THE CHOSEN: Finished Chapter 20!

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

I just finished chapter 20 of THE CHOSEN. It's a long chapter and was very interesting, intricate, and extremely exciting to write. It is definitely a pivotal chapter and really sets up the rest of the book.

A lot happens in this chapter that has been building since the beginning of the story, and I'm really looking forward to going on from here. I've even started the next chapter, continuing directly from where chapter 20 left off. I had to do it that way this time! Just had to!

So, again, I've listed all twenty chapter titles below along with one quote from chapter 20 and a possible title for chapter 21, "Paradox or Possibilities".


THE CHOSEN Chapter 20 Quote

“They walked along behind him into the large, dark chamber. Yadesh had been right. It was absolutely pitch black except for his beacon that swayed back and forth with his steady gate, and it was very difficult to move quietly as well. Any small rustle of clothing or shuffling noise would resonate across the hall. Yadesh slowed them, using a hand signal to get them to move with even more caution.

They reached the opposite side of the chamber and could see another small stairway by the glow of Yadesh’s beacon. As he climbed, though, it left his followers in the dark; so upon arriving near where they thought the stairway must be, each of them was forced to tepidly search for the first step until it was discovered, finally allowing them to proceed.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Yadesh turned and gathered his followers close and murmured…”

Chapter Titles

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage
13. Rage and Remembrance
14. Recon
15. The Circle
16. Glide-Trains
17. The Gathering Storm
18. In the Dark
19. The Razor's Edge
20. The Insurgence
21. Paradox or Possibilities

THE CHOSEN Update - Finished Chapters' 18 and 19

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

In the last three days, I've completed chapters' 18 and 19 of THE CHOSEN. All the bits and pieces of the book are coming together. I love getting to this point in a book - the point where you can see the end so clearly, but you can also visualize so many different ways to get there.

I'm also pleased with the chapter titles that are popping up. Even they seem to be building the suspense. I've listed below the chapter titles for the first 20 chapters. I'm not sure if the one I have for chapter 20 will stand. We'll see...

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage
13. Rage and Remembrance
14. Recon
15. The Circle
16. Glide-Trains
17. The Gathering Storm
18. In the Dark
19. The Razor's Edge
20. The Insurgence

And...for fun, check out the new counter on the right side of my blog that shows the total Pageviews Since 11/22/2013 and the Popular Posts section that includes the posts that have had the most hits over the past 7 days. ----------------------------------->

THE CHOSEN: Chapter 17 Short Excerpt

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

Chapter 17 in THE CHOSEN is where the conflict in the book is taking center stage. The title of that chapter, as I mentioned in my last post, is "The Gathering Storm". That title actually came from a passage at the end of the chapter. Below, I've included the last four paragraphs. Rad and Zeer are talking.

   “Zeer?”

   “Yes?”

   “At this moment, I feel like I did when I was out on R-131 in my survival shelter watching one of those gigantic, violent dust storms rolling towards me. I’d look out of my small shelter, with only its thin shell for protection, and I felt completely and utterly vulnerable, never knowing whether I would survive or not. I always did, but I never felt safe until it was over.

   None of us knows what’s going to happen now either, and I again feel the danger and power of an oncoming gathering storm..."

Here are the titles of the first 17 chapters of THE CHOSEN.

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage
13. Rage and Remembrance
14. Recon
15. The Circle
16. Glide-Trains
17. The Gathering Storm

And...for fun, check out the new counter on the right side of my blog that shows the total Pageviews Since 11/22/2013 and the Popular Posts section that includes the posts that have had the most hits over the past 7 days. ----------------------------------->

New Blog Layout & New THE CHOSEN Update

NEW BLOG LAYOUT

Just recently, I changed the layout of my blog. I've added some tabs near the top that you can click to go to pages with information about My Books, My Website, and how to Contact me. The Home link just takes you back to my Home page. Also, I've put a new Search box at the top of the menu on the right side of the blog page that searches my blog only and a Pageview counter below that.

