Update on Like Glass and Shattered
First off: its official. Like Glass and Shattered will be published by HandE Media, a publisher based in the UK. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but now everything is signed, sealed, and delivered. (I’m posting this from my phone on my lunch break, or else I’d add a link to their site – I’ll try to remember to do it later.) As it stands right now though, we’re still looking at releasing Like Glass this fall in the UK, and bringing it back to this side of the Atlantic in 2011.
Shattered will most likely be released about a year after, but don’t hold me to that – I’m actually in the process of rewriting Shattered pretty much from scratch. The original draft of the story … well, let’s just say its decent, but it isn’t something I feel worth releasing. The story, I feel, is good, but it deserves more respect than I gave it initially.
I need to get back to work, so I’ll catch you on the flip side.
–Matt
NaNoWriMo — Getting Warmed Up!
Alright, we got one week left before NaNoWriMo — National Novel Writing Month — gets underway. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting stoked. This is going to be my second year participating, and my first time working on a novel while I’m working full time. I’ll admit I’m a little nervous about that too — every time I’ve tried to write without being able to focus entirely on the book, it’s fallen flat. I’m hoping that this year I’ll be able to use NaNoWriMo for motivation to keep me going.
I’m going to be working on Broken Peaces, with hopes I can finish the series up by Christmas — that’s the goal, at least, and we’ll see what happens. I’ve got some ideas to work out, and I wish I could bounce them off this thing, but since Shattered isn’t out yet, I’m going to keep my mouth shut for now.
Okay, it’s getting close to my bedtime and I need to get an email or two out, so I’m going to wrap this up. Catch you on the flip side.
–Matt
A Spark Arises
Well, the old fires are starting to spark up again. Maybe it’s because it’s nearing November, which as any writer who’s spent any reasonable time online can tell you, is NaNoWriMo. Maybe it’s just the changing of the weather — colder days seem to draw out the creative juices a little better for me for some reason. Or maybe it’s just because I’ve taken enough time away from it that I’m starting to miss it and get tired of coding all day again.
Regardless of the reason, the writer in me is starting to stir around again, and I’m once again fleshing out ideas for Broken Peaces. Of course, I’ve still got to get Shattered up to specs, but I think most of Shattered is pretty solid. It needs some clean up — there’s a lot of typos and a lot of stuff that could be worded better — but it’s … well … solid.
The main thing I’m having a bit of trouble with right now is how to come up with a story that can top the drama in Shattered. Like I said quite a bit last year, Shattered is a lot darker than Like Glass was. A lot darker. I was re-reading the last third or so of the novel today, wanting to bring myself back up to speed on that world so I can dig into Broken Peaces, and I was pleasantly surprised at it. It’d been a long time since I’d looked through any of it, let alone the tail end where things really go to hell, and while I’d remembered the genera idea of the plot (i.e. who does what to whom and for how much), I’d forgotten the overall gist of it. It’s kinda like the difference between just hearing a song’s melody and hearing the song with the full band behind it.
Anyways, I’ve got a couple of decent ideas for things that could … well … go wrong. And let’s face it: stories where things go right are pretty boring — something has to go wrong in order to get your interest. The girl has to dump the guy. The aliens have to invade. The super villain has to have his plot to destroy the world unless the world governments are going to pay … one million dollars (where the hell is the Dr. Evil pinky-to-cheek emoticon when you need it?). Otherwise, it’s a yawn fest.
And for what it’s worth, I already know how Broken Peaces is going to end. It’s just a matter of getting there — the journey’s the best part.
It’s going to be interesting to see how I’m going to pull it together though, now that I’m working full time at a job I actually enjoy. When I wrote Like Glass, I was working from home, so I could write while I had some down time. When I wrote Shattered last year, I was taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. Where I’m at now though, I couldn’t take the time off, nor do I even really want to — the job’s actually pretty good.
That probably also has a lot to do with how I’m looking at Broken Peaces and why I’m having such a hard time getting my brain fired up for it. I’m in a much better mind set than I was when I wrote Like Glass, and worlds better than when I wrote Shattered. Now I don’t quite have the same emotions to build from, so getting the juices flowing is going to be a lot different this time around than last time.
At least there’s one thing in my favor for this: I’d never planned on Broken Peaces being anywhere near as dark as Shattered. Probably not as dark as Like Glass either, but definitely much lighter than the last venture into Rob’s world. So that should make it a bit easier to get going. We’ll see though.
Well, I’ve got about three weeks to get things in order before NaNoWriMo starts, so hopefully that’ll be enough time to get the fires lit properly and get some good ideas flowing.
