Christopher Mahoney's Onyx Sun Blog

Sonoma County Book Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 18:08:00 +0000

I had a great day last weekend exhibiting at the Sonoma County Book Festival. First of all, it was warm, which being from San Francisco is a very acceptable change. Next, I was pleasantly surprised by how many people there were and how open they were to hearing about the exhibitors' wares.

About 40 people stopped by my booth. By the end of the day, I think I had explained my book so many times I could have done it in my sleep.

The few moments where there wasn't a visitor, I spent my time talking with my boothmate, Ezra Barany, who is the most light-hearted and friendly person I've met recently. At the end of the day, we exchanged books. So I picked up a copy of The Torah Codes ("a Jewish DaVinci Code") which I look forward to reading. I also met a woman named Margaret Murray, who has written an existential story called Sundagger.net. I haven't started it yet, but I'm looking forward to reading more!

Of course, no great book festival would be complete without a visit at the end to a local brewery. So my wife Kim and I slid over Russian River Brewing Company, where a beer and pizza bites put a cap on a great day!

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Exhibiting at the Sonoma County Book Festival!

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:39:00 +0000

It's been a while since I posted as I've been pretty busy traveling abroad for work and just plain working (not to mention dodging hurricanes in the Outer Banks for a friend's wedding last week and training for my third triathlon. Pic from my last one to the left.)

So, I'm excited to finally have something new and book-related to post. I'll be attending and exhibiting at the Sonoma County Book Festival on September 24, 2011 in Santa Rosa, CA.

If you're in the area, I'll have a booth at the event and will be offering signed hardcovers of The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun. Come by and say hi. It's my brother's birthday that day too, which is a funny coincidence, and I'll be offering a 30% discount to mark the day.

In other book news, The Midwest Book Review gave my first book a nice review, saying it is "a fun entry into a brand new youth science fictionseries, highly recommended!" although I wish they would have recognized it is more of an adventure novel set in space than true sci-fi. But that's a small point to quibble over. Thanks for the kind words MBR!

I also offered a free giveaway of my final paperback advance review copies on Goodreads.com. Although I only listed 150 books, I got over 1,100 requests! That was pretty exciting. I hope those who won them enjoy them as they are a rarefied version of my book now. I originally printed over 1,000 of them, gave about 700 away to kids, schools, and industry press and now only have about 50 left after the latest giveaway. If you were one of the winners, keep sending me your emails as feedback is key to me evolving the Onyx Sun series!

Lastly, since we're on the topic of the series, I have gotten a number of inquiries over the last few months about Book 2: The Wicked Adversaries of the Onyx Sun. Yes, I am working on it. I've got about 70 pages written so far and continue to chip away at it a few pages at a time. I did take a brief break to write a different novel - another book for younger readers but geared more firmly toward the YA crowd. Now that is done and out to agents for consideration, I am back to working on the Onyx Sun Book 2, while I promote Book 1.

Thanks again to all you who have supported me, sent letters from your children or students, or bought a book. I am much encouraged by all your positive support, words, and feedback.

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Midwest Book Review Covers the Onyx Sun!

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:15:00 +0000

I just found out about another nice review from a well-known industry publication, The Midwest Book Review. MBR covers mainly independent books like mine. So even though The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun is right on target for the kinds of books they look for, I wondered for a while after I submitted my novel if they'd cover it.

Thankfully, a few months later I did a random Google search and found out they had! Here's what they had to say:

The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun
Christopher Mahoney
Privately Published
9780979520259, $19.95, www.onyxsun.com

Being one of the youngest astronauts ever sounds cool, until the inevitable evil buts its head intothe picture. "The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun" follows Zack Goodspeed as he embraces hiswildest dreams becoming part of a new generation of space explorers. But there may be trouble inhis voyage to the moon, and it's up to Zack to act fast before his first mission turns into a disaster."The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun" is a fun entry into a brand new youth science fictionseries, highly recommended.

