The Nectar Trilogy

First Draft of Amo is Finished!

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:14:18 +0000

In the darkness of my sister-in-law’s basement, clacking on the backlit keys of my son’s laptop, I wrote the final scene of Amo. The journey began last June. The plan was to finish the manuscript last year, but the Book Architects advised me to stop writing the second book and focus on publishing the first. I took their advice and published Pleroma this spring. In June of this year I resumed writing Amo.

I know the story needs a great deal of work, but it is a good feeling to get the first draft out of my head. Now I will let it sit for a while, then come back to it with critical eyes. Ever onward!

The Summer of Writing Begins

admin — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:34:44 +0000

The day has finally arrived. The kids are out of school. I have the precious morning hours to myself. Now I can climb back into Lane’s world and resolve this second story in the Nectar Trilogy. I’ve spent the last two weeks reading what I wrote last summer. The good thing is that I still like the story. That’s a good sign. I left Lane, Josh, and Quinn in a precarious situation when I stopped writing last year. I need to get them out of it and on to the climax of the story. Exciting.

Stay tuned…

Pleroma in Stillwater

admin — Mon, 17 May 2010 11:10:50 +0000

Pleroma is available at The Valley Bookseller in Stillwater, MN. If you know anyone in that area, let them know they can pick it up there. It is a wonderful local bookseller located right on the St. Croix river. Definitely worth the trip!

A New Review for Pleroma from Living Social

admin — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:53:00 +0000

Pleroma has been added to the “Living Social” page and is available to review. Here’s what the readers said,

as my “left to read” pages got fewer and fewer, i knew i was going to wish i had book two at hand! great story, great message…favorite quote “he remembered the crows who used to taunt him on his way to school and felt ashamed that he, with a small taste of power, could act just like them.”
a great book to read with your teens, will keep your interest, but no inappropriate stuff!!!

Read the first chapter of Amo

admin — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 14:15:58 +0000

Would you like a sneek peek at Amo: book 2 of the Nectar trilogy? download it here. Enjoy!

The site is back

admin — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 03:05:04 +0000

I had to rebuild the site. It is a little different from before. I think I like it better now. Sometimes crashes can turn out to be a good thing.

The site Format Crashed!!

admin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 22:47:48 +0000

I don’t have time to fix it right now. Hopefully I’ll repair this damage soon.

Another Amazon Customer Review

admin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 19:00:58 +0000

From an Amazon Customer:

read a short synopsis of the book before I purchased it. The author’s imagination is amazing. The story drew me in from the very first page. I can’t wait for the sequel to be available. I know it is the first of a trilogy, and I must purchase the entire set. Love it so much that I recommended it to my entire family.

Pleroma at Barnes and Noble

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:28:27 +0000

Have you had a chance to check out Pleroma? It is also available at Barnes and Noble. Soon it will be available on the nook. If you have a nook and would like a free copy, just send me an email and it’s yours!

The Amazon Competition Reviews are In

admin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:41:09 +0000

Below are the two reviews I received from the people who read the 5,000 word excerpt for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel awards.

Do you agree with them? Disagree? Thoughts and comments welcome.

ABNA Expert Reviewer

What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

Very well written excerpt. The story is engaging and interesting and I think the target audience will relate to Lane and his struggles.

What aspect needs the most work?

From just this excerpt, the order the story is told in seems a little awkward. The complete story might not be that way, but this small section of the story is. Other than that, I thought this piece was great!

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

I really liked this excerpt. I thought the characterization was strong and that the YA audience can relate to the main character. The writing is strong and engaging. I’d like to see how this one ends.

ABNA Expert Reviewer

What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

The opening scene is strong. It grabs the reader and pulls him quickly into the story. I could feel Lane’s panic, even as I wondered what his emergency was.

What aspect needs the most work?

The scene in Mr. Lancaster’s AP physics class was the least believable. I’ve been in a lot of AP classes and I’ve been around a lot of serious students. Firstly, I just don’t see a teacher setting class time aside to discuss parallel universes. Secondly, if he did, I don’t see any students trying to redirect the teacher, especially for the reason that “the world is in too much danger.” Thirdly, if he were redirected, I don’t see the teacher speak with scorn towards a serious student. “Mr. Reality, huh Lane?” Mr. Lancaster is a teacher, after all, not a student.

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

Although the excerpt opens strongly, the shift from present to past leading back to the present is a little jarring. Maybe opt for a slower pace opening beginning more in chronological order or a past that is further back, developing more background, so that the time shift doesn’t have to occur so frequently.