Counter Ops: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (Federal Agents of Magic Book 3)
Page 21
Our cats are obsessed with the wound-up birds outside the windows. None of them (there are five cats – long story – not my fault) does that cool chattering sound thing though. Too lazy, probably.
I’m very much looking forward to summer activities, to amusement parks and bike riding and trail walks, to time with family and friends. I hope your plans for the upcoming season wherever you live are excellent!
Today I’m getting the plot moments for Book 4 down on paper in their final form. Tomorrow I start writing. I’m as excited to start this one as I have been for any project, ever.
I’d like to give a loud and appreciative shout out to all the folks in the Oriceran editing team – the ones who catch my story holes or outright mistakes, the ones who make the words better, and the ones who notice when I’ve left in “ought” instead of “thought” despite my three rounds of editing. Not only does it make the final product better, but working with such a strong safety net lets me focus on story more, because I know the team’s got my back.
Speaking of… ARES Pittsburgh is almost complete. We need a couple more pieces. The plan at this second is two more agents to finish up the team plus another tech, but we’ll see how that works out. To quote Jayne Cobb from Serenity (to Mal): “Yeah, well what you plan and what takes place ain’t ever exactly been similar.” He’s not wrong in my case, either.
Quick media notes: Avengers: Endgame hurt. The Battle of Winterfell hurt. As silly as it might sound, I think I’m actually doing some minor grieving for the characters I’ve loved and lost. (Parasocial interactions are a real thing, y’all). I’m catching up on CJ Cherryh’s Foreigner series, which I got distracted from for a couple of years (Book 16 is on deck), and the next Brownstone book awaits on my Kindle app. I’m looking forward to Watchmen on HBO, American Gods (Mad Sweeny needs his own series), and Good Omens. Plus, Deadwood, but I fear what they’re going to do to that set of beloved characters.
If you want to chat media, the books, or whatever else, I check in pretty often on Facebook. Just search TR Cameron Author to find me.
Until next time, Joys upon joys to you and yours – so may it be.
Author Notes - Martha Carr
April 29, 2019
The movies always make writing look like such a solitary undertaking and back when I had an agent and a publisher (and before the internet), it was. There was regular communication, but for the most part I was figuring out things by myself.
By the way, when it came to marketing, unless you were a big name and got a big advance, authors were still largely on their own to publicize their baby. They had the months leading up to publication and then three months after. If it didn’t spark and create a sensation it left the bookshelves and that was it.
Authors occasionally saw each other at conferences – but those were mostly for book sellers, not the guys creating the books.
Then the internet came along, and all of us authors started talking more but it was still hit and miss. Mostly it was about what PR firm to use or avoid. We were still largely hands off, mostly doing things alone and we wouldn’t have known how to help each other. I mean, how do I reach into another company and help your book?
But there was something brand new on the horizon. I still remember when Oprah had Jeff Bezos on her show with the first Kindle. It was revolutionary, but how much none of us really knew yet. (There’s a good chance we’re still in the creation phase of that and it’ll be another generation that can look back and see the whole scope.)
Internet speeds picked up (remember dial up), and Amazon created Kindle Unlimited – a more affordable way to read as much as you wanted for just ten bucks a month – and a great way for some new author to get a chance to introduce themselves – to all of you.
That’s what did it. Some pioneering writers decided to hack the system and write the books they wanted to write, put them out on their schedule (instead of the old spring and fall system), and keep the money. Covers were kind of well – bad at first and it took a while to catch on to the need for editing, and good blurbs, but the indie movement was up and rolling.
Then 20Books came along (a Facebook group for indie writers that focuses on marketing and is now 30k and growing). It was started by Michael Anderle and championed by Craig Martelle and it was like the last thing we really needed. A safe place to share ideas and ask questions. There’s a strict no promo, no insults policy and just one infraction will get you tossed out.
Speaking as an author from pre-internet and watching the whole cycle of evolution – this was what was missing all along. A reservoir of knowledge that anyone can dip into – for free. Many of us owe our success to this group because we were able to ask questions, test things, come back when things failed – and sometimes collaborate even on the writing.
That’s how we found TR Cameron – and what a find! A great writer who had some great stories in him to tell.
This all happened because a core group of authors were willing to share what they knew and were open to learning, changing, failing, trying again – and then sharing all of it all over again – for free. I’ve been there since about three hundred were in the group and I stayed to write with Michael because of something he was doing – not saying. He was just coming into his success and was offering to collaborate with pretty much anyone in those days. You have an idea? Are you willing to work for it? Are you open to listening to new ideas? Great, let’s get going. I was one of those and every day I was surprised by his generosity and that he didn’t suddenly draw a line and say, this is mine or how about me.
You have to be behind the scenes, deep bench, to see just how generous he is with his time and money. It’s a credo that is carried by the rest of us as well and a characteristic we now look for in those we work with. Sure, we are and want to continue to be successful, but there’s something more here. Still haven’t reached the limits either and I hope I never do.
More adventures to follow.
Other series in the Oriceran Universe:
SCHOOL OF NECESSARY MAGIC
SCHOOL OF NECESSARY MAGIC: RAINE CAMPBELL
ALISON BROWNSTONE
THE DANIEL CODEX SERIES
THE LEIRA CHRONICLES
I FEAR NO EVIL
FEDERAL AGENTS OF MAGIC
THE UNBELIEVABLE MR. BROWNSTONE
REWRITING JUSTICE
THE KACY CHRONICLES
MIDWEST MAGIC CHRONICLES
SOUL STONE MAGE
THE FAIRHAVEN CHRONICLES
OTHER BOOKS BY JUDITH BERENS
OTHER BOOKS BY MARTHA CARR
JOIN THE ORICERAN UNIVERSE FAN GROUP ON FACEBOOK!
Books by Michael Anderle
For a complete list of books by Michael Anderle, please visit
www.lmbpn.com/ma-books/
All LMBPN Audiobooks are Available at Audible.com and iTunes. For a complete list of audiobooks visit:
www.lmbpn.com/audible