End of the Year Updates And New Year Plans

So, I just submitted the third Ben and Co. Novel on Createspace. It shouldn't take long before the processing is finished and it's fully available to buy on the Internet. I'll post the back cover description another time. For now, we'll all just have to wait.

In other news, I've been a bit slow with the second Paladin Academy Chronicles book, but I hope to pick up speed eventually. Though, chances are, my pace for getting out chapters will probably be less than once a week in the foreseeable future because of some other stuff I've got going for me.

I've also started working on the sequel to Country of Dragons, which will answer some mysteries I purposely left mysteries in the first book. I do plan to expand on the universe of the two stories into stories focused on the other characters. Actually, the stories of one of the characters in Country of Dragons was supposed to be out first, but chronologically, they come after Country of Dragons and its sequel. So, once I'm done with the sequel, I'll be returning to work on those stories later on.

And with that, the final blog post of the year concludes. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to my followers, and to everyone in the world, and I hope the next year will be brighter than the previous.

Coming Soon

Okay. So, it's been a while since my last post on this blog. I just wanted to give all my followers a heads up that I'm now working on fixing up the third Ben and Co. Novel. It might still take a while before I actually publish it as a full novel and ebook. But it shouldn't take that long. Maybe two weeks from now at least? Around then, anyway.

What can I say about this book other than that it's going to be super, extremely, action-packed? There might be a little bit of character growth. And it looks like the adventures of Ben and Co. aren't going to end so quickly. There will be some loose ends that'll be tied up in the next book. But for now, I'm taking a little break from the Ben and Co. books. There are other things I'm working on, as you all should well know by now. Anyway, keep an eye out on my Twitter and Blog for more on the third Ben and Co. novel! Like say when it'll be out? I'm not good with giving out specific release dates, so I'll probably just announce it AFTER it comes out on Amazon.

Improvements

So, it's been a while since my last blog. This time, I wanted to talk about how my writing has been since I first started. Well, since I started middle school, I decided that I wanted to be a writer. I even started writing on scratch paper during my spare time. Teachers and friends who saw my writing thought that they were really good. Though, looking back, it was clear that I still had a long way to go. I still do.
However, I can say with great confidence that I've improved greatly over the years. Take for example, my book First Semester Magic. I think I mentioned in an earlier post how a couple of years ago, it was called "The worst book ever written or the worst book that could ever be written". And thinking back, it really was not very well written. That prompted me to take down the entire series, or what I got to for the whole series, and decided to redo the whole thing. Now, the latest review is FIVE STARS!
And let's not forget my novel Paranormal, which is probably where I started to see a difference in my writing compared to my earlier works. I consider it my greatest turning point as it remains the most sold out of the majority of my works. Of course, I'm still not making enough that I can make a living off of it, but that's not going to stop me from writing. I'm sure that the more I write, the more I will improve, until one day, I can stand at the top where people like J. K. Rowling and my other favorite authors now stand.
A guy can dream, can't he?

Status Update

Hey, so it's been a long while since I've done a proper blog. I've mostly done some poems now and then. Well, I have been busy with more than FOUR to FIVE projects, after all.

First off, if you've been following me on Twitter and Google+, you've probably become aware of the fact that I started writing an original light novel on another blog. If you don't know already, light novels are a type of novel originating in Japan with a deep connection to Anime and Manga in terms of stories, humor, picture artwork, and a few other things I might have missed. Being a fan of anime and manga, which are Japanese style cartoons, I've always wanted to try my hand in that kind of writing style. One of my dreams (that probably won't happen) is for my works to be adapted into an anime. BEWARE: my original light novels may contain language and themes that make it more appropriate for audiences ages fourteen and up. Please keep that in mind if you decide to check it out. You can check out the blog that contains the original light novel by clicking HERE . Or, you can check out HERE for the chapter archives of this first light novel series. The chapters will be about as long as the ones from my other works, but there should be some kind of difference between the way the stories are told. Just so you know, I have absolutely no intention of turning the works I post in that blog into a full book or Ebook. Anyone can read it for free on my blog. I've only got four chapters out. I'm still working on the fifth, but it'll be out soon.

Second in this update is that I've finally got around to fully publishing the first book in my rebooted fantasy series for the juvenile, middle grade and up readers. It only got one review, but a lot more positive one than what the original got a year ago. You can find the comment on the book's Amazon Ebook page, clicking HERE. Please remember that any comments from 2013 no longer apply since those comments were for the first version of the book. Although the basic plot remains the same, there is no way that this new version can compare to the old one. I dare you to get the book and see whether that old comment still applies. The title is First Semester Magic, it's Book One of the Paladin Academy Chronicles.

Thirdly, I've started writing a sequel to "First Semester Magic". Like with the first book, the basic plot remains the same, but there'll be a lot of changes so it should be considered a different book from the original. I'm not going to give anything away. You have to see for yourself starting HERE. Only got one chapter out right now, but the next one is coming soon.

Fourth: I'm trying to get the final Silverwest Trilogy book done. I'm so close to the ending that I can almost take it. But chances are, I'm not going to be done with it for a while yet. The other works just demand more of my time.

Fifth: Same with the final Silverwest Trilogy book, the novel Quest for the Witch, remains on hiatus.

And finally, I'm close to finishing the latest Ben and Co. novel, Spiritual. I am really proud of this series. There is a lot of excitement, suspense, and more action than the human heart can handle. This time, it'll be a fight to save a psychic girl from being used for world domination and stepping over lines that humans aren't meant to cross.

That's all I can share for now. Happy reading!

Trick or Treat

********

Finally, the night as come.

A joy to me, but a nightmare to some.

I dress in my best.

Best for a fright fest.

Children come out in costume.

They seek candy to consume.

They say: "Trick or Treat!"

I say: "Come have a seat!"

I lay down a bow,

Their squeals a light to my soul.

I say: "Come now!"

They eat more than a cow.

So much candy they eat.

Then they drop off their feet.

While they all sleep,

Their bones I will keep.

A delightful meal, abundant to the end.

Maybe I should save some for the hen.

Her quality eggs, I will need.

They will taste as good as their feed.

When night turns to day,

Parents come to say:

"Where have those children gone?"

I say: "Maybe they had seen a con."

********

Happy Halloween. To all a good fright!

Demon's Night (A Halloween Poem)

Hey, followers of my blog. To get into the spirit of Halloween, I decided to post a horror poem that I wrote for my college English class. Enjoy.

*************

The night is coming soon.

They no not their doom.
Fun and games is as far as they can see.
Well, for me, it will be a night of glee.

So here they come.
I wish to take more than some.
I will satisfy my hunger.
If only all nights were like this through Fall, Spring, Winter, and Summer.

The lines between world blur only one day a year.
This fact alone, from my eye, brings out a tear.
They know not that I am a nightmare.
If they did, they would have taken care.

The way they beg is such a delight.
But it's just as fun when they put up a fight.
Suffering makes me cackle.
Tonight, monsters roam unshackled.

For humans, it is a night of doom.
For us monsters, it is a time we cast away our gloom.
They have forgotten that we exist.
Now they can't resist.

Their souls they didn't sell.
Still, they will see hell.
They will know a demon.
When this night is over I will weigh a ton.

Rebooted Series

Hey, so I know I just talked about my rebooted fantasy series on Bubblews, but I wanted to talk about it again here. So, a long time ago, I wrote a series called Paladin Academy. This was when I was a high school student and still dreaming about becoming a writer in the future. I published the story on Amazon for Kindle, and it ended up being called the WORST BOOK EVER WRITTEN.
Since that comment, I procrastinated a little, but eventually took the whole series down from Amazon with plans to rewrite it all again. I procrastinated on that too, because I was busy with other stories, I had a job, and I was, and still am, studying for a Masters' in psychology.
Just yesterday, I republished the first book of the series, titled First Semester Magic. That comment called my book the worst book ever is still there. I just made the book an update, after all. But I can assure you that the book is WAY different from when the comment was posted. You can check it out by clicking HERE.

Ghost Hunting Detectives

Hey, so with the first book of my Paladin Academy reboot done, I thought I'd take the time to focus more on my mystery short story series, The Paranormal Debunker. To those of you who don't know about them, the stories are of a Chinese American former police detective, Tai-long Keung who hung up the badge to become a ghost hunter. Chronicling his adventures is his son, Tony, just like how Watson did with Sherlock Holmes. Although Keung really believes in the paranormal, he usually ends up proving the opposite, that there were no ghosts involved, and that it was just dangerous criminals, conspiracies or tricks. There are so far, ELEVEN stories out. Three more planned stories are left. I might write more stories if I ever get struck by inspiration again, but only the spirits would know when that would be.
If you want to check out the Paranormal Debunker's cases, you can start HERE.

Another Completed Work

Hey all you followers and readers of my blog. I just thought I'd come here and write about my progress in one of my stories. Just yesterday, I've finished and posted the final chapter of my Paladin Academy Reboot on Hubpages, where everyone can read for free. If you haven't started reading the story already, click HERE. But just to give you all a heads up, I'm planning to publish the story as an eBook on Amazon. And since Amazon Kindle doesn't want the digital version to be available anywhere else, I'm going to have to take down the chapters. I plan to do that SEVEN days from now.

As a special treat, check out the image I plan to put on the cover. Until the next story . . .

Plan Announcement Time

Hey, so I wanted to make an announcement here on my blog about one of the stories I've been working on in Hubpages. Right now, I'm very close to finishing the first book of my rebooted Paladin Academy series. Chances are, the last chapter will be out by the end of next week at the earliest. Maybe even earlier than that. After that, I'll brush them up a bit and then publish the chapters as one full novel and eBook. Unfortunately, however, for the eBook, Kindle says that the books can not be digital anywhere else if I publish it as an eBook. So, I intend to leave the chapters up on Hubpages for everyone to read for at least one more week. That's how I did it for some of my other previous works such as the Ben and Co. novels and Book One of the Shadow Slayers Trilogy. Once that week is up, they'll be taken off my Hubpages site for good and by another week, the full story will be available on Amazon and Createspace.

Look forward to my latest full novel! Happy reading everyone!!

Not So Nice Weather

I'm in a poetic mood, so here's a poem titled "Not So Nice Weather".
**********

The sun is up and bright.
There is the wind.
But sweltering heat brings waterworks
All around.
Sweat drenches my back and forehead.
A fan can remedy this.
However, the heat remains persistent.
Summer should have such wave.
But now is Autumn's turn.
If put in my shoes
Comes a desire for frozen treats.
Alas, misfortune be me.
For no such treasure do I find.
There can be only endurance.
And a prayer for cooler days.

Epistle Poem: Dear Mr. Publisher

An epistle poem is a poem that is written and read like a letter. Today, I wanted to share an epistle poem I wrote for my college English class. I couldn't really think of anything else to write at the time, so I went with a query letter to the publisher for my book PARANORMAL. There's a few changes since I turned this poem in to my professor. Enjoy.

**********************

Dear Mr. Publisher

I am a writer who wishes to

have his work on store shelves.

I want my work to spread as far as J. K. Rowling's did.

That was the dream I harbored since middle school.

I guarantee that this 

work is bestseller material,

popular for middle grade youth

and young adult teens.

It is an epic tale in which four

young people leading different lives

find themselves thrust together

into a world of danger and paranormal

abilities.

They will find themselves

facing against two powerful

groups, both with different goals,

but matching interest of a particular

member of this group of teens.

It's actually going to be a series.

I have so many ideas for adventures

the hero will undergo.

I can hardly keep them inside of me.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Please, please, please respond soon.

Victor Kwok

Author of "Paranormal"

Available on Amazon

Funny Sale Stats

Hey, so today, I wanted to talk about my sale stats on Amazon. Recently, I noticed some grammar errors, so I decided to update my book "Paranormal", book one of the Ben and Co. Novel Series. As a result, I ended up making an entirely new PAGE for the ebook on Amazon, and even on Goodreads. After I published the new version with a cover to match the print version of the book and some corrected grammar, for a couple of days, I made the ebook free through one of Kindle's promotion tools. The funny thing is, when not free, I'd be lucky if sales went up by 3 copies per month. However, whenever I made one of my books free for five days, sales jump from between two to three digits! I was hoping the other kinds of sales would reach that point by now. It was sort of my dream to make an actual living through my writing. But for now, I'll have to contend with keeping a normal job like everyone else.

Slowing Things Down

So, it's been a long while since I last posted on this blog. And chances are, it'll be a long, long time before the next post. Things are going to get very busy for me soon, which means I'll have less time to do some work on my stories. I'll try to keep the chapters coming for my two works on Hubpages, and add on the final Silverwest Trilogy book, but chances are the rate will be one chapter of any of those three out per week.
Until the next post, everyone!

Book Trailer: Paranormal (A Ben and Co. Novel)

So, today, I just finished publishing a book trailer for my book, Paranormal, which is the first of my Ben and Co. novel series. It took only two days. Day 1: I mad a Powerpoint Presentation. Day 2: I converted that Powerpoint file into a video. Then I just added one of the audio Youtube provides for its video creators, and voila, I have a book trailer! Check it out.

Beginner's Start: A Silverwest Manor Short Story

This is a short story based on my fantasy novel trilogy for readers of all ages. Enjoy.

****************

Before a year ago, Susan Weatherby was just like any other girl, apart from her being mute and her eyes shutting off whenever she got up and walked. But then her stepmother inherited the estate of a distant relative. It was at the town of Fallen Oak that Susan's stepbrother ended up inheriting Alexander Silverwest's place as a warlock. And Susan ended up dragged into the world of magic as well, with its talking wolf and cat, a klutz of a spell caster, a scary Goth witch (?), and demons that want to kill her for her magic power. Did I mention that Susan is also the reincarnation ofthe Faerie Queen?

"Why do I have to do it, and Marcus doesn't?" Susan complained. Well, it might be complaining. It was hard to tell since her phone was doing the talking and it was a complete robot.

The young man in the silver suit looked up at the dilapidated house where the mission would begin from beneath the brim of his hat.

"Well, he did pretty much save the town from an old demon," Silver said with a shrug. He was chewing on a toothpick. "Now, do you have everything?"

There was a short pause as Susan typed into her phone. Her answer: "Yes. I still think that's overkill. It's just a bunch of imps."

"Tell that to Jenny," Silver said, putting his hands in his pocket.

"So who does this house belong to?" Susan asked, pointing to the house she would be performing the exorcism in.

"Not sure," Silver answered with a shrug. "It's been empty since before I came to this town. From what I heard, it belonged to a warlock, though that was obvious."

Imps loved to live in places with a lot of magic in it, and there was no other place there would be magic in except for a warlock's house, even one that's abandoned. Magic spells always leave long-lasting traces, even the ones meant to get rid of the imps.

"I'll wait out here for you to be done," Silver said.

This was going to be Susan's first ever mission by herself. And although she can't see where she walks, it was something that she had to do alone. Neither Marcus, nor their parents were thrilled about that, but the adults assured them that it would be perfectly safe, since it was just a basic imp infestation. And just to get them on board, the representative even signed a contract that said that if anything happened, Marcus could curse his family. Not that Marcus would do such a thing. He and Dad would probably beat the snot out of the representative, but they wouldn't curse his family. Later they would learn that he didn't even have a girlfriend.

Susan took it a few steps at a time. Every time she walked, everything was black. When she paused, it was as if her eyes had been closed for a while and she was just opening them. The house was still in front of her with nothing in the way. Silver was there chewing a toothpick and watching her back until the door closed behind it.

Looking around, Susan saw that the furniture was still there. Apparently, there was no one to claim the previous owner's stuff. A thin veil covered the lamp, the chairs, and the couch, but everywhere else was covered in thick layers of dust. There were framed pictures and portraits hanging on the walls against the peeling wallpaper, but those were too obscured by the dust to make out.

Susan was careful not to touch anything, not wanting to get dust on herself. Even without the magic she's learned so far, she could hear the scurrying around and high growl of imps as they scampered about within the walls and beneath the floorboards which squeaked every time the girl took a step.

She had her flashlight in hand, but she didn't turn it on, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Taking a deep breath, she made for the center of the house, which was the door to the kitchen. Standing at the entryway, she focused her power. A familiar warm sensation traveled up her spine and into her clasped hands. With her head bent, she felt like she was praying.

Warm air blew around her, and she didn't need her eyes opened to know that she must be glowing. Over the blowing wind, she could hear louder scampering as imps emerged, sensing the great power of the Faerie Queen in their domain. They must be gaping at her from what they thought was a safe distance. There would never be a safe distance with this spell.

The gust of wind grew loud and then silent in an instant. There was no more scurrying, no more shuffling, and no more scratching from the imps. She should be completely alone, except for the ordinary pests.

When she opened her eyes, she yelled out and reeled back. At her face was the face of a zombie.

"You are trespassing on private property," the zombie said, craning its neck and popping its neck bones. It was tall, though hunched on its back. Beneath the moth-eaten suit was leathery, yellow skin. There was only three strands of hair on its cranium, and a few crooked teeth in its mouth.

Susan backed away, heart pounding and reaching for her cell phone. She typed in Silver's number and was about to make the call when the zombie swatted the phone from her hand and then reached for her throat. With a soundless scream, the little girl ducked beneath the undead's arms and squirm past him, keeping back the bile and disgust at brushing against such a creature. Just what kind of magician must have lived here that would conjure up something like that?

"You will not leave here alive!" the zombie yelled as it gave chase. With a roar he lunged, dropped to the floor and managed to catch the girl by the ankles.

Panicked, she desperately kicked at the hand, fear blocking out the pain in her ankle as the zombie held on tight. Throwing her backpack off, she used that to club the zombie at the head. That seemed only to agitate the creature more.

Somehow the zipper became undone, as did the cap to the bottle of salt water that Silver insisted she bring along. Droplets of water landed on the living corpse's bare skin, and it hissed as it burned. With a yell of agony, the zombie let go and Susan was able to run, carrying her backpack and whatever was left in it. She was, of course, blind as she ran, but fear pushed her to pick herself up after crashing into something and continue. If she dallied for even a second more, death would surely follow.

She must be covered in dust by now, landing in the couch, pulling sheets off the old furniture, and falling on the floor more times than she cared to count. Susan kept scrambling around in zigzag, having seen it done on TV one time as a means of keeping the enemy confused and maybe out of reach.

Just when she thought she was doing okay in surviving, she was suddenly flung against the couch by something like strings on her clothes. She landed on the floor with a thud. When her vision came back, the zombie was upon her, its hands outstretched. The back of one of them had black scorch spots where the salt water had done its work. Its feet was also smoking, but the salt powder was reacting only to the dark magic on its shoes.

"You've seen too much," said the creature. "Now you must die!"

