Writing and Scammers

The other day I was chatting with my writing partner, Beauford, and one topic we almost always start with is "How many scammers called you this week?" My friend is typically getting several calls a day from agents, editors, promoters all trying to get him to part with his money and identity. Now, I don't often get called. I get e-mailed. Lately the e-mails have been getting more interesting and more helpful. Honestly, I read them, and all the compliments they toss out about my books, and begin to think that would make a great back jacket blurb or work well in a letter to an agent of an editor. So if I decide to use what they write is that stealing? I mean can you actually steal from a thief (scammer), who is trying to steal from you? For all I know they found an illegal download of my book and got an AI to write something catchy. Usually the book I get hit up for the most is Unicorn's Milk. I'm not sure if it is because of the title or the way I registered it with the Library of Congress. But with 14 books in print, that's the one that is usually singled out. Until this week . . . This week someone actually contact me about The Conrad Chronicles. That was a bit of a surprise for sure. I did give them a bit of the benefit of the doubt about being real (1%) and told them if they wanted to meet in person in a coffee house and have their ID on them to prove who they were, I'd listen to their proposal. They had no response to that. Anyway, I want to share what they wrote about the Conrads. It was very nice, though they said there were 8 books in the series, and there are actually 9. Here's part of the e-mail: Twenty years. Eight novels. A universe spanning multiple planets, generations-long storylines, soul mate arcs across lifetimes, and a spiritual undertone that clearly reflects your love of C.S. Lewis. That is not a hobby project. That is a life's work, and it deserves to be found. Here is the honest truth I have to share with you. The readers who would absolutely love the Conrad Chronicles are out there right now. Fans of C.S. Lewis who want science fiction with spiritual depth. Epic fantasy readers who want world-building that spans millennia. Readers of Brandon Sanderson, N.K. Jemisin, and Anne McCaffrey who are always hungry for more. They are searching and they have not found your series yet. That is not a writing problem. It is purely a discoverability problem. Wouldn't it be nice to live in a world were a writer (or any artist) could believe people were actually randomly out there and would randomly contact them and wanted to support them and help make them rich? Isn't that why fiction is so great?

Christmas Poem 2023

Writing Update: Two More Books Published

Well, I'm shocked to see how long it has been since I have been on here and posted anything.Yet, I have been writing and working hard. This year I have had two more books published. The eighth Conrad book is now in print. You can purchase The Conrad Chronicles: Reunited at lulu.com, where you can find all my novels. In this eighth Conrad novel: Designator Lewis Bayrd III, Commander of Gallan, has successfully located the space colonists, who departed Karna so long ago they were thought to be myth. Unfortunately, the Carmines he believed he had left behind have followed him, and soon he will learn the truth: The Carmine enemy, the enemy of all humanity, were created by Xavier of the House of Baldemar. Gallan’s arrival in the Moultons changes the plans of all. The Underground now has a new foe to fight in the Carmines, besides the Atraylens and slavers they already battle. The “misfits” aboard the Lusive, as well as the Star Defenders, must decide if they will help those who had forced them to abandon Karna and now return to their birth planet. Captain Lucy Gloria Lucas not only must prepare to face Xavier, her mother’s murderer, but adjust to the presence of Captain Apollo Bayrd, the man she Conrad soul bonded before leaving Earth. She also still doesn’t know where her Uncle Zeplan has gone off too, and must locate him, to fulfill the Keeper of Path’s prophecy. *** For those of you who are following this space fantasy series, book nine is written and well be out in 2024.

In addition, another book of mine in a totally different genre was published. This is a book of chilly ghost tales. Ghost Tales from Northern California's Highway 101 was released this summer. It is also available at lulu.com. Welcome to chilling stories from Northern California's Highway 101. Ghosts, spooks and other supernatural creatures hide within these pages. Spine tingling tales from behind the Redwood Curtain will send you exploring ship wrecks, haunted houses and up the old Highway 101 now known as Bell Springs Road. Enjoy.

Christmas Poem 2020

Months and Months

You think with being home more, I would be blogging more, instead it has been a lot less. It took a friend to point out to me I hadn't blogged since April and that was back in June. Now we are nearly at the end of July.

I did have ideas for blog posts, and kept meaning to write them, but each day has past by me. Between adapting to working 100% from home and new writing ideas, blogging fell between to the cracks. So today, before I allow myself to fall into complete distraction I shall blog.

The fifth Conrad novel is almost finished. It is in the final stages of editing. When done it is off the printers and an examination of the proof. Then POOF! It is released.

