The Sons of The Moon

Revised Query and Submission Update

2009-12-18T06:45:00.001-08:00

Okay, so this is the query letter that I've been sending out. I really like it and I hope it gets people's attention. I think it's not your standard query - judging from what I've read. That could either be a good thing or a bad thing, I guess. I'm hoping to avoid the latter. But I think it catches a reader. What do you think?

Querying is going on hold for the holidays, but here's a little update: I've sent 13 queries out so far and have heard from 7 with rejections. 6 of them I still have to hear from. I still have quite a few to research and send to.

In the Earth year 1942, a budding young American author by the name of Thaddeus Morning penned the first book in his Saga of Eldynwood series; a beautiful and imaginative tale entitled The Life and Times of The Brothers Mirth. Critics and audiences alike praised the book, though it failed to create a truly large impression on the publishing marketplace. The following year, Morning unveiled the second book of the series, The Kingsmen. This darker, more heroic volume left the heroes of Eldynwood hanging in peril at its conclusion. Devoted readers of the blossoming series anxiously awaited the triumphant comeback that would no doubt spell the end of the evil dark wizard Kharion and the return of peace to Eldynwood. Sadly, that third and final book never came.

In the summer of 1944, Morning’s wife and muse, Helen, mysteriously died in her sleep. The heartbroken author secluded himself in his home on Boston’s historic Winchester Street and was never heard from again. The conclusion of the story, it appeared, as well as its creator were lost to Time forever.

And so the Saga of Eldynwood drifted into the annals of history as nothing more than a footnote in the literary world, forgotten to all but a steadfast few. That may be why most of you have never heard of it until today, especially you younger ones. But just because the books have been forgotten does not mean that the story is finished. For stories so well imagined, worlds so lovingly crafted, characters so mindfully cared for take on a reality of their own – and those of us in Eldynwood live on. But with no Author to shape the ending of our tale, we find ourselves locked in a horrendous two-hundred calendar stand-off between the forces of Right and Wrong, gripped in an ever-evolving version of the war our Author left us fighting. Since the fall of Castle Mirth some six calendars ago our leader, the brave King Averehn, and his Kingsmen have been forced into hiding. And now Kharion and his nightmarishly wicked commander known only as The Dark Heart are growing increasingly desperate in their search for him. Even Dark Heart – a creature so full of evil that his very arrival in Eldynwood marred our world with fires and floods – cannot sit on the Throne of Mirth so long as the blood of any member of the royal family still flows in our land. He must find The King, along with his two daughters Ellora and Ayiteen, and kill them. Those of us still loyal to Right have so far managed to thwart that plan, but our numbers diminish every day. How long we can continue the resistance, I cannot say. One thing is certain, though. All that remains good and true in Eldynwood is waiting with hopeful hearts for an ending to this tale.

Because every fantastic tale of valor, magic, and Right versus Wrong must have a fantastic end. THE SONS OF THE MOON, (volume one in an envisioned four-part series entitled THE WORLD WITHIN MY WALLS), is the action-packed YA epic fantasy with paranormal twists and turns that tells the final chapters of Eldynwood’s storied embattlement: How two young men from Earth – the virtuous and creative Baron McNeil and an intrepid orphan named Baldwin – fought for the freedom of a land outside their own, how the warrior called The Archer embraced his place in the struggle, and how one mysterious man known only as The Wishmaker held the key to saving Eldynwood once and for all.

The manuscript, coming in at just over 86,000 words, is complete and awaiting your talented attention. Thank you so much for your time and interest. We hope to hear from you soon.

Staring Down The Barrel of a Loaded Gun...

2009-11-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

So it begins... the submission process. Last night I managed to finish the synopsis, do a final edit on the query, and ship that bad boy out to five agencies. Last time I did this I did most of them in one giant bulk send. This time around I'm gonna only do a few at a time. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the main one is feedback. It's rare to get an ACTUAL response from an agent these days, but I figure if even one of them has a tip for me than I can learn from that for the next mini batch of subs. ("next mini batch of subs"... that kinda makes me hungry. Hungry for mini subs...)

Also -- and this may be putting the cart before the horse -- I feel insanely confident about this query letter! I think I could get a couple nibbles with it. And I don't want it out at a million agencies if someone gets back to me about sending exclusive materials out or talking business. I want to be able to send my five out, receive word back, and either (most likely) cross them off my list or (here's hoping) give them the first look at it.

On an unrelated-to-novel note, I've been steadily leaning towards an "actual" career in writing. I've even though about going back to school, but funds and time are limited right now. What would I do, you ask? Well, I'd love to write for an entertainment magazine or publication of some sort. So I've begun practicing a bit and trying to build a small readership. I will soon be a contributing writer at a West Michigan citizen-run publication called The Rapidian. My first article will actually be on my PIC Matty's Disciple 6 project (which, since you asked, is going absolutely splendid right now. The sample pages for the submission to Image are looking great and the colorist Andy and Matt recently landed blew my face off with his work.) Other than that venture, I decided to start up a serious entertainment blog of my own called Soundtrack To A Suburb. I will be posting on it as often as I can muster, sharing my own work as well as links and articles to other things I find interest or wish to comment on. I will have a couple different weekly features. The site will deal mainly with music (hence the title...) but I will occasionally dive into other media such as film and literature. On top of ALL that, I will use that blog to promote any other Book of Matches Media projects I have in the works. I'd like to keep this one to The Sons of The Moon and the journey involved in getting that bad boy published. But on Soundtrack I will talk everything else (and TSOTM I'm sure. I'm the most redundant punk on the web...)

So that's the skinny. I've been a blogging fool already tonight. Make sure to check out the new Tumblr and keep spreading the word about things. Maybe someday I won't be the ONLY one who thinks that I have something interesting to say. :P

Good night and good luck,
G

Sickness in The Land of The Mitten

2009-11-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

Boy there is some nasty stuff going around right now. It's spreading through my household and my workplace. Is it the Swine? Just a bad cold and/or flu bug? Does anyone really know the difference?

Whatever it is, it hit Wife earlier last week and knocked me out for the last half of it. Fever of 101.9 and mega amounts of lung congestion and coughing. No puking for me, thankfully. But I've slept more and ate less in the last 4 days than any human should. I'm still not to my old self, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Speaking of light at the end of the tunnel... (that's called a segue, kiddies.)

24 agents and agencies have been researched and compiled, the manuscript is in the hands of the critique readers as I type this, and today I begin work on the all-powerful Query Letter. I've mentioned it before on this blog, but it's worth repeating: The Query Letter is the most nerve-racking thing I've ever had to write in my whole life. An author has to sell their book -- their child, if you will -- on the strength of a one-page pitch. If this letter flops, the sample materials (a couple pages or chapters, a synopsis) won't even be looked over. That's IF they even wanted those materials in the first place!

The one crazy thing about The Query Letter is how enigmatic it is. There is so much hype and importance places on this that it's been wrapped in it own sort of epic mythology containing thousands of "dos" and "do nots" and gray areas in between. There are countless websites and blogs dedicated to the discussion and dissection of The Query. And every agent has tips on how to write the "perfect" one. Agents tell you to follow those guidelines. And yet, every other day I hear about a story catching the eye of an agent because their query letter was off the wall and stood out. Follow the rules too much, get lost in the pack. Forge your own path and risk going too far and alienating your potential PIC. (That's "partner-in-crime" for those of you who haven't watched Role Models 17 times like I have. An agent should be an author's #1 PIC.)

