Happy Memorial Day Everyone!
The process of writing the first draft of Monarch could not have gone much smoother than it did. (Take a look back at a previous post for details.) I finished more than a week ahead of my self-imposed deadline in November.
This year has not been quite as effortless as last year. My hope was to roll out the first stage in July. Things were going along just fine until late January, when father time caught up with me. He's faster than you'd think. Anyway, it happens to all of us and I'm now back on track.
That brings me to my reason for writing this post. Even though I will not be able to deliver my first e-book to you all in July, I can still begin selling them via pre-sale. Although, I cannot do so through Amazon - you must be a bestselling author to pre-sale through them. This ultimately will be better for the reader, because it allows me to add perks to the pre-sale that I could not through Amazon, and I want everyone to feel as if they are apart of something special. These perks will be "collectors items" that will not be available once the roll out begins in just a few short months. (Details on perks coming soon.)
Even though the rewrite of Stage One will be completed before July, it would not be wise of me to publish it before addressing the other stages first. That will take just a little more time.
Hopefully there are those of you who are interested in not only buying your copy or copies before their release, but are also interested in the collectible items available only through the pre-sale. My goal is to make the experience of releasing my first e-book as positive and beneficial to my readers as possible.
Thank you for reading.
-aap
Monday, May 30, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wednesday Opening finally here?
I might have surmised with the original Hangover opening on a Wednesday Night, and having such good fortune, that they would release The Hangover Part II in the same manner. And they are intending to do just that. Yet, there is also another film releasing tonight at 12:01: Kung Fu Panda 2.
Not a big fan of most sequels, reboots and remakes, I had hoped some other film(s) might have grabbed the mantle for first film(s) released on a Wednesday this year. First, I thought it might be Sucker Punch, which turned out to be a dud. Then there was Thor, which was apparently too soft to take the throne. Both fell short.
Kung Fu Panda 2 is the surprise here. Its original was a kid flick that adults also liked, while The Hangover was an adult film that kids had to sneak in to see. These two films will duke it out this weekend for top spot at the box office, likely raking in 100s of millions of dollars each.
I may even go see one of them tonight, probably The Hangover II; but neither of these films are what I am truly waiting to see. That would be Super 8. Abrams and Spielberg = GOLD. Think about it: Spielberg is starting to get up there in years, and who better to take his place as best American director than J.J.? I know some people will argue about me calling Spielberg the best American director, but who else comes to mind when you think of the overall face of American Cinema for the past forty years. Their career paths are very similar too. Both started out in Television and then moved on to Film with great success.
So, until Super8 finally gets here, I guess I'll have to settle for some gut-busting hilarity from Zach, Ed and Brad. While neither film is a bad choice for the first Wednesday Night release this year, I just wish it wasn't so painfully obvious that sequels and franchises are held in higher regard than original works. I mean... I've already seen these films - I've moved on, and these sequels are not likely to be better than the originals. Just saying.
-aap
Not a big fan of most sequels, reboots and remakes, I had hoped some other film(s) might have grabbed the mantle for first film(s) released on a Wednesday this year. First, I thought it might be Sucker Punch, which turned out to be a dud. Then there was Thor, which was apparently too soft to take the throne. Both fell short.
Kung Fu Panda 2 is the surprise here. Its original was a kid flick that adults also liked, while The Hangover was an adult film that kids had to sneak in to see. These two films will duke it out this weekend for top spot at the box office, likely raking in 100s of millions of dollars each.
I may even go see one of them tonight, probably The Hangover II; but neither of these films are what I am truly waiting to see. That would be Super 8. Abrams and Spielberg = GOLD. Think about it: Spielberg is starting to get up there in years, and who better to take his place as best American director than J.J.? I know some people will argue about me calling Spielberg the best American director, but who else comes to mind when you think of the overall face of American Cinema for the past forty years. Their career paths are very similar too. Both started out in Television and then moved on to Film with great success.
