Titan Book Signing Event

I am very pleased to announce that I will be at the Kelowna Christmas Show December 13th & 14th at Prospera Place!

I am hoping to have other merchandise available beyond just the books themselves. I hope to have posters, trading cards, and perhaps even T-shirts available at my booth. This event should prove to be a very interesting testing ground to see how I can market and sell the Titan brand product.

I have always enjoyed doing school presentations and book store events, but those can be great to get the word out but sometimes challenging to sell at. At an event like this people are looking to purchase and I have high hopes on how things turn out.

self vs. traditional publishing

I have accomplished a great deal with the Titan books so far. Maybe not more than I ever dreamed (I can dream quite a lot), but definitely more than I thought I realistically could. From getting the books in bookstores to doing book signing events to school event and having them in libraries and having saes in the thousands I have been able to do so much and I am immensely proud. I do feel though that I am at a bit of a crossroads. As much as I want t be an indie author I feel it is a very difficult road when dealing with young readers, mine being mainly the 9-12 demo. Should I delve into the waters of traditional publishing? of course assuming I could find a publisher for Titan. What would I lose? What would I gain? I will be pondering this as I write Titan 3

Titan Book Signing Event

I am pleased to announce that I will be doing an in store book signing event at Mosaic Books in downtown Kelowna BC Saturday June 21st from 1pm-3pm. This is where I did my first ever book signing two years ago for Titan: The Midnight Hour. The staff and customers were great that time and the event was a smash. We'll see if I can catch lightning in a bottle twice!

School Event Recap

I would like to thank the students and faculty of Bankhead Elementary for having me back on May 13th to speak with them about the Titan books, writing, and publishing. It was great to see students of my target demographic engage and respond to the books and the series. The questions the students had were great and I was left very pumped up and energised with the series after leaving the school. Not only is it wonderful and the best way for me to reach my target audience, I still remember having those dreams of writing stories when I was young and there were no guides or instructions on how to accomplish this goal. So, it is awesome to speak with kids and show them what I found and how I went through it and be able to show them how they too can do it. With any of the school events I have done there is always a couple students who also seem to share those dreams of writing and hopefully I can help give them the encouragement that if I did so can they. Thank You again everyone at Bankhead, I had a great time!

Titan 3 Cover

Here is Jena's initial cover for Titan 3: Shadow Games! There is an evil Titan doppelganger lurking in the pages of this book forcing Titan to face a villain that is his equal in power and strength, who is he and is Titan ready for the challenge?

The Support Team

The character of Grandpa Dale is based from three prominent male role models I had in my life. They are my Dad Tom, my grandfather Dale (also, obviously named after), and great grandfather Ross (who was also blind). These three taught me so much and leave me with something aspiring to become everyday. Dale Novak may be blind but he doesn't need his eyes to see the person his grandson is or the world around him. Others may have a hard time differentiating between the people Michael and Vince are but Grandpa Dale never does. he is also able to understand the root of the pain that causes Vince to be the bully that he is. he clearly wants to help Vince work past that and to be happy. he is a constant pillar of strength for Michael. He instills in Michael his sense of, loyalty, truth, and knowledge of right and wrong.  

 Reporter Vicki Earnhardt and police chief Thomas Ross (also named for my Dad) represent the connection to the larger world for Michael/Titan. they both are able to judge him as complete outsiders, questioning his motives and his actions. He knows he must make allies out of both to truly be successful in Delta City. the question is will he? he is also able to learn from them as well. We already know from "The Midnight Hour" what he was able to learn  from Vicki and how he was able to benefit. Chief Ross will be a harder sell. In "City Under Siege" the force of Dr. Melodian will pull these two together, but what will happen in the end? 

Damsel Not So In Distress

Obviously, Carly in the Titan books is named for my muse, my wife Carly. She is the one who pushed me to start writing and now I have and achieved more than I ever thought possible. So when it came to naming her and visualising her, there was really only one option. 

