Things are gearing up in my neck of the woods, and it’s time I once more dusted off this blog in an attempt to keep people updated on what’s going on with me. This time I got smart — I did some research, and actually have topics to discuss, as well as a deadline. I’m aiming for a post every Wednesday.

Playing a little catch up:

Broken Trails is still in limbo at the moment. I’m waiting for the editor to either be assigned, or go over the manuscript and return it to me. PD Publishing has it scheduled for release in winter of this year. They’ve been through a lot of mayhem the last year, so seem to be a bit behind schedule. Cross your fingers!

Continue Reading…

New words!  WOOT!  1262 wordcount for a new scene in Chapter Twenty-Five of Broken Trails, wherein Lainey’s first qualification run (the Kuskokwim 300) is detailed. She eats snow. Not by choice.  LOL!

Started editing the next scene of that chapter, as well. Not finished yet. I need to show more of the residual awkwardness between Lainey and Thom Fuller, the result of Lainey’s drinking binge the previous month. I’ll continue on Saturday. (Tonight is Poison Night – arthritis meds – and I’m going to be worthless on Friday.  Friday will be my official day off of writing from here on out, I think.)

I’ve been reading the Blood Books by Tanya Huff lately.  Working on number four – Blood Pact.  I like them better than the television show they inspired.  (Was it True Blood? Don’t remember.)  Saw the first episode of that series and, while it followed the book quite well, I didn’t get into the characters or the sense of anticipation.  The book covers several days, so I think the loss came from cramming so much material into the one or two hour block required for TV.

Last night after work, I did some editing on my website.  I discovered that while there was a link to a short story called ‘Dancing,’ it had never been uploaded to the site.  The information page for On Azrael’s Wings also had the wrong excerpt (it showed Castle Walls, instead,) so I changed that, as well.

Here I sit at the Urban Grind coffee house in the Pearl District.  I was impressed with the funky little place the last time I was here.  Unfortunately, thats’ when I got so deathly ill and I haven’t been back since.

But today I have a purpose.

Last night while online, I became bored, really bored.  I think I’ve reached the end of my writing vacation.   The stack of books to be read remains the same height no matter how many I weed out of it, but I’m not so fired up to read anymore.  (I know.  I hear you.  “It’s about TIME!”  My wife agrees with you.)

I’ve been working my way through the Into the West miniseries.  Yesterday morning as I finished watching episode four, I got a major hankering to write.  Or rewrite.  Or something.

One things I’ve always said was that I didn’t care for CyberEpic.  People ask if I’ll ever publish it; my response has always been a resounding “no!”  When I wrote it, I knew what the average white American knew about American Indians.  (Well, maybe a little bit more, but not all that much.)  Now, however, I’ve done a mountain of research for the writing and rewriting of Tiopa Ki Lakota.  There are so many more things I can put into CyberEpic that was denied me by my previous ignorance.

That doesn’t change the fact that I still hate the title and the story.  LOL!

Today I begin writing a new novel, tentatively titled Red Wolves.  Same basic plot, same general characters, but I’m writing it from scratch.  I’m sure some things will remain the same, and others will change drastically.  Those of you who dearly adore CyberEpic, be warned.  Or be cheered . . .

When I first wrote that novella, I didn’t outline any of it.  Given my recent discovery that perhaps outlining isn’t for me, Red Wolves will be a return to those roots.  I have no idea where this story will go, or where the characters will take me.  Maybe it’ll help fire up my inspiration, and put me on the good written path I started on so many years ago.
A girl can hope.

...so good.

Spent yesterday reading through the first seventeen and a half chapters of Born of Silence. Also went in to my audiologist to have my hearing checked and the aids looked over. The aids are doing fine and dandy, but the hearing is worse. I’ve got a name and number for an ear, nose, & throat specialist. The audiologist says that the outer ear appears physically fine and the inner ear has loss, but not to the extent of the total hearing loss. There’s a possibility that some correction might be attainable.

Then she asked me about my name. Usually this is followed by, “Are you Native American?” Totally blew me away when she asked instead, “Do you write books?” LOL! I’ve never had anyone recognize my name from my books before when I wasn’t at a convention. It was rather surreal!

Topped off the evening by breaking in our new propane grill. I’ve never cooked with gas before, so it was an education. The burgers turned out pretty well. (I used a recipe I found on The Food Network.) Grilled one ear of corn as an experiment; it turned out rather well. Next week I’m going to try chicken.

Today I finished the last of the reading and wrote 1153 words to finish out chapter eighteen. I’ve got at least one, maybe two more scenes to write from scratch before I get into the light editing phase. If it hadn’t been for that damned flu, I’d be completely finished with this, dammit!

