I've had some messages from my international fans - how awesome is the Internet! I know people in Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Russia, and more, are reading and enjoying my books. It's mind boggling...

There's been some questions on when Book 2 of Solomon will be out, and...it's hard to say. I've had some health issues the past few months that have ground everything to a halt, not just my writing. Until it all settles down, I have to go slower than I want, but I finally feel good enough to be able to give my best when I write. The one thing I won't ever do is half-assed writing. If I can't give it my best, I won't do it until I'm able. I'm slowly picking up all the pieces, still juggling teaching and my children and writing...

Yes, there will definitely be a Book 2. There is one more Novella currently under construction before I begin Book 2 in earnest. As I wrote "Hacker," then "Defender" to flesh out the awesome characters that surround Solomon and Jamie, plot lines explaining how it all fits together began working their way into the Novellas - especially Judah's and Jethro & Sarah's story (hint hint). I meant for the Novellas to be a character study for fun, but as I delved into them, I began to realize that the characters' choices in the past and present have resounding effects on Solomon and Jamie's future. I'm having to completely back away from the "don't worry about reading the Novellas, they're just fun"... the plot lines inside the Novellas are essential to Book 2. However, I will do my best to include brief descriptions of the necessary plot lines inside Book 2.

But, I really need to finish this Novella before I begin Book 2. I'm planning on taking my notes and ideas gathered during the Novellas and jumping in as soon as Alan's story is done. I plan on having "Traitor" done in a few weeks, and I'll immediately start Book 2.

The currently-in-progress Novella - "Traitor" - is about Alan Stevens, Solomon's third Lieutenant. The how's and why's of his choices are integral to Book 2, as they started Solomon's whole security mess (and then some) in the first place. (Don't worry, I've been keeping track of notes and ideas to be written in Book 2 as I write the Novellas. It'll all make sense. Honest.)

I'm still debating doing Novellas for Kevin and Mo, but at the moment I don't see the need for their back stories in my plot for Book 2, but as I've found in writing, never say never because the characters might not agree.

I want Solomon's parents...

...and I totally mean that, and not just because I wrote it. How to tell a "real" author from a poser...if someone who's written ever talks about the characters running away with the story, or writing themselves into bigger parts, or how they wouldn't shut up until their story was written down, that's an author, not just someone trying to claim the title. There's just something about truly creating where the subject just kinda, takes over. I've seen it happen to my daughters who are artists...they sit down to create and the finished image isn't always what they initially intended because part way through inspiration takes over.

Don't get me wrong, a smart author has things written down - plot points, a timeline, rough draft...something. But when the creativity is allowed to just...happen...the subconscious just takes over and sometimes the characters veer off to the left when the whole purpose of the chapter was to make them go right. New ideas and plots appear out of no where, and bad guys sometimes just pop up when they're least expected.

More so than any of the other novellas, the characters of Jethro and Sarah Aleph just took over their own story and I just held on desperately for the ride. Believe me, I had NO intention of writing Jethro's death...from his point of view, and as it was happening...but Jethro disagreed. Loudly. It was so emotionally wracking to write those few pages that I wanted to curl up in my closet and hide for a few days to recover. I sometimes wonder if my characters enjoy seeing me squirm, knowing that I feel what they do when I write, as if it's happening to me.

(Did I mention that authors might be classic cases of multiple personalities because some of us can hear our characters in our heads. *snort* at least I don't have conversations with them.)

Jethro & Sarah: An Aleph Novella, is now available on Smashwords, as always, there are multiple eBook formats there.

Defender: An Aleph Novella...

...is now up and running on Barnes&Noble and Amazon. Those who want the Kindle edition, give it a day or two for Amazon to catch up to the correct price. It shows the wrong amount right now, and, unfortunately I don't control when they figure it out. Hopefully soon.

Within a week, Shomeyr - Judah's story - should appear automatically on Barnes&Noble. Once it's there, it'll be uploaded to Amazon.

I'm about 2/3 through the story of Solomon's parents. Barring any more illness or other unforeseen craziness that often accompanies my family, my editor should have their story in her hands by Monday.

You know you're sick when...

...you wake up from a much needed nap during a week-long chest cold. The kids are home from school and you walk out to make sure they're doing homework and not destroying the house...

...and you start asking questions, but one of your teenage daughters starts laughing at you and says...

..."Mom, stop talking, I can't take you seriously, you sound like a drag queen."...

...and all the rest of the kids start laughing...

So much love and compassion for mom when she's sick.

My reply?

"I'm going back to bed now, and drag queens are much hotter than I am."

I only woke up in full non-drag queen form this morning.

And another one...

First things first, while I won't apologize for putting up the last post, I will apologize for how awful it sounds. That's normally not me. Oh, trust me, I've got a temper, but I usually spout words for a bit, and it blows over. Or, I'll write vitriol and scathing responses, let it sit for a few days, delete, edit and then maybe not even email or post it. Sometimes it's just good to type it out of the system...screaming that way. Unfortunately I got hit on several reviews questioning, and personally attacking, my writing and ethics. I don't tolerate that well, and I doubt anyone else would either. Too often people in cyberspace puke up crap online without thinking about the repercussions of their words, hiding behind the relatively safe anonymity of the Internet...would any of those reviewers have said any of that to my face? No. No one is that brave in person, and most of us know better than to treat someone like that, when they're in front of us. So my advice, before you launch words into cyberspace about someone over something they've created, and you've read, ask yourself two things: would you have the guts to say the same thing in person? and how would you feel if you read that about yourself?

