Books

Writing is Hard, Publishing is Harder

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Hello My Imaginary Friends,

I’m not asking for help or for advice, I just need to vent.

I’ve been writing my whole life. First novel was started when I was ten. I started writing seriously (meaning I actually finished my novels and stories) a dozen years ago. My first book was published in 2016 after 6 years of rewrites and re-submits.

My sixth book has just come out and I’m feeling a little frustrated. I feel like every book I publish is getting less readers, less reviews, and less interest. I have a lot of little easter eggs and details that cross between books and I’d love to hear someone geek out about them. (Other than my wife, mother-in-law, and daughter.)

I know part of it is caused from not seeing anyone, other than family, since March 2020. I miss talking to other authors, readers, and fans at conventions and in person.

My last two books have been launched digitally and it doesn’t give me any time to chat with one person at a time.

So I guess I’m both sad that my books aren’t reaching more people and that I can’t talk with people.

There’s hope for both cases; my publisher has recently gotten a distribution and promotion deal for all their books. And Health Canada is currently reviewing Pfizer’s vaccine for 5-11 year olds and they say that 4 and under isn’t far away.

I have high hopes for Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers (the book Jen and I co-wrote) next year. It’s set to be released in Fall and hopefully we can have an in-person release party. I’ll also hopefully be able to attend Can-Con that year.

Part of the distribution of new releases for my publisher means that some of the the books get placed in bookstores. The most recent wave, several amazing authors have had their books in stores. (Mine isn’t because it’s part of a series and they don’t put book 3.5 when they don’t have 1-3.)

I look forward to seeing Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers in bookstores. I hope it gets all the attention it deserves. It’s a fantastic book.

Thanks for reading.

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

  • A Study in Aether
  • The Sign of Faust
  • A Case of Synchronicity
  • Coffee Shop Between The ‘Verses
  • Parasomnia
  • Everdome
All book available at your local bookstore, Renaissance Press, or get a signed copy from JenEric Coffee Store.

Books, Beards, and way too much face

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Hello My Imaginary Friends,

At Renaissance CON (June 2020), S.M. Carrière noticed my beard that I started growing out in January 2020. She mentioned it was an impressive COVID beard and I said, “It’s a novel beard. I’ll shave when I finish this darned book.”

Fast forward to last week and I finally finished the darned book.

Here are pictures of a wild bearded author who just finished his book (and received another):

Coffee Shop Between the ‘Verses is now available at your local bookstore or on our website.

And now here are the pictures of a newly sheared author who has much too much face for his own liking:

So much face…. I already miss the beard.

You can get any of my books at your local bookstore, or if you’d like, you can buy them on our website under the header of books.

Thank you!!!

Be kind and stay safe,

Éric

Please Vote for the Travelling TARDIS

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Hello My Imaginary Friends,

As you know, The Travelling TARDIS has been nominated for an Aurora Award. (4th year in a row)

Voting for the Aurora’s is now open and will close on Saturday, September 4, 2021. Please vote for the Travelling TARDIS.

Voter’s Package

The majority of nominated works are available in the voter’s package now. Simply make an account, pay $10, and you’ll have access to a wonderful library of Canadian Science fiction and fantasy.

The Travelling TARDIS isn’t part of the package because you can access it for free on this site.

The Travelling TARDIS

The Travelling TARDIS moves, with the power of timey-yarney crochet, through time and space visiting and taking pictures with cosplayers, landmarks, celebrities, and cute babies.

Thank you to everyone who nominated and especially to everyone who reads and enjoys our content.

Thank you!

Éric

11 Years?

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Hello My Imaginary Friends,

Yesterday was the 11 year anniversary of me finishing my first ever novel. Viridian Skies was poorly plotted, filled with contradictions, and the only thing more cringy than the sex scene are the fight scenes. Its very much written like a D&D game and not like a proper novel.

I’d like to revisit the core concept of the story someday, but for now it’s locked in my writing folder.

I have to give the novel credit though, it taught me a lot about how to write and helped me start to develop my style. It also taught me to avoid three-chapter fight scenes.

Most importantly it taught me that I was able to to finish a novel and that gave me the push I needed to do NaNoWriMo and write a novel called The Mitten Wizard (Available now from your favourite bookstore as A Study in Aether.)

Since 2010, I’ve finished another 6 novels on my own and co-wrote two.

One Wednesday, I reached a milestone of 2/3rd done in my current writing project. I started it in 2018 and I’m so close I can taste it. I’m hoping to have it done by mid-September to submit to my publisher for a spot in their 2023 catalogue.

So if all goes well, I should have another 2 novels completed by the end of the year. (Jen and I are writing the sequel to Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers in October and the last one took us 2 & 1/2 months.)

The world might be shit right now and I’m feeling like crap (I hate ragweed season), but I’m proud of the writing I’ve done this year.

I hope your creative endeavours go as well or better than mine have.

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

The Last Three Books of Everdome

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Hello Everdome Historians,

All my novels are connected. One of the threads that connects them is the fictitious books called The Everdome Series.

In canon, the characters only know about the first ten books.

