Back home and back to authorial work, writing the as yet unnamed book 4 of The Modest Proposal Institute. I’m at the stage where I have lots of ideas but little idea on how to write them down. Anyhow, the way I deal with this is to write them all down in the hope some of the words will still be there when I’m finished.

While I’ve been getting started on book 4, I’ve also been putting the finishing touches to a separate project I’ve worked on, well on and off, for many years. It’s a book based on my aunt’s wartime diary and the speaking notes she used in a lecture she gave some years after the war. My aunt served as a nurse with the British 8th Army, working with wounded soldiers all the way from North Africa, through the invasion of Sicily and Italy, until the end of the war. My contribution has been to research the war and add some context of what was happening around my aunt during that time.

My aunt’s diary is now with a formatter so I’m hopeful it will soon be self-published. I’m not expecting anyone to buy this book, it will only be circulated to family members who remember our aunt or may have an interest in a long dead family member. However, I’ve enjoyed doing it because non-fiction has a lot to recommend it. There are no plot lines left hanging, for example, or characters who won’t behave as the story requires them to do. Historical events, if you don’t try to analyze or explain them, are just stated and that’s that. For a fiction author, this almost feels like a vacation:-)

Meanwhile, for those who haven’t quite gotten round to buying it, Rival Institutes is available on Amazon. You can buy it here.

This time last week we were in Italy, as I mentioned in my post. All good things come to an end and now we’re home recovering — and catching up on social media, emails, etc, etc.

I’ve even started on book 4 of The Modest Proposal Institute so it comes out in better time than book 3, Rival Institutes, did. I can’t promise it will because I started well with book 3 and found it harder to write than I thought it was going to be so I’m not making any wild predictions on when book 4 will be out:-)

So, while you wait for book 4, and I recover from the jet lag, please buy books 1, 2, and 3, if you haven’t already. If you have, you have the grateful thanks of this author.

 

 

I’ve been away from the Internet for some weeks, which is very pleasant actually, so there hasn’t been a post since the Rival Institutes publishing day. Today, however, I have access to the web and an opportunity to post from Livorno in Italy. I feel very cosmopolitan just saying that:-)

Livorno is an ancient port city in Tuscany but there’s very little left of the old, sadly. It’s still a very busy working port so no time for all that history and anyway, you can get to Florence (Firenze) and Pisa quickly from here so that’s what everyone does, basically. We had a quiet time walking between the Old Fort and the New Fort along the main streets watching the locals and listening to the Sunday church bells. Next week, I’ll be back to doing the regular Indie Author things, like writing another post.

For those of you coming to this site for the first time, Rival Institutes is Book 3 of The Modest Proposal Institute series and you can find them all at my Amazon Author Page here.

 

 

Book 3 of The Modest Proposal Institute, Rival Institutes, went ‘Live’ on Amazon last night. You can get your copy here.

For those of you following the story, all of you I hope, it’s FREE for the next three days (Sep 26-28) so be sure to pick up a copy then — or buy it after to help out the author:-)

Rival Institutes looks at events from Tomas and Nadia’s perspective, which is why they feature on the cover, as well as the regular Alexis and Shane characters and time is moving on as the Western World’s collapse intensifies.

Book 3 of The Modest Proposal Institute, Rival Institutes, is almost complete. I have two of the three files back from the formatting folks with one more to come tomorrow.  I planned to publish on Tuesday so all is going to schedule — saying that, makes me feel a bit like the evil criminal mastermind in a Bond movie.

For those of you who’ve read books 1 and 2, and are waiting eagerly for this one, be sure to buy it on Amazon on Sep 25 and 26 when it will be at an introductory price of $0.99. If you do, please write and post a review when you’ve read the book. Just two or three sentences saying how great it is and how awesome the author is (just kidding, honesty is best:-), that’s all that’s needed. Doing so really helps us Indie Authors get a start in our writing careers.

 

I’m told the proofreader has been delayed so I don’t have the The Modest Proposal Institute: Rival Institutes in my hand yet. But it is that close — I hope. Then I do a quick review, add some author stuff at the start and finish, and send it off to the Formatter. These last steps are the worst part of being an author — well, except for the actual writing part, of course.

Today, however, instead of waiting impatiently for the book to arrive back, I took part in a 10k charity run. It’s a brilliant autumn day here in Canada and perfect for running, not too hot, not too cold, and not too wet. Between the book and my traveling, I haven’t done a lot of running this year so I was pleased with my time. It’s all part of that work-life balance we hear so much about.

If you’re new here, Rival institutes is the third book in The Modest Proposal Institute series. If you want to catch up before the new book arrives, you can buy it on Amazon right here.

 

Rival Institutes, Book 3 of The Modest Proposal Institute, is being proofread right now and should be back soon.

For those who aren’t writing a book right now (and who isn’t these days?) proofreading is the final editing before the book goes to the Formatter. Formatting is what is done to turn the manuscript into a file that can be read on an electronic reader (Kindle, Kobo, etc), a computer (laptop, tablet, etc), and by way of a paperback/hardback book.

Everything is still on track for a third week of September release so readers and fans be ready. Meanwhile, here’s a reminder about Book 1.

 

 

Book 3 of The Modest Proposal Institute is back from the Content Editor with lots of suggestions. I’ve started working on them, even as I write this. With luck, it should go back for proofreading and final review early this coming week and be ready to publish in the third week of September.

Book 3’s cover is also almost complete. I’ve sent back my final comments to the talented illustrator, Rebeca, so I should have the finished files in the next few days.

When these two pieces come together, the Formatter will add the final touches. I think all this gets easier with every new book.

In other news, I’ve reduced the ebook edition of Book 1: A New Path to an Old Future to $0.99, so if  you haven’t yet bought your copy now’s the time to do it.

Book 3, Rival Institutes, of The Modest Proposal Institute is now with an editor.

Hallelujah!!!

By which I mean, I’m ecstatic that it’s no longer with me and therefore, for about 2 – 3 weeks, I can think of something else. Like the title, which I’ve now done (I think), and the cover, which is being developed even as I write this, and the blurb (ugh), which I have yet to start. I think a really strong cup of tea may help with that.

Today I will finish the as yet untitled book 3 of The Modest Proposal Institute and send it to the editor. Today I will finish…

If I say it often enough, it will happen — I think, I hope.

For this author, all books are a struggle. I’m definitely a better reader of books than a writer of them. By the time I’ve gotten the book into something that looks and reads like a book, I’ve lost the plot entirely, if you know what I mean. By the time it’s done, I can’t remember why I even thought this was a story worth telling. I’m assured all book writers feel this way and maybe they do, I just know I feel it worse:-) Anyhow, today I will finish…  Maybe I need a nice cup of tea.