Moving on...

I've got a Goodreads account up and running and all my books have been added. Now, I'm not completely sure about everything that I can do with an author's page on Goodreads, yet. It seems that the never-ending cold just keeps orbiting my house. My family loves to share, and just when we think we're over that latest plague to hit, someone comes home from school or work and shares another one. Once my world stops spinning, and my inner ears clear, I'll sit in front of my account and figure out every awesome thing I can do.

Aleph Novellas #2 and #3 are up and running (in multiple formats) at Smashwords. The second story is about Solomon Aleph's best friend, Fitzwilliam Pederson. The third is about Shomeyr, Judah Rasmussen aka Private. I'm currently half way through writing about Solomon's parents, and loving every minute. I'm almost loving Jethro Aleph more than I love his son. Almost.

I may have to change my mind a bit about the necessity of reading the Aleph Novellas in order to understand Book 2. I've stated that it's not needed...but I'm wondering if I can keep that promise. As I write the Novellas, especially "Shomeyr" and the one with Jethro and Sarah Aleph, I'm find so many hints (and outright plots) within them, that I'm not sure I can just drop hints within Book 2 and make everything make sense at the end. Once I'm finished with all of the Novellas, I'll have to make a list of plot points (the when's and where's and how's) to see if I can work everything into Book 2 - which, though not written, it thought about...often.

In order to do justice to 30 years worth of history, how the mess Solomon is in started, there's no way I could pull off as many flashbacks as I'd need in order for it all to make sense, and put them all into Book 2. So, to answer a query from a different review, yes, I really do need to write the Novellas first.

New Novella, and changes on the homefront

It's been awhile since I've made an appearance, but unlike a few snarky comments left in reviews of my books, I am not dead, nor am I lazy. I've never hidden the fact that I am a mother and that I have  part time jobs, besides writing. Writing is Not my full time occupation, as much as I'd love it to be. Since the start of the school year, I've returned to teaching, and worked in an office, and written, and had my kids ongoing school lives to keep track of. I am a teacher, and author, and a designer - but above all, I'm a mom, and often my own wants and needs get pushed aside to make sure that theirs are met. And unfortunately for those who have come to love some of my characters as much as I do, my writing is typically what gets shoved aside first.

With 3 part time jobs, and kids, by Christmas something had to give, and having panic attacks was not helping me think straight. Realizing that as awesome as I am in the office world, it is not where I belong, I decided that an easy paycheck isn't worth the stress of knowing I need to be elsewhere. Before graphic design ever existed as a job, and before I found my voice, I wanted to teach. I spent 4 years training for it, and everyday since with my kids living it. I'm back in the classroom, in jeans and Vans, and haven't felt so at home in years. I am only a substitute teacher, for now, which means I get to pick the days that I work, and who I work for.

Giving notice at my office job took so much weight off my sanity, that in the following two days, I started and finished the second Aleph Novella (Fitz's story - Defender), and wrote the third (Judah's story - Shomeyr), sent it to my beta reader, and am now doing the final clean up. I'm subbing all this week, so it's slowed me down a bit. "Defender: An Aleph Novella" is currently up and running at Smashwords, which means it will trickle to everywhere but Amazon in 2-3 weeks. (You Can purchase a Nook, Kindle, or Reader version at Smashwords.) Judah's story "Shomeyr" will be put up next, it should on Smashwords this weekend. And, I have the outline ready to go on Solomon's parents.


Also to answer another question, from a different review, I have not continued Aleph Novel #2, not because I'm lazy or ran out of ideas, but because the last part of the story needs to ferment for a little bit. Part of that fermentation process is writing the novellas. As they are "becoming," I am finding that major plot points are being revealed along the way. These plot points will be hinted at in Book #2, but the novellas help me sort through all the conflicting ideas, making them into a cohesive and believable continuation of Solomon's story. Often there are months, and sometimes up to a year between Parts 1 and 2 of books (I still read voraciously), so I know I'm not the only author who needs to think between books.

Some eBook updates

I took some time today to update the information in my eBooks, and upload new versions at Smashwords and Amazon. I added my web & blog addresses to all of them that didn't have it in there. And I updated "Lady Bryn" to reflect some location concerns I'd gotten in the feedback from readers on Amazon. At the time it was written, I thought it was completely obvious that there had been a location change (to a different continent). Going back over it, with almost a year of focusing on other things, I re-read and was just as confused as many of you no doubt were. It's been taken care of, within the first two or three sentences of that chapter.

Sometimes it takes months for brains to process out the story before I can go back with fresh eyes. Keep up the good work on keeping me on my toes. Let me know where the issues are, and they'll eventually be taken care of.

Happy reading!

Julie L. York