Meet n Greet

Apparently, it’s Meet n Greet Day. 😉

Parallax Update #7

Hey Guys,

No excerpt this time, just a few announcements on where I am with Parallax.

1) Word Count: Broke 70,000 words earlier today from a projected target of 87,500. The final count will most likely be higher but this translates down to approximately five more chapters left to go before the current draft is complete and I can start editing and rewriting.

2) Indiegogo: I started the campaign to raise funds for a professional editor and cover designer. The first campaign raised a few dollars, but the current one isn’t doing squat. That’s okay though because nothing ventured nothing gained. I won’t put my books on hold because I can’t afford an expensive editor and cover designer and won’t put myself in extra debt unnecessarily. I have experience in editing and will make the most of what resources I can provide. The stories cost me little to nothing to create and I’ll upgrade as they start to pay for themselves. You can check out the campaign at: Parallax Series Editor and Cover Designer

3) Deadline: I made a vow that I would publish four books by the end of 2015. So far, I have put out three novelettes on Amazon (Still counts), and Parallax is almost finished. I’m currently in the Third Quarter of the year so I don’t have to get Number Four completed until the end of September. My plan is still to get Parallax done by July 31 so there’s still some wiggle room, time-wise.

Well, that’s about it for now. Thanks for your time and feel free to leave comments and suggestions. 🙂

Parallax Update #6

Note: Another excerpt from Parallax because I felt like it. Enjoy. 🙂

Pratt was amazed by the selection of weapons stored in the cache. Some, like the long cylinder gauss rifles were familiar to him. Others, like the smaller weapon that resembled a sharp-edged hockey puck with a tiny handle on the underside were not. The weapon’s weight felt lopsided as he tested its feel in his hands. The power gauge on the top was fairly straightforward and showed a full power charge. “What does this do?”

“Please be careful with that weapon.” Koren admonished him. “It’s a plasma compression pistol. One shot at too high a setting could be disastrous. I’m curious why an experimental weapon would be included in a standard issue inventory.”

Pratt grabbed a holster and after wrapping a carrying belt that was built for someone at least three times his size around his waist, slipped the pistol into the leather. He watched Koren retrieve a gauss rifle and extra ammunition magazines.

Koren handed him a pair of magazines for his pistol. “Your weapon has a twin magazine capacity. Please try not to use them all up at once. We have to move quickly.”

“What about the database?” Pratt asked. “Any luck finding out what the bad guys are up to?”

“I can infer from what little data I could find, but nothing to confirm my suspicions. However, all indications point to the Main Power Chamber.”

“Well then.” Pratt said, eying any additional equipment he might need from the cache and then deciding to stick with what he had. “We should get going. Do you know the way or am I just wasting words on someone who’s precognitive?”

“I do not know the meaning of that word.” Koren said. “But yes, I know the way.” He stopped and put a finger over his mouth, lowering his voice. “I sense movement outside.”

“I thought they couldn’t detect us here.” Pratt whispered back.

“They shouldn’t be able, but we still do not know what technological tricks they may be concealing about their person.” Koren whispered. He readied his weapon. “Arm yourself.”

Pratt pulled his weapon out and took cover behind the holographic table. The sounds of footsteps marching in unison became louder until they stopped outside the door.

Then silence.

“This doesn’t feel right.” Pratt muttered aloud. “All that racket and then they just wait outside? I don’t like it.”

A dent appeared in the door’s metal. Then another. And another. The dents became a ripple as the pounding became a rippling wave of abuse designed to overwhelm its integrity. Miraculously, the door withstood the assault.

“A secondary command and control center and no back door.” Pratt observed. “Are you sure that there’s no emergency exit?”

“Jack, you have been gifted with an abundance of intelligence.” Koren consulted his scanner. “The deck plans are old, but there used to be a service shaft that ran under here and led throughout the entire complex via branching tunnels. We need to find the access point.”

Pratt watched a crack appear in the door. “Nice idea, but I don’t think we’re going to get the chance to take the easy way out this time.” He steadied his aim as the door’s crack expanded enough to allow robotic fingers to pull the jagged edges back. “Crap, they’re coming through.”

Ever Forward

When 2015 started, I adopted the phrase “Ever Forward” as my motto for the year.
Why?
Sure it’s catchy, but I wanted a motto that reflected the outlook I wanted to project for this new year and my ongoing crusade against giving up and not pursuing your dreams.

Sounded good, didn’t it?

Okay, inspirational stuff aside, we are all time travelers through Life. We can’t help that Time moves in one direction and we must make the most of every moment we have at our disposal. It’s easy to say that going for what we want is too hard and giving up would be easier.

I don’t see it that way. Our choices dictate the Life we live and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to go for my dreams with every fiber of my being and every ounce of stubbornness that I can muster. I can’t conceive of doing anything less. Dreams are important because without them, we are but hollow vessels waiting to be filled. Well, this meaty Tupperware container is full of hope, ambition, and more than a little strength to do what it takes to get to the place I want to be.

“Ever Forward” is more than just a catch-phrase. It’s a philosophy that says that nothing will stand in my path of getting where I want to be and accomplishing the goals that I’ve set for myself.

Now, excuse me while I go get my spare red and blue tights from the Dry Cleaners….

It’s That Time Again…

Yep, once again, it’s free book promotion time and the Kindle Versions of Corona, The Three Safeties, and Vessel will be available from July 16 – July 20. It would be great if you all would give them a shot and leave reviews on Amazon about what you thought of the stories. In any case, enjoy and my Author Central Page is at WW Cass Jr Author Central .

Thanks and have a great day. 🙂

Ooops…My Bad

Here we are on the 12th of July and it occurs to me that I haven’t griped, moaned, complained, ruminated, or dare I say it, posted my thoughts in a while.

Well….my bad….

The truth of the matter is that I’ve been very busy hammering out the last few chapters of Parallax, laying the groundwork for the next two books in the initial trilogy, and trying my darnedest to keep a good mood going in the face of an extensive self-imposed workload.

I like keeping busy. Keeping myself occupied isn’t exactly a challenge, but when you know you have things that need doing, you tend to shy away from using phrases like “bored” or “I have nothing to do”. There’s always something to do. It may not be what we especially like or want, but it’s a damn site better than nothing at all. Speaking of Dam Sites:

The Hoover Dam



Beaver Den on Upper Mississippi River
Upper Mississippi River, Minnesota

Anyway, I’ll be incorporating more visual stuff in future posts, so get ready. It’s going to be fun.