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I'm sorry I've been less frequent in my updates lately-the day job has been especially demanding for the last two months, and it's made it difficult to keep to my usual schedule.
That being said, I wanted to take a few minutes and answer some of the more frequently asked questions I'm hearing lately:
1. Have you started to sequel to Frozen Prospects?
Yes, not only have I started it, I've taken it through the rough draft stage and am currently working through the last editing pass to get it ready for publication on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and eventually Smashwords.
2. What will you call the sequel, and when will it be available?
That's a bit of a challenging question. I generally struggle with titles for my work, but am tentatively thinking of calling it "The Candidate". We'll have to see how things turn out. With regards to how quickly it will be available to the general public, my editor is fairly busy as well, but I'd guess sometime in the next couple of months-hopefully by June at the latest. I really will try and speed that process along every chance I get, and now that work should be slowing down slightly, I'll try very hard to get some additional work ready for editing.
3. So maybe this is a bit premature, but have you started the third book in the Guadel Chronicles series? I mean there is going to be a third book right? When will that one be available?
Sort of. There is definitely going to be a third book, and there's likely to be a fourth too, and at least on prequel, assuming I can get all of the pieces to fit together like I need them to. Given that the third book is still in the pre-outline phase, and the relatively small amounts of time I currently can dedicate to writing, it's likely to be a year or two before I can get the third book ready to go.
4. Two years! Really? What am I supposed to do for the next two years? Isn't there something that can be done to get Va'del and Jain's story finished before then?
Well, I've got a number of other books essentially ready for my editor to run through as well-my goal is to have two more of them up by the end of the year, so you'll still have a steady stream of new stories to look forward to while you wait.
If you really want to see Va'del's story finished more quickly than my current projections, then do your best to spread the word about my stories. As things go right now, I generally work nine to eleven hours each day trying to make sure I can provide for my family and meet the needs of my employer. Based on past experience, when I'm not working full time, I can finish a book in 1-2 months, but that's not an option now until my e-book sales grow to the point where we can replace our current salary with my writing income. If you as fans will get the word out to your friends and help grow my writing income, I'll gladly take the nine+ hours a day I currently do accounting and instead dedicate them to providing you with exciting new material.
5. Ok, that seems like a fair deal, how do I go about spreading the word?
Well, the most important thing is to tell people who you know like fantasy stories about Frozen Prospects and convince them to go download a sample. Beyond that, there are some other things that could help spread the word. Write a review and post it to Amazon and/or Barnes and Noble. The more positive reviews a book has, the more likely people are to try out an author they haven't read before. If you have a website or a blog, talk about Frozen Prospects and my other stories. Link to my books and website on Facebook. If you know a book blogger ask them to review one of my stories or offer to do a guest review and review my work. Lastly, you could gift copies of my e-books & stories to friends so that they'll have a chance to read my work. There's likely a ton more ways you could easily help spread the word, but those are the ones that come to mind.
Thanks for all of your correspondence!
Dean