Sibling Rivalry

Some of the most positive reader feedback that I have had for 'Titan: The Midnight Hour' is the feuding brothers in Michael and Vince Novak. Vince is clearly the arch enemy to Michael as Mr. Midnight is the arch enemy of Titan. The dynamic of these two characters has grabbed readers attention and I can definitely say that they will not have to wait long before they get to see this sibling rivalry play out even more. In 'City Under Siege' We will get to see plenty of Vince and he and Michael will be clashing head on before long. Unfortunately, Grandpa Dale may also get caught in the middle.

I also want to show a different side of Vince then we saw in the last book. I want readers to get to see a much more vulnerable and human side to Michael's older brother. By the end of vol. 2, my hope is, readers will come away with something of a different opinion of Vince and perhaps some very conflicting emotions regarding him as well, I think it's safe to say that Michael sure will.

This will be the next big step in the over all development of the character of Vince. His arc will see Vince go through a complete character 180 and will end somewhat tragic for him. there will be very little of Vince moving through the next couple volumes after vol. 2, but he will come back with a vengeance.

The Ice Queen

In the opening chapter of Titan vol. 3 Shadow Games Titan will be in the climax in an epic battle against a chilly foe called the Ice Queen. She will be a villain in the vein of Captain Cold or Mr. Freeze. I am currently in the throws of fully developing her and how her powers will work exactly. I am also working on what kind of henchmen or helpers she would have if any. All I know right now is that she will be in her ice fortress in the middle of Campbell Park, and Titan will be about to storm her fortress before she is able to completely encase Delta City in ice, leaving it at her mercy.  Vol. 3 will be the biggest Titan yet with a great number of villains and character development.the most pivotal books in the series.

Chapter Update

Sometimes, despite best laid plans, things just don't work out as you intended. Case in point, Chapter 8 of 'City Under Siege', originally titled 'Martial Law' now titled 'City Under Siege'. I had a rough idea of the things I wanted to accomplish with the chapter, but it simply didn't come together the way I hoped that it would. Sometimes, especially when I am guiding myself by loose plot lines and not being as structured, I just try and let the chapter take me away and see what comes of it. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. This time it didn't. But now I am coming back at what I have on the page and I think I have truly found something much better.

**Spoiler Alert!!!***
What I really just wanted to convey was the serious threat that could not be ignored now of Dr. Melodian. Also I wanted Grandpa Dale to picked up from the hospital by Michael and taken back home (no, I will not say why he was in the hospital.).  My ideas at first, though, for conveying the threat just didn't quite meld together all that well. But now I have added in a sweet little Titan scene that I am working on now. Originally there was no Titan in this chapter just Michael. Now there is and he even will have a little run in with the police. Once the chapter is done the book will be very close to done. Only one last edit to go I think.  

Superhero 101

One of the main purposes of my creating Titan was to be able to have a superhero character that could easily slip into anyplace on the time stream of traditional superhero comics as though he fit right and was there all along. In other words my hero had to feel timeless and completely conform into the parameters of what these heroes are. I had to fit all the cliches and trademarks to fit into the overall mythos.

my hero had to have a costume with mask and symbol, check.
He had to have a secret identity, check.
He had to live in a fictional or real city, fiction check.
He had to have an arch enemy, check.
He would need a rogues gallery, check
He had to have a mentor to teach him the ropes, a little unconventional sure but check.
He had to have a sidekick, to come.

And there's so many more that will be touched upon through out the series. I want to also be able to expand upon those characteristics as well. For example,Titan does have a girlfriend right from the beginning where as many heroes pine for their lady love over time. I wanted Michael to already have that relationship built and simply try to maintain it through these improbable circumstances. Plus, when it comes to sidekciks, Titan will get to be one and then later he will get one.

Editor's Touch

I look at my two Titan books and the impact that editing has had on them and I start to wonder what many of the published books I see in bookstores would look like had they not gone through editing stages through traditional publishers. What changes were put forth to authors and forced into a manuscript that may otherwise not have been there. Does this change the overall message of the author? Would Titan have turned into some noble hearted sparkling vampire with a wand instead of a staff, and a lightning bolt scar instead of a lightning bolt T? This truly represents the key reason that I chose to go independent and did not even try to go through publishers (which may not have been successful anyhow). I want control over my own work. Any editing notes I receive now, I can choose, right or wrong, to take the advice or not. Titan is truly a product of my own vision. I get plenty of help producing that vision, but it is still principally mine, and I can decide the fate of the series and do with it what I wish, how I wish.

