Lou Paduano | Urban Fantasy Novels | Sci-Fi Crime Series

Writing Update – April 27, 2017

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I can’t believe it’s been a month since I did one of these. I have a feeling that will start becoming the trend down the line with so many different things going on every month. But enough jibber-jabber, on with the writing update!

Writing Update

Pathway in the Dark is drafted! Next February’s short story collection, and Book Four of the Greystone series, is all set for the self-editing phase and I couldn’t be happier with it. I’m really happy with the decision to jump from novel to short story and back again with this series and it opens up a ton of unique avenues for story-telling, especially when it involves supporting characters.

writing updateMay and June are editing months it looks like but I’ve already started pooling my notes for the fifth and final book in this part of the Greystone series. Lots of plots coming together. Mysteries revealed. Characters going bye bye. I’m going to be a wreck when I sit down to draft this puppy.

The Medusa Coin – I want to thank by beta readers for all their help and support over the last month. I know I don’t give enough time to really dig into the draft but somehow you always manage to read it and offer great tips on how to improve the work. Advance copies will be available this summer before the book’s launch in September. Keep a lookout for more information soon.

The Tales from Portents 99-cent sale ends this Sunday so make sure you snag your copy before it goes back to full price!

Promos

Signs of Portents will be part of the Spellcasters Fantasy Promo from May 6th to the 14th. Lots of free books to add to your e-readers for the coming summer.

You can find the full rundown of free books over at A.J. Martinez’s website.

For more free books, please check out The Prolific Reader. Melanie Tomlin has put together a fantastic repository of Instafreebie books that you can download. At last count there were over 450 titles (including Resurrectionists, because I am EVERYWHERE…)

Reading

Batman: I am Suicide – Tom King’s work on this book is fantastic. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first volume of his run or the Night of the Monster Men crossover but with this arc I am fully invested. His character work is topnotch and his handling of Batman, his voice, and his world grows stronger with each issue.

I absolutely loved the Batman/Catwoman dynamic, including their letters to each other that run as narration through different chapters of the main story.

Mikel Janin doesn’t need any praise. The man is a marvel with a pencil. His layouts are dynamic and intricate. Just beautiful stuff all around.

Green Arrow: Island of Scars – I’m going to start with my one gripe with this book: Why isn’t there a PREVIOUSLY PAGE? I get that this is volume two and that there is a previous arc to read prior to this. I read it… three months ago. And yes, I don’t remember what happened! All I ask is a small blurb to bring me up to speed, especially since this collection is dependent on having read the first.

Anyway, Benjamin Percy knows Oliver Queen better than anyone at this point. He has the character nailed and doesn’t bog him down with internal strife. Ollie doesn’t work that way and Percy gets that. I really enjoyed the shorter arcs in this collection. Each one was tightly plotted and great character work while never losing sight of the larger story being told in the series.

Prescient by Derek Murphy – A great prelude to a larger series. Derek Murphy does a fantastic job building the world, both present and future, and never loses sight of the most important aspect of his story – the characters.

From teenage drama to post-apocalyptic struggles at the drop of a dime, Murphy handles both with ease. Well paced, Prescient left me with tons of questions and the desire to find the answers when the first full length novel in the series comes out.

Talk to you in a few weeks. Thanks for reading.

Writing Update – March 16, 2017

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I’m buried under a foot of snow, I’m fighting a week long head cold, and the kids turned four and two last week. But enough about me, bring on the writing update!

Writing Update

The Medusa Coin IS DONE! I worked my proverbial tuchas off trying to button this bad boy up over the last four weeks. This one almost broke me, and probably led to the week long head cold. This is the first full-length novel I’ve put together since bringing the site live back in August. The first one I’ve written since the initial draft of Signs of Portents back in 2013.

I was worried to say the least.

After many revisions and quite a few late nights rejiggering different elements into place, I think I’m at a place to let this one go for a bit. I’ve sent it to my favorite first readers for their thoughts, hoping they will remember my fragile ego and go easy on me.

I’ve also opened up the opportunity for more beta readers on this one. If you are interested in reading a raw draft of The Medusa Coin, follow the link to learn more about what I’m looking for. My deadline is April 20th to have the draft read and notes sent back. I know it’s tight and hope to give more time for the next installment.

