Robz Ajatus

Old Side of Mars

2014-04-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

The latest sci-fi adventure, Old Side of Mars is in editing mode. The story follows Jim at a colony outpost that finds himself in the middle of a series of accidents. Out of the blue, he becomes a suspect in a politically charged environment. The accidents continue while a find that could have a profound effect on the future is discovered.

Follow Jim as he attempts to find out who's behind the mysterious accidents while discovering deeper hidden things. A peaceful colony on a new world is filled with its own secrets.

Read an Ebook Week - March 2 to 8

2014-03-04T20:06:00.001-08:00

Read an Ebook Week
Specials for March 2–8

The below titles have been discounted for the event:

Zytainium
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/86206

Zytainium - Next
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/164283

Zytainium - Dimensions
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/178242

Alice
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/111973

Alax
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/281578

Above Contestation Tales - Neighbours
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/96358

Play with Stones
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/354797

Old Side of Mars

2014-03-04T19:44:00.001-08:00

The below story is nearing completion.

Stones in Play

2014-01-24T19:43:00.004-08:00

The next part of Play with Stones continues in Stones in Play. The work is in final editing.

Take a walk on the wild side.

NaNoWriMo

2013-12-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

Awarded for the work Stones in Play.

Play with Stones

2013-09-19T19:41:00.001-07:00

Play with Stones

The latest book, Play with Stones has been published. Please follow the journey and adventure of Dale who finds a new world through the stones. His life is transferred by the experiences he encounters. He befriends someone that few would expect and that unexpected one, watches over him.

Go along with Dale and explore the unknown.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/354797

Read an E-Book Week

2013-03-02T08:25:00.001-08:00

It's Read an E-Book Week once again from March 3 to March 9.

Go and check it out.

Alax - Latest publication

2013-02-03T10:59:00.004-08:00

Alax - Latest book

My latest work has been released. It is called Alax and follows the adventures of a teenage boy that inadvertently awakens an old dark secret. That secrets only mission, revenge. Alax must find a way to survive and fight back even though the onslaught of events continue to get worse.

Check out a free sampling below.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/281578

Keep writing and thanks for your support.

The Xmas in Writing

2012-12-18T19:22:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is upon us with Christmas right around the corner. Has everyone been good this year? Have I been good, I hear you asking. Well, I have a 50-50 chance of making the naughty list. Think positive, I say, that means, I have a 50% chance of making the nice list.
During the holiday's, I plan on spending time with family and slipping in some editing. I have two novels in editing right now and look forward to publishing them soon. I will reach my first goal of six books published.
Then I can start a new story and let it take me to new places.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

National Novel Writing Month

2012-12-01T23:42:00.000-08:00

I accepted the challenge and although it was not easy, found a way to make it through.

The novel I wrote in 30 days is called, Play with Stones, a fantasy involving a young boy that experiences the adventure of his life. The novel is now in editing for release soon.

The Fifth

2012-10-23T19:52:00.001-07:00

My fifth book has been written and is in first edit. I wrote a different genre which was challenging. Once it's published, I will soon find out if I was successful. I have also noticed that it is tough to work full time and write full time. It has definitely affected my daily word count.
Anyway, my newest novel will be available at the end of October, 2012.

.

Still Writing

2012-08-20T21:40:00.003-07:00

It's about time I dropped in a few words. Two major things have happened in my world. The first was getting the job thing while secondly, I continue to write.
My next novel is in the works and about 80% complete. It is a dark fantasy following a teenage that inadvertently releases a curse that he cannot escape from. The title has not been confirmed thus far but will be coming soon.

Take care and keep smiling.

Zytainium - Dimensions

2012-07-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

Zytainium - Dimensions

The third installment of the Zytainium series has been completed and released. It is available on Smashwords and Amazon to start. The book will be available at Sony, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, Diesel, Page Foundry, and Bake-Taylor soon. It follows Tarin and Chase as they put the final pieces of the puzzle regarding the mysterious advanced race together. They rush against time to stop what they did not start. Read the exciting conclusion and witness how a galaxy is saved.

