Good News!

Yes, good news - I've now completed the first half of the pay-to-download story (almost). I've completed the first 25 minutes of what's now looking like a 70 minute audio story. I'm determined to get it out for Halloween (Friday), and barring act-of-God type scenarios, I should be able to do so. Stay tuned to this blog as in the run up to release I'll be releasing more information, sneak peaks, audio samples, etc.

In other news, after a period of total writer's block, I'm now back to work on Blood and Smoke. It's now looking like there will be more than one more episode. I've finished the first draft of Episode 7, and I'm currently writing Episode 8 (though, of course, because I'm now working all-out on the pay-download story, the writing of Episode 8 has stopped again - temporarily).

Now the bad news. Blood and Smoke will be my last free podcast. I'm giving up the noble art because I want to devote my time exclusively to writing. I only have so much time left on this Earth, and I've got a lot of stories I want to get written before I go. Two novels a year is my target. At this time, I don't plan to make audio versions of them because the process takes such a terribly long time (and always completely derails the writing process, making it very hard to get started again).

My first writing project after Blood and Smoke will not be a U&F story. I want to write something totally different, and this story - a novel - will be just that. More than this I can't say.
Will there be more U&F? Yes, almost certainly, but for now, I need a complete break from all things fanged.

That's it for now, amigos. As I say, stay tuned to this blog as I'll be releasing more stuff on the p-t-d story as we countdown to Halloween.
Trick or treat?
Treat, I promise ;-)

Pay-to-Download Story Update.

Update on the p-t-d story. I work on it for about 90 mins a night. There's a lot of editing to do, even though I finished writing it a while back, listening to the audio often throws to light little (and large) things that need to be adjusted / re-written / re-recorded. So far, I have 8 of 13 pages recorded and edited (finished). Ultimately, the finished audio adventure could be anything from 60 - 90 mins long, so it'll be quite the little epic. The story shines light on a hitherto untouched period of Underwood's past (late 1800s) and features a new Flinch. I'm also considering selling it via Audible as well as via my sites. Blood and Smoke is sitting on the back burner until this is finished. As soon as p-t-d goes live, I'll get back to work on the final episode of B&S. After that ... well, it depends on how p-t-d sells, but I'd like to go straight into a long writing process of U&F Part 4: not a novella like B&S, but a full-size novel. Stay patient, friends; the reward will be worth the wait.

I'm Working - Look, Here's Proof ...

Here's a picture of me taken at my desk working on the audio of the pay-to-download story (you can see the audio file open on the laptop in front of me). On the wall is a map of the London Underground, next to it are two smaller pictures - covers of projects I'm working on (but not all that I'm working on). So, here you have it: proof, if proof be needed, that just because nothing is appearing anywhere for your immediate consumption, I am working - and now you have an insight into some the things that I'm working on ;-)

The Hardback and Paperback Now Available to Buy.

OK, here it is, for everyone who doesn't want the two individual ebook volumes of U&F at $2.99 each, I present the paperback and hardback all-in-one volumes.

The hardback is the high-end luxury product, with the paperback as the more affordable option. Yes, they aren't as cheap as stuff you see on Amazon, but remember, there are two novels in one volume, and that's a lot of paper. If U&F were in the hands of a "real" publisher, the books would be edited down to a fraction of the size.

The hardback is priced as it is so I can make a modest profit from any Amazon sales (because Amazon want their cut, too). The paperback is priced as it is because I've kept it OFF Amazon in order to keep the cost down. For this reason, only the hardback has an ISBN (international standard book number, which is what retailers need to sell it in their stores). For both books, discounts exist ONLY at Lulu, and that's where I urge you to buy.

Here are the links ...

Hardback: http://www.lulu.com/shop/mike-bennett/underwood-and-flinch/hardcover/product-21742664.html

Paperback: http://www.lulu.com/shop/mike-bennett/underwood-and-flinch/paperback/product-21746569.html

Once again, my huge thanks to all the U&F Fundraisers for helping to make this happen. Your names adorn the dedication pages!

NB: There's a printing and delivery time of over a week - I know, not ideal, but that's self-publishing companies for you.

Half-way through the recording

I'm now half-way through the recording. There have been various re-writes over the weekend (yes, still re-working sentences and phrases) and I was also busy with other stuff, namely preparing the hardback of U&F for print release. That's ready to go, but it's going to be expensive. I'll keep you posted.

Four Pages Read

Four pages read. Multiple takes and various different character voices experimented with before settling on an all-London cast. The text is tight and didn't need many revisions. All in all, a good session. Story flows well, it's tight, and I for one am gripped - and I know how it ends!

Back in the Saddle!

I can't edit the text any longer, I have to begin recording. Anything that's wrong with the text will come out in the reading process as I record.

And so I began this afternoon - and yes, I found lots of little snags, so much so that I only got ten minutes of it recorded (and much of that will no doubt end up on the cutting room floor), but still - I've started, and that's a major hurdle overcome. Getting back in the saddle, as they say, is the hard part. Tomorrow I shall continue (but in the bedroom, as there's less traffic noise in there). That's when I'll go for the big run at it; I'll try and get at least half of it recorded, if not all. However, that might be a bit difficult as, at over 8,000 words, it's technically a "novelette".

Meanwhile, in other news, I've been in contact with a museum library in London trying to buy the rights to use a particular picture as the cover artwork. They have now agreed (at a modest price) to permit me to use the image and are sending me a scan of the picture through the post. MJ Hahn is on board to turn that scan into the finished artwork, and I'll share it with you just as soon as I enter the final stages of audio editing.

From now on, I'll try and post progress on the recording regularly here on my blog.