Speaking of which:

Pathways in the Dark

Book Four in the series is progressing. This one is another short story collection, taking place in the aftermath of The Medusa Coin. I finished the script level drafts of the six tales last month but it felt like something was missing.

There was and it came to me in the form of a little epilogue currently titled, The Gathering. What I loved most about Tales from Portents was the fact that when you finished The Consultant you knew where Soriya was headed and what followed with Signs of Portents. I wanted that feeling. That cliff jumping moment where the reader made it to the end of Pathways and screamed that they needed book five in their hands NOW.

The Gathering accomplishes this and I am so happy it came together. Time to sit down and start drafting the remaining five stories. (After the NyQuil wears off…)

Lots of promo stuff coming up for Signs and Tales starting April 1st so be on the lookout for some great opportunities to snag a copy on the cheap. I’ll be talking about them at length during the next update.

Thanks for reading.

Writing Update – February 23, 2017

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It has been a crazy week here in the basement. Lots of things going on so let’s get this writing update started!

Writing

You might not know this but:

Tales from Portents is on sale now at the following:

               

Grab your copy today!

writing updateI keep hoping to enjoy the moment a little more but I’ve been in full edit mode with The Medusa Coin. Where Tales from Portents was a dream project from start to finish, the next installment in the Greystone series has had more than a few challenges.

It has been a long time since I tackled a manuscript of this length so the learning curve has been steep in cleaning it up, shredding extraneous plotlines, and following through on the major arcs of every character. This novel also has the unfortunate distinction of being the midpoint of the first cycle of the series, giving it the responsibility of not only carrying the seeds from Signs of Portents but also propelling our characters to the eventual conclusion of this initial journey in next year’s installments.

Lots to keep in mind when working through the book, which I am hoping to button up next week to pass off to some first readers! September might seem a long way off but it will be here quicker than you think.

Pathways in the Dark

The fourth book in the series is progressing nicely. All seven stories in the collection due out next February are outlined and scripted. It will be a nice change of pace to put together some smaller stories after the behemoth of The Medusa Coin. I’m hoping to start the drafting phase next month!

Reading

I had planned to discuss a number of the books I’ve been digging lately but alas, The Medusa Coin has owned my life from top to bottom. Next time.

Thanks for reading.

Writing Update – February 2, 2017

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February already?!! Not cool, Calendar Man. Not cool. Here is your writing update on this lovely Groundhog Day:

Writing Update:

writing updateTales from Portents is on sale in TWO WEEKS! But I’m sure you already knew that. Interested in an advance reader copy of the book? Let me know.

The Medusa Coin – THE EDITING CONTINUES. It’s been a slow process. Every time I tackle a new project I have to relearn my own system. This week I’ve been researching like crazy to shore up the story. A couple key moments needed to be reconfigured and a new element or two inserted to really drive some of the character arcs home.

It’s coming together though and my plan is to hunker down the entire month and put the final touches on this one.

Pathways in the Dark – All that research has had an unintended bonus (and another reason The Medusa Coin is going a little slower than usual for me). Researching one project helped me figure out the key components to Pathways, allowing me to finish up the outline for the collection coming next February.

Another set of six tales, these take place immediately after the events of The Medusa Coin. I’m very happy with how the project is coming together and can’t wait to script the outlines this month. Lots of hints at what is ahead in the series and some old friends from Tales get their moment to shine in this collection.

Reading

Lots of time spent researching lately but I did make the time for two new releases from DC’s Rebirth titles:

Flash: Lightning Strikes Twice – Joshua Williamson takes on Barry Allen and gives him a nice well-rounded cast to play off in the series. There is quite a bit going on in this book but that is how it should be for the Flash. Frenetic pacing and equally exciting layouts made this story a page turner for sure. Carmine Di Giandomenico has a great style for the book and is able to maintain the twice-monthly schedule nicely.

I was a little letdown by the villain’s reveal though it was understandable and acted as the perfect counterpoint to Barry Allen’s role as the Flash.

