Get the T-shirt!

LOL... I have NO patience! AT ALL! Like, none!!

I  was messing around today making a t-shirt. I uploaded one design. I haven't ordered one for myself yet so I have no idea of the quality or anything. I used Zazzle.com because they seemed more versatile than Cafepress but I may just open a "store" in both spots. It can't hurt. For today, it's on Zazzle. (zazzle.com/writtenkinetics*)

<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/writtenkinetics*">See my store at Zazzle</a>

The picture to the right of my blogpost (if you see it via blogspot) with have a link attached. I think. Otherwise, here is a picture of the sample shirt.

Only... This is grey, the one I have on the website is white. But I think there are color options. This is a work in progress. I'm trying to offer different items etc. If you know any science-geeky, gay, college guys, please recommend my shirts :) Please. 

For those who may NOT know, my novel My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! will be coming out soon from Dreamspinner Press. (No release date yet.) This shirt goes with the character Cole Reid. (He's a physics major who loves wacky t-shirts!)

Not sure what else to say about that. I ahve another shirt working but lack time to upload it.

I'm also writing!

Wade

Current News

>> I'm writing. << I wrote 2,333 words yesterday for Names Can Never Hurt Me. I am also waiting on the second round of edits for My Roommate's a Jock. The Cost of Loving IS with my editor, but she is going slower than I desire. I don't want to think of that one coming out AFTER the first of the year, so I am still crossing my fingers.

Basically, this is what I'm up to!

I have this feeling that it will all coming crashing together in one lump. Like I'll get both manuscripts to approve edits in the same week while I am also on a huge roll writing the next one. Things happen like that right? I also need to start getting serious about the T-shirts I want to sell that go with My Roommate's a Jock. Everybody wants one, right? LOL I'll be e-mailing my graphic designer about the final tweaks on the design and I'll get them on line to buy. I MAY also look into a different place to sell. I WAS going to use Cafe Press because I think it is well known. Have you heard of it? It pays royalties which makes my life easier as I don't have to collect taxes or anything. BUT, their take is $18 per shirt. If I choose to make the official price $20, then I make $2.00 per T-shirt. So keep that in mind. Tell friends about them! I will make very little but I love the concept of having a T-shirt line that goes with a book!!! As soon as I hear about the book release date, or at least get a cover, I'll get the shirt design out there for the public to see. (But I DID copyright the image.)

For all those "following" my reviews... Sorry, no reviews coming any time soon. When I'm desperate to write, I can't read. I read for inspiration, I read to learn how to right better, I read to see what readers like to read. But when I am hot in writing, I can't distract my brain from MY characters. So that is where I am; I'm writing! And waiting. (on the current submissions with editors.)

Remember I'm on Twitter https://twitter.com/WriterWadeKelly

If I was born on the frontier, I'd be dead by now.

OMG! I have electricity back!

Power out in my house for one week. At first, it's like, "Cool, I'm camping, but in my house!"I got the Coleman stove going, the camping coffee pot, and a nifty headlamp so I can see as I walk around. Day two rolls in, then day three.... Not so much fun anymore. No electric means no water and no heat. Don't be too worried, I have a wood stove so the house was warm. I also live up on a sort of hill, so there isn't normally a danger of flooding. Therefore, I was warm and dry. AND WITHOUT TECHNOLOGY! I discovered how much I like the convenience of Internet and cell phone use. I had neither unless I drove up the street and searched for a signal. Not fun!

Yes, I'm whining. It's difficult not to whine. It is not like I was really put out; that is not what I'm saying. I am just appreciating how much I like LIGHTS and a toilet that flushes!

I have to say though, I have amazing friends! I showered several times at one friend's house and did some laundry. And today I went to another friend's house to do the same thing. I also don't own a generator, because power has never gone out here for more than a day. This time it was off a week! My neighbor lent me a generator to keep the fridge cold. So, I had food! No worries there.

But as my luck has it, I got my MS for My Roommate's a Jock the Friday before the hurricane. So here I am editing on battery power and charging the laptop in my car!!! I was mainly stressed because I had a deadline! Don't worry, I got it in on time :) I went to another friend's house and used the Internet to finish edits and e-mail it back.

What this storm proved to me was I have AWESOME friends! I mean seriously!!! Ever time one of them found out I had no power, he or she told me to drop on by and make myself at home. I actually have never felt more loved. It's been great! I have no real complaints. YES> power was out a week. But also YES> I was fine.

I actually got tears in my eyes when I heard about the woman who lost her children. I felt sick about that. It's horrible. Not to mention all the people who lost their homes and had to go without food and heat etc... It was very tragic. Thinking about all those people made me realize how good I had it anyway. I had loads of people taking me in, and feeding me, and letting me shower in their homes. I am not alone and I LOVE my friends!!! I feel bad for those who are not as fortunate as I am. I hope that they will find people in this tragedy that will help and love them like my friends have toward me. No one should be alone and have no where to turn. It is terrible. :(

So, yeah, I say that if it was the frontier, I would be dead. That is mainly because hauling water up from the stream down the street to flush the toilet is tiresome. Heating hot water on the Coleman stove to wash dishes I made (not thinking the power would be out so long) is also tedious. Going to bed at 8pm because it is too dark to do anything it just ridiculous! And if I had to go out and hunt for some food instead of ordering pizza, well then I would have starved. I am whining only because going without power for a week is hard! I will try to remember that the next time people around me are out. I need to show compassion like those around me showed me. What goes around, comes around, right? Well, I got lots of love thrown my way. My turn will come.

And so will yours!

Take the time to think of those who lost everything. And the next time someone needs your help, I urge you not to turn them away.

Thank you to ALL MY FRIENDS!!

I hope to get back to writing, now that I have electric and Internet!

Wade

out of the funk

Yeah, so, I really shouldn't write a blog when I feel down. It normally goes away right after I do that! Like now!!! I'm okay. I just get dried up and the words don't flow and the characters are silent. Writer's block! It is definitely a BLOCK. More like a wall sometimes.

