Welcome to Yesterday's Tomorrow

[lemurion]

Martian Invasion: From the Front Lines

Just wanted to add an update on how work is going on War Between Worlds. After a period when it felt like I was fighting for every word, things have started flowing again and it’s a good feeling. One of the things I am enjoying about this particular story is how open I can be with my references, since they’re all in the public domain. While Wells’ invasion is the best known, and in some ways my…

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[lemurion]

The Skyscraper Has Been Stolen!

Since I have lost touch with my original cover artist, I’ve had to go elsewhere for the next book. Today I’m introducing the cover for the seventh book in the Doc Vandal series: The Skyscraper Thief. In order to keep it in the family, this piece is by my daughter, Kyrie Howlett. Now that you’ve got the cover, you won’t have to wait long for the book. Book seven should be out very shortly, so…

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[lemurion]

It was late in September

This is basically just a quick update to let people know where things are sitting as I write this. To start at the beginning, I have been getting work done on the War Between Worlds and can feel the returning momentum. It’s not a tremendous amount, but working on it doesn’t feel like pulling hen’s teeth, which is a huge improvement over the last little while. Next, we move on to art. I do have…

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[lemurion]

One Small Step, One Giant Leap

Well, I did it, I bit the bullet and started up a Patreon. It was a big decision, but it was also something I felt I had to do. Basically, I’ve been operating on a very minimal budget ever since I started self-publishing. I do my own cover design, much of the editing, layout, and a whole bunch more. The problem I’m facing is that the entire self-publishing ecosystem has been changing as it moves…

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[lemurion]

The Dumpster Fire Continues...

I know, I know, I really shouldn’t use the same photo two posts running–but I also shouldn’t spend as long between posts as I have. Anyway, here’s the latter half of July, all of August, and first half of September update. First, the obvious one: progress has been slow on The War Between Worlds, and I’m struggling with the words. I know it will pick up, but for now I just have to work through…

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[lemurion]

It's Feeling Like a Dumpster Fire--But There's a Plus Side

The last couple of weeks, and especially the month of July have not been good to me. But I figured those of you who do read this deserved an update. First: I caught something about two weeks ago that really kicked my ass. At the time I thought it was just a summer cold, but it’s been much worse and lasted much longer than a cold usually does. Second: Probably resulting from the the first, my…

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[lemurion]

When Words Invade

Just as the Martians are invading New York State in the novel, the words are invading my mind. While the words themselves haven’t been coming as fast this past week or so, they’re still coming but more slowly, it makes sense because I’ve been doing more research. One of the catches of this particular novel is that it’s requiring a certain amount of research that wasn’t necessary for some of the…

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[lemurion]

Where am I?

Obviously, I’m not on Mars. As of this writing I’ve just passed the 25% mark on my target length for War Between Worlds. At that rate I should be done the first draft sometime around the end of July, or beginning of August. This one is an interesting book to write because I’m drawing so much from existing inspirations. Usually, I just take a single idea, but this time I’m drawing rather more.…

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[lemurion]

Updates, Updates...and a Rebuttal

Where to begin? Today is Monday, and so it’s a new week with a new update. First, The Skyscraper Thief is with my beta reader, so I should be hearing back with any updates in the not too distant future. With any luck it’s still on track for a late June/early July release but don’t hold me to that quite yet… The War Between Worlds is advancing almost as fast as the Martian invaders themselves.…

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[lemurion]

One Question Writers Should Never Ask

I frequent a lot of writing groups on the web, on Facebook, even on Reddit. I’m a writer, so that’s pretty normal. Some people in these groups are wildly successful, others are just working on their first attempt at a novel. Many of them have questions. Lots of these questions are really good, and the answers will often help more people than just the original poster. But then there’s this…

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[lemurion]

The Martians are Coming

Just about three hours ago, I reached the end of The Skyscraper Thief. As I’ve said before, there’s still a process to go through before I’m ready to publish, but that story has been told and now I’m able to move onto the next one. As regular readers of this blog know, that next book is tentatively entitled The War Between Worlds, and reflects Doc and the team’s experiences during the Great…

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[lemurion]

On the Home Stretch

Quick heads up as today is my daughter’s 21st birthday so there are multiple things going on. Last night I hit my minimum length target of 55,000 words on The Skyscraper Thief. That does not mean it’s finished, though I am very close. As of this writing, I am working on the penultimate scene in the book–which is the climactic showdown with the aforementioned “Skyscraper Thief” himself. After…

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[lemurion]

Updates, Alternate Worlds, and the Chrysler Building

The picture at the head of this post, both is and is not the Chrysler Building. In our world, it most definitely is the Chrysler Building; in Doc Vandal’s world, it is the DeSoto Building. In the grand scheme of things it’s not a huge change, just another automobile marque used by the same carmaker. It’s much like the fact Doc’s world has a Republic State Building; it’s a small way to make it…

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[lemurion]

Mars and the Pulps

Mars is more than just the red planet, it’s the world where sword and planet was born. The first generally recognized sword and planet story was Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Under the Moons of Mars, a six-part serial that started in the February 1912 issue of The All-Story, one of the first pulps. The idea wasn’t entirely unique to Burroughs; he may have been inspired by Edwin Lester Arnold’s Lieut.…

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[lemurion]

You Too Can Help Doc Vandal

It’s funny to think that an average human has power over a pulp superhero, but it’s absolutely true. Nothing is more important to writers and their characters than readers. We write because we read. You are the people who really bring our words to life. Reading is the closest thing we have to telepathy, thoughts flowing from one mind to another through the medium of the printed page. The…

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[lemurion]

Movie View: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

No movie captures the tone I envisioned for Doc Vandal as well as Kerry Conran’s 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. From giant robots, to airships and flying battle stations, it’s all there. I don’t think any movie captures the underlying meaning of the term “Yesterday’s Tomorrow,” as well as this one. In fact, it was as much a direct inspiration for Doc as Doc Savage himself. Doc…

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[lemurion]

About that Cover...

Last time, I showed off the comparison between the first cover I commissioned for Against the Eldest Flame, and the final cover I published. Today I’m going to talk about how the final cover came to be. At the top of the page, you’ll see my original sketch that became the cover for Against the Eldest Flame, and really set the stage for my vision of the series’ visual identity. It’s not the same…

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