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/jun_11.htm#Fantasy/SciFi

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Publisher's Weekly Glows About the Onyx Sun!

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Fri, 28 May 2010 11:43:00 +0000

One of the great benefits of making it to the semifinals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards contest is that your manuscript gets attention from some serious industry players. This is both nerve-wracking and exciting as you learn that Penguin editors and Publisher's Weekly will be reading your whole story.

So, it was with a tremendous amount of relief when I read the following from Publisher's Weekly about my book:

"This space adventure yarn has the right stuff. Zack Goodspeed’s unusual grandfather, Professor Goodspeed, is an adorable nutty genius who lives next door and whose garage has been transformed into a laboratory where he’s invented, among other things, a small black cube called the Onyx Sun, which is “a source of unlimited power.” One night, soon after he has shown Zack the Onyx Sun, the professor disappears into the woods. Zack and his neighbor, Angelina “Max” Maximillian, follow him and discover a tree that opens up to an elevator that leads to the center of the earth, where the Onyx Pioneer, an enormous spaceship invented by his grandfather and powered by the Onyx Sun, is docked in preparation for its colonization mission to the moon. Zack and Max stowaway on the ship and quickly discover that the evil Dr. Machvel plans to steal the Onyx Sun and use its power for destruction. Together with their new friend, Sanjay, they work to foil Dr. Machvel’s quest for domination. The fast-paced novel keeps the reader engaged throughout. The main characters are nicely done, the plot is exciting, and there’s a clear jumping off point for a sequel, which young sci-fi fans would surely look forward to."

Exciting to see a respected member of the writing community enjoy my book. It feels validating after four years and almost a thousand hours of work.

Now, if I could just find an agent and a publisher...

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Onyx Sun Reaches Semifinals of Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:19:00 +0000

I can announce this now that I know where I stand.

After months of watching my book climb from a general submission, to making the first cut, to being a quarterfinalist, to finally reaching the semifinals, I at last know where I stand.

It is with mixed emotions I learned today that Amazon has selected the finalists for their 2010 Breakthrough Novel Awards. And although the first Onyx Sun book made it from a field of 5,000 entrants to only 50 Semifinalists, it will not be proceeding to the finals.

I'm very proud of my book, especially considering it is my first. To reach the top 1% of submissions is an achievement beyond what I expected. But I have to admit, as much as I tried not to, I was already visualizing flying to Seattle for the finals.

Ah well. My thanks goes out to Amazon for running such an amazing contest, Publisher's Weekly for their upbeat and positive review, and to the members of the community for reading and voting on my submission.

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Onyx Sun Wins a Writer's Digest Honorable Mention!

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Mon, 24 May 2010 02:06:00 +0000

I got this news a couple of months ago, but since I am getting back into blogging, I thought I'd include it since it is exciting news...

The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun has won an Honorable Mention in the 17th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards!

I sent a copy of my hardcover book, complete with the final artwork and exclusive Epilogue, to Writer's Digest almost a year ago. Of the hundreds of submissions, only three books were selected in the Middle-Grade/Young Adult category for Honorable Mentions.

I couldn't be more excited!

You will see the announcement of the award in the March/April 2010 issue or you can check it out online here. I've also included a scan of the page with my book on it in this post.

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

New Onyx Sun Web Site

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sat, 22 May 2010 12:41:00 +0000

What better way to commemorate my recent writing contest success, which I will announce in a day or two, than to launch a new web site too!

The new version of the onyxsun.com web site is finally live! I've wanted to update it for a while as the last version had a few distinct flaws. The new site:

Loads faster
Has the navigation more accessibly located at the top
Takes up less screen space "before the fold" so people can see the content below the splashy graphics without having to scroll
Has a highlight box on the right for recent announcements
Integrates more Feedburner services so I can provide dynamic information easier, like updates from my blog!

I built web sites like this one for the last fourteen years (since 1996! yikes!), and I always like to watch how sites evolve. At the end of each iteration, I always remember being happy with the end product. Yet, as I learn the site's flaws and architect a new iteration, I look back and wonder how I could possibly have been happy with the previous version. I guess innovation is a ceaseless process like that!

