Origins of Boltblaster

Greetings, Loyal Readers!

First, it is good to be back. The Jason Cosmo Update was knocked offline for a while by evil-doers. I suspect the Dark Magic Society.

I am currently working on the long- long- long-awaited book Boltblaster, which reveals the origins and early years of Jason Cosmo’s friend, the wizard Mercury Boltblaster. The earliest stirrings of this book date back to 1990 which, I know, is longer than some Loyal Readers have been alive! In the next few posts I’ll discuss just why this book has taken so long to write. In part, that statement is an illusion, but all will be revealed! And I’ll update you on where things stand now.

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Next for Jason Cosmo: Boltblaster and Dirty Deeds

Jason Cosmo Series covers 1-3Greetings, Loyal Reader!

Happy Star Wars Eve!

With Royal Crush launched it is time to talk about what comes next. But first – a big thank you to all the Loyal Readers who have bought Royal Crush in the first two weeks. I hope you’re enjoying the story – please let me know in the comments, (or at Dan McGirt Facebook Page or Twitter).

Also, please let other readers around the world know what you think by posting a review at your favorite online retailer. Reviews really help the books be more visible at Amazon, etc. and I appreciate you taking the time, whether you give one star or five.

The title of this post gives you the titles of the next two novels set in the Cosmoverse: Boltblaster and Jason Cosmo: Dirty Deeds. I’ll give you a brief on each now and we’ll discuss them in more depth in the months to come.

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Jason Cosmo: Royal Crush is here!

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

Royal Crush Amazon v3I’m delighted to let you know that Jason Cosmo: Royal Crush is here at long last! Book 3 of the Jason Cosmo fantasy adventure series officially launched at the major ebook retailers over the weekend. Thanks to all the early buyers, including those Loyal Readers who pre-ordered the book.

As I write this post Royal Crush is ranked #188 in the humorous fantasy category on Amazon. It is always fun to see a less than 5-digit ranking beside my book – again, thanks to all who purchased over the weekend.

I hope you enjoy the book. If you do, please take a moment to post a quick review at your favorite ebook store or on Goodreads. It really does help spread the word and help other readers discover Jason Cosmo.

For those who have not downloaded your copy yet, here are links to some of the major stores:

Again, I hope you will enjoy Royal Crush!

Best regards,

Dan McGirt

Royal Crush Cover Revealed

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

It is time to give you a full look at the cover for the next Jason Cosmo novel, Royal Crush, which launches December 5. And here it is!

Royal Crush Amazon v3

Illustration by Mighty Mark Helwig and titling by the Ace of Awesome, Aaron Acevedo.

I’ll let the cover speak for itself, except to say again this is Mark’s interpretation of a key early scene in the book. It’s not a literal portrayal of what the text describes – that’s the interpretation part! – but definitely conveys the essence of the action. This will not end well for someone.

Thanks to Mark and Aaron for a great cover!

Now it is down to Your Humble Author to finish the words. I am working carefully through the copyedit and proofreading stage, trying to track down those devious typos that somehow manage to sneak in when I’m not looking. Overall, the manuscript is in good shape – and it should be! This is about my 40th time through it! But you know what? I’m still enjoying this story and I know you will too!

Best regards,

Dan McGirt

Royal Crush Cover Art is Here!

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

Detail from Royal Crush cover artAs we countdown to the release of Jason Cosmo: Royal  Crush on December 5, I am assembling the pieces of the book, including a critical component — the cover!

Yesterday I received the cover art image. I’m not going to reveal it in full until the title has been added to make it a proper cover, but I want to share this sneak peek, a close-up of our fearless wizard, Mercury Boltblaster!

I also want to introduce the newest Jason Cosmo cover artist: award-winning illustrator and sculptor Mighty Mark Helwig. Mark joins the ranks of Richard Hescox, Josh Kirby, and Den Beauvais in providing covers for the Jason Cosmo saga. Mark give us his interpretation of a pivotal scene in Royal Crush, which I will share in all its glory when the final cover is ready.

Mark displays a quirky, sly, and slightly demented sense of humor in his work (and has a disturbing affinity for Cthulhu). I thought it would be fun to get Mark’s take on Jason Cosmo and company.  Stay tuned for the full cover soon!

Best regards,

Dan McGirt

PS:  You can see more of Mark Helwig’s work at his website: Mark Helwig Art and Sculpture and on his Facebook Page: The Art of Mark A. Helwig – Facebook Page. Check it out!

 

Jason Cosmo: Royal Crush Countdown

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

Royal Crush will debut one month from today – December 5! ((I pushed the launch date back from October due to some unforeseen production delays))

We’re in the final countdown. I am eagerly awaiting the cover art from an Artist To Be Named Once I Get The Cover Art and will flip that around to my cover designer to add the logos and titles. Meanwhile, I have completed multiple revision passes through the manuscript and am about to print it out for copyediting with my trusty purple pen. I copyedit by hand because it is easier to scrutinize paper than to spend even more hours staring at a computer screen.