So the time comes again for me to dive headfirst into this empty in-ground swimming pool known as Query Letter, striking my story repeated against the tiles until I mash my 90,000 some odd words into a marketable one-page pitch. Then, and only then, will an agent jump in after me. Because they know they have to turn around and do the very same thing to a PUBLISHING HOUSE to get them to print it.

And if I can't sell my work, how can they?

The Sons of The Moon - Wordle Style!

2009-10-16T06:41:00.001-07:00

Here is the entire FINISHED "FINAL" draft of The Sons of The Moon in Wordle form. Wordle is a fun little site where users can create word art with their very cool and randomized program, and then share said art in the gallery. Kinda neat. Kinda fun. The program takes the entered text and pulls the most used words from it and forms it in some sort of design. Obviously, the bigger words are used more often (hence "Baron", our main character's name, is HUGE!). It's kinda cool to see the names of the characters and places pop up. I'm impressed with some of my favorite characters like Eli and Pegynss popping up even though they're only in a couple of scenes in this book. Guess we talk about them a lot!

Looking forward to sending out the manuscript to our critique readers this weekend. If you'd still like to read it and you haven't signed up yet, you can do so by clicking here.

Take care!

G

Putting It Out There

2009-10-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

Just submitted the first paragraph of The Sons of The Moon to agent Nathan Bransford's mega-long titled "first paragraph" contest he's held a couple other times. As of right now there are some 670 submissions and I'm sure it's increasing even as I speak. What does this tell you? Well, first off, it tells you Nathan Bransford is an agent-blogging rock star. The guy has more followers to his blog than most known celebrities do on their Twitter. But secondly, that tells you how many manuscripts and stories are being written and worked over right now. How many people are sitting behind their computers feverishly typing out the tales in their heads. How many people are desperately seeking validation for their craft in the form of an agent or a publisher, or even just a captive audience.

On the one hand, its daunting to have such competition. But on the other, it's almost comforting. The act of writing -- really DOING the work necessary to see a story to some sort of fruition -- is an incredibly solitary task. To know that hundreds of thousands of other unknowns out there are embarking on the same journey... well, it makes the journey a little less lonely. Makes the trip a little less ominous. Makes the path a little more worn. To know that others have gone before me -- and are struggling to do so right at this moment -- is more encouragement than hindrance.

I look forward to seeing some of you at the finish line. Until then, good night weary travelers.

Final Touches

2009-10-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

So this week I've been putting the final touches on the manuscript. I will write more about a little epiphany Matt and I shared last night in terms of The Wishmaker character and will probably post a section from the finished book TONIGHT! So make sure to check back here tomorrow and read the excerpt. But for now I wanted to post the link to our critique reader sign-up. We are currently doing a second round of "beta" readings, after the first submission round and these subsequent rewrites, and are looking for volunteers to help us accomplish that! I have nine people signed up so far and I'm hoping to get at least 20. The book came in around 90,000 words and it's a pretty action-packed read, so it shouldn't take to long to complete and critique. Click the link below if you're interested and remember to check back tomorrow for a first look at the new version of the tale.

Critique reader sign-up

Geoff

The Light At The End of The Tunnel

2009-09-29T06:31:00.000-07:00

So after months of work, the final revisions to The Sons of The Moon are complete! This week will be spent finalizing a couple of manuscript layout/grammar issues and preparing the manuscript to be printed out for critique readers. I already have about 8 or so people willing to help out, male and female, ages 8-62. I'd say that's a good demographic! I hope to get double that. I want a real good sampling of readers to formulate the final draft of the book. There shouldn't be anymore big rewrites from here on out, just some tweaking. I feel really confident about the pieces we've placed in the new version of the story. It's ironed out a lot of motivation and coherence things Matt and I were concerned with after the completion and submission of the first draft.

The only thing I'm worried about now is pacing. It's really hard to get a feel for the book as a whole when I sit down and pick it apart chapter by chapter, making sure each is how it should be. And since I'm a horribly slow reader, my critiquing readers should help sort this out. If I see a reoccurring pattern in confusion or dislike, I'll know what sections to flesh out a bit more.

The final word count came in just under 90,000. But I will most likely be adding two more chapters I have already written. There are many stories that go on in Eldynwood that are essential to the reader, but completely out of the scope of Baron and Baldwin's story arch. So I plan on dropping a couple segments in as "intermissions", so our reader can see a little more into the events driving the war around Eldynwood -- thing they won't even learn about until later on! So the reader is ahead of the main characters, which I always think is kind of cool. There's lots of mysteries for our characters to solve and lots for our readers to solve. Some are the same, some are not. I think it keeps things interesting.

So the next step? Submission process again! Have to sit down in the next couple weeks and write a new query letter and a new synopsis. I'll be posting both on here for feedback. The query letter is the most important thing I will ever write. No joke. One of the stresses of seeking an agent is the fact that I have to successfully sell a 90,000 word novel (part one of four) on the strength of a page-long query letter. Dizzam. So I'll be writing and rewriting and praying and repraying about this one single page for the next few days. Any prayer warriors out there are welcomed to join the cause. :P

Meeting up with Matty tonight to go over this, as well as some other projects we've been kicking around. Feeling really good about it all. Life is amazing right now. Thank you all for your support!

Geoff

So Disney Bought Marvel Today...

2009-08-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

...

Moving on to less depressing matters, The Sons of The Moon update! Going really well. I'm well over the half-way mark now and getting to do some major rewrites in the next couples chapters as we hash out a very important plot point. It boils down to believable motivation, really. What would cause our otherwise rational characters to risk life and limb on a journey to confront the worst evil in the land? Matt and I have grappled with this issue since the first draft, because we ran into that age old problem: our plot required our characters to be in point B and the end of the book, but they are still hanging out comfortably in point A. Our plot needed to director our characters. Not ideal. You'd rather have your character dictate plot and actions. And for the most part we are sticklers about this. But we've hit this snag in this particular section time and again.

I think, however, that this time we've landed on something.

How do you make characters go where they don't wanna go? You FORCE them.

It's an old good guy vs. bad guy trope, surely, but one that still holds true. When the bad guys use hostages or threats as leverage, the hero's of our book feel it's necessary to confront those demands. The "greater good" argument doesn't hold sway over them in that moment. They're not concerned with "what makes sense". This needs to happen and it needs to happen now. From Star Wars to Lord of The Rings, plots hinge on the fact that heroes do something most of us won't do. Why should Frodo ever give up his happy life to go on a suicide mission to Mordor with a ring that's slowly killing him? Why would Luke ever think he could be the one to save Princess Leia? This is what heroes do - stupid things. Let's face it. Running into a burning building to save someone is against most of our self-preservation instincts. But it DOES happen that people step up to the challenge.

Now what the first volume of our tale likes to do often is mess things around. Change the trope. Pose new question, the idea explored as such: Does that heroic action have a happy ending every time? We know in our lives that it does not. But in our fiction??? Can a book challenge the old "happily-ever-after" adage while still retaining a sense of hope and optimism. Does a book have to be "dark" to tackle dark subjects?