Titan: The Midnight Hour Kindle Edition Free Promotion Ends Today!

Titan: The Midnight Hour Kindle Edition will be completing its last free promotion run on Amazon.com today! Get in on the ground floor of the exciting superhero book series now before the second Titan adventure is released!

Titan Vol. 3

While I am in between edits of Titan: City Under Siege I am finalising the structure of Titan Vol. 3, Shadow Games. It is a very fine balance, but as it's all under the same series I find it not too bad to keep everything straight as far as characters and time lines. I did create a Titanverse guide for myself to reference while I was writing and plotting on part of the series including the mini serials. It not only helped me keep characters straight and remember what already happened and when, but it also it also helps me with everything that I have planned for future volumes. Also, now that I am well into 2 and about to start 3 I get feel things really beginning to pick up and I cannot wait for readers to get into these volumes. So much happens and the pace picks up so much and I can honestly say that it comes to a nice mini conclusion at the midway point with book 4, The Reign of Diablo, before I move on to the final three books.

Show vs. Tell

One of the biggest things I had to learn in my writing process was the difference of showing versus telling. It seemed that from going from my mind to the page only wanted to straight up narrate the story and not add in all the colourful detail that can make a book stand out. For example, when writing an action scene in "The Midnight Hour" I would tell the reader how the cop with the gun aimed at Titan may have been nervous instead of showing him shaking or sweating or anything else to indicate this without coming right out and just saying it.

I ended up having to incorporate it completely in my writing process. I was able to quickly realise the impact of how I was writing it in the overall effect of my story. It seemed like such a simple thing yet, in the early stages of "The Midnight Hour" I was doing it again and again. I can't understate the importance of the entire experience I had in writing that first book. I look back now and I truky can't believe how far I have come. It took me five years from when I first started planning the Titan series to when "The Midnight Hour" first came out. Now it will be just under eighteen months from that book to the second. Show Vs. Tell is one of the big things I am looking for now in this next draft of the book. Hopefully it helps make the reading experience a little better.

The Complete Titan Series

The following is the list of all seven Titan book titles and the names of the villains Titan will be facing in each one:

Vol. 1
The Midnight Hour: Mr. Midnight, Kaizen, Inferno
Vol 2
City Under Siege: Shock and Awe, Dr. Melodian, Hawk, Sonic, Hammerhead
Vol 3
Shadow Games: Ice Queen, Mezmorozo, Shockwave, Shadow
Vol 4
Reign of Diablo: Diablo, Tuok, Hyak, Molten Men
Vol 5
Trinity of Evil: The Claw, Mr. Midnight, Dr. Melodian, Mezmorozo, Serpentine, Wolfbane
Vol 6
Multiplicity: The Reaper, Shadow, Warlock, Siren, Kaizen
Vol 7
Midnight's Dawn: Mr. Midnight, Diablo

Titan Special Promotion

Titan: The Midnight Hour Kindle edition will be available for special promotion on Amazon.com Friday March 8th through Saturday March 9th!

Dialogue Daze II

As I have stated previously, dialogue is extremely important in writing a manuscript. Anyone will tell you the value of writing good dialogue into the writing process. Some people do just seem to have a certain knack for it. Others, and I place myself in this category, have to work at it and develop it over time.

While I was writing Titan: The Midnight Hour my editors told me I wrote dialogue well, mind you I said well not great or fantastic. I really worked at making the dialogue feel natural and real. For that book, when I was dealing with Michael and his friend least, I simply envisioned myself as Michael and having these same conversations with my friends when I was his age.

Since I started 'The Midnight Hour' I have paid very close attention to dialogue in the books I read for pleasure, movies I watch, and the way people around me talk. I have done what I can to study the very nuance of speech. That's still not to say that I've figured t all out and can now write characters and dialogue like Stephen King, who I've always felt was one of the greats in this department. When I first read Stephen King I was blown away not by the fantastic story elements of his book but by how well his characters were drawn out and communicated.

When I was going through the first draft of Titan: City Under Siege I've tried to let a lot of the dialogue drive the manuscript. I even wrote many of the dialogue parts more like a film script than a book manuscript. I'm really trying to let the talking do the walking with this new book. I really try and put myself in the pace of my characters and answer or speak as I would if I were them. Now that I'm in the full second draft stage I am really looking to polish this aspect up as much as I can.

Truth is I'll always be doubting myself and how good I may or may not have written a book. I will, however always be looking to practise and improve. What else can you do?