Hello All,
It's been a while since I've posted, but a lot has happened over the last 30-45 days. The book is finally done, as I have made the final revisions based on the proofread done by Parisa. The last piece of the puzzle is a couple pieces of artwork for the chapter headings, and I expect that in the next couple days. Once that is in hand, Parisa will be formatting and getting the book into publishable state for all e-book formats. So I would expect the book to be available within the next couple weeks! Talk to you soon! Brian Hello All,
Parisa finished the proofreading, and did an excellent job! Of course, that means I now have more work to do...more than I expected. I will have to spend more time re-working some passages and making other corrections, but it is worth the extra time as it will make the book a better read, which is what it's all about. Thanks! Brian Hello All,
I'm not putting these images in the character gallery, but they are so cool that they need to be shared. It turns out Natalie Marten has some experience with 3D modeling for the gaming industry, and to keep her skills honed, she took some time to put together these incredible clay 3D models of Krykl! Thank you Natalie! Enjoy! Brian Hello All,
I am pleased to announce that another character has been added to the gallery. Natalie Marten finished up Skik yesterday and I added him to the gallery today. For those of you D&D fans out there, it may surprise you to see a dwarven mage, and I would agree it is unusual, but that's the beauty of role playing games and building new worlds. Sometimes you can bend the rules a bit to make an exciting character, and Skik fits that mold. Part engineer, but mostly evil mage! I hope you enjoy the picture, and thanks again to Natalie for bringing another character to life! Game-on! Brian Hello All,
I'm excited to announce that Parisa Zolfaghari has agreed to do the proofreading for Thran Book I: The Birth! Our project begins today and is expected to be complete by early September. That means the book should be in a good position to go out for sale on Kindle, shortly thereafter! I'll tell anyone who asks me, that writing a book is a very educational process. You learn a lot about yourself, so it's introspective, but there is also a whole industry out there, that we hear about but never really understand as a consumer of books. The process of transitioning from writing, to editing, to selling is like opening Pandora's box - an entire new world of options, paths, and distractions confront the writer. So, for those of you out there who are wondering, yes, there is a difference between editing and proofreading. An editor will help style the writing and flow of the book by offering alternative sentence structure, wording, and even changing paragraphs and re-organizing the story. So it's a much deeper investment of time and a deeper dive into the book. A proofreader will correct grammar and punctuation, so the book reads well, and correctly, but it stops there, for the most part, but that doesn't mean it's an easy job. Book I is over 243,000 word, so it's a going to be a difficult job to ensure that there isn't a single typo or incorrect punctuation as prescribed by all of our, tricky, English language rules. Heck, I've probably broken a few rules just in posting this blog...Parisa?!! So let's all give Parisa a collective pat on the back as she takes on this daunting task! Thank you Parisa! Brian Hello All,
I just added Krykl to the character gallery. Natalie Marten did a fantastic job bringing him to visual life. You don't have to get far into the book before you meet this fearsome character - a driving force for evil within the kingdom of Kardoon. Thanks! Brian Hello All,
Here's another update along the adventure of getting a book ready to be published and read. Despite the numerous rounds of editing I have done and friends and family have done for me (thank you to all of them!), I still find small things that I need to change. So I have decided to finally bite the bullet and enlist the help of a professional, and hire someone to proof-read/edit the book. The time frame is 6-8 weeks, hopefully closer to 6 but quality is the priority. That means by September 1, or mid-September at the latest, Thran Book I: The Birth, should be ready for the Kindle. I'm super excited to get this final chapter along the road of publishing done! I'll keep you posted on the progress! Thanks, Brian Hello All,
First off - a shout out to my father, since it's his birthday today! Natalie Marten is working on the final touches on a painting of Krykl, one of the antagonists in the book. After that I'd like to start working on a couple more of the antagonists, sincem if you look at the character gallery, there are currently only two pictures of the antagonists. I started chapter 3 of the second book this weekend, so I'm starting to make progress there! That's it for now! Brian Hello All,
The symbols for all the gods are now in the Wiki - so check them out. If you're looking for "flashy", intricate, and colorful symbols, you will be disappointed, but the symbols themselves are basic, universal, and immediately recognizable: exactly as they should be. The symbols need to be basic enough that any peasant could craft them out of wood or any other material. If a wealthier person on Thran wanted to make a more sophisticated and colorful symbol, they certainly could, and they do! Check out Mikell's picture in the Character Gallery, as he is a cleric of Zuel, and his holy symbol is much more intricate, but yet the symbol is front and center, and unmistakable. Thanks! Brian Hello All, I just added the calendar info for the world of Thran into the Wiki this morning, so check it out, and see how the world turns, so to speak. I wanted the World of Thran to have a familiar feel to it, but, yet, still be different. See the Wiki for more information. I got quick look at the holy symbols Natalie Marten has been working on, and they look fantastic! As soon as I get the file I will upload them to the website, but I added a clip of them below for your own sneak peak. Holy symbols are iconic and important in the every day life of the inhabitants of Thran. Identifying with their deity is an important part of their worshiping process, especially for those involved in the faith, such as druids, clerics, paladins, and other beings that depend on their powers coming from the gods. But the symbols themselves are basic, and fundamental, because it's important, even for the lowest peasant, to be able to craft a holy symbol out of a piece of wood, or other readily available material. More to come on these, int he near future!
|