I just finished editing, formatting, and typesetting my new novel “The Hidden Institute”.

Cliffy is a child born on the streets of a Neo-Victorian world. When he witnesses a murder, the nobleman presumed to be guilty offers him a very unique bribe. If Cliffy will keep his silence, the nobleman will introduce him to the Malcolm Rutherford Holden Institute of Regentrification. There, Cliffy will learn to walk, talk, and act like a nobleman, so that he may infiltrate high society. But that type of fraud is punishable by death, and when Cliffy uncovers a plot to assassinate a head of state, he’s hunted by more than just the aristocracy.

I’m submitting it to Amazon, which could have it available for purchase in the next few weeks. However, if you already know that you want a copy, you can pre-order it now using the links below.

Recently, I took a bold new step in my publishing career. About nine months after I published my first book (Tumbler), I decided to pay real cash money to advertise it. Prior to that time, I had done nothing for promoting my book, outside of podcasting the story, and telling people about it on Facebook and Twitter. This was a huge step for me, and so I did a lot of research and study before taking the plunge.

I’ve had copies of “Tumbler” available at my house for months now, ready for signing, but I just realized that I never told anyone how to get their own copy. Well, today we fix that.

If you use the button at the bottom of the page, you can buy a copy for $15. It will be signed and shipped to you for free (within the United States). Also, you can customize your inscription with the text field just above the button.

Many writers have told the stories about how great self-publishing is. They talk about how much more money and how much more control they have over their titles. The message seems to be, “Get into self-publishing now. You can make crazy money that way.”

Successful writers talk about their half-million sales, and the control self-publishig gives them over their empire. Well, in my little writer’s circle, I have one of the more successful self-published books, and my success just about covers my car payment. As a writer just starting out, you won’t have a half-million sales.

I just finished the first draft of my new novel “The Hidden Institute”. It’s a little bit Harry Potter, and a little bit Henry Higgins, and weighs in at about 66,000 words.

This is a small section from my new novel. I kinda liked it, so I thought I’d share it with you lovely people:

Cliffy lept from the runner as they reached the school, sprinting for the doors of the building. As he burst through the side doors, running past the guards who called out even though they recognized him, he turned in the direction of the Headmaster’s office. As he turned the corner, he saw something that stopped him short.

Cliffy gaped, then grinned, and asked, “So, what happened this time?”

I find that I get more done when I expect to get something done. To that end, I’m going to plan out 2011 in the large scale, and see how close I come to meeting these expectations. Note: I’ve intentionally made my estimates conservative, to follow Scotty’s law of padding.

Note: You will see a reference to “Hell Hath No Fury”. It’s a secret project that Allie and I have been working on, which features the Greek Pantheon in a Film Noir mystery regarding the zombie apocalypse. There’ll be more news about that, as we get more done on the project (as it is, I have nothing more than an outline. . . but it’s a damn good outline).

(Warning: This gets a little dark and personal. I won’t blame you if you back out right now)

J. Daniel Sawyer wrote a blog post today about conventions. You should probably read if you’re into creative stuff. (It’s here). In it, he talks about con fatigue, the feeling that you just aren’t “into it”, and no amount of cool on the part of the con can make up for it. I only mention that because it totally mirrored my first con experience.

Just about a year ago, I made a big mistake. It was a simple mistake, anybody could have done it. But in the midst of all my research, I forgot to check one thing that invalidated everything else . . . Sorry, too vague. Here’s what happened.

A year ago, I started work on a Steampunk retelling of George Orwell’s amazing work “1984”. Same basic story, but told as an adventure, with daring escapes, dirigible explosions, submarine battles, giant cities built on moving railroad cars. The ideals behind Steampunk lend themselves well to the concept that each man is a cog in a huge machine.