My books are real.

Hello my darlings,

I made a post earlier today on my Facebook page about how some readers are responding to the rise of the ebook industry.  This was all spurred forth by a series of comments following an article Anne Rice posted about how Barnes and Noble suffered a profit loss (albeit a marginal one. They are still making billions in profits). Here is the article for reference.

My problem isn’t with Barnes and Noble (I love visiting whenever I can, just as I enjoy any other bookstore or second hand book shop). And I do recognize that they are going through a hard time (especially since Amazon is doing such a nice job of making itself an eReader titan). My problem is with the people who are bashing eBooks.

To paraphrase some comments: “I would never pick up an eBook. There is nothing like the smell of a new, REAL book”. “I love my REAL books too much”. “This is pathetic, they are suffering profit losses because no one reads anymore”.

I used to be one such literature elitist until I bought my first Nook. That was when I learned a few things. Namely…

• eReaders are insanely convenient. They make my book hoarding so much tidier. I can carry 300 books in my purse and, for a voracious reader like me, that is a typical wet dream.
• eReaders give me access to hundreds, even thousands more books than I would ever be exposed to in a single bookstore. Besides that, it is the easiest way to discover new authors (since if I feel particularly industrious, I can research them in another tab). I also feel more comfortable with buying a book from a new author on an ereader.

As I started getting serious about publishing my books, I came to yet another conclusion.

• eBooks have allowed me and many other budding authors to reach more potential readers than ever before. It really is changing the business. The competition might be stiffer, but that just makes things more exciting, doesn’t it?

With all of that said, I find it extremely insulting for someone to refer to an eBook as “not a real book”. With all of the work I as an author put into formatting and publishing an ebook to optimize the reader’s enjoyment, it better damn well be treated as “real”.

Your thoughts in the comments, as always, are appreciated.

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

Purify

Hello my darlings,

 

I thought I would steal a screenshot of Purify, the Dragoloth-based RPG that I am working on. I don’t want to leak too much information about it yet, but as you can see I am getting the hang of mapping. I’m using RPG Maker VX Ace. I thought I would dabble with the trial version to see if it is worth it. So if I can get a demo game together in the remaining 28 days, I will considering buying the full package in order to develop the game to its full potential.

Aside from classes beginning, a leaking ceiling, and all sorts of other little things, that is how I have been spending my time. I have spent so much time doing this, however, that I have been neglecting The Hollow Living. I did manage to get an hour an a half to myself in the library today, during which I finished off a chapter that had been giving me trouble. As soon as I finish with this blog post, actually, I am going to go see if I can get any more written. Like I’ve said countless times now, I really want to make a dent in this project.

Pretty much my reaction to life.

 

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

Daddy got a new computer!

Hello my darlings,

Yes. That was entirely necessary.

I was roused from my sleep this morning by a heavy banging on my door. (To give you an idea of the gravity of that, the front door opens up into my bedroom. I know, I know). And what could it be but the honest and fresh-faced deliveryman, up at 8 in the morning for the sole purpose of delivering unto me my brand new shiny laptop?

I was so thrilled, I ripped open the package immediately. I haven’t been asleep since, but I have been steadily working purchasing Word (the first order of operations for a writer) installing a proper anti-virus, and of course, letting Facebook know my happiness. My new laptop is an Asus Vivobook, 11.6 inches, pink, and her name is Fanny Skeffington. (If you get the reference, you awesome).

I was going to splurge on a Macbook Pro. I really, really was. But I could not bring myself to do so. The very tiny, reasonable voice inside my head was squeaking “Dude, dude, DUDE, you’re poor, bro!” the entire time. It was then that I resigned myself to Windows 8. And while I have not heard great things about it, I am actually falling in love with it. Everything is so seamless and easy to navigate. Now, of course, I feel like I would have been lost in Applespace. Maybe once a PC, you are always a PC…

What does this mean, and why do you care? Well, dear one, this means that… THE HOLLOW LIVING CAN FINALLY BE FINISHED!!

This is cause for celebration, indeed.

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

Let us Review your Book!

Dragoloth Based RPG?

Hello my darlings,

I know I have been quiet for some time. We finally moved into our new place … which means lots of unpacking, job training, and general settling down has been taking priority. But do not despair. Things are going well and of course, I have been a closet notebooker with The Hollow Living this entire time. (I have some great scenes I might share … might…). Soon I will be getting my new computer and then blogging / writing will be much more consistent!

Hopefully. BUT! This is not the point of the post. The point is, as the title implies, a brand new Dragoloth / Drakkian Province rpg that I am starting to develop.

This is actually a project I have been wanting to work on for years. When I was 15 I tried beginning a Mahtrador-based message board, but obviously that didn’t work out too well (or you would be playing it now in the other window as you read this). This time I am going to start small. I am going to start by developing a tabletop rpg (maybe even with custom dice, wouldn’t that be sexy?) then I am going to spread out into a message board type game to reach out to more players, and then I am going to upgrade the entire thing to a kickass MMORPG (yes, you heard me).

What kind of gory monsters, treacherous princes, and deadly adventures will be involved? Well, I can’t divulge *too* much information (that would spoil the surprise!) but I can guarantee that you will see some old favorites kicking around as NPC’s.

So that is where I will leave you hanging with that. If you are interested in playing around as a field tester, definitely shoot me an email at cnfaust@outlook.com ! It won’t be ready to play for a few weeks yet, but it would be great to see how many people would be interested.

I’m going to go work on polishing up the Orcs and Aliens issue. It’s coming up so quickly!

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

Our new media package!

20 Days of Donations Campaign

Jennie Fox

Hello my darlings,

I’m running what is essentially a 20 day blitz donation campaign for Jennie Fox (Formerly Smith, I had that mixed up). Jennie is a great woman who has always been supportive of others and ever willing to help a friend in need. She has been in-and-out of the hospital for most of her life, but now her problems with her heart are getting more severe and the hospital bills are piling up. It is to the point where the next hospital trip can only happen if there is just a little bit of help. So that is what this campaign is for! For the next 20 days, I want to help Jennie gather donations for her next hospital visit, just to get her closer to taking care of this issue with her heart once and for all. Any donation size helps, even if it just $1.00.

Her goal is a modest $300, I want to see if we can surpass it! She did not ask me to do this for her. I just want to push her cause!

I wanted to offer some kind of incentive to encourage people to donate higher. So here is what I will do: donate $50 and I will use a character of YOUR design (with explicit mention that it is YOUR character) as a cameo appearance in an upcoming short story anthology (featuring the Mahtrador family)!

Donate $100 and I will do that, PLUS I will post a list of characters from my Age of Waking Death series who will be making an appearance and you can pick one with whom your character will personally interact with in some way.

As always, show me a screenshot, or otherwise produce some sort of proof that you made the donation. The best way to do this is to email me at cnfaust@outlook.com and then we will discuss your character!

I wish I could do more for Jennie, I would love it if you guys could at least re-blog this and share for her cause!

Your most adored,

C.N.F.