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When it comes to the worst fear for a writer, one would think of something like nobody reading their book. I mean, what could be a worse failure than that? Still, there’s something that scares me a lot more than that possibility: having some success, but not enough of it. My writing project, The Cyborg’s Crusade, is massive. There’s just no way it could be a single book, it has to be a series. And a long series at that. I have five fully edited books and a sixth one that’s partially edited. Despite this, the story isn’t finished. There are more incoming books.
There’s one major problem when writing such an extensive work that should be obvious: editing costs. Professional editors aren’t cheap, and they deserve their pay. Don’t think I’m complaining that they charge too much. The vast majority of professional editors charge a fair price, but as reasonable as it is, it’s a lot of money for a new author. I’ve been lucky enough to finance editing the first five books, but it put a large dent in my wallet, so to speak. There’s no way I can afford to edit the rest with my current life situation.
To continue, I need to have enough sales to pay for future editing. If not, I’ll have to stop the series before it’s over. And if nobody reads it, I’m fine with that. But what if there are people who read it, but not enough for me to keep going financially? In that case, they’d never see the series’ conclusion. I know how painful it is to have something you love cut short and I don’t want to do that to potential fans.
The good news is I have a backup plan. If by book five it’s clear I can’t finish editing the series, I can change book six, so it serves as the new ending. It wouldn’t be perfect, but at least it wouldn’t end with a massive unresolved cliffhanger. Still, it wouldn’t be the real conclusion. It wouldn’t be the ending readers deserve. I hope this doesn’t happen.
How did it come to this? My life used to be so simple. Back then, I hated it; I found it boring. Let me tell you: boring’s good. Boring’s great! I should’ve been thankful…
It was supposed to be a date like any other for James Hunter, a simple convenience store clerk. Nothing more than watching a movie in the town of Moncton. A place as unknown and unimportant as he considered his own existence to be. And yet, while walking to a cinema, James teleports to another world. There, a hostile crowd surrounds him, including various mutants with strange deformities.
Before he can even gather his wits or make a dash for it, a lone ally presents herself in the form of a winged woman named Rose. An important cultural figure in the country where James appeared, she offers him both protection and a home.
Soon, James learns that this new world is divided by a cold war. On one side is Nirnivia, home to Rose. The other, Ostark, led by a mysterious cyborg. James is unaware that the cyborg has him in his crosshairs, thinking of him as the Deus Ex Machina that will end the war in his favor.
But, the cyborg is far from the only potential threat to James. Soon after his arrival, BRR, a terrorist organisation, kidnaps him.
What would a rogue group out for revenge seeking to turn the cold war hot want with someone like James? Is there anyone also aware of this other world who will try to find him? Or is he on his own? If so, how is he supposed to escape? If that's even an option...
Enjoy an Excerpt
The second that James saw the deformed statue, he deemed it painful to look at. The sculpture depicted a man, but not one of normal proportions. The arms were far too long, paired with short legs, and the right eye appeared thrice the size of the left—nothing compared to the elongated spike forming the nose, or the mouth contorted in a grimace. Now that he sat leaning against the grotesque shape, the figurative ache turned literal as the sharp stone dug into his back.
Even with the intense heat, James shivered. The recent revelations chilled his blood, and no matter how hard it tried, the sun couldn’t warm him again. He rubbed his chin, pondering all he had learned. His hand brushed against his stubble, and he scowled at the itching sensation. Usually he shaved every day, a habit his unplanned trip had broken. Then again, next to his companion, a bit of extra hair was nothing…
The freak still stood a few feet behind, laughing to his heart’s content. What a horrendous chortle. How James yearned to shut him up via his fist. “Gwa ha ah aha ha! Ha ha aha! Ha ha! Come on, why do you take things so seriously? You still don’t get it, do you? Gwha ha ha ha ha! You should laugh more; it’ll do ya good! Gwha ha ha ha ha! Wha ha ha ha! Gwa ha ha!”
About the Author: So, my name is Benoit Lanteigne and I’m a French Canadian (outside of Quebec) who’s trying to write in English. That can be tricky. I’m a computer programmer and I enjoy it. I see many inspiring writers who hate their jobs and hope to quit someday, but that’s not my case. Mostly, I’ve worked on websites and web applications.
Back in school, I enjoyed writing and according to my teachers and classmates; I had a talent for it. Well, not so much for grammar and spelling, but they liked my stories. Once I went to university, I dropped writing as a hobby. There were other things I wanted to focus on, such as my career. Then, in the early 2000s, around 2006 I’d say, I had a flash of inspiration. At first, it was a single character: a winged woman with red hair. I didn’t even know who she was, but the image stuck with me. From there, I began figuring out details about her origins and her world, but I only started writing for real in 2009.
It’s been roughly 10 years now, and it’s not yet finished. That’s in part because I write in my spare time, and in part because the scope of the project is huge. Maybe too much so. Still, I’m getting close to the point where I could release something. The question is what’s next? Self-publishing? Attempt traditional publishing? Nothing? I don’t know the answer yet, I’m trying to figure it out. Frankly, sharing my writing is difficult for me, and whatever I end up doing, as long as I make it available to people I consider the experience a victory no matter what comes out of it.
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ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the post. Thanks for sharing.
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DeleteI love the covers and the excerpt.
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