SARAH OF THE ROMANI is Here!

Very excited to announce that my new book, SARAH OF THE ROMANI is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

Sara Mustow has lived in the house on Pullman Street for sixty-five years. But she does not live there alone. Sara shares her home with an infinite and evil secret.

For Alex Delaney, returning to Maine means returning to childhood memories he struggled for years to overcome. His younger brother Noah hopes the trip will bring both siblings closer to whatever shred of family remains to them. But an old gypsy's secret will force the Delaneys to confront terrible truths.

​Detective Ian Letellier, a member of the Maine State Police’s Major Crimes Unit, or MCU, leads an investigation into one of the most gruesome murders in the state’s history. The evidence in the case suggests a link to a company of local Gypsies. Law enforcement holds a jaded view of the Romani, believing them to be nothing more than thieves and scam artists. What Detective Letellier learns will shatter everything he knew about the Romani, and everything he knew about himself.

The Ignota (Scars of Tomorrow Book Two)

Hey gang,

Getting closer to the release of The Ignota on 10/14/14. Figured I'd share the description:

Assassination has rocked the Global Alliance. As one Family falls, the others rush to claim the spoils.

The victims of treason seek revenge, but the layers of manipulation and deceit thicken around them.

The unrest the Alliance was so desperate to suppress has spread. Enemies are forced to align, though mistrust gnaws the bonds of their fragile alliances. Torrance, the man from the woods, a figure feared by both friend and foe, knows his tortured past is driving him towards an unwanted future. Worse, he can find no alternative path and no way to stop what others have decided for him.

In the shadows, a new agent, known only as the Soothsayer, whose allegiance and aims are as shrouded as his identity, plucks the first notes in the song of war.

And a divided rebellion fears the price of casting off the anonymity that has kept it safe for a century. But when the empowered clash, the weak must unite or be crushed. One decision, one impossible act, will set the resistance on a new and irrevocable course. The world will know the Ignota.

Amidst all the lies in war and politics, the stouthearted might still unearth some truths. Truths of the Ignota’s origin. Truths of the Alliance’s endgame. But, it is war and it is politics, so even those truths cannot be fully trusted.

The pieces are on the board. But who are the kings, and who are the pawns? And who moves them both?

So continues the story of Torrance, the Ignota, and the Scars of Tomorrow. 

Updates, updates, updates!

I won't bother checking the date of my last blog post. Okay, I did and it was mid-July. But, at least you can't accuse me of filling up your inbox with update messages!

When last I wrote I did some explaining, but mostly I left you with more questions than answers.

I can finally correct that.

Over the long hot months of the summer I was in discussions with my publisher, Permuted Press, regarding The Pandemic Sequence books, as well as future projects. I'm excited to announce that The Pandemic Sequence books are scheduled for official release, starting with The Tilian Virus in November, The Tilian Effect in December, and The Tilian Cure in January!

Permuted has a great new team in place, and they have big plans for the future; a future which includes expanding into more generalized science-fiction and publishing the Scars of Tomorrow series! The contract was signed a few weeks back, and Permuted has purchased the first three volumes of Scars of Tomorrow.

Books One and Two (under the working titles Torrance and The Ignota, respectively) have been delivered, and I am hard at work on the third volume (tentatively titled Tears of the Sowilo). As of now, I don't have any info regarding publication dates. Permuted is currently developing its production and publishing calendar for next year. When I know the dates (and when I'm authorized to tell you), I will post them here. The same goes for the cover art. Permuted did an amazing job with Pandemic, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what they create for the Scars books.

Given my January delivery date for Tears, I doubt I'll be posting here again until the holiday season. Except, of course, if I have further updates. Until then, spread the word!

Oh, and check out Permuted Press! They've redone the site, added several new authors, announced new releases, and added a merchandise store with shirts, mugs, etc.

Some answers and some teases

Well, once again it has been a long time since I've posted on the blog. Clearly I selected the proper name for it...well maybe not the "often" part. As the headline of this post states, I'll have some answers to frequent questions, as well as a few hints to things in the working.

First things first: Where is The Ignota???

The writing of The Ignota is finished and the book is currently being edited. It took longer than anticipated for two reasons. 1) It is longer than Torrance, and 2) the story-line is intricate.  In order to deliver the best version possible, and avoid snares in later books, I needed to go over The Ignota with a fine tooth comb to ensure small details didn't prevent larger events to come.

When will The Ignota be released?

I truly wish I had an answer to that one, but unfortunately I don't. I'll explain further down.

What happened to Torrance?

As some of you will likely notice, Torrance is no longer available. It may not seem like it, but that's a good thing. There are somethings in the works for the What Followed After series which I cannot go into just yet. But, trust me...it's good, really good. As soon as I am able to announce what it is, I will post it here immediately!

How about Book Three?

After finishing The Ignota, I took a month off from writing.  Five books in two years was a hefty task, and I needed a bit of time to recharge.  That said, I began working on the third book two weeks ago.  The working title right now is Tears of the Sowilo.

Any news on The Pandemic Sequence?

