Irreverent Muse

An (unfortunate) update

Michell — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:41:12 +0000

Late last year when I was preparing for Winter markets I attempted to order more authors copies of three of my books, specifically The Goddess Renewed, Jack Kane and the Statue of Liberty, and Jack Kane and the Kaiser. I emailed my publisher as I’ve always done and waited three days. No response. So, I tried reaching out to the Champagne Books (former publisher) community to see if there was someone else who could help me out. I knew the publisher had been experiencing some life events so I hoped there was another avenue I could follow. Imagine my surprise when the trail I was trying to follow (no one was responding to ANY of my emails, btw) lead me to news that, […]

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I’m back at the Calgary Comic Expo – April 23 – 26, 2026

Michell — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 19:06:21 +0000

Hello my friends. Just a quick note to let you know I’m back at the Calgary Comic Expo again this year. Two new books and a new Scouting/Zombie badge have been added to my table of wonder (shared with author extraordinaire, Simon Rose). 🙂 If you are in town (and attending), please stop by and say hello. Maybe buy a book or five (signed, of course). I also wanted to share a video made by a friend of mine. He created a mug using my newest badge as his inspiration. Have a look.

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Mark April 1st on your calendar

Michell — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 20:26:34 +0000

Mark April 1st on your calendar. No, not because it’s April Fool’s Day but because that is the day you can order your very own copy of Mik Murdoch: Shifting Alliances! After several false starts and life interruptions, Mik 5 is finally finished and is being put through its final paces before being available to you, the reader. This is the penultimate book in the Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero series. Here is the blurb for the book: A town under siege. A team divided. A hero push ed to the limit. Twelve-year-old Mik Murdoch is the super-powered guardian of Cranberry Flats, but even a hero can’t protect a small town alone. Just as Mik’s best friends, Cynthia and Evelyn, gain incredible […]

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News for 2026 – Getting back on the horse

Michell — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:21:05 +0000

I’m sure if I really looked, I could tell you exactly when I fell off the horse (posting-wise and otherwise). The horse stopped, looked me in the eye as I lay on the ground and eventually wandered off. For those of you who don’t know the saying, it is, “When you fall off the horse, you get right back on and try again.” That’s great when you REALLY want to ride the horse. But, I’d been posting updates for a long time and really didn’t feel like I had anything worthwhile to share. I’m getting back on the horse at long last. It took some time to find the horse and I hope I can stay in the saddle for […]

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GalaxyBillies

Michell — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 22:46:28 +0000

LINK TO AMAZON – for soft cover, hard cover, kindle versions LINK TO EPISODES GalaxyBillies is the story of five humans from the Appalachian Mountains who are abducted by a semi-sentient starship. But what exactly is a semi-sentient starship? In this case, the starship is named Grokmar and the semi-sentient means that he needs an intelligent crew in order to function properly. It just goes to show how far gone the ship was to select the crew it did. The humans are an interesting bunch. There is: Betty Sue – matriarch of the group and wife of Zeke Zeke – husband to Betty Sue and one of the stupidest slabs of muscle to ever walk upright Jim Bob – Betty […]

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Happy Holidays to you

Michell — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 22:29:19 +0000

2025 is almost a done deal. Hard to believe but there it is. As I write this, only eight days left and then the new year, 2026 starts. I will admit, I didn’t get quite as much done as I’d hoped. I suppose we all look back and see things we could have done (or finished) but didn’t quite get to. That’s okay. By the same token, I also got some things done I hadn’t expected. That gives me something to work towards. I’m happy to say, I’ve almost completed major edits of Mik Murdoch 5 (subtitled: Shifting Alliances). I’ve got at least one beta reader lined up to go over it. I’m aiming to have it completely ready for […]

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New book about to drop – GalaxyBillies

Michell — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 16:00:15 +0000

I can hardly believe how long it has been since I last posted an update. I can only say, life is busy. I’m sure you all know something about that. But, I have exciting news! GalaxyBillies, my science fiction comedy, will be available for purchase as an eBook, paperback and hardcover on November 17th. Yes! One week from the time of this post. Some of you may say, “Wait a minute. GalaxyBillies was released as a podcast novel several years ago,” and you would be right. I wrote GalaxyBillies and podcast it as an experiment and an homage. An experiment to see if I could write something stream of consciousness (more or less) and podcast it. The homage was to […]

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Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo 2025

Michell — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 15:15:00 +0000

I’m excited to say I’m all set up and ready for the 2025 Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. You can find me in section A2 of the vendor’s room sharing a table with Simon Rose. I’ve got copies of ALL my books if you are interested in your owned author-signed edition. 🙂 Come see me if you are in the area.

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Super Sonya vs. the Woodpecker

Michell — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 21:22:38 +0000

Written by: me (Michell Plested) Illustrated by: McQuina Peters I wrote Super Sonya vs. the Woodpecker for my granddaughter’s birthday. She inspired the book by guarding my back yard after she learned that a woodpecker was putting holes in her playhouse, my hot tub and a few other wooden items in the yard. Super Sonya vs. the Woodpecker is currently available in English, Spanish and Canadian French. If you would like your own, signed copy of the book (and live in Canada – sorry, only Canada at the moment), email me to let me know your specifics. My webpage doesn’t have a storefront (too prone to hacking) so we can arrange an eTransfer and I will mail you the signed […]

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Come see me at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo

Michell — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 15:50:21 +0000

I am going to be at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo sharing a booth with author Simon Rose (April 24 – 27) at the BMO Center in Stampede Park. This will be my 6th (or is it 7th?) time there with Simon. As per usual, I will have my books, Scout badges and all the personality you can stand. 😛 If you are attending, please come by and say, “Hello”. Buying books or badges is always optional (but encouraged).

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An Experiment

Michell — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 13:40:06 +0000

I have an experiment I would like to try. This experiment comes from the lack of support Amazon Canada is providing for my newest book, Super Sonya vs. the Woodpecker. (see earlier posts for details) And, sorry to all my global followers/fans, but this experiment is for Canada only. I say that because, everywhere else, the book seems to be available for order via Amazon. If you are interested in your own, signed copy of the book, for a very limited time, if you reach out to me, I will send you a signed copy for the original published price of $17.50 Canadian (including shipping and handling). I will do this until April 31, 2025. To give you some idea of […]

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Guilt in writing

Michell — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 15:49:12 +0000

Guilt in writing. Have you ever experienced it? I think I’ve been living it and didn’t even realize it was a problem. I was thinking about it last night (when I should have been sleeping) and I realized that I’m actually feeling guilty about my writing, or more specifically, guilty that I have so many outstanding projects to finish (and so many on the horizon to start). Guilt from unfinished projects Let’s talk about unfinished project first, shall we? If you have visited this site at all over the past couple years, you have almost certainly seen the progress bar on my homepage. I put that bar there both to keep you, my readers, informed on book progress and to […]

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Super Sonya in Conversation

Michell — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 17:08:45 +0000

My publisher posted an interesting conversation about Super Sonya vs the Woodpecker here. Enjoy.

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Book launch stymied

Michell — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 19:55:56 +0000

To say I was excited about the book launch of Super Sonya vs the Woodpecker would be a major understatement. I talked about it. I told people in places I’d never used before. I promoted it a lot. I had high hopes it would pay off. Imagine my disappointment when I checked the numbers with my distributor. Single digits. How was that possible? The book page looked fine on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. I went to Amazon.ca (which I expected would be my initial best selling spot since I am in Canada). The book was there. It had been there for weeks, available as a preorder. Except, this time, it was only available from a single seller (not Amazon) with a price […]

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Almost there

Michell — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:28:36 +0000

We are almost there. “Where?” you might ask. There, in this case, is the launch of Super Sonya vs the Woodpecker in English, Super Sonya contra le Pic in French and Súper Sonya contra el Pájaro Carpintero in Spanish. Almost there also means the realization of a goal I’ve had for many years – to have a children’s picture book published. And, in this case, not just any picture book but a picture book written for and featuring my granddaughter. It is a very special book to me and I am excited to share it with you. Yes, we are almost there. Two more days and it is released. I invite you to experience it yourself and let me know what you […]

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I’m being featured in a book tour

Michell — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 17:24:39 +0000

I’m being featured in a book tour Behind the Story – Super Sonya vs the Woodpecker

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Super Sonya is now available in three languages

Michell — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 16:18:03 +0000

Super Sonya is now available in three languages! My publisher, Evil Alter Ego Press, with the help of some colleagues, will release Super Sonya vs the Woodpecker in three languages: English, Canadian French and Spanish. (see announcement here) Love to be able to serve a larger audience in their own languages!

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Super Sonya vs the Woodpecker – final

Michell — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 21:55:01 +0000

The final post. But is it really? See, we are doing something a bit different than all my other books. First off, it will be released in English (normal), Spanish and Canadian French. I have been very fortunate to have friends able to do those translations for me. This book is so special to me, I want to share it as widely as I can. And, if you would like to translate it into yet another language, let me know. Promotion I’m also promoting the book more widely than ever before. That has always been one of my failings. I don’t want to bother people. I’m changing that attitude to be, I would like to invite people to be part […]

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Super Sonya vs the Woodpecker (pt 3)

Michell — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 15:34:14 +0000

I finally had a rough draft of the story. I had a filled in story template. I didn’t yet have the name Super Sonya vs the Woodpecker. I sent the story template on to McQuina (my illustrator) to review. This all took much longer than I expected. I set a meeting with McQuina to talk next steps. I think this was about June. Next steps We discussed the book and how we would proceed. Now, keep in mind, I’ve done book layouts in the past but never anything with illustrations. What would we use to build the book? I know we didn’t have any illustrations yet, but it seemed important to me to know how we could actually assemble a finished […]

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Happy New Year!

Michell — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 15:16:51 +0000

Shocking title for a post, I know. Who else in the world would think to name a post “Happy New Year!” on New Year’s day, after all. I am nothing if not derivative. 2024 – A Year of Loss and Recovery I will be the first to admit, COVID knocked the wind out of me. Perhaps not physically, but certainly emotionally. Not only that, demands on my time were at an all-time high, elevating stress levels further than usual. We had cause to celebrate with the arrival of a new member of the family early in the year. Then, my mom passed away. Her passing wasn’t unexpected but that doesn’t make it any easier. I went from the person responsible […]

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Super Sonya vs the Woodpecker (pt 2)

Michell — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 18:44:47 +0000

Yes, you caught me. I cheated on the title of this post. Instead of “The Children’s book, pt 2”, I’m calling it by its actual title. Might as well start calling it what it is. To continue the narrative from Pt 1 As I talked about at the end of the last post, I was struggling to write a story for the proposed book. I had an idea but I was putting so much pressure on myself to create a “classic” that I was going nowhere fast. I suppose saying I was trying to write a classic is really overstating things. I had told a very high-level version of the story I wanted to tell to a friend who teared […]

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The new children’s book (pt 1)

Michell — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 15:00:53 +0000

I tried to tease you a little about my new children’s book in the last post. Whether that attempt to entice worked or not, you are here now and I welcome you. Perhaps you are interested in reading it to your own children or maybe you have always wanted to create one yourself. In either case, I hope my story will be of interest. Children’s book – the beginning I may be repeating myself, but I have wanted to release a children’s book for several years. Probably far enough back that my children would have read it (and they are adults now). Alas, I never really had a story to tell nor did I have a connection with a good […]

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Where do I begin?

Michell — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 20:45:21 +0000

Where do I begin? Those words ran through my mind as I prepared to write my first post in months. It isn’t like I haven’t thought about posting. Honest. But, I haven’t posted. I’ve been working on a variety of things, most not writing related unfortunately. There are the normal family activities, maintenance activities, work and volunteering. Note, I said most were not writing related. Not all. I have a project nearing completion that I am more excited about than any book I can think of. I have my first children’s picture book ready for release in February. Why am I so excited about this book? That is a question I ask myself regularly. There are two reasons that come […]

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A rest is as good as a…rest

Michell — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 03:11:03 +0000

It is very easy to be busy. It is much more difficult to rest. Sounds weird, doesn’t it? It doesn’t even really compute but, for me, it is still truth. I have a full-time job, I volunteer for a couple things regularly, I have my family, I’m taking some classes and, of course, I have my writing. Toss in reading, commuting, and the various other little things that are part of our daily lives and busy becomes the norm. To make matters worse, when I’m not busy, I feel guilt around all the activities I could be working on. Now do you see why it can be more difficult to rest? Wearing down Admitting I was getting tired and wearing […]

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Happy New Year

Michell — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 20:14:32 +0000

Happy New Year, everyone! I know New Year’s posts typically are about looking forward, making resolutions and generally putting a positive spin on the upcoming year. Since I don’t want to disappoint you, I will not be deviating (much) from that recipe. 😀 What’s coming? I have talked about this a couple times in the past months but I have a plan to write three books in 2024. Jack Kane book 3 The first is book 3 of the Jack Kane series, written by JR Murdock and me. JR writes the hero side of the story (Jack Kane) and I write the villain (Felonious Fenduke Filcher the Fourth – try saying that three times fast). This is a steampunk series […]

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Reconnected

Michell — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 23:23:41 +0000

After a hiatus, JR Murdock and I have reconnected. You might remember me talking about wanting to work on the third Jack Kane book. I am here to tell you that we are both on board with getting that book written. Our goal is to have a viable book by June. I say viable meaning a book that has already gone through some edits and might be in shape to send to our publisher. We had a great chat as we discussed reinvigorating the book. Both of us have had a few setbacks over the past couple years. Not an identical journey by any means but one that seemed to have a similar trajectory. It is good to reconnect. We […]

