Revamp

Of all my published works, I think Sole Survivor has probably been redone the most. It's tricky getting the first book in a series right. Not to mention the dual storylines.

There's Lisa and Jackson. A marriage on the rocks. Deadly secrets.

Then there's Kat. A college student on a mission to solve a cold case that started as an assignment and became an obsession.

It's time for a revamp. Maybe even a face-lift for the cover. Either way, it's a perk and a problem for me.

Future Plans

I've not been blogging for a while. I've also not been writing as much.

I've always written while having a job and often while attending college. But I wasn't really prepared for the exhaustion from chronic illness coupled with a promotion at my job. Most days, I come home and crawl into bed under the covers.

My mind is always going, but sitting down at the keys and actually "working" eludes me.

For the past year, I've been hosting "Writing Workshops" at my job. I've been at this over a decade now and information was hard to come by and understand when I was starting out. Not to mention that self-publishing had a really bad wrap as vanity press (which still exist, BTW).

Then the recession hit. Borders closed. Publishing changed.

Self-publishing has become more and more viable depending on the person. And depending on their goal.

I enjoy helping guide others and share information and wisdom learned from years of doing. I'm even considering creating some $0.99 eBooks or so with tips and tricks.

In the meantime, I'm using my spare time to correct past works piece-by-piece. New formatting. Typos and errors re-corrected. New paperback editions. New eBook editions. Possible combo issues.

If you're ever south of Annapolis, MD, maybe you'll stop by one of my workshops at the local library. :)

Edits and Upcoming Releases

Camp NaNo began on Wednesday. I set a moderate goal for 25,000 words after crashing and burning back in April. So far (as of this post, at least) I'm on track to finish.

While I'm jumping headlong into a sequel, I'm knee-deep in edits for Blood Ties #1. The Blood Ties series will likely be at least four 15,000 or so word novellas - maybe longer. They will be Kindle Worlds exclusives like the Duality Trilogy I wrote last year.

I'm hoping to release the first two in fairly quick succession. The fun part is that much of what I'm cutting from the first one fits better in the second. The difficult part is finding the balance between past and present scenes as well as the family parts and Liz's current relationship. 

While I work on that series, I'm also busy plotting the next three novels in the J. Carter & Associates series. 

The order is not yet set in stone, but here's the working theory:

#4 Clear Line of Sight
#5 Double Agent
#6 Life Support

Clear Line of Sight is Marc's chance to shine. When he saves Serena Bradley from a shooter, he uncovers a plot to kill the photographer. Now they have to go underground while Kat and Aidan try to figure out why she's a target. Kat and Aidan are meant to take the backseat after the events of Breaking Point to give them a chance to heal and decide what to do with the bombshells dropped on them.

In Double Agent, Kat finally comes face-to-face with her twin sister. But Miranda Brennan has an ulterior motive...she wants Kat's life. It's one seriously twisted sibling rivalry that I've been planning since Sole Survivor. 

Aidan is lying in a coma in Life Support after a car accident. His wife and infant daughter are missing from the crash site. Then Katherine wakes up in another state in the arms of another man. (Hooked yet?)

With any luck, there will be a new JCA book this spring (2016) with one a year after that. I have a working title and plot for the next novella (a possible fall 2015 release), but the early scenes aren't coming together as well as I had hoped. The working title is Dead on Arrival and it picks up where Blown Away left off.

However, I am working on the cover art for a three-in-one eBook and print edition of the three novellas. It will be the first time the novellas will be available in paper! Yay!

Now, it's back to work I go!

Reviews and Readers

I love to connect with and hear from my readers. It's one of the great joys and privileges of being a writer. It's also a great responsibility.

I do read reviews of my work. It's an avenue of contact and I love feedback. I like to know what parts you, the readers, enjoyed and loved, the characters that you care about, and also what you didn't like. I listened when the early reviews complained about the confusion of the timeline in SOLE SURVIVOR. I went back and rearranged scenes as necessary and added a timeline to all editions to help clarify the flow of events.

What makes sense to me and to some readers is confusing to others. I respect that.

Before turning my focus to original thrillers, I was a fan fiction writer. I wrote dozens of stories over the years. Some are riddled with mistakes and typos, but I learned from them and readers enjoyed them and continue to enjoy them. I learned what readers liked and what worked and didn't work. I explored and played in established worlds and had support and encouragement from many readers. I also had criticism. It's part of being a writer. It helps us to learn and grow.

I miss the connection between myself and the readers. That's why I read my reviews and why I'm on Goodreads. It's why I try to maintain an active web presence. I am here. I want to hear from you.

Yes, bad reviews hurt. Yes, I have a thick skin. But if you are a reader invested in my writing, I want to know what falls flat to you. I want to know what bothers you or what didn't work. I want to know that you feel a story let you down.

I love Jo dearly. I thought by cutting out scenes already shown in the show, it would work better. Knowing that it fell flat tells me I was wrong. And that's okay. I will own up to my mistakes.

And because of that, I will be reviewing all three novellas to tighten up and add scenes and help the flow. I will pay particular attention to the third one, FINAL SACRIFICE, and I hope that with corrections it will meet the expectations of readers and perhaps, exceed them.

When corrections are completed, I will post information on my Facebook, Twitter, and other outlets so you, the readers, can take another look. I hope the changes will smooth over any inconsistencys that stuck in your throats before and will hopefully allow me a second chance at your loyalty.

Please, please, feel free to reach out to me. Email me. Message me on Twitter or Facebook. Review my works on Goodreads or Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I want to hear from you. I do. I write not just for myself, but for you, the readers. I want you to feel the same joy I do at following characters on a journey and seeing them overcome obstacles.

So, please, reach out. Find me on Twitter @tmcarper or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/TMCarper) or email me directly at tmcarper@gmail.com .