I have just released “The House on Willow Creek Lane” 3rd Edition.
Mathis…
I have just released “The Cabin By the Lake”. I’ve also updated my website with links to the Amazon Kindle and the Smashwords versions. Although you can get the Kindle Version at Smashwords.
Mathis…
I hadn’t realized it’s been over a year since I posted anything here. I’m doing okay and have not fallen off the planet—yet. I’ve been staying very busy and haven’t had a chance or energy to look for another job, so I’m still working for Kelly Services on the AppleCare project.
My publisher returned the rights to “Storm”, “The Birthday Surprise”, and “The House on Willow Creek Lane” to me last year. She did not answer when I asked if I could use the cover she made for “Storm”. I have tried to come up with another cover, but really like the one she had made, so I decided to use it. I haven’t done anything with “The Birthday Surprise” and “The House on Willow Creek Lane,” but released the 3rd Edition of “Storm” today.
I am currently working on another adult story called “The Cabin by the Lake”. I have finished the first draft and hope to have it polished and published by next week.
You may recall that I was working on “Anything for Money”, which is a paranormal. My critique group “killed my ghost” so I have to go back and make a lot of changes to it. I had planned to finish it before doing anything else, but my brain took a side-trip to “The Cabin by the Lake.”
For those who have been “patiently waiting” I am planning to have the “Shipwrecked/Climb to the Top Collection Series” complete by October 2018. As you know, that will be Brad and Kris’ 24th anniversary.
I hope you are staying warm. Our local rodent (Prairie dog Pete) said we were going to have another six weeks of bad winter, and several people have. I’m glad to say it got up to the mid-80s here today. But we’ll probably have another freeze before Easter.
Take care and I’ll let you know when I release “The Cabin by the Lake”.
Mathis…
12-25-15-11:27 PM
I hope you are getting to spend Christmas with loved ones. I have to work this afternoon, so I am unable to attend the potluck luncheon my church is having this afternoon.
I am getting a lot of work done on Anything for Money. My critique group is helping tremendously, and they are enjoying the story.
While we’re not getting a White Christmas, Weather forecasters were threatening us with a blizzard Sunday and Monday, but they’ve toned it down to a little less than ½ an inch of snow expected Sunday.
I hope you have a Very Merry Christmas and I will keep you updated about Anything for Money.
Mathis…
10-20-15-10:00 PM
I hope you are enjoying the cooler days and the changing of the leaves.
Here, we're having a fluctuation of cool, then hot, then cool, then hot. I leave my A/C set on 80 all the time, but at night turn on an electric heater in the bedroom, so it stays around 78-80 over night. My saying is, "Anything below 75 is too cold, anything above 85 is too hot. But I'd rather it be 100 than 30, any day." Of course, we can't control the weather, so we deal with it. I do love the colors of fall, but prefer the warmth of Spring and Summer.
I just realized the other day that I haven't updated this blog since right before Thanksgiving 2013. I haven't fallen off the planet though. I am still working on Anything for Money. With the help of a friend who works for the FBI, I've managed to write myself out of a few corners. I hope to have it finished and ready to publish by Christmas—but we all know how bad I am at deadlines. And Anything for Money is more of a Halloween novel than a Christmas one, but I won't be able to finish it before the end of the month. It *is* a full-length novel, not a novelette. I'm already up to 358 pages and an end is in sight.
I also need to find time and energy to update the website. I've noticed the Flash on the front page doesn't work on iOS devises and tablets. I tried finding a new template for Joomla that would work on them, but am not finding one I like. Someone in the Joomla! Forum told me to get rid of Flash and create an HTML5 video for it. I got it created, but then couldn't figure out how to get it into the webpage. And, I figure I need to be trying to get this book finished worse than I need the video, so I haven't tried.
Again, I hope you have a very happy and safe Fall. And I'll let you know when I release Anything for Money.
Mathis..
11-27-13 7:07 PM
For those of you in America, I hope that you have a very Happy Thanksgiving.
I am still working at Kelly Services, and I have been promoted to Senior Adviser at AppleCare. I am really enjoying my job.
One thing I want to advise you to do, is to make sure that you back up your telephone contacts and any other information you have on your phone, frequently. Just like your computer, if something happens to your phone, you'll lose a lot of valuable information. If your device locks with a passcode or a password, please make sure that you have it in a place where you will know where it is and let someone else know where it is. I had a lady called the other day whose sister had died and no one knew her password or passcode. They had no way to get into her phone to get her contacts to let her friends know she had died. Thankfully I was able to help her get the pictures and videos she'd recorded off of the device, but I couldn't help her with the contacts since she didn't know the passcode.