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Something Different

Michell — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 14:58:36 +0000

This week has been very different. For starters, my back has been giving me a lot of trouble (probably because I was trying to move a shower down narrow stairs Saturday and it was temporarily jammed. I was on top holding said shower while my moving partner was below. That meant I was holding it while he tried various things. So, nasty back this week. Fortunately, I think the problem is mostly aching muscles but it has still been a challenge to walk, sleep, etc. I’m also taking a remote study course. There are 11 of us in the class plus our professor. It has been interesting but strange to be doing school again. Homework and reading every night. Today’s […]

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Happy Friday

Michell — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 15:16:13 +0000

Happy Friday! NaNoWriMo is over. For me, it was a huge success. I was able to hit the 50,000 words in 30 days AND I was able to finish my Mik Murdoch, book 5, first draft. More importantly, I feel like my joy for writing has been rekindled. I already am planning to write 3 new books in 2024 (not least of which is Jack Kane 3 with my writing partner, JR Murdock). I feel like it should be 5 books next year, but I don’t want to set myself up for failure. The weekend is here The weekend is always something I look forward to. Not because I sleep in or take time to do nothing. If anything, I’m […]

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Day 28 – I won NaNoWriMo

Michell — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 03:50:35 +0000

I won NaNoWriMo on November 28th. At about 8:30 PM is hit 50,000 new words for the month of November. Shortly after I typed the two words I had been waiting for in my book: “The End”. It was an amazing feeling. Those of you who have completed a book know what I mean. You’ve spent weeks, or months or even years working on a book. It has taken on a life of its own. At times you aren’t sure it will ever be complete. Then, on that fateful day, you are able to finally say it is finished. I always make a point of typing “The End” in my books. Those words don’t make it into the published novel, […]

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Day 27 – Almost done

Michell — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 01:37:10 +0000

My day 27 writing saw me so close to being done it wasn’t funny. As you know by now, NaNoWriMo is all about writing 50,000 words in 30 days. By the end of my writing day, I was at 48,002 words. Less than 2,000 away from completing the challenge. The other measure – that of my book being complete – also shows me almost finished. I had a goal of 60,000 words for Mik Murdoch 5 and, as of the end of day I was at 59,994. Why the discrepancy? I started writing Mik Murdoch 5 a couple years ago. After several false starts, I did have a few chapters complete before I started NaNoWriMo. My intention was to finish […]

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Day 26 – The end is nigh

Michell — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 01:05:21 +0000

The end is nigh. Not in an apocalyptic way, but in a “end of the 2023 NaNoWriMo challenge” way. That’s not a bad thing by any means. I made the last minute decision to join NaNo to try and jumpstart my book, Mik Murdoch 5. I’ve done that. In fact, when I hit the 50,000 word mark, I will also be close to typing “The End” in the book. I would say that is reason to celebrate! I think it is also the end of my writing slump. When I was forced to work from home full time four years ago, it marked a dark period where I had no space in my head for creativity. Time I had. Just […]

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Day 25 – It feels like more

Michell — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 22:25:47 +0000

I did something yesterday that I haven’t done for a while. A year to be exact. I had a booth at a Christmas Craft Fair. My craft, as you might guess, is my books. Every year for the past five or six years I have attended this particular Christmas sale. It has been very rewarding over all. I’ve met new readers, teachers, existing fans and, of course, people who just want to talk about their own writing journeys. It is always rewarding to me to meet current fans. I get to find out what they like about my stories, who their favourite characters are and so on. It’s also lots of fun introducing new readers to my books, especially when […]

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Days 23 & 24

Michell — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 01:29:30 +0000

I’ve been pretty diligent about updating my NaNoWriMo status everyday. Unfortunately, when it was time to do my update for Day 23, I was feeling too beat up from the week’s activities to write my post. It’s telling when you sit down to write about the doings of the day and you are too numb to form a coherent thought. I did manage to hit my writing goals for Day 23 and I’m still ahead of the game for Day 24. This is where having a writing buffer really helps. Do I still like my book? I am happy to report, I still like the book I’m writing. That was never an assured thing. There have been times when I […]

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Day 22 – Happy Thanksgiving

Michell — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 20:43:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends celebrating today. If you aren’t writing, I completely understand why. This is a day when you can be thankful for the people who support you and the imagination you have to create new things. Those are two things I try to be thankful for every day. Day 22 Writing I’m not sure the scenes I wrote yesterday will make the final cut. Or maybe, to more accurate, I’m not sure all of the material I wrote yesterday will make it. Still, it was important to write what I did as it helped to move the story along in my mind. Sometimes knowing the entire story, including backstory and conversations that may not be […]

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Day 21 – in the middle

Michell — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 00:59:01 +0000

There are days when everything comes together from the moment you start typing. Other days, it never does. Day 21 was somewhere in the middle. It was a struggle for the first hour or so. Then, it was like a switch was thrown and the writing was easy. It could have been that I went from writing dialogue to action. It could also be that my character was struggling in the early part of the writing and was battling in the latter. Whatever the reason, I ended the day with a decent word count and a couple scenes that I am happy with. What to do when you’re struggling We all hit moments when we are having difficulty finding the […]

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Day 20 – Ideas

Michell — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 02:12:08 +0000

I have often been asked where I get my ideas from. It is a question I’m sure many creative types have been asked, too. The short answer is, ‘Everywhere’. I get my ideas wherever I happen to be, doing or experiencing various things at any time of day. There’s no telling when an idea will strike. Why am I talking about ideas now? I know I’m participating in NaNoWriMo, writing Mik Murdoch 5. I’ve been exercising my creativity on a daily basis, coming up with more exciting ideas for this book. That doesn’t mean I can’t think about other projects. For example, I have a comedy I want to write. I’ve had the idea for a few years but I […]

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Day 19 – I’m in the home stretch

Michell — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 02:00:40 +0000

I’m happy to say I’m finally in the home stretch with my novel, Mik Murdoch 5 (final name still pending). I’ve brought a number of disparate elements together (not to mention characters) and the plan for the final battle is underway. This is where the fun really begins! Writers fatigue sometimes sets in here I’ve heard anecdotally that this is approximately where writers start to run out of gas. They’ve been focused on building their story and they are simply tired of the book. I will admit, I’ve been there myself. What is keeping motivated (besides trying to win NaNoWriMo) is all the material I’ve managed to write that is building up to the final climax. I’m giving a lot […]

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Day 18 – Conflicting priorities

Michell — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 02:02:16 +0000

Weekends are the time I’m able to get things done around the house and for my family. I’m usually able to dedicate a few hours to tasks that need them that I simply can’t during the work week. When NaNoWriMo is on the calendar, this leads to conflicting priorities. Do I write or do I take care of outstanding projects. Do I try to do both? Like I said, conflicting priorities. Day started off strong Many people I know, my family included, like to sleep in on the weekends. I will admit to occasionally doing that too, but not today. Today was the scheduled second launch of SpaceX’s Starship. I am a huge space geek and, love him or hate […]

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Day 17 – Ahead of the curve

Michell — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 14:37:19 +0000

In past NaNoWriMo’s I have been able to get into high word count daily writing early. The writing helped me hit the goal relatively early in the month. It took a little longer this time but I am currently ahead of the curve. What do I mean by that? Well, by the end of day 17, my total word count was a full day ahead of schedule. Why that’s important to me Things come up in life where I either have a much reduce writing time available or not time at all. I already had one day where I wasn’t able to write this month. It could happen again. By being ahead of the curve now, if I lose another […]

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Day 16 – Therapeutic and relaxing

Michell — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 01:49:23 +0000

Day 16 was another good day. Work has been exhausting lately and the writing was actually therapeutic and relaxing. It went much quicker than expected and I was happy with the results. All positive things. I also left myself with a new set of scenes to write that will address one of the plot elements. Am I overcomplicating the story? If you have been reading about my NaNoWriMo journey this year, you have seen me talk about plot elements. A lot. You’ve also seen me talk about big scenes. Before you ask if I’m making the story to complicated, let me reassure you a little. One of the ‘features’ of writing a series is, you collect more and more characters […]

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Day 15 – Characters take over

Michell — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 02:49:22 +0000

I like it when I’m writing a scene and the characters take over. “How is that possible?” you may ask. You might even point out that the characters are merely figments of my imagination. They are constructs of my mind. I would have to agree with you. The thing is, if you create characters that are realistic in the what they do, say and think, sometimes the subconscious mind simply starts to build the narrative without you, the writer, being completely aware of it. It’s almost as if they were coming alive. Some of the most fun scenes to write for me have happened that way. I can barely wait to see what my fingers will type next. Unhinged If […]

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Day 14 – Digging out

Michell — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 00:10:28 +0000

Day 13 was not as successful as I needed it to be. That meant I was digging out of a word count deficit on Day 14. How can that be, you might ask. NaNoWriMo is the challenge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. In order to “Win” the challenge, you need to write an average of 1,667 words every day for 30 days. I was a bit short of that average on Day 13. By a bit, I mean about 500 words too few. I grant you, 30 days sounds like a lot of time to get back on track. The risk is, you let your word count slide over and over to the point where it is virtually […]

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Day 13 – Rollercoaster

Michell — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 03:26:49 +0000

So, let’s start with how this rollercoaster ride began…I wrote my post for day 12 and then forgot to post it. Not a promising start. Then I reread what I wrote for the previous day and had a complete blank on where to go next. Not writer’s block. Not exactly. But certainly the first vertical lift on the ride. I managed a bit of a flow for a while, mostly around filling in some plot holes. I did some reflection after that, realizing that, if I didn’t get the draft of the book finished this month, it would likely not get done this year (December already looks like it will be a write-off month for many things). That added some […]

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Day 12 – Keep on trucking

Michell — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 18:27:17 +0000

Some days the words come easily and other days I have to fight to get each one. Yesterday was somewhere in the middle, but I was able to keep on trucking. In other words, I kept the story moving forward. I had an idea going in what I wanted to do. The scene I wrote was actually one that takes place immediately before the scene I wrote on Day 9. It was also a scene that involved some of my secondary characters. It’s always fun to let them have some time in the sun without Mik. Where do I go from here? There is still a long way to go with this story. I know I have some big stuff […]

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Day 11 – A new high

Michell — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 01:51:14 +0000

I managed a new high on Day 11. I had a single day word count of 2683 words. That brought me right back in line with my daily goal. It was a good writing day. I managed to get more story going that helps tie some of the big scenes together. Next steps Day 12 will be more challenging. We have a big family meal happening so I won’t get a chance to do any writing until it gets later. That’s okay though. I left myself a hook to keep writing. It is sometimes good to stop in the middle of a scene. It keeps your mind in the story and leaves you somewhere to pick up and keep going. […]

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Day 9 AND 10 – Come out swinging

Michell — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 17:48:40 +0000

I’ve been updating this log every day since NaNoWriMo began. Until yesterday. What can I say? Last week was long and exhausting. When it came time to write (including writing a post) I simply didn’t want to. Probably not the ideal attitude when doing NaNoWriMo, but I needed to be aware of my own mental health. Simply put, I needed an evening of doing nothing. I thought I could get away with it if I came out swinging today. I was a few hundred words ahead of goal going into yesterday, so was confident I could make up the count. Come out swinging I had a good night’s sleep. That doesn’t always happen when I’m working on a project; the […]

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Day 8 – In the Flow

Michell — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 02:18:28 +0000

The ideal writing state for me, is to hit a flow state where the words come easily and I lose track of time as I’m writing. Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to hit that state. It was a far cry from the previous day when every word was a struggle. The difference for me for Day 8 was, I had some time to think about a few of the big scenes I wanted to write. I had a fun idea for a scene and decided to work through it. To my delight, I actually ran out of writing time before I finished the scene. That means I have a place to pick up from for Day 9. It’s always nice […]

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Day 7

Michell — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 02:15:23 +0000

I called it. The minute I started to feel like I had a handle on things, it would be hard. So went day 7. Now, I grant you, I had a couple additional demands on my time for Day 7 and I didn’t have the opportunity to really think about what I wanted to write. If I had, I have no doubt it would have gone much differently. As it was, while I still hit my word count for the day, I don’t think any of it will be usable in the book. But, I can’t edit what I didn’t write down. Going forward It would be easy to start hyperventilating and tell myself that I’ve run out steam and […]

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Day 6 – The Plot Thickens

Michell — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 01:42:21 +0000

The Plot Thickens. What the heck does that even mean? When I looked it up, it actually meant what I thought. The plot is getting deeper and more complicated. That is actually the right way to describe the direction Mik Murdoch 5’s plot is going. Lots of new ideas Part of what stalled the book in the first place was an incomplete understanding of how the story needed to get from A – Z. I knew what the beginning was. I knew how I wanted it to end. It was all the stuff in the middle that was giving me problems. Okay, that’s not entirely true. There were some elements I decided on early in the book. It was how […]

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Day 5 – Too much of a good thing

Michell — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 01:35:23 +0000

I decided to do NaNoWriMo because I know that I thrive on the challenge. Something about knowing I can count and keep track of the number of new words seems to get the blood (and words) flowing. I was worried I might not feel the same way this year. It turns out I have nothing to worry about. The words, they are a’flowin. But, is it too much of a good thing? I ask the question because I have questioned my sanity more than once since I started. That is compounded by the fact that my company is doing a Well Being challenge at exactly the same time and for the same duration. That challenge is all about being active, […]

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Day 4

Michell — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 03:36:26 +0000

Day 4 was a good day. I was able to add more than the minimum word count for the day and I was also able to add some more interesting items to the story. One of the criticism I have occasionally heard about Mik is he’s so darn good. Now, I would argue, being good doesn’t make a character unbelievable. In fact, I pity those people who haven’t ever known someone who is selfless and good. They are out there. I know, I’ve met more than a few. Regardless, Mik has demonstrated throughout his adventures that he is less than perfect. One of the aspects of his journey that I’ve tried to portray is that, as he grows into a […]

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Day 3 – Reflection

Michell — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 14:56:59 +0000

I know it’s a bit early to reflect on my NaNoWriMo journey; it has only been three days after all. That’s not the reflection I’m thinking of. No, this is more about that age old question: how do you write? Are you a pantser or a planner? Planner The first novel I ever wrote took me seven years. I wrote it as my project for a novel writing program I did (by mail). One of the early lessons was to plot out the book. I spent days plotting it before I wrote a single line. It was gruelling, but ultimately worthwhile. I hadn’t ever written anything as long before and the plotting really helped me to get the story written. […]

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Day 2 – What a slog!

