If you were interested in some of the challenges I faced while writing Waltzing Matilda and the entire series, today might be your lucky day!
You can read all about it in the Literary Titan’s Interview: Did I Accomplish Everything I Set Out To Do?
2023 has been a weird year for me so far. I finished this li’l ole story I’d been working on for most of the last decade and I don’t know what to do with the time that has opened up. These characters have been a part of my life for quite a while, and with their story done, it feels like an empty house in my head.
Well, I have a few options to choose from, I’m just not sure which one I want to start with. So, I’ve been circling without making a decision. Then I begin to wonder, is this journey over for me too? (I don’t really believe that, but you know how it is with brains. They keep poking holes in your thoughts while filling others.)
And you know what? Sometimes you need that boost from an outside source that tells you flat-out what they think of your work and that is the impetus to get off your duff and get to work researching for the next project!
And I got one of those boosts right here! Editorial reviews are a very important part of the whole novel process and it sure feels good to have one on hand that made me smile. 5 golden stars! I’m just about dancing in my seat!
So, join me in the seat-bouncing category and check it out! Do eeet!
I’m gonna be busy over here as I got more books to write!
I hope you’re ready because today is the day! Waltzing Matilda is now available at Amazon in both Kindle and Print!
Smuggler. Fugitive. Cyborg. Bounty Hunter. Ex-Freedom Fighter. Butcher.
Far off into the future in a distant part of the galaxy, the Consortium controls the human colonies held together by the jump gates. Where the Consortium doesn’t hold sway, crime flourishes. Through the use of a hellish engine that goes where no one should, the crew of the Matilda slips its way between the two. But now they’re stuck on a backwater asteroid and time is running out.
Rumors drift of jump gates falling to rebel forces while other systems succumb to the alien invasion. The crew knows where Galena is being held but have no way to get there. Making dark deals in the folds may get them a way out.
Will the terrors from outside space lay claim to more systems? Can the insurrection prevail? With the universe against them, can Jacquotte Delahaye rescue Galena from this war-torn galaxy?
Loosen that pistol in your holster and prepare yourself for the fifth and final book of the series, Waltzing Matilda.
Oh 2022, what a strange year you have been.
I don’t know if it was the same for you, but I achieved a lot more than I thought I was capable of and I didn’t get as much done as I’d hoped. What did I do and not do, you ask?
As far as non-writing stuff goes, I’ve got more miles under my belt in my obstacle course pursuits, and I had to travel quite a bit to do it! If you do any of the Spartan races, you’ve probably heard of the Trifecta at least once. For everyone else, a Trifecta is when you complete three different race lengths in a calendar year: the Sprint (4+ miles), the Super (6+ miles), and the Beast (13+ miles).
Now, I’d completed one of these back in 2017 (I think) and the Beast alone broke me. I swore not to do another one and… that did not happen. Instead, I did three of these things this year! I even did all three in one weekend! On top of that, I even threw in a Tough Mudder for the first time and did a local one called the Big Dog Brag. All in all, I got pretty close to running 100 miles and completed over 300 obstacles (I didn’t beat them all… curse you rope climb, and Mount Olympus!) Considering that at the beginning of the year, walking a mile equaled a bucket of pain, I am pretty damned proud of this accomplishment.
And to get all these races done, I had to travel (which, to be honest after Covid was incredibly nice). Dallas, San Antonio, Phoenix, Colorado Springs, Hawaii, Orlando, San Luis Obispo and Denver. For a full-on geek out, I got to go to Galaxy’s Edge! Spaceships and blasters and sabers, oh my! It exceeded my expectations, and I am still as giddy as a schoolchild.
On the writing side, I didn’t get as much done as I wanted, hoped, and dreamed. Overall, it was still a great year for me. I was able to be a part of a few conventions and talk about my book series to a whole slew of people. I am still figuring out my approach to getting the books done for Audible.com, but I’m closer to the next step.
And lastly, I couldn’t get the last book in the series, Waltzing Matilda, done in 2022, but I have an update! The book will be released on January 17th, 2023!
Not too shabby, 2022. I’m looking forward to 2023 and the new adventures, both literary and life, that are just around the corner!
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Hannukah is in full swing, and Christmas is just around the corner! I hope everyone is having a grand time with friends, and family and keeps warm as the snows roll in (it’s close to negative 30 out here!).
I do have a bit of bad news, though. With the holidays and crazy travel, Waltzing Matilda’s release will be delayed until mid-January 2023. The book is almost ready but the windows in time are a little too tight to get it out before the end of the year.
This isn’t the way I wanted to end the year, so I’ll take it as a grand beginning in 2023!
See you in the future!
Image by Jensen Art Co from Pixabay
As the day for the release draws ever closer, how would you feel about a quick sneak peek of the shiny new cover of the Waltzing Matilda?
Oh? Do you want to see it? Here it is!
Isn’t she a beaut? Isn’t she?
As the end of this adventure comes closer to completion, so too has the chapter list been completed… a playlist of songs that inspired me.
Has it been on your mind to know what Luli Qing has in her repertoire for the final book of the saga? If you’re a Spotify user, you can check out the Chapter List for Waltzing Matilda. You can even give it a listen.
Where are the playlists for the other books? Look no further as they are below!
Almost ten hours of tunes for a five-book series that’s taken nine years to write. What an adventure! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
Umm… you know how I said the story was done?
Let’s just say I received heavy criticism about the ending and that it better changed. I know what you’re thinking, ‘didn’t you have the ending of the whole story written forever ago?’ And you’d be right.
I had that ending in mind when the characters were still partially formed in my head. I wrote that ending in its completion about 4 years ago. But it doesn’t fit the story anymore and I was already working on a replacement. In my opinion, it’s a much better ending and suits the overall arc of the crew of the Matilda. I dare say, I am rather proud of it. I think you’re going to love it, too.
And it is done! As I wait to receive the edits for most of the book, the final rewrite (given the stamp of approval by my alpha reader) is in the mail and on its way to my editor!
It’s only a matter of time now.
Image by Лариса Мозговая from Pixabay
My final convention for the year has been completed! And it was a grand time. First off, I wanted to say thank you to all the people who came by my table. There were quite a few familiar faces at Mile Hi Con and I had a grand time getting to hang out with folks I haven’t seen in a long while.
I didn’t get to participate in as many conventions as I wanted this year, but overall, it was still a successful run. I had a few firsts at this one too! I was finally able to drop a story I’m working on in the blind slush pile challenge. There wasn’t a single change mentioned when mine was read out loud and I felt pretty dang cool for the rest of the day.
I was also able to model some of my T-shirt designs for the Matilda Series (you can find them here). And I must say, I looked pretty sharp in my Anton Roane shirt.
I picked up a few more tricks and nonsense to make the whole process go even smoother. As 2023 creeps ever closer, my plan is to attend more conventions in new locations… you know, while also writing another Nun With a Gun story or two.
What about the final Matilda story? That will be completed and available before the next set of conventions roll in. My editor is wrangling paragraphs on pages while I am busy rewriting the end of the series. Once those are done, it’s almost a walk in the park to print!
I am excited to be a part of Mile Hi-Con 54!
Come on by and say hello from October 21st to the 23rd! I’m looking forward to meeting you there!
Jon Gray Lang.com 