• Decision Made – Next Series of Projects

    The thing with writing is that, at times, certain ideas speak to you louder than others, and over the past few days one idea–make that four interconnected ideas–have been pretty loud and clear in their intention–dare I say need–to be written.

    So that’s what’s happening next.

    I’ve made my choice in terms of what the next series of projects will be. I use the word “series” on purpose and as a hint as to what I’m going to start writing soon. As a second hint, the ideas have been brewing for quite some time, but the other day I finally got this realization as to how I’m going to present them. It’s one idea, four parts: a prequel and a trilogy.

    Also have a marketing plan formulating for them once all is said and done, but part of it might entail doing not only title reveals on this blog but those word counter things I’ve seen where you can check in here and monitor my progress via a progression bar. The only downside to those bars is, so far as I know, they need a predetermined word count to be entered. This is information I don’t have. I can ballpark it, but I have no idea on the outset the exact length of any book I write.

    So we’ll see.

    In the meantime, I’ve finished my rough draft of the five panels I’ll be doing this weekend at Lit Fest. Will give it a quick once-over and fill in any gaps, then will review it once I’m actually at Lit Fest and ink in any changes/additions before speaking.

    If you are or will be in Winnipeg, details for the Central Canada Lit Fest can be found at their website here.


  • It’s Coming Together

    My plan, I mean.

    Project-wise, I have an idea of where I’m going, that is, I know what I’m writing, just an issue of what project comes first.

    So that’s good.

    In terms of my on-line presence and whatnot, the “simply working” thing is, and will be, in place. Sometimes I forget what things looked like from your perspective, so while it seemed, to me, I was always on-line, the times I actually popped my head up were about average to those looking on. That’s not to say I loathe being on-line. Quite the contrary. I find myself slipping into the Twitter vortex rather often. Used to be a Facebook junkie until I switched to a fan page versus a personal one. Now I can’t see anything other than logging in. Which is fine as Facebook, for me, will become more of a broadcast point and central hub. Twitter is where I’m at these days. I really like how I can streamline the news feed and see what I want to see and, because it’s only 140 characters per post, it’s very neat and tidy.

    Simple.

    Simply tweeting?

    Anyway . . .

    I’m going to start next week on getting my panels together for the Central Canada Lit Fest at the end of the month, while also doing some of the administration chores left over from my days as a traditional publisher. I hired out some help with that so, pressure-wise, a good chunk of it has been lifted.

    Then there’s the writing and my hope is by next week I’ll know what project I’m going to embark on. After that, assuming I maintain a good schedule, you’ll start seeing new books from me rather quickly.

    That’s it for now.

    Off to make dinner.


  • Ducks – This Writer’s Just Figuring Things Out

    It’s been a crazy time lately in terms of my career. I’ve walked away, I’ve come back. I’ve made changes to the type of stuff I’ll write and publish, made new goals, have new plans, reaffirmed old ones–so much going on.

    Ducks in a row, as they say.

    So that’s what’s going on right now: getting those ducks aligned. I have a meeting tomorrow night that’ll change how I do things from here on out. Will make my life incredibly easier and will enable me to operate in a way I haven’t in years. Looking forward to it.

    Sometimes I wonder if I’ve been too transparent with my career, a little too personal. Sometimes I think I’ve done all right in sharing who I am, the good and the bad all in an effort to be real. Other times I wonder if I should “just be the professional” and close off the personal. A balance is key and I’m still trying to find it.

    I want to get into blogging again as I thoroughly enjoy it. I also like the schedule idea and was on the phone with my wife today talking about her blog. Got me all jazzed up about this one in the process. I know things look different here than what they were. The reason is I wanted to strip away most of what went on before in terms of style yet keep the layout as a reminder of who I was. What you see here isn’t permanent. Just a “holding place” for the time being.

    I was serious when I talked about “simply working.” Finally getting to a place where I can do just that. One day I’ll tell you more about what went on and why things suddenly changed for me. It’ll all make sense when I do.

    In professional news, as said, I’m getting my ducks in a row. I’m also back to being a guest at the Central Canada Lit Fest on March 29 and 30. I’ll be speaking on the following panels: Self-publishing Basics; Self-publishing Advanced; Music, Coffee and Other Things Writers Can’t Live Without; Including Art in Your Novels. Then on April 13th I’ll be at the Winnipeg Comic & Toy Expo. Be great to see you at these events.

    In personal news, been reading a couple graphic novels, playing DC Universe On-line, and making homemade pizza.

    Hope everyone’s doing all right. Reminder, you can hook up with me on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest by following the links on the right.

    Thanks.


  • Social Media Reinstatement

    Today I got some social media started again. I got back on Twitter not long ago, but today I started a new Facebook page and reactivated my Pinterest one.

    Feel free to join me on those platforms. Please note that for right now my plan is not to be all that active on them, however I wanted to lay the groundwork for things to come.

    Thanks.


  • Simply: I’m Back

    Last week I began reinstating some of my titles, starting what could be considered my fifth era in this business, my Mark 5, so to speak.