Michell — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 14:12:03 +0000

I think I’ve identified one of my problems when it comes to getting my writing routine into a…well, routine. I’ve let that little devil on my shoulder have way too much say – when the day and/or writing are becoming a slog, I let that voice talk me into either stopping, doing the minimum or finding something much more pleasant to give my time to. Day 1 I went into the challenge a bit anxious but eager to go. The writing I did flowed well and I’m pretty happy with where it took me. Day 2…not so much. The ideas weren’t really there when I started. I wanted to quit. After all, the challenge is 30 days. Surely I could […]

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Day 1 Win

Michell — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 21:32:16 +0000

In my last post, I talked about how I made a last minute decision to do NaNoWriMo this year. I was determined to come out swinging and have a Day 1 Win. As you might imagine, I didn’t do a lot of planning prior to working on my NaNo story. That’s okay though because, what I’m trying to do is finish my fifth Mik Murdoch novel. I started this book more than a year ago and haven’t really gotten a good momentum going on the story. So, I sat down to start typing yesterday and immediately had a new idea that would add more conflict to the story. Always a good place to start. An hour later, I had a […]

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A last minute decision is still a decision

Michell — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 14:00:50 +0000

I made a decision this morning. It freaks me out a little, but now that I’ve made it, I’m committed (or maybe should be). Is it too late? Not by a long shot. NaNoWriMo only began today so I have an entire month to meet my goals. The most important headline here is, I decided to participate. What was that decision, you might ask? Well, I decided to do NaNoWriMo again this year after a two year hiatus. I won’t go over what NaNoWriMo is – I know I’ve talked about it at length in the past – but I will give you my reasons why I’ve decided to do it again this year. Community One of the things I’ve […]

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Simon Rose Interview – October 2023

Michell — Sun, 22 Oct 2023 16:04:53 +0000

My guest today is Calgary author Simon Rose, who has published eighteen novels for children and young adults, eight guides for writers, more than a hundred nonfiction books, and numerous articles on a wide range of topics. Your most recently published books were those in The Stone of the Seer series. Remind us again of what it’s all about. The Stone of the Seer is young adult historical fantasy series, featuring The Stone of the Seer, Royal Blood, and Revenge of the Witchfinder. The exciting story is mostly set in the mid-seventeenth century during the English Civil War. In The Stone of the Seer, Lady Elizabeth Usborne, Kate, and Tom encounter a magical stone, mysterious parchments and manuscripts, and an […]

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Reforming an old habit

Michell — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 23:23:11 +0000

How does one go about reforming an old habit? In some cases (usually negative cases) the old habit comes easily. I think about things like procrastinating. It’s so easy to simply do nothing. Rebuilding a productive habit is much harder. It takes effort. It takes planning. Most of all, it takes diligence. Breaking the old habit in the first place I will admit, I have the problem of overcommitting. I’m usually good, going 100 miles an hour for several months, doing a ton of different things, getting pulled in multiple directions. The problem is, it always catches up with me (eventually). When that happens, things come crashing down. It’s almost like coming down from the world’s biggest sugar-high. After the […]

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False Start Shouldn’t Mean Full Stop

Michell — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 19:52:19 +0000

Having a false start shouldn’t mean a full stop. It happens and when it does, you should review what happened, pick yourself up and start again. There have been many times I’ve had to rewrite sections of a book when I’m in the editing phase. Never have I had a book where I’ve started. Thrown away what I’ve written. Started again, only to throw that away too. Until now, that is. It’s been no secret that I struggled during the recent plague years. Very little writing was done although I did think about it a lot (usually with guilt weighing me down that I wasn’t writing more). I came up with a solid plot premise for Mik Murdoch 5. I […]

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A New Day Dawns

Michell — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 14:37:38 +0000

We’re all tired of talking about it. We’re all tired of reflecting on it. And yet, it is now part of our daily lives. Yes. I am talking about wearing pants. The weather is getting colder here and pants are becoming more and more necessary. Not just to keep those increasingly frigid blasts of air from freezing important bits and pieces but because it is expected that those of us who have to go into the office should be professional. We have to think of our fellow co-workers and commuters otherwise chaos and civil unrest could commence. I know we’ve all gotten comfortable in our hermitic life-styles. We didn’t have to dress for success. We rarely saw others so bunny […]

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Interview – Simon Rose – Royal Blood

Michell — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 12:25:20 +0000

My guest today is Calgary author Simon Rose, who has published eighteen novels for children and young adults, eight guides for writers, more than a hundred nonfiction books, and many articles on a wide variety of topics. Today, we’re looking at his latest release, Royal Blood, the second novel in the Stone of the Seer series. So remind us about the Stone of the Seer series. What’s it all about? The Stone of the Seer is an exciting historical fantasy series for young adults, primarily set during the English Civil War in the mid-seventeenth century. The Stone of the Seer, is the first book in the series. At Habingdon House, Lady Elizabeth Usborne, Kate, and Tom discover a magical black […]

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Enjoying the Summer

Michell — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 01:22:58 +0000

There has been a lot going on in life lately. Not just mine, but the entire family. But I can’t blame the business for my lack of writing productivity. In fact, I’m going to do something completely out of character and not blame anything for my lack of writing productivity. I am, in point of fact, going to practice some of that self-care my day job continuously talks about. I am going to accept that I’m doing something other than writing and know that I will be getting back to it soon. No self-recrimination, no beating myself up. Just enjoy the summer and everything it presents. How is your summer going?

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Where Has the Time Gone?

Michell — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 03:29:13 +0000

Just when I thought I was getting back into the habit of blogging regularly, I realize it has been a month since my last post. How can that possibly be? Where has the time gone? It would be easy to say I’ve been busy. I mean, I have been busy with work, home, Scouts and, happily, writing. I have been able to maintain a regular writing cadence. In the month of May, I wrote almost every day; 27 of 31 days. That added an extra 11, 000 words to my work. After too long without a regular writing schedule, it feels really good to have this progress. I say that knowing I usually write a lot more in a […]

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Try Something New

Michell — Fri, 20 May 2022 18:03:00 +0000

One of the many things I enjoy about writing is the ever-existing opportunity to try something new. It could be writing in a different genre, it could be trying to plan a novel (or pantster one) or it could be a new PoV. That is probably why you see me writing in so many different genres. I come up with a story idea and it sort of tells me the genre it belongs in. Scouts of the Apocalypse is a prime example of that. I’d never even considered writing horror before I got that story idea. But my Scouts enjoyed the campfire version of it so much, I knew I had to write it for real. A trilogy of horror […]

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More Writing Adventures – Pantster or a Planner

Michell — Thu, 12 May 2022 15:24:59 +0000

I know I’ve talked about this before, but it is something that’s been on my mind quite a bit the past couple weeks. Am I a pantster or a planner? The answer, I’ve discovered, is that I’m both. Much like I will write a story in the genre that best fits it, I will also employ either a pantster or a planner methodology as the occasion demands. For example, my first published novel, Mik Murdoch: Boy Superhero, was completely written in pantster-style. There were many reason for that, too. First, I wrote that book as a NaNoWriMo novel, which totally lends itself to pantster writing. Second, it was a story that I had been thinking about for years. I had […]

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Mistaken Identity

Michell — Wed, 04 May 2022 17:55:23 +0000

I feel like I’m coming out of a severe case of mistaken identity. All my life I’ve believed myself to be an extreme introvert. Except, I exhibit all these extroverted tendencies too. My work life is a good example of this. I actually prefer to be in the office. There are a number of reasons for this, not the least of which is, I like being around people. That made staying home to work for the past two years extremely difficult. I think I was in mourning for the first three months before I learned to cope with it (somewhat). Now that things are opening up again I feel my creativity awakening and my joie de vivre blossoming again. Why […]

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See you at Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo 2022

Michell — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 02:00:40 +0000

I will finally be attending the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo as a vendor. That is particularly exciting because I have two new books to show off and, hopefully, sell. Those would be The Goddess Renewed and The Mystery of Silver Lake. If you are planning to attend, look for me in Artists Alley.

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Guest Interview – The Stone of the Seer

Michell — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 16:12:56 +0000

My guest today is Calgary author Simon Rose, who has published eighteen novels for children and young adults, eight guides for writers, more than a hundred nonfiction books, and many articles on a wide variety of topics. Today, we’re looking at his latest release, The Stone of the Seer, the first novel in the Stone of the Seer series. So what’s the new series all about? The Stone of the Seer is an exciting historical fantasy series of adventure novels for young adults, primarily set in the turbulent period of the English Civil War. The Stone of the Seer, book one in the series, features the Vikings, Leonardo da Vinci, and the political turmoil of the 1640s. At Habingdon House, […]

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Announcement #1

Michell — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 20:34:28 +0000

Announcement #1 I love it when I have something announcement worthy. At this very moment, I have two things, but I’m only going to give you one today (because I like to keep all you lovely people in suspense). Hence Announcement #1. So, without further ado: The Goddess Renewed is now available as both an eBook AND a print novel. The publisher, Champagne books, typically release their new books in eBook format first followed a few months later in print form. This is true for The Goddess Renewed too. Beyond simply having another book on my brag shelf (admittedly, I almost never bring people into my office to show off the books on that shelf), having a print version of the […]

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Rejuvenation

Michell — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 21:12:36 +0000

Rejuvenation. The past two years have been a roller-coaster ride for most of us. We’ve hit some highs, lots of lows and, in many cases, have counted ourselves lucky to simply make it through some days. Rejuvenation of our hopes, spirits and those activities which bring us joy is long overdue. I’ll admit, the word, rejuvenation, only re-entered my lexicon in the past days. Prior to that, survival was more of the key word for me. But there have been a number of reminders that I have much to be thankful for. Those reminders have steered me back from survival mode. Fall/Christmas Craft Fairs Fall/Christmas Craft Fairs have been a singular point of in-person contact between me and my readers […]

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Busy busy busy…

Michell — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 21:56:53 +0000

Busy busy busy. That seems to be the phrase of the past couple weeks. Between work, Scouts, house, sanity checks, I don’t seem to have a lot of time right now. I keep meaning to post another update and tease you about the upcoming book, but even that is escaping me. (I know, darn, right? Not getting teased and all) Work Front I’ve been very fortunate. My company is extremely forward-thinking regarding working from home, mental health, personal well-being and a host of other things. As much as I prefer working in the office (yes, I am one of those), I have managed to do pretty well working from home. I’m not sure I’ll ever prefer it to being around […]

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New book, new series coming

Michell — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 18:50:40 +0000

I have a new book, new series coming soon. It feels odd to be talking about something that hasn’t released yet, but I’m trying to be better about promotion. So, what is it? What is it about? Middle Grade Mystery/Adventure The book is really an homage to books I read when I was young(er). Think about the Hardy Boys and the Three Investigators. Both series are from bygone eras (the Hardy Boys started in the 1920’s, the Three Investigators in the 1960’s), but I think both still have relevancy. Why? Because – and this is important – kids are smart. They are observant. They can do a lot more than they are often given credit for. I sometimes think that […]

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Extend my Reach

Michell — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 22:22:04 +0000

A few months ago my publisher reached out to me to talk about an opportunity that would literally extend my reach to readers. An application publisher (for books, to be clear) was interested in a number of the publisher’s properties. The Goddess Renewed was one of those books. I am very pleased to announce that Goddess is now available to read on the Readict app. That makes the novel available as both an e-book available directly from Champagne Books and via the app on whatever mobile device you might use. Unexpected Meeting of a Goal One of my goals has always been to get my work in front of readers. Obviously, printed books are one of those outlets. E-books, whatever their […]

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What the…? (or why is it such a struggle?)

Michell — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 22:59:44 +0000

Just when I thought I was coming out of this…whatever you want to call it… Funk? Uncentered self? Hiatus? Idontknowwhattheheckisgoingon? Maybe I’ll just take a pass on even labelling it. Suffice it to say, these crazy times we are living in has made building new, positive habits difficult and leave it at that, shall we? So…coming out of this (whateveryouwanttocallit) and building new, positive habits. Not the easiest thing ever. For those of you caught in the same temporal anomaly (yes, I watch Star Trek, Lower Decks the other day – the phrase just stuck in my head), you are likely going through the same/similar struggles as I am. But, as I learned when writing my first book (and still have […]

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Upcoming Signing

Michell — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 22:04:45 +0000

I hope all of you in the area can/will come. 🙂

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Squirrel!

