23rd Nov2011

27 8×10 Color Glossy Photographs

by Aaron

Another year is quickly coming to a close and November is at its pinnacle: Thanksgiving! This is my favorite holiday and one that I feel is much more important than Christmas because it’s an American holiday shared by all, regardless of religion or heritage. If you’re in the US, you’re celebrating. For me, a long-lasting tradition is listening to Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant. I grew up with the song and to this day I still give it a play on turkey day.

Two years ago I was fortunate enough to find myself in Stockbridge, MA where the story takes place. Now, Alice’s Restaurant is a real place though it’s been remodeled and re-branded as Theresa’s Stockbridge Cafe. The place is great looking and I enjoyed a nice lunch that day. It was a childhood dream realized. If you ever find yourself ‘half a mile down from the railroad tracks’ in Stockbridge, be sure to stop in, enjoy some food and pick up a t-shirt.

I wish everyone safe travels and heartfelt time with family, friends, and the ones that mean the most to us. I’ll talk to you all next week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Category : Just me
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15th Nov2011

Paradox – Out Now!

by Aaron

Today marks the second piece of my writing that I am setting free and making available for everyone to read. My short story Paradox is now available FREE on SmashWords and is compatible with most eBook readers out there.

So what is Paradox? Here’s the synopsis:

Meet Gregory, an artificial intelligence unlike anything the world’s ever seen before. His impact onto society has been significant: by analyzing the answers given to just 12 questions, he will tell you how you will die. When Ryan Downs gets a death prediction like no other, he learns entire shadow groups exist solely to find out just how Paradox and Gregory’s other fantastical predictions will come to pass.

You can see the cover above and I think it looks fantastic. It’s a very quick read and I hope you enjoy it!

Category : Paradox
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14th Nov2011

Commence Book Two!

by Aaron

Oh, what’s that you see there? An outline for As Darkness Ends: Book Two? Why yes it is! With November in full swing, I have stuck to my plan to slow my final round of editing on Spirit Hackers and begin work on book two of As Darkness Ends. But before I get to that, a quick word about Spirit Hackers.

This book has taken a long time. A very long time. It blows my mind to look at the creation dates of my documents within Scrivener and see that the book took form in 2008, a whopping three years ago. It’s been a long journey and one with many interruptions and stints where I didn’t write. I continue to see the light at the end of that tunnel and I’m oh so close to getting it done. It’s quickly approaching the magical 80k word count and I’m more than half-way done with the final round of edits. In short, significant progress has been made.

My original plan with As Darkness Ends was after its release, to resume Spirit Hackers edits during September and through October. Little did I know that all the self-promotion and work would take up all my time and also require a little break. October was all edits but I am short a month. I am determined to keep on schedule though because the first book has momentum and I do NOT want that to stop.

For all of November I will be writing book 2 and working to have the first draft finished before December hits. Regardless of when that happens, I will not go back to Spirit Hackers until the first draft is complete. I want to give myself a couple of weeks away from book 2 so I can begin editing with fresh eyes. If all goes according to plan (which it never does!) I expect book 2 to hit the virtual shelves in February. Of course Thanksgiving and Christmas / Channukah have to factor into all of this so I’m not setting any concrete deadlines. Finally, with all this said and done, this is the first official post for book two and as such, it gains a place on my right-hand sidebar of current works!

So that’s the rest of 2011 for me. What are you working on to finish up the year? Sound off in the comments!

Category : As Darkness Ends, Redbacks, Spirit Hackers
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08th Nov2011

Introducing: Paradox

by Aaron

Yesterday I told you about Project X, a short scifi story I submitted out for possible publication. As I said, I was rejected and the story won’t make it into print.

Project X was written for Machine of Death, Volume 2. MoD is an anthology set in a world where people get death predictions from a machine that are vague. It’s an open field after that and one I was instantly drawn to. I was one of over 2,000 entries and with only 30 getting into the book, the odds were rough. I know of three other people who submitted and all of us didn’t make the cut.

So where does that leave me? I’m left with a story that’s been beta-read, edited twice and is ready to be out there. Best of all, I’m left holding all rights to it since it wasn’t sold.