For the Carly in the books, well, My protagonist needed a love interest. I did not want her to be the typical damsel in distress either. sure, she starts that way in "The Midnight Hour", but by the end of the book she is right there helping Michael with his plan for Mr. Midnight and also aiding him from the sidelines and putting herself in danger as well. Which, in my opinion, makes her the bravest in the story. She doesn't even have any powers! There will be plenty more from Carly in the subsequent books of course. In the new book she takes on major new roles by the end of the story. I also want to fully explore the challenge I could only imagine would exist in trying to date a superhero. This starts big time in "City Under Siege".

School Book Event Recap

I would like to thank the students and faculty of KLO Middle School for having me to attend their Human Library event yesterday! This event had many people from all different backgrounds such as WWII veterans, computer techs, airport administrators, and authors come and sit with rotating groups of four for thirteen minutes sessions where we would explain to the students who we were and what we did. I was able to sit with over thirty students and explain all about the Titan books, my writing process and how I developed it and what I have learned about publishing. It was a great time and hope to be able to do it again. It was great to see so many of the students react to the books as well as see some that were interested in writing themselves. It did become a bit hard by the end as I had been going for two hours and couldn't remember what I had said to what group any longer, but in the end it all went very well. This was only the second school I had been to since I first started publishing Titan. It was nice to be able to interact with a smaller group of students each time so I could talk and answer questions better with them. next up Bankhead Elementary! 

Vince

In Titan: The Midnight Hour I found one of the biggest responses came from the sibling rivalry of Michael and his older brother, Vince. We already saw Michael have to deal with getting bullied even while finding himself a superhero. We also saw Michael discover some dark truths about his older brother and the criminal activity he is likely involved in. at the end of book 1 we see Titan use some scared straight tactics to get Vince to straighten out, but I think we all knew that would largely be short lived. The good news for Titan 2: City Under siege is that the heat gets cranked up even more in their rivalry. Michael will start to become the aggressor as well. Readers will also get to see a different side to Vince besides the bullying brother role he does so well, he will show some genuine emotion that hopefully adds greater depth to his character. We will also get a little more insight and sorry but a little more mystery as to what Vince is really up to. Over the course of the series Vince actually has one of the most dramatic character arcs of all the principal characters.

Titan 2 Book Signing Event

I will be doing a book signing event at the Coles bookstore in the Cherry Lane Mall Saturday May 31st from 2-6PM! Hope to see you there.

Deciding What Royalty Rate to Publish at

Since I decided to independently publish the Titan series I have done a lot of research as to how to properly and competitively price my books to get attention in the marketplace. When I first published through Amazon I decided for the 70% royalty stream. I know there is opinion out there that the 30% royalty stream is best for new authors to nag sales by listening their books below the $2.99 minimum of the 70% royalty stream, but the way i figured it was that why should I under value my work and that if someone is willing to pay $0.99 for my book then is $2.99 really that much more.

The first Titan book did OK but sales were far from over the moon. I have also been working hard to get my books noticed particularly by my target audience of the teen/pre-teen group I was aiming for. This is hwy I am now targeting getting into some schools with Titan2. I was still always pondering whether I made the right choice, though, in selecting the 70% royalty stream through Amazon. SO, what i decided to try is that while my book are new and in their initial run until the new volumes come out they would be under the 70% royalty. Then, once they have gone through their first run and the new books come out then I will drop them down to the 30% royalty rate and sell them for $1.25. So, now Titan: the Midnight Hour Kindle edition is available for that price through Amazon while Titan 2: City Under Siege is still $2.99 until Titan 3: Shadow Games comes out.

Titan 2 Event

I am very happy to announce that I will be doing a event at Bankhead Elementary School Tuesday May 13th to grades 4-6! I can't wait to get the reactions form the students toward the new book. More on this to come!

Titan 2 Events and Promotion

I am currently working to get the Titan books into the school libraries of my home region in the Okanagan valley in BC Canada. I am in the works of getting a hold of the school district and seeing what I can arrange. I would also like to do presentations to as many schools as possible as well. I would do these much the way I did the school presentation in Alberta for the first book.  I would discuss the Titan series and then go on to explain about writing and publishing to the students. i know that was a bog thing for me in starting writing so late in my life. I had always wanted to write and have had numerous ideas for adult and young reader fiction. Nowhere, though, did there seem to be a full education on how to write fiction and then what to do with it once it was published. That is once thing that is so great about the superhero genre, it is quite easy to inflict conflict into your protagonists life as well as show the protagonist/antagonist relationship. the entire story telling structure is really right at your fingertips. I will update on any events that come up or any libraries that begin to lend the Titan books.