Anyway, here are some screengrabs of each version from v1 on the top to the most recent on the bottom. You can also visit the new real deal online of course at www.onyxsun.com.

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

I'm Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Thu, 20 May 2010 12:11:00 +0000

It's been a looooong time since I updated my blog, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy working away on the Onyx Sun when I can. I have and because of that, there is quite a lot to update you on.

Basically, I went silent over a year ago - ironically right around the time my book was finally published - since I joined Sony PlayStation and found myself quite busy helping to get a new business unit off the ground. That didn't leave much time, even on the nights or weekends, after 60+ hour weeks to work on my book. Even when I had the time, I was exhausted and needed to recharge.

So, I held off on promoting my book, preferring instead to submit the book to a couple of contests. Those submissions didn't take too much time and were tasks I could punch out from the couch while watching SportCenter.

I'm glad I did do at least that because it earned my book and Honorable Mention in a Writer's Digest contest, praise from Publisher's Weekly, and a spot in the semifinals of Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Awards, where I was one of 50 people who advanced through a field of 5,000.

I'll cover each of these in a separate post, but for now, I just wanted to say: I'm back!

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Happy Birthday Aiden!

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Mon, 03 May 2010 02:09:00 +0000

Wow, seven years old today. Happy birthday buddy! You're always in my thoughts.

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Now On Sale! Onyx Sun Book 1

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sun, 03 May 2009 01:10:00 +0000

Finally!

After several years of writing, editing, searching for agents, not getting agents, looking for publishers, getting rejected by publishers, deciding to self-publish, designing the artwork with Rudy, editing the manuscript, publishing advance review copies, getting a great review from the #1 reviewer on Amazon, reading in classes, having kids tell me how much they love the book, editing the book again, working with typesetters, corresponding with young fans of the book, sending the book to the printer, and then waiting...

...my book, The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun, is finally done and available for sale to the general public!

If you've ever been a fan, read one of the advance review copies, like helping struggling authors, or are dying to get your hands on what one reader called his "favorite book after Lord of the Rings" (true quote), please head on over to www.onyxsun.com where you can securely use PayPal to purchase a copy! You can also order it on Amazon, but people who order directly from onyxsun.com get 10% off a copy personally signed by yours truly. Plus, I only get $1 per book from Amazon, while I make a good deal more from orders direct from my site.

The final hardcover is very exciting because it has:

36 original illustrations - one at the top of every chapter!
Printed endpages with schematics of the Onyx Pioneer on the front and the Citadel Spire on the back
An exclusive epilogue, not available on the Advance Review Copies
A completely new first chapter
A unique launch code to give readers access to an online copy of the text where they can edit the entire book and share edits with friends!

Thanks to everyone who has helped make this a reality!

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

P.S. - Happy birthday Aiden! You inspired this book many years ago buddy!

53 New Fan Letters

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:17:00 +0000

On February 9th, I did my first school reading at Redding Elementary in San Francisco. It was funny going into it, because I was a little nervous. I've done dozens of speaking engagements in seven different countries for my real job, some in front of hundreds of people, but the prospect of speaking to twenty kids in my own town about my book somehow got me more jumpy. I guess when speaking to adults, I generally know what to expect, but it's been about twenty years since I've been in a classroom speaking to Fifth Graders.

After all the build-up though, the day seemed to go really well. I spoke with three classes, and each really seemed to enjoy my talk. I described what inspired me to write my book, how long it took, what skills I learned in school that helped, and finished with a reading of the Prologue. Throughout the process, I showed the students pictures of my book as it evolved from manuscript, to 2,500 edits, to advance review copy, to final book. I also showed them how the artwork in the book evolved from drafts to finished material. The students at Redding were very engaging and asked great questions.