I read somewhere a good piece of advice on character: don't judge them. That is, let them do what they will do and save your criticisms for someone who cares. Because certain characters will do that stupid or rash thing because it's what must be done in the moment. One of the biggest themes of TWWMW is choice and consequence. The learning of lessons. If these characters never fail -- even while attempting something honorable -- where is the progression? The growth? So I think it's important to have even "rational" characters act out in emotionally-charged manners. Because let's face it, we all do. It makes things more human.

And yes, in a fantasy world filled with magical beings, zombies, wizards, talking animals, secret portals, epic battles, and pirate ships that float above the land using magnetism, a little bit of pesky humanity is still a very important thing.

G

Vol. 1 Rewrites - Page: 172 | Word Count: 62,871

What's The Deal With This New Blog???

2009-08-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

Hello Blogsphere!

Okay, I know it's been a long while. Since The beginning of June, according to the entry links over there on the right. But have no fear, things are still crackling at TWWMW HQ. The final revisions are going quite well, I've been able to knock out a chapter a night for the most part. This includes edits and rewrites. Some chapters require far more rewrites than others. A couple chapters are being written for the first time! Hopefully those of you who the first finished draft will appreciate the additions and not miss some of the exclusions too much. For those of you who will be reading this draft upon completion, you won't know the difference!

On a couple of business notes, YoungBones Entertainment has gone the way of the dodo. It was pretty much always a temporary thing, but Matt and I have decided to have our own separate titles since we also tackle so many projects apart from each other. I have officially stepped down from working on Disciple 6 so that I can focus more on The Sons of The Moon, and I have also launched Books of Matches Media, my hub for all my projects. I also will commision graphic design work for bands and businesses. Creating graphics has been a passion of mine for a few years now and I hope to branch out from doing things for my own projects with the start-up of Book of Matches Media & Design. You can learn more about it on MySpace by clicking here. I also will have a Blogger up for BoM soon where I will talk about any projects I'm tackling that don't involve TWWMW.

So yea, check that stuff out and please remember to follow this new blog! The old YoungBones blog will be deleted shortly, but all the old posts have been transfered here. Don't forget to check out Matt's blog and follow that as well. Have a good night!

G

Vol. 1 Rewrites - Page: 117 | Word Count: 42,689

Can't Sleep, Clown Will Eat Me

2009-06-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

Just kidding. I'm about to pass out in this chair. No fear of insomnia tonight, it is the perfect temperature in my room for sound slumber and I am beat.

Posting a quick progress report. I do these more for me than anything. It's amazing how daunting writing, say, 1000 words sounds until you keep track and realize you kicked out nearly 2000 without even knowing it.

So without further ado...

Vol. 1 Rewrites - Page: 38 | Word Count: 15,213

A Taste For Pressure

2009-05-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

It seems simple. Tonight, I plan on doing some writing. But the keys are not calling to me. Nothing is really flowing right. I'm distracted.

I guess we all start out this way - cramming our precious stories into the small spaces between all the millions of other things we must do in a day. Some are better at it than others. They set writing goals for each day that they MUST get done and nail them every time.

I. Do not. Work like this. I am not John McClane. I don't eat pressure for breakfast. I have no problem with deadlines, and I often set short-term goals for myself. But daily? Too many other things that I care about harp for my attention. And a few other neccessities make themselves far more important than I want them to be (ie going to a warehouse to pack office furniture five (and as of late, six) days a week). And I thank GOD for a job in this economy, so don't go giving me that guilt trip.

It's just... I wonder how much I can acomplish when ALL I do is craft my stories. When my tales are my 9-5 (or 8-4:30, or 7-5:30, or...). Will my focus remain on track? I'm sure I'll waver even then. And that's why I sit in this walk-in closet I pretend is an office and try to write, even when the keys aren't talking back. Even when the characters are uninspired at the moment. Because that will happen then, as well, with deadlines and rewrites and publishers needing drafts to get to editors all hanging over my head like an ellaborate timebonb in the basement of an elemtary school. I can hear Simon on the phone already, taunting my every millesecond as I try to cut the correct wire.

Maybe by then I'll develope a taste for pressure. Maybe by then the sweat won't sting my eyes and I'll confidently snip the red one and save the day.

Maybe.

And maybe not. That's kind of the beauty in the act of "trying things".

Either way, I look forward to the test.

G

Vol. 1 Rewrites - Page: 33 | Word Count: 13,415

Reinventing Manilo

2009-05-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember Manilo from a certain blog post featuring a sculpture Matty did a while back of said character. Manilo was one of our earliest creations. The first words ever written to this whole entire story where about him -

High in The Tower of Kharion lived a man that time forgot.

He's seen many changes since his inception, both in appearance/illustration and in his role in the narrative. Tonight I began writing the final version of Manilo, his introduction to the story, and a bit of hypothesizing on his end as to why he's turned into the buffalo-like beast. Another thing this scene will do, however, is to introduce us to the great Kharion, son of the first royal wizard (what we call a gandr in our story) of Eldynwood, Maddix Mirth. Kharion previously made NO appearance in The Sons of The Moon, and I grew to think that was wrong. For one thing, he's our sympathetic villain. Dark Heart's evil is all-encompassing. He is not a man. He is a monster. Kharion is not, and his decisions, like everyone else's in life, where made out of a desire to be more. A selfish and angst-ridden desire, but a normal, human desire nonetheless. Dark Heart never had that choice - he was BORN evil. The war against the throne that Kharion started well before Dark Heart showed up on the scene looked nothing like the war that Dark Heart now raises. Kharion pledges his allegiance to Dark Heart to save his hide, fearing that his powers were no match to DH. But he is conflicted. With the addition of this new Manilo scene (an updated version of the prologue that will no longer appear in the novel), we get a little insight into that conflict and the roles both these supporting characters will be playing in later volumes.

That's kinda the whole idea of these rewrites - collapsing down to the main themes and important characters into congruent and intriquing episodes. So, for example, instead of us meeting Manilo at the beginning of the tale - before we know anything about what he may be talking about or of his signifacance - we meet him just after Baron enters Eldynwood, when we're getting our first tastes of the world he and we are about to dive into. Plus, we get more formally introduced to Kharion. What results is a much sleeker scene with much more relevance, and the opportunity to beginning building on not just one but two important characters.

In other words, I feel the rewrites were warranted and are going swimmingly!

In other news, a potential artist for D6 has passed his "second interview" and Matty should be sending me the results of this dude's hard work sometime today. I'm really excited to see them after hearing how excited Matt was last night. It seems this could be our guy. He just has to pass my approval when I finally sit down and rake him over the coals. Just kidding, I'm an easy sell. I'm sure I'll be blown away. Apparently he's very talented and I'm exciting to bring a new talent to the collaboration table. When we land this guy, though, that means D6 will be VERY close to submission ready, which is also awesome.

I, for one, am very excited for both of the projects to thrive as we begin sending them out around the industry. I hope that you guys are excited, too!!

Dang, I think I used the word "excited" way too many times in this post. And I call myself I writer.