Michell — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 15:31:33 +0000

I’ve started writing numerous posts the past while and every time I manage to get distracted away from it. I feel much like Dug from the movie Up must feel; it would be very nice to hold onto a single train of thought but there are too many other things to grab my attention.. The result has been no new posts on the website but several partial posts in my draft folder. The problem with that is, when I begin writing a post, I always have a direction I want to take. Getting pulled away effectively ends whatever ideas I had spinning through my mind. That isn’t to say I can’t pick them up again. It is just harder to […]

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False Starts

Michell — Thu, 20 May 2021 02:40:55 +0000

I will be the first to admit that I was struggling to write the newest Mik Murdoch novel. I had a number of false starts including one where I wrote over 3,000 words before I realized just how slow everything was moving. That got me really thinking about the story and what I wanted to achieve with it. Except, I wasn’t getting any new ideas. I was just regurgitating all the old ideas. Nothing new was coming to mind. Overcoming the Problem I had to tear the story right down to the ground and start again almost from the beginning. The false starts didn’t mean the concept for the story was wrong. Just how I was going about telling it. […]

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Revisiting Favourite Authors

Michell — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 23:18:16 +0000

I talked about how I have re-ignited my joy of reading in an earlier post. Today, I want to talk about the value in revisiting favourite authors. I know there are different camps when it comes to the topic of rereading books. Some people don’t like to read a book more than once and others go back to the same material over and over again (for the record, I am one of the latter although I do read new books almost as much). Benefits I receive from rereading a book Reason 1: The big one Part of the reason I like rereading cherished books is I can reconnect with places and people I truly like/enjoy. I think we all have […]

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Calgary Young Writers’ Conference (2021 virtual edition)

Michell — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 17:30:02 +0000

I will be running a workshop at the Calgary Young Writers’ Conference this Saturday (April 10, 2021). I’ve now officially lost count of the number of times I have either volunteered for the conference or actually presented at the conference. What I do know is, it is a fantastic day spent with Calgary’s up-and-coming writers and I always leave feeling both exhausted and refreshed at the same time. Exhausted and Refreshed? I put a lot of effort into creating the workshops and ensuring that the participants get as much as I can give out of them. That takes a lot of energy on my part. But it also refreshes my own view of writing in general. I get the chance […]

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Rekindling the Joy

Michell — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 16:18:54 +0000

Growing up, I had an extremely long bus ride to and from school every day. Couple that with living on a pretty remote farm and I didn’t have a big circle of friends I could hang out with whenever I wanted. Add one more element – my parents loved reading Science Fiction – and you have someone who reads all the time. If memory serves, I was inhaling books at the rate of one every couple of days (I did still have chores to do morning and night). That rate of consumption lasted right up until I hit college. Homework, study and work seriously ate into my reading time. I think things slowed to where I was only reading a […]

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Surviving

Michell — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 22:53:30 +0000

How are you all surviving these days? I know I have good days and I have bad. I’ve had to reduce my time on Twitter because there is so much negativity and ridiculousness going on every day. It feels like people are looking for reasons to be offended and/or offensive. That is unfortunate because, I’m a pretty social person. I now work from home (which I am still adjusting to a year in) and I’m lucky to be doing so. But since I’m now alone most of the day, social media was a way of seeing other people safely. Except, it doesn’t feel safe any more so I am largely avoiding it. Writing your way to surviving When I was […]

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Feedback and Reviews

Michell — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 03:22:34 +0000

I’m not sure many readers appreciate the importance of Feedback and Reviews. For those people, allow me to assure you, both are VERY important although for different reasons. Feedback I have been fortunate enough to receive feedback from readers on many of my books. Most recently, a lovely lady sent me a DM to inform me she and her son both love my Mik Murdoch books. They have read them all and she had taken the time to talk about them on Instagram. I can’t tell you how important that DM was. Like many of you, I have been feeling the challenges of being home alone all day, most days. COVID has severely restricted my movement; my wife works in […]

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Trying to do too much in the story

Michell — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 00:11:13 +0000

I’ve been working on Mik Murdoch 5 and I have realized I’ve been trying to do too much in the story. I always insert little tidbits here and there in the sequels to tie them back to the previous books. That isn’t a bad plan as it provides continuity. Where I am coming up against it is I now see I’m getting carried away, especially since there are now four books in the series. If I reference events from every one of them, I won’t have time for the story in book 5. That isn’t to say I won’t be giving subtle nods to what has come before. There are plot lines I’ve started in prior books that are still […]

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Should I be a planner or a pantster for my next book?

Michell — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 01:42:27 +0000

Should I be a pantster or a planner for my next book? I have written books using both methods. I’m told the books were good in both cases. So, which method should I use? Mik Murdoch 5 is the next book, in case you were wondering. I haven’t been doing a lot of writing the past few months. I was busy editing The Goddess Renewed for several months and trying to keep my sanity for several more. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about what the next book(s) should be. In the case of Mik Murdoch 5, I know what the main plot is and who the characters will be. The problem shows itself when I try to refine the […]

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World Building – Every Character Has a Story

Michell — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 14:47:49 +0000

An I’ve been thinking a lot about characters and building rich, living worlds for them to live in. I have also been re-reading some old favourites. Specifically Anne McCaffrey’s Harper Hall Trilogy set in her fictional world of Pern. I have come to better understand that every character has a story within their world and approaching those various stories in different ways will enrich the world you are building. Pern – a rich story world Let me use Anne McCaffrey’s planet of Pern to better show what I mean. If you ask any lover of her Pern books what elements most stand out for them, you will likely hear about dragons and dragon riders. An invasive spore, know as Thread, […]

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Locked Down (or Time Flies in a Crisis)

Michell — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:23:27 +0000

I looked to see when I last posted. October? That can’t be right. Should I blame being locked down or claim I was too busy to post? No, the reality is much more boring than that. Simply put, I’ve been keeping my head down and working through each day as it comes. I’ve been staying home as much as I can (groceries still need to be bought) and I’ve completed editing on my now-published novel, The Goddess Renewed. Not the most glamorous explanation, but the truth. The good news is, my family is safe and there does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel. I know we have a long ways to go yet, but I’m […]

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The Goddess Renewed

Michell — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 18:36:40 +0000

Trust may be the only thing that can save you…or betray you. When his family disappears, Kalten knows he must find them at any cost. He desserts his post and meets up with an angry young woman with a vendetta of her own. Their chance meeting draws them into a world of intrigue and danger where they must uncover the plot against the crown. With the aid of a former goddess and a rebellious young dragon, they face a world that seems to be rising up against them. This is book one in The Fallen Goddess series. You can find the book at the retailers below: Champagne Books store Amazon.com

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Jack Kane and the Kaiser

Michell — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 16:45:37 +0000

When Jack and Betsy meet Kaiser Wilhelm, they immediately suspect an assassination attempt is about to be made against him. They do everything they can to keep him safe, but little do they know the assassination they expect is coming from a different source with a completely different target. Can the United States and the world survive the resolution? Jack Kane and the Kaiser, is book two in the Jack Kane steampunk series co-written by Michell Plested and JR Murdock You can find the book at the retailers below: Champagne Books store Amazon.com Kobo Chapters/Indigo

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Today is a Very BIG Day!

Michell — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 15:38:14 +0000

Today is a very BIG day in my writing career. Today is the day my 10th published book (both solo and co-written) is available for purchase. The book, The Goddess Renewed, represents a number of things to me. It is actually the first book I ever wrote. That may scream amateur to some of you but it has gone through years of edits and rewrites. I am pretty proud of what it looks like now. It is also my first Adult Fantasy – something I always thought I should be writing. As those of you who are also writers know, what you think you should write isn’t always what you end up with. 🙂 The back blurb on the book […]

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My email was hacked

Michell — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 15:22:24 +0000

If you have received an email from author@michellplested.net in the past several hours (as of October 14, 2020) please delete the email and accept my apologies. That account was hacked. I have since taken steps to secure the account (again). Hopefully this won’t happen again. Thank you, -Michell

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Important Developments

Michell — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 22:44:52 +0000

Mik Murdoch: The Power Within is an Audio Book There have been a couple important developments over the past few months. The first is that Mik Murdoch: The Power Within is now an audiobook. Narrated by Kevin Earlywine, who narrated Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero, the book is available everywhere you can purchase audiobooks. The book continues Mik’s adventures as he works hard to become a boy superhero in his hometown of Cranberry Flats. In this second book in the series, Mik has been having a lot of trouble dealing with his quest. His parents decide he’s due for a quiet summer at the lake. Once he arrives there he learns that adventure can be found wherever he goes. This time […]

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I Ate’nt Dead

Michell — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 15:12:49 +0000

For those of you familiar with Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, you will almost certainly recognize the above quote. It is something the character Granny Weatherwax has printed on a placard that she holds when she is out ‘borrowing’ (the art of overlaying her mind on the mind of another creature so that she can see through its eyes and steer its actions without it being aware of her presence). I haven’t exactly been ‘borrowing’ myself, but I have definitely been watching. Specifically, watching the world struggle to deal with the current pandemic. Those are struggles I know we all share. My absence can be attributed to a lot of things. At the beginning of this I was trying to figure […]

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What Would You Do?

Michell — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 00:20:27 +0000

What would you do if you were reliving the same day over and over again like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day? Would you sit back and simply watch everything repeat or would you use the time to do something new? It’s a question many of us are probably asking ourselves (or something like it) as we self-isolate at home seeing the same walls, same people and…well same everything every day. It probably feels like we are living the same life in an endless loop. When this first began and it looked like we might be home-bound for a while I will admit to sitting back and doing very little beyond watching television and eating too much. And then it dawned […]

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A New Mik Murdoch Audiobook is in Production

Michell — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 22:09:22 +0000

Last year we were delighted to announce the production of Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero as an audiobook. For those of you who have already listened to it, you know Kevin Earlywine did a fantastic job. I am also pleased to say, it is already showing popularity within the public library systems. That was last year. This is 2020 and we are excited to have Kevin working on book 2: Mik Murdoch: The Power Within. I’ve already heard the first fifteen minutes of it and it’s even better than the first one. It’s always fun to see my work come out in more than one medium. It gives a different perspective on the story and opens it up to a broader […]

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Adding Routine to My Day

Michell — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 14:56:55 +0000

I often hear the word “Routine” uttered with contempt. At those times, the speaker is often talking about how routine is the death of spontaneity, a killer of innovation that ultimately puts one in a rut. I’m going to vigorously disagree with that point-of-view. I understand that planning out your day can reduce spontaneity (unless you actually schedule it in, which is a bit of an odd irony in itself), but having a routine or planned day also increases your focus. Especially if you have a number of activities running simultaneously. But why am I bringing this up now? Well, like many of you, the current health crisis has meant a major change in how I live and work. I […]

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What is the Next Project?

Michell — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 18:09:38 +0000

How do you figure out the next project? If you are like me, you have several stories percolating in your brain all the time. Plus you probably have notebooks/sticky notes/random napkins with other ideas sketched out. And then there are those new ideas that pop up whenever you aren’t looking. With all that noise, how do you (or in this case, me/I) decide what the next project should be? Stories Under Contract Anything that has a contract attached to it automatically floats to the top of the list. I am mindful that not everyone is at the stage of their career where they have books already under contract. I am fortunate to have a couple series that are in that […]

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Downtime

Michell — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 14:42:14 +0000

We all need downtime. Life can be hectic and doesn’t always offer anything but a continuous string of busy that we can’t seem to escape. When we do manage to find a little downtime, it can feel so good, we don’t want to give it up. I won’t say I’ve been completely stationary. In fact, I won’t say I’ve even had a wealth of downtime. Just…different time that has kept me away from writing very much. There have been books to edit, a home renovation project and work has gotten even busier. Oh yeah, and Disney+ and Amazon Prime found their way into my household so I’ve been forced (yes, forced against my will – kicking and screaming the whole […]

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Dalhousie Night Market

Michell — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 16:43:16 +0000

The holiday market season is on and I will be attending my first one (as a vendor) for the year this coming weekend (Friday November 22 – Saturday November 23). I will be bringing all of my books (with the sole exception of my newest – Jack Kane & the Kaiser – which doesn’t release until later this month), my Scout/zombie badges and, of course, my wit and charm (such as they are). Come by and see me. Buy a book or two or well, however many you’d like. 🙂 To be clear, this is in Calgary, AB, so if you don’t live here, I won’t hold it against you if I don’t see you.

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Jack Kane and the Kaiser is in Final Edits

Michell — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 21:20:03 +0000

Huzzah! JR Murdock and I have been waiting a while for this and we are currently hard at work on performing the final edits. If the stars align, it will be available very soon. If they don’t, the book won’t be released until some time in January. Either way, it’s very exciting! And one of the best parts for us is the cover. It’s amazing AND Jack Kane and the Statue of Liberty will be getting a brand new cover to match. I cannot wait to get this into your hands. Stay tuned!

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It Can Be Discouraging

Michell — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 14:51:09 +0000

I’ve been in a bit of hermit mode the last year. I’ve been busy editing and not a whole lot else. When I took the time to reflect on why that might be, I had to go all the way back to the Fall of 2017. That was when my mother was diagnosed with dementia and I was named her Power of Attorney. If you don’t know what that means, let’s just say both her life and mine changed completely. She became my dependent and I got the unenviable job of being responsible for her affairs. I took some time away from writing to get those affairs in order (including settling my mom in a safe place to live). Once […]

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Mik Murdoch: Identity Troubles

Michell — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 15:32:59 +0000

You might think being a superhero would be cool but Mik Murdoch knows it isn’t all fun and adventure. Being the self-appointed hero of Cranberry Flats, he has had his fair share of problems to deal with. Like keeping his secret identity hidden – a tough thing to do in a small town. When his father starts asking about his nightly activities, Mik realizes that his alter-ego and his days as a hero may be at risk. But how to stop the questions? It takes an old friend, who unexpectedly comes to town, to distract people. Only, that friend disappears shortly after, putting the entire town on edge. Mik battles fear, suspicion and mobs to find the lost and save […]

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Mik Murdoch: Identity Troubles is now available!

