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Royal Crush and Other News

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

Hero Wanted (2009)

Hero Wanted (2009)

Happy 2014! I know, it is already March, but this is my first update of the year. I’ve been busy writing new stuff for you…and still am! So let me give you a quick update on what I’ve been up to.

  • ROYAL CRUSH: The third volume of the rebooted Jason Cosmo series, following HERO WANTED and NOBLE CAUSE, opens with Jason and the twins Sapphrina and Rubis in Rae City to attend the Royal Wedding of Queen Raella and the wizard Mercury Boltblaster. A joyous occasion! Which, of course, will soon go horribly, horribly wrong. ROYAL CRUSH is a revised version of my 1990 book Royal Chaos. I am revising line by line, keeping the gist of the original story, but adding new details and perhaps a new twist or two to keep longtime Loyal Readers on your toes. Just before composing this post, I finished the first draft of Chapter 17. (I think there will be 30 chapters in all.) This is going faster than NOBLE CAUSE because I am working from an existing text. I don’t want to put a definite release date out there, but I expect to be done with the principal writing before the end of March. That leaves editing, proofreading, formatting and cover art to be done in April. So ROYAL CRUSH may be ready for a May release … but that is only an estimate right now! I will keep you posted on my progress. I am reporting the completion of each chapter on Facebook (Dan McGirt Page) and Twitter (@JasonCosmo), so follow me there for the very latest updates.
  • BOLTBLASTER: I’ll hit pause on the main Jason Cosmo series after I finish ROYAL CRUSH and turn next to the long-awaited BOLTBLASTER, the story of Mercury Boltblaster’s early years. More to say on this later — one book at at time! But I can report this book is already under way. I wrote a prologue, three chapters, and a detailed synopsis more than 20 years ago. I pulled these files from the archives recently… and they hold up pretty well! BOLTBLASTER will be fun and I can’t wait to get to it!
  • COVER ART: I recently had a good meeting with a very talented fantasy illustrator to discuss covers for several Jason Cosmo titles. Specifically, we talked about Rainy Daze and Dirty Work, both of which have sad text-only covers prepared by me using Microsoft Publisher back in 2009. That was barely okay then, but I want to get both of these ebooks into wider distribution on Amazon, Apple, etc. so they need professional cover art. I don’t like to name names until the deal is done, but Talented Artist has some good ideas and I think you’re going to like the new covers.
  • COSMOPEDIA:  The Cosmopedia is my online reference to the Jason Cosmo universe (or Cosmoverse), also available for you to browse. It unavoidably involves some mild spoilers if you haven’t read the books, so be warned. I recently finished a page-by-page push through HERO WANTED, updating and adding entries to the Cosmopedia, so check it out while you wait for the next book!
  • MAILING LIST: I’ve launched a Dan McGirt News mailing list, so sign up to get an email alert when a new book is available. All I need is your name (which can be an alias…) and email address. I will not rent out, sell, mangle or otherwise misuse your email address and promise not to spam you. I’ll let you know when a new book is out, or other major news (like if there were ever a movie deal…) but I won’t be cluttering your inbox every day. I’ve got books to write! SIGN UP FOR THE MAILING LIST HERE.

That’s the news from the Eleven Kingdoms!

Best regards,

Dan McGirt

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Jason Cosmo and the Merry Christmas

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

A Merry Christmas to you and your family!

2009 has been an exciting and eventful year for me as an author. I had the satisfaction of finally seeing Jason Cosmo and company return to print with the release of Hero Wanted by Trove Books, not to mention the digital version of Hero Wanted at Smashwords. I released the first-ever Jason Cosmo mini-novel, Rainy Daze. And I had the pleasure of connecting with and hearing from dozens of Loyal Readers via this blog, by email, on my pages at Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, LibraryThing, and in person at Dragon*Con.

Two things drive me as a writer: the desire to get all these stories out of my head before my sinuses explode from the buildup of creative pressure … and the desire to entertain readers for a few hours with thrills, chills, adventure, laughs, and a few groan-inducing puns. I want to thank all the Loyal Readers who have picked up or downloaded one of my stories and given me the opportunity to do just that. Thanks again to those who have taken the time to send me a note to let me know you enjoyed the book. I truly appreciate your encouragement, comments, and even the constructive criticism.

Please join me in 2010 for more Jason Cosmo adventures. My plan is to publish Noble Cause in print and ebook, release an episodic audio bookcast of Hero Wanted (and maybe Noble Cause too), and I hope to offer a few more Jason Cosmo short stories and mini-novels along the way.

In the meantime, I wish you all the best of the season and a healthful, prosperous and happy new year!

Best regards,

Dan McGirt

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@JasonCosmo Makes List of "Best Authors on Twitter"

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

I’ll mention once again that I am on Twitter, twittering away about Jason Cosmo, writing, and other topics of interest (to me, at least). The link is  twitter.com/JasonCosmo

(Or, if you’re already hip to Twitter, I’m @JasonCosmo)

If you’ve been waiting for someone to validate the worth of my Twitter feed, then wait no more! @JasonCosmo was recently included on a list of  Literary Tweets: 100+ of the Best Authors on Twitter! Continue reading →