Time to consult the thesaurus!

Take care!

G

Vol. 1 Rewrites - Page: 27 | Word Count: 11,168

Watching A Story Write Itself

2009-05-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

It's interesting to see this story come together. Again. And though that may seem contrived to say (how can it come together if it already was???), it just goes to show how important these rewrites are to Matt and I. We laid a solid groundwork. Then we let it simmer for a month or more while we dove into D6. When we came back, our focus was different. D6 is heavily character-driven and visual. It has to be, it's a comic. So when we took a closer look at some of our Eldynwood characters under a microscope... well, they seemed a little thin. So we sorted that out to present satisfaction and dove in!

And last night, something happened. The story wrote itself. Our characters did what they would naturally do, and we tied up a massive loose end in the first chunk of the novel. We had felt weary about leaving a certain scene in or removing it. The character it revolved around had changed, you see. And so this scene didn't work. But there were two scenes book-ending it that needed to be addressed. Thinking about character, thinking about who NEEDS to be introduced and given even a minimal voice at this point in the story, and deciding what bit of history or unneeded (at the moment) philosophy could go to make room for that brought about this perfect melding of plot. When puzzle pieces dropped into place, Matty and I both said it out loud, at the same exact time (that's called love :P). It's great when that wavelength is totally and completely in sync.

And the funny thing is, we hardly did any work. We told the characters what they would do to get there, sure. But they did the leg work and tied it together. So what is this awesome segment about??? You'll have to wait a little while for that answer, but it wonderfully incorporates some of our early mythology into the present Baron/Archer story, gives us insight on the war, and reveals a couple characters pivotal to Volume 3: Befores & Inbetweens.

Yea, I threw out a Vol.3 reference. I live on the edge! Are you salivating yet???

But anyway, if you're not a writer and you've never invested yourself so deeply into characters and their world and their joys and struggles, then I may be speaking Greek. It sounds a little insane to think of these stories having a life of their own. But it's completely true. It's more or less a major theme in TWWMW, in fact. I kinda started thinking about it like this tonight. In a film, the writer sets the stage and creates the character's shell. The actor fills in that character, gives it its identity and persona. Gives it a face and a depth. The director places that character in a setting, in the right lighting, at the right angle... all these tools are used to give us the impression of the character. Writing a novel is a great challenge because Matt and I have to be ALL those things. When we're the writer, than we're writing the skeleton. Doing the grunt work. When we get to act, we pump our life experiences into, our faith or morals or opinions or background into the method of finding the character's voice. A crucial step for sure. But every now and again we get to be the director. The scene is set, the camera is rolling, and we sit back and just watch. Take it all in. Fix the minutia if we must. But otherwise... the foundation has already been laid and our actors, relying on the work of our writers, are performing the magic of show.

We're behind the camera, following the scene as it unfolds. That's where we were last night.

And let me tell you, it was the best seat in the house.

Geoff

Vol. 1 Rewrites - Page: 26 | Word Count: 10,674

Round Two! Fight!

2009-05-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

The rewrites have begun.

Yes, I know "rewrite" is a word many of you blog readers hear often. It happens a lot around here as we try to shape the story into what it needs to be. This is the foundation for what will be three more novels in this series, plus a possible two prequels and two "sequels" that follow the exploits of some of our main character's kids (Eldynwood: The New Class... Eldynwood: The College Years?... Eldynw - well, we'll hit on a title eventually...). So Book 1 is of utmost importance.

So for those of your dear sweet readers and critique-rs who have already traveled through Eldynwood with us, or have even just read a few excerpts here on the blog, I warn you now: change is coming. And we will be in need of your support and service again in the near future. If you're interested in critiquing the new (and final) version of the story, whether you read any of the first versions or not, get a hold of me by the magic of e-mail.

Some things to expect in the rewrites:

A new beginning - namely, a re-envisioned first chapter. The prologue is gone, but a Manilo scene similar to it will appear later in the book. We thought it best to dive right in with who this story was about - Baron - and save the cryptic history lessons and prophecies for later in the narrative. (Thanks to Joseph Robert Lewis, vigilante author and heroic spaceman, for offering up that suggestion, as well as many others in his critique.)
Archer - the confident hero. No more dark, shady past. No more questionable ethics in years gone by. Archer's been a hero since day one, and has sought to do the right thing above all else. He's the Robin Hood of our tale, a wanted criminal in the eyes of Wrong, a hero to those oppressed, and a real enormous thorn in The Dark Heart's side.
Some re-imagined Wishmaker stuff (much is back story, which will have to stay hidden til a later date...)
A new and improved Book of Prophecies, now forever being referred to as The Memorandum. The Memo will still hold a pivotal place in our tale, but the emphasis is being lifted from it. ("You're not all powerful, silly book." "Well I should be!!" ... sorry.)

So yes, things are in full swing. I tore through some great rewrites last night and are into chapter 3 now (the new chapter 5... yes, there will be more chapters.) But never fear fans, most of it was copy-paste. We're not changing Baron into a girl who was raised by a vampire family in the Arizona desert before falling into Eldywood through a mine shaft or anything... (though vamps are pretty in right now... hmmm....). It's just some minor tweaking for the most part, some major stuff here and there.

Matty has also been going back through the manuscript and basically rewriting it in "Bones Style". That means it sounds like a kid's book, basically, very visual and cut-and-dry. I think he'll one day leave me in the YA jungle and go off to make his illustration books like I'm Too Big For My Bed: A Story of Acceptance staring a giant humanoid bunny rabbit with over-sized feet (true story). But that day is not today. Anyways, the different perspective has been awesome, and some of his writings have made their way into the rewrites. Of course, we've split up the story creation pretty equally (many of these characters were actually Matt's before I came along - we gave them context together), but I've been the one, for the most part, penning every word in manuscript. Matty's more hands-on approach to the little things between the big things he helped create is definitely adding to the feel of the tale.

So all and all, things are going swimmingly. We finished out story a few months back, got lots of feedback from friends and fellow writers, sent out some agent submissions and learned all about the ups and downs of the query process, and now we're cleaning things up to finalize the first volume of the tale of our Eldynwood. It's been a wild ride thus far, and I'm sure much more is in store for YB.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support and I will write again soon!!

G

The Ballad of Knife & Spoon

2009-04-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

Allow me to serve my created purpose, and I will show you a blade the likes of which the world has never seen.
I will cut to your core with skilled, impassioned words; stab into your soul with the poignancy of sharp and biting words.
Allow me to fillet you with a tale,
Carve you a story with lush and labor-less strokes.
Widdle you a song in a mere breath or two.
All of this I can do.
For I am a knife.
Serrated and deadly, perfect in the hands of one who can appreciate the delicacy and danger of every touch; of the surface it can mar or the life it can change.
I've been ribboned by the steel of stories countless time, by artisans greater than I.
But I feel that my time to try the cutting has come.

I need your permission, however.
I need you to pick me up and take me in.
Allow me to invade your senses and then slip back into my sheath, appearing and reappearing like a sliver moon in a clouded sky.
Leaving your perspective forever different.
Leaving you scarred, and all the wiser for having met the blade.
Think of me as a knife - respect the silver tongue of a born cutting instrument - and I will be just that and more.

