Blog Entry #9: Nerd Out!

Fairly soon, I will have the pleasure of joining my fellow nerds on The More You Nerd podcast, a great show that runs the gamut of all nerdery/geekery, from shows, to video games, to books. They are a fun, funny group of guys, and it's a fairly family-friendly show, so you all should give it a listen (just scroll through the episode headings until you find something you like, because you will).

I will be on the show discussing The Kognition Cycle, talking about my inspirations, writing process, and more. I'll also be joining the guys for some general discussions and waywardness.

Nerd Out!

Blog Entry #8: Second Editions, The Self-Pub World, and Amazing Fans

Each and every one of you that has read my books right out the gate, I wish I could give you a big hug for dealing with me.

The Second Edition of Kognition: Third Trial is up! It contains fixes for the spelling errors that still got past us even after all the work. So if you are reading the book digitally, just redownload your copy. If you have the hard copy of the first edition, hold on to it until I become a superstar and sell my mistakes for a lot of money. (Just kidding). (Kind of).

Self-publishing, and being a part of the indie community, takes a lot of work. Yes, writing is a lot of work. But writing is a sort of chaotic mess of fun that involves a lot of music, a lot of drinking, and a lot of frustrated sighs. Okay, I guess the self-publishing part isn't that much different.

Doing the Kognition series has been an interesting task, partly because of how much I have had to take on. I have a lovely artist, a lovely editor, and lovely supportive fans and readers. However, there is an enormous chunk of the work that I have to do alone.

Luckily, it's fairly easy to create new editions of my work. Self-pub sites allow you to reupload manuscripts as you see fit, and so any issues such as formatting errors, spelling errors, unclear sentences and the like I can change, and then further refine my books into the products they should be.

I guess what I'm saying is if you read this digitally, redownload your file every month haha.

I keep learning and I keep growing and working in the self-pub world has definitely humbled me to the ways of the creative process. I've learned to look at creation, work, effort, reviews, opinions, and other people through a completely new and better lens.

For those of you still reading and still falling in love with Lisa and Hayden, well, I can only say thank you.

 

Blog Entry #7: Keep Reading, Keep Writing, Keep Living

Kognition: Third Trial has been out for almost three weeks now, and National November Writing Month is in week three as well. For those of you who have gotten your copies of Third Trial and begun reading, well, this makes me quite happy. For those of you still on the fence about the series, I hope you'll give book one a shot.

For those of you fervently working on your own series during NaNoWriMo, I hope you keep going. The worst thing you can do is stop. Your first draft is terrible. Yes, yes it is. All of my first drafts are terrible. All of everyone's first drafts are terrible. The thing that matters is that you keep writing and keep creating. For those of you who do not write, who are working on other projects, who are working on other things in your life, the same idea applies. Keep going, don't give up.

If things get too tough, might I suggest take a break and read?

Blog Entry #6: NaNoWriMo and Current Projects

It's hard to believe that Third Trial has already been out for two weeks. I worked on the third book for so long that it felt like an errant project, and then suddenly it was there, in my hands. Funny how that stuff works.

Thank you so much to those of you who have purchased it, those of you who are reading it, and those of you who are just getting into the series. It really means a lot to me, and I love hearing from people.

National Novel Writing Month is in full swing, and I'm surpassing the 40k word mark this evening. It's strange to think that I'm already working hard on the fourth (and last) book in the Kognition series, but it feels good too. I know that it will end up being a great series, and the four parts really come together into something that I can say I've been proud to write and work on.

I'm still in the process of putting together a special edition of the first two books, but anyone interested in buying the first two, they are pretty cheap on Amazon right now. The ebooks are super affordable as well.

And to everyone else doing NaNoWriMo, good luck! I'm really proud of everyone who gives it a shot.

Blog Entry #5: Third Trial now available!

The third act of the Kognition Cycle opens three months after Lisa Perdita's strange disappearance, a vanishing that rightly shouldn't be possible in the transparent era of the World Animus Link Network.

Journey with Hayden Itagaki, Sven Abel, the mysterious Woodbird, and others as they try and unravel the mystery that is in every fact of the popular MMORPG, Kognition.

Createspace Store

Amazon Kindle

Nook, Kobo, iBooks, and more! 

Blog Entry #4: Sale and Celebration!

This week marks the release of the third entry in the Kognition Cycle, Third Trial. Third Trial combines the best of First Fragment's detailed Midgard and Second Stage's dark intrigue by taking the reader through a fast-paced journey in a world where the next stage of the Internet is quickly flooding into the minds of its users, where the most popular video game of all time has become too real.

To celebrate, the Kindle versions of First Fragment and Second Stage will both be available for free from October 29th to November 2nd, and physical copies of both books are available at the Createspace store for 50% off! Use code L9WU3DN4 for First Fragment and BZULQU5M for Second Stage. 

 

Blog Entry #3: Fragments, Stages, and Trials

So I have to say, reading the physical copy of your own work is a surreal experience. Even the third time doing so, it almost feels like seeing the work of someone else. I may not remember every line, every word, every sentence, which makes editing all the more daunting a process.

My goal is to have Third Trial published before Halloween. That would mark the anniversary of First Fragment, and settle my (unrealistic) goal of publishing three books in one year. After that my aim is to work on a special collected edition of the first two books, and to settle firmly into NaNoWriMo and write the first 100,000 words of the fourth book in November.

I was talking to a coworker today on how much things have changed in one year. Before publishing First Fragment, all of this still felt like sort of a pipe dream. Sometimes it still doesn't feel real, even when I see reviews or receive compliments and critiques. By far the most rewarding aspect of writing this series has been the feedback from other creators, most notably those who have been inspired to continue on their own projects or have seen something of themselves in my works. I really appreciate those of you who have told me about your own projects, and I'm always willing to talk to anyone about their writing or creative aspirations.

Anyways, NaNoWriMo is soon, and anyone needing the motivation to write should hop on board. It's a great idea and a great community and it can be a really fun experience that will motivate you and fast-track the first bit of any novel you are working on. 

 

Blog Entry #2: Kognition: Third Trial and the expanding series.

So, we are very close to the release of my third novel and I'm pretty excited. A lot of things can happen in just a year, and First Fragment is not yet one year old (but very close). I never imagined I would self-publish three books in one year, much less ever turn my dreams into reality.

Yet here I am.

Third Trial marks the third entry of four in the Kognition series, preceded by First Fragment and Second Stage. The last entry will be even grander than Third Trial, and I am hoping that people really enjoy it. But in the meantime, I am going to put out an Anniversary Volume that will collect the first two novels with an alternate cover, additional content, and further touched-on manuscripts.

Thanks for reading.

Blog Entry #1: Welcome to the site!

Hello! My name is Brandon and I love to write. If you are here, hopefully you either enjoy my writing, enjoy Kognition, are trying to support me, or some combination of these things. The Kognition series is the first step in my lifelong writing career, and I think the story has a lot to offer for many different types of people. If you enjoy Kognition, or you are interested, please help me out by telling others about it!