Thomas Riley Edits Round 1

The edits for Thomas Riley 2 are complete and sent to my wonderful editor at Zova Books. While this sounds awesome, don't get me wrong, it totally is, there is quite a lot more to do. The round one is the first set of edits for the first seven chapters. (There are 23 in all) So, we have two more sets of first round chapters, then a final edit as well.

The great part is that I now have Open Office and I'm on a bullet train (for me) pace. I feel good and I want to get this out asap and kick some booty with Thomas Riley 3. I'm extra inspired because I saw The Dark Knight Rises yesterday and what a bad ass trilogy that was! I loved it and it put me in the mindset to possibly close out the Thomas Riley series with a great ending.

I'm still chipping away at Thomas Riley 3 plot points, character bios and even getting some ideas for the rewrite of Chapter one. If you don't know, I started it and didn't like the scene at all so I'm redoing it. Okay, here's a hint. Right now I'm thinking about starting book three off with a funeral...

Look out for a blog tomorrow on my awesomely kooky weekend.

Stage Combat Class

This is for my readers in the South East... or anyone that may get the chance to participate in this class around the country.

Allan Gilbreath, noted author and companion on the Dreams of Steam anthologies, Hollywood professional and completely awesome dude, is putting on a stage combat class in Bartlett Tennessee (Which is right next to Memphis) THIS Tuesday July 24th! It's an awesome opportunity for actors, con goers or people just interested in having a good time doing something different.

Have fun everyone and tell me how awesome this is!

Check out the write up on the Facbook event page:

Smack!... Bam!... Pow!!!

Allan Gilbreath is a Hollywood professional offering a ONE DAY course in the art of deception "STAGE COMBAT"... Learning to battle on stage is an important skill set for aspiring actors. Allan’s Courses usually fill up very fast... not just because they're informative, Allan makes learning this craft so much fun!

(((Stage combat training))) - it's something that actors need on their resume! - Making fights look real, without giving away your tricks. Because all acting is based ...on a certain sense of risk-taking. Storytelling through staged violence such as:

►Pushing and Pulling,
►Punching and Kicking,
►Falling and Rolling,
►Silly and Dirty Fighting,
►Weapons and Armed Techniques,
►Building the Fight,
►Writing the Fight,
►Rehearsing the Fight

These are some of the things Allan Gilbreath will be teaching in this ONE DAY CLASS ON
►►► TUESDAY - JULY 24th - Pre paid classes are only $25 - $35 at the door

If you want to be as convincing like say Angelina Jolie as Laura Croft or Chris Evans in Captain America..this workshop is for you -- DON'T MISS!!!

►►►Class space is limited to12...so PLEASE reserve your space now by calling 901-267-1000
►Pre paid classes are only $25 - $35 at the door (cash only)

► TUESDAY - JULY 24th - 7 - 9:30
► INDIE ACTING STUDIO
► 7715 US Highway 70, Suite 112
► Bartlett, TN
► 901-267-1000

My first time at the drive in

There's only one drive-in in Nashville and it's like an hour out in Watertown TN. So throughout my childhood I never went. No reason really, it was just easier to go to a normal theater to see a movie. When I moved to Washington everyone seemed shocked that I'd never been before. It was apparently some rite of passage that I never experienced.

Well, last night I was privileged enough to go to my first drive in double feature no less at a real deal honest to goodness old school run down drive in. It was a blast. Lizzie and I pulled the car up backwards, popped the hatchback and got to see the last day The Avengers was showing in theaters along with the drive your girl crazy movie Magic Mike. Darn right I watched it. I wanted to know what all of the hype was about. We came prepared with beers and snacks and settled in for four hours of nothing but movies, which was really nice since we are busy nearly 24/7.

As the movies went, The Avengers was great just like everyone said. Super fun, funny and nerdy enough to satisfy any con-goer's needs. Magic Mike was... different... Not what I expected really. I was looking for a super over the top goofy movie with humor but honestly it was just kind of weird. If totally ripped dudes with no shirts on is your thing, then it may be pretty cool for you but that's all there was. A stripper movie with no other nudity was just kind of weird. It really didn't live up to the hype. You know what it was like? Think a watered down version of Boogie Nights with awkward dialog. I'm glad I went and it was totally fun but that's just my take.