My favorite part was at the end of the second and third classes. At the end of the second, right when I finished my reading, one of the girls in the back of the class pushed her chair back, threw her arms in the air, and exclaimed, "THAT WAS SO SWEET!" It made me laugh because her reaction was so genuine. At the end of the third class, one boy raised his hand and waved it in the air frantically until I called on him. Then he said, "Mr. Mahoney, that is the BEST book I have ever read!" Hahaha. What great kids. They kept me smiling and helped stoke the excitement I feel finally being on the "speaking circuit".

A couple of weeks later, I returned home to find a package stuffed in my mailbox from one of the classes. In it was a wire-bound book of 53 letters from the kids. This gesture was so touching and while I'd love to display all of the wonderful letters, I had to select just a few that I could fit here.

To Mr. Toy's class: thank you! You are a wonderful, insightful, and genuinely intelligent class. I appreciate your letters!

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Great Review from Amazon's #1 Reviewer!

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:49:00 +0000

More good news on advance reviews of my book. Harriet Klausner, the #1 Reviewer on Amazon (using the former ranking system, which has recently changed) has given The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun a glowing review!

An excellent middle school science fiction thriller starring an intriguing hero! The story line is action-packed and filled with twists. Zack is a terrific role model as he and his grandfather encourage children to see each day as a fun, puzzle-filled adventure. Young adults will enjoy flying to the Moon, controlling giant robots, and saving the Earth alongside Zack and his exciting friends.

- Harriet Klausner

It's exciting to see she enjoyed it, as well as other recent early reviewers.

On the final book publication date front: I have narrowed it down to two publishers and am negotiating between them. The company I want to go with is about $1,000 more expensive. So, I am exploring my options with the second company while trying to get the first to give me a more competitive quote. Should not be long now until I can commit to a final launch date!

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Book Launch Update

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:38:00 +0000

Just a quick update: I have gotten bids from three printers on how much it will cost and how long it will take to print the final version of The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun. I am going to review them this week, negotiate in a few points, then select a final printer.

Once that is done, I will - finally - have a firm date for my book launch! Will post more information as soon as I have it.

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

More News from Young Onyx Sun Fans

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:07:00 +0000

I thought this would be fun to share: the 4th grade class that wrote to me about how much they liked my book continues to share their thoughts with their community.

You can read more here: http://www.rhnet.org/popup_info.cfm?story=2730

Thanks again Mr. Titus and class for letting people know how much you enjoyed my book!

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

DONE!

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:25:00 +0000

As of right now, I have finished all the edits on my book. I have forwarded the comments to my typesetter who has already updated the proof and sent a draft back to me. This draft had a couple of errors, but the typesetter seems to be able to turn things pretty quickly.

Soooooo...

...I am almost at the point where I can announce and lock-down a firm book launch date.

Steps I need to take to finalize a date:

Finalize the proof - Today
Receive final, print-quality proof - 12/16/2008
Get quotes & time estimates from printers - 12/19/2008
Negotiate print job with one printer - 12/22/2008
Get final print schedule - 12/30/2008
Announce book launch date - 12/30/2008
Print the book on time!

Exciting!

Of course, this is far from all I have to do to produce the final book. Beyond those tasks, I have to:

Get reviews for the jacket art
Edit the jacket art, including adding copy about me, the price, SKU, barcode, new artwork dimensions, and teaser copy
Make decisions about the paper stock, cover stock, and hardcover binding
Find a system for hidden randomly generated barcodes to work for the "Like this section?"
Develop the Create Your Own Story section on the Onyx Sun site (HUGE...at least two months work)
Update Amazon, Goodreads, and personal web site information with correct book data including final launch date.

Still, having this amount of work to finish doesn't dissuade me so much as excite me. Feels good to be making real progress at last.

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

What's Taking So Long???

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:52:00 +0000

A few people have asked me when my book is coming out, and what the heck is taking so long. While I have been pushing very hard to get my final book out quickly, I have been extremely picky the last few months with my edits. As noted previously, I made 2,500 edits before I sent the "final" manuscript to the typesetter. Then, when I got the proof back, I felt compelled to re-read the book again and I am glad I did. I found twenty more grammatical errors.