But "Names Can Never Hurt Me" is back on track. I have over 18.5k written and most of what I had in 3rd person is now switched to 1st! (Really glad.) I'll need to smooth things out though. Like I can read it over and I KNOW which parts were originally 3rd person and what I added fresh. Nick's voice is more casual in the newer parts. Anyway, that is what edits are for and polish after the whole story is completed, right? So I will get to it. I decided on switching POV's between characters. Not lots, but enough to give a look into the other character. I think it adds depth.

And more editor, (now that I complained in the last blog,) said things are going well and she is pushing through it fine. So glad. Not sure WHEN she will be done, but it is closer to an end when there is an actually start tot he editing. (ya know?)

I guess I don't have loads more to say than that. I'm writing, so I'm not currently reading. For those who "follow" my reviews it might be a little while. I'm in a sort-of groove and I don't need other people's characters confusing my head. I'll get back to reading soon.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Wade :)

Depressed?

Yeah, I think I’m depressed. I feel really blah. I’ve lost focus. I can’t seem to write anything that sounds coherent. Everything sounds dumb when I type it. I haven’t had anything interesting to say to people out there, hence why the lack of blogging. I just don’t know what to talk about.

The MS for My Roommate’s a Jock is in the queue for editing. I guess that is good to know. Although when I read a time “window” of 4-6 or up to 12 weeks etc for this editing process I get more depressed. 12 weeks? Are you kidding me? Ahhhhhh. I just sometimes hate that I like to write so much. This “talent” or “desire” is not easy. I like easy. I like “handed to me on a silver platter”. Good golly this is work! Not that I am giving it up, I’m not, I’m just griping. I have a hard time waiting for anything. I was thinking it would be “soon” for a couple of my books to get published. My Roommate’s a Jock by December and The Cost of Loving by October. Well… My Roommate’s a Jock may still be this year, I have not gotten word about that either way. I can still hope. I HOPE that there is little to edit and that whatever corrections they need to make will be minimal. HOPE HOPE HOPE! But The Cost of Loving is just making me  more depressed as time goes on. I know I’m beating a dead horse in saying this—I just want it done!!! My editor said last week we will talk THIS week. Still nothing. I hate waiting. Plus, the longer she has the MS does that mean I owe more per hour of her time???? I don’t know. What I do know is that I’m not made of money and self-publishing takes stuff up front. Grrr. (Griping again, not looking for any “solutions”.)

What I seriously NEED to write is another book like My Roommate’s a Jock. What I mean by that is something that is a sure thing. I’m not so blind as to assume My Roommate is THAT GREAT as to take the world by storm, but what I think is that it has more of those “acceptable” elements that readers look for, like and embrace. But somehow my brain doesn’t like to follow subscribed methods of success. So I struggle. And struggle.

So, question….. Point of View: Do you as readers, LIKE or DISLIKE shifts in POV? I do not mean POV shifts like in When Love is Not Enough. I KNOW that was difficult to follow and I am trying to stay away from books and chapters like that. What I mean is do you like seeing into the other character too? I WISH The Cost of Loving was published because it is formatted like I am questioning. (Mostly Matt’s POV, but on occasion it is in Darian’s) … My newest one Names Can Never Hurt Me is so far all in one POV. I am wondering if it would be acceptable to write some of it through the other character and give perspective on his side. Do readers like that? I don’t know.

I’m also feeling like I write too much sex. (Sorry for those who enjoy reading lots of it.) It just seems to take up lots of pages and I’m not sure it is needed. So, maybe this one will have less. I don’t know. This is me talking out of depression and blahness and not knowing what to write. I’m just confused in reference to my direction and how to make money enough to cover costs of self-publishing the books no publisher wants. Because if I write it, I’m GOING to publish it! (Probably.) Especially a book like The Cost of Loving that readers are waiting for.

This “struggle” with publishing sequels is partially why I haven’t written the sequel to My Roommate’s a Jock yet. If I write it, and My Roommate is NOT successful at all, then I have yet another book that no one wants. So, I’m waiting. I’m taking notes when I think of scenes and dialogue. My brain often goes into “Cole Reid” mode and I cannot stop writing him. It’s weird. Like Darian, Cole is hard for me to shake.

So, don’t give up on me. I may not be around AS MUCH, but I am still here. I’m trying to sort out my stories in my head and WRITE them!

Until next time….

Xoxox

Wade

Side note: My blog (on Blogspot) has 1573 page views and 29 followers.

Twitter (https://twitter.com/WriterWadeKelly) has 12 followers.

I "TWEET" now :p

Hi.

I can't say I'm all that spunky lately. Nothing going on in the publishing realm and I get depressed easily. I'm reluctant to make a move in buying ISBN numbers for my self-pub just because I don't know when that is happening and it is a LOT of money to shell out. (So, I'm waiting.) Same goes for a domain name. I'm waiting. The longer I wait to spend money I have so little of the better.

Things to buy:
1. Domain name = aprox $50 for one year (this can vary)
2. 10 ISBN #'s = $250.00
3. Cover art (I still owe.)
4. upcoming copyright costs =$35 each

I'm not sure I have all this.

I STILL have one more quarterly payment from my publisher for sales of WLINE. But I will NOT hold my breath that it will help much. Sales are way low now that it's been out a year. Being a writer is a poor occupation. I guess that is why so many artists are referred to as "starving". At least I'm not that bad off; I've never really been hungry.

So, to do SOMETHING and try and get out of my funk, I opened a TWITTER account. I have 4 followers as I write this post. YAY! I don't know that I will have loads of grand announcements to make to the twitter world but I do think it will help make me more vocal and less "silent". It's not that I am normally silent in the real world, but I have little time to mess around on Facebook and post updates when I really don't have any. Same reason I haven't posted many blogs this month. I TRY to do a blog every 3-4 days but lately I feel like I have nothing to say. There is nothing going on and it is all depressing when I think about it. So I don't blog. It's not that I don't care about all my readers out there, I do, but I feel like I have nothing interesting to deliver to you. I am not all that exciting sometimes. Sorry, not I sound like I'm pouring on the self-pity... :s

I did write 1200 words over the weekend. And although that sounds great, it wasn't for any book I am currently writing. OF COURSE NOT! That would be too easy! I have to make life difficult and start another book! Why? Because I'm stupid and my brain won't shut off sometimes. I have WAY TOO MANY books rolling around in there! And more and more I am seeing scenes for the sequel to My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! so I hope this one sells better and I don't have to self-pub THIS sequel. (self-pub is hard work!)

For for Twitter sake, I have an app on my phone. I can now "tweet" about the characters in my head and keep you updated so I don't appear to have vanished off the face of the Earth!

My editor DOES have my book but I'm not sure it is going very well. I'm not sure she like the book. If not, I am back to square one. Do I edit it myself? Go with yet ANOTHER editor? I am sick about the whole stupid thing!

One kind-of good thing is that the anthology may not be out until late November or even early next year. This makes the schedule looser. I REALLY wanted The Cost of Loving to come out BEFORE the anthology short "Shades of an Untamed Heart" because it is chronologically after TCOL. So, problem solved there!

Right now I am trying to find just the right guy for the cover of My Roommate's a Jock? and I can't find one! No one looks like Cole on these studio model pictures!!!

I guess that is all I have to say for now :p

Laterz.

xoxo

Repeating myself

Hey,
Nothing really going on right now. I'm in a holding pattern that circles the airport with no landing in mind and a full tank of gas. grrr. Editor is sick. More delays. Too busy doing "life stuff" I can't write. I'm just.... blah! about it all. Can't wait to write, yet I have no time.

I have nothing else to report so I thought I'd post some reviews. I wasn't sure I saw this one before so maybe you haven't either...

When Love Is Not Enough

When Love Is Not Enough by Wade Kelly is a homoerotic romance.

Matt can't believe it when he found out the one person he could always count on, Jamie, is dead. The worst part is Jamie had secret parts of his life that no one knew about and the biggest was his fiancé Darian. Matt is shocked to learn there was many things he didn't know about Jamie, even when Jamie knew all about him. Everyone at the funeral is wondering how such a loving and happy young man could have killed himself. Matt is determined to find out why and he remembers the hidden stash behind Jamie's bed where he always hid his most important things so his mother would never find them. Jamie and Matt live in a town that is not accepting of anyone who is different especially his churches extreme views about homosexuality. Jamie left behind many questions and two people, Darian and Matt, who are drawn together in the crises. Are their feelings strong enough to survive or will they fade when they return to their real lives?

This is an incredible story about love, loss and lasting changes in the lives of the people left behind by suicide. Many people who have tried to commit suicide talk about feeling they can't go on and the only way out is death. That must be a horrible feeling, but the people left behind have to deal with not only the loss, but the feelings of guilt that they didn't do anything to help them. Jamie kept his life so segmented that the people in his life knew only part of him and couldn't realize what he was going through. It was sad how he felt he had to lie and keep secrets from even Matt and Darien who loved him unconditionally. The way Darian's mom forced him to talk to her minister was horrible because he knew that he if he told him the truth his mother, who was unstable at best, could physically hurt him. I was drawn into Darian and Matt's lives as they came together in their grief, but if they are lucky they may find a love that they never expected.

Reviewed by: Teresa

Plus, my book is on a list of favorite gay books for 2012. Yay me! http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/2012/08/07/readers-favourite-gay-books/

So, it's exciting to see more nice things about my book. I hope the next one gets some notice too.

Gotta go.

laterz

The Cost of Loving

Against my better judgment I am revealing the official cover. Why? Because I’m an impatient person and having this cover on my computer and NOT sharing it is basically torture. The BAD news is that I don’t have an official “release date” to go with the cover. Booo. I know. I’m sorry. I promise to update about that as soon as humanly possible. Note: Enny and I have changed the "font" three times so that may change again :p

This is the blurb I’m going with (unless my editor decides to alter it):

Fear of wrath and judgment over his sexuality fueled Matt’s paranoia for twenty-three years until outing himself in front of the church congregation proves his assumptions true, and forces him to make the ultimate choice.

Matt Dixon is a Christian and has known for years where his church stood on homosexuality. Therefore, in order to avoid religious ridicule, Matt chose to live two separate lives, much like his friend Jamie Miller. However, when a self-righteous pastor prompted Matt’s impulsive nature to take a stand for his best friend’s honor—and at his funeral no less—Matt is forced to come to terms with his guilt, shame, and his very belief in God.

But Matt’s decisions affect all those around him. His family, his lover, as well as his friends, feel the impact of his public confessional and the repercussions threaten to tear Matt’s world apart. Will exposing the truth lead Matt toward the same tragic end that Jamie faced? Or will his perseverance bring him closer to understanding the cost he’d be willing to pay in order to be with the man he loves?

I might also add this contemporary m/m romance novel explores the complexities of coming out, in conjunction with the religious ramifications if that gay male happens to be a Christian, and the guilt and pain of losing a best friend to suicide. This is not an easy read, but then again it goes hand-in-hand with When Love is Not Enough.

This sequel picks up right after the last one ends. I seriously hoped it would come out RIGHT AFTER book 1, not a YEAR after!! Apologies on that one! It does recap to a small extent so if you don’t feel like rereading WLINE you don’t need to. I also tried NOT to jump around as much time-wise. I know people give me crap about that. Again-sorry. When Love Is Not Enough just came out that way. I couldn’t control it, it just was! I am a writer and the story flows how it wants. I tried to change it, but I couldn’t. TCOL is more chronological. I hope that helps.

I was supposed to meet with an editor this week but she was sick :( Because of that I have to wait a little longer. Most other stuff is taken care of so once she has read over it and made minor changes (I say minor because hey, it’s been through several hands already,) I will be ready to format and upload it. I am HOPING for an OCTOBER release. This could change but I think the goal is a good one.

I am also going to look into blog hopping or whatever. I need to contact some blogs. I guess I’ll do that this week.

Other news:

1. I am working on the cover for my winter release from DSP. Paul Richmond is probably doing the cover. YAY! He did WLINE’s cover! So I can’t wait to see what he comes up with for My Roommate’s a Jock? Well Crap! Note: it could also be clip-art of cover models (not necessarily a drawing) but as long as he oversees it, I'm happy. (He has a great eye!)

2. I am rewriting Names Can Never Hurt Me. Really, I am. I haven’t looked at it in days but it is always in my head! I want to finish it by December.

3. I am working on edits of the BDSM short that is going in Keirnan Kelly’s Anthology. It was requested of me to write a tad more and add some sex. HECK YEAH! I can handle those kinds of edits! Remember, this little short comes chronologically after TCOL and somewhere IN book 3. 

Latest review of WLINE: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/261261183?utm_content=A&utm_medium=email&utm_source=comment_instant#comment_59261304

So, you heard it here first! Catch you Laterz!

(cover design by Enny Kraft)

REWRITTING!

So, I’m plodding away at my Work In Progress, wondering why it is so difficult, when the thought occurs to me to CHANGE the POV. Hmmm. Is this going to help? Is this going to change anything? It doesn’t change the story just how it’s told. I redid the prologue. To me it sounded WAY better. I did however get a second opinion and she also agreed. Meanwhile (as I waited to hear from said person on their opinion,) I redid chapter 1. Let me tell you, it is flowing way better!!

I’ve been working on this story for a while now. A month or so on and off. I liked my ideas for plot and I strongly held to the characters but when I go to write it, it comes out flat. Like I see all this great stuff in my head but on paper (ie. Computer screen) it feels blah. It has no flavor. I want flavor! I want excitement and pizzazz. I know I’m not an articulate genius and I have little experience but I would LIKE to deliver pizzazz. It’s a goal of mine. Names Can Never Hurt Me sounds good in my head. But I wasn’t achieving the story I desired – until now!

1^st Person POV is the way I’m going with it! My other stuff is 3^rd person. I like 3^rd person, it’s comfortable. BUT!!! But, you haven’t read my newest release yet! (Mostly because it’s not out.) My Roommate’s a Jock? Well, Crap! is written in 1^st person and it ROCKS! I love Cole Reid’s voice! In my no-so-humble opinion Cole is very distinct and I wanted to keep him that way. (No word from DSP as to the release date yet.) So when I started writing Names Can Never Hurt Me I shied away from 1^st person because I feared it sounding the same. I had JUST finished writing MRJWC so I was convinced I’d overlap the character nuisances. So I wrote in 3^rd person. I wrote 15,688 words and that’s when I just couldn’t get it going. I walked away and came back but it still didn’t flow. It was hard to get scenes to pull together.

So, yesterday I undertook the task of rewriting it in 1^st person. Basically, I cut and pasted it into another document chapter by chapter and redid the sentences by changing the his and he and names, to  me, my  and I. The I went back over it and added internal dialogue. I added character impressions and musings. And I will continue to do this as I go over the sections many more times. (I have a tendency to ADD words when I edit. Hardly ever do I subtract them!)

So far I’ve done 5510 words. I redid the prologue and chapter 1. I added bits and I feel much more confident about this story. It seems more interesting telling it from Nick’s POV. Yes, I am settling on the name Nick Jenkins for the MC. It’s a good strong name!

Items of the week:

I meet with my editor Tuesday. I hope she make short order of editing The Cost of Loving so I can give it to my Graphic Designer for final touches to the file.

I am working on Copyrights for images and manuscripts.

I am still unclear on business names and legal crap! I can’t afford a lawyer so I am trying to decipher the law from the taxation website. Not easy.

I’ll be back later this week with updates!

Adios. 

My To-Do’s and Can’t-Do’s

            I’ve been busy as usual but NOT busy writing! Irks me to no end that I have no time sometimes! “Life” gets in the way, I guess they say, but writing IS life for me. I get blah when I don’t write and I get blah when I do and ideas aren’t forming well. But either way, it is writing that flows through my veins and keeps me going. Some doctor type might say it is blood in my veins that does that job but that’s only because the words bleed from me. (Can I sound more cheesy? Lol)

            >Still no word from DSP about the editing stage of My Roommate’s a Jock? Well Crap! Also nada about the cover or anything else. Things are slow around here, which doesn’t help my mood. You know I’m a praise junkie. When nothing is going on to pump up my ego, I start doubting myself and worry that my stuff is boring and uninteresting and even worse—crap! See, in my head I KNOW I have more books coming out soon and people will get the chance to bash another book besides When Love Is Not Enough. That thought scares me. On the one hand I may get more praise, but with that praise are the people that will hate it, the people that will trash it, and the people that will make me doubt myself ANEW. Gosh writing is a tough profession!! It is hard on my stress level! And emotions etc…

            >The to-do list from before…

Everything costs money and some of that I just don’t have! A friend (as well as my accountant) recommended talking to a lawyer for “legal” matters to make sure things were done the correct way etc. BUT, I heard back from a lawyer and the going rate is $200/ hour for consultation and it takes about 2 hours to talk over stuff for a “business”!! So yeah, I don’t got $200! I mean, I do, but I need to buy other things. Domain name, ISBN#’s, cover art, editing, etc… Costs add up! (Kinda why I would have rather had an established publisher tackle The Cost of Loving, but life goes on.) But no matter what, I’m in this! The book WILL come out!

            >It was also suggested I blog-hop for advertisement purposes. You know, shout-out around town about the book I’m self-publishing. So, question, what are some of your favorite blogs? I know some, I AM on facebook etc, but I want to know what you out there read! Where do the fans & readers go to catch up on the latest? Or to find out what is coming out soon? Comment below and tell me! I plan to contact these blog sites and ask about guest blogging about my book. I guess I’ll get on that soon even if I don’t have a publication date yet.

            >Not much else to say. I was hoping to write yesterday and got no chance to do it. I’ve been rattling around with some ideas for Names Can Never Hurt Me but so far I don’t have a clear outline of the plot. Just scenes. And I can’t settle on a name for the MC. Maybe that’s what is getting to me. I just can’t hear his voice. The other guy, RC, I so have him! I can see his mannerisms, I can see his eyes and the looks he gives and expressions he has. And I hear his voice. I like it. But the MAIN main guy, nope. It was Nick, and now it’s Troy, but I’m toying with Zach. Which name says “gorgeous ladies man?” I would release the “blurb” but I’m not sure that what I wrote over the weekend is what the book is going to be about. 14k isn’t enough to know. And I’m not sold on my POV. You all know how I like shifting POV’s!!! When Love is Not Enough (WLINE) has POV shifts. And so does The Cost of Loving (TCOL) and My Roommate’s a Jock? Well, Crap! (MRJWC) And I did each of those differently than in WLINE. I’m TRYING to improve my writing to make it more clear but I’m still attempting to retain my unique flare. I want the books to be me, not necessarily what is popular and the accepted norm. But WLINE is 3^rd person, and MRJWC is in 1^st. (Although I think Cole’s voice will be a smash hit!) It’s THE CURRENT WIP that has me grrrr’ed! (I just used a sound as an adjective, is that okay?)

I don’t know if I like Nick/Troy/Zach’s voice when I type. Maybe it is indeed this conundrum that has me feeling blah? This MC better speak his mind soon or I’ll stress myself into a knot!

Enough of my ranting. I’ll be fine. Just talking to y’all so you don’t think I disappeared. I’m around. Trying to get business done!! Once I get a flow going and this first hurdle of “self-pub” out of the way I think it will go much smoother! *fingers crossed*

Laterz.

Wade

Submission accepted!

It there a more awesome thing to wake up to than an e-mail saying “I’m pleased to inform you that I’d love to take your story…”? So cool!!

This is for Keirnan Kelly’s project “50 Gays of Shade”. I wrote a short story for it involving Matt and Darian. It’s only just over 3000 words, which is like a chapter for me. I don’t normally like writing something so short. (Or reading short stories etc…) BUT, I couldn’t pass up the chance to write a short for 50 Gays of Shade! Why? Because I’m reading that book! I’m not done reading 50 Shades of Grey.

I haven’t been able to finish but that is because I am distracted with other things. It is hard to read sometimes when I am a writer because when I’m writing, I normally go with the flow of my OWN stories. When I take a break, or my characters stop “talking” then I read. Lately I’ve been in a holding pattern of writing because self-publishing is a daunting task for me and I am trying to wade through it all.

I wrote 700 words yesterday, which seemed like nothing yet it was the most I wrote in a week. It is not like I don’t have dialogue in my head, I DO, but I can’t find the time to jot it down! I discovered this week I tend to pick the same names all the time. I needed a few girls to stick in the story as co-workers etc and I used the same names as in another book. Figures! Now I have to change the names! So, give me some names of people I can use. Girls and guys names. I can never THINK of them when I want to list one! It’s like my brain stops working!

So anyway… My anthology story is more like an excerpt. What it will probably end up being is a scene from book three and I will reference it to keep it in context and show where it falls into the story as a whole (between Matt and Darian) and I’ll probably pick up where it leaves off in book three and give the “what happens after” parts. For die-hard fans you will probably want to read it! For those who don’t care, well, after you read book three you may want to read the anthology bit anyway. Lol

The anthology is called Shades of an Untamed Heart. Synopsis:

Unquenchable desire has a new name: Darian Weston.

Matt knows his lover is a wild-child. He’s pushed the limits between them time and time again, yet Darian seems insatiable. When “pain” enters the equation, and Darian’s reaction is explosive, Matt concocts a kinky plan to visit a BDSM club he knows.

Will a visit to the Shady Business Nightclub shed light on the limitations of Darian’s untamed heart, or will Matt come face-to-face with some revelations of his own?

Sound like a winner?

Good thing for me is that The Cost of Loving will hopefully come out BEFORE that anthology. I have no date for either one. When I have a date in mind I’ll let you know. I’ll probably reveal the cover two weeks before publication. I am waiting on editing, BUT I am also waiting on myself. I have a list of things to do first.

Kindle Direct asks for a “business name”. This seemingly simple item has complicated things. What do I choose? If I choose my name would that be wise? I am going to be using it for things other than books so I thought a different name would be good. I am not going to have a website for the business just for me! www.writerwadekelly.com will be the official site once I purchase the domain name. (That is on the list too!) I have to fill in a form for the Department of Assessments and Taxation (or something) because I was strongly considering an LLC company. (Wise people I know recommend LLC over Sole Proprietor.) And to fill out THAT form I need a business address. So I wanted to get a PO BOX. (More stuff to do!) I don’t really want to list my personal address for everything.

I’m planning on selling a couple t-shirts for the winter release! They are referenced in My Roommate’s a Jock? Well, Crap! My graphic designer (Enny Kraft) has come up with a couple designs that I think will be a hit! I need to set up that account on Café Press to sell my shirts! (More to do!) Cole is a nerdy, science guy. So if you like science related t-shirts, keep a look out for mine! I need to read over Café Press’ “terms and conditions” to understand their rules. I think they pay me “royalties” too. Like, I use their website, they make the t-shirts and collect taxes and stuff, and all I do is upload my image and create a page to sell on. Then they pay me a portion of the price they sell it for. I am 85% sure that’s what I read the first time I considered doing this. I may even look into copyrighting my image. So much to think about!

So… If you know anything about the mentioned above conundrums (ie. copyrights, LLC’s, filling on taxation forms etc…) let me know. PM me or post a comment. I need help and I am not beyond asking for it. I e-mailed my CPA and he hasn’t gotten back to me. Luckily I know another one I will hopefully see today. I just can’t do it all by myself. I read over lists of rules and regulations but it feels better to have someone with me who knows about such things. Right? Make sense?

So… TO DO:

1.     Get PO Box

2.     Call Taxation office to see if my “business name” is available. And then fill out form!

3.     Buy domain name

4.     Change web address officially

5.     Set up a café press account

6.     (after editor is done) fill out Kindle Direct online forms to finish creating an account.

7.     Reveal cover of The Cost of Loving!

8.     Write, write, write… I can’t sit around with finished projects in the process and NOT have another one shaping up for submission! I need to finish writing Names Can Never Hurt Me!

>Oh, and read about copyright laws!

So… loads to do for me! This is why I can’t read at the moment. No time! Or if I’m reading it is over contracts and “guidelines” etc… It feels overwhelming at times.

I also updated my website and changed the look. Is this better? Worse? I like dark colors but that isn't always what everyone else may like. If you have an opinion, comment!

This is all I can think of at the moment.

Laterz,

Wade

Things are happening!!!

Just when I am beginning to wonder WHEN I might be working on My Roommate’s a Jock (because there is a proposed release of December,) I get an e-mail with a document to fill out asking me for “blurb” details. YAY!!!! I saw the e-mail in my inbox from the publisher and opened it immediately!

It asked for character details/bios and my mind started swirling with Cole and Ellis! Man I miss those guys! I’ve been dying to read through that MS for a while now but held off because I’m consumed with other things right now. But truthfully, I can’t wait to go through the editing process with DSP and “remember” all the things I liked about writing that story! The questionnaire asked things like: What genre fits your story best? I answered Humor (because I think it’s freakin’ funny,) Contemporary, and Holiday (because I originally wrote it with a “Christmas theme” in mind. The original title was Cole for Christmas but there were lots of stories called that.)

This is my original blurb:

It’s easy to become cynical when life never goes your way.

Cole Reid, a college senior, has been a social recluse since the age of fifteen. His obsessive/compulsive behavior, and controlling, sarcastic nature have driven half the population away, where as the other half of humanity hates him because he’s gay. As he sees it, he’s bound to drive any prospective friend away, let alone find a boyfriend, so why bother? After Cole’s roommate of three years graduates, the housing department assigns Ellis Montgomery to his campus apartment. Ellis’ presence is problematic at best. He’s messy for one thing, but he’s also gorgeous, straight, and represents everything Cole has tried to avoid since the tenth grade—he’s a jock!

Amid the chaos of frat buddies, camping expeditions, and meddling parents, Cole and Ellis develop a fast and firm friendship that goes against Cole’s glass-half-empty attitude. Is there more brewing below the surface of Ellis’ amazing blue eyes, or is it simply Cole’s reawakened libido that drives him to look past the fact that his roommate’s a jock and see there’s way more between them than camaraderie?

What do you think? DSP may change it a little because they know more about marketing than I do. But I like the way it sounds. Especially the first two-three sentences!! I am looking forward to seeing what the cover will look like too! Can’t wait!!

So gear up for a sarcastic yet hilarious romp this December! Cole and Ellis, and their friends Rob and Russ, will knock your socks off!

Speaking of covers…. OMGosh! The cover for The Cost of Loving is AWESOME! We are almost finalized with the draft! Little tweaks left. I can’t wait to reveal it. Gotta wait though. The MS is still with the editor. Finishing editing is the next priority. Once that stage is done the rest will not take long. While editing is going on, I have been looking into ISBN#’s and the legaleeze of Kindle disclosure agreement stuff. I’m making sure I understand it before hitting the “accept” button. I have an e-mail in to my accountant. I want to make sure I understand about “collecting taxes” and crap. I don’t think I need to do anything but report my income on my tax return, but it doesn’t hurt to ask my CPA. Self-publishing has lots of steps and costs! The HOPE is that it is worth it in the end. Paying for cover art (including stock photos,) editing, ISBN #’s, possible bar codes, etc. adds up! And then, with it being ME doing all this stuff, I have to set my own price! How do I go about that?

Yes, there is a “guideline” sheet on Create Space etc. I’m not sure how many pages it will end up being. When Love is Not Enough is “officially” 315 pages. My MS (on my computer) is 284 pages. On the pdf there are 4 pages added to the front as normal things like title page & disclaimers. The actual story ends on page 312 with my bio on the next page and two pages of DSP stuff following that. So if I do the math— 315-6=309 for the actual MS pages which is 25 pages more than I had originally. This is due to formatting I figure. This is about an 8% increase. If I take my # of pages of TCOL which is 331 and add 8% that would make 358 pages. That is a long book! What do you think is reasonable? DSP charges $6.99 for WLINE in eBook (when not on sale etc…) and $17.99 for paperback. Are these prices good? I know there are sales and give-always etc and I am sure I will offer the same things when I market TCOL. The Cost of Loving is a longer book but I was considering the same price range. IS that good? You as a consumer, would you pay that? Is it reasonable? Then I THOUGHT I read something in the “rules” about undercutting other places of sale by 20% which would make the price like $5.59 for an ebook I know I am throwing numbers around and thinking out loud but these are things that go through my head. I still have their pricing table/chart to consider.

I know now why publishers like to stay around 100k words because the cost to print it is higher. Even eBook wise because there is a “delivery charge” per megabyte. It’s odd, because you (I) never think of the Internet as having delivery charges but DATA costs to download. Like on my phone plan, for example, I have unlimited Data but some plans you are charged. I guess the same principle applies to Data online. Some Internet is limited and has a charge per kilobyte (or whatever.) And I do NOT get what I charge in case you were wondering. I get a percentage. Create Space and Amazon get the rest. Just like a publisher they give me royalties off the sales. Writing is seriously NOT a get-rich-quick sort of career! And when you hear it said that WRTING the book is the easiest part, they are not kidding! Everything afterwards is work and costs money!

Would I change anything knowing what I’m in for now? No. I guess not. I love my stories and my characters and if sharing them with the publics takes the extra work of self-publishing—so be it! Plus, I’m learning new things! Learning is always good.

So these are my thoughts for now. Feel free to comment below! (I love comments)

Laterz!

Wade

When you only have 20 minutes...

What do you do with your time?

I WOULD answer—write! Except that twenty minutes often seems like a tease and I rarely get anything accomplished in such a short amount of time. Twenty minutes is barely enough time to recap what I wrote the time before and get my mind IN the story! Twenty minutes doesn’t get me anywhere. Sad but true.

I WANT to write but too many other things get in the way! So with 20 minutes I choose to blog :p

I’m just aggravated with the “daily grind” mentality. Sometimes the everyday needs (like jobs etc) get in the way of the fun stuff like writing. I want writing to be my day job! (So do all other writers!) But writing is tough business and not everything you write gets to be a hot seller! (Oh how I know this well.) But this is not always the case. There are times when writers can do well and get their “break” and enjoy a small amount of success. (Or, with the example of Stephan King, lots of success.)

A writer I “know” online has recently been very happy about (and status’ing about) hitting 10,000 sales! My first thought was “Holy guacamole!” 10k? Shit! That is a lot of book sales. And she was self-published through Create Space for some of it (Not sure if all of it because I wasn’t internet stalking her and looking into her fame.) But she did it! Granted, she doesn’t write m/m romance. Some of it is horror and thriller types so as “mainstream” goes she has a bigger audience than I do. But just a few years ago she was unpublished and on a writers website for “unknown/unpublished” authors. Same as me! Then life happens and people take notice of her books and she is selling like crazy! I think that’s awesome! A writer’s dream right?

*And I don’t even NEED to mention Jay Bell and his MOVIE!!!! Talk about a DREAM! He’s getting somewhere! Is it somewhere fast? Is it a castle in Ireland with Champaign flowing from every faucet? Um, no. I think that writers struggle. Even the successful ones. Because they’re artists. Normally, and I can be wrong, artists always have the next idea blooming in their mind. They can never just write one smash hit and sit back on their laurels riding the wave of fame and fortune for the rest of their lives. (Unless they wrote Harry Potter) Creativity pushes the artist to explore the limits of their imagination. Not all of that is popular.

For me, I am driven to write what means the most to me. I am spurred on create tales that tear the emotion from my chest. I weep when I write. (Often, not all the time.) I hope one day to sell 10k copies of something! Not sure it will be When Love is Not Enough, but something!

Twenty minutes… Sometimes I daydream for that long. I THINK about my characters and conjure up scenes in twenty minutes. But I haven’t had time to write them. Often it’s when I’m in the car driving. I also come up with other book ideas that I have no time to bash out. I have the next book in mind. The title I came up with is Does Sex Matter? …lol I will leave you hanging with that because I didn’t write the blurb yet. There will more than likely be football in that one and cheerleading.

So, with the idea of Create Space and self-publishing… I have some thoughts swishing around in the old noggin. My graphic designer is a wealth of information actually. She knows a lot! And she is helping me. (helping me think too much!) I want some feedback because some ideas affect my readership and I kinda like my readers/fans. One idea involves “Kindle Select” if you have heard of it. I know I need to read more about it but this thing apparently helps loads, but also narrows the availability to kindle only. (Or the kindle store or Amazon only? I didn’t read the fine print yet.) My question is, how many of you does this affect? Those out there who have been waiting patiently for over a year for the sequel (which I hope doesn’t suck, or disappoint,) will you be doubly pissed of you have to wait another 90 days because it is only available through Amazon? After 90 days I then can offer it through Smashwords, and probably All Romance Books etc… I admit, I have to read up on the ins and outs of it. But this thought of making some of you wait longer is bothering me!

Comment. Let me know what you think.

And graphic designer person… Do I keep your identity a secret until the final unveiling of the cover? I don’t know what we want to do about that. We haven’t discussed whether you want attention drawn to your greatness now or later? (I’m being silly, but people WILL like your work!)

Same goes with the editor… His name will appear in the book. Do I keep quiet until then. And is it normal not to “name” your beta readers? I had a couple. Two for The Cost of Loving. One for My Roommate’s a Jock. Do people even mention their “people”? I don’t know. I’m asking. I write down all the things that come to mind and I just don’t know the answer to.

More than likely it will be forever to get to 10k in sales. I don’t write popular. I write from my gut. I don’t think my gut is popular. And as far as that writer I “know” how is doing well… KUDOS TO HER! I’m glad some of us artists can be recognized for the sweat we put into our art!

Wade

Have a GREAT weekend for me :)

Sometimes when nothing is going on I have a hard time remembering that other people out there are not in my head and have no idea what (if anything) is happening in my life. Some of them wonder. So this blog is just to say HI!

The cover for The Cost of Loving is almost decided on. I have two versions but I’m waiting on my editor to make a final decision. When he’s done reading TCOL he’ll give me his opinion on which cover suits the characters best. I’m really excited about it! I love what my designer has done! I hope to hear from him by next week as to which cover he likes best and the status on how bad my editing is to begin with :p

So right now I’m in a lull. I asked the graphic designer to think about the cover for #3 in the mean time. Why not? I want to finish Love, Trust, and Learning to Live Again by early next year and possibly have a spring release. Darian is a difficult character to write and I want to remain true to his personality and his past to create a book that is believable, gripping, and dare I say better than the other two! J This may, or may not be possible but it’s a goal to shoot for!

I’m not writing Darian right now though, I’m writing Names Can Never Hurt Me. WHY? Because I think this could be easier to write and finish in a timely manner. I’d LOVE to submit it to Dreamspinner by the end of the year. I’m shooting for November. (Gotta have goals!) If I can, then I’ll have a novel sitting with them while I write the conclusion of my trilogy about Jamie, Matt and Darian. Does that sound good?

