Category Archives: Progress

Plans For 2016

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People are asking me about my new novel will be out (The Unconquered Sun which will be released on Amazon on 11th February 2016), but my focus has already moved on. Before Christmas, I mapped out five new projects. I gave them all generic working titles for the moment. Will all of them hatch into novels? I don’t know yet. Even the calmest waters can hide rocks to sink the unwary. But each idea has its own merit.

The first and foremost I am working on is called (note this is not the finished title) Spaghetti. I hope to have the first draft finished by St. Patrick’s Day. Considering my first book took 12 years and my second book technically  took 14 years, this is ambitious for me. The book is fully outlined and *cough* is the most straightforward of the five projects. The biggest challenge is that it is essentially a science fiction story where fantasy sensibilities predominate.

The second, Knife, is a light fantasy set in a secondary world. The main characters are pretty much there as are the main plot twists. I’ve done some exploratory writing to map it out and have about nearly a quarter of the first draft already written.

Tank is a science fiction colonization story. Again, a quarter is already written but the mechanics of the POV have yet to be worked out. I am planning to write this in the present tense.

Diary is a dark fantasy/horror. Like Tank, there’s a few viewpoint issues to decide plus some research to do, but the basic plot is advanced and I have a chunk of the first draft written.

Photocosm 4 (Photocosm 3 being The Parting Gift) is a sequel to The Golden Rule and kicks off a new series. Some of the survivors from The Unconquered Sun may appear but the focus moves westward to the city of Formicary. The first half of the story is pretty much worked out but the second half needs a bit of work.

Oh yes, I will be also working on some short stories.

In short, I will be sitting in front of a screen A LOT this year. 🙂

I plan to do a monthly update on progress to keep you all up to date.

 

 

The Unconquered Sun

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I am delighted to announce that The Unconquered Sun will be released on 11th February 2016. It is now available for pre-order on Amazon HERE.

 

Ever wish you were someone else? AscendantSun is about to…

He is beset by foes. The Harbinger’s legions threaten the people he strives to defend. Critics among his own followers undermine him. The ambitions of his unreliable ally, Garscap Torp, endanger him at every turn. Worse, the blood-thirsty god he spurned is about to return. However, the greatest enemy he must face is himself.

The riddle set for him on the Crooked Stair will be answered on the bloody fields of Cliffringden. But will he survive it?

 

News Of A New Short Story & A Cover Choice Poll

First bit of news is that I have finished the current round of edits of The Unconquered Sun and it’s back again with my editor. Before The Unconquered Sun is released, I will be publishing a short story set in the same world called The Parting Gift. The draft blurb is below:

Certamen’s god is dead. His people, the Ors, are broken and enslaved. He finds consolation in the knowledge that they are safe… But not for much longer. Their masters, facing decimation by disease, are growing desperate. Desperate enough to kill.

I have a choice of covers for it so I am running a poll to decide which cover is the most popular.  Please vote HERE!

A Bright Power Rising Is A B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree!

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I am delighted that A Bright Power Rising has been honored with the B.R.A.G.Medallion. This is a stamp of quality for Indie books. The selection process is very strict. Books undergo an initial screening process to ensure minimum quality standards are in place. If the book passes this hurdle (50% fail), it is appraised by IndieBRAG’s reviewers based on a comprehensive list of criteria relating to the writing, the story and layout. One key criterion is would they recommend the book to their best friend. Only 10% of submissions receive the B.R.A.G.Medallion.

Cover Reveal: The Unconquered Sun

I just received a round of edits of The Unconquered Sun, resulting in the usual array of vowel sounds (ooh, eh? ah, aha, etc), followed by cracking knuckles and feverish typing. The release date will be confirmed when the book is more advanced through the editing process. In the meantime, to wet your appetites, below is the cover, again by Marek Purzychi. It matches pretty well with the cover for A Bright Power Rising. I was a bit queasy about moving my name further up the cover, Frankly, if the Golden Rule was a trilogy, I wouldn’t have agreed to it. But I think it captures the Sol Invictus motif spectacularly.  Hopefully, what will be behind the cover will be as good.

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In other news, the short story which will hopefully be released before The Unconquered Sun has also been submitted for editing. More details on it shortly.

Progress Update

The Unconquered Sun is currently in editing. I finished my last pre-edit draft a bit later than I expected. The release date will not be finalized until the editing process is sufficiently advanced. However, I will reveal the book’s cover next month. I also have written a short story set in the Photocosm. It takes place before the main story in A Bright Power Rising/The Unconquered Sun.

A Bright Power Rising is now available on Kindle Unlimited. It will be free on Amazon from 23rd-25th April. Do check it out!

Updated Cover For A Bright Power Rising.

A Bright Power Rising has a new cover! The image remains the same but the titling has been updated to better fit with the cover of The Unconquered Sun.

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The cover is already up on Amazon.  The paperback will be available from Createspace by the end of the week, hopefully.

I know that having a series matching is important to many people so anybody who purchased/received the paperback/ebook with the old cover please feel free to contact me at noelcoughlan@photocosm.org.

Guess What The Postman Brought Me This Morning

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Finally, A Bright Power Rising is available in paperback. Personally, I feel that it looks splendid. Its 5×8″ (my favorite book size) with cream paper and a matte finish cover. I never imagined that I would know the specifications for my favorite book size or have strong opinions on paper quality and cover finishes, but I do now!

It looks good on the shelf too! It nicely blends in.

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My biggest concern was the layout of the maps in the paperback. That was why I hired Polgarus Studio to format the book for Createspace. Not only did Jason and Marina ensure that the maps were perfectly legible, but their layout was better than anything I could have imagined. They did a fantastic job and were worth every cent of their price. I am so glad I sought their help.

The maps are absolutely perfect!

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As an aside, I needed both hands to hold the pages open so this picture was actually taken by my nose.

Of course I also have to thank Rob Antonishen for his foresight in his map design. I also have to thank the ever-dependable Marek Purzychi who converted his original design into a paperback cover.

The book is currently available Createspace (https://www.createspace.com/4764841) and will be available on Amazon in five to seven days.