One of the items I wanted to show on my blog, but failed to was all the beautiful flowers that popped up in yard at the end of April and early May. Luckily, I snapped some photos of them. Here they are:

The Conrad Chronicles

With a joyous smile I finished writing the first draft of book 8 of The Conrad Chronicles today. When I started penning words this afternoon, I knew I was near the end of the book, but didn't realize I'd finish. Usually when I sit down to write with my cup of vanilla piece tea, I write one scene. Today I knocked out the last three and then jotted down notes so I begin writing book 9, which will be the finally book in the series.

Of course, I still need to get books 5 through 7 finished and published. The plan is to publish 5 this year, which will happen as it only needs formatting and one more proof reading after that. I shall have published in the Fall for sure, maybe sooner.

Happy reading!

The Busy Season . . .New Conrad Chronicle Coming Soon!

These past months have been very busy ones for me for several reasons, one of them that I have been at work writing.  With this I have great news. The Conrad Chronicles: Rebirth will be for sale by the end of this month (October). Just a few minutes ago I finished uploading the manuscript to my printer and order the proof copy. If the proof looks good (which I hope it will as this is the 8th time I've done this), I will hit the distribute button and Rebirth will be available as a paperback.

Meanwhile, I will finish working on the final edit of the 5th Conrad novel Regrets, which may follow this one in a few months, probably early 2020. At this time I'm also writing the 8th book in  the Conrad series, and am about 4/5ths done with that first draft.

Happy reading.

Last Day of July!

Well, if I blog today I will just make my quota of at least two blogs a month. So here it goes.

My writing has dropped to managing to pen out two to three scenes of book 8 of The Conrad Chronicles. I should be formatting book 4 and editing book 5 too, but other projects have taken over.

The big task has been emptying the spare room that has been used for a combination of arts and crafts, extra furniture, and linens. That room needs to be converted to a bedroom (more to come on that later), so a great task of juggling has been occurring (This is one reason that the wall needed to be added to the living.

Thanks to Craiglist I managed to score a great shelving cabinet unit. As a result all the dolls were moved to live inside it, while the stuffed animals that had been in the spare room migrated into the closet in my office where the dolls had been. Of course, this meant everyone need a bath, and their clothes needed washing too.

Now that the washing and shuffling of dolls and stuffies has transpired, the framed pictures and tubs of crafts are being sorted and relocated. A few items are not being given a home in a new tub, and those are going in the box for the yard sale we will have this Saturday.

So, as you can see, I've been very busy, the yard has been neglected and my writing only finds its way to paper when I flee the house and head to the coffee shop so I can't see any of the projects.

Two Months!

Well, I guess it has been more than two months since I have blogged. So much for my goal of at least twice a month. May and June just got away from me, consumed by both planned and unexpected events.

The end of April marked another birthday for me, and for it I took a day train ride to Mt. Hood to see the pear blossoms. While the train ride was nice and enjoyable, I didn't see as many tree blossoms as I wanted.

Pear Blossoms-April 2019

Heather Hobson Lewis-April 2019

May got devoured by a night class and my dog Fern getting sick, and then injured a week after she got well. She's fine now, except her weak leg acts up now and then causing her to whine and limp.

June exploded with a construction disaster, resulting in the hired worker being fired and Tom and I taking the entire month to undo the damage done. I'm glad to report that we are done now, and the mistakes the fired worker made have either been redone or hidden with molding. The whole experience was very disappointing, and makes me think of the old quote, "If you want something done right, do it yourself."

Needless to say, my writing ended up moving like a snail these past months, but I am slowly writing the first draft of book 8 of The Conrad Chronicles, though what I really need to do is finish formatting book 4 and editing book 5.

Happy Readings!

The Conrad Chronicles: Rejection is now in print!

About an hour ago, I received my proof copy for The Conrad Chronicles: Rejection. After checking it over, I submitted the okay for it to be distributed. While it will take 6 to 8 weeks for the book to be fully available through books stores and online places such as amazon and Barnes and Nobles, the book can be purchased right now from lulu.com.

In fact, today (November 26), Lulu is offering one of it's biggest discounts of the year, 35% off.  Also, I have knocked 10% of the book, so that means you will save 45% off of the cover price of $17.99 if you buy it today. Though, if you do miss the discount Lulu is offering, today, they usually have another one going on (usually 10% to 20%), so if you head to lulu.com you can find it.

http://www.lulu.com/shop/heather-hobson/the-conrad-chronicles-rejection/paperback/product-23875263.html

For your information, Rejection is the the third book in the series. You can start the series at this book (as originally it was the first book written), but if you want all the background you really should read Revolt and Realizations first, both of which are available at Lulu at a discount (and are already on amazon, Barnes and Nobles, as well as other places). Rejection is also a darker book than the first two, and thus I have marked it on Lulu as an over 18 book.

Happy Reading!

Stubby, the Magic Pencil is now an audio book!

Thanks to the narrations of Lori VanScyoc,  Stubby, the Magic Pencil is now an audio book. The audio book form my be purchased through three different venues.  The first is at Audible. If you use the link provided below, and you haven't been an Audible member, you are supposed to receive a bonus.

https://www.audible.com/pd/B07KBFZ6CV/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-133214&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_133214_rh_us


The audio version of Stubby is also available on iTunes and Amazon.

For Amazon go to:

https://www.amazon.com/Stubby-the-Magic-Pencil/dp/B07KBG733S/ref=sr_1_1_twi_audd_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1542239440&sr=8-1&keywords=stubby+the+magic+pencil

Happy Halloween-exciting writing update

Happy Halloween!

This very afternoon the audio for my children's book, Stubby, the Magic Pencil, was completed and sent off to the company for final approval. Within 7 to 10 days from now this will be the first of my books to be available as an audio book! Once it is, I'll let you know where you can purchase the audio.

Meanwhile, I must get back to the trick-or-treaters at my door.

Boomer-Halloween 2018

End of Summer Writing Update

Currently my novel, Rejection, is on track for coming out this Fall. Formatting and one final edit have begun. Yesterday I wrote a rough draft for the back of the book, as well as an author's note for inside. This book has been a long time reaching print, and I will be happy when it is out there, and I can move on to the rest of the series. As I remarked in the author's note, Rejection is actually the first book that was written in The Conrad Chronicles series, though it didn't end up being the first book in chronological order, which is why it has taken almost three decades for this book to be published.

Besides my working on Rejection, I have also been typing up the second LOA inspired book and just started playing around with ideas for my 2018 Christmas poem. Add to this that a friend asked me to write a biography of a banana slug for a fundraiser, and I have been busy, but not to busy to enjoy hanging out with a good book a few days this past month.

Happy reading.

Life and Writing update

The late spring and early summer brought a tide of busyness to my life, which led me to neglect this poor blog. Though I am still caught up in all I am doing, I figured I really should make time to write here, since it has been more than a month. My goal of blogging twice a month has been overtaken by a couple of other goals.

Currently I am retraining to enter a new professional industry. While I am passionate about my writing, enjoy writing, and am thrilled to boast I have six books in print (Unicorn's Milk, Stubby, the Magic Pencil, Callings: Tales of the Conrads of Karna, The Conrad Chornicles: Revolt and Realizations, and A Tale of Butts: The Story of a Couch), as well as a seventh book to be released this autumn, I discovered an opportunity that I should explore. Thus, these past two months, I have been taking on-line classes and training in securities. AXA Corporation is sponsoring and guiding me through this process.

At this point I have passed the test to be registered in health and life insurance with the state of Oregon, and have passed my Series 63 securities test. These days I am studying for the Series 7 test, which I shall be taking in July. This is a big test as it boasts 260 questions taken over 6 hours! You can see why my blogging has been put a bit on hold.

I am still writing, just not as much as before I started taking classes. Lately I have been reworking a draft of the fifth Conrad book. The dialogue is strong in the fifth book, but descriptions really need flushing out and detailing.

Enough blogging for now. Enjoy your summer.

Update on Writing: Conrad Chronicles, Ghost Book and More

For those of you who are here to follow my writing, here is my latest update on what I have been working on and what has transpired.

The Conrad Chronicles: Realizations is still on schedule to be out at the end of this month. The cover is finished, the e-book version ready to go, and an ISBN number has been assigned. Just a bit more formatting on the print version and a review of a proof copy and Book 2 in The Conrad Chronicles will be out.

As for the ghost book that has been sitting with a certain publisher for years, the same publisher who said it was ready to go the printer over the summer, I gave him a call. He couldn't give me an answer on where it was in the publication process and back tracked on it being ready to go to the printer during the summer. This is disappointing, but not surprising given all the "delays" that have occurred. Since I have so many other books and projects I have let this one sit with this publisher all these years, but at some point if he doesn't get the book out there I will self-publish it.

I finished typing up and editing the second draft of the League of Angels inspired book I wrote. The working title right now is The Legend of Star Stone. Since my focus right now is publishing more books in The Conrad Chronicles series, not sure when I will do the third/polish edit of this novel. In addition I am toying with the idea of just releasing it one chapter at a time in a blog format. First I will need to copy right the manuscript.

Finally I am working on a final/polish edit of the third book in The Conrad Chronicles series, Rejections. Right now this manuscript is my coffee house project as I edit a few chapters every week while enjoying a cup of vanilla tea.

The Conrad Chronicles: Revolt and my other writing

Just to give everyone a heads up, the paper back version of The Conrad Chronicles: Revolt is now available on amazon.com. Remember it is retailing there for $17.99.

