Projects

Cherish Your Friends

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

I hope this blog finds you well and in good working spirits! I am ready to get back to work after an eventful weekend. I traveled to my hometown to play in my high school’s alumni soccer game (which the alumni won 5-2, one of the goals contributed by yours truly). Afterward, my wife and I went out to lunch with some of my very good, longtime friends and their significant others. If I can say one thing, it would be this: I encourage you to never forget your roots and to always cherish your friends.

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I am on the right

Back to the Grind

Today, I am revisiting Part I of my second book, Unguarded, to add about 2,000 words to what I had already typed. Here is why…

For my first book, Resistant, the final word count totaled just shy of 38K. For the story I was telling, that word count seemed appropriate. As an author, you don’t want to throw words on the page just to reach a certain word count and risk sacrificing the story’s quality. However, many reviews of that book called for a longer story. 

So, I am planning ahead for subsequent books in the “Faces of the War” collection to be in the upper 40K range for word count. Because of this, I want to go back and expand the story in Part I of Unguarded so all of the parts in the book are relatively similar in size to the first book (at least proportionately speaking). I think you’ll understand better when you pick up the book. 

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I am getting really excited to see how Unguarded will develop. It started out as a skeleton structure when I began writing a few weeks ago, and it is really beginning to take shape. And the best part is that I’m actually ahead of the original schedule that I laid out when I started this project. That is something really satisfying, and it makes me want to do more!

Mailing List & Newsletter

I wanted to include a little tidbit in today’s blog about KaleMail, the newsletter I send out two times per month to my mailing list subscribers. The list is growing, and the first issue of the newsletter was sent out last week. I surprisingly didn’t have any subscribers throughout the whole process of production for Resistant, but now it’s finally starting to pick up. The idea behind KaleMail is that subscribers in essence become VIP members of the Eli Kale community, receiving details and information on me, my projects, and my currently published books before the rest of the community hears about it. So if you want to get that kind of information as soon as possible, please subscribe. The process is really simple!

New Blog Posts

I also wanted to reiterate my idea about adding another scheduled blog post to the week, probably on Thursdays, that will feature information and tips from me on writing and publishing. But if I were to do this, I’d really like to hear from YOU, my readers, with regards to questions or issues you may have related to these topics. That will give me some material to work with, thus making the posts more interesting and relatable. Please consider commenting or emailing me feedback so we can get this started together!

Until next time,

-Eli

Part II Update & Mailing List Info

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

Today marks the beginning of a new week, which means another chance to sit down and work at something I truly enjoy. I hope you seize any opportunity presented to you to do something you love. That is, in my opinion, part of the meaning of life!

I believe you all will be happy to know that I am moving right along with Part II of my WIP (“work in progress,” if you didn’t know), UNGUARDED. It is the second book of the “Faces of the War” collection. You can see my first book, RESISTANT, on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, among other places.

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As I have said before, I am aiming for a New Year 2015 release, probably in late January. If for some reason I am delayed during the process, it will be pushed back to February…but I don’t foresee that happening! Things are very much on schedule on my end.

Keep an eye out for details over the next few months, as I will release bits of information about the book a little at a time in the buildup to its release. There is one thing you can do to make sure you hear the information first: join my mailing list!

I would really love to see my readership grow, and I think an expanding mailing list is a great way to do it. As a member of the mailing list, you would receive updates and details before I post them on this site. So if you think about it, it’s kind of like a VIP sort of thing. Pretty cool, huh?!

I think so, and that’s why I’d love for you to join the Eli Kale community! Here’s what you have to do:

     1. Go to this page here.

     2. In the field boxes, type in your Name and Email (just delete my example Name and Email).

     3. Leave a comment saying something like “I’d like to be added to the mailing list!” 

After that, I will add your email to the mailing list, and you will be part of the Eli Kale community! I really want to make this something YOU can benefit from and enjoy, so please let me know if something doesn’t look right in the emails you’ll receive from me, or if there’s something in particular you’d like me to include in subsequent emails. I really want to make this a close-knit thing, not a scheduled post that seems like it was made by a drone.

I encourage you to pass the word along to a friend. You never know who might like the stuff I write or the things I talk about! It is very much appreciated on my end.

Until next time,

-Eli

Book Two Progress

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

Today’s blog is strictly informational. 

Much progress has been made in the past week with regards to UNGUARDED, Book Two in the “Faces of the War” collection. I finished working this past Friday by sending just over 13K words to my editor. This week will mark the beginning of work on the second 1/3 of the book!

As the schedule currently stands, I am well within my goal of releasing the book just after the New Year. Also on the schedule is the first volume of my short story collection, due to release this autumn. More details will come down the pipe as I get closer to finishing it. I also have other projects lined up, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves!