Michell — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 14:53:15 +0000

The long wait is over. Mik Murdoch: Identity Troubles is now available, both in print form and electronically. Well…that isn’t entirely true. It is mostly available electronically. Apparently our friends at Amazon aren’t sure that Evil Alter Ego Press actually owns the rights to publish the book. It seems that a history of publishing the previous three books in the series isn’t enough. Hopefully that will remedy itself soon. For now, here are the links that work for purchasing the book: Print version: https://amzn.to/2n6qipX eBook version (all formats): https://books2read.com/u/mqDqq6

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Cover Reveal: Mik Murdoch: Identity Troubles

Michell — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 15:07:41 +0000

Here you go, my friends. The cover for Mik Murdoch: Identity Troubles. I’m so excited to share it with you. 🙂 As soon as it is available for preorder, I will post links.

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Mik Murdoch: Identity Troubles is Coming

Michell — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 19:47:28 +0000

Mik Murdoch: Identity Troubles will be released and available for sale everywhere this September. MM:IT is the fourth book in the Mik Murdoch series and, if my editors aren’t fibbing, the best one so far. When I began working on it, I decided I wanted to spend more time with some of the characters I’ve already introduced. I wanted to get to know them better and give you the chance to as well. And, of course, I wanted Mik to continue his journey of growth as a person and as a hero. I think I managed to do both. Even better, I had a lot of fun doing it. MM:IT has Mik wondering just how much his father knows about […]

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Good Edits Take Time

Michell — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 15:34:15 +0000

I am hot and cold on editing. There are times when I absolutely LOVE the process and others when I would prefer to do anything but. Regardless of how I feel about them, I have recognized the need to really think about what my editor is asking for. I find if I don’t, I might completely miss their point and either: (a) write something that doesn’t fit the story, (b) write something I’ve already written so it appears more than once in the story, (c) delete some of the stuff that was good, replacing it with bad/worse writing. In full disclosure, I have done all of those things at one point or another when I tried to rush my edits. […]

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Self Awareness is Important to a Writer

Michell — Fri, 31 May 2019 19:35:00 +0000

I had never considered how important self awareness might be to my writing until just recently. During a brainstorming session for a new book my thoughts turned to the character dynamics that would really make for a compelling story. I was mixing and matching character traits, genders, background stories and the like when I started to think about my own time growing up. I had a thought. My own self-image was probably miles away from how people actually perceived me. I’m not quite sure why that revelation took me so long to get to. After all, I see young people today who clearly have a different idea of who they are than my initial impressions of them. Is it possible […]

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Mik Murdoch 4 Gaining Momentum

Michell — Fri, 24 May 2019 16:34:16 +0000

Mik Murdoch is starting to pick up momentum. I’ve sent the second major editing pass to the editor AND it finally has an honest-to-goodness title. That title will be, Mik Murdoch: Identity Troubles. I knew what the book was about before I started writing it; kind of important, I’m sure you’ll agree. But, because it addresses a number of themes and ideas, the title was a tough one to nail down. I’m convinced we have the best title now (some of the earlier iterations were rather long). The book has a July release date so a proper title (other than Mik Murdoch 4) is important. It’s also very helpful for the cover artist to be able to put a finished […]

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You Are the Author of Your Life

Michell — Wed, 15 May 2019 15:50:25 +0000

I do my best story-thinking when I’m out for a walk. It is also the time when I’m prone to wax philosophic. The other day my brain latched onto the saying, “You are the author of your life,” and I really started to think about that. Of course, I approached it from the perspective of story-telling, but it gave me real pause because I had never really looked at my life that way before. We all want to be the heroes of our own stories, but what do we really do about it? For example, I regularly write about a character who, when he sees something wrong, goes out and does his best to fix it. I know I’ve said […]

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Editing Brain

Michell — Tue, 14 May 2019 21:22:05 +0000

I’ve talked about the difference between writing and editing before, but I think it bears repeating. There is a real difference that is significant enough that I don’t typically try to write when I’m editing. With writing – for me, at least – writing is more stream of conscience. I open myself up to any possibility for a story. My mind is constantly running different story scenarios. Editing, on the other hand, is more about picking at the details and making sure they all work together in the best way possible. When I’m editing, I’m not focused on story scenarios and the next scene as much as I’m making sure everything I’ve already written works together. No stream of conscience […]

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I am at the 2019 Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo

Michell — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 15:09:36 +0000

I am sharing a booth (5209 in the Big 4 building) with fellow author, Simon Rose at the 2019 Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. If you have ever wanted a personally autographed copy of one of my books, some of my almost infamous Scout/Zombie badges or simply to say ‘Hey!’, now is the time. I have several smoking deals on all of the above (saying ‘Hey’ is free – how awesome is that?). Come on down. I’m there today (Thursday April 25) thru Sunday April 28.

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Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero Audiobook Now Available!

Michell — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 14:36:25 +0000

Evil Alter Ego Press has been working on getting Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero in audiobook form for several months. Today, all that work has paid off! Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero is now available as an audiobook. You can get your own copy here. To make it even more interesting, Audible is offering it free-of-charge if you sign up for a 30-day trial. How can you possibly lose? A free trial of an already amazing book (and Kevin Earlywine, the narrator, does a fantastic job, btw). 🙂 Get you copy now and you will have 6+ hours of awesomeness to listen to. And, if you would like to help out more, please leave a review too.

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Odds & Ends – April 9th, 2019

Michell — Tue, 09 Apr 2019 21:34:20 +0000

It occurred to me (finally) that I don’t necessarily have to have a specific article topic to post something. Sometimes it’s nice to simply give a random update on the various things going on in my life. Therein lie my odds and ends. That being the case, here goes. My second newsletter just went out April 1st. Spoiler alert – I give some information that I don’t share in any other way – at least, I share it early. I also might have a newsletter-subscriber-only perk in the works (just saying). If you would like to be included in that amazing group of subscribers (not saying you’re not amazing – just not an amazing subscriber unless, of course, you are), […]

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Write What You Know?

Michell — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 15:39:41 +0000

One of the first pieces of writing advice I ever read was, “Write what you know.” I used to think I knew what that meant. I mean, if I read Science Fiction and Fantasy, then I clearly know those genres and should write in them, shouldn’t I? So, the first novel I ever finished was a Fantasy novel. It turned out pretty good (in fact, it will be coming out in August this year), but it was a real slog to write. Was I missing something? The second novel was much better, partially because I knew I could write a book at that point. But it was also a story I had thought about for years, roughly based on comic […]

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Mik Murdoch 4 in Final Edits

Michell — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 16:12:03 +0000

It’s always a relief to get to the final stages of edits for a book. That is especially true of sequels; readers are always waiting impatiently for the next one. The fourth installment in the Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero series is in final edits and I couldn’t be happier. Mik Murdoch – Non-spoily Spoilers Book four marks a bit of a crossroads for our hero. He has hit that point in his personal growth that he is comfortable in he role as town protector. Unfortunately, puberty is fast approaching along with the complications of feelings he isn’t quite prepared for. Throw an old friend (and a new one) into the mix and complications become the rule of the day. While […]

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Site Change

Michell — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 22:21:42 +0000

I wanted to let you all know about a change I had to make to the website. I have, to date, received just shy of 200,000 spam messages on the site. This is because I have never required people to sign-up to comment. It has become too much to keep all the spam out so I have made the change to require a sign-up for comments. I hope you can understand why this is necessary.

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Is Theme Important in Writing?

Michell — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 17:58:54 +0000

Theme – What I Used to Think There was a time (early on in my writing) when I thought paying attention to theme was dumb. The story is the story. What is the point to adding unnecessary baggage? I would poo-poo people who talked about how important it was to identify the theme early in your stories. Again, if you had good characters and a good plot or plots, the rest would take care of itself, wouldn’t it? That was then, this is now As you might have already gathered, my opinion has changed regarding theme. I don’t know if that’s because I’ve become more mature in my writing or simply more aware, but I now believe theme is important. […]

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Signing February 9th

Michell — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 16:21:20 +0000

I will be doing a signing at Indigo Signal Hill (Calgary) on February 9th at 10 AM. If you have been looking for my latest book or simply want to come talk about writing, that’s where you will find me. I hope to see you there.

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Going a bit off-track

Michell — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 19:43:09 +0000

Learning I’m going to write about something other than writing (sort of) today. I’m going to talk about learning. One of the most important lessons I learned early in my life is to never stop learning (yes, you will read the word “learning” a lot in this post. The challenge to continuous learning is (a) finding the time, (b) finding the money, (c) finding the information and (d) not overloading yourself. None of those challenges are show-stoppers; at the end of the day it really is up to you. So, what’s my point? Recently, a colleague of mine pointed me to a website called Udemy.com. They claim to have online courses on practically everything. I signed up for a couple […]

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I Now Have a Newsletter!

Michell — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 15:44:39 +0000

Newsletter At long last, I have a newsletter. I know that may not sound Earthshaking or momentous, but it marks a new chapter in my writing career. The name of the chapter? Self-promotion. Believe it or not, I really haven’t done much for self-promotion in the past. Yes, I have a Facebook account and a Twitter feed. I also have this website. Those are all somewhat passive mediums. I post stuff and hope that people will follow and read what I’ve done. The newsletter is different (at least, in my mind). I am actively asking people to sign-up for it. I’ve been putting sign-up sheets out at my events and I now have a spot on the website for you […]

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Interview – Mark Meincke Show

Michell — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 16:27:41 +0000

Hello everyone. Last night I was fortunate enough to be interviewed by Mark Meincke for his Anchor.fm show. You can listen to it here.

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The Last Post of 2018

Michell — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 18:36:44 +0000

2018 2018 has been a topsy turvy one. On the one hand, I’ve had to deal with an ailing parent. On the other, my daughter got married and I saw the third and final installment of Scouts of the Apocalypse (Zombie Masters) published. I think, all things considered, that I will call this year a draw; I can’t call it a win and, since I’m still moving forward, I won’t call it a loss either. Book sales for 2018 reached an all-time high, which is a good trend. Unfortunately, all-time high does not equate to going full-time as a writer. Not yet anyway. I still have a lot of work to do before that happens. But, it is a step in the right (write?) direction. […]

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A Taste of Local Authors – December 13, 2018

Michell — Thu, 06 Dec 2018 16:18:31 +0000

Hello, my friends. Brief announcement about an upcoming appearance: I will be at Owl’s Nest Books December 13th for “A Taste of Local Authors”. The gathering begins at 7 PM and I will be reading from Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters, which will also be available for sale. I believe I will have the entire trilogy there for sale (which, when signed, makes a fantastic Christmas gift – just saying) so don’t delay. 🙂 I hope to see you there. Come say hello, if nothing else. 🙂

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First Draft – Telling Yourself the Story

Michell — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 22:43:21 +0000

First Draft – Telling Yourself the Story There is a quote attributed to Terry Pratchett that says, “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” Being a huge fan of Terry Pratchett (and wanting to be Terry Pratchett when I grow up), that gives me hope as a writer. I mean, if you have ever read his work, you will find such a collection or wit, insight and sheer snark, you would wonder how anyone could possibly live up to the example he has set. I know, I certainly feel inadequate to meet the example he set; that is I did when I assumed his work came onto the page fully formed from his brain. Now, I’m not so […]

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Mik Murdoch 4 is Coming Along Nicely

Michell — Mon, 12 Nov 2018 18:48:57 +0000

Mik Murdoch 4 – Surprise NaNoWriMo Book I wasn’t planning to do NaNoWriMo this year. I was going to take my sweet time and write Mik Murdoch 4 at my own pace. But then, November 1st (the first day of NaNoWriMo) it occurred to me that doing it over NaNo would see the first draft finished in November. That would allow me to let it sit for a couple weeks and still have an edited version before end-of-year. That thought was very appealing to me. So, I took the 12,000 words I already had finished and put them aside. I’m not throwing those away. Not at all. What I’m doing is I’m using NaNo to add another 50,000 to the […]

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Why I Wrote Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters

Michell — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 15:56:35 +0000

Why Did I Write a Third Book? Why did I write Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters? To be honest, when I first told the Scouts of the Apocalypse story around the campfire, I never imagined there would be a second, let a lone a third book. In fact, I didn’t tell the story with a book in mind at all. It was simply an idea I had while driving out to camp that I was forced to make into a story due to extremely bad ghost stories. 🙂 What got me to actually write the first book was the response from my Scouts. They were so taken by the story, I HAD to write it. The second book, Scouts […]

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In Memorium – Dave Duncan

Michell — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 15:59:37 +0000

In Memorium – Dave Duncan Last night I heard that Dave Duncan (the author, not the athlete) had passed away. I first encountered Dave’s work when I was in college in the form of his book, The Reluctant Swordsman. It wasn’t quite like anything I’d ever read before. I can still picture myself reading it on the train home after class. Let’s just say, it really resonated with me. I read all three (at the time) books in the series and then several more of his books. They were entertaining and thought-provoking. They fueled my own desire to write (although that wouldn’t happen for almost another decade). Over time I discovered other authors and then, when I started to write myself, I […]

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Building Worlds Takes More Than One Book

Michell — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 21:17:05 +0000

Building Worlds Takes More Than One Book I have heard of people spending hours and hours doing nothing but building worlds for their characters to play in. They sacrifice time creating those actual characters and creating stories for them to exist in all for the sake of a more detailed legal system or better rules of magic or whatever. I suspect, for those people, the fun of creation is such that the actual story writing might be a chore. Sort of like being the Dungeon Master (DM) versus the Campaign Party (CP) in DnD. The DM creates the dungeon and all of its inherent challenges and rewards. The DM loves torturing and making the characters work. The CP meanwhile, is […]

