When it comes to announcements, I’m never quite sure how to go about making them. Sometimes, I keep it a secret for as long as I can in order to maximize its impact. Other times though, I want to talk about it until I collapse on my bed and wish for a time less stressful.
Today, I’m trying to figure out which one of these times this is.
This coming Monday I will reveal the cover to my new book Ranger Martin and the Search for Paradise, which hits the shelves on October 20. I’m excited about it, but at the same time, sad. The book is the final entry in the Ranger Martin zombie trilogy.
For those of you unfamiliar with how the Ranger Martin series came to be, I had written the first book Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse during 2011’s NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), a writing contest that takes place annually in November as a way to spurn writers to compete against themselves in order to write 50,000 words in 30 days.
I joined the challenge thinking it would be a good opportunity to exercise my skills as a writer and write the book I’ve always wanted to write, even if I had no idea what the project was going to be about. I joined anyway with the hope it would take on a life of its own.
For a month, I had no friends.
Yeah, you can say I went all OCD on everyone. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 1,666 words every day for 30 days and I approached it as if it were a war. No matter what, I wouldn’t let anything or anyone get in the way of my goal to complete the manuscript.
I was such an idiot. Seriously.
Part of that attitude came from the fact that the most I could produce at that time was 500 words a day. I wouldn’t have thought I was capable of producing three times that amount. Ever. I can truly say it is also the reason some reviewers felt the writing in the first novel had a sense of urgency. And there was. Every day was a race against the clock to get my ideas into the manuscript before midnight. The way it works is if I missed one day, it meant I would have had to write 3,332 words the next day. And that, to me, would have been equivalent to clamping my head to a paint mixer and flipping the switch.
Looking back, I now see how silly that was, given today I write every day out of habit. You know what else, though? Once I had immersed myself in Ranger Martin’s world, I was producing far more than the assigned daily quota. I actually was having fun, even if I had shunned society for the entirety of November that year.
Anyway, I was planning to talk about Ranger Martin, how the character came to be, but it looks like I’m running out of time. I guess I’ll save it until Monday.
Just know I’m excited to show you the cover. It’s a journey completed. I really can’t wait.
Oh, and by the way, in celebration of the Ranger Martin and the Search for Paradise release, I’m offering the first book Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse FREE next week for 5 days, starting on Tuesday. It’s my way to thank you all for putting up with my long-winded posts about zombies, women who wow, macho warriors, and anything else that may have caught my attention.
Here’s the first of the plugs I’m publishing for this celebration. Thanks for the support.
Looking to God 
Congratulations & best wishes!!! How exciting for you 🙂
Thank you! It definitely is a crazy time!
Congratulations! Been awhile, and so glad I checked back in. 🙂
Have a great weekend, enjoy!
Thanks, Nims! Enjoy the weekend! 🙂
Congratulations. A grand achievement indeed and a testament to perseverence. Unless the writing bug has really infected you to a chronic level you need a break from writing for six months (not blogging, obviously).
I think it’s good that you see in hindsight the ‘silliness’ of the NaNo phenomenon. Quantity is not the measure of a good book and I wonder how many NaNo first drafts ever get rewritten. It’s one thing to maintain a regular pattern of writing, quite another to write for the sake of it.
At least NaNo set you on the path to creating the trilogy, which is a far better outcome than simply hitting a word count target.
Thanks, Chris! Yep, my writing is definitely at a chronic level. Can’t get rid of the bug. 🙂
So exciting, Jack!! I’ll have to be sure to snag a free copy of the first book next week. If you can, please do remind all of us, and I’ll tweet it when it’s live (for what it’s worth–not like I’m Neil Gaiman or anything!). Like Gilbertspeaks says, you’ll now have to give us some new trilogies.
On another note, I know what you mean about the act of sitting down & writing. Some of it is the mere act of writing that’s daunting to me, intellectually. But, for me, it’s also the physical. I’m not a person who likes to be sedentary or still or solitary a majority of the time, but that is what writing requires (unless I can be the person who thinks up a way to run marathons while typing a story). Anyway, more the congratulations to you on finishing up the trilogy. No one says–well, depending what I read in the final story–Ranger Martin can’t come back someday. If nothing else, you can do a prequel or five, right?!
For once, I’m looking forward to a Monday! 🙂
Aw, Leigh–thank you! These last few years have been quite a ride. Finishing the Ranger Martin trilogy has really been a dream come true. Lots of hard work, but worth every single hour spent on the project!
Reminder: Grab a free copy of the first book on Tuesday! 😉 lol
Congratulations, Jack! What an acheivement…a trilogy! Savor this time…I love that “post-published” feeling, even on the small scale of publishing a new blog post. This must feel amazing. You have been a real inspiration to me as a writer…thanks for all of it. Cheers to one ending, many new beginnings!
Thanks so much for all the kind words, Katie! 🙂 I can’t wait until I have all three books on my shelf. I have a special spot in my office for them. And yes, it is new beginnings! 🙂
I am so excited for you and, don’t be sad, write another series with a new hero!!!!
You may be right, Marie!
Looking forward to Monday. Hope you can relax this weekend. 🙂
So far, it’s been a relaxing weekend. Looking forward to tomorrow as well!