Sunday 31 March 2013

Wouldn't it be nice

If I could remove my Goodreads copy of Scourge?

I uploaded Scourge when I didn't entirely understand Goodreads. I have absolutely no idea what version is currently on there - but it's been on there since sometime in 2012, which would have been when the first version went live on Amazon. Since then, I recall having made some rewrites. I have no idea if people who have reviewed or starred have read the version which was available on Kindle/Smashwords or Goodreads, therefore I have no idea what versions they've reviewed. It also appears that once something is on Goodreads, its there forever and I'm not permitted to change my cover art? It shows its old, when this is the cover displayed:


That there was the original cover I created with a free image before Kate made my other cover which I've been using forever now. Its a bit lame. It shows nothing about the book and blah it's not the proper cover anymore.

Scourge disheartens me sometimes. It was my first book which I probably should not have rushed to get out there, because I didn't have anyone to read it and check over any issues with plot, characters or spelling and grammar errors. I still need someone to look at Averan to make sure it's going all right. I have completely abandoned the 'different character every chapter first person narrative' I tried in Scourge. My problem I had then and sort of now is that I am not a huge fan of third person narrative because I don't think I do it very well, so I favour speaking as a character in first person - of course for Averan, I have decided that only Emily speaks in first person, so if I need another character to take over for a chapter - they're pushed to third person because it can be confusing switching between characters all screaming in first person narrative.

I know Scourge says it's the first book in the series, but due to all the problems I have had with it I am not looking at going back to it any time soon, although I have made some amendments to the print version which I am only vaguely considering taking to the Comic Con in August/September.

I hope I can get someone to look over Averan. Having read reviews on Goodreads I can't say I'm feeling like writing right now. LIKE EVERY DAY!

I have a lot of time on my hands this weekend

I've had nearly four days off for this weekend starting from Friday and ending Monday. Easter is awesome and I'm not even Christian. So I drew this picture of Nicola wearing my spare glasses and vomiting on me.





Wednesday 27 March 2013

Wattpad, no more

I've removed the vast majority of my stuff off Wattpad, as I couldn't cope with the like for like, read for read demographic on the site which I was incapable of getting along with effectively due to work commitments and shizzle like that.

I haven't deleted Humanity and Scourge off there (yet) because they had a few reads, but I never finished updating them on there and I probably won't. If people want to read them, they'll probably have to pick up a copy and read it then, unless I really feel crazy and complete them there. Who knows. Not me.

Tuesday 26 March 2013

Cardiff Comic Con

So Cardiff is finally getting a Comic Con after so many years of me saying 'Cardiff should have a comic con'. I was mostly saying this because I was too lazy/poor to visit London or elsewhere to go to the cons there. Now I have a good job, Cardiff get's one.

However I will be there. In the flesh and everything. Selling things maybe. With a booth type of table thing, which I'll be sharing with my good friend Kate Evans, artist extraordinaire. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to have with me there - I mean sure, there's going to be books and shit like that, but I used to do comics you know. Shit comics, so maybe we'll ignore that.

But I've been asking people, taking polls and threatening animals and the general consensus is that I could look into doing short stories of some description. My main issue is that my short stories end up being the opposite of that, but I have recently written and completed The Year which is classed as a short story, but I don't think that's what the people I threatened asked meant when they said 'short'. Maybe they were just make a general observation of my height, those pricks.

Someone else suggested bookmarks, but I think this is something more for artists. When I went to the Cardiff Comic Expo recently I saw there were other people selling books - but they had waaay more titles than me. I'm not crazy keen on using the Scourge copies I have, as they're missing page numbers at present. I'll have to look into a way of getting other versions created to fix this (this was because it was on Kindle originally and I'm a fool for forgetting) and Averan is coming along fairly all right, so I am not sure what I'm going to do with it - whether I go the same route as Scourge, or submit it somewhere. Who knows. Probably the latter.