So, until Super8 finally gets here, I guess I'll have to settle for some gut-busting hilarity from Zach, Ed and Brad. While neither film is a bad choice for the first Wednesday Night release this year, I just wish it wasn't so painfully obvious that sequels and franchises are held in higher regard than original works. I mean... I've already seen these films - I've moved on, and these sequels are not likely to be better than the originals. Just saying.
-aap
Monday, May 23, 2011
New Logo and Possible Book Cover
After spending a nice evening over at the Padgett Manor last night, I came home to find something in my email. Scott, a long-time friend and amazing graphic artist, graciously spent some of the time during my visit crafting a logo and possible book cover for Monarch. It may change slightly over the next few months, but this is pretty close to the original idea he had a few months ago when we first talked about it.
Tell me what you think. Do you like it?
Scott will be working on a number of illustrations throughout Monarch. Check out more of his work at http://www.scottpadgettart.com/
-aap
Tell me what you think. Do you like it?
Scott will be working on a number of illustrations throughout Monarch. Check out more of his work at http://www.scottpadgettart.com/
-aap
Sunday, May 15, 2011
CIPHER
Back in 1999 I was still living in Los Angeles. I had originally gone out west to pursue my passion for acting. After several years of going to auditions and working on whatever I could the allure began to lose its tarnish. Trying to carve myself a niche was a tough slog. I was making inroads and had some connections, but was growing more and more frustrated with the whole process and all the downtime between gigs. And I was not getting any offers on the roles I actually wanted. Such is life. If I had stuck with it I might have eventually landed that choice role. But I was restless. In those downtimes between gigs I was writing - something I had been doing even before I moved West. I started on my first screenplay back in Atlanta in 1996 but never did anything with it, and once I moved to LA all but forgot about it.
In '98, while in LA, I was asked to adapt a project. Unfortunately the company went under before I had a chance to do so, but it was that project, along with the lack of juicy roles, that led me towards writing. By '99 I was split in my devotions. Part of me still loved acting, but the other part wanted to actually be working on something of interest. I never wanted to be some famous person with no life. No. I wanted to create something memorable and then disappear into the next project. That was the point when I began taking notes for Cipher.
In Hollywood there is a lot of talk of spirituality and living in tune with one another. It's almost like the leftovers of the hippie culture of the late '60s. That, of course, is only one side of the coin. The other side is much darker and just as prevalent. It was this duality that sent my mind spinning into motion with Y2K fast approaching. The actor side of me decided I needed to begin doing research. I no longer felt that LA was where I needed to be. My story was to be set back East, and my suitcase simply followed.
The tie to 2012 was partly motivated by the world's fear over Y2K, and also by the research I did into the Maya civilization. The world's belief in duality and the effective use of parallel worlds in works like Alice In Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz helped me to envision another parallel world for my story. Yet my parallel world was darker, and certainly not meant for a children's audience.
By the summer of 2000 I had completed the first draft of part one of Cipher and was beginning on part two and three. I had envisioned this massive trilogy like Lord of the Rings. It's funny, when I was still in LA preparing to move back East I heard about LTR going into production. It was a moment I'll never forget. It was like a punch in the gut. The look I had in mind for my parallel world was similar to that of Tolkien, with bizarre creatures like Orcs and Elves. I immediately had to rethink things, which was probably for the best, even if it meant changes. These little hiccups, these unexpected exterior influences, I came to find out, are as much a part of the process as everything else. Embracing the unexpected, and using it for one's own benefit, has become a rule for me when writing. Because if you want to finish, you just can't stop.
In the summer of 2001 I completed filming the trailer for Cipher. Apparently I now wanted to be a director, writer and actor. No, not really. I was a director out of necessity, as it is obvious to see in the trailer.
Once I finished the trailer September 11th happened, and my story and my trailer immediately lost importance. I had hoped to have Cipher made into a movie by 2012, but other things became more important. Family and friends came first. Time continued to pass by and one year turned into decade. I continued to write, cranking out almost twenty screenplays during that period. Yet something was missing. Cipher had been my life for the better part of two turbulent and memorable years, and 2012 was just over two and a half years away. If I were to just forget about Cipher and let 2012 come and go without doing anything with it, well, it seemed a tremendous waste.