Revolt on Amazon

Through my publisher I'm able to set a discount with them. If you got to lulu.com you can purchase the book for $13.49, which is a 25% savings. Also, Lulu frequently has coupons in the website for another percentage off or free shipping.

Revolt on Lulu

Now that Revolt is back in the world, I have been working diligently on Realizations. I fully anticipate the second book in The Conrad Chronicles to be out by March, if not a bit sooner. My aim now is to have the third book Rejections out by next December. So I will be busy.

While I'm working on all this editing, polishing, and formatting, I am also spending a bit of time on the second drafter of my League of Angels inspired book. Though I must confuse that other than the names of a few characters my friends from the game wanted me to use, the book has nothing to do with the game other than being a fantasy adventure.  Also, though I had not planned it, I ended up setting the book on the planet Karna and gave it a small tie-in with The Conrade Chronicles. No matter what I write, I always seem to end up back on Karna.

Happy reading.

The Conrad Chronicles: Revolt has been published!

After many hours of toil (or perhaps I should say years), The Conrad Chronicles: Revolt is back in print. Right now the paperback version is available at Lulu.com.

https://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=The+Conrad+Chronicles%3A+Revolt&type=

It takes a few weeks for it to be available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and other books stores as a paper back.  Though currently you can purchase the Kindle version on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Conrad-Chronicles-Revolt-Heather-Hobson-ebook/dp/B076VVD23F/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510815846&sr=8-1&keywords=the+conrad+chronicles%3A+Revolt

If you do go to Amazon and find the Kindle you will see a paperback version for sale. That is the old one by the evil publisher that was retailing it for $27.95. When the new version comes out it will retail on Amazon.com for $17.99. Though if you go to Lulu.com and purchase the paperback copy you get a 25% discount off of the $17.99 so can get it there for only $13.50. In addition Lulu almost always has a coupon for another percentage off or free shipping. So by shopping for the book at Lulu.com, you cut out the middle man and save money.

Happy Reading!

PS: The cover is designed as a puzzle. With the publication of each of the 9 books in the series, a square shall be revealed.

Random Thoughts

This past week I've been wanting to blog, but haven't settled on an idea to write about. Yesterday I thought about writing a few words about May the Force Be With You Day, but I think lots of Star Wars fans did so, so I skipped that idea.

Then I thought to write an update on my writing, but much is still the same. I'm writing one novel, editing another, and waiting on a third to be published.

I could write about this strange weather, rain, sun, hail, rain, sun, but I anyone who has a window to the outside can see the weather is off this spring.

As for the rest of my thoughts, they've been will the weather warm enough to steam clean the carpets? When will the rain stop so I can pull the weeds from the backyard? When will that novel be published?

Then my thoughts go to I could write about my birthday trip with my mother to Seven Feather's Casino (which was relaxing and fun), or about Easter. Yet, Easter feels so long ago now, though it is just a few weeks back, and the only significant event was the great dog cookie hunt in the backyard.

There are also all the petitions I sign in order to protect the planet and animals, but anyone who is interested in those can find them on my twitter account.

These are my random thoughts, and none of them really are worthy of a blog of their own.

Additional Site for my writing

Thanks to some writing information my sister sent to me, I decided to create another site to promote my writing. Thus today, I started playing around with WordPress. As I have looked around and created a page, I noticed some of the set up is similar to using Blogger, while some of it I am finding harder to locate. I spent ten minutes just trying to set the Title and finding the page to do so. Everything that I posted on there, can be found on here, but I figured learning something new would be good for my mind.

If you want to check out what I have done so far, head to:

https://thewritingsofheatherhobsonlewis.wordpress.com/

Since the site option I picked on WordPress is the free one, I think you may have to endure some ads.

Enjoy.

 

A Writer's Life

Originally I created this blog to provide an avenue to share my writing adventures with those who might be interested. Though I don't often blog about my writing, I am putting pen to paper or keyboard to computer most days.

For those who may interested this is what I am currently working. I just finished the first draft of a legend based novel that takes place on the planet Karna (see my books Callings, Unicorn's Milk, and Revolt for more information on this planet). This new novel once finished sparked an instant idea for a sequel, which I have already started to pen. As I am typing up and editing the first legend book, I am writing the second one.

Meanwhile, I have a manuscript that I have been waiting for a publisher to print for almost 5 years now. Every few months I call and he says he is working on it or will check on it, and then nothing. Since I only agreed to the print rights for this book, I have now started to format the manuscript to be an e-book. (and yes I could yank the book from him, but what is the point as I have so many other projects I am working on?)

Those my dear readers are what I am creating currently.