Rookie Privateer Free
In a blatant attempt to bribe new readers into jumping on the Privateer Tales bandwagon, I've decided to drop the price on Rookie Privateer to free. We're preparing to release books 7 and 8 (Out of the Tank and Buccaneers respectively) and I believe it's time to take...
Pirate Grounded!
If you've been reading my blog, you were probably were aware that Parley, third book in the Privateer Tales series was pirated on the Google Play bookstore. Some enterprising person with a poor moral set decided to represent...
Buccaneers Preview
The next novel in the Privateer Tales series is Buccaneers. I'd hotlink the Amazon URL but we're several weeks from releasing the book at the time of this writing. When I'm working through a novel, I often ask my artist friends to help me by creating original art that...
Pirates Attack.. No Really.
My entire professional life has been dedicated to creating digital goods. First with computer software and more recently with digital books. One of the big questions has always been - how to protect that intellectual property. What you might not know is copyright is...
Why write?
Why write? It's a question I get from time to time and the answer I gives generally depends on the mood I'm in. If I were to be completely honest, I'd admit that I'm not completely sure why I write. Like most of life's important questions, a simple, one-sentence...
Cutpurse – Released to Amazon
It's been a busy spring and I'm excited to announce the second new book of 2015. Cutpurse is a novella set in the Tipperary Solar System and introduces readers to the the planet Grünholz. I often get the question as to why I write these smaller stories instead of just...
Rookie Privateer New Cover
Can you believe it's almost been a year since we released Rookie Privateer? The amazing response has pushed me onward and boy do I have new stories to tell. March has been a busy month. We've released Smuggler's Dilemma, Cutpurse was sent to beta readers and now a new...
It’s a long way to Tipperary
Click on the picture to zoom in. In the stories Cutpurse and Buccaneers I've introduced a new solar system Tipperary. I asked a friend of mine, Roberto Gabriel Garcia, to help me with a visualization of this system and it came out great. Tipperary, is a...
Privateer Tales – After Red Houzi
I'm having a wonderful spring weekend writing and responding to reader comments. It's so much fun to hear from people who are reading Smuggler's Dilemma for the first time. I've always known there were people in the world who enjoy my style of science fiction and love...
Smuggler’s Dilemma – Released
We're Done! Smuggler's Dilemma has been released to Amazon and can be ordered on Amazon. Follow this link - get on amazon to order your copy now. I've had a number of questions about why I create pre-orders instead of releasing directly to the public. As a publisher...
Smuggler’s Dilemma – Home Stretch
The work on Smuggler's Dilemma is coming to a close and release can't be far behind. I've yet to set a date for release, primarily because I have a contingent promotion I'll be doing with Rookie Privateer. The business of independent book writing is tricky and I have...
Smuggler’s Dilemma – Writing Complete
What does it mean to be done writing? In some sense, it means the really hard work begins. It's time to get the editors involved and we'll start tearing the story apart. Each of my editors have a different process. My sister, Diane from nammynools.com and author of...
First Year Lessons Learned – Part 2
In the first post in this two part series I talked about some of the lessons I've learned in the first year as an independent writer. The four lessons I've boiled it down to are: Writing is the easy part Control your own destiny Manage your time wisely Don’t read...
Share Joy
What more could a writer want than to share the joy of reading with the next generation. When I was growing up, we didn't have easy access to T.V. and the internet didn't even exist. Both of my parents were avid readers and while I didn't start that way, my dad...
Attitude of Gratitude – Free Books
On of the fun things I get to do as a writer with Amazon is to offer free books. I believe in approaching life with an attitude of gratitude, and I'm grateful for you, my reader. Instead of the airing of grievances, an idea made popular by the fake holiday of Festivus...
First Year, Lessons Learned – Part 1
A year ago, when I started writing in earnest, I read the advice of several successful authors that warned that writing was the easy part of being an independent author. For someone with no released books, this seemed like an oversimplification to me. In my untrained...
Success is not a destination
One of the blogs I follow is written by Seth Godin. He posts easy to digest, common and uncommon wisdom. Every once in a while he comes up with a jewel and this one spoke to me. In his blog, Seth posits that often times success in difficult ventures is a matter of...
New spaceship – Hotspur
Visualization is critical for me while working through a story. At the end of Parley, Sterra's Gift ran into substantial problems. Without turning this into a spoiler, Liam, Nick and Marny found themselves in need of a new ship for Smuggler's Dilemma. The ship they...
Lesser Prince – To Beta Readers
Lesser Prince is a tale about three youths who discover that they are anything but ordinary, and that the universe is much stranger than they could have ever expected. In a significant departure from the Privateer Tales series, Lesser Prince is a fantasy work,...
Big Pete Released!
Big Pete Released, Saturday, October 18th One of the great joys as an author is releasing a new work. Untold hours go into even the smallest works and by the time it makes it to the store, over a dozen people have had their hands in the work, from editing, artwork and...
October Progress
I periodically get the question, "when will the next book be available?" First, let me be clear, it's a flattering question because it shows me that whoever is asking either wants me to read the next book, or is interested in my path as a writer, or hopefully both. I...
Short Story Big Pete
The short story Big Pete will be the fourth installment in the Privateer Tales series and should be available on Amazon in October, 2014. This story starts well before Rookie Privateer. Big Pete is a Marine Sergeant in the great Amazonian war and just happens to...
Rookie Privateer, Best Seller
As an independent writer and publisher one of the most difficult challenges I'm faced with is how to get the word out about my books. Like most writers, I would prefer to write the books and hand off everything else to someone else. I could lament the reasons why this...
Parley Release Sept 5th, 2014
Fans of the Privateer Tales series have good reason to be excited. We are getting very close to the release of Parley (Privateer Tales Book 3). One of the fun things that Liam does when setting out on a new voyage is to pick out theme music. Unfortunately for the...