Titan mini vol 2. Into The Fire pt. 1

Here is part one of the lateest Titan mini serial, 'Into the Fire':

 

 

 

 

Titan: Into the Fire pt. 1

 

            “Does either of you understand a single thing I’m saying?” said Douglas Meltzer, the dean of DCU.

            “I think what you’re attempting to articulate is that you are no longer requiring the employment of my sister and I,” said Stephen Beltane, sitting on the little swivel stool in front of the dean.  His sister Patricia sat quietly on a similar stool just behind her brother as the dean blasted through his tirade.

            “That’s exactly what I’m saying. The both of you are to pack up your things and be off campus by the end of the day,” Dean Meltzer finished. He then turned to leave, slamming the lab door as he did.

            “What do we do now, Brother?” Patricia asked.

            “Well, isn’t it obvious, Sister?” Stephen replied, still facing the door. He swivelled to look directly at his sister. “We need to teach Dean Meltzer a very valuable lesson.”

            Stephen and Patricia Beltane were identical twins that had been truly inseparable since birth. They rarely socialized with anyone save for each other. They were both quite diminutive and each barely reached five feet in height and each had short black hair and thick framed glasses. They were currently in their white lab coats and black pants, which was often the case. They found science and lab work came naturally to them both. They had been doing theoretical physics experiments that were somewhat frowned upon and not necessarily approved of by the university when the accident took place. They had burned down half of the physics lab over a day ago.

            “How will we do that, brother?” Patricia asked.

            “Well, dear sister, we simply burn down the rest of the physics building.” A smile began to spread over Stephen’s thin lips. “Then, he’ll see what tragedy could have transpired had we not been there to act quickly.”

            “Excellent idea, Brother,” Patricia answered.

            The pair waited until dark, and the building largely empty. They cleaned out their belongings and removed them to their car, so as not to arouse suspicions. Then, when the coast was clear, they began to set incendiary devices all over the physics building. After about an hour they both met up at the entrance to the now deserted building.

            Stephen stood at the front of the building holding several fuses and ignitions as his sister joined him. Stephen set the fuses and hit the ignition button. As the two turned and walked calmly out of the building, fire instantly began consuming the building from within. By the time they reached the security of the bushes at the far end of the parking lot the flames engulfed the massive three storey structure. The twins were entranced as the flames shot out of the windows and blew out the walls.  

            Their concentration was broken, however, when they heard the sirens of the fire trucks approach. At first they felt pangs in their hearts and assumed their blaze would be extinguished too soon. The firemen jumped into the blaze and began to put it out. It was threatening to move from the physics building to the library, which had been Stephen’s hope. The fire had started at the back of the building facing the library, so it was its fiercest there. A team of three firemen stood in between the two buildings trying to hold the flames back. It seemed they were about to do it too. Then, a small explosion rocked the physics building just behind what remained of the outer wall the firemen were battling.  A giant burst of flames shot out and just over their heads and ignited the library building behind them.

            Stephen watched with twisted delight as he felt his point had now been sufficiently made.  He and his sister were not people to be crossed or taken lightly. As they both sat in the distance watching from the shadows, Stephen was about to suggest to his sister they leave when the noticed something streaking toward the blaze from the sky. The streak stopped at the roof of the library and seemed to have come from a figure clad from head to toe in yellow and blue. Stephen did not pay much attention to the outside world, but he would have been hard pressed to not recognize Titan when he was standing in front of him.

            Stephen and Patricia continued to watch in silence as Titan jumped down to rescue the trapped firemen. Then, suddenly, Titan was leading the charge in putting out the massive blaze. First, Titan approached the wall of flame that blocked in the firemen. He quickly pulled out his staff and spun it so fast and with such force much of the wall of flame either went out or was pushed back enough for the crew to escape to safety.

            Then, the rest of the firemen, equipped and ready to battle the blaze, stepped up behind Titan quickly moving in as Titan fanned out the flame enough with his staff that the crew could gain the upper hand on the raging inferno. Before long the fire was well under control by the DCFD and Titan, wasting no time, leaped high off and away.