Since I'm still working from 11 AM to 8 PM with two days off, I'm not getting much writing done. I had hoped to have the Shipwrecked/Climb to the Top Collection Series, completed by October 14, but there's a lot of things that I need to change and I haven't had time to do that. I need to finish The Chronicles of Brad and then go back and clean all of it up. This is going to take a lot of time. And it's turning out that when I have time to write, I don't have the energy, and when I do have the energy, I don't have the time. Unfortunately, I do not have time to write at work. Even though we have some time between calls, I am doing follow up calls, research and other work-related things, so I'm not just sitting there twiddling my thumbs. I had considered just releasing The Shipwrecked/Climb to the Top Series, and then releasing The Chronicles of Brad at a later date. But I'm making some changes as I go, so I can't do that yet.
Again, if you're in America, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. If you're not in America, please have a fabulous weekend.
Mathis….
2-13-13 6:44 PM
It's hard to believe that Valentine's Day is upon us and I actually haven't gotten any writing done since October. I finally had to get a job – which is only part-time, but at least lets me work at home – which has somewhat prevented me from writing, but most of the reason has just been no time or energy. My mind is still working frantically, but just don't have the energy to write anything down. After not working for almost two years, it does take a lot of energy to get back into the grind.
I haven't written a newsletter for ePubNationWide.com, since October, either, and probably won't do them anymore. I am still helping people get their manuscripts published, but haven't had very many clients.
I have decided to break the Shipwrecked/Climb to the Top Collection Series into two books. One being from Kris & Cliff's viewpoints, and the other book will be Shipwrecked: The Chronicles of Brad in which the entire novel is done from Brad's point of view. Although I am done with Kris' collection, I cannot release it until I get done with Brad's in case I have to change something. Even if you have read Shipwrecked/Climb to the Top previously, you'll want to get the collection as I've made some changes and added Shipwrecked: Family Reunion, which no one has read yet.
Although I do need to start looking for either "another" or an "additional" job, I am going to attempt to get back to writing soon, so keep checking back for updates. Also, if you're not on my list, feel free to contact me to be added to my list so you'll be notified when I do.
Have a happy Valentine's Day.
Mathis…
Here is the original book review of “The Mysterious Bed” given by Michele Deradune.
If it’s not displayed below, click here to see it.
4/25/2012 7:25 PM
Hi, all.
We broke the record today here in Lubbock, and hit 104. Other cities in the area reported 106. I managed to stay inside so I didn't "suffer" from the heat. Went to Plainview with a friend this morning and worked on another friends' computer, then had lunch with her. Got back at a decent hour and actually managed to stay on my couch all afternoon and didn't hurt, (yet) either.
I've been staying busy by going to writers group meetings and writing every chance I get. If you've been around for a while or read my Reader's Comments page, you may recall that I got tired of the Shipwrecked series several years ago (last story was Shipwrecked: Thunder in Paradise written in 2004) and didn't want to continue it. Well, as I have said previously, after I got into the "final finale" called Shipwrecked: Family Reunion I decided to re-write the entire series from Brad's point of view and it's called Shipwrecked: The Chronicles of Brad. This has not only "rejuvenated" my love for the series and characters, I'm actually enjoying writing it. I just finished Honeymoon from Brad's POV and am getting ready to start on The Concert. Don't worry though, if you've already read the first eight stories, you'll want to re-read them because I'm changing and adding a lot throughout the series, and, since it's was in 2010 that I took them down, you've probably forgotten most of the story anyway and will enjoy the read. Since I've actually "come out" and admitted that Jefferson is 165 miles south east of Seattle, I figure I need to make a few drastic changes to the story in regards to Winchester. However, I need Winchester to be the way and where it is–100 miles south of Jefferson–so I probably won't. After all, it's fiction so someone told me it really doesn't matter. I have added several things that Kris didn't mention so it's not only a lot longer, but a lot more informative and everyone will get to know the couple better. I do have someone who is editing/proof reading the collection as I go, so it will be much better than the way it was when I first wrote everything, but the entire collection is going to be over 1200 pages. I found somewhere on Createspace that their page limit is 893, so I doubt that I'll be able to offer it as a print book. As you know, I'm terrible with deadlines, but I'm "aiming" for October 14th for the release date because that is Kris and Brad's anniversary. They will have been together for 17 years and it's been 15 years since I started the series. It's actually a bit difficult to try to write the technology set in the late 90s now that we're in the 2012s. A lot has changed in the last 15 years.
I have been contemplating changing the name of my website. Now that I don't post my stories on the site, I really don't think Stories on the Web is a good name for it. However, you can still get my stories by going there and then clicking the link to the eBooks. But I don't know what a good name would be. I guess eBooks by Mathis would be the best name. If you have any suggestions, use my comments form on my website to let me know.
I was looking for something in the top of the closet a couple of weeks ago and found a story I wrote in the mid-80s. I didn't name it and it's not one of my "normal" stories. I will probably wait until I'm done with The Chronicles of Brad before revisiting and publishing it. It's about 15 pages, so it'll be a .99 one. Might also wait until I have time and rewrite it. We shall see.
Hope you're enjoying your Spring, wherever you are.
Mathis…