Susan scrambled back until her back hit the wall. There was nowhere to run, and she could not scream for help without her cell phone. If only she didn't lose her voice! Out of desperation, she reached into her backpack. There was only one thing left in there, apart from her snacks, and that was the water pistol, just one of a pair used by the Weatherby siblings to shoot water at each other on a hot day. The bottle cartridge was empty, of course.

After pulling the water pistol out, she fought hard to steady her hands and calm her mind to concentrate while aiming the plastic toy at the horrific creature.

The product of forbidden magic cocked his head and then guffawed.

"What do you hope to accomplish with that?" it asked. "And here I thought you were clever with the salt and all."

Susan said nothing, mostly because she was concentrating her energy into her toy weapon and not because she didn't have a voice. When the zombie boldly advanced, the little girl pulled the trigger, and out came a blinding flash of light followed by a clap of thunder that completely overshadowed an agonized scream.

When the spots finally disappeared from her eyes, Susan saw with disbelief what remained of the walking corpse was a yellow smudge with the top half of a skull at the center. She was still gripping strongly the water pistol that was used to destroy it, its ammunition the potent magic from which proved that Susan was the Faerie Queen in human skin. Her grip eventually slackened and the pistol slipped through her fingers before her hands dropped to her sides.

Wood splintered and smashed as it was kicked open. Silver came in holding his favorite flintlock pistol out, straight-armed. His head was that of a silver-pelt wolf.

"Whoa! There's a lot of dark magic in here," he said after a deep sniff.

He swept the pistol over the living room, lifted the weapon to his ear and then made for Susan who, to him, looked like a complete mess.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Susan slowly lifted her head, tearing her eyes where the corpse had been, to face Silver. She gave the Lycan a shaky smile and mouthed: "Mission accomplished."

The next time Susan went on a mission, it was with her brother and Jenny both, and West the cat all there to keep a close eye on the little girl, which put Susan off quite a bit. Silver was kicked out of the house for a week and was the one to deliver the Weatherby family's several-pages long complaint that was accompanied by a CD video and was later followed by a lengthy phone call.

As for the dark magic discovered at the house, the one that was used to create the undead familiar, the house would later be burned down and then a new one was built over it, the secrets hidden gone forever.

**********

If you liked this story, click HERE for the Amazon pages to the main books of the series.

Writing Stuff

So, this week, I took the opportunity to work on the final Silverwest Trilogy book. I'm still nowhere near done, but I can see the final stretch coming. Honestly, I've kind of been writing with a muddled head, but I can't really find anything wrong with what I've wrote so far, but I'll definitely review them to see if there's anything I should change. I've got maybe around two chapters finished since the last time I've wrote for that story.
Also, in the past seven days, for my writing projects on Hubpages, I've gotten one chapter out of my stories about every two days. Things might actually slow down in the future, but I'll try and keep on writing. The chapter of Spiritual, that I'm working on now is getting sort of a struggle, but I'm sure I'll get pass that too.
Best wishes all!

Excerpt: Paranormal

So, I was just given advice that it would be a good idea to post excerpts of my works on my blog. Thus, today's post will be an excerpt chapter of Paranormal, book one of my Ben and Co. novel series. This excerpt was originally posted on Hubpages, but since it hasn't gotten more than 41 views for a long while, it seemed like a good idea to delete it there and put it here. Enjoy.

============

Willow never imagined that she would ever be discovered, chased down and abducted. But that was exactly what is happening.
It was all on the news how children were being abducted one after another, all over the world. All of them have just one thing in common. All of them were rumored to have special power, just like she did. But it didn't make sense! Unlike the abducted children, who had shown off their special ability on television, Willow had never used her power outside of the windowless, soundproof attic. She wanted a normal high school life. And you can't really have that if people find out you can move things with your mind.
Her shoulder-length red hair was blown back as she ran at full speed, stumbling over hazardous gaps in the concrete, her sneakers clopping louder than a horse's shoes. She looked around wildly in a desperate search for someone to help her, but finding her efforts for naught. There was no one in sight in the streets that she had crossed. No one came out of the buildings when she screamed until her throat was sore. Why was no one coming out to see what was wrong? Was it because of the squadron of men dressed like SWAT team? Or was it because the houses were so set apart and huge that no sound could travel into them?
Whatever the case, resentment was rising in Willow as she ran from her would-be captors. She cursed the people of the neighborhood for their uncaring ways, and she cursed her special power which had become all but useless for bringing the men to her and not working when she needed them the most. The moment the men had made their appearance as she was on her way home from her part-time job, the first thing she did was try and use telekinesis to throw loaded garbage cans at them as they came out of the black, unmarked van that had screeched to a halt in front of her.
Willow just managed to slip through after discarding both her backpack, which contained her homework, cell phone, and wallet (that was stupid), and her denim jacket, which contained the can of pepper spray that her grandmother insisted that she brought with her everywhere she went. It was with a spare can of pepper spray usually kept in her jeans pocket that she was able to get so far away. The can was empty now, and the men were all wearing helmets with clear plastic masks anyway. When the last of the spray was spent, she chucked the useless container away which bounced harmlessly off the helmet of the leading man. He wasn't fazed the slightest.
Eventually, they caught up to her. They surrounded her like bees. Their collective grip was strong, and Willow was soon inside the van with duct tape over her mouth and her hands handcuffed behind her with cloth between her skin and the cuffs so that it wouldn't chafe.
The van drove out of the neighborhood at moderate pace. It was stopped by a police officer only when the van mistakenly made an illegal turn. He gave the driver a ticket and then drove off, none the wiser.

If you like what you see, then buy the book. Just click HERE or HERE.

Things Are Picking Up

Hey, so it's been a while since my last blog post. I just thought I'd take the time to tell you all, my followers and audience, how things are picking up for my work on Hubpages. I managed to get two chapters out in two days, one for Paladin Academy and Spiritual, each. Within the past seven days, it's a total of three chapters, two for Paladin Academy, and one for Spiritual. I'm almost done with another chapter of Spiritual and will probably get it out either tonight or tomorrow, making it four chapters out total within the last seven days.

Busy Week

So, I haven't really been getting a lot of chapters of my stories out on Hubpages, nor a lot of articles on Bubblews. And it's definitely been a while since I posted on this blog. Mainly, it's because I've been busy with personal matters, and chances are, I'm going to still be busy with such matters, so the rate of chapters I publish on Hubpages are going to take a dip. But don't worry followers of my writings. The number of chapters will probably pick up eventually. Just not right now.