THE CHOSEN Update - Book II of the Rooms' Series

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

I just completed chapter 17 of THE CHOSEN today. The novel is now sitting at about 56,789 words, and the tempo of the plot is increasing with each new chapter. I've listed the titles of the first 17 chapters below, with chapter 17 being "The Gathering Storm". Also, a new character has been added in chapter 17 that I'm having fun with. His name is Bodo, which is a German name that means leader.

Here are the titles of the first 17 chapters of THE CHOSEN.

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage
13. Rage and Remembrance
14. Recon
15. The Circle
16. Glide-Trains
17. The Gathering Storm

And...for fun, check out the new counter on the right side of my blog that shows the total Pageviews Since 11/22/2013 and the Popular Posts section that includes the posts that have had the most hits over the past 7 days. ----------------------------------->

THE CHOSEN Update - Book II of the ROOMS Series

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

I completed the 13th chapter of THE CHOSEN today. The title is "Rage and Remembrance." It wasn't as easy to figure out the title for this chapter as it has been for the other 12, but in the end, I like what I chose.

It's a long chapter, a little over 5,000 words, and it was a very intense one to write. It took a lot out of me. The story and the characters are becoming more and more real to me the further I get into the book, and when their emotions and experiences are strong, mine are as well.

Also, the book is about 45,000 words now. That's almost 15,000 more words in 13 chapters of THE CHOSEN than was in Rooms at the same point. Really all that means, I think, is that I'm putting a lot more detail into the stories that I'm writing and enjoying it more as well.

And...I'd like to mention that as of today, I'm up to 27 countries where my blog is being read. I added two more today - Macau and Ireland. Welcome!



Here are the titles of the first 13 chapters of THE CHOSEN.

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage
13. Rage and Remembrance

And... for fun, check out the Popular Posts section on the right side of my blog to discover the posts that have had the most hits over the past 7 days. -------------------------------------------------->

OVER 5,000 PAGEVIEWS!

OVER 5,000 PAGEVIEWS

Less than a year ago on November 22, 2013, I started my author's blog and since that time, more and more people around the globe have been reading my posts. It's been a joy to share my experiences and thoughts as a writer as well as my published novels. A while back I noted that people from 28 different countries had visited my blog, and now I can also tell you that, as of today's post, it has accrued 5,150 Pageviews!


THE CHOSEN Update - Book II of the Rooms' Series

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

I just completed chapter 12 of THE CHOSEN today. The title of that chapter is "Espionage." It was a difficult and very exciting chapter to write, not only from an action standpoint but also from the perspective of character development; the chapter is also a major turning point in the story. I can say one other thing for those of you who have read Rooms. The character, Simon, has an important part in this chapter.

A while back, I wrote a post that gave you a sneak peek into the first 5 chapters of THE CHOSEN by providing the title and the first paragraph of each one. If you'd like to see that post again, CLICK HERE.


Here are the titles of the first 12 chapters of THE CHOSEN.

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage

And... for fun, check out the Popular Posts section on the right side of my blog to discover the posts that have had the most hits over the past 7 days. -------------------------------------------------->

Closing In On 5,000 Pageviews & THE CHOSEN UPDATE

Almost 5,000 Pageviews

Less than a year ago on November 22, 2013, I started my author's blog with the publishing announcement of Wheatgrass: An Irish Fantasy. Since that time, more and more people around the globe have been reading my posts. It's been a joy to share my experiences and thoughts as a writer with you as well as my published novels. A while back I noted that people from 29 different countries had visited my blog, and now I can also tell you that it's almost had 5,000 pageviews. I'll let you know when that happens. It will be soon!


THE CHOSEN Update - Book II of the Rooms' Series

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

I just completed chapter 11 of THE CHOSEN today. The title of that chapter is "Data Mining." The book is getting more and more fun to write as I move further into the plot. In every chapter, there's something new happening that deepens the conflict. This is becoming a very intense book to write, and I hope it will be exciting for you to read.

