Isn’t it a little premature, you ask?  Sure it is, but having a very rough mock-up of the previous cover really helped me get into the right mindset when writing ‘Act Of Burial’.  There are a number of things I find inspiring when I write.  Usually, coming to the wordprocessor fresh from watching an action movie really helps, as does playing scores from those kinds of films.  Having images works in the same way.  When I wrote the first book I made a terrible version of what later became Jon’s amazing cover painting.  It featured a couple of friends and myself in a bad montage with submarine, choppers and so on.  I’m no artist, but at least it gave me a sense of direction, so to speak.

This time round I’ve got Jon involved at an earlier stage.  We’ve been passing ideas back and forth and I for one have been thoroughly enjoying the process.  You see, I have a few ideas and suggestions about what needs to be in there (well, if I hadn’t by now there’d be a heck of a problem, wouldn’t there?) but Jon has this amazing way of clarifying it all.  He takes my rough version—which actually isn’t anywhere near as rough as the first time—and sees all the things I don’t.  He makes sense of it.  He draws out the ideas in a way that both emphasizes the details and shapes the whole to make it communicative.  It’s an impressive skill and I feel very privileged to have him on my ‘team’.  I already have in my greasy grasp a rough pencil sketch which has blown me away, and added more fuel to the fire of my writing.  Awesome!

That’s all for now.  Roger and out, X.

It also gives me great pleasure to add my heartfelt congratulations to my good friend Wes Funk, whose book ‘Cherry Blossoms’ was given the Golden Beaver for ‘The Hot and Bothered Award for Steamiest Read’.  I’m sure I speak for us both when I say that we are proud to represent the awesome province of Saskatchewan which is home to so many amazing writers.  Both of us are also honored to stand for independent authors everywhere.

“Contra omnes dissident!”

Roger and out, X.

First of all, no-one is more surprised than me that ‘COAST: An Act Of Burial’ got nominated in the CBC Bookies Awards!  Holy cow you should have seen me when news of the nomination came through.  Anyway, a humongous THANK YOU to everyone who’s voted so far, and PLEASE keep those votes coming because the deadline isn’t until April 14th.  At time of writing, C:AAOB is second in the running in the category ‘The Page-Turner Award for the Canadian Book You Couldn’t Put Down’, so let’s see if we can’t improve that!  Also, would you please consider voting for fellow Saskatchewan writers Wes Funk and Candace Savage?  They’re in the ‘Steamiest Read’ and ‘Best Canadian Writer’ category respectively.

To make it easier, here’s a shortened URL:  http://bit.ly/vote4sk

In other news, I’m very pleased to announce that work on the new COAST novel is progressing well.  In contiguous terms I’m a few chapters in, although I never write in order so I’m going to be bold and say I’m about a quarter of the way done.  Of course, there’s still a LOT of writing, tweaking, editing and criticism to go.  But I’m really pleased with the way the new novel is shaping up.  Although I’m not an experienced writer by any means, I really enjoyed the (admittedly rather long) process of plotting out ‘Act Of Burial’ and the same is true of the new book.  There are moments when complex plot points just ‘snap’ into place in one’s imagination and they’re awesome.  It’s like one’s brain is a tumble-polisher with all these rough stones in it.  You close the lid, switch it on and just let stuff rattle away for a bit.  Then, magically, wonderfully, out come little wee polished gems.  I never knew writing could be so much fun.

Thanks to help from my good friend Gary Chappell I’ve managed to get the novel in a couple of Coles bookstores here in town and that’s great, because Saskatchewan people are getting interested in what’s happening with C:AAOB.  So the novel is now for sale at Coles Midtown and Coles Lawson Heights.  Big thanks to their respective managers Bill and Amy, who’ve both been really helpful.  As it goes, Gary and I have booked signings at both stores for this month: Lawson Heights on Saturday 2oth and Midtown a week later, both events running from 1-4PM.  We look forward to seeing you there!

That’s all for now.  Please go vote and keep voting!  Vote for Candace Savage, Wes Funk’s ‘Cherry Blossoms’ and ‘COAST: An Act Of Burial’.  THANK YOU!

Roger and out, X.

• First of all, work—despite Work haha—continues on the second COAST novel.  I’m not going to give too much away if I can help it, but let’s just say that a lot of the questions raised in ‘Act Of Burial’ will be addressed as well as loads of new clues for the boys to unravel.  It’s going to be different, fun and definitely more creepy.
• I’ve decided to take on a professional publicist who’s a bit brill.  My main brief to them is to find C:AAOB a certain niche which I can’t really talk about, but more details will, I’m sure, be forthcoming in time.
• The television interview I did with Wes ‘Big W’ Funk on his ‘Lit Happens’ show is online here.  Massive thanks to Wes for being a hero to all us Saskatchewan writers, and to the awesome lads from Shaw Cable who make the show.
• Got an AWESOME new review today and you can read it here.  Thanks, MaryAnn!
• Put the license plate ‘COAST 1‘ on my vehicle, just for fun.  Heck, it’s rude not to.

Right… talking of my publicist, I need to go transact with them, so that’ll do for now.  Catch you later spyfans!

Roger and out, X.