Where does that leave you? In a fantastic position. I would have LOVED to have this story accepted but in the end, I’m setting it free. ‘Project X’ is no more, replaced with the title it’s had since day one: Paradox. I am placing Paradox up on Kindle, B&N Nook and SmashWords for FREE. I’ll also be posting it here, in full, in the coming weeks.

Paradox is a short story where the past and future collide, with a mind-bending conclusion. It’s a quick, fun read and to let it sit for months or even years without anyone reading it would be a shame. I’ll have more information available soon as to when it will be available, so stay tuned.

Category : Paradox
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07th Nov2011

A Write of Passage: My First Rejection

by Aaron

Today, I am now a card-carrying member of the Rejected Writers Club.

Back in June I wrote and submitted a story, Project X. This is a short scifi piece that was not only a fun story I crafted but holds the honor of my first ever submitted work. For the first time in my life, an impartial third-party read my stuff and made a decision.

As the years have passed with me writing, editing, submitting and self-publishing, I’ve come across many wonderful people and lots of interesting information. One such piece is the concept of the “10,000 Rule”. The rule was created by Anders Ericsson in the early 1990′s, it states the following:

It takes approximately 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to master a skill.

For instance, it would take 10 years of practicing 3 hours a day to become a master in your subject. It would take approximately 5 years of full-time employment to become proficient in your field.

In working towards my 10,000 hours I’ve achieved milestones but there is one major rite of passage ALL writers must face: rejection. Oooh, it hurts just typing it! Yes, that dreaded word we all hate: rejection. It’s the reality check, the opinion and the fact that our contribution to our 10,000 hours simply wasn’t good enough in the eyes of another. It’s a club all serious writers belong to and one that successful writers re-join all the time.

So where does that leave me? With a slightly-wounded ego but it’s a scar I wear proudly. It’s a scar I know will be joined by many more as time goes on.

Where does that leave Project X? You’ll have to tune in tomorrow to find out. :-)

Category : Just me, Paradox
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01st Nov2011

Using My Powers For Good

by Aaron


Donations are now closed.

Happy November! The year is quickly coming to a close and we’re entering the very busy Thanksgiving / ‘holiday’ season. If you’ve been reading Copious Notes for the past few years, you will know that I am a big fan of Thanksgiving. In fact, the turkey day is my favorite holiday of the year. We give thanks, appreciate family and the fortunate things we have in our lives. What can beat that?

This year I am extraordinarily fortunate to have a book published and this month I am sitting down to begin work on book two of As Darkness Ends. It is with this book that I am embarking on a mission to use my powers for good and I need your help.

Together we are going to help people in need and work to end childhood hunger.

So here’s the deal: During the entire month of November I am holding a contest for As Darkness Ends: Book Two. For every dollar donated, you gain an entry into a drawing for a fabulous prize. All money raised will go to Share Our Strength, a charity committed to ending childhood hunger in the United States by 2015. My goal is to raise a minimum of $300.

What is the No Kid Hungry campaign? Here’s what Share Our Strength says:

No Kid Hungry™, an unprecedented, five-year effort designed to end childhood hunger in America. Our nation has the food and programs in place to end childhood hunger, but consider what we are up against: The stigmas and embarrassment that surround hunger, the challenges presented by access to healthy food, and the struggle to connect children with the resources they need to thrive. For 25 years, Share Our Strength has been confronting hunger head-on to break down these barriers. Together, with your support, we can put an end to childhood hunger.

About Share Our Strength: http://www.strength.org/about

Share Our Strength’s Impact: http://www.strength.org/our_impact/

I liked fresh, hot meals as a kid but there are many here in the US that are not so lucky to have this basic need.

The Prize

What would a fundraiser be without prizes?? Share Our Strength is a great cause but I wanted to sweeten the pot for you guys. For every dollar you guys donate, you gain an entry into a drawing for…

A Character Named After You!!!

That’s right! One randomly-selected winner will have a character named after them in As Darkness Ends: Book Two! If you don’t want it to be your actual name, you can opt to make up a name. The fundraiser ends on November 30th at 11:59 PM Eastern time. The donations and the drawing will take place the following week, details to follow on this blog.

Please note that I reserve all rights to ask for supplemental names, alter or reject a name at any time. So be generous, get your pre-orders in and let’s all work together to make sure childhood hunger is a thing of the past!

Category : As Darkness Ends, Ideas, Just me
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