Free! Dawnwind: Last Man Standing!

Hello, again, gentle readers!
Today's freebie is Dawnwind: Last Man Standing, available at your local Amazon website!
Dawnwind is also the first book I published via Kindle and, because of that, it has a special place in my heart.  It doesn't hurt that it's gotten some really great reviews either!
So, ladies and gentlemen, pop on over, sample the text and, if you are so inclined, get your free copy and follow the exploits of the Last Human.
Cheers!

Free! The Marvelous Land of Ap!

Hello, gentle readers!
Please forgive the lateness of this post but I've had a bear of a day! 
This post is just a quick reminder that you can get the Kindle version of The Marvelous Land of Ap for free today at your local Amazon!
Also, I'll be giving away copies of two of my other books this week!
Stay tuned for updates and enjoy!

Shameless Self Promotion

Attention, gentle readers!

Next week I will be making the Kindle version of three of my books FREE for one day only.

The Marvelous Land of Ap will be free on Monday, December 16th!

Dawnwind: Last Man Standing will be free on Tuesday, December 17th!

And, last but not least, Capetales will be free on Wednesday, December 18th!

You can find the books on my Amazon Author's Page, just click on the link at the top of the blog.

Enjoy!

Dr Who: Books That Never Were

Hello, gentle readers!
Today, I'm going to share something a bit different.
When I can't write, for one reason or another, I usually switch gears and find something else creative to do.  Usually, I play around with Photoshop.
This month I've been mucking around with Photoshop, producing images inspired by the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who.
So, today, I'm going to share the covers of some Doctor Who books That Never Were.
Enjoy!

Specificity

"You're going to make this hard for me," said my designer.
We had been sitting in my kitchen, perusing the pictures in my art file that had not made the final cut. The pictures run the gamut from whimsical photos such as this:

To more traditional artwork:

To the conceptual:

Still, looking back at the things I like certain themes do come through.  I enjoy color and contrast, the whimsical and the traditional. 

When my designer asked me to describe my personal style, my first impulse was to put down the word 'eclectic.'  But doesn't everyone consider themselves eclectic?  That person with the ceramic cookie jar in the shape of a rooster, proudly displayed on their kitchen counter, is the same person with the Matisse print hanging in their living room. 

Eclectic, to me, has always hinted at randomness.  A sort of haphazard accumulation of objects and styles with no real thought behind them other than, "That would look nice in my house."  It suggests a kind of stylistic laziness.  It's so much easier to say, "Oh! My style is eclectic!" rather than, "Oh! I enjoy a mix of English Country, Asian and Traditional styles!"

Specificity is good.

As a writer, I should know this.  I've lost track of how many times I've sat at this keyboard fretting over which word to use to accurately communicate an idea.

The whole design process is about specificity, about starting with a broad palette and then narrowing the focus.  Zooming in on ideas and things that you really want, that you really like.

It's like starting a trip with a final destination in mind, but no clear route set out.  I'm really looking forward to not only reaching the end of the trip, but discovering the route we take to get to there.