  1. The Skies of Everdome
  2. The Children of Everdome
  3. The Heroes of Everdome
  4. Demetrius of Everdome
  5. The War of Everdome
  6. The Eagles of Everdome
  7. The Thirteen Gods of Everdome
  8. The Wilds of Everdome
  9. The Beasts of Everdome
  10. The Fate of Everdome

These are Jason’s favourite books.

Everdome is available as an Ebook or Hardcover at Renaissance Press’s Website. It’s Also available as an ebook at Amazon, Indigo/Chapters, and Kobo.

In my novel, Everdome, it’s discovered that there are 3 more novels:

  1. The Shame of Everdome (unpublished in World)
  2. The Lost Dome (unpublished in World)
  3. Everdome (unpublished in World)

Now before you ask, yes, I do have plots and synopses for all of the other books. I hope to someday turn them into shared universe multi-author books. I also plan on writing a campaign setting for my RPG FADDS set during the time of the books.

For now, however, you can read more about the world of Everdome at your favourite bookstore.

Thank you,

Éric

Shameless Birthday Promotion

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Hello Readers,

Tomorrow is my birthday. Why not buy yourself something nice in my honour?

Here are a few options:

Books

  • A Study in Aether
  • The Sign of Faust
  • A Case of Synchronicity
  • Everdome
  • Parasomnia

All of these are available from the following stores:

Preorder my newest novel

Coffee Shop Between the 'Verses
Coffee Shop Between the ‘Verses

Available at the following stores

Coffee

Buy some coffee from JenEric Gourmet Coffee

Other Options

If you’re not comfortable or able to buy anything, why not consider reviewing the books you’ve already read? Review them on the site you bought them and/or GoodReads.

Thank you!

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

Life Moves Pretty Fast (Sometimes)

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Hello My Imaginary Friends,

Last Monday, I complained about not being able to get my appointment for a Covid vaccine. I managed to get an appointment for end of June on Tuesday and then Thursday, as I was grocery shopping, I got a notification from the PC Health app that I could get one on Saturday.

So I went from thinking I’d never get one to being worried about getting one to getting one in less than a week. So one shot out of two. I guess we’re 1/8th of the way there for the family. Hopefully by Christmas we’ll be 6/8th.

Book stuff

Great news. Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers, book one in The Gates of Westmeath series, has been submitted to my publisher. We should hear within 3 or so months if they’ll publish it. If they don’t, we’ll start submitting to agents and other publishers. We can worry about that later.

I’m slowly writing Elizabeth 4 and have re-written the outline and hopefully it’ll be finished this decade. Planning for book two of The Gates of Westmeath, Gangs! Incidental Wedding Guests, is well underway. Writing will start end of summer/early fall.

The short story collection is over 80,000 words and I still have 2-4 stories to write. Jen’s been prolific in her short story writing. The collection is called Stories! The Unexpected First Collection.

Like I mentioned on Friday, this coming Saturday is the cover reveal for my newest book, Stories Between the ‘Verses. Come check it out on Saturday! There will be prizes and readings.

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

Books, stories, edits, and Emus

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Hello Readers,

I’m working on a lot of thinks right now.

  • Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers is being beta-read and sensitivity edited currently.
  • Stories between the ‘Verses is being edited by me and should be going to typesetting soon, to be published by Renaissance Press in the Fall.
  • I’m working on two different projects for clients. Both fantastic authors. I’ll share here when they’re available.
  • Stories! Unexpected Collection 1 (Working title) is shockingly at 15 stories and 3 novellas.
  • Mystery of the Dancing Lights (Elizabeth 4) is at just over 37000 and halfway through the story.
  • The Copper Tarnish (Formerly Paragenesis) has been edited and is at 32000 words which means that it’s 60% done.

I hope you’re having good productive weeks. I’m still not feeling great, but it’s getting better. I should probably get back to some of those now.

Two of my current projects involve sentient alien Emus so here’s a smiling Emu.

Photo From flicker showing an emu that seems to be smiling.

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

I should be editing

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Hello My Imaginary Friends,

I’ll be honest. I dislike editing. It’s an extremely emotional experience for me. I get angry, I get sad, I get frustrated, usually I contemplate just writing and not publishing at this point.

Of course, when you truly hate doing something, you should do a lot of it right? Sigh. So I’m editing Stories Between the ‘Verses, which I think will come out this year if I can whip myself into shape. And while that’s going on, we have beta-readers editing Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers.

The editors and beta-readers are excellent and I’m fantastically lucky to have them. I’m just a broody curmudgeon who alternates between hating and loving everything I write. Editing makes me simultaneously feel defensive of my perfect stories and disgusted at the tripe I write.

I think (hope) this emotional back and forth happens to most authors.

Look at all the stages I go through editing. It loops infinitely. All aimed at the book or myself btw.
Photo of the five emotions from Pixar’s Inside Out. Sadness, Joy, Fear, Disgust, and Anger.

Of course what I do to get myself in the mood is go read reviews of my books (even though I know this is a terrible idea.) It’s amazing how well I can focus on the negative.

Anyway, I’ll go torture myself for a while.

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric