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November: The Big Thrill

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Readers,

Exciting news. There is an interview with me about Cryptobyte in the Nov issue of The Big Thrill! [Click on the word Cryptobyte above to read the interview.]

In other news … the launch is less than a week away, and it’s very exciting.

Of course, since returning home from Perth I’ve broken two fingernails – I knew it would happen as they reached a ridiculous length while I was away. Had hoped they’d make it until the launch but nope. Such is life.

The banners I had made for the launch arrived and were not at all like the images I approved on the BannerBuzz website. Disappointing. Won’t be using them again. Especially as I used THEIR software online to create the banners – you’d think they’d print their own backgrounds like the bloody proof! They did not. At all. Not even close. At least my graphics turned out well … just their bit that’s a big fat fail. Live and learn.

The bookmarks I had printed in Christchurch at Print Monday, and they are nobtastically gorgeous, so that’s good.

Sitting on my bedroom floor are a lot of books! The entire series including Snakebyte and Whispers in the Water. All ready for launch day. Turns out I only have five copies of Metabyte left (in total) so once these are close to gone I’ll order more, and they’ll have the new cover etc. Exciting stuff. Metabyte has had no back cover blurb or proper back cover for too long!

cryptograph

Dear Readers,

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Seemed like a good title for a blog post … not sure if it works but hey, you be the judge.

Since I’ve been away taking very good care of #MyKnight while he recovers from a hip replacement, I’ve actually done a few things. I know, I was surprised too.

For starters, ALL the Byte Series books have been re-released for the American and European market, in paperback. Metabyte got an entirely new format, cover, and ISBN. The others just got a freshly formated guts.

That means, if you’re not a kiwi in NZ and you’re looking for a paperback, you can now buy them from Amazon and other places – but please pay attention and don’t buy anything that lists ‘Rebel ePublishers’ as the publisher because they’re sold by 3rd party sellers and have NOTHING to do with me. I get diddly-squat from those sales, so, don’t be that guy, okay? Cheers.

Also, all the Byte Series novels are back on Amazon as kindle versions, gloriously reformated for 9mm Press. You’re welcome. I listened, I acted.

Cryptobyte launches soon – I’m excited. I can’t wait to see what I say at the launch at Upper Hutt Library on Friday, Nov 8th. Not kidding. 🙂 Maybe. Perhaps. Okay, okay, I wrote a speech because Yvonne would be most disapproving if I didn’t, and Readers, I don’t want that. Come along and have cake!!! It’s a phenomenal cake. Trust me, I’m a fruitcake maker. (Crime writer, same thing, whatever)

But wait there’s more … I’m now about halfway through the first draft (no such beast really) of Vaporbyte, which is the 12th-byte novel. Hold the applause until I finish!

Meanwhile … I also learned how to make moving cover images in GIMP and can’t remember what I learned, guess it’ll come back when I go to do it again?

And yes I have red hair – it’s actually Boho copper or so the box said.

 

1693C38B-5046-478B-9B45-8F363C3ED371

 

 

 

 

 

Everything should sparkle

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Seriously, it should. Not just because I just saw a glitter helmet on the telly (watching American Pickers with My Knight). I’ve been a sparkle lover my whole life. And you all know the joy when my daughter told me I could have GLITTER on my book covers. 🙂

As it stands now, two of the Byte Series have glitter on the covers. I know, I’m excited too!

You knew about Cryptobyte … and the glory that is gold glitter on the cover.

But, now, Metabyte has a new cover. It had to have a new cover (shit happened with my former now defunct publisher, if you recall) and my daughter knows me rather well (imagine?), so when she re-did the cover she added the joy of green glitter. And I smiled, Readers, I smiled a lot. At some stage (probably November) the new covers will be in the bookshop. November because I need to pay for the Cryptobyte copies that have already arrived at the bookshop in prep for the launch on Nov 8. Yeah, they were early. Which is better than being late, right? And for all of you who thought me having a white cover on Qubyte caused OCD anxiety … I’m pretty sure the Metabyte cover will tweak that OCD again. Deal with it. 🙂

#SorryNotSorry

In other news: I’m in Perth with My Knight – taking care of him as he recovers from major surgery (new hip), and, I’m writing. Yes, I am.