If you’d like to stay up-to-date on everything I’m working on, please click that little “Follow” button and join me on my literary journey. I’d love to have you along for the ride! And please, tell a friend about me or my debut book, RESISTANT, available in ebook and print form. Any help in spreading the word is appreciated!

Until next time,

-Eli

UNGUARDED: Book Two in the “Faces of the War” Collection

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

I am now more than halfway complete with Part I of UNGUARDED, the second book in my “Faces of the War” collection!

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I sent the first portion of Part I off to my editor for proofing while I continue writing. So far, the story is coming together really well. I am pleased with the process of this book thus far.

I wanted to take a moment to remind you all of something. The “Faces of the War” collection is not a series. The books I write in this collection are not connected in plot, only in genre and time period. I just wanted to reiterate that fact as I go along with this second book so we’re all on the same page.

I don’t want to give away too much too soon in terms of details. But I can tell you this: a common thing I’ve picked out of a few reviews of RESISTANT so far is the length. The length of RESISTANT was around 200 pages, and that is what I felt was a good length when I wrote it. I didn’t want to force words onto the page and risk goofing up the story. 

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Therefore, here is a detail of UNGUARDED that I’m sure will be a welcomed one: Book Two will be longer than 200 pages. I’m not sure how much longer it will be, but it will be longer. 

On another note, I plan to begin blogging twice a week–once on Monday and again on Thursday: the first will be updates on my projects, the second will include tips on writing, publishing, etc. from my experiences. I will let you know when that new schedule actually starts. 

That’s the main thing I wanted to inform you of today. I plan to knock out 3-5 pages this week, and that work begins today! 

Until next time,

-Eli

Book Two Begins

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

Today is the first day of writing for Book Two in the Faces of the War collection. Before my wedding in May, I had roughly planned out the storyline for the book, but today I begin getting into the meat of the writing process. It is definitely an exciting moment!

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If you’re new to this blog and haven’t been up-to-date on my work, here is a link to my first book on Amazon, where you can preview the first pages for free: “Resistant”

The second book in the collection, entitled “Unguarded,” is the next biggest project I’m working on. I am also currently in the process of releasing a three-title collection of short stories early this autumn, entitled “The Short Story Collection: Volume 1” by Eli Kale. I mentioned this in the previous blog post, but I’ll restate it here: these short story projects will help keep my writing fresh and give me opportunities to write about things not related to the content of my novella collection. Keep an eye out for Volume 1 come this fall!

So far, “Resistant” has received good reviews! You can give them a quick look on Goodreads. Reviews and ratings really help the book become known, so please leave a review and/or a rating if you do pick it up. I can’t give you too many details on Book Two, other than the title and that work has begun. I would really love to tell you about the story, but it’s too early for that right now. I am responding to some of the reviews I’ve read, adjusting my method for this next book. I hope I can make it better than the first!

If you’re new to my blog entirely and like what you see, take a hop, skip, and a jump on over to my social media profiles and other sites:

Twitter

Facebook

The Independent Author Network

Book Viral

Even if the story doesn’t strike your fancy, please pass the word along to a friend!

I look forward to moving ahead in this process yet again, and to informing you about my progress.

-Eli

I’m Home!

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

How good it is to be back in the United States! If you were not aware, I recently got married and went on a honeymoon to Italy. That’s why I’ve been absent from my work for a while.

I had finished my debut book, Resistant, in late-April and had both print and ebook versions of my book on the shelves by the time I was married in late-May. I decided to treat my wedding and honeymoon as a natural break from my work, and to continue on with new projects upon returning home. If you haven’t gotten the chance to check out my book, you can see it on Amazon here.

That’s also what I wanted to briefly discuss in today’s blog–the aforementioned new projects. As you can already tell by the title and subtitle of my first book, there are more books to come in the “Faces of the War” collection, a grouping of WW2 stories told from different perspectives. I am also working on short stories. My goal is to get back to writing on both projects between now and next Monday. I will finish the short stories and get those published through Amazon KDP by (hopefully) the beginning of August. I will then continue working into the autumn on the second book in the “Faces of the War” collection. More details regarding that book will be revealed in the coming months.

I really enjoyed creating the first book, and I truly hope to find that same enjoyment as I continue. I got to read the book’s first reviews last week, and seeing what others think of my work is very gratifying and humbling. And reviews are what are needed to help further boost my book, so if you are thinking of reading my work (or perhaps you already have), I’d greatly appreciate a review and rating from you. You can do it through whatever site from which you purchased the book, or through Amazon (my primary “shelf”). Also, please check out my social media pages, like Twitter and Facebook.