Last week I reviewed the final .pdf of Castle Walls. That means it’ll be out soon! YAY!

At least THIS time . . . Who knows when Castle Walls will darken my digital door again?

(And I just discovered my caps shift doesn’t work with my iJournal on this iBook. Bummer. I’ll update at the website.)

LOTS been happening here. Mostly work. But this next month is supposed to be slower than molasses so I’ll have some extra days off. Not good for the paycheck, but fantastic for the RA recuperation and writing!

Obviously, from the first paragraph, you can deduce that I have an iBook now. It’s a few months old (my wife’s. We replaced hers,) but fine and dandy for me! I’ve actually gotten writing done after work!! WOOT! Part of my problem has been an inability to wander off to Coffee People and write—my new Palmie, while nifty in the extreme, doesn’t have a Dvorak keyboard driver for the keyboard. No Dvorak, no type, no writing. It’s been the cause of a year’s worth of dead time. By the time I arrive home at work, I get too comfortable and nothing gets done unless it’s my day off.

That’s changed, though. When I’m positive I’m going to get off work on time (or early! SQUEE!) I bring the iBook to work and hit the coffee shop on the way home. It hasn’t doubled my production by any means, but 500 words two or three days a week is better than none.

Right now I’m drinking an organic mocha with a touch of cayenne pepper in it. Not at Coffee People, my favorite place to be, but at the Urban Grind in the Pearl District. Yesterday I went to CP after work but it was packed (misty rainy weather brings out the coffee drinkers.) So no writing cuz I went home. Today’s a day off, and I figured I’d check out the local hot spots with wi-fi and get some writing done.

Rewrites on Born of Silence are going well now. I’ve added over ten chapters of new material and have three more new scenes to write before another spate of editing only. I’d like to get these three scene written this weekend (or the lion’s share anyway) so I can whip through the edits. A couple of weeks ago I blasted through four thousand words in a day.

Castle Walls is up for edits, too. I’m nearly through with them. The publisher wants to add a paragraph or two at one point and I’ve been mulling over the options there. This WILL be done and sent back by Friday. I’m not sure what happens next as far as editing goes. It’s due out sometime this summer.

After that, who knows. On Azrael’s Wings is still calling, but I think I may reread Iditarod. My publisher may be interested in it and it seems that a lot of folks are asking about a book.

Went to see Varrakai!, a Cirque du Soleil act here in town. Very nice. We sat third row to the side. The set was marvelous and the acts were terrific. Lots of aerial acts, though. Had I really paid attention, I would have gotten seats further back. We ended up with cricks in our neck from constantly looking skyward.

What else?

Went bowling for the first time in a dozen years. It was a department outing. Only went for two games before it got too much for me. My highest score was 108. I would have done better, but the ol’ body was starting to rebel. My thighs were killing me and it messed up my already messed up foot for a couple of days, but things are back in place and muscles no longer aching. The boss let me go home early the day after and I slept a solid three hours that afternoon!

My wife is sicker than a dog right now. She went to Seattle to visit her sister and niece. The kid’s sick and passed it along. The wife spent last night on the couch in the living room to avoid infecting me; she was up and down all night. I’ve spent the morning in the bedroom with the iBook and decided to get out of the house for a bit. (She had a fever last night but it may have dropped some today.)

All right. Enough dithering. Time to get some writing done. I’ll try to post a bit more regularly, at least to mention word counts. (Promise, jrosestar!)

Been pretty busy at work and at home to write or post. I’ll admit, some of it is an annoying addiction to Second Life, but the work front has been exhausting. The holiday season are both our busiest and laziest times of the year.

Orycon totally rocked, of course. I had a blast and went to many panels (writing oriented.) Learned some good stuff. I think there’s a 60% chance they’ll come back next year. My fellow associates kicked butt in wowing the attendees this year. There were very few hassles and only one pain in the butt issue (slow elevators.) The event manager in charge went on vacation, so negotiations are on hold until she gets back. Here’s hoping!

Then I worked another seven days in a row. Our biggest and busiest convention of the year is on Veteran’s Day weekend. So what happens? The other supervisor resigns his position and one of our less dependable associates called off. So, we were two people short, and I had to swap in the middle of the week to swing shifts to cover. Ugh. Twelve hour days (and nights) ain’t fun, but it could have been much worse. Had yesterday off, worked a swing last night, have today off, and tomorrow I’m back to days. Next week, though, I’m on nights.

During some of that down time, I’ve reread Orphan Maker and think I have a good idea where to go next. It’s dropping off my outline and I had to let it sit and stew for a bit, since I didn’t know where it was going. It’ll get to my planned ending, I know, it’s just taking its own sweet time getting there.