Yikes! :)

Anyway, I know even professionally produced books have errors, but since I am self-publishing the Onyx Sun, and self-published books are generally frowned upon as "low-quality", I am being a *tad* obsessive about finding and eliminating any element of my book that makes it anything less than top notch.

The good news, is I am VERY close. I have proofread 200 of the 314 pages and am able to do about 50 pages a day lately. Which means hopefully by the end of the week, I'll have this done.

I don't want to commit to a date yet for the final book launch, because I have before, and I ended up breaking those promises. So, at this point, please know I am working as fast as possible, and I remain committed to developing a quality piece of fiction first and foremost, even if that means it takes a little longer.

Thank you all for your patience! In the meantime, please check out some of the exciting new feedback I have been getting from early reviewers by mail and on Goodreads.com. The word is spreading!

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

My Letter Back to My Recent New Fans

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:32:00 +0000

So, as noted in my previous entry, "Great Letters from Recent Fans" I have gotten a bunch of letters from a 4th grade class in New York about my book. They were very considerate to write me and tell me what they thought of my book, and I thought I'd share with everyone here my appreciative response.

Mr. Titus’ Class
Sherman Elementary School
50 Author’s Avenue
Henrietta, NY 14467

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Dear Mr. Titus and class,

Wow! Thank you for your letters! I very much enjoyed reading your thoughts on my book, The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun. I enjoyed each of your letters and shared them with my friends and family. Everyone commented on how well written each letter is and how insightful your feedback is. As an author, nothing makes me happier than hearing from readers like you. Your feedback about what you like and don’t like gives me just the insight I need to perfect the final book and to write even better sequels!

Many of you asked if the book will be made into a movie. I hope so one day! Between us, I always had George Clooney in mind when I wrote the Commander Chase character. Wouldn’t it be great to see him in an Onyx Sun movie! Professor Goodspeed, Zack, and the other characters were more a mixture of different people I know or characters I have read in other books. I even took a bit of Grandfather’s wackiness from Doctor Brown in the movie Back to the Future. Do you guys know that movie? That’s the funny thing about being an author: as you write, movies, books, and even real people you know find their way into your story. In some ways, Zack is actually me when I was about your age. I always wanted to find a spaceship hidden in my backyard. Who do you guy find interesting from books, or movies, or your own life? How would you put them in a story? What would those characters do? Would they be weird, or funny, or sad, or athletic? What unique traits would they have? The number one thing people like to read about are people that interest them. That’s why I was so happy you liked the strange, funny, adventurous characters I created!

Several of you also mentioned that you enjoyed the Mech battles. Those were fun chapters for me to write. I’m not sure where I got the idea for gigantic robots, but I know a few video games I’ve played in the past had similar robots. I took that idea and changed it to make it unique and reflect ideas I had. It’s funny when you write that often you don’t know how things will turn out as you are writing. I generally have a broad outline beforehand, but often ideas pop onto the page as I am writing! That is a fun experience because then I surprise myself and get to live the adventure too as I am creating it!

A couple of you mentioned that I should put more pictures in the book. I agree! When the final version of my book comes out this February, it will have thirty-six original drawings: one for each chapter and a special, large picture of the Citadel Spire on the title page. The final book will also have an epilogue called The Dawn of War, which previews the action coming in the sequel. So far, I have only written seventy pages of the sequel, The Wicked Adversaries of the Onyx Sun, but I spend time each day working on it. For now, I have included in this letter a sneak preview of some of the pictures that will come out this winter with the final publication of my first book. The included pages are called “folios” since they are loose drafts of the final pages of my book. Right now, I am reviewing these folios and finalizing the images and text. Since many of you seemed to enjoy the Mech battles, Moon scenes, and struggles with Machvel, I picked folios that match your interest. You can see more on my web site at www.onyxsun.com.

