{"id":1060,"date":"2021-08-30T11:46:16","date_gmt":"2021-08-30T17:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=1060"},"modified":"2021-08-30T12:47:06","modified_gmt":"2021-08-30T18:47:06","slug":"the-author-pokes-his-head-out-of-the-bunker-for-fresh-air-and-some-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=1060","title":{"rendered":"The Author Pokes His Head Out of the Bunker for Fresh Air and Some Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted … well, anything up on this here site. I spent June and a good hunk of July taking a very long and satisfying nap. Since then, I’ve been spending my writing time on the sequel to SERAPH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The working title is TRAGODOI, which is (I know) a mouthful. It’s a Greek word meaning “goat singers” and is an etymological cousin to the English word “tragedy.” Here’s a picture of some of my background reading as I’ve plotted this one out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
A little light reading while I write. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So we’re dealing in classical mythology this time out?<\/em> Of a sort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there’ll be some Greek tragedy thrown in there, too? <\/em>Maybe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But before you worry things are getting too heady and highbrow over here in the word mines, let me assure you that nobody over here takes anything too seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like SERAPH, this is another story seed that’s been occupying head space for the better part of twenty years. It wasn’t supposed to be a story for Ray and the gang, but they sort of moved in and occupied the space while I was writing the first book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike SERAPH, I’m not going to spend the next five years waiting for the muse to tell me what happens next. I decided this time out that I’d actually [gasp!] outline the story – map out the plot milestones, scribe out the relationship arcs, seed the clues and the red herrings. It’s an entirely new practice for me, but heck if it hasn’t made the sitting down and writing easier. Plus, it turns one of my office walls into an interesting art project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, there’s a whole hunk of novel cut up into little rearrangeable pieces. Or I’ve been in this pandemic too long and I’m now one ball of red yarn short of proving Abe Vigoda was D B Cooper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either way, I’m finally giving the muse a break and just writing. Right now, I’m on pace to finish the first draft before the year is done. I can’t wait to share it with you all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • I want to give my heartfelt thanks to those of you who’ve taken time to rate and\/or review SERAPH on Amazon and Goodreads. If you’ve read and enjoyed the book and haven’t done so, would you please take a moment to do so? Especially on Amazon, every star rating and written review works the algorithms to bring the book to more people’s attention.<\/li>
  • the Kindle edition of SERAPH is now available through the Kindle Unlimited program. KU subscribers can start reading whenever they’d like as part of their monthly plan.<\/li>
  • Unfortunately, this means the ebook of SERAPH is no longer available on platforms outside of Kindle. Amazon requires exclusivity to access Kindle Unlimited, and since most of my ebook sales go through Amazon (and my customer experience with IngramSpark, who was handling my other ebook formats, was less than stellar), it was an easy choice to make.<\/li>
  • The paperback, however, is still available from many online retailers. Have you tried bookshop.org?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    I’m heading back into the bunker. See you all soon-ish with a brand new Seraph story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted … well, anything up on this here site. I spent June and a good hunk of July taking a very long and satisfying nap. Since then, I’ve been spending my writing time on the sequel to SERAPH. The working title is TRAGODOI, which is (I know) a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2rDfa-h6","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":365,"url":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=365","url_meta":{"origin":1060,"position":0},"title":"Tanya and Jerry Get Away","author":"admin","date":"July 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It's been a while since I've done one of Chuck Wendig's flash fiction challenges. This week's was to write a story (no more than 1000 words) about\u00a0\"bad parents.\" Here's my go: Tanya and Jerry Get Away\u00a0(747 words) \u201cLook, all I\u2019m asking is that you not swear in front of her\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Short Fiction"","block_context":{"text":"Short Fiction","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/road-5089188_640.jpg?fit=640%2C429&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/road-5089188_640.jpg?fit=640%2C429&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/road-5089188_640.jpg?fit=640%2C429&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1164,"url":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=1164","url_meta":{"origin":1060,"position":1},"title":"Monday Writer Soundtrack","author":"admin","date":"February 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"NOBODY: Hey, what song's on a continual, unstoppable loop in your head this week? ME: The chorus, over and over. I've been dancing all weekend. On the inside (because introvert).","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?cat=34"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/wave-gaaed654d0_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/wave-gaaed654d0_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/wave-gaaed654d0_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/wave-gaaed654d0_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/wave-gaaed654d0_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":688,"url":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=688","url_meta":{"origin":1060,"position":2},"title":"Random Stories","author":"admin","date":"January 18, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Rory's Story Cubes Several years ago, my wife gifted me these lovely story dice in my Christmas stocking. For a visual thinker like me, they're great tools for busting through writer's block and story ruts. This year, after a pandemic-induced creativity slump in high gear for far too many months,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?cat=34"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/story-cubes-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/story-cubes-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/story-cubes-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/story-cubes-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":411,"url":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=411","url_meta":{"origin":1060,"position":3},"title":"Hundred Word Story: Night Knight","author":"admin","date":"March 24, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This weeks flash fiction challenge from Chuck Wendig: a story in only one hundred words. Harder than it looks. This one's a hundred words, exactly, and I\u00a0wish I had more. All week, Mikey insisted that Henry Bear needed graham crackers and honey at night. They\u2019d answered that the snack would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Short Fiction"","block_context":{"text":"Short Fiction","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/good-night-3027664_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/good-night-3027664_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/good-night-3027664_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":586,"url":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=586","url_meta":{"origin":1060,"position":4},"title":"Book Review: Piranesi","author":"admin","date":"November 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cThe Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.\u201d I had expected that after a gap of sixteen years since Susanna Clarke's thick and engaging tome, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, that we were getting another fantasy of epic size. What arrived last month in the form of Piranesi\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?cat=34"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/banner-1559400_640.jpg?fit=640%2C201&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/banner-1559400_640.jpg?fit=640%2C201&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/banner-1559400_640.jpg?fit=640%2C201&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1125,"url":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=1125","url_meta":{"origin":1060,"position":5},"title":"SERAPH Kindle Countdown Deal Starts 9\/20","author":"admin","date":"September 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm celebrating SERAPH's 6-month bookiversary with a Kindle Countdown Deal! Starting Monday, September 20th, you'll be able to pick up the Kindle editions of SERAPH for $.99 (as always, if you're a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can start reading for free today). Check out SERAPH on Amazon. The Countdown Deal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?cat=34"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/seraph-kindle-countdown.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/seraph-kindle-countdown.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/seraph-kindle-countdown.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/seraph-kindle-countdown.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/seraph-kindle-countdown.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/bunker-2359436_1280.jpg?fit=1280%2C847&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1060"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1114,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1060\/revisions\/1114"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}