Also went over Warlord Metal again, the final .pdf for PD Publishing. That should pretty much be the last of THAT one. Again. LOL! It should be out this month. I’ve been through the initial editing of Castle Walls, but that’s not due out until next summer, so I don’t know when I’ll get the next round.

And I write. 1952 words, chapter twenty-six of Orphan Maker is complete.

Also ran errands today. Picked up my month’s prescription, did some banking, and went to the audiologist to pick up my new ear molds. There’s a definite improvement in hearing with them. The rubber and plastic get old and less flexible; that interferes with their ability to conduct sound.

Castle Walls has been through the editing process. Next is tech edits and then it should be finished. I’ve already had a peek at the cover. Of course, it’s fantastic, as all Steph Solomon-Lopez’s covers are. Once it’s officially okayed, I’ll upload it to my site.

Nearing the end of the Iditarod posts. I’ll post another section this weekend, but I’m fairly sure it’ll be completely online soon. I’m attending Orlando Bardcon this year and leave on the 20th. I’ll post the next week’s section at that time and, if there’s only one or two following that, I think I’ll post them, too.

For those of you attending Bardcon, I’ll be signing the new edition of Tiopa Ki Lakota at the PD Publishing table. Come on by! I’ve dropped out of the Sunday breakfast, though. I’m shy. The con will be plenty of attention for me! LOL! I will be involved in the morning Round Robin. I’m really looking forward to that.

The move went extremely well. In three days we were completely unpacked and put away. I still have some doodads to hang on the balcony, but other than that, we’ve settled in.

Been without DSL for almost a week, then had to spend an hour on the phone with support to get it back up and running. Sheesh. I’ve spent the last two days doing nothing but wallowing on the web. Now I know why relapsing heroin addicts invariably OD . . .

Yesterday, I read a couple of online fics that were . . . fantastic! I’m gobsmacked! (And I ain’t English!) Go! Read! Both of them! (And thanks, ! Your review is what sent me there!)

It occurred to me this morning that Castle Walls is due to be sent to the publisher by August 1st . . . and I haven’t even touched it since we negotiated the contract. Oops! Guess what Redhawk’s doing this morning?

And lastly, I’ve uploaded the next to chapters of the Iditarod tale. Enjoy!

An announcement has been put out on the ‘verse about a former employee of Fortitude selling off the abandoned stock of titles. The books have been stored in her basement almost from the beginning of the company, and it will cost three or four hundred dollars to have the local waste management company haul them away.

I can see her point, honestly. Fortitude didn’t pay her for storage and, when the company folded, ignored the legal notices sent to them to take care of the remaining product. The woman does have a valid reason for doing this to receive some sort of compensation since the former CEO appears to have washed her hands of the issue.

But let’s get something perfectly clear. Several months ago, I was told by this person that she would be discussing various avenues with the authors involved in liquidating the stock once all legal hoops were jumped through. Then, last week, I received an email telling me the same thing she’s posted on various lists in the ‘verse – that she was selling it off on her own, to defray costs of storage and in lieu of paying another company to haul it to the landfill. There was no discussion to be had.

According to my contracts with Fortitude, royalties will not be paid in the event that the company dissolves. So what she’s doing is legal (which I never doubted.) Unfortunately, all three of my titles are going to be republished through PD Publishing . . . both Tiopa Ki Lakota and Warlord Metal will be coming out by around Orlando Bardcon. Castle Walls will be out sometime next year.

So, if you absolutely must have those first two titles, knock yourself out. Or you can wait a few more months and see them in all their shining glory with the nifty new covers done by Steph Solomon-Lopez. (I think you know which I’d prefer! LOL!) I know that Tiopa hasn’t changed significantly from the second edition, but haven’t begun editing Warlord, yet.

Edit to add:

I’ve been reminded that no agreement between Fortitude and the individual in question was made regarding storage of product. It was only after the company folded that storage fees were demanded and refused.

Additionally, this person was a corporate officer of the company, not an employee. Her actions do represent the company (and our contractual agreement) as opposed to someone trying to see compensation for money spent.

So . . . legal or not? I don’t know. It’s in the gray area. Technically, Fortitude no longer exists, my contracts are defunct, and no royalties are due. But she’s not selling second hand books – she’s selling unsold copies – and she was a corporate member of the company.

Anyhow, just thought I’d clarify the muddy waters for folks. We all do what we need to do in life. You make your own choices.