Where Did I Go?

2012-06-17T12:06:00.003-07:00

Where did he go?

Stop the presses, wait, I don't have a press. The quick answer is work and writing known as W&W has left little time to blog. I know what you're saying, terrible. I do believe that we can get past it though, just hang in there. I finished my editing of the third installment of the Zytainium series called Zytainium - Dimensions. The work is now in the hands of my Senior Editor, affectionately known as Whittle Bren for release soon. I'm working on a new novel that is has a touch of scariness to it by following the events of a 16-year old that stumbles across something unexpected.. The name has not been finalized yet. That is all to report at this time and Happy Father's Day to all.

Keep smiling.

Zytainium - Next

2012-05-28T20:55:00.002-07:00

Hot off the presses:

Zytainium - Next

The second book of the Zytainium series has been released. It is now available on Smashwords and Amazon for readers to look at. It will be soon be available at other retailers soon such as Apple, Nook, Sony, Kobo, Stanza, and Diesel.

Please enjoy and keep smiling.

Almost Ready for the Presses

2012-05-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

Almost Ready for the Presses

Have you ever experienced the situation where you’re in a room casually talking with someone? The conversation is sparse with a few choice words here and there. You turn to do something and say a couple more things before turning back. You are shocked to discover that you are by yourself and wonder how long you have been speaking to no one. You also feel like a dope for not noticing.

Sometimes when I blog here I wonder if anyone is listening or I’m just speaking in an empty cave hearing only my echo.

It is understandable that so much information out there few blogs are actually read compared with the total number out there. Still I wonder what people want to read these days, you know what is considered interesting. So, drop me a comment if you are lucky enough to come across any of my ramblings and let me know.

Keep smiling.

The Marketing of Marketing

2012-04-19T10:14:00.001-07:00

The Marketing of Marketing

For anyone trying establish themselves as a writer and if you hang in there long enough, you soon find the marketing of your works a daunting task. The marketing of your works has been subdivided into many parts. Each of these parts has in-depth ways of accomplishing the differing aspects of that particular part. I will not list them here as anyone can perform an online search and find the suggestions available.

It has created an industry within itself where you can spend a lot for the latest sure-fire methods that will work for you as long as you follow the steps. I would be curious to see an analysis done on those that have purchased the marketing products just to see how many actually succeeded. I hear what you’re thinking; we already know the answer, probably few.

Most writers are looking for ideas that work for them. What may work for you might not work for me. We are after all, different in many ways. General methods seem to work generally. If that gives you the big recognition, the big break, then fantastic.

I find it interesting to read about an author who had done little marketing and somehow receives attention. Their sales begin to take off. Now how did they do it is the question I have on my mind.

Did they write on a topic that is of interest at the time?

Was it the style of their writing?

Was their cover eye catching?

Or do you chalk it up to being in the right place at the right time. No easy answer to that question.

Here is my questions regarding being a successful writer.

1. How many words in total does one have to write in order to become a good writer?

2. How many books does one write before being noticed?

Keep smiling.

Breaking News - I’m Finished

2012-04-02T19:37:00.001-07:00

Breaking News - I’m Finished

Believe it not I finished writing novels two and three of my Zytainium series at once. The reason for doing this was simply for the series consistency. I could have went in a few different directions with the story and wanted to ensure it was uniform. Now it took longer of course to write but I kept going. A couple of times I became bogged down in how the story should evolve. The idea I had just didn’t work for me, so I slept on it, and surprisingly I dreamt how to proceed seamlessly into the section of the story. Anyway, now that the drafts are done its onto the editing phase. This will take some time do complete. Regardless it is started.

I have spent a lot of time with the characters of the Zytainium series as they have developed. It is time to give them a break. I want to finish the editing and start my next new story with new characters. For those of you one day who find the Zytainium series please enjoy as I put my heart into it. I would love to hear feedback on what readers think of it.

Keep smiling.

Breaking News - The End is Near

2012-04-01T11:09:00.001-07:00

Breaking News - The End is Near.

Okay I understand your caution especially on April 1st and everyone knows someone who says the end is at hand. Please be warned, don’t run out and spend all your money on billboards like the followers of Harold Camping. If you must advertise, try the local paper in their classified section and choose a small ad. Its relatively cheap and if things don’t work out the way you envision or what you were told to envision, then at least you will have some money left to pay the rent or mortgage. Plus you just might have a little left over for a new ad next time you believe things are near the end.

Now according the Mayan calendar things are suppose to end on December 21, 2012, this year on a Friday no less. You can’t even enjoy the weekend and forget about Christmas. Makes you wonder what shopping will be like later this year. No sense in purchasing gifts since opening them might be an issue. By they way, the Hopis people believe the same thing as well. However, both groups believe we are approaching the end of a World Age. They do not say it’s the end of the world but the transition of one world age into another. Their message suggests the issue is how we handle the coming transition. Will we be resistant or acceptant of the changes? From what I have seen of our cultures around the world even with all the advancements in understanding, is we still resist change. We do accept change when the pain of resisting it becomes too much to handle.

The thought I will leave you with is simply, is it the end, or is the end just the beginning.

Keep Smiling and happy April 1st.

Zytainium - second book of the series

2012-03-21T09:11:00.003-07:00

Below is an excerpt from the second book in the Zytainium series. I decided to write books two and three in one shot. The third book of the series is almost complete first written draft.

Please enjoy.

“When does this operation start?” Edan asked.

“Right now. Make two sites disappear that you think will fit our needs. Ensure you to cover our tracks on what we are doing. On top of that, someone tonight is going to have to go there and secure them. Now there is a dinner with the new council, Felan, all the leadership in which I have already excused you.”

“You definitely don’t miss around,” Edan said.

“There is too much riding on this to leave things to chance.” I turned to the knock on the door. It was Chase, good and went over to let him in.

“Greetings all,” Chase said. “Training is going well. We will be ready.” He looked at both of us know something was up by our faces. “What did I miss?”

“I just got Edan to agree to an unauthorized, highly secretive mission.”

“What are we going to be doing now?” Chase asked.

“Edan, begin operation site disappearing. I’ll fill in Chase.” Edan nodded and headed for his lab workstation with the comm device attached with all its components, pulling up the cache locations.

“Chase, I have a bad feeling about what is going to happen in the near future.”

“We are going to disappear again, right,” he said. I heard Edan chuckling to himself.

“Yes and a bit more. We are going to set up secret bases of operations for just the three of us as I only trust those in this room.”

“I am not surprised Tarin,” Chase said. “I could feel the vibes coming from you. Even Ora mentioned something about having us sit on the sidelines. I figured that would go over well. I take it she told you.”

“Yes she did. I can’t let the naivety of our people get in the way.”

Chase laughed, “just like the old days when we were on the lam. Alright, what do you want me to do?”

“Tarin, you were right, Chase had no issue with this undercover operation,” Edan said from his lab station.

Toward the End

2012-03-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Today’s from the armchair topic is toward the end. What does that mean? It means I’m in the finally stages of getting to the end of the third book of a sci-fi series. For me, what makes this interesting is after finishing the second book, I continued on writing the third. The flow was there and I wanted ensure that how I described events and things were consistent throughout the last two books. The challenge I find is in describing what the characters are going through that makes sense. I go into areas that I hoping not to lose readers which why the finale is becoming more difficult to compose taking extra time. Going through this I had to wonder what other writers do to overcome this hurdle. Whether they take a break and do something else or just keep writing. I find that I’m even dreaming how to overcome or build the bridges between different points where the story is going. On a side note, the dreaming I have found interesting, as some of my conundrums have been satisfied and then I find myself dreaming of other possible stories in other genres. For example, last night I dreamt the plot for a mystery novel that I am considering writing.