1000 Page Views!

As the title suggests, I now have a total of 1039 page views since I first started blogging! Though, most of those page views are coming from the link I posted on some of my Hubpage articles.
Right now the page dedicated to my Ben and Co. Novel series have the most views out of all the pages I made. The My Books page, with pretty much my whole bibliography has the second most views. But even though it received so many views, I wonder why there haven't been any sales up. Sadly, my whole Amazon account only ever gets sales in the single digit per month. That can be really disheartening when you're sure that your work is really good, and other great writers, or professional writers have thought so too. But I guess that means I still have a lot more stuff ahead of me that I need to cover.

Me On Bubblews

So, a few days ago, I decided to go back to Bubblews and update my PAGE after a while. I've been behind on news, so I didn't really expect it to change so much. It was almost completely different from what I've worked with several months ago. And because it's been a long while since I've been on, I don't have as many followers as I should have. I got about NINE articles in the last three days, mostly on random stuff that has to do with me. I even started a segment called "My Creations" there, where I talk about either the characters from my stories, or maybe about the worlds the stories take place. So far, I have two articles out on the "My Creations" articles that are introductions to the characters from my Ben and Co. novel series, Benjamin Tao and Hanako Yamamoto. I'll probably introduce the other characters of the series, and characters from my other series and books.
Until next time.

Where I Write

Today, I wanted to talk about the websites I publish my writing at, and what I write in those websites.

Obviously, as an independent writer of novels, I've published my books on Amazon. I have like six different novels out, both as ebook and paperback. But before those novels came out on Amazon, as you know, I release a story chapter by chapter on Hubpages. My Hubpages account is where most of the action takes place. But I am working on another novel, the final Silverwest Trilogy book using Google Docs, so no one other than me has ever seen it, and won't until I finish and release it on Amazon.

From time to time, I also post on Bubblews as a way to earn a little extra money, even if only by a little amount. Hubpages does pay, but I'm not likely to see that money for a good many years. I don't post of Bubblews a lot, so I still haven't gotten a check from my income yet. But just a few minutes ago, I posted 2 articles after several months.

That's all I wanted to talk about today. Until next time.

This Week

So, this week, I've been focused a lot on the final Silverwest Trilogy novel and Paladin Academy novel. I really wanted to finish the Silverwest Trilogy novel as soon as possible, and that's partly why progress in it has increased. Still, there is still a lot more to go for that one. And chances are, it's going to have a page number less than the previous two novels. I'd rather like to make it at least as close to long as the previous two books, but as a bit of a realist, I won't make any promises.
As for my Paladin Academy reboot novel, I think it's getting on nicely. The various different incidents and stories I've put in it are more jointed for a nicer flow in the story than its previous incarnation. And I think the writing has improved tenfold. Of course, there is still a lot of room left for me to grow as a writer.

Slow Pace

Hey, so it's been a while since my last post. Actually, I've been going at most of my writing in a slower pace, it seems. I've got maybe two chapters of my Paladin Academy story out this week, and am still working on the latest chapter of Spiritual. It's just one of those weeks when I'm not feeling as up to writing as I would in other weeks. It happens. And along with some other business that I had to take care of, I just decided to take a break now and then, a few hours of me time before I got back into my writing. But I'm sure the motivation will come back again soon enough. I'm pretty much close to finishing the next chapter of Spiritual and will probably get more chapters of that story out more often due to that impatience I was talking about in my previous POST.
And that's all I wanted to talk about today. Have a great day, everyone!

Reviews

Recently, I got into contact with a fellow blogger on Google+. I just happened to find her post with an offer to review the books of independent authors, and I thought that I should take her up on it. One of the books I chose for her to review was Shadow Slayers. And I have to say, I'm really glad that I did. If you want, you can check out Steph's blog by clicking HERE. And click HERE to check out what she has to say about Shadow Slayers!

Hers is just one of the very few reviews my works ever received. Actually, on Amazon, two of my other books also received reviews. You can check them out Paranormal and Silverwest Manor at Amazon.com.

Again With Future Plans

Once again, I wish to share with you, my followers, my goals and plans for the future. Recently, I've taken to watching a J-RPG walkthrough on Youtube. The story of that RPG is horror, and that got me thinking about my Shadow Slayers Trilogy. On that series, I've only got one book out. It's been on my mind a lot lately. Maybe when I'm done with "Spiritual" the third Ben and Co. Novel I'll finally start working on the second book. But that still might take a while, since I've only gotten past the middle point of my goal for that third book. And then there are the other books I'm working on. There's the conclusion to my Silverwest Trilogy, and the Paladin Academy Series Reboot. I have so much I want to get out, and I'm really impatient to get them out now. But I also want these stories to be the best I can ever write. I don't want any of my works to be like junk, even if writing stories is just a hobby. 

So, look forward to the future. And have a great weekend.

Limerick: My Suffering

So, I decided to write a limerick. This is the first time I've written one, so please be nice in the comments.

My Suffering

There is red suffering everywhere.
But you all don't care.
Never, have I experienced such hell.
I will remember well.
Now, tell me, eye drops where?

If you haven't figured it out, it's pretty much about having an infected eye.

Poem: An Island Summer Day

I'm in a poetic mood today. So here's a new poem. Enjoy.

An Island Summer Day

All is quiet, save for the cars of the nearby streets.
Motorcycles shriek, and trucks rumble.
But it is still a quiet day.

A cool breeze brushes against the back of my head.
The top of my hair would sway like the green heads of trees.
Grey clouds cover most of the sky, but the birds still sing

Here I am in this cool living room.
With no one for company except my thoughts.
All day, I just sit, doing nothing but write, read, and watch.

This is my island summer day.
My lazy, island summer day.

Posting

This post will be about,  well, posting. I'm not complaining when I say that it's hard to keep posting almost as frequently as every day. It's not like I can just think of something new just like that every day.

So, I wanted to warn you, followers of my blog,  that I might post less frequently as I've had up to this point. Although I'd like to keep writing,  there are other things that I have to do that there is no getting out of. Not to mention,  every now and then I just need a break.  I am only human, after all.