But see me as, say, a spoon, and I will be confined to a spoon's persona.
Harmless.
Forgettable.
Dredging regretfully through a sordid stew of a life in which I don't belong.
Scooping up the brown broth of complacency. Forever a slave to someone else's needs.
Forever void of means to cut my own path.
A life lived out of place and far from purpose.
Am I this spoon?
I cannot be.
Mine is the life of a knife.
I feel it with every laceration I try to make upon this word; with every story crafted and told.
I can touch it; taste it like warmth and iron - like a cut and bleeding lip.
I can see my path and purpose.

So why can't you?

Reinventing The Archer

2009-04-08T06:40:00.000-07:00

Hello people of the Interweb!

Geoff here. I don't find time to blog on this site as much as I used to, and for that I am sorry. It seems that since I moved back to Zeeland, what I thought would be more time for writing has turned into less. I have three projects I'm working on right now, which is good because my mind needs variety to survive. But it leaves a little less time for TWWMW.

Last night at a YB meeting at my new pad with Matty, after discussions of Disciple 6 (I'm doing page layouts for Matty to sketch into while he interviews potential artist collaboration), our thoughts again turned to Eldynwood. I was struggling with some character issues, especially with Archer, Wishmaker, and The Dark Heart -- solidifying some things that will hopefully solidify their significance and their relationship. I was struggling with how much of Archer we let our readers now about. He's forever been a man shrouded in mystery, and we still will keep some of that. But there was this underlining fact that Archer used to WORK for The Dark Heart. I was trying to figure out how to blend that in subtly without being trite.

Matty left, both our minds filled with the questions the night posed. About 5 seconds after he left my house, he calls me.

"How bout this. Archer never worked for Dark Heart."

It seemed so simple, that as soon as he said it, I knew it was the right choice. Archer needs to be a character that ALWAYS walked in the light of Right, has ALWAYS been a thorn in Dark Heart's side, and has always been searching for his purpose. A hero, cut and dry. None of this brooding or mysterious mentality we want to give all our heroes these days. He does the right thing, every time. All the time. I think this will greatly add to the strength of the character, and do away with any needless ambiguity.

There's more to ponder as I read the manuscript over, taking notes on character, important history and places, and such. But at least I have a solid new direction to shape Archer. Mind you, there's still a mystery to him. But it will never be whether he is a good man or not.

I'll write again soon as we begin to dive back into Eldynwood for a second round of revised agent submissions! Take care.

G

Every Day Is A New Day

2009-03-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Hello friends. It has been a while. Just wanted to jot down some thoughts.

There have been a lot of changes in my life as of late. I think they've all been positive steps in the right direction. Some, however, have been easier to swallow than others.

For example, I've joined the praise team at my church in Holland. It's something that I've done at a few other churches and have loved, so I feel really blessed to a part of a great, young community here in town. We're doing some very exciting things, and I've gotten to play guitar three Sundays in a row as I've been called to fill in for people. Usually each team member plays about once a month. It's been a great way for me to meet people quickly and display my talents and praise God in a more "interactive" way. I've always liked to be a part of things; it helps me connect to worship more. (If you're curious, I go to Engedi Church and their website is here!)

In the same regard, the move back to Zeeland has been difficult. It has it's ups and downs, you know? I hardly see any of my friends in GR anymore, and that is where the majority of my friends live. My best friend, Keenan, however, is also moving back to Zeeland this weekend. So hopefully we'll get to spend some time together. Not that I have much of it.

Time.

What a persistant and annoying thought in my mind. I feel that there are not enough hours in the day to do and be what it is I want to do and be. I've been trying to concentrate on getting into healthy writing habits, but it feels too forced. Plus, other parts of my life begin to suffer. There's always this job I have to go to 40hrs I week. It pays the bills and keeps life crawling forward. But is that enough? Were we just put here to work for someone else doing things we don't feel any passion for until we either get laids off unexpectedly or manage to retire in 50 years? I've been really struggling with this. I hate that I don't have enough time to write. It's my greatest passion and love, something I feel that I'm really good at and that I feel God wants me to pursue. And yet there are so many "distractions" surrounding me every day. I keep praying for the focus to figure things out.

Last night I got in a pretty big fight with my wife about some private things I won't go into on this blog. The point is, I went to bed pretty depressed. So did she. But I woke up this morning with a renewed vision of how I want my life and marriage to look. God brought that to me, and I feel blessed by some revelations I've had this morning about myself and my faults, as well what comes next in this continuing chapter of my little family. I know that things are generally not as bad as they seem when we're willing to step back and take a look at ourselves objectively, with an open heart, from a place of humility and love. That sounds corny as all, but it's true!

Anyhow. The stories (that's the point of this blog, right?) are clipping along nicely. As more stories become priority (such as Disciple 6, which we're working on intently right now) this blog will probably expanded into all projects, not just The World Within My Walls. So keep checking in with us for updates on all the progress! Thanks for listening to me vent and for supporting YoungBones Entertainment. I'll blog again this weekend with specific updates on our three priority projects.

Take Care!

Geoff

In the Wake of it All

2009-02-24T08:55:00.000-08:00

Greetings there Nuethonians. Just thought I would write a little bit of love for all who have been behind Geoff and I on this quest. I love the World within my Walls. Book 1 is finally complete, and now questions have come up. Self publish? Move on to next project? Put the dream down? I say Nay! (in using the term nay, i have realized it is the most positive way to say NO, and it still sounds good!)

though self publishing might take place, I feel that book one has at least several more drafts to go through before considering the alternative. A balance needs to be met. On one hand you have a story you can call "done" and boom go with it. on the other extreme, we could edit, and change and edit and change until we are blue in the face, and we don't want that. But like I said. Balance. I feel that is the key.

Geoff has started book 2, and I am looking forward to seeing the stories move on. See characters grow, and to see the plots continue to unfold.

We have talked about several other projects. Geoff has some really cool short movie ideas. I have my usual comic book sweetness.

Balance.

Dreams will not be put down. or aside. As we look forward to the future of this creation we appreciate prayers and thoughts. Being a dreamer is harder as you get older, because of everyone around you. Yes, there are those who choose support over a roll of the eyes. But the eye rollers will always be there.

This happens to be the world within my walls is it not?

huh.

it shall be how I choose.

I love you all................. for going to my blog also!!! haha ideasfrommars.blogspot.com!!

Mattybones out!

It Has Been a While...

2009-02-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

... since last I posted. I tried to post a week ago at work and when I clicked "publish", it did nothing. Gotta love when the system randomly crashes. LAME!

So work has been going well on YB projects. Matt and I have been talking a lot about his comic book he's been working on for years now called Disciple 6 (read more about it on his blog). We are preparing it for submission to Image Comics, as well as possible some others. Should be very cool.

On the WWMW front, I have dove into volume 2. It's coming along nicely, I'm almost finished with the first chapter. It's been a little difficult getting my head back into the characters, and as these books progressive, they jump around Eldynwood's time line a lot more, so that's always difficult to follow continuity. But other than that, I feel good about starting the next piece of the puzzle!

Agent hunts are going well. As of now we have submitted to many agents and have heard back from a little over half. We have another researched batch to e-query and about a half-dozen to snail mail out. I'll be printing up all the submission packets this week for those punks who hate trees.

