One Hell of a Year....

Now that Christmas is over, New Year's stands waiting its turn. 2005 was one hell of a year. War, natural disaster and the political fallout connected made the imaginary world created in my book TFLR seem to be a safe place to go.

This year as a writer, I passed a number of milestone by getting my book published, taking the first steps toward a national advertising campaign, and finishing the next work in the series. When I was doing my research on what would be needed to publish my first work, I read someone's comment that being a writer was not for the faint of heart. Whoever wrote that was on target.

Since I've published, I've run into so much resistance. Not from people who have read my work, but those who have not. You'd be surprised how many folks get bent out of shape when they find out you not only wrote a novel but actually published it! I don't brag about it because I'm involved with the whole process from creation of the written, visual and business aspects. So to me, it is 'just a job'. If I had a dollar for each of the 'how dare you write a book' looks on people's faces when I am introduced as an author, I wouldn't need to write books! It amazes me how people get pissed when they perceive you've stepped away from the herd. I also want a dollar for each 'well you know I'm writing a book too...' stories I hear now.

Suddenly, I get asked, "How were you able to do it?" I hate to tell, but there's no secret formula or whizbang method that you can pull from a bottle or read in a 'how to' book. It is exactly like Nike says in their ads: "Just do it." In truth, it took me ten years to write TFLR mainly because I was just bullshitting around. Getting it done wasn't a priority for me. In ten years I had twelve chapters done in the initial draft. Last summer in 2004 I just decided I was going to finish it no matter how long it took. Two months after I started, I submitted a final draft for copyright and on 11 May 2005 it was published. No big mystery, I just did it.

Funny thing, writing books is sort of like 'killing' in that after you get past the first one, they start getting easier. The next tale from the long road is titled: "The Gray Man." It was in february of 2005 and no projects were coming in for my production company and I had a ton of free time. So nearly every day for 5 1/2 months I managed to write something and finished the first draft (including revisions) in August. Pending artwork, TGM will be ready for release in the summer or fall of 2006. I'm already prepping my notes for the third book. Bottom line, if you want to write a book, write the damn thing.

Lastly, thanks to all the people who weren't 'hating' and were forthcoming with their praise and criticism. With feedback the stories I write will only get better. The test readers for the latest book have said that The Gray Man is more exciting than the first! We'll see what the rest of humanity has to say when the book is released. So to all of you fans of the books, persons who wandered in and people who know me personally, best of luck to us all in the coming year! To all my boy's and girls holding the line on the 'rockpile' or in the 'sandbox', the standing order is 'do your job and come home alive.'

Happy New Year!

So, You Had To Keep The Light On....

Thanks ice627,

It's nice to read that even tough guys can catch a shiver or two from my humble tale. As for your desire to 'put foot to ass' in the case of one Baron Hundredfoot, get in line. If you check the map, I think the line starts far past the Manem River in the far North and ends at the gates of South City. Don't forget to bring a sleeping bag! Thanks for the vote of confidence on who is a suitable reader for Tales From the Long Road. I personally recommend the book for readers 17 years of age and older. It was not written nor intended for young readers. I appreciate your praise of my work (outstanding you called it.) I figure it is a decent first outing and you should look forward to the next adventure of Wolfwalker, "The Gray Man." All the test readers said it's better than the first book! We'll see come summer/fall 2006 when it's released. As far as the movies go, my standard answer is: "I'm working on it! Please standby...."

Thanks to all of you who comment either through this blog, or at the book signings or write reviews on the Amazon.com and BookSurge websites. Good, Bad, or Indifferent, your comments will only help me to write better stories. I would like to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and remember, the Holidays are just around the corner so if you need a last minute gift....

You can purchase the softcover edition at: amazon.com
You can purchase the soft, hard and e-book editions at: booksurge.com. Just search 'Tales From the Long Road' or 'H. Wolfgang Porter'.

I Don't Want to Say 'Scary'....

ice627 said:

Yo', I just finished the book, I really enjoyed it. The last 7 chapters things really started to pick up and the action started to roll. I wish I could have kicked Baron Hundredfoot's ass myself though! I think that B' Hundredfoot is a hustler. I think he is going to be some kind of sinister individual in the next book, sneaky guy! I don't want to say the book was scary because of the tough guy that I am, so I'll just say I turned on the big light to finish reading instead of just the little desk lamp! I think that it would be a good read for teens, I don't think that any younger ages would follow too well. I can't wait to see waht goes down in "The Gray Man." Keep up the outstanding work. Dawg, you are the man. I guess you're going to have to turn these into movies one day!