            “What now, Brother?” Patricia asked, still standing silently, her gaze fixed on what remained of the carnage the two had created.

            “What now? Well, Titan has embarrassed us dear sister. You know what we do to those who would make fools of us.” Stephen slowly craned his neck from the burning building to his sister. “We will destroy what he holds dear.”

            Patricia slowly nodded. “You mean Delta City?” Patricia asked.

             “Yes, we will wreak havoc upon this city until all Titan is able to do is look on in a complete Shock and Awe!” Stephen declared.

To Be Continued…

Titan 2 Events

It has taken me long enough to get organised, but I am finally starting to put some book signing events together for Titan 2. I am currently in touch with one school board and regional library and two book stores right here in B.C.'s Okanagan. Once I have some events planned here I plan to reach out to other centres and hopefully some bigger ones such as Calgary and Vancouver. This has been in my planning for some time and personal commitments have prevented me from getting things going but I am ready and excited now as the ball is starting to roll.

Titan Spin-off's

As I've stated in previous posts some of the new characters that will be introduced I planned to do spin off series with them. Something I am toying with now is condensing these and having them as add on's on upcoming Titan books. after the Titan 4 or 5 I would have the first volume of the spin off in the back of the book. The first spin off that I plan to do is of the superhero team T.R.I. that will be appearing in Titan 3: Shadow Games. The T.R.I. will be a prequel to the trio that leads up to Titan 3 and will be a trilogy with chapters claled Alpha, Prime, and Omega. Stay tuned for more updates.

The Invincible Titan

I have said this all before but it bear repeating, the comic book series Invincible by Robert Kirkman is doing all the things I wanted to do with Titan but is doing them so much better. I just finished reading the latest volume of invincible and was stunned by how good the series still is after all this time. I only started reading Invincible in 2012 and have caught up on the whole series now. It's funny because I actually started conceptualising Titan just as Invincible was starting out. Invincible has basically ruined most other superhero comics for me now as I find it better than any others on the market. Other series end up getting watered down by spreading their main hero and their companions all over as many books as possible but Invincible packs in so many characters in one ongoing series and balances it perfectly. Anyway, all this is to say that with a series like this out there it ups the ante of quality that anyone has to do in a superhero series...I'll do my best.

Titan Mini Serial 'Into the Fire pt. 1' Coming Soon

The second Titan mini serial will be coming out within the next week. This one, much like the last, will be seven parts and each part being roughly 2-3 pages long. I view these mini serials much like the old Sunday comic serials of Superman or Spider-man. These stories are not required to be read before or after the actual Titan books, but are simply designed to add depth to the overall universe. As the last one mostly covered the tragic story of Regulus, one of the original Titans, this one will come from the viewpoint of a pair of villains, Shock and Awe. Anyone who has already read Titan 2: City Under Siege will know these are the pair of explosive villains from the opening chapter of the book. That chapter opens with Titan at the end of his battle with Shock and Awe however, and now readers will get a chance to see how this battle started and what all took place before the opening pages of Titan 2. Titan is relegated to mostly background as the story is told through the eyes of Shock and Awe. I hope people enjoy.

Titan: The Midnight Hour, The Original Manuscript pt. 2

I may have already mentioned this, but the other part of the manuscript that was changed and had a very big impact was that Michael's age was changed from 17-18 to fourteen turning fifteen. I have never really been a big fan of the teenage superhero per say, I've always felt that it was too far fetched, which I know sounds weird when your talking about something so far fetched already. Most of the heroes I read in comics were full fledged adults anyway, even old Spidey had aged beyond high school when I was reading him. No, I wanted my protagonist to Be at an age that I looked up and forward to when I was fourteen and that was to be at the point of graduating high school. In the opening chapter we see Michael and Carly not having just graduated from junior high and going to high school but going out to college and university and the working world in general as young adults. Again, at the wisdom of my editors they were able to convince me that this would be hared for most kids in my target audience to relate to. Also, the relationship of Michael and Carly was hard to believe when they were high school seniors that only pecked on the lips. Of course, for a book for a younger audience I couldn't exactly have Michael and Carly get it on. So, I ended up changing his age and that of all his friends to a much more PG 14 turning 15. In the end, since I plan on aging Michael through early adulthood in the series this wasn't such a nad ieda at all and I am glad I was pushed towards it.