I notice your school is on Author’s Avenue. That seems like a quite a coincidence for a class that is clearly talented in reading and writing! I hope you enjoy the enclosed materials, and we can keep in touch about your future readings and writings. Thank you again for your wonderful letters.

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Great Letters from Recent Fans

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:30:00 +0000

This is just wicked, as Angelina would say.

I got a package in the mail last week from a class of 4th Graders who had read my book. Apparently, one of my early reviewers forwarded my book to a friend who teaches this class. He read the entire book to his students over several sessions (impressive) and then had each write me with their thoughts.

This is the most touching gesture yet from the growing list of people who have read and enjoyed The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun. I especially loved the fact that they enjoyed the Mech battles and could see my book being made into a movie. One can hope!

I have included a few of their letters below. To protect their privacy, I have blanked out some of their personal information.

To the class of Sherman Elementary: if you read my blog, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Space Exploration Today...Simply Incredible

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 07:14:00 +0000

One of the Last Space Shuttle Launches from Christopher on Vimeo.

So, typically my blog posts are about writing my book, The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun. But tonight it's about part of what inspired my book: space travel today.

In our day-to-day lives, it's easy to overlook or even dismiss what NASA is doing. Sure they launch shuttles and build space stations, but what do we care about that during financial crises and political debates? Admittedly our travails on Earth are often too hard to worry about our next steps in space. But if you step away from your personal challenges for a moment and consider what NASA's mission represents - our future beyond Earth - it becomes immediately amazing that we live in an age when we actually can reach the stars. One day, if we maintain the broad strokes of our current path, it is a virtual certainty that some of us will live off-planet. We will have Moon bases, and space stations, and maybe even Mars bases. Think about that for a second...in the next hundred years, humans may be born on other planets or on space stations!

What we can learn from this as humanity extends its reach is incredible. These are tentative baby steps to be sure, but they can only lead to a future where man lives on other worlds even further beyond ours. Planets that are perhaps just as habitable as ours. How then will financial crises look or political debates when there are multiple planets to consider. Surely, things will be more complex, but what we learn in that process may solve many of our current dilemmas. For instance, would the world be falling into recession right now if more of our planet was dedicated to shipping goods off world to Earth colonies that can't produce everything themselves? Would oil be so expensive if we were able to import it or other resources (hopefully clean-burning) from other planets? Honestly, who knows? But I do know we've always benefited as a species by having more options. Space represents literally infinite options.

In the end, I believe what we learn and gain in moving off our planet will push humanity to a new level of existence. Problems won't cease, but old problems will give way to new ones that hopefully will be more manageable than previous ones, just like our crises now pale in comparison with those of times like the Great Depresssion. Think about us now compared to cavemen. We clearly have our own problems, who complains about living in caves or not having fire to cook a meal anymore? If we hold this trajectory, space is the next logical step for the betterment of us all.

So space travel will one day help us move to a higher plane of existence and I was happy tonight to be able to be a part of experiencing it. I watched NASA launch STS-126 from Cape Canaveral at 7:55 PM during one of the last night launches of the Shuttle's last 10 total launches.

It was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Sadly, the humidity in the air made the video blurry, but in-person I can tell you honestly few things have touched me as deeply. And while I couldn't phrase then what I felt, I couldn't deny the significance of the moment as waves of shivers overcame me during the final countdown and launch of the next phase of our off-world explorations. This is the pinnacle of our achievement as a species. A climactic expression of our political stability, economic and technological prowess, and courage as a people.

It is partly this inspiring vision of our future that led me to write the first book of the Onyx Sun, and I already can't wait to watch future generations take up the mantle and make it a reality for us all.

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Editing Book Proofs

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:54:00 +0000

I got my first sample of what the book will look like from my typesetter last Friday. Exciting! It's amazing to see all the components of the book come together. At last, what has been in my mind is on paper for me to see and hold.

I included a couple of images below to show you how it's coming along. I have some feedback scrawled in the margins for the things that need to change, but this should give you the rough effect.

