New cover for 'Ghosts of the Asylum'

At right is the new cover for my fantasy novel, Ghosts of the Asylum. I won't suggest it's a perfect cover, but I do believe it is quite the improvement over the old one.

This cover should be appearing on the e-book versions within the next 24 hours. Also, a print version of this novel is planned to be available in the coming months, and of course will feature the new cover.

Why did I change the cover now? Because in the coming months I will be releasing my novel The Company of Seven, which is the third book in The Horrors of Bond Trilogy. Though I have not labeled them as such until now, Ghosts of the Asylum is the first book in that trilogy while Demon Chains is the second. I wanted new covers to tie together all three books, which means Demon Chains also will be getting a new coat of paint soon.

For those who don't care for trilogies, don't worry. Unlike my Kobalos Trilogy, each book in The Horrors of Bond Trilogy stands on its own. The reason I consider it a trilogy is because of somewhat related subject matter and thematic material. Most of the adventuring takes place in the city of Bond and involves my Kron Darkbow character as well as other names that will be familiar to those who read the Kobalos Trilogy; there are also plenty of new names, as well.

The writing has been hard of late, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel

In no small part because of my wife's recent radiation treatments, all 15 of them spread over three weeks, I've not had a lot of time to write. We've either had to drive for hours each day to get her to a treatment, or we've stayed in hotels near where her treatments are given, and it's not so easy to write in a hotel with another person practically on top of you along with pets.

Then there have been the two major snow and ice storms we've had. Power was out for days and again we spent that time in a hotel more than an hour away from home because all the nearer hotels were booked for a big college basketball game.

So, as I said, writing has not come easy of late.

The good news is I just finished the climax to my latest novel, The Company of Seven. The novel isn't finished, but I'm at 152,000 words in what should be 160,000 once I'm done.

Then I'll set the novel aside for awhile, probably at least a month, before I get into editing it. Somewhere in there I'll send out copies to beta readers and editors. Concerning beta readers, I'm thinking of doing something different this time and opening up to the public, probably through a call-out on Facebook. Normally I have a few readers lined up, but this time I simply wanted to go a different way and see what would happen.

Once the novel is edited, I've got the cover to design and formatting to do for the e-book and the print edition. I've also got a couple of other covers to rework for older, related novels, and some more print formatting to do.

After that, I've a couple of short stories I need to work on for anthologies, and I might considering writing a few other shorts for online sites which have caught my eye.

I'm looking forward to working in short stories again, in no small part because my current novel is much longer than anything I've written before and because it has taken me so much more time to finish it than I had anticipated.

Such is life when writing.

Once I get through my little phase of short stories, I'm not sure what my next long project will be. I've several ideas, but I'll wait and see what my mood happens to be when I'm ready to start the next novel or other, longer work, maybe another serialized story.

Books read in 2014: No. 10 -- Heart in the Right Place

by Carolyn Jourdan

Started: March 4
Finished: March 8

Notes: I have this unfortunate tendency of misplacing books that have been gifts, and before I've had a chance to read them. I don't know why this is, but it has seemed to happen throughout my life. So, this book being a recent holiday gift, I thought I should read it before it escapes through the mists of time. This one is a memoir, apparently about a woman who was an attorney in Washington D.C., yet she gave it all up to return to the small town where she is from in the Smoky Mountains in Eastern Tennessee, all in order to help her ailing parents and her father's medical practice. This might not be something I sought out to read, but I do find it of interest, and I do believe in learning from everything I read.

Mini review: Quite the delightful read. Much of it was humorous, but there was more than a little of a serious side concerning death and spirituality. The big question this book asks is, "What do you want to do with your life?" The dilemma here is between a life of relative wealth and power while seeming to help others, or a life of truly helping others but having to live in relative obscurity and with fewer finances. It's a question lots of people, if not most people, have to ask themselves in one fashion or another at some point in their lives. For those who enjoy down-home kind of humor, this book should be right up your alley.

