Hello there!
Welcome to the new folks who have joined in the past month!
Thanks to everyone who read and sent feedback on the sneak peek of THE RED SKY. If you haven’t been able to get to it, or just got THE BLACK SKY and don’t want to spoil it, no worries! The sneak peek isn’t going anywhere, so you can always come back and check it out later.
At the beginning of each January, my wife and I always sit down and set goals for the year. Some are personal, some are professional, some are for fun. This year I set three writing goals:
Publish THE RED SKY. With the beta readers giving good feedback, and editing/rewrites currently happening, I’m positive I’ll be hitting my October 2022 publishing goal. There were times I thought I was never going get the book in shape, and it took multiple attempts to get the first chapter written and the structure in place, but I believe in what I’ve got now. Can’t wait to share it!
Write A New Stand-Alone Novel. I’ve been kicking around the idea of a book I’ve off and on called “Martin Scorsese meets The Expanse” or “The Mob on Mars” in some way or shape for about two years, and while I’ve been jotting a lot of stuff down, I hadn’t found the arc or tone I was looking for until recently. I recently read the book 2,000 TO 10,000 by Rachel Aaron (review below) and it’s really helping me get everything in place before I start typing.
Get a Short Story Published. Last year I finally started turning some of my story ideas that I jotted down into actual full-fleshed out stories. I had some friends and family give them a read for feedback, and I’m going to keep at it, revising those and writing new ones. I’ve never had a story published, so I plan to change that this year. The power of positive thinking!
Lastly, on a personal note, I went with my family to Universal Studios in Orlando for a weekend. It was a long time in the planning trip that we were unsure we’d actually be able to make due to Covid Omicron variant spreading quickly all around us, including our neighbors and schools. Luckily, we all stayed healthy and were able to meet up with my sister and her family in Orlando for a quick two-day trip.
My daughter and wife are huge Harry Potter fans, so we spent a lot of time in Wizarding World. The good news? Butter beer is delicious! Especially served hot at night when the temperatures dipped into the low 60s and 50s as we walked the park. We did get some heavy wind and rain that kept us in our hotel room for a morning, but we got to almost all the sights and rides we wanted to while we were there.
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, then you probably recognize the picture above as Ollivander’s wand shop. We visited and part of the fun is that from a group of about twenty of so allowed into the store at a time, the shopkeeper picks a child from the audience and has them try out different wands, with a bit of “magic” to go along with the show.
Suprise, our daughter got picked! She had a blast trying out wands and finding the right one for her, or as they say, the wand chose her.
Overall, we had a lot of fun when the weather cooperated, and it was nice to go on our first family vacation since before the pandemic started.
Reminder: if you are interested in music, and music that an author like me might listen to when writing, you’re in luck. Check out THE RED SKY playlist on Spotify, all the music I listened to during the writing of THE RED SKY.
RECENT READS
A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas
My wife suggested I give this a read, as I haven’t read any books in the “new adult high fantasy” genre. I was hesitant going in, and though it was slow going at the beginning, she recommended I stick with it and I’m glad I did. There is a lot of worldbuilding to get through, but the payoff, especially in small details Mass layers in throughout the first 2/3rds, made the final 1/3rd of the book a very entertaining page-turner. Already added the follow-up to my ‘to be read’ pile.
THE ICE MAN: CONFESSIONS OF A MAFIA CONTRACT KILLER by Philip Carlo
Books and movies about the mafia and organized crime always fascinate me, and THE ICE MAN is at the top of the pile. Richard Kuklinski wasn’t just a contract killer for all five of the infamous New York City crime families of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, he was also a terrifying serial killer who experimented with various poisons and tortures. Essentially, he was a ruthless sociopath who found a way to make his horrific skills profitable. The book delves into his childhood (hint: it wasn’t good), the family he attempted to keep shielded from his actions, and his most well-known and some lesser-known killings. If true crime is your thing, this should be on your list.
2,000 to 10,000: How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron
Several authors I follow recommended this book, so I picked it and can definitely see why it’s respected. It isn’t about making you a better writer, it assumes you have the capacity to write. This is about prepping for writing, both in terms of your story and your schedule. The book provides some simple exercises you can use to break down important bits and pieces of your characters and story that you might get stuck on in the middle of writing. The ultimate purpose is to make your limited writing as productive as possible, something I’m not always good about thanks to various distractions like social media and pets.
RECENT TV/MOVIES
THE WITCHER (S.2, Netflix) - Great second season that expanded on the characters and world.
COUNTERPART (S.1, Amazon) - Started but never finished this a while ago. Glad I got back into, lots of great spy games and intrigue with a great premise.
QUEER EYE: AUSTIN (S.6, Netflix) - Might be the best season yet.
COBRA KAI (S.4, Netflix) - Slow start but a great finish, excited for season five.
THE EXPANSE (S.6, Amazon) - Sad that ended but happy it went out in an exciting and thoughtful way.
THE COLONY (Netflix) - Low-budget sci-fi flick with an interesting premise but murky production.
Lastly, it’s out next month and I’m super excited to see Moonfall. It’s another over the top disaster flick like his previous films 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow.
Here’s the trailer if you haven’t seen it yet.
MUSIC
Observatory by Aeon Station (2021)
Blind Baby by The New Birth (1975)
W by Boris (2022)
Havasu by Pedro The Lion (2022)
A few reminders before you go:
READER REVIEWS! If you read and enjoyed THE BLACK SKY (or any of my books for that matter), I would be grateful if you left a positive review or a rating at Amazon or GoodReads. Reviews help other people find the book.
All previous newsletters are archived. Lots of stuff to check out including a link to the original 2011 screenplay of THE BLACK SKY, hints and helps to get started on the real work easter egg hunt teased at the back of the book, and more!
There’s a “music inspired by” soundtrack written specifically for THE BLACK SKY you can listen to at your favorite streaming sites like Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, etc.
For those that have read THE BLACK SKY, you may remember a mention or two of a bar called “The Dank,” the place Tessa worked at in college where she and Bishop met. I created a virtual playlist for this “punk rock bar,” which you can check out on Spotify.
Stay Safe!
Tim
Listen to my 90s music podcast: Dig Me Out