Thus I began work on Monarch and the implementation of Cipher as an apocalyptic tome that my main character reads as the clock ticks down to 12/21/2012.
-aap
In '98, while in LA, I was asked to adapt a project. Unfortunately the company went under before I had a chance to do so, but it was that project, along with the lack of juicy roles, that led me towards writing. By '99 I was split in my devotions. Part of me still loved acting, but the other part wanted to actually be working on something of interest. I never wanted to be some famous person with no life. No. I wanted to create something memorable and then disappear into the next project. That was the point when I began taking notes for Cipher.
In Hollywood there is a lot of talk of spirituality and living in tune with one another. It's almost like the leftovers of the hippie culture of the late '60s. That, of course, is only one side of the coin. The other side is much darker and just as prevalent. It was this duality that sent my mind spinning into motion with Y2K fast approaching. The actor side of me decided I needed to begin doing research. I no longer felt that LA was where I needed to be. My story was to be set back East, and my suitcase simply followed.
The tie to 2012 was partly motivated by the world's fear over Y2K, and also by the research I did into the Maya civilization. The world's belief in duality and the effective use of parallel worlds in works like Alice In Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz helped me to envision another parallel world for my story. Yet my parallel world was darker, and certainly not meant for a children's audience.
By the summer of 2000 I had completed the first draft of part one of Cipher and was beginning on part two and three. I had envisioned this massive trilogy like Lord of the Rings. It's funny, when I was still in LA preparing to move back East I heard about LTR going into production. It was a moment I'll never forget. It was like a punch in the gut. The look I had in mind for my parallel world was similar to that of Tolkien, with bizarre creatures like Orcs and Elves. I immediately had to rethink things, which was probably for the best, even if it meant changes. These little hiccups, these unexpected exterior influences, I came to find out, are as much a part of the process as everything else. Embracing the unexpected, and using it for one's own benefit, has become a rule for me when writing. Because if you want to finish, you just can't stop.
In the summer of 2001 I completed filming the trailer for Cipher. Apparently I now wanted to be a director, writer and actor. No, not really. I was a director out of necessity, as it is obvious to see in the trailer.
Once I finished the trailer September 11th happened, and my story and my trailer immediately lost importance. I had hoped to have Cipher made into a movie by 2012, but other things became more important. Family and friends came first. Time continued to pass by and one year turned into decade. I continued to write, cranking out almost twenty screenplays during that period. Yet something was missing. Cipher had been my life for the better part of two turbulent and memorable years, and 2012 was just over two and a half years away. If I were to just forget about Cipher and let 2012 come and go without doing anything with it, well, it seemed a tremendous waste.
Thus I began work on Monarch and the implementation of Cipher as an apocalyptic tome that my main character reads as the clock ticks down to 12/21/2012.
-aap
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Other Tweaks to "The Plan"
Since I seem to be altering things with the novel, I need also take my other writings into consideration. My so-called plan at the beginning of the year had me hoping to release all sorts of things: a novel, screenplays and short-stories. Heck, I'm surprised I didn't say I was going to have two novels ready to go by year's end.
I was eager around the new year. Can you blame me? The prospect of e-publishing at the time was intoxicating. How easy it all sounded. All you have to do is fill out a few online forms and "Poof!" you're published.
Who knows, maybe by December I'll have a short story or screenplay ready to go. I'd like to be able to do that, but my main focus is Monarch. Time and quality are the two biggest issues I face with the novel, and they affect the prospect of me working on anything else. The need to publish with enough time for a reader to read Monarch before 12/21/2012 is vital. But to rush it because I also want to release a short story, or because of the ever-dwindling amount of time before 2012 would likely affect the overall quality. Even though a part of me knows I've been a writer for awhile now, I must remember that I am still new to publishing. To scribble on a sheet of paper is nothing. To rework it into something people will actually want to read is something.
I'll eventually get around to the other projects. Believe me, I can't wait. But for now, let us be content with the progress on Monarch.
