What Just Happened? Also, What's Next?

My last post here was pre-NaNoWriMo. Today is January 18th. That's a long, quiet stretch. Too quiet, for a blog. So this post will be a quick recap of the last couple of months, and a peek ahead at what I think is going to be a pretty exciting year.

To start with, no I didn't hit my NaNoWriMo goal. Congrats to everyone out there who did, and I'll give it another go when November rolls around again. I did get a lot of writing done, however, and this week I will be posting the first-chapter excerpt of McStretchy, which is the title of the next Red Cloak Island book. The book itself is complete, just waiting for cover art, and will be available in the next couple of weeks.

I write slowly, which is part of the reason I didn't hit the 50K mark for NaNoWriMo. But there's a method to the snail-paced madness, and I've decided to dedicate the next few blog posts to my process for storytelling. Call them New Year's resolutions or writing goals or just good intentions, but I plan to try and stick to a more regular posting schedule here.  And I'm already at work on the fourth Red Cloak book, tentatively titled Little Miss Thunderhead.

Apart from the writing, I've also been doing quite a bit of reading. Throughout the year, I'll also be posting more reviews here, as well as those I post on GoodReads and Amazon and other places online.  Reviews (especially good reviews) are an author's best friend.  Hint, hint.

So ... writing, reading, the holidays, work, family, volunteering (PAWS for my wife and daughters, Toys for Tots for my son and I) and not blogging. I think that covers November and December.  Goodbye, 2015, hello 2016, and here's to a new year. Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned -- there's so much more to come, I promise.

Release Day: Invisible Max

It was all fun and games, until lightning struck the lasagna.

So begins the second book in the Red Cloak Island series. The young superheroes-in-training from Captain Kissy-Face are back, facing threats both old (boring classes, disappointing cafeteria food) and new (conspirators plotting to destroy the island and everyone on it.) Hunter Maximus – a.k.a. Invisible Max – pulls a prank on his friends with unexpected and disastrous consequences. His friends are annoyed, he’s given a month’s worth of detention, and he’s temporarily not allowed to use his invisibility power. Hunter decides the punishments are tough but fair, and tries to learn from his mistake. When he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and overhears a plot that threatens everyone, he sees a chance to be the hero he knows he should be and redeem himself in the process. But he can’t save the day on his own, and he has no proof, and his friends think his story is yet another prank. Worst of all, time is running out: in fact it may already be too late to set things right.

Invisible Max is available as an eBook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books and other retailers. Check it out, then come back here and tell me what you think, or post a review on your favorite book site like GoodReads. As an added bonus, Invisible Max includes the first chapter of McStretchy, the next Red Cloak Island book. Enjoy!