In the meantime though, it’s nigh on bedtime, and I’ve got a couple of projects due at work in the next couple of weeks, so I’d better start heading along. Catch you on the flip side.
–Matt
Another Day In Paradise
Okay, got up way too early this morning for a Monday, but it’s all good: one of the downsides of trying to work with someone in the UK is the ~7 hour time difference, but over the years I’ve become more of a morning person than I used to be. Coffee is my friend, and it’s a friend I cherish deeply.
Nothing really to report on the publishing deal yet, except for the fact I’ve discovered how different mailing addresses are in the US vs. those in the UK. The publisher wants a hard copy of Like Glass, and the other day I tried to start an order from Amazon to get an idea of how much it cost. Fifteen minutes later, I think I might have gotten it to accept their address, but I’m a little leary of sending it out. For roughly $50 total (w/ S&H), I’d really rather not take a chance on it coming back and having to send it again.
Also, I’m wanting to discuss the options we might have available for working on Shattered and Broken Peaces together — those are the other two books in the Like Glass series. We’ll see what happens with that. Not really getting my hopes up, but hey: stranger things have happened, right? At least Shattered is technically finished. It’s a mess at the moment, but mainly because I haven’t had any need to work on it (and I’ve had more pressing issues to deal with, like “real” life). If there were interest in it, I could probably have it polished up to a pleasant shine in a couple of months. Broken Peaces, now… that would take a little time. But hey, even if we signed the contract today, Like Glass wouldn’t come out for another couple of years, then Shattered would have to make it’s rounds, probably a year or so after Like Glass, and then we’d have to worry about where the final book in the trilogy is.
Aside from that though, things are trucking along. Work’s getting … interesting, to say the least, and quite hectic as project deadlines loom.
The missus and I are moving — did I mention that? Nothing major, just moving across town. Cheaper rent, and I’ll be a little closer to my old stomping grounds. Longer drive to and from work, but you can’t have everything, can you? Gonna get that taken care of this weekend — thankfully we’ve got some movers lined up, and that’ll make things a lot nicer.
Other than that, just another day in paradise. Need to start getting ready to get back into the grind, so I’ll catch you on the flip side.
–Matt
Like Glass Update
Okay, don’t have much time so I’ll try to make this quick.
It’s been a while since I really said anything about Like Glass (that’s my novel, if you don’t know). I’ve been trying to move on, focus on work and “real life” for a while. Things have been moving a little bit in the background though, and I thought I’d share some of the details as to where it’s going right now.
Actually, “where it’s going” is interesting enough in it’s own right. It’s “going” across the Atlantic to England, where a British publishing company has decided to pick it up. Right now, they’re currently looking at a UK release of 2011, with a US release of 2012. That gives me the warm fuzzies — I’m going to be an internationally published author before much longer 
It’s still really early in the game though — nothing’s been signed or anything, just “verbal” (well, email) discussion about it — so I can’t really say much of anything else. But trust me, I’ll keep you posted as things happen (either on here or on Facebook — look me up if you’re on there, and if you want to “friend” me, add a personal message to let me know you came from my blog or else I might not accept if I don’t already know you).
Alright, need to run to work. Catch you on the flip side.
–Matt
Early Morning = Time to Post
Damn, I’m really not doing that great of a job of keeping up with this thing, am I? 
Been a month and a half since my last “post”, which was just a JavaScript tip, and my last “real” post was a week before that.
Well, I can honestly say that things have been really hectic around here for quite some time, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be calming down anytime soon. Hell, I’m only posting now because I woke up at about 5:30 this morning, and I was able to get all my Facebook games out of the way with time to spare before I go to work.
Things are, as I said, pretty damned hectic right now. The Mrs. and I are moving (once again), which is always fun. I’m running two projects at work that need to be done last month, and I’ve got two more on the back-burner, where we’re waiting for some consultations to finish up. Once that gets done, I’ll be working on four projects. Throw into the mix the desire to try and keep up some semblence of a home life going, as well as the Facebook games I mentioned above, and I’m surprised I get any sleep at all.
No time for writing with all of that, of course, but trust me: it’s always in the back of my mind. I’ve thrown around tons of different story/novel ideas in the past few months, but none of them really seem to stick. Of course, they may all have turned out to be great projects to work on had I just sat down and started them, but of course I didn’t and none of them would stick after the fact.
That’s been one of the things I’ve tried to keep in mind — if there’s something I really want to work on, some idea that really sounds fantastic, then the idea just won’t leave me. It may fade out now and then, but it’ll always come back. I haven’t had any plot ideas that do that for me yet.