I will try to post as frequently as possible on this blog,  but it'll depend on whether there is anything I can. One thing I don't want to do is to play like a broken record and repeat things over and over, and over again.

Writing Urges

As I mentioned in previous posts, my writing depends on my mood. But it isn't just whether I have a greater attachment to a particular story. Sometimes, I just get this urge to write. It's like I feel I need to write this now. And, unfortunately, a lot of the time when I get this urge, there's no computer for me to use to write. I mostly use the computer to write these days. Not only that, sometimes when I finally get on a computer, the urge is gone or never comes. And thus, I lose the feeling to write and simply move on to do other things. It happens. I'm human, so now and then, I need a break and some me time. This can be a bit of an inconvenience at times. I'll tell you why later on.

Usually, when I get these urges, its when an idea for a story strikes me suddenly and without warning. It happened a lot to me during my high school and college days, and still to this day, and at inopportune moments. Normally, I write these ideas down on paper to be used at a later time, or commit it as much of it to memory to be outlined later so I don't lose the idea. 

But while the urges to write now come and go, there is one urge, one feeling that never goes away, and that is my impatience. I'm impatient to get to the end of the story. I'm impatient to finally put my ideas into the actual novel. I'm impatient to get to those other story series that remain as outlined notes. And I'm impatient to complete my work. It's this impatience that makes my losing the urge to write an inconvenient thing.

And at the same time, I also have this desire for the story to keep going on and on which contradicts my impatience to finish. It's a bit confusing at times.

A New Page

So, yesterday while I was fiddling with Blogger, I finally decided to create my first page. I know. I've been doing this for several days already. But I was pretty much still a newbie to blogging and didn't know what the pages button was for until yesterday. Before I started writing at all, I mostly just used my computer to watch Youtube videos and play online games.
My first page is pretty much a list of all the books I published on Amazon. Well, it's more like a list of all the series I'm working on. While I was making this page, I decided to make more pages, each dedicated solely to one of the series and linked them to the first page, "My Books". To get to these series pages, just click on the title of the series listed. It was a bit of work, going back and forth between the first page and all the other series pages. In the series pages, I summarized each book there while the main list page summarizes the series, somewhat. I also linked each book to their Amazon Ebook sites. To get to the books on Amazon, all it takes is clicking on the title of the book.
So, check it out and let me know what you think.

The Past Week

This past week, I got out a total of SIX chapters on Hubpages. That's a lot going since my usual flow is about one or two chapters a week. And it's three chapters each for my Paladin Academy reboot, and my supernatural, action story "Spiritual." Let's summarize what I got out for this week.

For the Paladin Academy one, it was a sort of mini-arc inside the story where trouble of the magic sort nearly brings ruin to Sarah and Veronica's day of fun. They meet someone with a relationship to their mischievous magic teacher who shows up in a big way. I won't say how or what, or it'll ruin the story.

As for the people in Spiritual, trouble's brewed for one of the main heroines of the whole series. Mutant men who were given super soldier drugs go on a rampage across town. There's destruction and mayhem everywhere. And they're tearing Hanako's workplace apart for her. But she's not going to go down without a fight. You can expect some intense action in those chapters.

You can check them out, and all the other chapters available by clicking HERE.

I hope you all had a great week. Until next time.

Haiku: Summer

Today's blog post is a haiku. Since it's summer now, that's the theme of the poem.

Summer

A gentle cool breeze
Relieves sweat from summer heat
Great sunlight bathes all.

Ocean waves rise up
White sands welcome all to play
Lively summer beach.

Bored leaves drift downward
Wind be leaves guide to new place.
Slowly drifting by.

Rivers flow smooth through
Twigs are crushed by children's prance
Trees' cheers welcome them

Soft are nature's sounds
Tree leaves rattle to the wind
Lull Nature's children

Short Story: The Actress

Today, I wanted to share with you, followers of my blog, a short story that I wrote on Hubpages. It's been over a year since I wrote it. I decided to transfer the short story here from Hubpages since it hasn't gotten a lot of readers (only a total of 37 this whole year since it was posted). The story itself, is a bit of a horror story.

So, without further ado, I present the Actress' performance. Enjoy.

===========================

"Hark!" went the stunning woman in the equally stunning white dress and head veil. She sprang from her large, four poster bed with ornate carvings on the head and front wood. Her gloved fingers lightly hovered over her heart while her other hand reached toward the window and its translucent curtains. "Can you not hear it?"

The vast room that was her prison was dark as all prisons would be. But it had rich carpets and furniture so expensive that a chair could have fed a family for years. Sunlight was the only light that would be coming into the room at this time. And the gas lamps would stay dull until night came and the servant was scheduled to light them.

She kept her face away from the window, but strained her ears for sound. There was barely a tiny whistle of a bird's song reaching the ears of the audience. The trees swayed to the wind. And just barely audible was the sound of horse shoes clapping on dirt ground, the jingling of the metal that bound the creatures to the carriage.

"He's here!" the woman cried out in glee, suddenly slammer her back against the door, her hands clasped over her chest. The biggest smile anyone would ever see was playing on her lips. "He's finally here! Oh, listen! Do you not hear him coming? DO you not hear the birds singing him praise? At last, he has come!"

She rushed to the giant wardrobe of rich wood and master craftsmanship, throwing out most of its contents until she came back out, wearing a different white dress and a different pair of elbow-length gloves. She slammed the wardrobe shut and then hurried out the room in light prances along with the sound of a solo flute performance.

"Oh, happy day!" she said as her feet danced down the left staircase that curved down. With its counterpart on the right, the stairs made a U-shape. Like her room, like the rest of the house, it was dark and dreary from years of neglect. "At last, my prince has come to liberate me of this horrid prison. However luxurious it may be, I would rather lay in filth forever than stand one more day in this living nightmare orchestrated by my captors who desire only my wealth, whilst my prince desires only my love!"

She laughed and danced. Her graceful movements were testimony of her high birth. Totally alone, she pranced in celebration of her coming liberation. Her coming happily ever after.

"Listen to the birds singing praise for him! Hear the songs and ballads of the great hero who has come to save his princess!"

She twirled around in the main lobby, her skirt sweeping in the air around her ankles. Her movements had the grace of a ballerina. And she swayed as such. Then, she stopped, straining her ears again as she leaned one side to the graying double-doors.

"Oh! I hear the horses stop. My prince is here! Now come, my hero! Burst through the doors, sweep me off my feet, and carry me to my happily ever after!"

