I think I may have lost my mind, but for a very brief period of time, you can save 90% off of my titles...short stories, novels, collections...they're all at DriveThruFiction at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/browse/pub/16618/, and they're all 90% off.
I think the men in the white coats may be coming to get me soon...
I've just completed the second draft of my new novel, which unfortunately still doesn't have a title...which is weird, since titles usually come so easily to me.
I'm a little happier with the way it's turning out, but it's still going to need a great deal of work. The main character is now much more of a real person to me.
I think this novel has been more difficult because it's basically told from just the main character's perspective. There are no chapters, or even scenes that don't feature her. Usually my novels bounce from character to character, but hopefully this will make her a likeable character...sure she can be a little petulant at times, and she might cry a bit too much, but she's also a teenager. But I think she's believable because I can see bits of all three of my daughters in her.
Now the book sits for a little while, and then I'll get back to another draft. I'm figuring AT LEAST two more drafts to get it where I want it to be.
This is a very brief letter that I'd like to address to the leaders of the world. I've said all of this before, but obviously, I need to say it again...
1984, A Handmaid's Tale, Fahrenheit 451, and even my Opium of the People were meant as warning messages. They were not intended to be blueprints for you to use to destroy our world.
The people of the world would like their democracies back.
Thank you!
From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:
The Divided States of America RPG is a bestseller at DriveThruRPG.
It currently sits at #57 among small press publishers: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/browse?sortBy=titleStripPopularity&indie=true&languageId=1&partial=true&page=2#Hottest%20Small%20Publishers
And #113 among all titles…including major publishers: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/browse?sortBy=titleStripBestselling&partial=true&excludeGiftCerts=true&page=4#Bestselling%20Titles
No one can say with any reasonable certainty when the United States of America began to fall apart. Many point to the presidential election of 2016, but most believe the breakup started long before this. Now, in the year 2110, the former United States is made up of fourteen nation-states and The Wastelands. Some of the nation-states have prospered under self-rule, while others have declined. Some nation-states are very accepting of outsiders, while others trust no one…sometimes not even their fellow citizens. There is chaos in some places, and order in others…sometimes too much order.
The first state to break away from the USA was, not unexpectedly, Texas, and from there, things continued to spiral out of control as the national government tried to hold on to control that the state governments wanted back, and eventually, the federal government was no longer able to control the states, and the break-up came about.
Some of the nation-states kept the name “America” in their new names. Some did this as a tribute to where they had come from, while others did it to remind their citizens of what they were breaking away from. Others adopted new names, or took on names that were given to them.
Borders in some areas are heavily patrolled, even walled in places, while other borders have no protection at all…mostly it depends on the views of the new government and its citizens, even though sometimes those two groups still don’t agree. Let’s face it, greed and independence are bred into the human race, and even allying with others that have similar viewpoints does not necessarily mean that they will always get along.
As a game, players create characters with seven attributes that are used to enhance a variety of skills. As the characters advance, they gain experience, which can be put towards their skills, their health, or banked to allow the player to raise their character’s attributes.
Order from DriveThruRPG: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/511906/
Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DWQJTXMV
Order from another retailer: https://books2read.com/u/4jzYgk
Once again, the new game continues its big run!
Check it out at:
DriveThruRPG: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/497132/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJ9SGT7G
Other retailers: https://books2read.com/u/bayExy
Humanity has finally made it to the stars, and they’ve found they’re not alone. They are one of twenty species making their way around the galaxy. Some of the species they’ve met are friendly, while some are quite hostile, and others are just plain indifferent. The galaxy is full of warfare, trade, and unexplored star systems. This is the galaxy of Ephemeris 2.0.
The game features thirteen different character classes and twenty different species. You can play a Clipsie Cyber Wizard, a Human Pirate, or maybe a Taurin Nanist. Build your characters up with goods, cybernetic implants, genetic modifications, and special abilities that are unique to each class.
The universe of Ephemeris 2.0 is yours to explore, and yours to build. The new version of the game is a d20 version, and the rules are less convoluted, and more player friendly than the previous version.
Now, step into the greatest science fiction adventure that you’ve ever been on!
I have a few of my titles listed at Ko-fi as PDFs, and you can download them for 50% off by going to https://ko-fi.com/jalanerwine/link/50OFF, or you can go to https://ko-fi.com/jalanerwine and use the code 50OFF at checkout.
All of my independently published short story collections are now available in one bundle for just $12 at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/509887/
Even though it doesn't feature my collections that are available from traditional publishers, it does feature almost all of my 70 published short stories. And just as a disclaimer, some stories do appear in multiple titles.
From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:
As we prepare for the release of our new RPG, The Divided States of America, we’ve put all of our RPG titles on sale for 75% off at DriveThruRPG: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2805/
I've put all of my Divided States of America stories from Nomadic Delirium Press together in one collection.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTLMSKD9
DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/509453/
Other vendors: https://books2read.com/u/bzOMg2
No one can say with any reasonable certainty when the United States of America began to fall apart. Many point to the presidential election of 2016, but most believe the breakup started long before this. Now, in the year 2110, the former United States is made up of 13 nation-states and The Wastelands. Some of the nation-states have prospered under self-rule, while others have declined. Some nation-states are very accepting of outsiders, while others trust no one…sometimes not even their fellow citizens. There is chaos in some places, and order in others…sometimes too much order.
