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.