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Hello All,
After nearly a year, the grueling task of doing some heavy editing on book I is complete. I think you'll find it easier to read and flows better, without changing the details of the story. The ProWritingAid software worked very well and helped me create better sentence structure and along the way I cleaned up areas that needed to be tweaked. I hope you all enjoy it! Brian McLaughlin Hello Everyone!
Wow, time flies, and I am amazed my last post was in November of last year! I hit my first hard case of writer's block, which seemed to be induced by the Covid pandemic. Working from home for a year, really took me out of my writing mind-set. However, I haven't been idle. I have used the time to re-edit Book I. I purchased some new software (ProWritingAid) to help with that project. Not only has that made Book I a better book, and easier to read, but it has helped draw me back into my own story and rekindle the passion. I am on Chapter 29 of 32, so the end is in sight, and from there I am excited to get Book II moving again. I am about 60% through Book II, and anyone out there who would like a sneak peak, just let me know! Thanks for your continued support - and don't forget to leave a nice review on GoodReads or Amazon - those are invaluable! Thanks, Brian McLaughlin Hello All!
Wow, time flies. It's hard to believe it's mid-November of 2021 already. Book II continues to unfold, and I couldn't be happier with where the characters and story is going. Kord continues to push the Kingdoms closer to war, the Draukenvesh wave begins to awaken both good and evil dragons, the companions struggle to survive and piece together the events unfolding around them. One of my favorite twists is a character you briefly met in the first book, who returns in a big way and immediately pushed her (that's your only hint!) way into the center of the chaos. I'm in the middle of the book, which for me is always the toughest. It's going into a cave. The entrance has enough light to give you some direction and once you see the light at the exit, you know exactly where to go - but when you're in the middle, it's pretty dark, and I find that is where the words are the toughest to come by. But I continue to forge ahead! Thanks for your continued support! If you loved Book I, but haven't left a review on GoodReads or Amazon, please do! Those reviews realyl help! Thanks! Brian Hello All!
I'm happy to report that chapter 18 is now complete and based on Book I's words per page, I am on page 312 of Book II. I continue to be amazed at the writing process and journey and how the characters come to life on their own and help dictate responses and reactions to every situation. It's fascinating. If there are any readers out there that would like a sneak peek of Book II, I am happy to provide that. Simply leave a review of Book I on GoodReads and/or Amazon, and I will reach out to you, or you can use the contact page to let me know. The reviews are very helpful, and I always appreciate an honest rating, no matter the number of stars, but if you're waffling, I'd appreciate the benefit of the doubt as 4-5 star reviews really helps sell the book to prospective readers. Thanks for your continued help and support! For me, it's back to Scrivener and beginning Chapter 19!! All the best! Brian Well Met All!!
Work on book 2 continues, and I am thrilled at how it's coming together. The most amazing thing about writing, in my experience, is how the characters take over the story. They push and nudge it into directions I could never have dreamed 6 years ago when I started down this journey. The beginning and end remain the same in my mind, but so very much of the story between those two minuscule points morph and develop as the characters come alive and into their own. I'm in the middle of Chapter 17 as we speak, and Thran continues to be drawn closer to total war. A war that included dragons, awakening from a long, deep, slumber. New characters, both good and evil, join the cast and secrets laid in Book I start to come to light. If you are following me on Reedsy, VRO, Amazon, or GoodReads, and would like a sneak peak of Book II, just leave a review of Book I, and I will give you link to the first half of Book II. Stay well, and all the best! Brian Hello All,
In case you've noticed, the new artwork for Thran Book II was done by a new artist. Regretfully, Natalie Marten has had to move on from her freelance role - she is truly a great artist and I will miss working with her! Luckily I have found another great collaborator and artist in Morgan Bishop. His style is a little different, but the two projects he has done have turned our great! His first project was Harpajash - a difficult beast to render because it's such an odd combination of animals, but he did a great job. His second piece was a bit more ambitious since it depicted a scene, rather than just a character, and again he did a great job rendering Solungoyzkiz, a red dragon, as he torched a tavern in Windred. I couldn't be more pleased, and hopefully you all enjoy his new art as much as I do! Still cranking away on Book II! It's always tough in the middle, the beginning and end seem to go quicker, but maybe it's just me?! Thanks, Brian Hello All,
It's been a long while since my last post, but I am excited to share that Book I has been line edited. After 18 months from my original publish date, I finally found an editor who would help me with the book and didn't break the bank. One of the learnings from this book journey is that longer books cost a heck of a lot more in every aspect: time to write, cost to edit, and cost to print. So a 650-page epic book typically would cost $4,000 to $6,000 to do a full line edit, and that simply wasn't feasible. But I came across Roxana Coumans form Roth Notions, Book Editing and she did a fantastic job finding over 200 edits (not typos, line edits) which help the book red/flow better. So thank you Roxana! For any fans out there, tell a friend about Thran Book I: The Birth, and see if they'll give it a read. I lightly market the book on Amazon and Instagram, and do giveaways on Reddit, but it's hard to find new readers, there are sooo many options out there and a recommendation from a friend or loved one goes a long way. Book II is now officially more than 50% done, and I try to work on it every weekend. It's fun to see the story unfold and reveal some of the deeper elements of the characters and the world. If you want a sneak peak, leave a review on good reads or amazon, and shoot me an email at [email protected]. Thanks all! Brian Reddit has been an amazing platform to get new readers. I've offered a free copy to Reddit fans to help them pass the time and in just 2 weeks of interaction, have gained 117 new readers, which is amazing!
Work on Book II continues and its been an amazing journey, myself included, to witness the characters and story develop over time. You start to feel that by the end of Book I, but book II really takes the characters to a new level as seeded backstories start to come to light in the second book. As for Book I, I still need help from my readers. First, tell your friends and family! That's easy! Another way is if you enjoyed it, please leave a review or rating on Amazon, GoodReads, or Barns and Noble. New readers depend on those good reviews to help them make a decision to buy or not. Whenever I see a reader has left a review/rating, I try to follow up and offer a sneak peak into Thran Book II. So if you've read the book, enjoyed it, and choose to leave a review - you're entitled to the sneak peak. If I haven't contacted you let me know! You can always email me at [email protected] or through my contact page. Thanks for your continued support! Brian I wanted to give a quick shout-out to all those Reddit readers out there that opted to pick up a free copy of Thran Book I: The Birth. I appreciate the support and hope you all enjoy the book!
It's still free to those who are sheltering in place, so grab copy or tell a friend. Just visit the website or use this link to go right to the subscription page to get your free copy. Work on Book II continues every week. I am on Chapter 14 as we speak, so it's about 45% done and I am very happy with how the story is progressing. I've shared updates with a few people and the feedback has been very positive. If you'd like to get a sneak peak, shoot me an email at [email protected]. Keep Sheltering and Stay Safe!! Brian Hello All,
It's been too long since my last post - sorry for the long delay! Book 2 is about 50% done and I know I'm biased but I think you will really enjoy discovery the depth of the characters as their motives and back-stories are brought to light and the plot deepens to bring the world of Thran into total war and suffering. Wish I could spill a little more info, but I don't want to spoil anything. We cracked over 200 subscribers to my email list via VoraciousReadersOnly - which is great news. Thank you to all of you who signed up! A big THANK YOU goes out to Rebecca at reviewsfeed.net who read Thran Book I: The Birth and wrote a review and she also interviewed me. Check it out! Thanks again to all of you for your support! I appreciate it very much! Thank you, Brian |
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