Greetings!
It’s been a month since we last connected, and let me tell you, it has been quite the month! Toward the end of October, I was planning on finishing a Mechhaven novella, but for a variety of reasons I just couldn’t get it done, so instead of fighting the muses, I switched gears to my new project—a fantasy series—and the words flowed!
During the first week of November, I attended Author Nation in Las Vegas. It was a very fun writing conference. Authors of all levels meet up and share their knowledge and experiences. What I love is that everyone, from bestselling authors to those still working on their first books, mingle. There were several times I sat either in front of or behind some fairly successful authors and didn’t realize it until later. What’s great about this event is that everyone considers each other peers.
I met back up with some folks I’d met at the last conference I attended in 2023, and we got to know each other better and spent a lot of time between the sessions hanging out and comparing notes. Since this was my third time, in every session I attended, it seemed like I either knew or had met someone else in there previously. There are so many neat ideas that you learn about at these events that it can be overwhelming, and I’m still processing everything.
The week concluded with Reader Nation, an event with authors from all genres and all levels displaying their books to voracious readers and learning about in-person sales. When I attended in 2021 and 2023, those were my first times selling in-person. At an event so big, there’s a lot of competition for reader’s attention and hard-earned money, so part of participating is checking out what everyone else is doing and learning how to improve. I’m happy to report that my table setup got some compliments from other authors and attendees, so I’m on the right track. I gave my full pitch for Pax Machina and the Mechhaven series at least thirty times in a six-hour window, which may be a record. My sales were good for having so much competition, and I think they were a little higher than in 2023.
Overall, it was a great week. I attend only every other year, but I feel like I made some solid connections with other authors and some future vendors. Now that I’m home, I’ve been back to work at my regular job, which is busy as always, but I’m fired up about my new series, which I’ll be sharing more details with you over the coming months.
Thanks for being part of this journey with me!
Here’s a picture of me with authors Jason Hicks (left) and Brady Hunsaker (right). We all had covers created by the incredible Jeff Brown!
Newsletter News: Just a reminder that I’ve switched this newsletter frequency from twice a month to once a month while I concentrate on some behind the scenes administrative stuff and work on my new series.
Novel Notices
- First an update on Routine Expedition…I’ve put it on hold for the time being. As the month of October wore on, my writing sessions for RE became less and less productive, so I set that aside. I’ll come back to that when the time is right.
- Now the good news! My new project has been calling to me for quite a while, but I resisted starting until I’d wrapped up By Archangel’s Light. Once I decided to stop working on Routine Expedition and dive into Birthright, Book 1 of the Willstone Legacy , the words flowed! As of this writing, I’m at 35,000 words and should hit around 41,000 this weekend—concluding the first act and bringing me about a third of the way through!”
- I credit the great word count in part to participating in Novel November which has made me strive to hit a robust daily word count. I’ll probably slow down to a more manageable pace after November, but writing every day certainly helps production. Moving forward, while my daily totals might be lower, I’ll still have daily and weekly targets. With any luck, I may finish the first draft of Birthright in January or February!
Here are my upcoming appearances:
- I’m always looking for other opportunities which I’ll post here as soon as I can confirm. I may be attending the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in April. If I do, I’ll be sharing the booth with several other authors. We’re currently working out the details, so once I have anything solid to report I’ll let you know.
Featured Authors
The Crucible: An Epic Scifi Progression Fantasy Series (Reclaimer Book 1)
by
Waldo Rodriguez
From the ashes of a dying world, a god will rise.
As an out of shape nerd, Gabriel Rivera had more pressing issues than outlandish things like godhood: Evacuating the city, joining the military, and protecting his family. Simple right?
Everything changed when the PAC invaded.
When the grim fate of his world is revealed, Gabriel joins the Reclaimer Project to save his family. A lowly F ranker, he’s weaker than even the worst recruits. Good thing he’s too stubborn for his own good.
Through blood and sweat Gabriel aims to grow stronger and rise above the rest.
Deadly traps lurk around every corner, mysterious factions move in the shadows, and dormant powers within him manifest in wild and dangerous ways.
Battered, bruised, and beaten, Gabriel refuses to stay down. For only in the fires of The Crucible are legends forged.
Outbound Recon: A Gritty Space Marine Military Sci-Fi Adventure (Secret Space Program Book 1)
by
Logan Shields
The mission was simple.
Land on Aris-6. Eliminate the threat. Get out clean.
But Jack Rourke isn’t seeing enemies—he’s seeing ghosts.
Civilian casualties. Forgotten lives.
And flashes of a past they told him never existed.
Now the soldier who never questioned anything is asking the one thing that could get him killed:
What if the real enemy is the system that built him?
Outbound Recon is gritty, high-stakes military sci-fi for fans of shadow ops, buried pasts, and heroes who defy the system.
Read now. Before Jack’s memory—and his life—are wiped for good.
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Until next time, have fun and read a lot of books!
Greg Sorber