    Those in the know would tell you the reason for my retiring was a valid one, but upon reflection, prayer and consulting with others, I’ve stepped back into the world of writing and publishing.

    However, this time, things will be different. As said, this is my fifth era in terms of how I do things, and it’s going to be a much simpler one. One of the problems with the last method was its complexity. Most of it was complicated by its nature, and the rest was made complicated by me, but since publishing is always about learning, I discovered how I did things before brought on its share of headaches and issues. Not the publishing part, but the administrative side.

    The main thing that will underline what I plan on doing going forward is to keep things as simple as possible in as many ways as possible. Going back to basics here, and since 2014 already marked a change in my career in terms of stepping down as publisher, it’ll also be a year in which I fly below the radar in a lot of ways. I plan on just keeping my head down and working, only surfacing from time to time to check in, see what’s what, then step away again.

    One of the main points of my retirement notice was my plan to go into full time Christian ministry. That’s still the plan in that I want my writing work to glorify God and not use it to glorify myself. I might miss the mark now and then, but Jesus is the center of my life so while I’ve made mistakes and had my ups and downs, I want my career to reflect my love for Him.

    There are still some Mark 4 items that I’m wrapping up, but after the end of April at the [hopefully] latest, it’ll be Mark 5 all the way.

    For my titles, I’ve brought a good portion of them back–books and comics–but my monster and horror stuff is gone. Those made up about half my catalog, but I’m okay with letting them go. What does light have to do with darkness, right? As for anything else I might bring back, we’ll see.

    I learned a lesson recently in that I was invited to submit a horror story to an anthology in 2013, the story due end of January/early February of this year. I had a very, very hard time writing it. It was around 13,000 words or so on the third draft, if memory serves, but it was a difficult write and I mentioned to my wife as I wrote it that I just wasn’t into that stuff anymore. That story won’t be published and I pulled out of the anthology when I posted my retirement notice. My heart’s changed and horror and monsters are no longer my thing. A pastor I spoke to recently said it best when he said I was a dispenser of fear.

    It’s true.

    I was.

    I don’t want to be that anymore.

    I have plans for what books I’ll write this year and I really hope to do some comic stuff, too, as I love them so much.

    This blog will be updated now and then, but with what, I’m not sure. I might go back to a schedule, I might not. I really like this idea of simply working.

    Simply.


  • Axiom-man (The Axiom-man Saga, Book 1)

    Axiom-man Superhero Novel

    Axiom-man (The Axiom-man Saga, Book 1)

    One night Gabriel Garrison was visited by a nameless messenger who bestowed upon him great power, a power intended for good. Once discovering what this power was and what it enabled him to do, Gabriel became Axiom-man, a symbol of hope in a city that had none.

    One night after a routine patrol, a mysterious black cloud appears over the city. Flying over to investigate it, Axiom-man is stopped short when the cloud’s presence shakes him to the core. An electrifying fear emanates from the cloud and he can barely get near it. Quickly, the cloud takes flight and leads him on a wild goose chase throughout the city, only to flee from him in the end. Almost immediately after the cloud’s appearance, a new hero arises, Redsaw, clad in a black cape and cowl. The people, now enamored with this new super-powered marvel, seem to have forgotten about Axiom-man and all he’s done for them.

    Except something’s wrong. That same fear that emanated from the cloud drips off Redsaw like a foul smell and Axiom-man can barely get close to him without feeling ill.

    What is Redsaw’s agenda and who is he? And why is it every time Axiom-man gets close to him it feels as if his powers are being sucked away?

    As if that wasn’t enough, Gabriel’s day job hasn’t gotten any easier. His co-worker and the woman he adores, Valerie Vaughan, has little interest in him, and his boss has made it clear that one more day late to work will be the day he cleans out his desk. Then there’s the new trainee, Gene Nemek. What is his fascination with Redsaw and why is he never around when Redsaw appears?

    From flying over city streets and soaring at dizzying heights, to balancing a secret identity with destiny, Axiom-man must discover what Redsaw’s presence means and how it ties into the messenger’s life-altering visit before the city—and the world—are enamored with an evil that has haunted the cosmos since the dawn of Time.

    Welcome to Axiom-man (The Axiom-man Saga, Book 1).

    Available as a paperback at:

    Amazon.com
    Amazon.ca
    Amazon.co.uk
    Barnes and Noble
    Other On-line Retailers

    Available as an eBook at:

    Amazon Kindle
    Drivethru Fiction
    Smashwords

    Be sure to check out the rest of The Axiom-man Saga at the Book and Comic Shop!


  • First Night Out (The Axiom-man Saga, Episode No. 0)

    Axiom-man: First Night Out

    First Night Out (The Axiom-man Saga, Episode No. 0)

    The messenger has fled, leaving Gabriel alone with mysterious abilities he knows little about.

    The things he can do, the powers–the options are limitless.

    But only if he knows how to use them.