As timed perfectly, the lights went off, plunging everything into black. When the lights came back on, the woman's dress was black. She was on her knees weeping. Behind her was a black coffin with black roses atop.

"But it was not meant to be," she says, looking up to the heavens, tears streaming from her eyes. "Oh, cursed fate! Oh, unforgiving cruel fate! Why must the heavens forsake me in my most dire hour? Why must it be that I must spend my days alone in suffering?"

She raised her arms, looking over the audience. She was elated to see how captivated they were with the performance. This was what she lived for.

"Oh, can you not hear it now?" she asked. "Can you not see the sorrow? The birds do not sing this day. No. They cry for the loss of their prince, my prince. My hero. Oh, how he swore in his dying breath that he would save me. A promise that he cannot keep."

She got to her feet and mimicked sword fighting with her empty hands. Her movements were the wild, untrained swings of an amateur fencer.

"He came demanding the release of his bride, the noble man he was," she said. "He fought and fought, and fought to his last. His swordsmanship was impeccable. Many had fallen to his blade. But alas, even he could not defeat them all."

She plunged the imaginary sword into her self and fell in portrayal of her love's death. Then she got back up, faced the audience and raised her arms again.

"And now, I must spend the rest of my days in utter misery, utter undeserving misery."

The woman broke down to more sobbing. The lights dimmed to total darkness. After a short pause, the lights flared brightly.

The smiling actress stepped forward to the audience, took a bow, turned around and took to admiring her own stage. Her big performance was at an end. She turned again to face her audience once more.

There was no one there.

There was a scream of madness, and then the woman, too, was gone, forever . . .

OR IS SHE?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

(The above image was actually used for the cover of my Shadow Slayers book, another of my horror stories.)

So, what do you think? Leave comments!

Book Progress

So, today, I wanted to talk about the progress I've been making with the books I've been working on right now. Right now, I think I'm making a really good pace as far as I can see with the stories I'm working on in Hubpages. I only started Paladin Academy #1 about four weeks ago and already have nine chapters out. Chapter Ten is still in the works.
Spiritual, Book 3 of my action-packed, sci-fi, supernatural, teen spy young adult novel is already about halfway through. At least I have about close to half the total number of chapters I wanted to make. My self-set general goal is for the majority of my books to have a minimum of thirty chapters. I think I'm doing okay on that front. So far, most of the books I put on Amazon have over three hundred pages, at least by a normal book's standard.
I've been working on Spiritual for two months now, and hope I can finish to put on Amazon with its predecessors(Paranormal and Supernatural) before the summer is over at the earliest.
As for the final book in my Silverwest Manor trilogy, progress has been very slow in the past year, but I'm finally closing in on the end. Just a few more chapters to go, but I'm not sure I'll finish it before I finish Spiritual and Paladin Academy because of how strongly I'm more attached to those two right now. And then there's Quest For the Witch, which was the very first fiction work I started on Hubpages. But for the same reason as with the final Silverwest Manor book, I've put it off in favor for what I'm working on right now. There's also another trilogy I've got going on called Shadow Slayers, a bit of a horror, action young adult series that I've also put on hold. I already published the first book, but haven't started working on the second one yet.
I want to complete everything I've started, and am very eager to put my other ideas into writing. I'm very impatient that way, so will keep on writing as much as I can in as fast a pace I can.

Poem: Walking to Class

Today's blog post is another poem I wrote for my college English course. I think the title's self-explanatory. Enjoy.

Walking to Class

With time growing short,
A journey, I must complete,
to a very important destination.

Sun was so bright
It was blinding
To my eyes.

But things darken
when I walk further
Between two lines of trees.

The green leaves of
Tall trees shield us all
Giving relief to the sun wary.

 I remember problems
That need to be solved
And answered without fail.

There is panic
At the thought
Something was forgotten.

Like me, others are
on their way to class,
or out of class.

There is always
People walking about,
in a hurry, or just resting

talking with friends,
Doing their homework,
Or having their lunches.

Solution, plans, memories
Come to mind
That eases the stress.

Now and then,
A bike comes
and a skateboard passes by.

Birds flock around
where there is food
And peck at the ground.

There are a few wet spots
Coming from the sprinklers
to the concrete road leaking from one side to another. 

Finally, towering over me
There is the dull white building
where my next class starts.

My Favorite Creations: Characters

Today, I wanted to talk about one of my favorite creations in writing. But it isn't about a story, or a series this time. It's about a specific character that I have been fond of since I first thought him up in high school. As I'm sure my followers know, I've rebooted a series of fantasy novels that I worked on when I first started trying my hand in serious writing. The character I'm most attached to out of all my creations no matter the story or universe, is James Jing Wu from my ongoing Paladin Academy series.

So far, I have him depicted as a sort of moron who has a somewhat extreme mischievous streak. He loves to play pranks on his students, and mostly does his own thing without having to fear the consequences most of the time. I can't really say anymore since I haven't gotten as far to reveal the whole story of Wu, but I can say that there are some aspects of him that I wished I had, like the ability to be an effective talker in front of people. I'm more suited for intrapersonal-type jobs, like writing, but find myself a bit lacking when it came to interacting with others in person, like in an interview or something. You could say that I'm a bit too shy for my own good.

There are other aspects about him that makes him one of my favorite characters, but at the moment, those aspects have not been written down. If you follow along the Paladin Academy series, you might start to see some of those aspects that makes him stand out to me as one of my creations. It'll be a long journey, but a fun one. This, I'm sure I can promise you.

More Future Plans

I know, if you've been following my blog that you've already hears about my "amazing" novel for kids, Country of Dragons. But I can't really right this blog post without talking about it again. As the title of this post says, this post is about what I have planned for the future, at least what I have planned that has to do with my writing. The reason I mentioned "Country of Dragons" is because I'm also in the middle of writing a direct sequel. I'm thinking of putting the sequel on my blog. I'll try to get it out chapter by chapter. It won't happen soon, but maybe when I've finished with the final Silverwest Trilogy book, I'll start posting chapters of the "Country of Dragons" sequel. There are some unanswered questions in "Country of Dragons" (you'll have to read the book to find out what), and I intend to answer them in the sequel.
Until tomorrow.