Books read in 2014: No. 9 -- Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott

Started: Feb. 6
Finished: March 3

Notes: Every now and then I like to toss a classic of literature into the mix, one I've not read before. I picked this one for a couple of reasons. First, the spouse has been suggesting it for years. Second, I've been trying to read more female authors.

Mini review: This was a surprisingly good read. I like this book for a number of reasons, a big one being that it is so uncynical, a rare treat in today's world and a nice change of pace. Also, the author impressed me right at the beginning by throwing a bunch of characters at the reader, but within a few pages the reader had quite the distinct notion of each characters' looks, ages, backgrounds, personalities, etc., which is quite rare and difficult to do. For those seeking lots of action or a straight plot, this won't be your thing, but for those seeking a little reading that's not too serious and offers simple though not simplistic characters from an era with a more sedate pace, this could be your thing. The story is mainly about four sisters, how they grow from teens to young women, the men they meet and marry (or don't), their children, their spiritual goals and growth, etc. In a few places it becomes overly sentimental, but it doesn't stay that way for long. Overall, I enjoyed it, and can give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Books read in 2014: No. 8 -- The Turtle Boy

by Kealan Patrick Burke

Started: Feb. 6
Finished: Feb. 6

Notes: Recently author Edward Lorn praised the works of Kealan Patrick Burke, and as I trust Lorn's judgment, I thought I should go check out Burke, especially as Burke is a Bram Stoker Award winner.

Mini review: It's rare I sit down and read a book all in one setting, but I had time on my hands today, this one was short enough, and frankly, the writing was just that damn good. Originally a stand-alone tale, The Turtle Boy is now the first in a series about Timmy Quinn, a boy who has experiences with the dead. To tell more would be giving things away, but I'll repeat, the story is damn good. The tale reminds me a little of Stephen King when he's in top form, and Ray Bradbury.

Books read in 2014: No. 7 -- Dead Things

by Matt Darst

Started: Feb. 3
Finished: Feb. 5

Notes: I'll let the blurb for this zombie survival novel speak for itself: "Nearly two decades have passed since the fall of the United States and the rise of the church to fill the void. Science is heresy, and the dead must be decapitated to avoid an unholy resurrection. When a plane crash strands Ian Sumner and a band of survivors miles from the fortified walls of the church state, survival depends on secrets too dangerous to speak aloud."

Mini review: This was a pretty good book, and from a fellow Kentuckian, to boot! The plane crash survivors stranded in zombie territory was an interesting take on this genre, and a former U.S. where the churches have risen to political power was a fresh approach, especially as the author shows reasoning for why this happened within his world. There are also several intriguing scientific reasonings about the cause behind the zombies, and I ate all that up with a spoon. There were a couple of things here I didn't care for, one being the use of occasional flashbacks, though I realize that's a personal preference. Also off a little to me were a few events toward the end which seemed a little convenient, perhaps a little rushed, leaving me to want more of the blanks filled in. Still, my complaints are meant to be minor, because over all this was worth my time to read and I enjoyed it. I'll be looking for more from this author.

Books read in 2014: No. 6 -- Brood of Bones

by A. E. Marling

Started: Jan. 27
Finished: Feb. 2

Notes: This novel is from another newer fantasy author I've noted on the Amazon rankings, and the story of an enchantress with a sleeping disorder who cannot become pregnant while all the other women in her city seem to become pregnant all at once drew my attention further. As I always enjoy reading and studying authors new to me, this one was a natural.

Mini review: This was quite the good story. Mostly a mystery with a touch of brief action here and there. Very clean text, some interesting characters, good writing, interesting world though the reader doesn't get to see a lot of it. The use of magic here isn't totally unique, but it's definitely different than what you see in most fantasy tales. The main character is intriguing, though scenes are often stolen by a secondary character, one you're never sure is a good guy or a bad guy, or a bit of both mixed. Can I recommend this one? Yes, I can.