Book Signing....

It's been a few weeks since the October 14th event at 'That Bookstore In Blytheville', but the high is still there. We had a great turnout and 'Tales From the Long Road' sold out within 45 minutes! I couldn't have been more pleased. Thanks to those of you who made the signing. We had a great time, and after the reading I got more questions about when is the book going to the big screen. Right now, all I can say is 'I'm workin' on it!' For those of you who have read TFLR and written reviews on Amazon.com and the Booksurge.com sites; thanks and keep them coming! Special thanks to my fans in the USA (that's United States Army to you civilians) holding the line on the 'rockpile' and in 'sandcity'. Good luck to you all and the standard order is to SIOP (stay in one piece) and CHA (come home alive!)

Good news for those of you who have asked when the next tale of the Bounty Hunter Wolfwalker is due out. The latest story (title: THE GRAY MAN) is finished and should be out in late summer, early fall 2006. The test readers say this one is better than the first, so standby....

As always, to those of you who have wandered in, take a look at the book by going to : www.dreadedenterprises.com/Long_Road.

Event #1....

To the fans and curious of the book 'Tales From the Long Road'; on October 14th at 6pm CST there will be a book signing in Blytheville, AR at the famous 'That Bookstore In Blytheville' (really, that's the name.) There will be a signing by the Author and a reading of an excerpt of this exciting new book. 'That Bookstore In Blytheville' has seen many the lauching of many new authors who went onto great notariety. Two such writers are former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton. A good time will be had by all!

To order your advanced copy contact: bookstbly@missconet.com or go to the official TFLR webpage http://dreadedenterprises.com/Long_Road to order your hardcover or paperback copy.

After you've read the book or attended the signing, please feel free to post your comments here.

To Spammers and Advertisers....

This is a fanblog for the novel, Tales From the Long Road. All who read this should feel free to comment or not on the book itself, ask questions of the author about the series or discuss a current or introduce a new thread. At no time will ads for products or schemes be published. So far, blogs are free. If you want to advertise, get your own.

KATRINA HITS US ALL....

The disaster on the Gulf Coast has been a terrible blow to the United States. Hundreds of thousands of our loved ones, friends and neighbors have lost everything including their lives. Just as with the events of September, 11th the true impact upon all of us has yet to be felt. The first wave of ripples being the evacuees now relocating to new cities and communities, the redeployment of National Guard Troops into the affected areas and the impact upon fuel costs.

The pointing fingers and trying to ascertain where the blame should be placed concerning disaster preparedness or the length of timely response at this time is counter-productive. Right now the main focus should be the health and welfare of the current evacuees and the rescue of survivors still clinging to life in the affected zones.

However, we should all be advised: this event and its repercussions are far from surfacing. The Port of New Orleans alone is a major avenue for our country's import and export of goods and materials. With it currently out of commission, the many farmers with crops in the fields awaiting the impending harvest will not have their traditional shipping port available. Those who do not live in proximity of the Mississippi river may find it interesting to know that a minimum of ten states directly utilize the Mississippi or the rivers that feed into it. Ten states are one fifth of the total in the US. All of those goods and materials not to mention the totality of the facilities which support and depend on the movement of those products will now have to divert to other areas.

As we watch government agencies and private citizens endeavor to tackle the colosal task before them, the citizens of the United States should be preparing for a significant change in lifestyle. The economics of 911 affected everyone in the US in some manner or another. The economic impact of Hurricane Katrina will hit us all. The most important thing about this event is that we do not allow ourselves or our leaders to forget! Our standard one to two year attention span and our 'Oh that could never happen here' attitudes are getting us into trouble.

We all need to get it in our heads that 'yes, it could happen here' is a real prospect. The old saying, "Pray for the best, prepare for the worst" would have been an exellent maxim had it been followed in New Orleans. Monies were cut from proposed plans to shore up the levyies and finance disaster plans. It is the same old song and dance politicians have done for years and when things turn around to bite us, they turn to us with that same stupid look on their faces and say, "I didn't believe that would happen!" Well as another apt saying clearly states, "Shit happens" and it is all of our fault for electing officials who refuse to do whatever is necessary to handle issues besides those short term ones that will get them elected.