That will take a few days. Then I’ll type in any corrections and switch gears to formatting the MS-Word file into an ebook file for uploading to the various online retailers. That’s my schedule for the next few weeks. I’m looking forward to finally getting Royal Crush into your waiting hands. Or, at least onto your favorite reading device!

Best regards,

Dan McGirt

Pre-Order Jason Cosmo: Royal Crush

UPDATE: The release date of Royal Crush has been pushed back to December 5, 2015. You can still pre-order at iBooks, Barnes & Noble, or Kobo.

Greetings, Loyal Readers!

You can now pre-order Royal Crush, the upcoming third book of the Jason Cosmo fantasy adventure series, on Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, or Kobo. The ebook will be available at all those retailers (and others) by October 3.

You can pre-order at the special advance price of $2.99 and get the book automatically on the official release date. The post-release full price will definitely be higher.

(Before you ask — no pre-order available at Amazon’s Kindle Store right now. I’ll let you know if that changes.)

Here are the links to pre-order Royal Crush at iBooks, BN, and Kobo:

This is my first time setting up one of my books for pre-orders, so I’m curious to see how it goes. Thanks for reading!

Best regards,

Dan McGirt

 

 

 

Re-reading Jason Cosmo: Noble Cause

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

Noble Cause (2010) by Dan McGirt

Noble Cause (2010)

As part of preparing Royal Crush for release, I am re-rereading book 2 in the Jason Cosmo series, Noble Cause. My main goal is to make note of any little story details that will affect the revision of Royal Crush. Along the way I’ll fix the few typos I’ve come across (and otherwise resist tinkering with the story beyond a word here or there). But those purposes aside, I’m simply enjoying the book!

Now, you might say, Duh! You wrote it, McGirt. Of course you enjoy it.

But things aren’t that simple. Noble Cause was long slog to write as I changed the focus of the story multiple times before settling on the final plot. It took me several years to complete. I read the book multiple times while preparing it for publication in 2011 — but I was reading to edit, to proofread, to correct, to format…that is to say, those were all working readthroughs.

This one is too, in a way, but I can also, for the first time, just get into the story as a reader. ((Well, as much you can with a book you wrote. There aren’t any plot twists that are going to take me by surprise. At least, I hope not.))

This is a good thing. As I have alluded before, I spent so long wrestling Noble Cause into being that I was temporarily burned out on Jason Cosmo and had to turn to writing other things for a while.

Now it is fun again! These are not books I can write unless I’m having fun doing it and I definitely am. I’m a little more than halfway through Noble Cause and looking forward to my favorite sequences, which are still to come.

I’m simultaneously revising Royal Crush (and hope to have news about the cover art soon…), and I’ve even dusted off my synopsis and outline for the long, long, long-awaited Boltblaster, which will be my next Cosmo-related book after Royal Crush.

So, Loyal Reader, if you haven’t yet read Noble Cause, now is the time! If you have, I’d love to hear from you what you liked, or didn’t, about the book. If you would be so kind as to post your honest review of Noble Cause at Amazon or your favorite online retailer, I’d appreciate it. And I hope you’ll join me this summer for Jason Cosmo’s next adventure, Royal Crush!

Best regards,

Dan McGirt

 

 

Jason Cosmo: Royal Crush preview (Chapter 1)

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

I realize it has been a long wait for Royal Crush. Even I am impatient! I thought you might like to see a sneak preview of Chapter 1. (Disclaimer: still a draft and you may find a few typos because I haven’t done my proofreading yet…feel free to report any errors and feel smug about it.)

For those who read my 1990 book Royal Chaos, you’ll immediately see a few differences, reflecting the events of Noble Cause. And if you haven’t read Royal Chaos…at this point I recommend you keep it that way. It’s one big spoiler for Royal Crush.

Excerpt begins after the break… Continue reading

Jason Cosmo: Royal Crush Update

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

A quick update on my progress toward releasing Jason Cosmo #3: Royal Crush. Over the weekend I finished my latest editing pass through the text — tightening prose here and there, fixing a few typos, and making decisions I had put off about some story details. The next step is to finish my re-read of Noble Cause (book two in the series) and make notes of any “continuity” matters I may need to adjust in Royal Crush to keep my story straight.

(As longtime Loyal Readers know, Royal Crush is a revised retelling of my Royal Chaos (1990), which was the second book in the original Jason Cosmo series. It that sequence, Jason doesn’t do much between book one and book two. In the current series, Jason has an extensive adventure in Noble Cause before coming to the start of Royal Crush. This has a ripple effect throughout Royal Crush, in ways both large and small. I’m doing my best to make sure I don’t miss anything as I update the text!)

While I finish up the text, I have also been in touch with my Cover Artist and hope to see some preliminary sketches soon. More details on that once we’ve formally inked our deal. All I can tell you is the cover will be great and very much capture the spirit of the Jason Cosmo series.

That’s all for now.

Best regards,

Dan McGirt