I’m having a love hate relationship with the 12th Byte Novel at the moment, but today was a good writing day and now I know that some characters we met in Qubyte are coming back, so, that’s cool. In particular, Tahoma Whitehorse. And I really enjoyed him as a character. Did you like him and his off-sider, Karen Schneider?

It looks like I best go make us some dinner.

Take care out there. xx

It was Crashbyte …

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This morning I opened a file called ‘Crashbyte’ – that’s what Vaporbyte was always supposed to be called. Book 12: Crashbyte. Somewhere as I was following the story, (and it happened pretty fast – two chapters in) I realized Crashbyte wasn’t going to be book 12. It may not ever be an anything. That’s okay, it happens. I left the file and a few days later I saw an entire scene – nothing at all to do with the two chapters I’d written.

I started writing. I knew straightway it the beginning of something. By the third chapter I knew it was something called ‘Vaporbyte’. Great.

This morning I opened that other file, the Crashbyte one. As I read, a slow dawning occurred. By the time I’d finished I knew what I was looking at. It’s not a nothing at all. It’s part of Vaporbyte. It’s the other story thread.

Apparently I’m writing again. Need to catch up? Then, here …

Bear with …

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Here are a few of the 15-sec videos made for the Byte Series … YouTube seems to think they have all been uploaded, they have not. YouTube is kinda a dick sometimes.

But here’s a link to go along with them! Byte Series Awesomeness

Five of the videos:

killerbyte
terrorbyte
exacerbyte
Flashbyte
soundbyte

My life is a book …

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Seriously! Saw a text from TBH when I woke this morning about strange noises and something/one outside our house – in the front yard. She also said it sounded like something ‘heavier than a bird’ landed in the tree.

The tree in question is a huge camellia tree, right outside my bedroom window. Yeah, I was asleep.

It’s still dark – I have yet to open the curtains to discover what may or may not be in my tree. Of course last night I read a passage in KILLERBYTE about something in a tree (while looking for a few sentences for a graphic). I can assure you that I am in NO hurry to check out the camellia tree this morning. No hurry whatsoever.

As a special treat The Byte Series Boxed Sets are 50% off via smashwords. Until June 1st. Don’t daly. Get in there are enjoy. The Boxed Sets have additional stories – they’re not just three books sandwiched inside a glorious umbrella cover. 🙂 So if you fancy 9 books for well under $10, grab them now.

A lot of you know that Romeo (my faithful greyhound companion) crossed the rainbow bridge on May 5th. He was involved in the writing process of flashbyte, soundbyte, snakebyte, databyte, eraserbyte, psychobyte, metabyte (he was the rock that helped me write that ending), qubyte, cryptobyte … and all the Byte shorts that go along with the series, including the poetry book. Ro was my sounding board. He very much approved of readers reading the Byte Series.

Here he is rocking his killerbyte bandana (original cover)

Walking in sunshine

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Stunning albeit cold day today. The walk to the bookshop was all sunshine and glorious. Don’t mind cold starts when the day is lovely!

So, what’s been happening here?

I have the proofs for snakebyte and the new version of Whispers in the Water. Whispers needs some tweaks. Which I knew and had already mostly done … then I had another idea. So, now it’s twenty pages longer. ha! Guess I’ll be re-doing the cover now. 🙂 Same amazing image – but a slightly wider spine. Kinda a fun project to be honest. Might do it next weekend when I’m home in Mahau. At this stage the books won’t be in the bookshop until July.

There is an important thing I need to remember before we leave on Thursday. THA doesn’t sail well. [She’s the only one of us that doesn’t.] So she’ll need good ol’ phenergan for the trip. Weather forecast is for wind, so it could be a wee bit bumpy out in the Strait. Best to be safe than sorry especially as immediately after the 3.5 hours on the sea we’ll be sitting in a car going over windy roads for 40 minutes! I’m all good on the sea – but man even I hate those twisty freaking roads. 🙂

I did try the whole ‘outlining’ thing for a new novel [non-byte]. Failed. It killed my desire to write and I shelved it. Pretty annoying really, because I was looking forward to this particular story. I might go back to it at some stage. I know it’s good. I know it’ll be fun to write. I just lost the will to do so with the whole outlining process. Maybe I need to find a different way of doing it?

Meanwhile, I’m back working on the 12th Byte novel. And that is fun. No outlining, no messing around at all. Just fun.