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

The Files Are Off To The Typesetter!

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 05:46:00 +0000

Well...FINALLY! My edits to The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun, Book 1 of the Onyx Sun series, are finally complete.

I finished the final edits late tonight to my 12th revision to my first book. (Whew.)

So, given the typesetter said it would take about three weeks to typeset, my files should be ready for the printer by September 29, 2008.

If that date holds, and my printer's estimation of 8 weeks for printing is correct, that would put my final published book date at November 24, 2008. Right before the Christmas holiday! Excellent.

It's amazing to feel an over three year journey come to an end. It's even more amazing...no...exciting to know now I can embark on promoting the book and working on the sequel!

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Three Years...

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 21:39:00 +0000

Today roughly marks (since I don't remember the exact date I wrote the first word) three years of working on my first novel, The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun. What an amazing journey it's been. From writing the first word in Cambridge, MA...

...to finishing the first 80,000-word draft in Palo Alto, CA...
...to nine rounds of edits...
...to soliciting eleven agents...
...to the months of waiting for responses...
...to Writers House initial interest...
...to ultimate rejection by WH and the ten other agents...
...to deciding to self-publish to prove the market demand for my book...
...to working with Rudy on the initial cover drafts and character sketches...
...to copyrighting my book...
...to getting a SKU...
...to listing my book in Bowker's Books-in-Print...
...to finding my first typesetter...
...to letting my first typesetter go after an unacceptable end deliverable...
...to finding another typesetter...
...to soliciting fifteen printers in the US...
...to narrowing the list to three and negotiating a lower price between them...
...to picking one and excitedly waiting six weeks for my advance review books...
...to losing my cool when one of the printing machines broke...
...to learning not to ever lose my cool...
...to receiving 1,000 advance review books late at night in a friend's garage...
...to beginning the onerous but rewarding process of finding 500 reviewers to read and review my book...
...to the months of sending out over 500 books...
...to receiving feedback from hundreds of readers, young and old...
...to receiving some glowing feedback on my book ranging from "One of my favorite books besides Lord of the Rings"...
...to an entire 4th Grade Class's favorable review...
...to pre-orders of fifteen books for one reader (a teacher) alone...
...to integrating this feedback into three additional full edits of the entire book...
...to realizing the Onyx Sun is the only book I've ever read twelve times...
...to also realizing I don't mind editing that much when it makes my book better...
...to working with Rudy to craft 36 new images for the inside of the book (one for each chapter and a few at the start)...
...to also working with Rudy to design the web site imagery...
...to days spent coding the entire web site myself...
...to writing a new epilogue exclusive to the final hardcover...
...to working with my advance review book typesetter to typeset the final hardcover...
...to watching my book return to me in final digital form with all the proper typesetting, SKU numbers, and images, ready for printing...
...to re-soliciting quotes from nine printers this time...
...to evaluating their responses...
...to now.

Clearly, it has been a long journey from that first word to now, where I stand on the threshold of printing my final book. Much remains...

...to finish the dynamic sections of the site...
...to finalize a printer...
...to adjust the cover to fit the new dustjacket...
...to wait two months for the printed books....
...to create marketing collateral and press releases and...
...to line up speaking engagements while I wait for the books...
...to spread the Onyx Sun as far as possible...
...to use this popularity to sign a publisher/agent and...
...to grow the Onyx Sun universe through at least four more books!

I am as excited for the road ahead as I am proud of the path behind me. This is one of the longest but most personally rewarding projects I've ever worked on. It just gets harder from here as I invest more time, money, and faith in the potential popularity of my book, but the all the positive early feedback I've received is pushing me forward. In many ways, the arduousness of this journey is solidifying my focus and passion as each milestone conquered make each future one seem more attainable.

On to a wider audience and the expansion of the Onyx Sun universe!