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Mik Murdoch 4 is Underway

Michell — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 15:14:13 +0000

Mik Murdoch 4 is Underway The story for Mik Murdoch 4 has been in my mind for well over a year. The problem was, I was busy with other books that had to come first. When I finished the last of those books (Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters) it was finally time to work on Mik. So, I began plotting the story. And then I plotted some more. I could have gone on with nothing but plotting for weeks if I had let myself. But the characters were starting to give me lines for the story. It was time to write. It Started Slow I’ve been in editing mode for quite a while now, which is considerably different than […]

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Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters

Michell — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 16:01:55 +0000

It’s Here! It has been two years since the zombie apocalypse ended, but Scouter Mike continues to relive the horror every day in his dreams. When he and his Scouts are invited to the World Jamboree in Japan, he is reluctant to go. But go he does and it isn’t long before the horror starts again. But why now? And, even more important, why here? Mike and his Scouts must battle the undead one more time as they race to find out why it’s happening again and stop it once and for all. Amazon Amazon Kindle Kobo

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Cover Reveal – Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters

Michell — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 14:23:24 +0000

Cover Reveal – Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters The cover for Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters is here and I couldn’t be happier! This cover is definitely darker in tone than the first two but I think it is an awesome zombie novel cover. The book itself is also in the final stages of preparation, sitting with the printer and distributors. You can have your own copy of the book October 31st. I know, I can’t wait. 🙂

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Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters in Final Copy Edits

Michell — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 19:39:12 +0000

If I had a megaphone I would be shouting out “Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters is in Final Copy Edits!” Truly, I would be. This book, for many reasons, has been a long time coming to get to this point. But, we are finally here and I couldn’t be happier! The cover is all but finished, the layout is started. The new badges are here (I’ll be showing those off in a few days). It finally feels real. Of course, LOTs of promotion to do and hopefully lots of books sold. 🙂

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Changing My Ways

Michell — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 19:32:33 +0000

As I write this, I kinda think I should have titled this blog, “Old dogs need to learn new tricks” but, I’m not a dog. 🙂 I have always been a pantster writer. I have an idea, I sit down and I write until I can’t write anymore. Usually, I’m discovering the story as I go. Yes, there have been occasions when I’ve planned a story before writing it (e.g. Jack Kane and the Statue of Liberty, which I co-wrote with JR Murdock), but for the most part…pantster. Definitely. Except, I can’t do that with a series. At least, I can’t do it as much. Why? Several reasons. Why a Series Won’t Support Pantster Writing I learned early on when […]

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The Importance of Networking

Michell — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 17:16:01 +0000

The Importance of Networking I’ve talked about networking many times in the past; why it is important and necessary. At When Words Collide I was reminded once again of how critical it is to a writer to network. It all began with one of the keynote speeches. Sam Morgan, a literary agent, talked about how he got into his current career. He went from one connection to the next to the next until he had gone from unemployed college graduate to literary agent. He said he didn’t even know what a literary agent was until he got the job. His talk made it sound like he bounced from one person to the next like a ping pong ball. If you […]

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Why Do You Want to Publish a Book?

Michell — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 16:13:01 +0000

Why Do You Want to Publish a Book? I was asked some questions recently that made me really think. Not think as in “what’s the right answer”, but think as in “what’s the right answer for what you are doing”. Especially when it comes to publishing a book. There are many people out there who claim to want to write a book. The number who actually accomplish that goal is significantly smaller. The number who publish the book they wrote is even smaller still. For those of us who do want to see our books published, the question that first needs to be asked is “Why?” Possible Reasons for Publishing Your Book I Want a Copy on my Bookshelf (or […]

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Don’t Submit To Your Editor Too Soon (or Mistakes were made)

Michell — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 16:00:08 +0000

Mistakes Were Made I made a mistake. I admit it. Nothing Earth shattering, mind you. Just something that has slowed my own process. What was it you ask? I submitted my draft of Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters too soon. My editor was eager to see it (who can blame him) and I sent it before I’d had any chance to fix the problems I knew were there. Why is that a Mistake? I wrote SotA: ZM fast. Maybe faster than usual. Because I forced myself to write every day to meet my self-imposed deadline, I had some sections that were less than stellar. They weren’t completely thought out or they were filler to my thought process. That being the […]

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Managing Priorities

Michell — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 16:22:10 +0000

Managing Priorities Our lives are filled with often-conflicting events. Prioritizing those things is the only way to survive (and succeed). In my case, my daughter was getting married AND I have a book to edit for publication (there are a couple more AND’s in there as well, but those are the two biggies). If you’ve never had a book published before you might lean in that direction. It was never a question for me; my daughter did and always will take precedence over my writing. So, being the father of the bride, I spent my time supporting her and my wife as well as I could and prepared for the wedding. The book sat waiting for my attention. Back to […]

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Learnings from the 2018 Calgary Horror Con

Michell — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 19:45:11 +0000

Learnings from the 2018 Calgary Horror Con I went into the Horror Con unsure what to expect. I’ve almost gone as a vendor twice only to have things fall through at the last minute. This year I was committed and I’m glad I was because I learned a couple things while there. I did not make the same mistake here that I did at the Comic Expo; I didn’t bring six cases of books. Instead, I brought one and bit, reasoning I could always bring more if I ran out. As it turned out, I brought enough having a few copies of most books left to sell when I went home. That wasn’t the important learning. What was can […]

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Calgary Horror Con 2018

Michell — Tue, 29 May 2018 19:34:05 +0000

I had so much fun at the Comic Expo I decided to do the Calgary Horror Con this year too. I will be at the convention (June 2 -3) featuring my Scouts of the Apocalypse series. Of course, I will be bringing the Scout badges too. 🙂 Come see me if you’re in the area. The con has some amazing guests this year.

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Calgary Comic Expo 2018 – Post Mortem

Michell — Fri, 04 May 2018 15:46:26 +0000

The Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo is over for another year. I say this with a certain amount of regret and relief. Contradicting emotions? You bet! I went into the expo this year not quite sure what I had signed up for. It was my first time on the Exhibitor-side of the table this year. I had pulled together items (my Scout/Zombie badges) specifically for the expo. I ordered more of Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Plague so I wouldn’t run out too soon. I was prepared, darn it! Or was I? The Good Simon Rose was a great table partner. We have known each other for more than a decade and worked well together. Many times during the expo you […]

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Calgary Comic Expo 2018

Michell — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 15:35:32 +0000

Calgary Comic Expo 2018 – A new Frontier On Thursday I’m setting up for the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo 2018. I will be there from Thursday April 26th through Sunday April 29th. I’ve attended as a fan several times. I’ve even thought about getting a table before but I just never quite had the nerve to pull the trigger. I always had excuses: the tables are too expensive, I don’t have enough books. Then a fellow author and I talked about sharing a table. I could go without breaking the bank, I reasoned. When everything was confirmed, my mind really started to work overtime. What else could I take to sell that might draw people in? Merchandise Old and […]

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World Building – It’s the Little Things

Michell — Fri, 13 Apr 2018 16:36:26 +0000

World Building – Small Details Make It World Building consists of lots of big ideas interspersed with many smaller ones. Those ideas can be cultures, characters and places. But what about the small little bits you don’t really notice? I am a big fan of superheros (probably not a surprise to any of you). I love watching shows like The Flash on television. The little details they put in to make their world feel real are part of what I adore about the show. One example, the favorite coffee shop is CC Jitters. Another would be the Big Belly Burger. Are either of those elements important to any plot line? Nope. Do they give the characters something important to talk […]

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GalaxyBillies 2 is Almost Finished

Michell — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 15:45:08 +0000

One of my projects you may only have a peripheral view of is my GalaxyBillies book series. The first GalaxyBillies was a podcast novel that I eventually ported over as a Wattpad exclusive title. I’ve always wanted to write more in that universe and, approximately a year ago, I started writing GalaxyBillies 2, also for Wattpad. As a book that has no contract and doesn’t stand to earn any money on Wattpad, it has often had to take a back seat to my other projects. That’s why, more than a year later it is only just approaching completion. It is also more raw than my published works because, as I write a chapter, I post that chapter. It has minimal […]

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First Book Signing of 2018

Michell — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 17:52:31 +0000

Book signings can be hit or miss. They often seem to involve lots of waiting for the first few hours and then people: (a) realize you are not a store employee, (b) realize you are not a serial killer, (c) realize that, as the sign says, you are an author and all the books in front of you are yours. You might think I’m being factitious but I have often had people: ask me where to find books in the store; ask me if the store carries certain titles; ask me if the books on the table are mine/were written by me. This is all despite signs that name me as a local author there for a signing. The serial […]

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I Am Editing

Michell — Sat, 24 Feb 2018 16:50:55 +0000

If you are like me, you probably enjoy the act of creating new work more than the act of polishing it. I know there are people out there who LOVE editing their writing more than the actual writing itself. I do like the polishing, but with all the ideas in my head fighting to get out, the writing is still more enjoyable. But…unless the polishing happens, there can be no publication of stories. If there is no publication, then I’m not sharing my work with people and that is ultimately what I want to do. So, with two books at the editing stage, I am now hunkering down to get the polishing done. The current book I’m working on is Jack […]

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Simon Rose Talks about “The Children’s Writer’s Guide 2”

Michell — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 13:47:13 +0000

I’m pleased to welcome back Simon Rose, author of fifteen novels and many nonfiction books for children and young adults. He’s also the author of eight guides for aspiring authors and has just released the second installment of The Children’s Writer’s Guide. So what’s this latest book all about? The Children’s Writer’s Guide 2 is ideal for writers not just of books for children and young adults, but also features information that’s applicable to writers in all genres. The first installment of The Children’s Writer’s Guide has a wealth of tips and advice, including suggestions regarding how to get started as a writer, dealing with writer’s block, conducting research, choosing appropriate names for your characters, the editing and revision process, […]

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Let Me Tell You About My Character – Felonious Fenduke Filtcher IV

Michell — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:41:39 +0000

Felonious Fenduke Filtcher IV is one of my favorite characters to write. Not because he is particularly intelligent (he is, but in a VERY insane sort of way) or handsome or strong. He is, however, a villain of the moustache twirling variety. Did I mention he is also insane? Felonious is the feature villain in the Jack Kane series co-written by JR Murdoch and myself. It is a real mashup of Steampunk, Superhero, Adventure, Comedy and probably a couple other genres. It is also hilarious (at least in my opinion) and so fun to write. Felonious comes from a very good family in England. In fact, his family was nobility until the American War of Independence from England. It turns […]

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Preparing for Battle (sort of)

Michell — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 22:34:48 +0000

It is a battle for most fledgling authors to find ways to grow their readership and sell books. I have tried bookstore signings, Public Library signings, Writing Conferences of various kinds, Artisan fairs and even some charities. I’ve even been on television. The needle has moved but not as far or as quickly as I would like. One thing I have discovered is, when selling outside a store setting (I’m specifically talking about selling anywhere but a bookstore), my target audience doesn’t always have money on hand for a purchase as big as a book (bubblegum and inexpensive odds and sods, certainly, but $15 for a book? not so much). Now that I know I’m going to be hosting a […]

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The Grand Experiment

Michell — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 15:48:48 +0000

I learned last week that I will be sharing a table at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. For those of you familiar with this event or one like it you know that I will be right there with the very people I’m targeting as readers. Thousands and thousands of the very people I’m targeting as readers. Let that sink in for a few moments. I’ll try to remember to breathe. It isn’t cheap to be there but, it is a massive opportunity. If I can reach even a small percentage of the attendees with my books it could be huge. I must be prepared with enough copies of my books, business cards, bookmarks and the like. Signage will be […]

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Groundhog Day

Michell — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 18:26:15 +0000

Every time Groundhog Day comes I think of the movie of the same name. It is one of those movies that I can watch over and over again because: (a) it’s funny and (b) it really speaks to me. The funny part, you may or may not agree on with me and I’m okay with that. We all have different things we find amusing. The speaks to me part…well, if are of the mind to argue, personal opinion is exactly that – Personal. The things that speak to me specifically come in the second half of the movie. Phil has already done all the little boy prankish-type things he can think of. He has seen the dark side of life […]

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Playing in the Snow

Michell — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 17:19:34 +0000

I went out into the mountains over the weekend with my Scouts and Venturers to build Quinzees (snow shelters). This is always a fun camp for the youth (and the leaders if they would care to admit it). Not for everyone, I suppose, but still a fun time. Here are some pictures of the activities below.

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A Change of Scenery

Michell — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 16:35:45 +0000

I’ve been struggling a little bit the past few months. I’ve talked about the challenges of an ailing parent; I know that is a large part of it. Having someone I am now 100% responsible for who neither understands nor approves of being under my care has been difficult. It has affected my sleep and weighed heavily on my mind. As you might imagine, it has negatively impacted my writing as well. So, this weekend, myself and several of my fellow Scout Leaders will be taking a group of our Scouting youth out to the mountains to build quinzees (see picture for sample). We will be helping the Scouts build the quinzees and then they will have the opportunity to […]

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I Need to go for a Walk

Michell — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 22:02:55 +0000

Walking is a favorite activity of mine. I get to go outside for the sunshine and fresh air. I get exercise and I occasionally meet someone I know or someone new. I also get the opportunity to clear my head and collect my thoughts. It has been a fantastic source of ideas for my writing many times. Lately, my mind has been filled with lots of things that have nothing to do with my writing. That’s okay because there are things we all have to deal with in our lives whether it is work, family or something else entirely. Unfortunately, all those other things are keeping me from getting my head in the writing game. That is a bad thing […]

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Learning from Adversity

Michell — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 16:27:24 +0000

When I first started writing as a pre-teen I was already reading a lot; probably 3 – 5 books every week. That was because I had a 90-minute bus ride every morning and every evening for school. Living in the country where my nearest neighbor was several kilometers away meant, once my chores were done I had two choices for my evening: watch one of the 3 snowy television channels we got on our 14″ television or read. Reading usually won. All those books taught me something – I hadn’t lived enough yet to write my own books. I mean, who would be interested in the boring life of an Alberta farm kid? This learning just goes to show that, […]

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Out There for All to See

Michell — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 20:26:15 +0000

One of my biggest stresses when I first started down the road to getting my work published came from a friend of mine. He said to me, “I can’t wait to read your book so I can get into your head.” That freaked me out just a little. I mean, do I really want people wandering around in my head? It’s a pretty disorganized place to be for starters. It also makes me ask myself the question, “Just who do I think I am, anyway?” I mean, my writing is really me, on display. Do I think my ideas are important enough to put out there? It all comes back to that artistic doubt many (most?) of us share. Is […]

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How Am I Doing In December After NaNoWriMo?