I also will be moving back to Zeeland from Grand Rapids in about two weeks. I have mixed emotions about this move, for I've always been the kind of guy who liked being away from the hometown -- even if only by a half hour or so. But the good reason for the move is that I will be about equal distance between my parent's place and Matty's. So I'll get to see the fam more, and Matt and I only will be only moments away from mad writer sessions. So that's dope.

Enjoy the big game if you're watching it. I'm gonna run to the store with my Mom. I will post again this week!!! Take care!!!

G

Concentrate, Willow

2009-01-19T16:26:00.000-08:00

Ugh. My focus has been all over the place recently. I think a number of things play into that.

I have a new Tumblr. It's a blog for people with nothing to do. The problem is, I have things to do. It's just so damn fun! And I use it to promote THIS site, so I guess it's not all bad...
Starting the new book is hard. It's like... the feeling of accomplishment sets in and it's hard for me to get the gears rolling again.
The holidays really biffed my writing schedule. Not that I didn't love them, it's just that I was in the zone. And now I'm out of sync. (as opposed to N'Sync)
To top it all of, Flight of The Conchords Season Two started Sunday. But that only takes up about a half hour of my week, so that's okay.

I do have a nice new weekly schedule taped to my filing cabinet and I'm hoping to stick to that. Though... this was a writing night, and I haven't done that. And I'm suppose to go to the gym, but I'm not going to do that... my wife has had a bad day and wants to cuddle. Who can argue with her adorable face? Not me.

Well, I'm gonna try to get some writing done. Little lady won't be home for another hour at least. Just wanted to vent my frustrations! G'nite.

G

Lazy Sunday

2009-01-12T06:33:00.000-08:00

Yea boyyy!

Anywho, it's Monday. Here at work. Again. Thrilled, I'm sure.

Yesterday was a nice Sunday. Matty and I got together at his crib for some waffles (delicious) and some writing (also delicious). I thought as the afternoon began that we might not accomplish anything. Sophia (Matty's youngest) was being extra cute and craving our attention, as was the big brute Lennon (Matty's dog). Then Phia needed a bath, which Matty attended to while I read the new Entertainment Weekly. But once the young lady was down for her nap, the ideas started flowing. We hashed out the very beginning of the book (Dark Heart's super-cool origin -- I say this with confidence: you have never read anything quite like it). Then we began to discuss other projects. Disciple 6 (which you can read about at Ideas From Mars), Objective E Must Be Destroyed (my planned either comic or film script about the rise and fall of cyborgs -- big-time sci-fi action!), and The Last Great American Small Town (my film script baby that has had new life breathed into this week). All good times, good talks, lots accomplished.

So TWWMW is clipping right along. We've received about 8 or so responses from agents, rejections at this point, as is to be expected (publishing has always been a game of rejection, such as many other artists pursuits), but hopes are still high. We have about 6 more to send submissions to via the post (or snail-mail for you savvy peeps). In a couple months, when everyone is heard from, we will research a new batch and look into attending some writer's conferences with the whole, shiny presentation. Would be a very fun experience, to say the least.

Well, that's all for now. Have a great day, and take care of yourselves.

G

This Must Be It, Welcome To The New Year

2009-01-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

Hola blog-watchers. There's a few of you out there. It's very cool to see a steady increase in views as the days go by. Thank you all again for your support and encouragement.

So 2009 is here at last. Thank God. I love new years. It's a promise of change... a fresh start... a new lease on life! ...er, even though it's not really at all, but we've come to honor it as so. I say embrace it. We should all live life like it's New Year's Day, with "resolutions" of change and goals for an up-coming year; with a fire for things to come.

So in honor of the new year, I will most likely be starting a new blog. This will be just for me, exploring my other projects in more detail, as to not take up space reserved for The World Within My Walls (the most important of said projects). I'll link it up when I find time and energy to do launch it.

Matty is all moved into his new house and we had our first meeting in the new YBHQ last week. It went well. Scanned a LOT of images that Matt has been compiling. Characters, maps, a lot of different stuff. I'm going through them now and doing some slight editing and completing and whatnot. I'll post them soon (especially the maps, because many of you wonderful people who have your hands on the manuscript have been begging for one.)

Began work on Vol. 2: A Hero's Blood. I'm about 7 pages in. It's kind of slow going because we didn't have the prologue hashed out before hand. Everything else is outlined intensely, but not the opening. So I'm playing with a few different ideas of what it should look like. Generally our prologues and epilogues are important items of info that don't fit in the chronological order of the rest of the volume. It's a little thing we do to fill in holes and give the reader and glimpse into the past (or future). That one thing can't be stressed enough I think while reading these tales: PAY ATTENTION! There are lots of little connections and clues throughout that will bring you to the final Volume 4 climatic conclusion!! Okay, I'm done ranting about my awesomeness. :P

I'll post some more new things this weekend, probably Saturday or so. Until then, take care!

G

The Darkest of Hearts

2008-12-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to start the second volume up. It's weird being done with the first book, having the sense of relief and accomplishment... and then having to dive into the rest of it! But I thought I would post the poem that will appear at the beginning of Vol. 2: A Hero's Blood. This is a much darker volume. This is our Empire Strikes Back. This is an action-packed book where we learn much more about Dark Heart, Hasan, King Averehn, and the war. I highly look forward to writing it. But, yea, here's the poem which will proceed the prologue.

There is a strange story that lives within lore
About a young boy who came from before
To spare Eldynwood from war's misery
To save commoner – to save you; to save me
A boy from a place which no map can chart
He may have been lost, but he was pure in his heart
He wished for great powers rivaled by none
And pledged on his life to kill the dead wizard's son

But the people saw no savior, just a boy and nothing more
So they mocked and they kicked and they ripped and they tore
And they swore at his promise, no matter how he implored
Until finally, silently, he was simply ignored
In bitterness and anger the fragile boy sank
And he gathered the venom of a viper and drank
I will end it all now. What is there left to do?
But the poisons didn't kill him, they just tore him in two
“They shall taste my vengeance” the darker half said
“They shall?” cringed the innocent side of his head

So the Darkness enveloped; the land it consumed
What should have been hero turned out to be doomed
The dead have been risen; the terror more real
The power of Wrong is in all that we feel
So go to sleep, child, turn your Rocklight down
You don't want this dark being to discover our town
For the boy is now gone, the old legend claims
And The Darkest of Hearts is all that remains

Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say

2008-12-30T18:25:00.000-08:00

So it's 9:30pm on the day before New Year's Eve. Another year has come and gone and it has been an eventful one. I got married. I wrote a book. I've dove into myself to see exactly what it is God wants me to share with the world. And speaking of the big man, I've felt closer to him this year than I have since middle school and high school church camps (for those you who have gone or had similar spiritual retreats, it's always that ultimate "mountain top" experience when God's voice is so prevalent. But then we have to travel down the mountain and contend with the real world...)(God bless C.S. Lewis). So, looking towards the future, I have been deeply (and distractedly) in thought for most of this week. There are things I want to achieve this year that may seem impractical right now. Selling the book. Becoming a writer. Maybe giving my wife a baby to care for (her real true passion and a treasured gift from God) come the end of the year??? If things go the way I hope they do, all that and more will be reality. But is my mind -- is my character -- ready for it?