Titan 3: Shadow Games Writing Progress

I am now jst starting to get into the realk meat and potatoes of writing Titan 3: Shadow Games. Titan has already first encountered the first main villain Mezmorrozo and is about to meet the first set of heroes that will aid him in battling old Mez', The Myst and her mentor Nighthawk! I can't wait to ewxpand the hero world of Delta City and really hope readers enjoy it as I have in preparing it and writing it.

Titan: The Midnight Hour, The Original Manuscript pt 1.

In the original drafts of Titan: The Midnight Hour there were many differences in the whole thing compared to what finally got published. The first chapter changed surprisingly little, but the second chapter changed a great deal. The character of Ned, who escapes the van from the botched museum heist, that we meet in Chapter 4 had a much bigger role. In chapter 2 we start by joining med and his partners as they commence in robbing the museum. We see them take position and fan out and begin to steal the precious artifact and gems. It is Ned who is first captivated by the power ring and takes it even though it was not one of the items he was to take. He clutches it as the van chases through Delta City trying in vain to evade the police. What I tries to convey with the original scene was that the ring was pulling itself to Michael as he was the one chosen to become Titan and harness its power. Ned was only a vehicle in which the ring could get itself to him. We were to follow Ned from the heist to the point where he escapes the van. In the end my editors felt we didn't need that scene. I did have a hard time cutting it and reshaping the whole thing, but I do agree that in the end it made the book tighter and stronger.

Titan 2 Special Promotion

Titan 2: City Under Siege Kindle Edition will be under special promotion through Amaozn this Saturday and Sunday only!

Secondary Character Development

Something to take note of as people read the first two volumes of the Titan series is all the secondary characters in Michael's life. Many of them will take on bigger roles and have quite a bit of character development throughout the series, some way later in the series. I've been trying my best to plant the seeds for those characters in the first few volumes (I am now well into writing the third) and once you see major arcs appear with a certain character ie Carly's Dad or Dave you may want to go back and witness the full evolution of that character through the past books. There is quite a glossary of character throughout and I try to give as much page time as possible to as many as I can in each book. Even characters like Mayor Winfield has much more development in book two than in one and eventually we will see why he has such animosity towards Titan, but first I want people to really think they know him. Same with Vince, many people have strong opinions of that character and I want to show much more of him including some scenes humanising him beyond Michael's tormentor. the scene in the cemetery in book two is a strong example of that. Also, I don't think after book one that readers thought Perminder and Dave would become so prominent, but they are definitely becoming so. So watch some of these characters now and see where they go in the future and what role they will play in Michael/Titan's life.

Titan's Adventures Purchasing

Here are the links to both Titan books through Amazon!


Titan: The Midnight Hour
http://www.amazon.com/Titan-Midnight-Hour-Hugh-Beckstead-ebook/dp/B007A4V2C4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394055484&sr=8-1&keywords=titan+the+midnight+hour




Titan 2: City Under Siege
http://www.amazon.com/Titan-Under-TITANs-Adventures-Volume/dp/1494251299/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394055559&sr=8-1&keywords=titan+2+city+under+siege

Maintaining Story Structure

Story Structure and development is one of my favourite aspects of writing. I love the planning and plotting tat goes into creating and telling a good story. There has been plenty of both with the Titan series long before the first book even came out. Right now I am in the first draft of book 3 and still finding my self rearranging parts of the story so that they fall in line better for structure and flow and the development of my story and characters. I am finding with book three as it combines two of my previous Titan story lines that there is still some tweaking that needs to be done so that the story rolls out a certain way and works well structurally. So much happens in this book and I rally want it to make sure that I put all the pieces of both stories together so they overlap and fit together as perfectly as possible and make it seem so natural no one would ever doubt the two stories ever existed separately at all.

