Way More Than Halfway Done

Usually I like to make a halfway done post when I finished one storyline in the King Henry books.  Of course, usually I write one and then the other and when the first is finished it is the halfway point in the writing process.

Not so this time around.  To begin, I started writing the mainline earlier due to frustration with the school-line and then the school-line itself was ripped out and turned into "Griefing".  So for the first time ever in a FM book I finished the mainline first.  Yup, it's done.  Well, minus all that hard work editing and you know, the stuff that turns a sketch into a painting but...just let me bask in the sunlight for awhile, damn it!

FM4 currently sits at 18 chapters finished, 3 chapters to go, 421 pages and 108,000 words.  As you can guess, the 120k estimate I re-estimated after the original 100k estimate got blown past as well.  Now we're looking more like 130k-140k once all is said and done.

I'm really drained after the end of this mainline.  It's a very emotional ending.  It's also not how Richard Raley would've reacted in the situation but it's very much a King Henry thing to do.  I won't tease you any more than that.

So, 3 more chapters, 6-8 weeks of editing and formatting and typo hunting and all that suckage I hate doing, then FM4 will be out.  April to June is the estimate (look above to remind yourself how good my estimation skills are) with May again as the most likely date.

After that I'll be going right into finishing "Rockets" and starting on Gush.

And FM5 one day...all I can tell you about FM5 is it's going to be a very fun novel.  Mostly because you're all going to be depressed after FM4 and need the pick me up.

Okay, done teasing.

Promise.

Goodbye 2013 and A Look Ahead at 2014

2013 was a big year for me writing wise.  First, it was my most productive year in awhile at 180k words written and second, and even more importantly, I went from a nobody with only a handful of fans to at least a Double AA Writer with a few thousand fans.

Even, even more importantly:  I think I released my best novel to date in FM3.

It was a great, if hard fought year.  I feel like I'm on the cusp of breaking through into a more recognized status as a "real" author and not one struggling away on the fringes.  It helps that you Foul Mouths continue to be awesome with the honest reviews and the emails of encouragement and the blackmailing of family and friends into reading the series.  I sold 200ish short stories this month, that's crazy!  And people keep comparing me to Jim Butcher, that's even more crazy!

So, where are we heading next?

2014 is going to be a HUGE year.  Two novels at least, maybe three.  FM4 and "Rockets" are a sure thing.  Both books have 12 chapters finished at the moment, FM4 needs 9 more and "Rockets" needs 7 more.

For those not aware, FM4 is fully called "The Foul and the Headless Hunny" and as the name suggests, it's an Annie B focused novel.  It's also a vampire focused novel.  I'm pretty proud of how it's going so far, especially the continued disgustification of vampires from as far from sparkly goodie-goodies as I can get them.  The "school" timeline is also really fun, following Ceinwyn and King Henry on a recruiting road trip.  Hi-jinks ensue...

"Rockets" is a very different beast than the King Henry novels.  First of all, it's not character based, it's plot based.  It's basically me fucking with you and yanking your expectations back and forth for 300 pages.  Hope you guys enjoy it when it comes out, I'll probably post an unveiling of the title, the cover, and it's blurb in a few months leading up to the releases soon incoming.

The other possible novels that might make it into the year are FM5 (tentatively called The Foul Mouth and the Mancy Martial Artist) and Gush.  If I have a really good writing year either of these books could slip in by December, if not then 2015 will have another double release at the beginning of the year.

Woe is you, the fan base, might only get 2 novels this year.

Also, I'm finally, kinda, half-assedly looking into creating Print On Demand versions of the Foul Mouth books through Amazon Createspace.

Big year incoming!  Wish me luck!  Back to writing!

Barnes and Noble, iTunes Novella Links

Well, that took awhile...

iTunes

Second Take by Richard Raley

Griefing by Richard Raley

Barnes and Noble

Second Take by Richard Raley

Griefing by Richard Raley

"Griefing" Novella Released

The beta readers finished early.  So, thanks to the glory that is Digital Publishing, here's "Griefing" a week earlier than I intended.  This is the first "short" (not so short this time at 20 thousand words) to completely be in King Henry's POV.  While not in the "Tape" format, it still has plenty of his character, I assure you.

I do mention it in an author's note but I'll also mention it here, that this story takes place during the School Timeline after FM3, so make sure you're all caught up if you don't want spoiled.  Also it takes place immediately after Session 6 in FM1, so if you want to refresh the mind on the situation, go reread that one.

Finally, let me say this:  if you are going to read one of the King Henry Shorts and only one of the King Henry Shorts, then read this one.

Cover:

Blurbage:

King Henry Price has just endured a horrible loss in his life. He returns to the Asylum adrift, unsure how to process the situation. But one thing is a constant: he's the Foul Mouth, he won't be grieving, he'll be GRIEFING, and it will be up to Ultra Class '09 to bear the brunt of the onslaught.

Linkage:

Griefing by Richard Raley at Amazon Kindle
Griefing by Richard Raley at Smashwords








As usual, the Smashwords process can take a few weeks to get the files out to Apple and Barnes and Noble, so I'll have those links when they're available.  Along with the Second Take links...which are taking forever...

"Second Take" Welf POV Novelette Released

Hey King Henry fans, I finally did it and got around to writing the long mentioned Welf POV story.  It comes in at about 14k words (or about 2 or 3 chapters worth of writing).  I'm pretty happy with it, it's got a few really good jokes and writing from a POV outside of King Henry is always a nice mirror to the experience.

Hope you guys/gals enjoy it and have a wonderful Thanksgiving...perhaps saving the story until after Thanksgiving dinner for use as a survival tool might not be a bad idea.  Especially if they throw you on Kiddy Table Orderkeeper Duty.

Cover:

Blurbage:

Most would say that for a fifteen-year-old just starting his second year at the Institution of Elements, Heinrich von Welf has the perfect life. First in his year, from a wealthy and influential family, his future prospects in career and in the heart are unmatched.

But he made one rather large mistake in his life: he made King Henry Price his rival. When Heinrich's younger sister Victoria joins him at school as a new student, King Henry is ready and waiting to make Heinrich's life one of constant terror about what the Foul Mouth is planning next.

Linkage:

Second Take by Richard Raley on Amazon Kindle
Second Take by Richard Raley on Smashwords

As always the Smashwords distribution process takes 1-2 weeks to get all the files out to Barnes and Noble and iTunes, so I'll have those links for you later.