Sunday, October 30, 2011

Laying down the gauntlet

So, I've had some people tell me already that they're really excited about what they've read of Atticus so far and wondering how to get more. Well, the obvious way is to wait for release day (which I definitely think will be sometime in November, by the way), but for those who can't wait that long, here's another option:

You guys want more story. I want more readers. So I propose we work together and achieve both goals. If you guys can get 25 people to either share the post "The Unveiling" on Facebook or "+1" it, I'll make another snippet public. Any combination of Facebook shares and +1s will do. If you Share it on Facebook, leave me a comment letting me know you've done it if you're not on my friends list there. You should friend me, by the way.

So, 25 shares / +1s for me, more story for you. Sound like a deal?

Also, I've been informed that the editing notes are visible at the end of the prologue and first chapter. I don't see them, but I will fix this problem tomorrow.

That's all for now. Happy Halloween!

Monday, October 24, 2011

The Unveiling!

Ladies and gentlemen-
I am proud to announce that the long-promised moment has arrived!


Yes, friends, here you get your first look at the project that has cost me most of my sleep for the last two months. So, without further ado...

The novel is called Atticus for the Undead. It centers around an idealistic young attorney, Hunter Gamble, who works in a very special area of the practice -- arcane defense. Twelve years ago, the world discovered through an event called The Unveiling that vampires, werewolves, zombies, and other creatures previously thought purely mythical were, in fact, real. This changed the fabric of American life in a number of ways, not least of which -- they needed somebody to go to court for them! And so, with the help of shy-but-energetic  research attorney Kirsten Harper, Hunter sets out to make the world a better place -- one arcane client at a time. (Don't call them supernaturals, it's rude!)

When a young zombie walks into Hunter's office accused of murder (by brain-eating, of course), Hunter must navigate a complex web of political, legal, and cultural obstacles to secure the man's freedom -- if he can.

Here is the finished cover image, excellently done by Mark  Vickrey:

And here are the prologue and first chapter. Enjoy, and please leave comments. It is important to me that my  work works for you!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Still alive. I promise.

I know I've been horrible about updating this thing lately. I'm still alive, just working overtime to finish [REDACTED], which I will soon be able to un-redact. My artist sent me another version of the cover image this evening, and it's nearly complete and looks stunning. Sorry for the extended tease, but the wait will be just a little longer, I promise.

In the meantime, everyone should check out Terra Nova, as it is a highly entertaining show and I'm hoping it will get renewed for more seasons.

Also planning to catch the pilot of Once Upon A Time, as I'm slightly obsessed with fairy tale remakes.

And super-jealous of peeps at Blizzcon. Though I'm interested to see WoW!Pandas. :D

*heads back to the writer's cave*

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Fringe

So, as you may have guessed, I'm a regular watcher of this show, and last night's episode was just ... wow.

[Warning, spoilers]

Point the first: John Noble deserves like a dozen Emmys for this show. He's just astounding.
Point the second: So Walter and Nina dislike each other, while Nina and Olivia have a mother-daughter sort of relationship in this continuity. They were developing Nina into a sort of mother figure or parallel for Olivia in the previous timeline as well, but this time it's apparently official --  she remembers Olivia getting asked to prom? Meanwhile, Olivia now apparently remembers being experimented on as a child?
Point the third: I thought a large portion of Olivia's default distrust  came from her family life. But if Nina was a surrogate mother in this timeline, wouldn't that have warmed her up some? I see two possibilities. Either 1.) killing her stepfather (!!!) was a wound that ran too deep for the healing, or 2.) Nina didn't TRY to make her a warmer or more trusting person, and may in fact have encouraged her paranoid instincts. Given the lecture we saw her giving on "what Massive Dynamic cares about," I suspect the second. I <3 my manipulative bitch. :)
Point the fourth: So Peter is the reason that Walter didn't become a germ-o-phobe in the previous continuity?
Point the fifth: PETER!!!!!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Good news, everyone!

