didn’t want to think about. He only wanted answers and this man was going to give them to him. “What’s your name?” he asked as he looked down upon the man sitting on the curb.

Lifting his trembling eyes, the man took in all of the lieutenant before answering. “Simon Garring.”

“So tell me, Simon, what happened?” Brim asked, not beating around the bush, only to see the man quiver at the thought of explaining the events which had taken place. “Just take it slow and it’ll be okay.”

The man eyes fell to the pavement as a half-hearted chuckle lifted his shoulders for a second. Then dread entered the man’s voice as he responded. “You ever have that awkward feeling of showing up to a party and everyone knows the host except you? That’s how I felt when he showed up.”

“When who showed up?” Brim questioned.

“The devil,” the man replied before lifting his eyes to meet Brim’s.

In that gaze, Brim saw the depth of the man’s fear. There was no doubt within Brim’s mind that Simon wasn’t exaggerating the truth. In fact, Brim wondered if a worse word could’ve been used had the man’s vocabulary been larger. But before he could discount the man’s choice of descriptors, Simon continued.

“I was new, my first night. I wasn’t even indoctrinated yet. Maybe…maybe that’s what saved my life.”

Puzzlement filled Brim’s thoughts as he realized Simon wasn’t a bystander, but actually one of these men. He thought to question this, probe deeper, but waited as more words spilled forth from the witness.

“Or maybe because I was the only one without a gun, though that wouldn’t have helped me. It didn’t help any of my brothers,” Simon stated without turning his head toward the masses of dead.

“Your brothers?” Brim interrupted, not understanding the reference only to have Simon lift his head to meet his gaze.

“The Luminaries? From the Church of Light.”

Suddenly, the light bulb clicked on for Brim, bringing forth a hundred other questions. “You’re a priest? You were all priests?”

“Yes.”

With his brow furling, Brim continued in disbelief. “Then why the guns?”

“The church has enemies; lots of enemies.”

Of course, Brim knew this. Everyone in the world knew this. Since its inception nearly twenty years ago, the Church of Light had gone against Catholicism. In doing so, it created a backlash of terror which exposed Christianity as being intolerant and, at the very core, violent. Thousands died around the world, but in the end the Church of Light came away stronger than ever as those dedicate to His Holiness, the Pope, fell into disgrace. Since those first years, a silent war of attrition between the two factions of God had divided earth’s population. But now, the Church of Light reigned supreme whereas Christianity became a shadow of its former self.

Going back to the man’s initial statement, Brim refocused his witness. “You say the devil did this; so tell me exactly what happened?”

“We were just gathering. It was supposed to be my initiation, my Rising into the Light, when the street lights flickered. In that moment, the devil appeared in the middle of us,” Simon answered, his breathing starting to elevate as his pulse quickened. “I didn’t know who or what it was at first, but upon seeing it all my brothers took a step back. Some started to raise their guns, others screamed out warnings, but…but it was already too late. Like a lawnmower trimming grass, he swept through us. In less than a second, everyone was dead.”

And that's it for today... #ShadowGodsSeries #StoneVengeanceSeries

Exposure

Just a quick note on a few things going on.

First, I've seriously started editing my series and am about 50 pages into the first book of nine. For the most part, the editing is going well with not as many errors as I expected. However, about once a chapter I run into a paragraph which needs to be rewritten and it takes a lot longer than expected. I've also noticed my writing style is slightly different, my vocabulary has expanded, and my punctuation is improved.

Secondly, I've completely put away the other books I'm writing. So the fifth book of the Stone Vengeance series - on hold. Child of Need - on hold. Dream Savior - on hold. Ascension - on hold. As for Hades, the fourth book of the Stone Vengeance series, I'm still waiting on edits back for it. Once I get those then I will indeed edit and publish it. But, until then, my sole purpose is to get the first edit of Mage of Chaos, book 1 of Shadow Gods, completed. After that, I will print it out, edit it again, have my son read it and get some feedback, then publish. During the interim of waiting for edit, I will probably write or even start the editing of the second book of the series. My hope is to publish two books a year from the series.

Lastly, I just published my romance novel called A Romance Novel. I know, a simple, cheesy name, but what else do you call a book about a guy attempting to write a romance novel. Currently, its available on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Novel-S-Twigg-ebook/dp/B00NS61OEO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411433830&sr=8-1&keywords=Romance+Novel+Twigg)  The book is very personal to me and I probably won't promote it much, but it is out there for people to read.