Jen Wylie's Ring Around The Rosie

Free e-book alert! Seriously, you can't get enough of these can you? Jen Wylie's short story, Ring Around The Rosie, about a young boy who loves to play the flute and discovers mystery is now available on itunes, smashwords and according to Ms. Wylie's blog, Amazon.com pretty soon for FREE!

You heard me, totally free for a limited time. I love supporting my peers and I love supporting good writers even more! Ms. Wylie is both so you have no excuse to not give this a whirl. When you do, I'm betting that you'll find a new author to love as well. This story is good for all ages and perfect for a short fun summer read that will leave you and the kids wanting more.

Free on Smashwords
Free on itunes
Soon to be free on Amazon
Jen Wylie's Blog

Check out the blurb and get hooked:

Ring Around the Rosie, a centuries old children's song known by all. We all remember the song and dance, people telling us it was about the Great Plague...but what if the song was really a warning for something else?

Aaron is a normal boy fascinated with music. He loves playing his flute so much he doesn't even mind lessons over summer break. When he meets a strange boy at the park who seems to be just as obsessed they spend summer days entertaining children in the parks woods. But friends often have secrets, music can be magical, and even the most innocent of children's games can be more than they appear.

This story contains NO violence, foul language or sex.free

Skye

In the quest to continue the crazy life, Lizzie and I got a wonderful and sweet puppy! She may not look like a puppy exactly as she has to be about fifty pounds but we're so happy to share our lives with a ten month old Siberian Husky named Skye. We like the name Skye but we were going to rename her in honor of a Arya's Dire Wolf, Nymeria from Game of Thrones but we figured she was happy with her name and a little old to be confusing her more. So we stuck with her given name.

She's an absolute sweetheart and she seems to be adjusting very well even though she's only been here for about twenty hours. While she'll need a little leash training and socialization, she has an amazing disposition. She's a snack hound and LOVES to run. You should see her, she can fly! We really love her and are so excited to have her in the family. I'm sure you'll get the occasional update on Miss Skye as I like to share tidbits of my personal life with my blog readers from time to time.

Teresa Burrell's The Advocate's Delimma

What do I say about the absolutely amazing Teresa Burrell? I don't think I can fit enough praising adjectives in this blog to describe her. I'd have to make some up on top of th ones in Websters to encompass her awesomeness. I first met Teresa at The Southern California Writers Conference in San Diego, CA. It was the same weekend that Thomas Riley was contracted by Echelon Press. Teresa's first book, The Advocate" was not out quite yet but we hit it off immediately.

From there Teresa and I did several book festivals together where we had a friendly competition on who could sell more books. I was close but I lost every time. (I will get you one day T!) ;)

Teresa has a wonderful series of legal suspense books out under the titles, The Advocate, The Advocate's Betrayal, The Advocate's Conviction and out this summer, The Advocate's Dilemma. She uses her real life experience as a child advocate lawyer in her books. It's fascinating to read about Sabre Brown, her very author like main character as she unwravles the twisted schemes of evil doers in and out of court. I'm telling you, Matlock has nothing on this girl.

If you're a fan of John Grisham, you're going to love The Advocate series. Where can you get one of these gems? Easy, check out Ms. Burrell's Amazon page here.

Also, Facebook

Goodreads

If you get the chance to meet Teresa at an event, don't pass it up.  Not only is she one of the most wonderful people you will ever meet but also one of the most talented writers.

Happy 4th of July! (June Blog Stats)

First off, happy fourth of July! Hopefully you all are having a wonderful day full of family, friends, fireworks and adult beverages. The weather in Gig Harbor today is amazing and Lizzie and I are looking forward to some grilling and fireworks ourselves.

In steampunk/Thomas Riley 2 news, I got 1/3 of my first edits from Zova Books yesterday! I'm beyond excited! Amanda gave me awesome suggestions and I can;t wait to start on them tomorrow. We also have a new name for the new airship in the book, the Maelstrom, which will probably be incorporated in the title as well. More on that as I get some done.

Today I checked the blog stats for last month. Its funny because my blog stat posts are the least viewed, probably because it is a bit boring. But when you have thirty days to fill up, I feel the need to quench my inner stat geek with a the winners and losers of the blog views.

Last month the insane George The Animal Steele took first place with Elizabeth Darvill (Valentino) taking second. As I said, the "May Blog Stat" post was the big loser. So, here they are again in crab grass green bar graph for your enjoyment.