I think I found the place to upload your stuff  for e-publishing on the Nook. This means that those of you with Nooks hopefully won't have to deal with the Smashwords formatting. :)

Final word count for tonight

3,007. :)

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Process story

So, one thing I've found is that when I run up against a wall in writing, it's best not to try to force it. If I force myself to write a scene just for the sake of cranking out a certain number of words per day, I invariably end up having to junk it because it's not very good. I find that if I give my brain a little time, the story will tell me what it wants to be?

Let the Force flow, I guess?

Of course, all of this is harder to remember when you're trying to get a book out by a  deadline (even if it is self-imposed).

Also, for the sake of promoting writers not-myself (we're all in it together, after all), I'm currently reading Sweet Venom, by Tera Lynn Childs, which I picked up after hearing it would appeal to Whedon fans. Haven't had as much time to read as I would like due to trying to get  my book done for you guys, but I'm enjoying it so far. Kudos!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Exciting news about [REDACTED]

So, I have decided that when my awesome new cover artist (no, really, folks, he's pretty rockin', you should check him out here) finishes the cover for [REDACTED], I'm going to end (some of) the suspense surrounding the new book!

What does that mean, exactly?

It means that I will upload the cover image onto this very blog, as well as reveal the title of the book, AND post the Prologue and first chapter here for everyone to read, free of charge. Just to whet your little appetites, and everything.

I'm working as hard as I can to finish this thing  (23,675 words, and I've actually written many more when you count all the re-writing) and I anticipate a mid-to-late November release date. You can read it while recovering from overstuffing on Thanksgiving turkey. :D

Friday, October 7, 2011

Get a FREE COPY of the Antlerbury Tales now!

You read that right! For the next 24 hours, anyone and everyone can get a free copy of my short story, The Antlerbury Tales. Never heard of it, you say? Well ...


A rogue, a bard, and a paladin walk into a tavern …

This sounds like the start of a joke, but it’s actually the start of several pages full of them. This short story follows the exploits of a comically mismatched group of adventurers as they embark on a quest for The Dice, mythical objects with the power to change fate itself, and compete for the affections of a beautiful barmaid.




What do I have to do, you ask? Just go here and enter this coupon code: QK84B. Then you can get the story, for free, in any format you like. This should last for 24 hours unless I set up the coupon wrong.


If you have any troubles getting the story, just leave me a message here.  Feel free to also share your comments on the story once you finish it.


Enjoy!

Self-imposed computer bondage

I'm  chained to my computer today for re-writes after a very insightful critique pointed me to some weaknesses in the working draft of [REDACTED]. Encouragement is welcome. :)

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Information about [REDACTED]

So, the  word count on my new novel, [REDACTED], a story about [REDACTED], stands at 20,136 at the moment.  I'm going to try really hard to finish it by the end of October and have it in your hands (or on your Kindle?)  early-to-mid-November, though obviously that depends on my schedule at the day job, among other things.

I also  got the initial sketch for the cover art today, and wow is it awesome. I'm not gonna show it here yet -- I'll do that when the novel is closer to completion. But suffice it to say that I'm very happy with what I saw and am excited for the book's release.

Stay tuned.

P.S. Am I driving all of you crazy with the suspense yet?

P.P.S. While I certainly encourage picking up Weaver, I'd also encourage people not to forget about my short story, The Antlerbury Tales, which should appeal to anyone who is a fan of traditional fantasy or  roleplaying games. Abandon hope (of not bursting out laughing),  all ye who enter here!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Candysraves.com loves Weaver!

"John Abramowitz has crafted a wonderful story that is truly a page turner. Each page presents a new part of the puzzle. ... While many Book Ones tend to meander as new characters are introduced, Mr. Abramowitz has done an excellent job of pacing both story and character development so that the two are intertwined. There is no extra fluff in Weaver, each and every page advances the story and our relationship with the characters."


See  what people are talking about!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Austin Teen Book Fair

Just got back from it, and  the authors I met not only expressed a fondness for Harry Potter  (which I expected), but were familiar with and loved Firefly (which I didn't) and at least one counted Wicked as her favorite musical of all time (see previous post re: writer's nirvana). I'm beginning to think I was destined to go this route...

Now,  do they use parentheses as obsessively as  I do?