    As he embarks on the path of discovery, Gabriel must try to understand why he was chosen to receive the most powerful of all gifts and, with the help from no other, come to a decision as to what to do with them.

    Even if it takes the death of an innocent to convince him.

    Welcome to First Night Out (The Axiom-man Saga, Episode No. 0).

    Available as a paperback at:

    Amazon.com
    Amazon.ca
    Amazon.co.uk
    Barnes and Noble
    Other On-line Retailers

    Available as an eBook at:

    Amazon Kindle
    Drivethru Fiction
    Smashwords

    For more titles in The Axiom-man Saga, please visit the Book and Comic Shop on this site.


  • Doorway of Darkness (The Axiom-man Saga, Book 2)

    Axiom-man: Doorway of Darkness by A.P. Fuchs

    Doorway of Darkness (The Axiom-man Saga, Book 2)

    Gabriel Garrison’s secret identity has been compromised.

    A mysterious anonymous letter promises to reveal he is Axiom-man unless he bows down to the sender’s demands.

    And the timing cannot have been worse.

    Redsaw has become more powerful than when Axiom-man battled him on what has become known as Black Saturday, and he has determined to attain unstoppable power through the only means he knows how: murder.

    Chaos ensues and as the air is saturated with the stench of blood, Axiom-man must find the means to stop Redsaw before the whole world is swallowed in a web of death.

    Complicating matters, something strange is happening to Axiom-man’s powers. The abilities he has put his faith in have changed.

    As time runs out and city streets are overrun with carnage and fear, Axiom-man is pushed to his breaking point as he tries to stop the madman’s reign of terror, while also trying to discover what is happening to his powers and how they tie into a supernatural event that took place over five hundred years before.

    Welcome to the Doorway of Darkness in The Axiom-man Saga.

    Available as a paperback at:

    Amazon.com
    Amazon.ca
    Amazon.co.uk
    Barnes and Noble
    Other On-line Retailers

    Available as an eBook at:

    Amazon Kindle
    Drivethru Fiction
    Smashwords

    Be sure to check out the rest of The Axiom-man Saga here.


  • City of Ruin (The Axiom-man Saga, Book 3)

    City of Ruin (The Axiom-man Saga, Book 3)

    Axiom-man: City of Ruin by A.P. Fuchs

    If only relationships were simple. While debating whether to reveal his secret identity to Valerie, Gabriel’s personal plans are put on hold when darkness descends upon the city, each building, street and alley covered in a strange black cloud akin to those from the Doorway of Darkness. Only these clouds didn’t descend from the sky. They came from a mysterious shadowy being known as Bleaken.

    With the city under the tyrant’s control, pandemonium ensues and violence erupts on the streets. Screams, gunshots and sirens fill the air; fires are lit, blood is shed and people begin to die.

    Axiom-man must navigate the darkness and put an end to Bleaken’s reign of terror before the entire city is destroyed under a veil of black clouds and violence.

    Meanwhile, having grown closer as friends, Valerie races into the dark, trying to find Gabriel to make sure he’s safe, only to succumb to a band of madmen on the way that take her down a tunnel of torture and despair that threatens her sanity and soul. If she doesn’t escape, her fate will be sealed and she will meet an end worse than death.

    With all hope lost and the city covered in a sea of black clouds, Axiom-man must learn what it takes to truly shine as a light in a dismal place and stand strong against the tides of darkness emanating from all sides.

    Available as a paperback at:

    Amazon.com
    Amazon.ca
    Amazon.co.uk
    Barnes and Noble
    Other On-line Retailers

    Available as an eBook at:

    Amazon Kindle
    Drivethru Fiction
    Smashwords

    Continue the adventures after City of Ruin at the Book and Comic Shop!


  • Underground Crusade (The Axiom-man Saga, Episode No. 2)

    Underground Crusade (The Axiom-man Saga, Episode No. 2)

    Axiom-man: Underground Crusade

    After exploring the city’s underground in order to get a better feel for the criminal fraternity, Gabriel—under the guise of “Mike”—meets a young woman—Katie—who is more than what she seems. What first starts out as a night of mere surveillance and intelligence-gathering soon forces Gabriel to re-examine his approach to crime fighting, discover his strengths and shortcomings, all while trying to keep up with Katie, who is bent on seeing through her own private crusade.

    With danger lurking at every turn and Gabriel being forced to keep his identity—and abilities—as Axiom-man a secret, he soon discovers he isn’t the only one hiding something. There are other players at work in the city, those who would soon misuse a secret weapon for their own purposes.

    As the clock ticks down and the violence escalates, Gabriel must try and recover the weapon while also keeping Katie safe.

    If he can keep up with her, that is.

    Available as a paperback at:

    Amazon.com
    Amazon.ca
    Amazon.co.uk
    Barnes and Noble
    Other On-line Retailers

    Available as an eBook at:

    Amazon Kindle
    Drivethru Fiction
    Smashwords

    More superhero books to choose from after the events of Underground Crusade by going here.