A while back, I wrote a post that gave you a sneak peek into the first 5 chapters of THE CHOSEN by providing the title and the first paragraph of each of those chapters. If you'd like to see that post again, CLICK HERE. I considered doing the same for the first 11 chapters but decided against it. I want the book to be fresh and exciting when I publish it.

What I am going to do in this post is put the titles of the first 12 chapters below. I'm not positive about the title of chapter 12 yet. The chapter isn't finished, but I'll include what I think it will be for now.

Here are the titles of the first 12 chapters.

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage

And... for fun, check out the Popular Posts section on the right side of my blog to discover the posts that have had the most hits over the past 7 days. -------------------------------------------------->

BLOG NOW BEING READ IN 29 COUNTRIES & THE CHOSEN UPDATE

Readers Around the World - Updated List

Here is the updated list of the 29 countries where people are reading my blog. I'm really pleased to have so many friends around the world!

• United States
• Poland
• Ukraine
• France
• Turkey
• Germany
• Denmark
• China
• Russia
• United Kingdom
• Spain
• Netherlands
• Belgium
• Romania
• Taiwan
• Saudi Arabia
• Italy
• Canada
• Brazil
• Indonesia
• Mexico
• Vietnam
• Thailand
• Colombia
• Austria
• Macau
• Ireland
• India
• Singapore

THE CHOSEN Update - Book II of the Rooms' Series

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

I just finished chapter 8 of THE CHOSEN yesterday and have a start on chapter 9. I'm now into the meat of the story, and it's flowing well. I find that as I get into this part of writing a book, I tend to get more and more ideas. I also feel very good about the beginning of this book for the reader. I think there's a lot there to think about and enjoy.

Here are the titles of the first 9 chapters.

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth

And... for fun, check out the Popular Posts section on the right side of my blog to discover the posts that have had the most hits over the past 7 days. -------------------------------------------------->

Quotes from BEATRICE & Descriptive Paragraphs from THE CHOSEN

Below I've placed three quotes from Beatrice for you to enjoy. Each of them is from a different chapter in the book.

Chapter 3 Quote

“It had been at least two months since I’d seen Mother and spoken to her, and I knew that it wouldn’t be easy to talk with her about that last year we’d lived in our mansion. Just as with me, I knew that her memories were fragmented, and whenever Fiona or I would try to talk to her about it, a dark cloud seemed to surround us. Mother would simply refuse to discuss it. But this time…this time it had to be different. This was something that needed to come out. I knew none of us could ever be happy or content in our lives until we’d faced it. We had to discover together what had happened, and if we could, maybe then we could finally put it all behind us.”

Chapter 7 Quote

“The time had flown by. She had written and scribbled note after note, and more and more pieces had clicked into place. Her eyes were red and tired, and the clock in the room had just struck 4:00 in the morning. Desperately needing sleep, she blew out the candle and reached for the blanket that Kirsty had left for her before going to bed. She then put down her pen, stretched out on the crumpled, leather couch and turned out the light on the end table. She slept, surrounded by papers, old tomes of history and the quiet ticking of the grandfather clock against the wall behind her.”

Chapter 24 Quote

“I attempted to reach out and touch something solid that I could push against. I had no sense of up or down or movement. I couldn’t feel or hear or smell, but I could see, not in the usual way, but in insignificant bursts that came sporadically as my eyelids opened and closed and opened and closed.  Within those small, fractured moments, I could see that I was surrounded and trapped in a dense, cinnamon-stained vapor that swirled into oblivion. I couldn’t remember how I’d entered that hell, and I had no memory of it ending.”

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

I've started working on the difficult chapter 4. I think I have the title finalized now and have planned more for chapter 5.

• The Tower
• The Reboot Ceremony
• The Ship
• Loon's Story

Here are two descriptive paragraphs from two different chapters of THE CHOSEN.

