A New String To My Tattered Bow

'Ello all!

In an attempt to increase my smurtification factor, I've started learning HTML and CSS.

It's something I've wanted to do for a long time, and after someone put a link to a site on my Facebook newsfeed, I took the plunge. So far I'm doing well. The stuff seems to be sinking in, and I'm getting through the lessons with very little difficulty. I'm not doing too much in a day, to make sure the stuff sticks, but I'm itching to learn more.

The end goal - other than being able to say, "I know HTML 'n stuff" - is to be able to build my own website. The site also teaches Javascript, among other languages, so I may well look into making Android apps, too.

Writing Stuffs

The contract for my first Reaper book, A Reaper's Tale, ends very soon, and I've chosen to let the book disappear from shelves rather than leave it selling. I've also taken down its sequel, A Grim Pact. I've done this for two reasons. Firstly, it ends my issue of having two books in a series with different publishers (which would make selling a third tricky). Secondly, I think I can do better with the stories. I'd like to reread, then overhaul the stories, and perhaps republish them. That, or leave them down and remake the series. If Hollywood can do it, why can't I?!

Either way, Mal will be back, and better than ever. :-)

TTFN,

Adam

PS - Totally HTML'd this post, even though the 'compose' mode makes it pointless. So awesome.

I Have Books!

They're on my desk and EVERFINK.

That is all.

TTFN,
Adam

PS - I also have bookmarks. Book Depository is awesome.

2013 Reading List

I'm aiming to beat last year's total. That won't be difficult.

Yeah...


Sha BAM!

1. Joe Abercrombie - Red Country - 05/01/2013
2. Dawn French - Dear Fatty - 24/01/2013
3. Kevin Hearne - Trapped - 07/02/2013
4. Brandon Sanderson - The Alloy Of Law - 15/02/2013
5. Jim Butcher - Cold Days - 18/02/2013
6. RA Salvatore - Charon's Claw - 25/02/2013
7. RA Salvatore - The Last Threshold - 25/03/2013
8. Mark Lawrence - Prince Of Thorns - 08/04/2013
9. Mike Carey - The Devil You Know - 21/04/2013
10. 
    

Books Aplenty!

Ey up, peeps!

While I didn't make any real resolutions this year, I am trying to blog more (I couldn't blog less). So here we go.

Somehow, even after Christmas, my bank account still had a positive balance. So, instead of squandering it on food I ordered a bunch of books! Here's what I've got either on my Kindle or winging its way through the mail:

Red Country by Joe Abercrombie - I'm reading this now, and it's AWESOME
The Alloy Of Law by Brandon Sanderson - Loved the other books in this loose series.
Legion by Brandon Sanderson - Hadn't heard of this till earlier tonight. Love his other stuff, so it was a no-brainer.
Charon's Claw by RA Salvatore - Drizzt. Need I say more?
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien - I've never read it. Thought I should.
Trapped by Kevin Hearne - Every book in this series has rocked. Another no-brainer.

I also received Dear Fatty by Dawn French for Christmas. Ms. French is one of my favourite comedians, and I can't wait to tackle the book. I even broke one of my cardinal rules and started reading this while I was already reading something. This means much, Dawny (I can call her that, we're like 'this' *crosses fingers*).

So I'm good for a few weeks, at least. After that I'm probably stuffed again.

What are you reading at the moment?

TTFN,
Adam

2013

Happy New Year to the few that still bother reading this rarely updated blog! :-)

Since it's very nearly an entirely new year, I thought I'd best throw a post up about years and such.

A year is 365 and a quarter days long, and is lengthening each year b-- Alright, I'll shut up.

2012 was a mixed year for my writing. On one hand, I got a ton of erotica published, and it's been selling reasonably well. On the other hand, there is skin. Also, a lack of progress with my non-smut stuff. But that's okay, because I've got sales with the smut. Right?
It was also a slow year for reading, as anyone who's seen my reading list can attest. My target was 47 books, and I managed ten and a half.

Eh.

So 2013 will be a new start, both writing-wise and reading-wise. More writing, with an aim to increase the non-smut, and more reading. Might even branch out of fantasy. Not too sure about that, though. There are so many books published every year that I'll never read all of my most favourite genres. Expanding my horizons will make it even bloody harder.

So, uh, new year. Happy. Yay!

TTFN,

Adam

NaNoWhutHuh?

Hi!

So, once again it's been bloody forever since I posted a blog. I blame me and a lack of subjects I haven't already covered. Like, y'know, this one.

*cough*

So, who's NaNoing this year? What's your poison? Fantasy? Romance? Time-travelling tragi-comedy?

I won't be doing it, much like I didn't last year. The previous two years to that, though, I tried it. It didn't work well for me.
I will, however, be attempting to write more. I'll just be doing it by myself instead. I've been doing pretty decently with my romance/smut titles, and I'd like to push myself further. I could use the money. ;-)

Just a quick post this time, but once again I shall insert a promise to post more often that I will no doubt ignore.

TTFN,

Adam

Zzzzzz...

It's 6:38AM, and I've not slept yet (when Sweetie works a night shift, I keep her hours), so forgive the odd grammar and spelling faux pas.

I gave up on the GRR Martins. I made it halfway through the first book and realised that it had taken me over a month. Not because the book is long, though it is, but because I didn't give a flying fireball about any of the characters. Well, okay, Tyrion was pretty awesome, but one character ain't enough. Especially given how bloody many Mr. Martin puts in a book.
So, I put the book down and picked up Stephen King's The Wind Through The Keyhole. Now that's how you write a book. It's now done with and has left me wishing I'd brought my Dark Tower paperbacks over to Canada with me.
Next on the list is Kevin Hearne's latest, followed by Joe Abercrombie's, then Jim Butcher's. I also have a couple more urban fantasies to get through, and some samples of fantasies that were recommended by friends. It feels good to be enjoying reading again.

In writing news, I've been mostly concentrating on the smut side of things, since that brings in the cash, but I do have a fun new idea for an urban fantasy series, thanks to my wife. For those seven people who bought and enjoyed my A Reaper's Tale books, you'll be happy to hear they're similar in style. I hope you'll like the main character, too. He's rather Mal-like.

Of course, I need to finish planning the story, write it, edit it, snag an agent, snag a publisher... So give it a few weeks before getting impatient, okay?


TTFN,
Adam

A Lack Of Reading

Hi all! Long time no see!

[Insert the usual 'sorry I've not blogged in a while' rubbish here.]

Last year I read a good number of books. 46, in fact, and some of them were big buggers. This year I've managed five. Uh, whoops?
I'm not quite sure what happened, but for some reason I've been reading much less. It's not that I'm finding myself with less free time, or that I haven't had the books available. I just haven't been reading. It's odd.

A few days ago I was pondering this and decided that I should force myself to read more. So I did. I opened the first in GRR Martin's A Song Of Ice And Fire series and started reading. I'm now working my way through,  and enjoying every moment.

I don't know why I stopped, but I'm glad I started again. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it, for one, and how many ideas I get for my own stuff, for another.

So, that's about it. Quick blog post, hope to write more, yada yada yada. I should probably add some food for thought to the end of this, but I can't think of any. In my defence, it's 7am, and I've been awake since 12pm yesterday. Bit knackered.

TTFN,
Adam