Anyway, I have blogged less as every possible moment is used to complete the third installation of the series. Then the editing portion can start which I know will take some time as my editor, Bren, has to go through 225,000 words. So, I can see the end but I know its still a ways off. I am also excited about which one of the next four novels to start and to get going on those projects.

Keep smiling.

What Is a Bucket List and Why Do I Need One?

2012-03-08T07:47:00.000-08:00

What Is a Bucket List and Why Do I Need One?

Today I have a guest blogger, Melanie, a contributor on the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance blog who has graced me with the concept of the Bucket List. I like what she has to say on the topic.

Thank you Melanie.

Did you see the movie “The Bucket List?” It is a wonderful movie about two men who are faced with life threatening health situations. They each create a list of things they want to accomplish in their life even in the face of terrible circumstances. For many people who are faced with health issues, such as chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, mesothelioma and others, a challenging prognosis can be the inspiration to take their life into their own hands and make their life goals a reality.

Make Your Own Bucket List

Regardless of what challenges you face, you can create your own bucket list of things you want to accomplish in your life. A bucket list does not need to be some elaborate list of things that are impossible to ever accomplish. It can be made up of both large and small things that you want to see happen in your life.

Start with small things. Make up a list of small everyday things that you want to accomplish. If one of your challenges is conquering simple daily activities, then include those things on your first small list. For example, you can make it a goal to walk around the block without stopping or maybe you want to be able to go grocery shopping without assistance. Include activities that you really want to be able to do, they may be a little challenging but you can realistically accomplish. This way, when you cross them off your list, you will feel a sense of satisfaction and achievement when you accomplish those goals.

Make a list of medium things that you want to accomplish. This bucket list could include things that you might not want to do every day or even with regularity, but are milestone activities. For example, maybe you want to go see a local tourist attraction that you have never been to, even though it is local to you. Include some activities that you can accomplish entirely independently on your own and some things that you can share with other people. You may find that as you work your way through the list and cross things off, you also add other activities and goals that you look forward to accomplishing in the future. You also may find that the level of difficulty or challenge of your bucket list activities is changing as your abilities improve or you accomplish more things.

You can also make up a bucket list of major things you want to accomplish in your life. This list can include things that you have only imagined you might accomplish or are life-achieving goals. Examples include things like walking your daughter down the aisle at her wedding, see Paris in the spring, or write a novel or perform at a comedy club.

Writing down a bucket list gives you an actual list of things to accomplish, whether they are large things or small things. Even in the face of illness and physical challenges, there are things you can accomplish. As you mark things off your list, your sense of self-fulfillment and achievement will most likely improve your self -confidence and improve your mood ; all good things in life, overall.

Publishing Woes

2012-03-07T17:10:00.002-08:00

My armchair reflections on ebook publishing!

There is much debate on the publishing of an authors work, publishing house verses self-publishing. Those from the traditional publishing world do not like the idea of authors self-publishing and those on the other side don’t like the nearly impossible task of getting traditional publishers attention. We have read the stories of authors who could plaster an entire wall with rejection letters. Is there some right of passage from the traditional publishing side that if you can survive the rejection process long enough and eventually get noticed, then you have proven yourself? I don’t count those authors who ooze natural talent that they strike it off right away. If you are exceptional, then you will shine.

I get it that the traditional side needs to protect its business interests and only select those who they feel can generate a profit. Then money is the only driving factor behind selections. If that is the case, then the publishing houses should have no issue with those self-publishing.

Technology has given writers options to choose from. The complaint I often hear is the self-published work is not of the same calibre as what a publishing house can produce. That is a valid point and I believe self-published authors can do more to ensure their work is the best it can be. I also believe that it should not be the only deciding factor against authors who self-publishing. The problem as I see it for the new author, is the sending a manuscript to a publisher has the same chance of making it through the process as purchasing the winning lottery ticket.