I’m sure they’ll pop back around when the time is right; at the moment, I’ve just got too much else on my plate. Or, another way of looking at it: I’m not quite as motivated to work on anything just yet. Last year, when I decided to work on Shattered (the sequel to Like Glass that I may-or-may-not ever release), I hated my job and wasn’t doing terribly well, psychologically speaking. This year, I actually like my job, and I’m in a much better frame of mind to boot. At the moment, I’m fairly content with my lot in life, and I don’t see any reason to put the kind of pressure on that’s required to toss out a novel.
Of course, that’s subject to change without notice…
Oh, and by the way, there’s a slim chance that there might be some news regarding Like Glass over the next couple of weeks. I’m not counting any chickens yet, but I want to throw that out there for you. And I’ve learned my lesson from past experiences: you will hear absolutely nothing more until everything is completely confirmed on all sides (although I may explain what’s going on if things fall through). So, stay tuned for that.
Anyways, I need to start getting ready for work. Catch you on the flip side.
–Matt
New Project in the Works
Working on some ideas for a new sci-fi story. The plot I’m working with is probably already a little over-done, but I’m having fun with it and that’s the main thing I’m looking for right now. I’m thinking about running it as a serial here on the blog — that’s the way I’m sketching it out right now, at least, as a series of “episodes” instead of chapters. Puts it in a different light, that’s for sure.
As I said, the plot’s probably a little over-done — colonizing a planet, basically — but I’m hoping to focus on the human elements more than the science in this story (i.e. emphasis on the “fi” in sci-fi), and hopefully that’ll bring a slightly different spin on it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that’s been done more than a little bit as well. But think about it — how many times do you hear the same, basic plot line(s) retold with different settings and characters? Besides, I’ve never really strayed into sci-fi yet, and it may be fun.
Okay, enough trying to rationalize it to myself. I need to start getting ready for work. Catch you on the flip side.
–Matt
Still Kickin’
Yep, I’m still alive, and I’m still writing. Actually doing some sketching for Vanishing Point — just as an FYI though, that’s strictly my working title, and I’m not sure if it’ll stick or not.
I’m also going about this one differently than Like Glass or Shattered — I’m actually trying to outline this one, in hopes that I’ll be able to make a better story of it. I’ve found it to be difficult, trying to tell the story before I tell the story, but it does seem to be working out fairly well. We’ll see what happens.
Just wanted to drop a line and let you know I’m still amongst the living.
–Matt
Trying to Get Back in the Saddle
Back on the writing train. Been working out some plot details today for a new book — something entirely different from Like Glass. More of a supernatural thriller. We’ll see what happens. Coming up with the ideas so far has been pretty interesting, especially since I’ve essentially given up on writing for a while. Might be neat to get something decent to come out of it.
Still need to get something figured out for work — either fixing where I’m at or trying to find some place new. Don’t know what to do, but it’ll figure it’s self out soon, I’m sure.
–Matt
Shattered Will Not Be Released
I’ll start this off with the “important” news, just to get it out of the way: I have decided that I will not be releasing Shattered, the sequel to Like Glass, in any form.
This was not a very easy decision to make, as it took a lot of my time and energy to work on the novel, and I spent a lot of extra energy trying to build up a buzz for it. To those who were waiting for it, I apologize.
The novel was something that needed to be written, but not something that needs to be read. I went through a very rough stretch last summer — still dealing with some of those demons to some degree — and the novel was a means for me to deal with some of the issues of that time.
There’s lots of ways things could’ve have happened differently, but the path that I’ve walked for the past several months has led me to a place where the release of the novel would do more harm than good. Not because of the content per se, but because of everything associated with releasing the novel and publicizing it. The energy required for such a venture needs to be spent on other aspects of life, and the novel itself isn’t a story that needs to be heard; as I said, it simply needed to be written.
This is admittedly hypocritical, as I’ve mentioned before that I don’t believe in writing something that isn’t intended to be read. Rules are, as the cliche goes, made to be broken, and I’m willing to make an exception in this instance at least.
There are some people I’ve contacted about ealy reading, editing, and other production aspects for the novel; all I can say to you is that I thank you for the time you’ve taken with it, and I hope you enjoy the novel as a leisurely read.
Like Glass is still a free download, and still available for purchase for those of you who prefer a hard cover — simply do a search on Amazon (I don’t have the links readily available).
Thank you all for your readership. It’s been an interesting ride.
–Matt
