The Ugly Girl: Update

The manuscript has passed the 75% mark. Below is a cover mockup in case I self-publish, but I'm leaning toward finding a professional cover artist.

New Project: The Ugly Girl

While spending my time boosting on-line sales of the "Shore of Monsters" duology, I have been giving much thought to my next writing project. After considering a number of options, I have settled on a story that greatly intrigues me.

The story has a simple premise. Twenty-five thousand years ago our ancestors shared the planet with a human sub-species called Neanderthals. Contrary to popular belief, Neanderthals were not brutes. In fact, they seemed to possess all the intelligence of modern humans. So why did they die off, and allow our ancestors to inherit the earth? Nobody knows for certain.

So ... what if the pendulum had swung the other direction? What if our ancestors had ceased to exist and the Neanderthal's had flourished? And what would happen if a Human girl found herself in this reality - different from everyone else, ugly in appearance to Neanderthals? Well, I intend to find out through the telling of this story.

Stay tuned.

Fall of Darkness (Shore of Monsters sequel) Updated

I finished updating Fall of Darkness, with much more satisfying results. The antagonists' reason for existence makes much more sense, and offers some interesting contrast to the reader. Posted 4/24 on Amazon and Barnes&Noble. Smashwords and Createspace to follow soon.

Updating "Fall of Darkness"

I'm not as pleased with the sequel to The Shore of Monsters as I should be. There are some weak plot elements and abrupt pacing in parts.

So - I am re-working those portions. I am about half done, and am much happier with the results. I think the antagonists are much more realistic and compelling, and the plot more believable and connected to the first volume of the story.

The re-work should be completed and posted by the end of April.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award: The Shore of Monsters

My novel "The Shore of Monsters", which I entered in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, has advanced to the second round. I'm not sure how much that says, other than out of the several thousand entries, it has advanced to the round of 1000. Here's hoping it makes the quarter-final round of 500!

Now Available: "Fall of Darkness", Sequel to "The Shore of Monsters"

The sequel (and conclusion) of the The Shore of Monsters is now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

Summary: In the exciting conclusion to The Shore of Monsters, Thomas is missing, having plunged into monster-infested wilderness after believing Sky to be dead, on a mission to ferry critical plague research to the faraway Saints in hopes that combined knowledge will produce a new cure. The abrupt arrival of a new foe, the technically advanced Chosen, drives Sky on a journey into the unknown to find Thomas and The Saints. Spared from the plague by isolation and quarantine, and armed with powerful weapons from Before, men and women of the fanatical Chosen are engaged in a mad suicide plan to exterminate humanity. In the company of friends and former foes, Sky undertakes a perilous trek by land and sea to find and alert the women of The Saints before the Chosen arrive, and to reunite with Thomas if he still survives. Although Sky and her companions meet deadly challenges and near disasters along the way, an inexplicable longing for the one she loves drives the girl forward. To reunite with Thomas and discover where their strange, wonderful relationship will lead, Sky must overcome powerful new enemies, unexpected treachery, and the ever-present monsters that swarm the shore. Both her heart and the fate of humanity lie in the balance!