So this is the year of goals. 2008 was the year of change. I quit my band. I wrote a book. I helped elect a bi-racial president. I married the love of my life. I create Eldynwood with one of my best friends. I quit smoking. 2009 will be the year that all this hard work comes to fruition. I can feel it, and I keep praying that I'm feeling the correct path, lol. Always gotta check in with the man upstairs! I'm hopeful, and frightened, and more than anything thoroughly confused. I don't know who to cling to and what to be. But I do know what "resolution" I have this year. I want to speak my mind and be a light to people. I have many opinions I keep to myself. I have insight into people's problems that I ignore out of complacency. No man is an island. I'm done with that. To quote one of my favorite films (though I'm sure it's been said a thousand times before) "say what you mean, mean what you say". That is the mantra for the year.

Before I jet, I want to "free write". It's a little thing I'm gonna try to do more often as it helps me be precise in my writing and to hone my voice. So I will take a few minutes to write things that pop into my head. I was driving home from Family Fare this evening when the opening line hit me. I'm going to riff off it. It may make sense. It may not. That's the fun! So here we go! Everyone have a wonderful New Year and remember to cherish every single day. Much love.

You can tell nearly everything about a person just by speaking with them. Not by looking at them -- that's false. You can never judge a book by it's cover, and that is a cliche' that holds the test of time. However, you can judge a book by it's introduction. Or it's dust cover paragraph. Or it's author bio. It's a version of what you're getting yourself in to. It's a history of the speaker and story. And it's accurate. That's what even just hearing a snippet of a conversation between two other people can do to you. You can gather much from the exchange, and you're not even talking to them!

Miles Standin was an exception to the rule. Sure, Miles had a tendency to rub people the wrong way. It didn't take much really. His appearance was enough to perturb. He had greasy hair that was rarely washed and combed, skin that left the face of the moon laughing at him, and Coke bottle glasses that reflected two images of whatever he looked at -- one through the predominate thick glass and a second, tiny, nearly intangible copy in the small bifocal square that rested precariously near the bottom of the lens. And when Miles spoke... when Miles spoke, mountains trembled. And not out of fear or divine power. Out of annoyance. Miles had a voice that made you wonder if he came from a planet where all the citizens spoke purely through their large, spotted noses. It was the kind of voice that chalkboards whom have had finger nails scraped across them described to their little chalkboard children as the worst sound imaginable. Miles voice. Fingernails on a chalk board. Interchangeable.

But the really awful thing about it was that Miles Standin was a precious, precious boy and had much to offer the world. At barely 15 years of age, it was obvious that the style-and-looks train left station well before Miles showed up. But when they were handing out brains, this kid was first in line. He had a nearly uncanny ability to just get something. Or someone. It was as if there was no barrier between him and anything. He was whatever he studied. He understood it so fully that he became it. Miles was extraordinary. The gift of a generation was folded and taped into the most ghastly wrapping paper known to man.

But sometimes great things come in unexpected packaging.

Ah The Holidays...

2008-12-24T09:04:00.000-08:00

It's love/hate, you know? I love Christmas and what it means (that little baby is SOMEWHAT important to me, not just the gifts :P). And I love seeing family. But this is my first Christmas as a married man and let me tell you... the gatherings never end when you add a second half. I've already attended more parties than I care to and it's only Christmas Eve. I have two engagements tonight, two tomorrow, and another Saturday. Ugh. I just want to relax! Peace on earth, people! Peace and freaking quiet!

But alas, isn't our nature to take something that's suppose to be profound and reflective and turn it into something stressful and busy? It's what we do. That being said, I still look forward to seeing all of my family members (old and new) and sharing some good times.

So Merry Christmas to all and Happy Holidays. Be safe on the roads and enjoy yourselves! Put aside differences and embrace the spirit of love and giving that is a staple of the season.

As for The World Within My Walls, production on Vol. 2: A Hero's Blood will most likely begin in the next couple weeks when I have some downtime (gotta love vacation from work). We have heard from four wonderful and polite literary agents who have declined our story, but we look at this as a positive. We're getting our names and the tale out there, we're getting some feedback, and we still have many to hear from yet, as well as some more submission to send. So all is good on the agent hunt front.

I have also started research on a new tale I plan to call The Sudden Winter Series, with book 1 being The Frantic's Frost and book 2 being The Forever's Thaw. It's a cool little urban fantasy aimed at a little younger of a crowd than TWWMW, and it's set in some good Michigan locales such as Detroit and Mackinaw Island. I'm excited. It's a much smaller project to tackle than TWWMW. But of course, that is still my main focus. This is just something to break up all the Eldynwood thoughts. With my scattered brain, it's very useful to do that.

Take care guys! Keep spreading the word about the blog!

G

We Have Our First Follower!

2008-12-17T12:10:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is my wife..... but it still counts, dangit!

Follow her lead, readers (if you have an account or don't mind getting one.)

Love you all!

G

Pointing Out The Probably Obvious

2008-12-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

So, over at the right side I added some quick links. There's a button to add us to your favorites (which we highly suggests doing!) and a subscription link for your favorites (if that's more your thing.) Also I added our e-mail if you'd like to drop us some comments or encouragements, and links to some of our other sites.

Thanks people! Keep spreading the word. I'll be making an add for the blog this week that you will be able to post on your own sites (MySpace, Facebook, Blogger, ect.) if you would like to support us in that way. Take care!

G

Photo Action and Agents Have Been Contacted!

2008-12-17T06:33:00.000-08:00

Yo yo yo.

Geoff here. So, it's been a full week already and it's only Wednesday. Monday I stayed home from work to catch up on a number of things I neglected over the weekend. I love paid sick days. Finished the epilogue which means the book is official done! Also sent some submissions to 8 agents!!! We have heard from three with very polite letters turning down the story. Mainly because it doesn't fit what they represent. But most have shown interest in it and it doesn't sound like our query is a pile of crap, so that's good! Still got roughly a dozen to send to in this round. Hopefully in the next month or two we will have heard back from everyone.

Last night I went over to Zeeland and Rachel (Matty's beautiful wife) snapped some photos of Matt and I in their new, empty house. (They close this week!) We did some shots in the basement and attics that turned out really cool, trying to capture the whole "world within my walls" feel. Here's one to the left I hope the Sentinel will use for the article Matty sent them this morning. I think it turned out pretty damn sexy! I'm the least photogenic person on the planet, so I hide in the background mostly. I'm the man behind the man, lol. Matt should quit this writing crap and be a model. But that's just my opinion.

Sent the book to my gorgeous wife Michelle yesterday. She hadn't read it yet! She wanted it to be all the way done instead of reading seven different versions of it. I can understand that. But she's now about 3 or 4 chapters in and she's loving it. That's always good to hear. She sent it to seven or eight of her girlfriends as well, and we're getting nothing but great reviews from them so far. Hopefully the agents will agree!! If you're reading this ladies, thanks for the kind words.

Well, break is about done. I'll be posting another excerpt from the novel tonight I believe. Don't forget to keep telling people about the blog! And if you're reading this, leave some comments! We love to hear from you guys. Take care and God bless.