Other than that, I'm pretty much involved in work, editing, and the NFL (fantasy football). For these reasons, not much gets done during this part of the year. LOL

So It Begins

For the past couple of years, ever since I published my first book, I have delays this. The task was too vast, too monumental, to even consider especially when taking into account my editing skills. Now, however, I have started it and I'm excited. What am I referring to, you might ask. Well, let me explain.

When I was seventeen, I began writing. My purpose was to produce something which countered the standard trilogy. I wanted characters which were not the norm, which were neither good not evil, but were rather just human. Character which made logical choices, hard choices, and people could relate to. In addition, I thought to write a single novel. Of course, I never realized I was so prolific. Nor did I understand the depth of the story I embarked upon. In the end, my initial forte in to writing soon expanded from one book to three to six and finally to seven complete novels over the expanse of eighteen years. 

By the time I completed them, they were my love. They held within their pages so much of me, so many of my wants, my thoughts, and my imagination, I could hardly contain my excitement. But then reality hit. The novels were too long and I was unpublished. In a fit of correcting both, I lengthened the series from seven to nine books by splitting them apart, reformatting them, and cutting out chapters which weren't necessary. I was my own harshest critic; and still I knew they were not ready.

Instead, I started writing Jeremiah Stone. That single book has now evolved into a series far beyond what I first believed. During those years, I also wrote a few other novels, but none of them he;d my passion, my heart. At least not as strongly as my first attempt at writing. And to set the record straight, all my writing beyond this first series has only been an exercise to establish myself as a write and author. This is not to say I do not care about my other novels, but rather to emphasize my love of my original series.

Now, I have begun the task of editing my original epic adventure. In all, these nine books contain a total of over 1,000,000 words between them. There are characters within those pages which bring tears to my eyes or anger to my heart. But most of all, I love every single one of them and I tend to root for the bad guys more often than not. My goal with all this it to publish the first book of the series by March 2015. It's a daunting task, but I have set my mind to it. Wish me luck in finishing it.

Falling Behind

It's summer and things have stagnated for me as far as writing/editing goes. Good weather seems to promote outdoor activities and I've gotten lost in a myriad of projects, some fun and some not-so-fun. However, I still have ideas floating around in my head about my ongoing writing projects so I decided I should at least put a little time into them.

First off, I've once again tackled editing on A Romance Novel. I feel like a turtle, but I also know that slow and steady often wins the race.

Second, I've put a little effort into my epic fantasy series and am looking at commissioning covers for them. It's a bit $$$, but these books are my pride and joy so no expense is to great (lol...not really).

Last, I had a few brainstorms concerning the next book in the Stone Vengeance series. The book is named Opal and here's a quickly written Prelude for the novel. Enjoy....

It’s been twenty years. For a demon, it will seem like a passing of days. For an angel, it might seem even less. For Hades, twenty years as passed in the blink of an eye. To see Opal grow from a child into a woman was both joyful and painful. In a way, this is his child and he’s taken pleasure in watching her from afar. He watched her take her first steps, kick her first ball, throw her first pitch, and find her first boyfriend. But she is not his child and he is only her protector, a burden he accepts while knowing it limits his freedom.

A week ago, he watched graduate college early with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, yet he knows this is just the first of many degrees she will get in her chosen profession. Still, she has not experienced life. She has not grown up with hardships. She has not worked for what she’s achieved because Hades has fulfilled his promise. He has ensured she was placed within a wholesome and wealthy family in a city far from her birth. As for her disappearance a day after she was born, it vanished with barely a notice. He is grateful for that as he watches her jog past on the walkway around the beach. For a few seconds, his eyes linger on her before returning to his hands which are folded in front of him.

He hates the sunlight. He hates it because it limits him despite the shadows it cast. But this is the only time he can observe her alone. Still, it blocks his abilities, makes him vulnerable, and with as many enemies as he has, Hades has to be careful. Coming out at noon like this is something no demon will suspect of him which is exactly why he does it. Unfortunately, he is finding it harder and harder to hide within the world of shadows, but it is his problem, not hers.

With a glance toward the now distance girl, he wonders if she can somehow help him with his dilemma even though the thought of bringing her into his world brings about undo risk to them both. Maybe someday, when there is no place for him to hide anymore, he will have no other choice. For now, he will simply watch her, protect her, and wait.