Maybe I can write more short stories ... Time to think of the various ideas I've had in the past! GET TO WORK, BRAIN


Oh hey, I drew this in work today:


Saturday 23 March 2013

They see me bowling, they be laughing

Because I suck at bowling. Unless the sides are up, then shits going to get REAL. REALly bad.

So anyway, I've been doing some stuff on my site - I finally figured out how to move the master menu tabs across (I added a new page after I had added the page with a link to this blog, and I realised suddenly the contact tab had vanished off the side of the site), so now there's a new tab there for this:



I'm so glad Blogger made that image smaller, because in reality it's 1468px by 2088px and took weirdly forever to load on my website when I uploaded it.

I made the cover myself (obviously, I mean it's not a work of art or anything ...) because I'm probably going to make this story (its a short one) free somewhere. I'm not sure where yet. Maybe I'll print off reams of it and give them to people in the street, whilst making full eye contact whilst saying 'Do you do everything to please our Lord Jesus Christ?'. Mainly because they'll be really confused when they read it (or throw it away) and find out it has nothing to do with Jesus. 

I used to do Smashwords, but I never really seemed to get much downloads on there compared to Amazon (sorry, Smashwords) and Wattpad, but my work isn't One Direction based so that was a bit pointless for me too, sadly. I only found out that Harry Stiles existed because of Comic Relief (although to be honest he seemed like a nice enough kid who got very upset so shows he has some form of a heart which will be torn out by the robots who run the music industry ... or the lizardmen).

I'm currently working on The Ashes of Averan part three, which may well conclude the first book - depending on how long all three parts are when they're completely typed up. If it's not long enough I've started basic planning of what could feasibly be part four, but if I don't need any more parts it will become book two part one instead.

I'm also going to be at the Cardiff Comic Con with my good friend Kate Evans (my go-to girl for covers), so I'm hoping to have Averan completed by then at least, which is happening on the August 31st - September 1st weekend at the CIA (currently called the "Motorpoint Arena"). I'm maybe going to look at having my shorter stories available in some sort of hard format, perhaps grouped together for the con. Who knows. I already have business cards with my website on them.

ONWARD!

Thursday 21 March 2013

Listening to the same song on loop

Right now, hey RIGHT NOW, I've been listening to the same song ... well, music, since there's no singing so really it's not a song, for about the best part of an hour and a half.

I usually do this because a certain song has helped me with an idea - such as the short story I just completed called The Year - the song in question for that was one by Fire Theft called 'Heaven'.

Right now though, I'm (still) listening to Bone Wagon off the Grim Fandango soundtrack (best game EVER) which can be located here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aMM_djvcu0

It sort of describes my mood right now. If you know me, maybe you'll understand. I can be a bit up and down sometimes. I'm like drugs. The illegal kind. Uppers and downers. Anything you like - one day I'm like HEY I'M EXTACY! Then another day I'm like Heroin.


I got a bit bored and Googled Opium. Then I ended up on WikiAnswers (I have a profile, sometimes I answer questions!) and somehow ended up answering one on how to say 'hello' in Assiniboin (It's Háu if you were wondering). Now I'm back.

So I wrote a short story called The Year. I'm not entirely sure what I'm planning on doing with it - its not even got chapters as its all written from the perspective of the main character reflecting on his life. What should I do?

I know what - keep listening to Bone Wagon.

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Block of the Writer's Kind

Or maybe it's procrastination? I don't know, but I'm in the middle of trying to figure out how to plot and start an idea I have been looking at of late and I am having a little bit of difficulty.

This may be due to the fact that I have a computer that is capable of interneting and therefore able to keep me occupied on things like ... Wikipedia, articles about poo in Ikea cakes and Facebook.

Maybe its because this idea of mine is impeding on my actual stuff I have to do - namely typing up part two of my book and thinking about part three. Who knows.

But anyways, poo in cake? I guess that explains the chocolate coating they had.



Oh hey, I updated my website with fun details on stuff. There's a new tab. Its got words on it and even a picture.

http://www.sarahhardingroberts.co.uk