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.

First thoughts...

So now I have a blog.