As you know, Permuted Press bought the rights to The Pandemic Sequence in January.  Audible bought the audio production rights shortly thereafter. To date, The Tilian Virus has been released as an audiobook available through Amazon and Audible. The Tilian Effect audiobook is scheduled for release on July 23, 2013, and The Tilian Cure audiobook is set for October 1, 2013.  The ebook and print editions have not yet been released. Once again, there are very good things happening behind the scenes regarding the series. I hope to be able to announce the big news in the coming weeks.

I think that about covers all the pertinent, and frequently asked, questions. I apologize for not being able to provide clearer details, but much of what is occurring is out of my hands. However, having started out as a self-published author these are "problems" I am very lucky to have! There are BIG things in store for The Pandemic Sequence and What Followed After!

Many of you have already signed up to receive updates via email. For those that haven't, you can check back here or sign-up on the TomCalen.com main page.

Okay...so it's been far too long since my last post.  I admit it.  Guilty as charged.  Fortunately, it's because I've been writing at a fevered pace since the new year arrived.  The first draft of The Ignota is currently ahead of schedule with nearly 40% of the book complete.

Perhaps selfishly, perhaps out of self-preservation, I have a very difficult time motivating myself to blog after a day of writing.  And I the one day a week I take off from writing, the last thing I want to do is even look at a computer.  I don't know how some of these other authors do it.  Maybe they have an assistant?  Hmm...something to look into!

Last time, I teased "big news."  Well, for those who haven't heard or seen already, The Pandemic Sequence has been picked up by Permuted Press!  Permuted is one of the biggest names in horror publishing and I am honored to join the amazing list of authors.  We are currently going through the editting and revision process of the three Pandemic books.  Each book already has new cover art and I cannot decide which new cover is my favorite.  Kudos to the designer!

There are other things Pandemic I'm working on and I hope to have news on those fronts in the next few months.  Sorry, I guess that's another teaser.

Torrance was released successfully in December.  Though I have not been as diligent in its promotion, I do hope to refocus some effort there.  If I can break away from working on The Ignota, that is.

The first contest of the year is up and running - details on the main page.

On a personal note, I finished reading the final book in The Wheel of Time series.  While A Memory of Light was not my favorite volume, it was nice, albeit sad, to finally conclude my 23 years of following the tale.  I know the series will endure in history as one of the greatest epics ever written!

Next on my endless list of "To Reads" is Team of Rivals, the Doris Kearns Goodwin biography of Abraham Lincoln which inspired the recent film.  Though, I may need a quick, light read before diving into it.  Waiting on my Kindle is City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, a YA paranormal novel with a movie due out shortly, and The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett, a well-reviewed fantasy trilogy first book.  We'll see which jumps out at me first.

The next item I'm looking forward to is the release of Game of Thrones: Season Two!  I'll likely end up doing a marathon refresher before season three begins on HBO in March.

All in all, 2013 is off to an exciting, if busy, start!

Until next time...

Random musings...

December is shaping up to be quite an exciting month!

The final draft of Torrance is complete, the cover has been reworked a bit, and all systems are go for the December 20th release.  While it is a relief to have the work complete, I always find this period a real nail-biter.  The last minute thoughts of adding and cutting are tough to ignore.  Thankfully, I have the first draft of The Ignota to occupy my mind.

Once again, the holidays snuck up faster than expected.  Though, this year is the earliest I have ever finished my shopping.  I can't complain about crowded stores and impossible parking, as all my gift purchases were done online.

I'm looking forward to a few days spent with the family, some great food, and even better memories.

The new year will be here soon (barring the world's end later this month) and with it brings a bitter sweet event - the release of A Memory of Light, the final volume in the Wheel of Time series by the late Robert Jordan and (finished by) Brandon Sanderson.

I began reading TWoT in 1990 when the clerk at the local bookstore gave me the free promotional copy of The Eye of the World's beginning chapters.  Twenty-three years,  fourteen books (counting the prequel), and countless re-reads later, the end comes on January 8, 2013.  While it will be wonderful to have the story completed, it will be sad to end the tale of the characters with whom I grew up.  I will, however, be unplugging the phone, ignoring the emails, and generally secluding myself for the few days I'll need to devour the final book! 

Might not post again beforehand, so I'd like to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season!

And I will close with a teaser...big, BIG news coming in 2013.  Check back often!

Music behind the words...

One of the questions I get asked frequently is what, if any, music do I listen to while writing.  Well, I do in fact keep music playing as I write.  Usually, the songs are instrumental, ambient selections.  I will, however, occasionally pick a specific song while writing a certain scene.

With The Pandemic Sequence, the two albums which were on constant rotation were Antony & the Johnsons' self-titled release, and Black Tape for a Blue Girl's Remnants of a Deeper Purity.  Both fit nicely into the more somber scenes of the trilogy.

With Torrance, the go-to play list was the Prometheus soundtrack.  The songs blended into the background as I wrote, never really distracting from the process.  If you haven't yet seen the movie, I highly suggest you check it out - but more on that in another post.