Titan Series 2nd Anniversary

It has now been just over two years since the release of Titan: The Midnight Hour. I have achieved more than I ever thought I would and have had some amazing experiences with the series to date. Titan 2: City Under Siege has been out a few months now. I have not been able to do much yet with marketing or promotion for the book (my wife is about to have our second child). I do hope to do much more with getting the books into schools and putting them right into the hands of kids. Titan 3: Shadow Games is well under way and I cannot wait to see what this third year of the series will bring!

Titan 3 Cover (Sketch)

Here is the initial sketch for the cover of Titan 3: Shadow Games by Jena Stillwell!

Titan Finale Planning

I do have a complete end vision for the Titan series. I know exactly how the saga of Michael Novak will end and most of the bumps in life he will experience until the time comes that he is no longer Titan. I have also thought of a secession plan for Titan to have after Michael. One of the intriguing aspects of superhero comics, at least today, is that so many of have been around for so many decades yet the characters have not aged in that time even a little. Okay, Spider-Man aged a little but not a whole lot. I plan to have Titan not only move through adolescence but into adulthood as well. Readers will be the as Michael grows and learns and matures. What I envision however is a full passing of the torch at the end. It has already been established that Michael is far from the first Titan and why should he be the last. The whole series could start over but with an entirely new main character. Michael could even be involved but let it go in totally new directions from the saga of Michael. Or, at least, suggest that would be the way it should all go. We'll see in the end, but I can't see what I have planned changing by much and what I see for Titan from there.

The Titanmobile

One superhero stereotype that I have yet to figure out how to work into Titan is the vehicle. I would love to have something like the Batmobile or the fantasticar for Titan to use even if only for a brief time in one of the books. I'm not quite sure what type of vehicle he would have  but I think he should try out something at least briefly. I've always loved these vehicles from the ones I already mentioned to the Shellraiser to Ecto1 they have always been fun. I will definitely be trying to fit something into the series somewhere.

Titan 5: Trinity of Evil Preview

Titan 5: Trinity of Evil will feature a cadre of previous Titan villains ganging up on Titan together. It will be more a nefarious three than a sinister six however. I don't want to name them all at this time but I will say that this will be the first full  appearance of the criminal kingpin since the origin story 'The Midnight Hour'. This story will also feature the unmasking of Mr. Midnight as well as the whole Mr. Midnight backstory. The mystery to Titan's nemesis will only grow over the next couple of books and peak with his unmasking, and I do think people will be pleasantly surprised. This book poses some serious problems and challenges for our titular hero, and by the end, it will take everything Titan has in him to stop the trinity of evil! 

Titan 4 Preview

The fourth book in the Titan series will be titled Titan 4: Reign of Diablo. This one will more or less bet he Titan equivalent to the comic book crossover event. The fiery demon Diablo, who does have a past history with previous Titans, will enter or our times and threaten to destroy Delta City and then Titan. Diablo blames a previous Titan for his millennium long captivity. What Diablo wants is first revenge and then world domination. Many characters from the first three books as well as some new characters will have to unite to defeat this powerful foe. Titan will be forever changed after this battle as will much of Delta City. So much more to come on this fourth volume so stay tuned. This book marks the middle point of the series and so I definitely want it to leave its mark. We move in a slightly different direction after the this and into book 5.

Titan 3 Progress

I am now up to chapter 4 with Titan 3: Shadow Games. I have found the writing process with this third volume much slower in the early stages, but as time rolls on I am becoming much more comfortable with it. This latest chapter has the first real meeting of Titan and Chief Ross. The two do meet in Titan , but it is under quite a lot of duress and neither really get to speak to each other. The third book will mark the first real meeting and conversation the two have. It will be a real cornerstone of the series like when Batman first meets Commissioner Gordon. I haev tried to show the mixed fweeling Ross has about Titan in the frist two volumes and now we will really see whta that has meant for him.