G

The Weather In Michigan Is A Joke

2008-12-10T06:41:00.000-08:00

Tell me how in two days it rains, sleets, snows, freezes, thaws again, rains, freezes, snows.... I could go on. This consistent freeze-thaw-freeze that happens in early winter is my least favorite part of all the seasons.

On top of bad weather, my car broke last week, so I'm without a vehicle. Which means Matty has to graciously make the trek from Holland to GR for our meetings. This is no easy task with weather such as I described above. We've canceled the last two Tuesday night meetings. But there's always cellphones and e-mails. They can sorta get the job done.

Just about done with the epilogue for Vol. 1. Matty and I are going back and forth, hashing out the details. We're introducing two key characters in the final few pages of this volume and we want to get it right for it sets the tone their characters will have as they become integral parts of the tale later on. I'm not revealing who these characters may be. It's a surprise. One thing I pride about our book is that there are many surprises. Who doesn't like a good surprise?!

Other than that I have to look at the article Matty sent me for the Sentinel deal and hopefully get that out by Friday. And I have to finish the synopsis. BUT the dreaded query letter has been completed and is ready to go. Should be sending things out next week. Good times.

Gotta get back to work. Have a good day all!

G

In So Many Words...

2008-12-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

Wow. Just did the final word count for the manuscript (excluding the epilogue I have yet to write) and it comes in at nearly 77,000 words!!!!! I can't believe I hand-picked each of those and put them in an order to create our tale. God is amazing -- only He could have brought me through all those words in one piece. Let's hope we can share them all with the world some day soon!

G

Thanksgiving and The Dreaded Query Letter

2008-12-01T06:38:00.000-08:00

Howdy.

So the long weekend was nice, huh? Hopefully you all got to get some rest, spend time with family, and eat tons of delicious food! I know I did. Also did a little with the book. Saturday night I spent time with my second family (Matty, Rachel, and the girls). We did some shopping and ate some Hungry Howie's. The book was talked about, but it was kinda nice just to relax and hang with Matt without the book being the TOTAL focus.

Of course, it's the work week again, which means back to work at our day jobs AND back to steady work on the project. Matty's finishing up the article for The Sentinel. He e-mail it to me yesterday for my two-cents. I'll be shifting some things around tonight on it. It looks good -- I won't have TOO much work to do. Which is good, because I have a query letter to construct. It's the bane of my mental existence right now. A query letter is sent to an agent where you basically have one page to sell your entire dream. Yes, some agents want a synopsis. Yes, some want a sample of the story. But some don't. And they ALL need a query letter. If the query letter doesn't catch their eye, they don't bother looking at the other material. It's a lot of pressure. If you're at all interested in the insane amount of professionalism and pitch go into a query letter, give this page -- http://www.agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx a look. It's what I've been studying, along with about a hundred other articles on the subject, lol.

Anyway, back to the daily grind at the old Uni-Source. Say hi to your mother for me.

G

New Scupture of Hasan

2008-11-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

I am so very excited. Lets start with one thing. I think that if I was to let you in on any secrets about my dreams and desires for this book series, or any other kids projects that I may get to pursue in the future.

Toy.

Being a collector of toys and statues I think that the most exhilarating thing that could ever happen, is to have children buy toys of the characters that I come up with.

In this series a character named Hasan is trapped and tortured. He ends up turning into a beast of sorts, mostly resembling a buffalo. I don't want to give away too many secrets right now. But the beginning of the book starts, "High in the Tower of Kharion, lives a man that time has forgotten....."

Last night I found myself in a driven mood to do something that I have wanted to for a while. To sculpt Hasan. Even though I have never sculpted before, I thought that this would be a very cool thing to try and do. With the help of the internet, some clay, and a few hours...........

I still have much to do. Sanding, and making sure the detail is good. But it turned out so cool. (I think) and possibly painting it soon. I don't know if I could stay up late like that again. But I can't wait to show everyone what it looks like when it is finished.

The Holland Sentinel

2008-11-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

Greetings from the other half of YoungBones, its me Matthew. Just wanted to post some great news I came across today. Along with this blog, about our journey to get published, I thought that since I always see articles in the paper about local people in the Life and Style section, I would go out on a limb and..... call them. (ugh self promotion)

I got to talk to a wonderful lady named Cheri, and though she said that there was no one on their staff that could write an article about us, the book, and the journey, that we could definitely write one ourselves, and take a few shots of us. She said that they don't put articles in the paper about people that self or internet publish their books. But "It doesn't sound like that's what you want...." I agreed. Its not really about the promotion, of the book, cause we are still in the agent process. I said the article could just be about the dream, and journey. Two local Zeeland graduates. working hard as heck to provide for their families, but still trying to find the time, and the dedication to continue to dream big.

She said to write something out, pictures also, and email everything to her. So there is a good chance that within a few weeks a great article titled "The World Within THEIR Walls" written by yours truly will be in the Holland Sentinel. *Cross fingers.......

Along with that the current projects I have been working on are:

1.Drawings of the main characters through the books
2.Sculpture of Hasan/Manilo
3.Taking some pictures of my cat, and some nature shots

Its amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.

I appreciate everyone reading this right now, and want to thank you.

Talk to you soon.

11.25 Night at IHOP

2008-11-26T06:33:00.000-08:00

Met up with Matty last night for our regular Tuesday night meeting. We've been meeting at the IHOP in Grandville for a few weeks now -- didn't seem very long, but the host seating me and said "oh, yea, you guys are the regulars, right?". Eck. Regulars at the IHOP. At least it's for a good cause. And there are certainly worse places to be regulars at.

So we talked a little about TWWMW and what the next step is. Basically, we've got to get a query letter written. Ah, the query letter. The stress of my life. How to sell a nearly 300 page/over 62,000 word book in a one page formal letter that is also suppose to include information about the author, not just the book. Some agents only want three pages of the manuscript! Some don't want any. Luckily I feel our book has a gripping beginning, but still....

We also tossed around an idea for a cartoon we've been playing with. All our friends as super heroes.... cool shit. More on that in the future.

Break's done at the 9-5 (or the 8-??? as it would be). Gotta bounce!

G

Welcome!

2008-11-24T16:34:00.000-08:00

Hey! Geoff here with YBE (YoungBones Entertainment). I am one-half of the creative team behind The World Within My Walls, a brand new fantasy novel series we are shopping for publication. As the final words of Vol. 1: The Sons of The Moon are falling into place, and the myriad of query letters begin to be sent across America (or as it would have it in the publishing business, mainly New York city), my co-creator Matt and I thought we would set up a blog to keep people up-to-date on the progress. We hope to post a few entries from the book, as well as ideas for other projects to come. YoungBones Entertainment hopes to soon be the new face of creative and engaging film, literature, and music. We're artists who love to share our stories in the most fitting way and have been blessed with the talents to do so. Creating and sharing our creations is really all we're good at, and it's time to leave those dead-end jobs behind and embrace what we were meant to do. We hope that you'll come along for the ride! So please check back often and get to know us a bit! Your support is always appreciated.

Thanks again and have a great night!

Geoff
YBE / Mic & Mosh Pit Media

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