Now being able to self-publish in itself doesn’t guarantee success. I just think that at least you can reach the next level and have a better chance. It is easy to get a publishing deal with a traditional publishing house if you have already sold a million copies on your own. My final thought, I believe both can survive and should.

I am curious as to what your thoughts on this matter are.

The Writing Distraction Symposium

2012-03-04T14:31:00.002-08:00

With a show of hands, how many of you writers get distracted while writing? Okay, you out there that don’t live in a mansion or have a west wing, or a study, and don’t go into seclusion, again with a show of hands, how many get distracted? A lot more hands up this time. Perhaps we should list the types of distractions.

1) Phone calls.

2) Kids (fighting, screaming, hungry, wanting something, just have to say something, upset, unhappy, fixing their bike, a changing of a diaper, complaining about their brother or sister, etc.)

3) A knock on the door or the doorbell.

4) An appointment.

5) Flood.

6) Hunger.

7) The bathroom.

8) Computer popup messages.

9) Meteor.

10) Household chores.

11) Loss of power.

12) Spouse.

13) Fire alarm.

14) Sleepy.

15) Thirsty.

16) Black hole.

17) Earthquake.

I understand that some of these distractions will occur rarely while others, more often. The point is what do you do. It is obvious that you have to deal with them in one way or the other. How you deal with them can be crucial in how quickly you get back to writing. For example, if children are fighting, and you need to get involved to settle the dispute, can you return to your writing? Can you pick up where you have left off? Depending upon how bad the dispute was, the answer could be yes or no. It can take a few moments to re-collect your thoughts on what you were writing. I know a couple of times that when I was distracted, I lost the train of thought completely.

It can be challenging to carve out time to write. First, examine your routine and put aside those quiet times where distractions are minimized. As you begin to write on a regular basis, you will discover the times when your creativity is at its best. It could be early in the morning, mid-morning, afternoon, late afternoon, evening, or late evening. You will also find that the optimum times may not always be your best. Those optimum times will reveal themselves to you as to continue to experiment with writing at different times of the day. For example, when I worked in the corporate world, I performed my best starting early in the morning until mid-afternoon. I figured with writing it would be the same. Not so. I could work, problem solving, reading, etc, but the creativity portion was not there in strength. To my surprise, later in the evening, words flowed easier.

Of course, you will get those times, when the words flow like water. Take advantage of those times.

Keep smiling.

Overcoming Writer’s Stuck

2012-03-02T19:40:00.003-08:00

Has anyone heard of writers block? Yes, almost everyone. Okay, how about writers stuck? Not so many hands up this time. Writers block can be quite serious for those authors that are so blocked, they can’t get beyond it. And some never get over it, which I find is sad. This article will not tackle the more severe case of writers block, but the less severe situation where you are stuck on where to take your story. Here’s what I have found during writing, that when the story is developing and following a mapped outline, that you reach a point where the story could go in a several different directions. Some directions so different that it changes the whole story. The other side of that coin is that nothing comes to mind that makes sense. I would be curious how other writers handle this situation or am I the only one? You get to a place in the story and you feel that more of the story should be developed but no convenient way comes to mind. The analogy is that of a bridge that takes one from one scene into another while introducing those elements that complete the bridge. I call it bridging the gap. You don’t want the story to just fall off a cliff and die.

What does one do then?

1. Think about it.

2. Keep writing and fix it later.

3. Cry.

4. Give yourself a break.

5. Have a lovely cup of tea.

6. Brainstorm ideas and write them down.

7. Call your mom.

8. Go for a long walk.

9. Re-read a few sections prior to the stuck point.

10. Sleep on it.

Some of these suggestions will be useful, while others, not so. The point of becoming unstuck is to realize that you are in fact you are not stuck. The thought or idea that completes the connection will come to mind.

Keep smiling.