Today I was hoping to write but I seem to lack the time. My family decided to “purge” the house of crap. Yay! *non-excited voice* This means that my day of writing became a day of cleaning out crap. (I have a lot of crap.) Not just me, but everyone. I guess it is good to get things done (like a spring cleaning) but I really wanted to write all day, not go through my stuff and decide what I can get rid of. So not fun! I cleaned out and swept one room so that gave me an excuse to sit and at least write a blog post!

I’ll let you all know how things are going with my writing, my self-publishing, etc as events occur. J

For now, have a great weekend!

Xoxo

Wade Kelly

PS: don’t forget to visit this new online magazine: http://scarlettiebooks.com/thescarletletter/

And any time you want to remember my college friend it is much appreciated!!!

WePay: Rally Around Gay College Student in NEED

Paypal: writerwadekelly@gmail.com

Self-Publishing, here I come!

So yeah, I’m going self-pub! It’s been looooong enough of a wait to get the sequel to When Love is Not Enough published. Really what I SHOULD have done is self-pub’ed this last year when it was rejected the first time. I regret that. Actually, what I regret is WAITING on the release of WLINE until The Cost of Loving was finished.

Originally… and I am saying all this to help those after me LEARN from MY mistakes… Originally I was asked if I wanted to wait until the spring of 2012 to possibly release WLINE and TCOL back to back. (Spring because by then I’d have the sequel finished and Dreamspinner could look at them both together.) I was eager to be published and said no, I’ll go with what I got and finish TCOL as soon as I can. For the future author’s out there—when a publisher asks if you want to wait and release two together, SAY YES!

But hind sight is 20/20. I have to live in the now. I have also learned some things about publishers and what probably sells and what doesn’t. (My stuff being in the category of “doesn’t”.) But, I know I’ve said this before, I’m writing for ME. I’m writing what I think is important to put out there. I am writing what I think people need to hear. My subject-matter is not always popular. Suicide: not popular! And the “bittersweet” tag on When Love is Not Enough: Not popular! Will I stop writing that for the sake of popularity? No. At least I hope not.

I DID however write a fun book last spring. My Roommate’s a Jock? Well, Crap! Is fun and sarcastic and “poplar” by some of the standards I’ve come across. I didn’t write it that way JUST to get some books published (at least not completely,) I wrote it because it was the story that popped into my head one day. I SHOULD come out this winter. December-ish. I haven’t heard anything from the editors or anything but I’ll keep you up dated!

I have an editor! The Cost of Loving is with him for now. I hope that he doesn’t find too much wrong with it. Mainly because it has gone through me, and two other people to be at the stage it is at so I would hope we’d catch most things. I also have a graphic designer who is reading TCOL too to help her come up with a cover design. I’m excited!

I also set up and AUTHOR PAGE on Amazon. I didn’t realize I didn’t have one. Oops. One thing that I am concerned with and maybe you all can help me with, AMAZON doesn’t have many “ratings” or “reviews” for my book. It takes time to write a review and when you the readers normally review on Goodreads then it is redundant to put one on Amazon. Can you please be redundant? Not everyone goes to Goodreads. Maybe I can put something on my Author profile to direct reader attention there. Some people like to read reviews. (I don’t normally read too many before I pick a book, but some people do!) OR they look at the star rating. As for me, if a book always gets 2-stars I am probably not going to bother. But 5-stars, 4-stars (even 3-stars) sure! I’ll pick it up.

Latest updates are: me entering the self pub realm! But I have options…

Create Space? Smashwords? Others? Do you have a preference as a reader? Does one offer something over another that makes them better in your view? I was looking at Create space yesterday. I like that one mainly because it’s associated with Amazon. I like Amazon and I buy a lot from them. But does that matter? I was looking at the rules and terms of service etc… Do you know that the royalty rate is still not all that much? Here I was thinking, “oh cool I can get more because I am not giving up most of the cost of the book to the publisher. Well, yes I am. Create Space is handled by a publishing company too and get their share! The difference is thatI can set up the price of the book. (I set up an account and I was looking at the info.) So I can charge $2.99 for an eBook or $8.99 etc… My royalty is based off of a formula they have based on # of pages and the dimensions of the book (3x5, 6x9…) and the base price of the book that I ask. Whew… I read a lot yesterday. I now need to look at Smashwords but I think I looked into that last year and it seemed like it was the same.

This is why I went to a few publishers in hopes they would just publish it for me. I didn’t want the hassle. I SHOULD have taken on the hassle. I’m sorry. I apologize to my public, my fans, & my readers, for being lazy and wanting a publisher to do the work for me. But I am not delaying the inevitable any longer!!! I am moving forward!

I hope to get The Cost of Loving published in the next couple months. (September or October) If it is later than that so be it. Keep your fingers crossed though, every good wish counts!

Side note: Thank you for all the well wishing for my college friend ‘K’. He is going to write a letter soon. I promise! School started this week and he has had some other “issues” but I can’t speak for him. I think he needs to speak about his life for himself, hence the need for a letter. I’ll get one soon. But thank you also for the continued donations. It amazes me that after some time, people still donate! It’s been weeks since I really said much about it yet I got a donation yesterday! Thank you. I try not to bug people and I don’t want to whine but he does still need help. (We all do, don’t we?) Everyone needs help paying bills and getting on their feet when something bad comes along so I want to say thank you to all those who are still thinking of him and helping in monetary ways. YES, I will not forget those who help in spiritual ways too. Prayer is important. Sending notes are important! So thank you. Here is the link again for ways to give. Either through WePay at GoFundMe (http://www.gofundme.com/helpgaystudent) or through MY PayPal account: writerwadekelly@gmail.com, either way, ‘K’ will get the money you send!

Thanks,

Have a rad day! ;)