Wait...is this still on?

Hello, world!
It has been far too long since last I graced these pages and I can only apologise for that, but I'm back now and I swear I won't neglect you any more. We're still friends, right?
So, what's been happening?
 As you can see I've changed the design of the website after upgrading to the newer version of Squarespace's templates. I like this new look, it's all swanky and sleek.
As part of the move I have also got the domain allendonnelly.com, so that's cool.
What else...oh yeah, sometime in the next couple of days I'm gong to relaunch my first novel, Crystal Eyes, with a stylish new cover, bonus deleted scene and fewer typos than there were before. Here's the new cover:

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I've also been working on the sequel. Yes, still. I had written quite a lot but decided I didn't like it much so...into the bin (figuratively speaking). Some parts of it may resurface in the newer version, we shall see.

Finally, I'm about to launch a Kickstarter project for Heroes Wanted. This will, hopefully, help me cover the cost of getting it professionally edited and allow me to provide cool swag like signed hard copy versions and t-shirts and so on!
It's almost ready to go, just need to sort a couple more things, so keep an eye out over the next few days.
Not that you'll be able to miss it, I'm going to be pimping the hell out of it once it gets going... 

Out with the old...

So that’s 2012 done.  Now it’s just a memory, a fading dream of halcyon days when Britain was good at sport and I actually had an income.  Instead we now have 2013, a year filled with potential and possibilities – course, there’s no guarantee that they’re good possibilities but here’s hoping!

Aside from the whole “not earning any money” thing, it’s great to be able to devote time to writing.  The sequel to Crystal Eyes, Crystal Eyes 2: The Crystal Eyesening (that’s a working title) is coming along nicely, I’ve got friends going through Heroes Wanted, telling me which bits suck (not too many of those I hope!) and I’m trying to suck less at digital art – working on a picture of Crystal at the moment that could be really good if I can just conjure up some artistic talent from somewhere.

I do need to improve my marketing skills though. A very patient friend is trying to teach me to be less of a numpty (definition of numpty) – I’ll not mention any names here but if I actually achieve any level of marketing competence it’ll all be thanks to her!

In non-writing news, my attempts at bread making remain tasty but a bit flat!  I’m thinking I might be putting too much salt in.  My next experiment is going to be honey and oats beer bread – yeah, you heard me!

Both delicious and useful as a building materialThe bread making is part of my attempts to save money, an effort wholly undone by the Steam holiday sale (Steam is an online games selling place, in case you were wondering). I have been sucked in by far too many bargains – Chivalry: Medieval Warfare (cool, bloody, axe-swinging fun), Natural Selection 2 (I’m terrible at this), Torchlight 2 (Diablo-style dungeon crawler, not tried it yet) and Guns of Icarus Online (steampunk zeppelin aerial combat game. Only just got this, not tried it yet either).

I may yet buy The Secret World as well.

All that and I’ve still got World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2 and Planetside 2 keeping me busy – it’s a miracle I get any writing done!

Right, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and make some pizza dough!

So. Christmas

This is a repost from my other, more random, blog

Yep, it's here.  I can deny it no longer.  It's Christmas, and any minute now I shall leap into action to start preparing for tomorrow's Christmas dinner.  Any minute...
Honestly, not a person who's hugely into the whole Christmas thing.  All things considered I could get by quite happily without it.

Merry bloody Christmas

In my defence, I'm not quite as Grinch-like as that photo suggests.  Not quite...

But enough of this misanthropy, bring on the good cheer and the overeating (and subsequent regret)!
I hope you all have a very merry Christmas, that the food is perfect (and, if like me you're the one slaving away in the kitchen, that it's not too stressful), and that tomorrow brings you many wonderful gifts!

And if one of those gifts happens to be an eReader of some kind, say a Kindle, Kobo or similar, well...I've got an idea about a sci-fi novel by the name of Crystal Eyes that you could buy.  

Just sayin'!

A Merry Crystal Christmas

Overall, this has not been a terribly productive day.  Meant to do more work on the sequel to Crystal Eyes, ended up accomplishing almost nothing - apart from making a Christmas card from Crystal!

Yes, this is how I spent a good chunk of my day, faffing about with an art program called ArtRage!

It's meant to be in a kind of anime style, not sure I pulled it off...
And if you're wondering about the burning building...well it makes sense if you've read the book (still available, hint hint) 

Anyway, my dad's coming to stay tomorrow so I doubt I'll get much more writing done before the new year.
Here's to a more productive 2013!

Oh, and have a Merry Christmas!

(also posted at my other blog of randomness - A Thousand Words)

So...what next?

So, yeah, life changing stuff in the past week – whether it’s for the better or the worse remains to be seen!

I can say that right at this moment in time, I’m a lot happier than I was. If that’s still the case months from now then I’ll call it a success.

Basically, I’ve abandoned the world of full-time employment in a bid, perhaps foolhardy, of making it as a writer (and possibly occasional furniture restorer, landlord and maybe French guesthouse owner – I’m nothing if not filled with wild ideas and terribly indecisive).

It’s not quite as mad as it sounds. Over the last four years there has been a certain amount of…let’s say loss, in my life.  Though it in no way makes up for what isn’t there anymore, it has left me with enough money in the bank to chase my dream and try to make a go of this whole writing business, much to the relief of my former colleagues, I suspect, who were probably getting rightly pissed off with the grouchy, misanthropic bear in their midst.  

So here I am, wondering if I can make a living from my books.  And also this website and my other blog (A Thousand Words) – those of you who’ve visited my sites before may have noticed that adverts have suddenly appeared, the result of a money-induced panic attack.  The timing is not a coincidence.

Now, I’m not saying you have to click on them or anything (suggesting that might even be against the terms and conditions), nor am I saying that you have to buy my book (Crystal Eyes, a sci-fi adventure, available at all good eBook retailers – ahem), but I certainly wouldn’t object if you did.

Passive aggressive marketing, it’s the way forward!

Time to stop blathering on and do some actual writing – I’m working on the sequel to Crystal Eyes and doing final polishing on a fantasy novel called Heroes Wanted, which should hopefully appear in the new year.

Until next time,

Allen.

P.S. Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback about the covers (the blog post below this one) - number 1, with the red background, emerged as a clear winner.