-aap
I was eager around the new year. Can you blame me? The prospect of e-publishing at the time was intoxicating. How easy it all sounded. All you have to do is fill out a few online forms and "Poof!" you're published.
Who knows, maybe by December I'll have a short story or screenplay ready to go. I'd like to be able to do that, but my main focus is Monarch. Time and quality are the two biggest issues I face with the novel, and they affect the prospect of me working on anything else. The need to publish with enough time for a reader to read Monarch before 12/21/2012 is vital. But to rush it because I also want to release a short story, or because of the ever-dwindling amount of time before 2012 would likely affect the overall quality. Even though a part of me knows I've been a writer for awhile now, I must remember that I am still new to publishing. To scribble on a sheet of paper is nothing. To rework it into something people will actually want to read is something.
I'll eventually get around to the other projects. Believe me, I can't wait. But for now, let us be content with the progress on Monarch.
-aap
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
May: Tweaking The Plan
For a year the path to e-publishing had been clear, but now things have become muddled with uncertainty. Even though progress continues, the way ahead no longer seems as giving of itself. Time has begun to slow while also whizzing by. The Plan to e-publish, as it was, had to be altered. (You can go back and check the beginning of this blog to see how "The Plan" originated.)
The Old Plan was to release each part, (then, three parts, and now, four stages) beginning in July, as e-books, throughout the rest of the year, and then release the paper versions once, or as the final stage is released. To some extent the plan has not changed much. Yet the release dates will be bumped to later days. When will the first stage be available? I cannot say as of yet.
I want to bring you the best possible product that I can. For me to rush it, just to keep to the early plan, would be foolish. This delay of publishing is not a bad thing; it may actually turn out to benefit the overall quality of the finished novel.
The movie Jaws always seems to come to mind when such setbacks occur. They had so many problems with the mechanical shark that they had to be more creative in order to finish the movie. It was on the boat, as the cast and crew were waiting on "Bruce" the shark, that they made some of the film's greatest scenes. All the delays required rewrites and allowed for more takes, which helped greatly. The problems also meant that more and more underwater POVs would be needed along with an iconic musical score to make up for the mechanical shark setbacks. But, in the end, it all helped to make Jaws a better movie. I'm trying to keep that in mind as July draws closer and closer, like a shark in the e-publishing waters.
The big day of this year is November tenth. Why? It marks the day one year prior to the opening of the story in Monarch. That is the latest possible day I am willing to consider releasing Stage One. So, if you are interested in knowing when you might be able to get your hands on the novel, there looks to be a time frame of about four months in which the first stage will be released.
D-DAY: July 1st - November 10th
-aap
The Old Plan was to release each part, (then, three parts, and now, four stages) beginning in July, as e-books, throughout the rest of the year, and then release the paper versions once, or as the final stage is released. To some extent the plan has not changed much. Yet the release dates will be bumped to later days. When will the first stage be available? I cannot say as of yet.
I want to bring you the best possible product that I can. For me to rush it, just to keep to the early plan, would be foolish. This delay of publishing is not a bad thing; it may actually turn out to benefit the overall quality of the finished novel.
The movie Jaws always seems to come to mind when such setbacks occur. They had so many problems with the mechanical shark that they had to be more creative in order to finish the movie. It was on the boat, as the cast and crew were waiting on "Bruce" the shark, that they made some of the film's greatest scenes. All the delays required rewrites and allowed for more takes, which helped greatly. The problems also meant that more and more underwater POVs would be needed along with an iconic musical score to make up for the mechanical shark setbacks. But, in the end, it all helped to make Jaws a better movie. I'm trying to keep that in mind as July draws closer and closer, like a shark in the e-publishing waters.
The big day of this year is November tenth. Why? It marks the day one year prior to the opening of the story in Monarch. That is the latest possible day I am willing to consider releasing Stage One. So, if you are interested in knowing when you might be able to get your hands on the novel, there looks to be a time frame of about four months in which the first stage will be released.
D-DAY: July 1st - November 10th
-aap
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