My question to us all is: "Why is it that thousands of people have to suffer and die before anything is done to fix a problem?" Unfortunately, I can answer that question; "Because no one will belive it is possible until it happens to them."

I wish nothing but good luck to those who have survived the disaster and Godspeed to those still hanging on out in the disaster zone still awaiting rescue.

Anyone wishing to post a comment on this issue or if you have read the book "Tales From the Long Road" please click on the "Comments" link at the bottom of this entry. Please remember to limit your profanity and to be civil with your comments. All postings from both sides of this issue will be published provided they meet the aformentioned criteria.

Moving Up In the World....

Greetings,

I just got notification that "Tales From the Long Road" is now available on Amazon.com. Just think, this time last year I was slaving away trying to get the final draft of the manuscript done. Sniff... only in America.... Of course the hardcover and E-book are still only available at Booksurge.com. One thing at a time it would seem. Meantime, the new book is well underway so stand by....

For those of you that have wandered in unwittingly, Tales From the Long Road is a Fantasy / Adventure novel for we adults. This blog is for fans or critics of the book. If you haven't read the novel, you can get the softcover from www.amazon.com. For the sofcover, hardcover, E-book or an autographed copy please go to: http://dreadedenterprises.com/Long_Road.

Available At Last!

Greetings!

As promised (sort of), the hardcover edition of "Tales From the Long Road" is now available online at BookSurge.com. Also, for you E-Book worms the E-B version is also available at BookSurge. You read it here first (whoo-hoo!) Thanks to all of you who have picked up the book so far. More thanks to those of you who have read it and written reviews either here or on the booksurge site! Keep those comments coming in. Most of you have asked, "Do you have plans to make the book into a movie?" Well, hell yeah! The whole time I was writing it, I could see it up on the big screen! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who would like to see our boy Wolfwalker smiting some backside!

For those of you who have wandered in unknowingly, you can find links to where you can get your copy of "Tales From the Long Road" at: http://dreadedenterprises.com/Long_Road.

Oh yeah, if you would like to toss in your "two squares" worth just click on the 'comments' link at the end of each post.

Land On Your Feet....

Thanks DZ1,

I'm glad you got to feel like you were in the 'down and dirty' in the DS. The 'rat things' (Kessel) came from a nightmare I had once. Of course I modified them to make them scarier for the book. As far as keeping you guessing, I personally am too smart for my own good. With that in mind, I hate it when I can pick apart a plot before it gets rolling. So I made all attempts to keep both the characters and the reader in the dark as possible. Thanks for the nod about your desire to see it on the big screen. I'm workin' on that.... I'll keep you advised!

For those who have wandered in by accident, or just want to know more about how you can get a copy of this book go to: http://dreadedenterprises.com/Long_Road.

Keep those comments coming!

"Like my mother would say at the most inopportune moment, 'some things are easier said than done.'"

Thrown For a Loop....

DZ1 said...
Dude! I just read your book! It kicked ass! I don't know where to start! That whole thing in the Demon's Spine was sick! Those giant rat things were nasty as hell. Dude, you threw my ass for a loop! Everytime I thought I had the story figured out you threw me another hook. Man, I hope you get to make this thing into a movie. I can't wait to see those wicked fight scenes you wrote! You rock! When's the next book comming out?
16/7/05 00:39

Welcome!

Thank you for reading (and hopefully purchasing) "Tales From the Long Road. It was a matter of my shooting my mouth off about writing a book, so I had to do it. The idea of 'The Long Road' had been crawling around in my head a long time. I thought it would be a relief to finally get it out, but all I've done is create a monster! All ready, I am deep into the next book with the story for the one after that scratching at the back of my skull. For those who have wandered into this blog and wondered, 'where can I get this book?' You can currently purchase a copy from www.booksurge.com Only the paperback edition is available now. In early July 05 the hardcover edition will be available. If you want to know more about the book, please go to: http://dreadedenterprises.com/Long_Road

Thanks,

HWP