Michell — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 17:59:28 +0000

I know that solid, well-defined goals drive me forward. They give me a sense of urgency that is hard to ignore. I should have created solid, well-defined goals for December after my wildly successful November. Alas, I didn’t do that and my writing, while consistent, has suffered a little. My plan (note, I didn’t say “goal”) for December was to finish one book (needed about 6,000 words to do that) edit two books (one of them my NaNo novel) and continue work on a third. I did finish the one book. I have continued to work on the third book (so far adding about 6,000 words to it) and I’ve set myself up to edit one of the two. Not […]

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Way Outside My Comfort Zone

Michell — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 17:17:04 +0000

I have an idea and it scares me. The idea is a story idea and before you say anything, I fully acknowledge that I have lots of those. The difference in this case is, the idea is in a genre I’ve never really read, telling a story that could be more…personal…than I’ve ever done before. A friend of mine, Leah Crichton, was telling me a couple months ago about one of her most recent novels. When she wrote it, she found it to be immensely challenging. It struck so many emotions and other raw nerves that it shook her as she wrote it. It is also, she acknowledges, one of the best things she has written to date. That’s saying […]

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Switching into Edit Mode

Michell — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 21:09:17 +0000

For some, editing their own book is a joyous thing. For others, sawing off your own arm might be more enjoyable. I’m somewhere in the middle. There are times when I really have fun editing and other times when it is painful and grueling. In both cases it is necessary so I do it (sometime reluctantly) to the best of my ability. That is where I am now. I have two books that need editing so I can send them off to the publishers. I am digging into Jack Kane first. If you are wondering whether you missed the announcement that the first draft is complete, don’t worry. That hasn’t happened because the book is still one chapter shy of […]

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I Miss Reading

Michell — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 16:32:42 +0000

I have had to sacrifice many things for my writing. Television is one of those. Unfortunately, so is reading. You will have heard from established authors that reading is essential. I don’t dispute that; reading helps me to see what other writers use for techniques in their story telling. The difference is, the established authors are typically writing as their sole job. For me, working full time plus my volunteer activities, family activities and writing, reading has taken a back seat. And yes, I miss it. I’m also afraid I’m starting to lose the ability to sit for long periods of time to actually read. When I am able to open a book, it’s usually a session no longer than […]

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I Dared to Take a Night Off

Michell — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 19:44:40 +0000

Last night I decided to treat myself with a night off from writing. I did a tiny bit during the day and thought, since I did finish the first draft of Scouts 3, I could afford to spend some time with my family. I won’t lie, it felt odd to not be pushing everything else aside for one night, but it also felt good. I just have to be sure not to make a habit of it. I will be starting edits on Jack Kane tonight. We aren’t quite finished it, but it is time to get that project back underway. Editing it from the beginning will also help me to give it the right ending. 🙂

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Let Me Tell You About My Character – Mik Murdoch

Michell — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 18:28:03 +0000

I’ve been asked recently (a few times) how many books I’ve written. The easy answer is “Lots”. That’s the easy one because, unless I sit down and start working my way through the books I have written (both published and not), I can’t give a quick answer. That leads to a question no one ever asks but is maybe more important. How many characters have I created in my books? I have no chance of answering that one without lots of research so instead, I thought I would tell you about some of my more key characters. I decided to begin with the boy who started my entire published author journey – Mik Murdoch. Let me start by saying, Mik […]

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I Just Typed “The End” on Scouts 3

Michell — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 03:33:16 +0000

I just typed the words, “The End”, on Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters. Let me just savour that for a moment. “The End” normally means something is finished. For we writers, it only signifies the beginning. There are still edit passes (both developmental and line), a cover, layout, getting the book to the printers, promotion and so on. Clearly, there is lots left to do. But, it means I wrote my novel from start to finish in 36 days. Is it perfect? Hardly, but a first draft (and I feel confident saying this) never is. But there is something there for me to edit now. And this series, this trilogy, is now one giant step closer to being finished. As […]

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So Close I Can Almost Taste It

Michell — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 16:19:20 +0000

One of my personal writing issues is I sometimes gloss over scenes. Usually that happens when I’m in a hurry to move onto the next scene or I am struggling to find the right way to put my vision into words. My editors, without fail, call me on it and force me to put in the time a scene needs to flesh it out. I’m working very hard not to do that right now with the ending of Scouts 3. I am so very close to being done, I can almost taste it. I know that I could skimp on the ending and fix it when I revise it, but I don’t want to take that shortcut. I want to […]

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I’m Almost Finished my First Series

Michell — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 18:40:35 +0000

When I first started writing, the idea of having a finished series under my belt never occurred to me. My thought process was, I should actually have a published book (or at least a contracted one) before I started working on book 2. When I got that first book under contract, it was with the verbal understanding that the series would almost certainly go six books. That’s a long time to wait for the series to be finished so I didn’t give it much thought. And then I had the idea for Scouts of the Apocalypse. Initially conceived as a single book, I quickly discovered I had more story than that. And so, I decided it would be a trilogy […]

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Starting a New Month

Michell — Sun, 03 Dec 2017 03:10:22 +0000

NaNoWriMo is over for another year and that could mean time to relax. It certainly has in past years. But I’ve made a decision to keep going after NaNo was complete. That decision was made because I am so close to finishing three books I can almost taste it. My NaNo novel (Scouts of the Apocalypse 3) is less than 10,000 words away from first draft completion. In fact, I wrote another 1,400 words on it yesterday and I think I might even be within 5,000 words of completion. That alone is enough to keep me going but I’m also within 2,000 words of completing Jack Kane and the Kaiser. GalaxyBillies, is also within about 15,000 words of being finished. Enough […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 30 – It’s All Over

Michell — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 17:02:13 +0000

NaNoWriMo 2017 can be considered a big win for me. I didn’t have a single day where I wrote less than 2,000 words, I hit an all-time word count high of 66,518 words and I managed to almost finish two books and I made great headway on a third. The two books that were almost finished will be done in December. This I vow! Day 30 was easily the hardest writing day I had of them all. I think that was mostly because I was tired, but that’s just an excuse. I felt like quitting part-way through the words several times but I kept reminding myself that I wanted to finish strong. So, I kept writing and I finished. Maybe […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 29 – Just Keeps Going

Michell — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 16:27:02 +0000

I think my family is purposely trying to kill me. Or, at the very least, get me to participate in family activities rather than simply write all month long. The appointment we had last night was only going to take an hour, my wife assured me over an over. Three hours later, we were home. 🙂 The appointment itself was only ninety minutes long, but the commute each way added another forty-five minutes. Hence the three hours. I guess they weren’t completely misleading me. Not completely. It really didn’t matter whether I was misled or not. The appointment was an important one and I’m glad I was able to be there. I did manage to hit the word count again. […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 28 – Rollercoaster

Michell — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 17:18:54 +0000

I was on a definite high on day 27. Day 28…not quite so much. I’m definitely feeling the effects of pushing everything (including sleep) off to hit my word count goals every day. I managed to get my 2,000 in but I’m not sure I love what I wrote. That’s okay. I need to write it in order to have something to edit, right? Number of Words for the Day: 2,024 words How I Hit my Word Total for the Day I had a book signing so I didn’t get started until about 8:45. Wrote straight through. Today’s Goal: 2,000 words I have another meeting tonight. It means leaving the house shortly after I get home from work. I’ve been […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 27 – Some Milestones Hit

Michell — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 18:13:48 +0000

I knew I was working towards 60,000 words last night and I achieved that goal. The one I wasn’t really aware of was the 75% complete on Scouts 3. Hitting that was a surprise and brought a huge smile to my face. That was for a couple reasons. It means I’m in the home stretch, which is always nice when writing a new books. It also means I survived the 60% blahs – that time when many authors hate their story, want to quit and can’t see any way forward. Best of all, it means that I’m still going strong and I’m writing the part of the story I probably knew best in my mind. I should have very little […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 26 – Enhancing my Calm

Michell — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 19:55:20 +0000

Day 26 was not a wonderful day by any means. It started out fine but it ended on a frustrating note. I was almost vibrating by the time I got to my writing (at 9:30 PM). I expected that, with being upset and not focused at all that day 26 would be my first failure of the month. I’m happy to say I was wrong. I decided to try anyway and after a couple hundred words I found myself calming down. A couple hundred more and I was able to sharpen my focus and by the time I hit one thousand words I had a good rhythm going again. Number of Words for the Day: 2,055 words How I Hit […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 25 – Book Signing Day

Michell — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 03:43:23 +0000

Day 25 was a day spent at a local Christmas Fair. I sold quite a few books too, which was awesome. Then we went to a movie (saw Thor again). I knew I was going to be going late so I managed to get my writing done between the Christmas Fair, errands and the movie. I’m very glad I did it then too because it was late when we got home and the only thing I wanted to do was go to bed. Number of Words for the Day: 2,103 words How I Hit my Word Total for the Day One long writing session. from 5 – 6 PM Today’s Goal: 2,000 words The Grey Cup final is tonight. I’m […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 24 – Late Night Writing

Michell — Sat, 25 Nov 2017 15:39:58 +0000

Lots of back-to-back events yesterday starting with work. Then I drove about an hour to do a book signing/Fall Fair and then an hour back home. By the time I got home it was 9:30 PM and I still hadn’t done any writing. I briefly considered calling it a dead day. Briefly. Then I stopped whining to myself about being tired and sat down at my computer. I powered through, but it was hard going. I’m at the point in the story where I really don’t have much idea what’s coming next (much like the past two weeks). The difference now is, I’m at the major conflict and, while I know how I want it to play out, I don’t […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 23 – The Train Keeps Chugging Along

Michell — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 17:37:13 +0000

The thing about goals is, once you achieve them it’s so easy to back off and stop. At least, for me it is. That being the case, I was a bit concerned I would stop my progress once I hit 50,000 words. And yes, I do appreciate how odd it is that I’m worried about how I am going to go forward. I don’t have a split personality. Not exactly, but I definitely have my author persona (which I bring out when I’m doing training or book signings as an example) and I have my, let’s just lay around and watch television persona. Granted, the later one rarely makes an appearance anymore. The one that does show up is the […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 22 – 50,000 in 22 Days

Michell — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 15:31:24 +0000

I did it. There were times last night when I wasn’t sure it would happen. The first of those was when I didn’t actually start my final push until 9:45 PM. I still needed 1,500 words at that point so I knew that no matter how fast I typed, I was going into overtime. At 50,007, I decided I could call it a day. That was around 10:30, I believe. I still wrote fast, but due to the delayed start I was later finishing than I like (for full disclosure, I don’t ever sleep well and I get up at 5:30 AM so I need to go to bed relatively early). Still, it was worth it. Challenges for the Day […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 21 – The End is in Sight

Michell — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 17:07:17 +0000

My official goal for yesterday was 2,000 words but in the back of my mind I had a different, more ambitious goal. My very first NaNoWriMo took me 22 days to complete. As of day 20, I was only 5,000 words shy of the 50,000 word goal. What if I upped my game a little and finished strong? What if I did 2,500 per day on the last two days? So, I sat down and worked to achieve my stated goal of 2,000 words. When I hit that I still had more story in me so I kept going. When I faltered just a little, I checked my day’s output and realized I was only sixty-odd words shy of hitting […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 20 – 45,000!

Michell — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 16:56:50 +0000

I knew I was close to hitting 45,000 words. I also knew I had previously scheduled activities going until later (in this case, my Scouts and I were volunteering for the Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle program). I got home about 8:30 and immediately sat down to write. As I got closer to 45,000 I started checking my word count. I was ready to quit for the night when I first checked; I was less than 500 words away. Should I go for it or not? I decided to plunge ahead (again, checking my word count every few minutes). I wanted to leave myself something to pick up on for my next day’s writing but I also wanted to hit that […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 19 – Still Battling

Michell — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 23:03:24 +0000

Readers seldom see the effort that goes into writing a book. I remember when my second Mik Murdoch novel, Mik Murdoch: The Power Within was first published. It took me months to write it and more months to edit it. I received my first email asking when the next one would be out. That was both rewarding and frustrating. Stories have this nasty habit of becoming a huge burden at the 2/3 mark. That is the time when the author has been living and breathing the story for a long time and is thoroughly tired of it. The excitement that was there at the beginning has faded into something that is approaching hatred. Fatigue, certainly. Writers just want to get […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 18 – 40,000!