I only ask that DC reconsider the insane lightning coming off the Flash on every page. It is distracting as hell and if I was standing by him at a crime scene I would be completely freaked out.

Justice League: The Extinction Machines – I wasn’t sure about this one. For me, nothing beats Grant Morrison’s run on JLA in the 90’s. (Oy. I’m old.) Geoff Johns did a great job as well, but let’s face facts. The man ALWAYS does a great job. It’s a sickness with him.

Bryan Hitch and Tony Daniel offer up a strong first arc with the new Justice League. They play up the tension between Batman and the “new” Superman well. I enjoyed the banter between the Green Lanterns and the Flash. Aquaman’s role was a little out in left field and should have at least connected slightly with the others but it came together in the end.

A great opening tale with lots of bombastic action and widescreen visuals. Can’t wait to see how they build on it.

That’s it for this writing update. Fingers crossed that Spring comes early!

Thanks for reading.

Writing Update – November 24, 2016

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I like to take stock on where I am with my work and I feel it’s important to share that with you here. Every two weeks you can find out what I’m currently writing and what I’ve been reading.

Writing

The big news first, of course, is that the first draft of The Medusa Coin is finished! NaNoWriMo has been a tremendous experience all around but seeing the draft set in three weeks is unbelievably gratifying. There were a few days I felt like walking away but I had an incredible amount of support from family and friends. Many thanks to everyone keeping me at the computer and plugging away.

The Goodreads giveaway for Signs of Portents is over! Congrats to the winners. Your books will be on the way at the end of the week. Enjoy them! I’m excited to have some new eyes on the series and hope you’ll stick with the series. Lots of story left to tell.

After a successful challenge with NaNoWriMo, I figured now would be the perfect time to step back and enjoy a small vacation. INSTEAD, I did something stupid. While I was drafting The Medusa Coin, on one of my slower days, I accidentally outlined the next short story collection. (You heard me. Accidentally. Not my fault.)

Rather than leave it as the couple pages of notes it currently is I think I might take my momentum and really have a go at fleshing out the stories involved.

Unlike the upcoming Tales from Portents which serves as a prequel collection taking place before Signs, this new collection will fit squarely between The Medusa Coin and the final novel of the first cycle. I’m dying to tell you more about these next two books, especially the fifth and final in the cycle but that will have to wait a bit longer.

Reading

Not much in this regard again. Apologies. Now that the draft is off my plate I plan to catch up on some reading before I get too far into the next project, including binging on my favorite four-color mags and a novel or two between holiday related festivities.

I have a lot to be thankful for this year including having you here with me on this crazy journey.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Writing Update – October 27, 2016

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I like to take stock on where I am with my work and I feel it’s important to share that with you here. Every two weeks you can find out what I’m currently writing and what I’ve been reading.

Writing

I start writing a new novel on Tuesday, November 1st. I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo for the first time and am both excited and terrified at the undertaking. I think the challenge will be good for me in terms of productivity and craft. Or it could completely blow up in my face.

You can follow my journey in many places. Social media (with obligatory complaints about exhaustion and too much coffee). Here for the bi-weekly updates you crave. And starting in a couple weeks you can find me at The Write Life for my NaNoWriMo experience from start to finish. I want to thank the fine people over The Write Life for the opportunity.

For more on NaNoWriMo and on the project I will be working on for the month of November check out the blog on Monday. (Tease, tease, tease.)

Reading

Jim Butcher’s Death Masks (The Dresden Files Book Five) – Another fifth book in a series. I just realized that. Weird. Another great installment in the Dresden Files series. Every book gets bigger in scope. And every time I read one I wonder how Butcher is going to pull everything together. There are so many different threads being explored in this book, and all by Harry Dresden, Chicago’s # 1 curmudgeon wizard. How they interweave, connect and disconnect to the overall plot is where the true magic is and Butcher shows a true mastery of the craft with this novel.

I always feel that pull to write in the first person and then Butcher shows me how much better he is at it than I probably ever will be. Something to strive for in the future, for sure. Dresden is sarcastic yet 100% informative in his telling of the story. The perfect blend to keep the reader connected and entertained to the narrative.

I can’t wait to read the next one. Check it out.

Thanks for reading.

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