Busy but not forgotten

The past few weeks have been very busy and I feel like I have little to show for it.
I am almost done with the additions I am making to Cursed. I was hoping to have them done by now because there are some scheduled reviews for August.
I've been juggling that with kids birthday parties, my kid's birthday party (she turned 4), an unexpected trip to Toronto to visit a sick friend and other dreary life dramas that can't be avoided or ignored.
So bear with me. I will have everything organized and figured out within the next few weeks. The summer is zipping by so fast I feel like I haven't had a chance to enjoy it.
That isn't surprising considering how much rain we've had. It's been a monsoon in southeastern Michigan. Everything is green and soggy.
And lastly, I have not finished The Killing yet so don't spoil it for me but I have enjoyed this season. It had a lot of suspects but not a ridiculous amount. I have two episodes to go and it's looking like the guy in prison really did his wife in. I admit that I fast forward through those prison scenes. I find them boring.

Cursed update -- book offline

I have taken Cursed offline for a couple of weeks. I have to fix some errors and make some changes and would prefer to re-present the book rather than keep it up for sale while I add some scenes.
It is still for sale on Smashwords and Createspace because it's too much work to take it down and then repost it. I will be adding a new text file when it's ready but for now it's still there.
I've had some great - yet critical reviews - of the book and I want to address some of the criticism. I don't want to sell anything but the best book I can write.
The book is short because Evolution is long. Does that make any sense? I spent five years writing Evolution and it's full of rich detail and full characters. I wanted Cursed to be a shorter, quicker read and didn't realize in doing so I was cheating the reader of a fuller experience.
Everyone has noted that the story is very good. That is such a compliment because I worked very hard developing the plot and putting hints in the story toward future storylines in other books.
But I also wanted the reader to feel a connection to the characters and be fulfilled. It seems I have accomplished that with the main character but at the expense of subordinate characters. So I am making revisions, adding scenes and will repost it in a few weeks and put it up for FREE so that anyone who bought it and wants to download a newer version and hasn't yet read the book can do so at no cost.
Thanks so much for those who have already read the book and I hope you won't abandon me as I work to make the product even better.

New cover for Evolution

My YA dystopian/science fiction/paranormal book has a new cover thanks to Sarah Dalton, a British designer. I bought the picture but needed it enhanced. While there is no person on the cover, I hope it's mysterious enough that it attracts some attention.
I don't have an official release date for Evolution. I had originally planned for August but I'm not sure that is doable. I can say Evolution will be released sometime in the next quarter. That's as close as I can get to a release date.

 

Evolution is a story of survival. It's about a group of friends who have survived a horrific virus that has taken the lives of most Americans. Michigan can be an inhospitable place in the winter, so the group decides to go to Florida. The journey is perilous but also gives the teens time to discover the "Remarkable" skills they've developed after being sick.

I need to work on the book blurb because the story is much more complicated than that. The teens/aka virus survivors are cogs in a complex wheel of a man's revenge and thirst for power.



Downton Abbey is fabulous

When I'm watching great TV shows I generally have good and bad things to say about the show. I can't help it, nothing is perfect. The Killing dragged out the mystery way too long and seems to have learned its lesson with season three, which I'm liking.
Mad Men has a lot of up and down episodes. The first part of season six was a total yawn but the season picked up speed midway. I really liked its last few episodes and the ending was great. I felt like Don was finally going to peel back the layers of his mystery and with the people who should know, his children. The Walking Dead is entertaining but likes to take gore a bit too far.
I started watching Downton Abbey a couple of weeks ago. I have seen bits and pieces of some episodes but never saw one in its entirely.
I'm now almost halfway through season two and the show reminds me of Mad Men without the sex and yet the show is better. I've watched 12 episodes that have spanned 6 years. The plots move ahead on fairly small issues but they pack a punch.
I think the dialogue is witty, the storylines are clever and press the boundaries of the historical societal norms for the early 20th Century.
I started watching the series through Netflix and saw 2 episodes before Netflix lost the license to the show. That was annoying.  Makes me question whether I should keep Netflix much longer.
Anyway, I just love the storyline between Mary and Matthew. It's totally applicable to today and how someone's pride can get in the way.