Here's Another Excerpt

So, today, I wanted to post an excerpt again, this time from my children's novel that I talked about before, Country of Dragons. As I said before, I'm really attached to the story because not only do I believe that it's my best work aimed for younger readers, its setting is based on Chinese culture, which is the culture of my parents. Although I can barely understand the native language of my parents let alone follow along the traditions of my Chinese heritage, I do have pride in my Chinese American heritage and wanted to show it some way. With the exception of my Silverwest Manor Trilogy, at least some of the major characters of some of my other stories are Chinese, or Asian in descent.
The story behind the novel this excerpt came from, as I said in previous posts, is about a little girl living in a world like our own, only more steampunk, sci-fi like, where everything is fashioned late 1800s to early 1900s. When the girl's master suddenly gains unexpected guests, the girl, Xiao Mei, ends up journeying across the country. She'll meet a whole array of unique characters, some not even human. And eventually, she'll get bombarded with bombshells of unexpected truths. You can find out what those truths are by checking out the full novel on Amazon.com.
Now for the excerpt. I actually originally published it on Hubpages, but there hasn't been any traffic on it recently, so I put it on this blog instead. Enjoy.

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Chief, or better known as The Monkey to members of his triad clan, hoisted what he was certain was the little girl over his shoulders after knocking her out with a neat little neck-pinch trick that he learned from a story on television. She was as light as a feather, despite being limp in his arms.
With his discerning eyes, The Monkey recognized the former empress in her disguise, although it was a very near miss. She was a cunning fox, as to be expected of the former empress of the Zhang Empire. All her years of politics have given her a keen sense and intelligence.
As soon as he realized the relationship between his captives and Miss Lin's guest, a plan formed in his mind for her capture, as he still needed her to complete the set that was to be delivered to the new emperor. And Black Raven's challenge gave him the perfect opportunity to carry it out. No one would suspect that he was the one who knocked out the power as the thief would be the likely culprit. They were all none the wiser when he hit the key on his computer that triggered the electric power to short circuit.
Of course, the adult empress would be trouble to try and snatch away, but the little girl, apprentice to one of his captives, would be no trouble at all. She was just a little squirt. What could she possibly do against the power of adults anyway? And the little princess would provide the perfect bait to get them all to play into his hands. And she would serve as good incentive to keep his still-captives in line in case some of them might be getting funny ideas.
The Monkey quietly swerved around the panicked occupants of the room like a ballroom dancer. He knew that training in blind martial arts was worth something and not a total waste of time like he felt it was during the days of his youth. Now, he was feeling a little bit guilty about having the old fool attacked, kidnapped, and abandoned in the middle of a vast forest wearing nothing but under loins in the middle of the night after all the insults that The Monkey had to endure during his training. But the rescuers were able to find the blind guy okay. Eventually.
With his enhanced senses of hearing and feeling, he was able to avoid contact with the others. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before that phoenix decides to torch the place, The Monkey rushed as much as he could before bumping his back against the door. Because of the noise that was already present, no one heard the doors open and shut after a touch-search for the door handles.
Traveling through the hallway dimly lit by the moon and the blazing color of nightly street life, he was met with no opposition as the police were no doubt in a panic trying to intercept the thief at numerous possible places he could be. Having served the Dragon's Rose for a couple of years, added with a deeply superior sense of direction and intelligence, The Monkey knew the layout of the building by heart. He wisely avoided places he knew had invaluable treasures and artwork close by, sticking to what his employer had called "bland but comfortable" settings. His footsteps against the red-carpet floor were drowned by commotion outside.
Out the back where deliveries were usually dropped off at the building, three large, stereotypical rough-looking men were waiting. Three police officers lay at their feet. From the large space of concrete that they occupied, the clamor of Black Raven's fans and the audience could be heard loud and clear. Their excitable chatter drowned out what would normally be the waves of water sloshing against the ancient stone barriers of the canal. That was the one bad thing about Black Raven's appearance. The Monkey always did enjoy listening to the splish-splashing of the canal's waters. It is this sound that usually lulled the triad leader to sleep at night after a tough day of ruling the country's criminal underworld and terrorizing the masses that dared to oppose his group.
"Please tell me they didn't see your faces," The Monkey said, resisting the urge to cross his arms, which would have resulted in dropping the little girl, while ignoring the chill of night that dug into his bones. Cloudless nights were especially cold this time of the year as a sign of winter's approach. He just couldn't understand how police officers and goons were able to handle such cold on a nightly basis. But then again, they wouldn't be police or useful goons if they couldn't handle it.
"Don't worry, Boss," said the biggest of the three goons, and the brightest, though not by much. "We made sure to knock them out real quiet-like, like a ninja. They didn't see what was coming."
The Monkey took one look at his goons, then to the unconscious policemen. He sighed, knowing that he'll just have to take their word for it. If all went wrong, they would pay by becoming scapegoats.
"Whatever," he said, finally, with a shrug. "Just take the girl."
The goons complied like the mindless drones they were. In spite of being the largest, the leader of the goons, a bearded man with watermelon muscles bulging against his shirt, was very delicate in his treatment of the unconscious little girl. He cradled the child in his arms like a mother would hold her infant and was careful not to let her limbs droop.
Nodding with satisfaction, The Monkey turned to the others. "Now, you two tie me up, gag me, and put me next to those cops."
"Are you sure you want us to do this?" said the second biggest goon, a bald man sporting the bushiest mustache that The Monkey had ever seen. And he's seen some very bushy mustache in his days.
"Yes, I want you to do this!" The Monkey shouted. He froze and glanced sideways to the still-sleeping girl and then to the policemen on the ground. One of them was curled up in the fetal position sucking his thumb. In a lower voice, he repeated: "Yes, I want you to do this! If I don't turn up tied up, it'll defeat the whole purpose of this whole plan!"
"If you're sure," said the dumb brute with an uncertain shrug. He pulled out a white rag from the back pocket of his trousers and wound it around his employer's mouth. While he did that, the youngest of the goons, with the longest hair and the green skin and black eyes of a merman, pulled out rope from the faded duffel bag he was carrying and wrapped the coil around The Monkey. Despite having webbed feet and fingers, the merman's work was quick and without problems.
"But I gotta tell ya, Boss," said Good No. 2. "This all came at such short notice that we didn't have time to find a cleaner rag. We were just about to start laundry when we got the call."
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So how do you like it? If you're interested you can check out the whole story by clicking HERE.