Titan 3 Spoiler

*Spoiler Alert*
Titan 3: Shadow Games will mark some of the more darker territory that the series will cover. In it someone close to Michael will turn to some bad things and will be put very much in danger. In the book someone close to him working for the Mr. Midnight criminal network will drift a little too far into a life of crime and pay a very dear price for it. They won't die, but they do get hurt and will not be the same nor will many relationships. Titan will be unable to prevent this from happening just as Michael will be unable to talk this person out of doing these things. This is a series for younger readers. I know that for some they may find the suggested violence too much (we don't actually see what happens only find out after words.) but I think we have to give kids credit for being much smarter than we think they are. What I want to do with several points of the series is demonstrate that people have choices. Good and bad is a choice. I also want to show that for every bad decision that people make there is often very serious consequences. This even that happens (I won't say to who but readers will probably be able to narrow it down to a few people and it won't be the first choice you would think either.) will mark Michael and all the people in his life in deep profound ways. It almost marks a true turning point in growing up for Michael who is now about sixteen. I want to challenge kids into thinking about right and wrong and consequence and loyalty and friendship and many other important foundational aspect of life that many adults take for granted when kids are just putting it all together. Kids a re far smarter than many adults want to give them credit for and if I can have kids talking about some important aspects of even darker sides of real life like crime and bad deeds then I think that is very good.

Before you read Titan 2: City Under Siege Check Here!

With Titan 2: City Under Siege now out I thought it may be a good idea to put the first book Titan, The Midnight Hour Kindle Edition on special promo through Amazon.com. It will be available through Saturday from Amazon.

Titan Toys

I just received first wave of Invincible min-mates recently. I think mini-mates are some of the best toy marketing ideas in ages. They just represent all of the fun of toys you remember from your youth. I have always fantasised about product and toy lines for Titan. I always thought toys like mini-mate style figures would be cool tat came with little blocks of Delta City. Kind of like the old Micro Machines used to where you got a car and a city clock that could connect to other blocks to make one bug world. If I could have little case that folded out into parts of Delta City and each came with 1-2 Titan figures that would be awesome...at least in my opinion.

Right now I really do want to try and get posters, stickers, T-shirts, bookmarks, and whatever else I can in the near future. Toys...well, hopefully that comes to be one day too.

Planning to Write a Series

When I was first developing the Titan series I spent a great deal of time simply fleshing out all the books and the characters within. Personally, I see no other way to plan out something like this that is going to be a series of books. Even though things throughout each book has changed somewhat the core stories and characters remain. This way I find I don't write myself into a corner and a can gradually building toward bigger arcs that are farther along in the series.

Take Titan's arch nemesis, Mr. Midnight, for example. He was the villain in the first book. 'The Midnight Hour', and is mentioned several times in the second, 'City Under Siege, and will play main villain at least two more times throughout the series. He is a character full of mystery and intrigue and I know all about him. Now, I can write ahead knowing how it all unfolds for him and who he really is. That is my ultimate wish is to have some clues out about certain places the series will go and also use some foreshadowing to hint at others that couldn't possibly be known at the time, but if you go back and re-read it you'll see it there. I am noticing plenty of that paying off now as I delve much deeper into the Titanverse with my first draft of book three.

Sibling Rivalry

I have been told by many people that one of their favourite aspects of both books is the sibling rivalry between Michael and Vince. Their relationship takes many new turns in book 2. The tension continues to grow between the brothers even as the health of Grandpa Dale hangs in the balance. We do also get to see a very different and vulnerable side to Vince as well. The book starts with Michael and Vince's relationship in one area and then ends with the door wide open to another dynamic altogether. Suffice to say that readers will have plenty of Vince and sibling rivalry in Titan 2: City Under Siege

Titan 3 Chapter List

Here is the initial chapter list for Titan 3: Shadow Games:

Chapter 1: The Ice Queen
Chapter 2: Breakout
Chapter 3: Jealous Guy
Chpater 4: Aliance
Chapter 5: Giving Chase
Chapter 6: Mezmarrozo
Chapter 7: Shockwave
Chapter 8: Team Up pt. 1
Chapter 9: T.R.I.
Chapter 10: Separation
Chapter 11: Shadow Games
Chapter 12: Team Up pt. 2
Chapter 13: Dave
Chapter 14: The Road Ahead

Still a long road ahead however and plenty could change!

Titan 2 Marketing and Promotion

The main question I have had to answer since I started publishing Titan independently was "How do you independently market books to kids?" This was my main obstacle with the first Titan book. I have learned a good deal but still feel there is a good deal more to learn on this subject. Beyond book signings and public libraries I plan to try and get to as many schools as possible and also to as many craft fairs and farmers markets as I can.