Chapter 3 Description

"Months and months had passed. She was deeper than normal in her dream cycle, with small red, blue and yellow lights blinking on the console and her slow breath clouding the transparent cover of the sleep chamber. A cap covered her shaved head and was designed to keep her brain functioning optimally during stasis. She was clothed in a breathable skin-tight suit that maintained her body temperature at the correct level, pulsed to stimulate her muscles and carried the fluids and food into her bloodstream necessary for being inactive for such a long period of time. Her light brown eyebrows and lashes lay quietly on her pale, frosted skin. The only noticeable movement was her slow heartbeat bumping up against her chest – the only sound was her monitor, constantly checking and recording her life signs. Out...In…Out…In… Slow and steady. Her breath kept pace with her moderated heartbeat. Out…In…Out…In… Her life hung on a thread in the dark, ready to awake and start anew."

Chapter 4 Description

"They walked further in silence. Their bare feet compacting the grains of sand and slapping against the damp surface; their senses taking in the warm air flowing over their skin, and the salt breeze and sea aromas floating up and surrounding them. The sounds of Sholar joined in as well, playing music in their ears, while the mighty ocean’s surf ebbed in and out, and the seabirds floated and soared in the magical sky with songs and shouts to each other. The day was glorious, and each of them was lost in their own musings…"

THE CHOSEN: Writing Descriptions

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

I've finished the first three chapters and have edited and cleaned them up.  Also, I've spent time preparing the details that I'd like to see in chapter four and five. Below are the titles of the first three chapters and a possible title for chapter 4.

• The Tower
• The Reboot Ceremony
• The Ship
• Loon - possible title

Descriptions

When and how to write descriptions is always an important question. I love writing them, and I think that I'm beginning to learn when its best to use them and different ways that they can be approached. I like to visualize the scene in my mind and then describe it in a unique way.

From THE CHOSEN, I chose one description that I'll share with you. It describes a woman named Gwen who is in sleep mode on a light-speed ship. She is the only human on board. The description sets the mood and provides the visual backdrop for a portion of chapter 3.

"Months and months had passed. She was deeper than normal in her dream cycle, with small red, blue and yellow lights blinking on the console and her slow breath clouding the transparent cover of the sleep chamber. A cap covered her shaved head and was designed to keep her brain functioning optimally during stasis. She was clothed in a breathable skin-tight suit that maintained her body temperature at the correct level, pulsed to stimulate her muscles and carried the fluids and food into her bloodstream necessary for being inactive for such a long period of time. Her light brown eyebrows and lashes lay quietly on her pale, frosted skin. The only noticeable movement was her slow heartbeat bumping up against her chest – the only sound was her monitor, constantly checking and recording her life signs. Out...In…Out…In… Slow and steady. Her breath kept pace with her moderated heartbeat. Out…In…Out…In… Her life hung on a thread in the dark, ready to awake and start anew."

New Novel Update: THE CHOSEN

Writing THE CHOSEN - Book II of the Rooms' Series

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

Writing! Writing! Writing!

Wow! What a different experience this is. As I am working on THE CHOSEN, I'm remembering and thinking about Rooms and what I should include and expand on in this new book. It's a new and interesting puzzle.

One thing I do see happening is that I seem to be able to understand more clearly what types of details to include and which to leave out. I think I'm getting better at that. The reason this is so important is that by only including the details that are the most important, I can say more about them and not lose the excitement of the story or the interest of the reader.

Also, the chapters are taking me more time to write. I'm trying to make each one special and very focused on adding to the story. I'm learning. I rewrote chapter 3 four times. I was having trouble finding an angle to present what was happening in as interesting a way for the reader as possible. Finally, I had a dream and came up with the approach that I wanted to use. I like it...

In addition, I think I'm doing a better job of choosing the words that say exactly what I want to say, and I'm cutting out extraneous phrasing that doesn't add to the prose or to the story.