P.D. Publishing is proud to announce that we will be publishing the following books:

Castle Walls, 2nd edition by D. Jordan Redhawk, available in the Summer of 2006. Also from Redhawk, Tiopa Ki Lakota, 3rd edition and Warlord Metal, 2nd edition, both available Fall 2005.

Miles, that is. I’ve written Lainey out of Shaktoolik, through a six hour break at Koyuk, and on her way to Elim. Hopefully the end of this chapter will see her out of Elim and on toward Golovin.

The next stretch after that will be short and sweet with only a mandatory 8 hour break in White Mountain. I think I’ll be done in three more chapters. Whew!

Then this mess will be off to three content beta readers and I’ll dump it onto my mailing list for a month. After that, the first draft will be removed from list archives and I’ll begin rewrites.

Not sure what’s next as far as projects go. Orphan Maker calls, as does Born of Silence rewrites. Or maybe I should do a full rewrite of CyberEpic for publication. I’ll take a week off and see what slaps me upside the head most.

Steph Solomon-Lopez has been working on the cover for Warlord Metal. Good gods, this woman rocks! I liked the original cover from Fortitude, but this one . . . flabbergasted. Yep. That’s me. Once it goes through the publisher and we get an okay, I’ll post it.

And someone asked me about the ‘3rd’ edition of Tiopa Ki Lakota. This book will not be appreciably different from the 2nd edition published by Fortitude. The same goes for Warlord Metal, I think. Those of you who already have a copy of the 2nd edition do not need to buy the 3rd in the hopes you’ve missed something!

Hopefully until the end of the novel. I’ve busted through 2672 words today, finishing chapter 44 and beginning 45. Lainey’s getting punch drunk from the lack of sleep, some hallucinations. This leg is also taking a toll on her dogs. She’ll lose two more before she leaves the checkpoint at Unalakleet.

Which is not to say the last three weeks have been a total loss. I’ve edited a total of 241 thousand words – all three of my previously published novels.

I scoured Castle Walls yesterday and submitted it to my publisher. If I’m lucky, they’ll want it, too. I couldn’t believe the errors, though. And I’m not talking thing that got through the content editing and such. I’m talking published errors that had shown up in the .pdf file but none of us caught. I checked the book and there they were. Whoops!

Tomorrow I’m back to that 1k a day thing. My buddy, Advocate, has given me the chance to beta her latest. I can’t read it until I’m finished writing this or I’ll get distracted again! My betas are going to be up in arms if I stop again!

Just heard from a friend that Castle Walls in number one at Libertas, the online lesbian book distributor in the U.K.! Way cool! I can’t imagine what’s going to happen when Tiopa Ki Lakota comes out.

Been working and writing. I’m now on the fourth chapter of the Iditarod story. I also started a companion piece to my short story, Want. It’s entitled Need, and is from a young Margaurethe’s point of view the day after her thorough ravishing by Elisibet.

The Dvorak switch is plugging along. Takes me twice as long to get things typed, but I’ve already noticed a lessening of pain in my left hand. I’d probably feel it in both, but I use my right hand more, and it’s been really busy at work.

Has been a pretty productive day. Yesterday, too.

Yesterday, I saw S and N and gave S an autographed copy of Castle Walls. Then saw J and did the same. Then wandered over to Coffee People to have a Velvet Hammer and pumpkin bread while I reaquainted myself with my Tiopa Ki Lakota rewrites.

Got home and uploaded a couple of programs from Anna’s Road Scholar CD for my Palm. Played around online. Saw my best friend on AIM. Cleaned off my desk.

Today, I got all the remaining copies of Castle Walls ready to be mailed out to their respetive owners. Paid a couple of bills, balanced a couple of savings accounts. Cleaned the bathroom. Fought with my wife’s Mac and Palm again – this time it was her using the same port for the printer as the Palm. Had to reboot the puter and find some other port for her to plug her Palm into. Then she couldn’t find the Wordsmith documents she’d made at school. When I found them, I couldn’t use MicroShaft Word to open them because we were on the network and I was already running the program.

What a rip, huh? Last time we were on a network, I typed some code or other into the terminal. It was the only way we could both use the program at the same time. Seems that when we moved and disconnected the network, it cleared the terminal command. Had to relocate it and enter it again. sigh

And edited Tiopa. 5,601 words today. Don’t know that I’ll get much more done tonight. My eyes are tired.

However, I can’t go to sleep. The boss called and left a message today. My schedule has changed from 2pm to 10pm – a graveyard shift. Joy. I have to stay up as late as possible now or I’ll never make it through tomorrow night.

Back to Tiopa. Or maybe Orphan Maker. How about the Iditarod adventure? Perhaps notes on the Sanguire. grumble Why does my muse always insist on doing EVERYTHING at the SAME time?