I went to one schools with Titan: The Midnight Hour and it was an amazing experience! I was able to get the book into a few other schools, but I think that this will be the key to expanding my target audience moving forward. I think the way to expand this is not school by school but to contact the school boards themselves to hit as many at one time as I can. If all works out going to the schools and doing presentations is key.


Does anyone else know how to market to younger audiences?

Titan's Shadow

A villain in Titan 3 that I am very excited about is the evil Titan doppelganger, Shadow. In the book, Titan will be captured by military scientists. The main scientists, Dr. Labbe, will attempt to take Titan's staff and completely duplicate Titan's power. Only, as Azure warns, Titan's power was never designed to be manipulated by mere mortals. Unhindered, Dr. Labbe attempts to replicate this power through a power staff of his own. Through the synthesising process his power gem comes out red. Once he tries to activate it the power consumes him completely until the scientist that was is all but gone. What is left is Shadow, a being with all of Titan's power but bent on evil deeds. Shadow will resembles Titan almost completely in costume save for the fact that his will be red and black instead of yellow and blue. How will Titan face against against another version of himself? That will be one of the main questions in Titan 3:Shadow Games!

Titan 3 Villain

The first main villain that Titan will be facing in Titan 3: Shadow Games is Vincent Marrozo aka Mezmarrozo! Mezmarrozo is easily the oddest villain in the Titan rogues gallery, but also one I have taken a great fondness to as well. He is a telepath with a unique form of abilities. He can move small objects small distances with his mind. his greatest power, though, comes from the third eye. When this black eye opens he is able to peer into peoples minds and exert an extreme control of over all their actions. Fearing his abilities his parents had him institutionalised as his powers manifested. After several incidents of Vincent's mind control harming others he was locked away from people and his powers suppressed with a special helmet. Now, Mezmarrozo has escaped and he is angry about being treated so poorly simply for being 'gifted'. It isn't long Before Titan encounters people under the influence of Mezmarrozo. He is not able to read Titan's mind or control him, but he is able to sense every blow Titan throws his way before they can connect. How can Titan defeat an enemy that can sense every move he makes before he even makes it? He can overcome these obstacles but not alone...

Titan on Facebook

For more Titan pics and deluxe versions of Titan mini serial check out Titan on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/TITAN-The-Midnight-Hour/249706231777327

Sidekick Blues

I have already written up to chapter 3 for the upcoming Titan 3: Shadow Games. I am finding this one a little harder to push through than Titan 2, and not sure why. It is a little more complicated of a novel simply based on the fact that I am combining two full story lines for it. I think, though, that I have that nailed down and planned rather well (of course time will tell).

One part of Titan 3 that I am very much looking forward to is some of the allies that Titan will be working with. Finally, he will have some more superheroes to battle along side him. He will find himself in some unknown territory, however, as he will be thrust into the sidekick role. The way I figure it, he can't have a sidekick yet as he's imply too novice still. How could he be in a position to teach another costumed avenger when he himself is still learning. But rest assured, by either bok 6 or 7 he will have the chance to have a sidekick of his own.

Titan 2: City Under Siege Available

Titan 2: City Under Siege is now available through Amazon.com in digital or print formats.
http://www.amazon.com/Titan-Under-Siege-Titans-Adventures-ebook/dp/B00GWD60J4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390858768&sr=8-1&keywords=Titan+2%3A+City+Under+Siege

Mr. Midnight, the villain with a scecret identity

There isn't much about Mr. Midnight in Titan 2: City Under Siege, but that doesn't mean the menacing criminal kingpin's iron grip over Delta City is still not felt. The mysterious figure is only referenced enough on Titan 2 for readers to know that he is indeed alive and rebuilding his criminal empire after the events of The Midnight Hour. Readers will also learn that Mr. Midnight had some involvement with Michael's parents, and you can be sure that this information does not sit well with Michael. There will be some more Mr. Midnight references in books 3 & 4, but the real Mr. Midnight will not be returning until book 5 'Trinity of Evil'. In book 5 Mr. Midnight will be unmasked! Also, we will learn the whole story of this mysterious super villain.