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

Are We There Yet? Revised Book Launch Date

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:00:00 +0000

PLEASE NOTE. NEW BOOK LAUNCH DATE:
NOVEMBER 2008

Well, unfortunately, I have to push back the publication date of my book one more time. See, when I published my advance review books, I found a few grammatical mistakes, which is common in advance releases. However, as I went through the book picking out the bad syntactical apples, I found myself editing the rest of the prose.

All of it. 80,000 words over 265 pages.

I pruned extra sentences. I honed dialog. I tightened each phrase.

With an average of 10 sentences changed per page, that's over 2,500 edits! Yikes. I've included a picture of one example page above.

The upshot of this arduous task is that while my book should have been at the typesetter and printer, it was in my hands being tweaked one final time. Normally, were my writing a full-time pursuit, I would have finished this in under a week. But with a full-time job that has recently included trips to Japan and Korea, I have averaged more like 10 pages every other day. Hence, my two-month delay.

I apologize to everyone who has been waiting anxiously for the final hardcover books to release! I do promise the story of the first Onyx Sun book will be much better as a result of my efforts. In the meantime, I have included a couple more chapter sketches from inside the hardcover to appease your appetite.

For now, I am not committing to a specific day for the hardcover launch, because that will depend on the time frames I get from typesetter and printer (two different companies) in the coming weeks. However, I can say I am shooting for November.

If you just can't wait for the book to release and would like me to read for your classroom or book group, or would just like a copy of one of the advance review books, please feel free to email me on this page:

http://www.onyxsun.com/contact.html

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

New Onyx Sun Web Site

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 02:43:00 +0000

Well, I have finished the second of my three weekly goals for my working-vacation: publish a new and complete Onyx Sun web site.

Check it out at: www.onyxsun.com

Overall, I am pretty happy with the site. I have plans to add a lot more features, but since finishing my book has to be my priority right now, this site will do. I'll have more time later to update it while I wait for my typesetter and printer to finish their respective jobs (about two months of work when I can be doing other things). This site is a marked step up from the last site, which I never had time to finish and had more dead links than Larry King has guests.

Of course, the feature of the site I am most excited to develop is the "Create Your Own Onyx Sun Story" section. I've gotten a lot of great feedback from teachers, parents, and kids that this is the section they are most looking forward to. So, for my readers checking my site to find out when that feature is coming, please know I'll be working on it right after my final edits are done (hopefully this week) and should have more to report soon!

Kalamazoo!

Christopher

My First Work Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:07:00 +0000

I am doing today something I never thought I'd do:

I am working on vacation.

True enough. I am. I'm sitting at a San Francisco cafe down the street from my house, working on the Never-ending Book Edits. I'm sixty pages into the twelfth revision of my manuscript. Only 120 more Word pages to go.

Usually I am the guy who shuns people who work on vacation. My friends who bring Blackberries on our trip Greece..."A plague upon their white-washed house!" in the form of bad reception, I say. If you want to work, work. If you want to play, play. You accomplish neither by trying to do both. I once read that people who run with their cell phones generate fewer endorphins than those who don't. See. There's proof your body wants you to soak up your time off.

So, why am I working on vacation? Actually, I am on vacation SO I can work. This dual-life thing of putting 50-60 hours in at Second Life then working on my manuscript nights and weekends has been taking its toll. So, I took some time I've accrued (I've only taken one vacation in the last three years) and put it toward a week to myself and my book.

And I gotta tell ya, although it's no Santorini, sitting here with my coffee, my words, and the early morning mist is relaxing in its own right. The only way I can justify this time off though, when I could be visiting lands unknown, is if I deliver the goods at the end. So, this week, I have three goals:

Finish the Never-ending Book Edits so I can send my manuscript and the interior artwork off to my typesetter.
Finish building the marketing (non-database driven) pages of the Onyx Sun web site.
(If I have time) Do all the miscellaneous tasks I've been putting off, like mailing out more of my books, contacting more potential reviewers, and updating the Pariah Publishing email newsletter list.

So, off I go!

Kalamazoo!

Christopher