Michell — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 15:46:28 +0000

Thirty-one days ago I made the formal decision to participate in NaNoWriMo. Twenty-seven days ago my personal life really took a turn for the worse. It wasn’t anything to do with me, not exactly, but it was something I would have to deal with personally. It was me or no one. Nineteen days ago I asked myself (for probably the hundredth time) if I really thought there was any chance I could win NaNoWriMo this year. I had already committed. I was going to give it my best shot. I just didn’t see a way to the finish line except sheer dogged determination. Day 18, not even two-thirds of the way through the month I hit 40,000 words. That’s 80% […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 17 – Tucker & Dale vs Evil

Michell — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 00:12:36 +0000

I wasn’t entirely sure what I should post today. I could have said, “Day 17 – Just like many other days,” but that wouldn’t have been entirely true. I had a good writing day – I managed 2,314 words – that puts it in my top 5 word count days thus far. The writing wasn’t magical. It moved the story along to where I’m at the cusp of writing something much more interesting. What was different is, I rewarded myself. I mentioned in yesterday’s post that one of my colleagues suggested a movie to me; namely, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. The movie is a horror/comedy, a genre I am a big fan of. Bruce Campbell is easily one of my […]

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NaNoWriMo 2017 – Day 16 – Not a Lot to Report

Michell — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 18:29:44 +0000

Day 16 would definitely count as a doldrums day. I’m still battling my way through the middle part of Scouts 3, trying to write content that is both interesting and moves the story forward. This is what I’m calling my pantster portion of the story. I am reminded of something Terry Pratchett used to say. He said, “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” As I think about it in those terms, I realize just how right he is. I am writing the story, putting the proper characters where they need to be doing the things they need to do. Revision will tighten all that up. Challenges for the Day Nothing additional planned for evening after […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 15 – Low Water Mark

Michell — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 15:58:39 +0000

Day 15 was my lowest output day thus far: 2005 words. I’m not complaining. I’m not even disappointed in the word total. There had to be a day where I wrote less than the others. This year, that was day 15. It has been an interesting run thus far. I went into NaNoWriMo knowing in essence what the story I was writing needed to be. It is the third and last chapter of this Scouts of the Apocalypse trilogy (note: I didn’t say “the” simply because I don’t know what the future holds. Maybe there is another trilogy out there for my Scouts. In fact, as I type these words, I have suddenly had an idea for said trilogy (darn […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 14 – I Broke 30,000 Words

Michell — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 20:11:58 +0000

Okay. Maybe I should say, I passed the 30,000 word mark. I didn’t actually break any of them due to poor writing or anything else. I had high hopes I would be able to start my writing early in the afternoon. That isn’t quite what happened unfortunately. Still…I BROKE 30,000! 🙂 Challenges for the Day Lots of errands to run Number of Words for the Day: 2773 words My highest single day total for 2017. Yes, it’s a far-cry from the 5000+ I did a couple years ago, but I’m still pretty proud of the number. I had a scene that just felt so very right! It flowed so fast I almost couldn’t type quickly enough to keep up. How […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 13, Laser like Focus

Michell — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 20:01:24 +0000

One of the many reasons I like NaNoWriMo is because it helps me to focus. I am very much a goal-oriented person and the whole challenge with very concrete milestones is exactly what I need when I’m trying to get writing done. I should probably do more of it in my daily/weekly writing activities. Day 13 proved to be a day when I needed to find and maintain that laser-like focus. It was another exhausting day of deal with all the various things that are magically appearing regarding my ailing parent. We found more evidence of failures to deal with the various day-to-day things that make up our lives so we had to deal with those. None of it was […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 12, Relaxation Can Cause Word Shortages

Michell — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 03:19:05 +0000

Day 12 was a laid back day. Almost too laid back. I decided to take some time to not do much. I got up late and wrote some, then ran some errands then did some more words. That’s pretty hard to stop and getting the motivation to put words down was pretty difficult. Challenges for the Day The biggest? Too comfortable and actually relaxing for the first time in days (weeks?), just like yesterday. Number of Words for the Day: 2240 words I had set a pretty aggressive goal of 4,000 words. If I hadn’t left the house, I might have achieved that. But, I didn’t stay home. I ran around doing other things. I’m still pretty happy with what […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 11 – Writing Almost Didn’t Happen

Michell — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 16:51:58 +0000

Day 11 was almost the day that didn’t happen. Okay, that’s a little bit dramatic. I actually would have finished the day with ~300 words if I had only done the one (small) writing stint. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I’m getting tired. A large portion of the fatigue comes from trying to juggle too many balls (including NaNoWriMo). So, this weekend we have been planning a mini vacation. The emphasis should be on the word “mini”. We are going North to do some more for my failing parent, but we decided that, since we can’t really do much until Monday/Tuesday, we would go North in stages. The first stage I talked about yesterday. We went as far […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 10 – A Mixed Bag

Michell — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 01:30:46 +0000

Day 10 was a mixed bag for writing. I didn’t start to work on my NaNoWriMo project until about 5:30 PM when we were driving up to Red Deer. I managed about 700 words on that drive. Then I had 45 minutes before I went to see Thor. I managed to go over the 2,000 word (about 1,300 additional words in about 45 minutes). Challenges for the Day I had lots going on. I had to find a couple spots to do my writing. Not really any continuous time. Number of Words for the Day: 2048 words It was another tough day of writing. I’m at a point in the story where I’m not entirely sure what is coming next. I […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 9 – Wow, was that Painful!

Michell — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 16:56:26 +0000

Every year I have taken the NaNo challenge I find myself sitting on my hands in December because I managed to wear myself out. Last night I was definitely feeling that way. I had lots of time to write (almost 3 hours), but it was hard to get focused. Challenges for the Day Tired. This has been a long, emotionally draining week. I found myself not as prepared to write as I normally am. Number of Words for the Day: 2355 words I decided the previous day that I was going to hit 20,000 words today. It was a real slog. I’m not actually sure how much of the writing was good and how much was ‘meh’ but it was […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 8 (For Real) – I Can’t Believe I Hit My Goal

Michell — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 15:32:15 +0000

First, let me say, yesterday’s post claiming to be my Day 8 update was a lie. It was actually my update for progress up to Day 7. Somewhere (it was the weekend) I got mixed up. So, onto my REAL Day 8 update. I think I’m getting more creative as NaNoWriMo moves along despite how stressful and hectic my life is right now. Does that even make sense? I mean, I’m pushing myself harder than usual to get the writing done plus I’m dealing with the normal day-to-day stuff PLUS I have some personal things going on. How is it possible? But, I am coming up with new ideas for stories, posts and other interesting things as I’m going. I […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 8 – Still Chugging Along

Michell — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 15:45:23 +0000

I had a minor epiphany. I realized that, because I know I’m trying to write every day and more specifically, hit a word count goal every day, I’m starting to look ahead. What do I mean by that, exactly? Well, when I wasn’t setting concrete goals I would need to have some writing done and I would jump on it, usually at the last minute. I wouldn’t give much thought to what was happening until the day of and then it was a mad scramble. Now, I’m looking at what I have on the calendar. For example, I knew I had a meeting last night so I planned to spend some time after the meeting to write. I wasn’t sure […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 7 – It wasn’t pretty but…

Michell — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 04:24:20 +0000

On day seven I had more than my fair share of challenges. Remember that parent I mentioned? Well, I had a number of difficult discussions with my parent, the doctor and so on. I also had a full day of errands to run before my wife and went home (a three-hour drive, btw). We managed to get the errands mostly done. At least, done enough until we go again next week. And then we left for home. I was thoroughly exhausted by the time we started back and I really didn’t want to write, but I knew I had to keep the streak going. So, I managed a few hundred words in the car. Challenges of the Day Definitely spending […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 6

Michell — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 03:09:40 +0000

If you are keeping track you will likely note that I’m missing updates for days 3 – 5. I hope that didn’t frighten you or give you the impression I’m not having any success. Nothing could be further from the truth. I thought I would do a weekend wrap-up in hopes I could give you a truly amazing weekend total. Alas, while my writing totals were good, they didn’t quite hit the stellar levels I’d hoped for. For example, Saturday I set a personal goal of 5,000 words for the day. What I actually achieved was 2,443. Pretty good, but not quite what I was hoping for. That being said, let me give you a brief update of what’s been […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 2 (AKA I have a chapter!)

Michell — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 15:18:16 +0000

An amazing thing happened today – I realized I finished the first chapter of my soon-to-be masterpiece. This is important to note as the very first book I wrote took me twenty-five (25) tries and several months. I have now managed it in one try and two days. Perfect first chapter? Not by a long shot. Written and therefore editable? Absolutely! Challenges for the Day Work. Again. Not that it was a bad day. It was quite good actually but it does take away from writing books time. 🙂 We also had the whole family together for dinner. That is a rare thing with both my kids/young adults/young grownups having their own lives. It was awesome but also meant I […]

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NaNo 2017 – Day 1 Results

Michell — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 14:50:19 +0000

I thought it might be helpful to talk a little about my NaNoWriMo journey. To that end, I will be posting my daily totals, not to brag but to show how things are going and maybe motivate you (and me) to bigger things. Challenges for the Day Work. Definitely. It gets in the way of my writing progress while, at the same time, ensures I will be able to pay my mortgage and other bills for the month. Double-edged sword. Also, I was tired. Had to go out for groceries right after work too. Number of Words for the Day: 2103 words A good total. I actually felt that I could have gone higher, but I wanted to leave myself […]

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Just Keep Swimming

Michell — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 19:59:31 +0000

Fall is always a busy time. Everything is restarting after a summer of rest (for some). That means, my already full schedule is even crazier than usual. To make things even more hectic, I have a parent who is beginning to fail. That means lots of trips up to deal with all the issues that are arising. Time away from home where I also have things that need to be done. And then, there is my writing. I have two books actively on the go. One is so close to completion I can almost taste it (96% complete as of yesterday). The other, my Wattpad story, is 2/3 done. And then NaNoWriMo is coming fast. I have yet another book […]

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NaNoWriMo 2017 is Almost Here

Michell — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 14:57:51 +0000

NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is almost upon us once again. NaNo holds a particularly special place in my heart. It has been going on since 1999. I participated in my first one two weeks after completing my first ever novel in 2005. I will confess, I was worried, even a little scared, that first year. I had just spent seven years writing my first novel and I couldn’t possibly see any way to write 50,000 words in only 30 days (that is the challenge of NaNoWriMo, btw). Twenty-two days later, I hit that 50,000 word mark much to my own surprise and delight and I’ve never looked back. I have participated in NaNo six more times since then […]

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What Makes a Book? (Pt. 3 – The Cover)

Michell — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 21:29:44 +0000

I think we have all seen books covers that make us say, “Wow!” I also know we have all seen book covers that make us shake our heads. The former make us pick up the book while the later make us move away from the shelf. Both are pretty extreme reactions. In some cases, our interest is piqued, while in others, we simply pass by without much thought. Ideally we want the “Wow”, not the, “What were they thinking,” reaction. That brings me to some tips you should probably follow when you decide on a cover. Tip #1 Knowing how to use Photoshop (or any comparable graphics software) does not mean you are going to be able to create a […]

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Shadowzone Interview

Michell — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 13:00:17 +0000

My guest today is Calgary author Simon Rose, who has published fourteen novels for children and young adults, seven guides for writers, almost 100 nonfiction books, and many articles on a wide variety of topics. Earlier this year he released Twisted Fate, the second installment of the paranormal Flashback series. Today, we’re looking at his latest release, the Shadowzone series. So what’s the Shadowzone series all about? The series involves the discovery of a grim dystopian version of Earth that’s ruled by a totalitarian dictatorship, the threat of a deadly virus, and a race against time to save the lives of millions. Without giving too much away, here’s a synopsis for each of the novels. Shadowzone While watching intense flashes […]

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What Makes a Book? (Pt. 2 – Edits)

Michell — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 19:06:53 +0000

As I mentioned in the previous post, edits are an important, nay critical piece of the process. I can’t tell you how often I have heard people complain about a story they were reading that was riddled with errors and how they simply couldn’t finish it. I’ve also heard many complaints about books that don’t have enough cohesion or are missing a critical piece. These complaints are both examples of poor/insufficient/non-existent editing. “But wait!” you say. “Edits were not the first part of the your previous article. What about finding a publisher or the contract piece?” To that, all I can say is, there are tons of publishers and articles on how to query them. I know I can’t really […]

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What Makes a Book? (Pt. 1 – Overview of Activities)

Michell — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 21:17:13 +0000

When I got my first book contract I was told my book wouldn’t be coming out for almost two years. By the time all was said and done, it was actually slightly more than that. But why? What the heck takes so long? I mean, the book is already written, right? That’s the hardest part, isn’t it? Fast forward seven years. I now have six novels in print and I am a publisher myself (check out https://evilalteregopress.wordpress.com/ if you are interested) and I have a much better idea why things take so long. Over the next few posts I hope to provide you with some idea of things to consider when you are getting published (whether with a small or […]

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Music

Michell — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 15:17:50 +0000

There is a very strong connection between music and writing. Both tell stories. Both can bring forth very strong emotions in the recipient. For me, music represents yet another avenue for inspiration. For example, as soon as I heard Kiss from a Rose by Seal, a story popped into my head. The imagery from the song was so strong the story was almost immediately there. It took me a while to work out all the details for the story, but once I did, I had to write it. That has happened other times too; a song has inspired a character or a setting or plot points. I wonder if stories do the same for song writers? Music also provides me […]

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Interview on Global News for Scouts of the Apocalypse

Michell — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 19:27:49 +0000

On Friday I had the good fortune to be interviewed for a piece on Global News Calgary. You can read and see the whole thing here.

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Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Plague Available for $0.99

Michell — Wed, 16 Aug 2017 13:59:57 +0000

We have finally managed to get Amazon to put SotA:Zombie Plague up for $0.99. I meant to have that happen back in May, but for whatever reason, Amazon didn’t want to play nice and nothing could convince them to change their minds. If you have been curious about the hype around the book, now is the time to pick it up. Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074P8CVD5. Enjoy.

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