This was the theme created by Nomadic Delirium Press editor J Alan Erwine. With these ideas in mind, many authors have contributed to this concept, including Erwine, and now for the first time, all of the stories he’s written for The Divided States of America (so far) are gathered together in one collection.
I typed the last words of the very rough draft of my new novel today. This one is definitely going to take a lot of work to fix. It's shorter than I wanted, which isn't a surprise. I don't include much description in my rough drafts (yeah, I know there's not much in my final drafts either), but that will lengthen it, and I will have to add several scenes to make sense of some of the things I wrote as I was going.
With my main character being a teenager, I'm debating whether to market this one as mainstream SF or YA SF, but I guess I have time to figure that out, as it will be at least three more drafts before I'm done...at least.
And I still need a damn title!
My new novel has now reached 40,000 words, so I thought I'd give an update on the progress. This book has taken me on so many unexpected twists and turns that it's going to take a great deal of revision. There are entire scenes, and possibly even entire chapters that will have to be created during my first revisions...of course I have to finish the book first.
There are parts of this book that I love, and there are parts of this book that I hate. The biggest difference from my past novels is that this one is told entirely from one character's POV, a teenage girl. That alone has created numerous challenges, but it has been fun.
I'm looking forward to finishing the first draft soon, but there will be more revisions on this one than what is typical for my work, as it just needs more revisions, but hopefully in a few months, I will have a nice new novel. My fifth, or sixth if you count the one I co-wrote.
Still don't have a title though...
There are a few different ways that you can help my career, if you're so inclined.
First) This one is quite obvious...buy my books. If you've read something of mine that you liked, you'll probably like others. If you haven't read my stuff, I bet there's something there you'd like. Check everything out at http://www.jalanerwine.com
Two) Reviews!!! These are so important to writers, and not just for their egos. It helps their book get noticed, and it boosts the chances of it being seen on book seller websites. So, if you've liked something of mine that you've read, please review it.
Three) Feel free to donate to my ko-fi to keep me at my desk. https://ko-fi.com/jalanerwine
#KofiGoalChallenge
In my WIPS post yesterday, I mentioned that I was starting work on a new RPG, and that I'd talk more about it later...well, later is here. After a huge creative outburst yesterday, I can now announce that I'm hard at work on an RPG based on The Divided States of America, a series of stories published by Nomadic Delirium Press.
Not sure when I'll have it done, and although it will have some similarities to the other three RPGs I've created, it will also have some definite differences.
In the meantime, you can check out all of the Divided States of America stories at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/saleguide.php?src=sgrc, and oh yeah, they're 50% off for a limited time.
From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:
DriveThruRPG is having their annual New Year, New Game sale, which means it's your chance to download a new RPG for cheap! Check it out at https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/rpg_newyear.php?manufacturers_id=2805&filters=0_0_0_0_0_44298#selectpub
You can download Ephemeris 2.0 for $7.99. Rocks on the Other Side for $5.99, or The Battle for Turtle Island for $1.79.
As the new year starts, I thought I'd give an update on what I'm currently working on. Since my first writing book, Do You Really Want to be a Writer? was Nomadic Delirium Press' second best seller of the year, I'm hard at work on Do You Really Want to be a Science Fiction Writer? About 25% of the way through the 1st draft.
The new novel sits at just over 35,000 words, and I will hopefully be finishing the very rough draft soon. This one has been a battle, but I think I'm happy with the way it will ultimately turn out.
I'm working on two supplements for the new Ephemeris 2.0 RPG, and I've also started work on a brand new RPG that I think will be a departure from the first three I've created. There will be more on this in the near future...I hope.
There are a couple of other things that I'm working on in between these, but these are the titles that I'm sure I'll finish, and that I'm excited about.
Keep an eye on this blog and my homepage at http://www.jalanerwine.com for more.
From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:
Political bitterness continues to plague the United States. Will this eventually lead to The Divided States of America?
All of our Divided States of America stories, and the first collection, are on sale for 50% off for a limited time at DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/browse/pub/2805/.
The bestseller for December 2024, and my bestseller for the entire year was Ephemeris 2.0
Check it out at:
DriveThruRPG: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/497132/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJ9SGT7G
Other retailers: https://books2read.com/u/bayExy
Humanity has finally made it to the stars, and they’ve found they’re not alone. They are one of twenty species making their way around the galaxy. Some of the species they’ve met are friendly, while some are quite hostile, and others are just plain indifferent. The galaxy is full of warfare, trade, and unexplored star systems. This is the galaxy of Ephemeris 2.0.
The game features thirteen different character classes and twenty different species. You can play a Clipsie Cyber Wizard, a Human Pirate, or maybe a Taurin Nanist. Build your characters up with goods, cybernetic implants, genetic modifications, and special abilities that are unique to each class.
The universe of Ephemeris 2.0 is yours to explore, and yours to build. The new version of the game is a d20 version, and the rules are less convoluted, and more player friendly than the previous version.
Now, step into the greatest science fiction adventure that you’ve ever been on!
If you enjoy my work, then please feel free to drop by my Ko-Fi page at https://ko-fi.com/jalanerwine and show your support. You don't have to donate. I've made several of my titles available for download, and even a few short stories that are available for just 50 cents.