I just finished chapter 3 today, so the titles of the first three chapters are:

• The Tower
• The Reboot Ceremony
• The Ship

I'm very pleased with the first three chapters, and I've already written over 9000 words. I believe the reason for that is that I'm putting in more detail. So far, as I mentioned in my last post, I believe this is going to be my longest novel to date.

So... stay tuned, I'll share more as I progress. I'm excited about THE CHOSEN and the direction that it's headed.

Hello To My Readers Around the World & Progress On My New Book

Readers Around the World

I first of all wanted to just say hi to the many people from all over the world that have been reading my blog. Below are some of the countries where you're located. I really appreciate your interest and support! If you don't see your country listed and it should be, please let me know; and if you need to translate the blog into your native language, you can do so by using the drop down menu at the bottom of the right side of the page.

• United States
• Poland
• Ukraine
• France
• Turkey
• Germany
• Denmark
• China
• Russia
• United Kingdom
• Spain
• Netherlands
• Belgium
• Romania
• Taiwan
• Saudi Arabia
• Italy
• Canada
• Brazil
• Indonesia
• Mexico
• Vietnam
• Thailand
• Colombia
• Austria
• Macau
• Ireland
• India
• Singapore

I would also like to draw your attention to the right side of my blog where the Popular Posts section is located. That's where you can discover which posts have been viewed the most by you during the last thirty days. And something that I've found extremely interesting is that the post with my poem The Tent has been at the top of this list every month. If you haven't read it yet, click on it and take a look. It's a very sensual poem about being outside in the desert in a tent. It's definitely one of my favorites!



New novel: THE CHOSEN - Book II of the Rooms' Series

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

I have actually completed the first two chapters of THE CHOSEN and am continuing to add details to the plan for the book. The first chapter's title is The Tower and the second chapter is called The Reboot Ceremony. I can tell that this book is probably going to be my longest so far, and I'm learning and understanding more and more about what types of scenes create interest and excitement for the reader.

I don't know about other authors, but for me, I think my strength lies in the last 2/3 of my books. For some reason, I'm especially proud of the the way I've ended them. My readers have talked about this, and I've felt the same way. It just seems that the further I get into a book the more creative and dynamic the plot becomes and the better I understand the characters and where I want to go with the story. Because of this, one of my most important writing goals is to do more to add these same elements to the first third of the book, especially the first 2-3 chapters.

In THE CHOSEN, I believe I've achieved that goal, for the first two chapters at least. It could be because I already have a good understanding of the characters and plot because of the first book in the series, which in this case was Rooms; but I also think that achieving this is something that comes from experience and from continuing to write a lot. I just seem to understand how to do this in a more concrete way now. I'll let you know how it goes with the rest of the book.

New Book - Continuing the Rooms Series & Agent Search

New Book

Greg Opalinski

I've finished my agent emails for now and have decided to continue the Rooms' Adult Science Fiction Series with Book II, titled THE CHOSEN. The cover above may not be what I will use as the final cover, but it's part of what Greg Opalinski  did for the first book of the series, Rooms. I really liked Greg's work, so I'm using this for now.

I just started the new book yesterday and have the general plan mapped out. It will continue the story from Rooms and have many of the same characters, but will have more action, more about Loon, the Earth, the lifeglobes around the galaxy, and an epic struggle for the future of humankind.

Writing this new book will be my first sequel and will be a challenge that I welcome and am very excited about.

Agent Search

I have more that I can do to search for agents, but I will stop for now and work on THE CHOSEN. I've submitted about forty email queries for both Rooms and Beatrice, and at this point, I just need to wait and see what happens. I'm crossing my fingers, but I also know that these things take time and that I will receive many rejection letters. It's just the way it is.

I remember when I sent out the songs that I wrote to publishers. The same thing happened, and then through some connections, I was able to get my second album published through a publisher in New York. That took a lot of patience and time as well.