Thank you for all the support and encouragement thus far in the process. I am really looking forward to continue writing, as it is a passion of mine. Please pass the word along to a friend…you never know who else you’ll run into who will like reading the books you do!

-Eli

Important Update

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

Things are going very well on my end! “Resistant” has been out in ebook and print format for a few weeks now, and continuing promotion for it is underway. If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, or haven’t at least checked it out, I urge you to do so. Spread the word about it…every little bit helps!

I did want to be sure I informed you all that I will be absent from social media and email until early June, as I will be getting married this Friday and will be on my honeymoon following afterward. Please bear with me while I’m gone; if you would like to get a hold of me in the meantime, I will respond to you as soon as I return home. I certainly don’t want anyone thinking I am ignoring them!

I look forward to working on my next project when I resume writing in June. I also look forward to sharing details about it with you as I go!

-Eli

Looking Ahead

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

I am pleased to say that after seven months of hard work, I have finally brought my debut project to the bookshelves of the public! “Resistant” is now in both ebook and print format, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, WaveCloud, Google Play, and the Apple iBookstore. Go check it out when you have a chance!

The support and encouragement from so many family, friends, and followers has been overwhelming, and I can’t even express just how grateful I am for that encouragement. It has helped me come this far, and I can only hope to keep moving forward from here. If there is one thing I’ve learned in my literary journey so far, it’s that building up and supporting others is a key to success.

I’d like to give a little insight into what I am doing now that my first book has gone live. While I’ve been very busy keeping up my social media profiles and working behind the scenes to publish and promote my book, I’ve been working even harder to get ready for a particularly wonderful transition in my life right now. I will be getting married to my amazing and beautiful fiance, Sarah, later this month, and will be taking a month or so off from writing to focus on the wedding and honeymoon. Rest assured that I will resume work in late June on my next project; here’s where the information gets juicy!

The title of my next project is “Unguarded” and will be Book Two of the “Faces of the War” Collection. At this point, my projected release date for it will be sometime shortly after the New Year. However, I intend on releasing an ebook before then. It is the first volume in a planned project of short story collections. My goal is to write short stories on the off-days that I don’t work on my larger projects (most notably the Faces of the War books) and release them in between the larger releases. It helps me to keep writing, and it gives you more material to read, and at a lower cost than my larger projects. In addition to the Faces of the War collection and the short story collection, I have other ideas on my list to develop into projects.

I am very excited for what is in store for me. Working on these types of projects brings me great satisfaction. I look forward to seeing my following increase and my projects rise in number. I write for me, yes…but I also write for you, my audience. Without you, I would not be able to write. And so I thank you.

Until next time!

-Eli

Cross-Promotion

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

I would first like to say thank you for all the support and encouragement throughout the process of writing and releasing my debut book. It truly means a lot to me!

I have received word that the print version of “Resistant” should be released sometime this week through Amazon. I will include a link on the RESISTANT tab on my home page, as well as post a blog announcing it, when it does release. I hope it gets off to a great start!

I have given some thought to different ways to promote my work, and one method in particular came to mind…and for this, I’ll need the help of others. It’s called cross-promotion; I’m sure you’ve heard of it. The concept goes like this: I have a book that I’d like to promote. You have a book you’d like to promote. Both of these books are our own works, by the way. On an individual basis, we’d work out an agreement to where we’d promote each other’s work. It’s free advertising. All it takes is a little work on our part: a Tweet here and there, a shout-out in a blog post, and anything else that comes to mind.

I would love to promote other authors’ books, especially indie authors, because I know how important the work is to them and how much they want to get word of it out to the public. So if you have a book you’d like to promote–it doesn’t even have to be a recently released work–shoot me an email and we can talk about doing some cross-promotion! I look forward to hearing from you!

My email is on the home page of my blog, but I’ll include it here for convenience: elikale.author@gmail.com

Until next time!

-Eli

Release Update

/ Eli Kale / Leave a comment

Friends,

I thought I’d take a moment to inform you of a few things.

First, the print version of my debut book, “Resistant,” should be hitting the Amazon shelves soon.

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Second, I have just created a feedback form on my blog (the tab titled “Feedback & Mailing List) that allows anyone and everyone to leave me feedback, about anything! I am also designating it as the location (aside from the form on Facebook) where readers can sign up for my Mailing List. After I return from my honeymoon in mid-June, I will send out an email update through the Mailing List at least once every 2 weeks. That is the plan as of right now.

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Lastly, I can’t believe it has been just about a week since my book went live! You can now find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, the Apple iBookstore, and at WaveCloud. The ebook is priced at $4.99. When the print version is released, you will find it on Amazon, priced at $7.99.

It has been an exciting ride thus far, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it takes me!

Until next time,

-Eli