What has T.C. been up to?

Timothy Carter hasn’t done much writing lately. I’ve done plenty of writing, mind you; a couple of new short stories, a fanfic, and I’m well into a new novel. Trouble is, it hasn’t been Timothy Carter writing them.

The fanfic is a new Transformers story featuring the movie character Crosshairs. As with my other fanfics, I write under the name RodimusDoctor. It’s not a secret; I post links to those stories all the time. Here’s the link to this one: Crosshairs – Targetmaster Down.

The new novel, on the other hand, is a secret. So is the pseudonym I’m writing it under. The new short stories will likely go under that name as well.

So, while I’ve been writing plenty, Timothy Carter hasn’t been doing all that much. He needs to get back in the game, if he doesn’t want his readers to forget about him!

Finished ZJD, New Merc vs Metal

It’s been a good week for me as a writer! A bad week for me as a human. Nothing serious, mind you – I’ve got a cold that’s pretty nasty, and not much fun. First cold in a very long time. Lucky me.

But enough about that! This week I am proud to say I finished the first draft of my new novel, Zombie Jesus Day (or ZJD)! I’ve been working on this one for at least two years, on again and off again, and I’m glad the story is finally down. Editing and revising will be another huge milestone to reach, but for now I’m just glad to bask in this current accomplishment.

I’ve also posted a new fanfic story on Archive of Our Own. Continuing with my Merc vs Metal series, in which I pit the Marvel Comics character Deadpool against the Transformers live action movie universe. This time, the Merc with a Mouth tangles with some Decepticons in the Mexican theme park of Xel-Ha. I’ve already received a Kudo for it, and a wonderful comment! It is so very rewarding, receiving comments. It’s called Merc vs Metal: Skullcruncher gets Skullf#&ed. Ooh, what naughty language! I should be ashamed. I’m going to keep writing in this series – I’m building toward something big – but I can’t say for sure when I’ll start the next chapter. I’ll keep you all posted.

Correction/Update: I have now received 2 comments! Joy.

Happy April Fool’s Day, everyone!

2017 – A Year To Get Busy

It’s 2017, and high time I blogged again. I’d all but abandoned this medium – life got in the way. A lot of loss. Maybe I’ll write about that on my other blog. Suffice it to say, I’m back in blogging spirits again. Sort of. Kind of. Well, a bit.

Professionally speaking, 2016 started well but ended badly. There was the anticipation of the release of The Five Demons You Meet In Hell, and then there was the launch at Ad Astra. Things were great. I announced a sequel. Then, late in November, Pop Seagull closed its doors, and 5 Demons was orphaned.

It was a good year for fanfic production. I wrote three stories set in the Transformers cinematic universe, two of them featuring the Marvel character Deadpool. Those two got a decent number of views and even a few comments! That was nice, but not enough to significantly increase my brand awareness. If you are interested, you can read them here and here.

Oh, and Apoca-Lynn got one more sale. That brings its total to 9. Still can’t break double-digits. I’ve basically given up on that book. A shame, since I spent a considerable part of last year writing a sequel. And plotting the next several books. Sigh.

I wrote a considerable chunk of Zombie Jesus Day, too. More than 2 thirds. It won’t be much longer now before I write The End on the first draft.

I’m also typing up the third installment of my Merc vs. Metal fanfic. I have big ideas for further installments, too. No doubt that will keep me busy after I put ZJD to bed.

I’ve asked a bunch of friends to beta read an older manuscript of mine, titled Young Nostradamus. I’m thinking of taking the self-publishing route with it, depending on the feedback I get.

I’m also developing a pseudonym. I’m giving a lot of thought to branding, and there’s some stuff I want to write that doesn’t quite fit my squeaky-clean, goodie-two-shoes Timothy Carter name.

That’s all I have to say about that. For now, I’m keeping Timothy Carter and the new name separate. Soon, ‘he’ will be blogging and promoting himself, and I hope the right audience finds him.

2017 looks promising. A year for hard work, certainly. For creating product to put on shelves in 2018 and 2019. A year to rebuild my career as an author.

A year to get busy once again.

More Fanfic!

I’ve written a couple more fanfic stories, posted on Archive of Our Own. As before, I’m using the pseudonym RodimusDoctor.

 

Both stories take place in the Transformers movie universe (or Bayverse), prior to the events of Age of Extinction. One of them features Deadpool. The other features a Dinobot. And both tie in to my Merc vs. Metal series.

 

Merc vs Metal: Masters of Head is a direct sequel to Sideswipe Gets ‘Pooled. I introduce the Headmaster concept into the Bayverse, courtesy of Weasel (Deadpool’s ‘pal’). Weasel has worked with robotics in Marvel Comics, so it didn’t seem too much of a stretch to suggest he might experiment with Cybertronian robotics and their application.

 

The story also gave me the opportunity to detail the fate of the Twins, Skids and Mudflap. Both were absent from the movie Dark of the Moon, even though they both appeared (and died at the hands of Sentinel Prime) in the novel and comic adaptations. Since the movies are canon, I decided the Twins’ fates were still up in the air and therefore fair game for fanfic!

 

The second story is I, Snarl. There are always a lot of characters introduced in the toylines that don’t make it into the films, and AoE was no exception. We see four Dinobots (or Legendary Warriors) in the film – Grimlock, Scorn, Strafe and Slug – and the toyline gave us three more. Two of those (Slog and Slash) I used in the first Merc vs. Metal (and I added Skullcruncher to the mix, because I figured they could use a crocodile). I could have thrown the third non-film Dinobot – Snarl – in there, too, but I saw bigger and better things for him. What if one of the Knights had done something terrible, and went into exile? And what if the bounty hunter Lockdown found him? I, Snarl is the result.

 

What’s next? Well, I actually want to get back to some of my own stuff. I’m into the last third of Zombie Jesus Day, and I’d like to have the first draft written by Christmas. Then, I’d like to start a third Boston Lefebvre novel.

 

There are more fanfic stories on the horizon, however. Merc vs. Metal: Deadpool Gets Primed is coming, and I want to do a story featuring Crosshairs, Hound, and some of the Decepticons who survived the events of Dark of the Moon. Plus, I want to write more Doctor Who. He’s too much fun!

 

Of course, my Muse will dictate which project comes next (though she can, on occasion, be bargained with). We shall see.

ZJD Novel Update

I’m taking another short break from writing Zombie Jesus Day – I have rather a lot to type up. I have written 2/3rds of the story – the novel takes place over the Easter Weekend, and I’ve covered Good Friday and Saturday. Once I’ve finished typing and backing up those days, I’ll dive into Sunday.

In the meantime, I have some fanfic stories to write. And a lot of stuff to edit. Plus, I really want more blog posts like this one.

Ad Astra & Book Launch

This was a special Ad Astra for me. Well, they’re all special, but this one was doubly so. I launched my latest novel, The Five Demons You Meet In Hell. I haven’t had a book launch at Ad Astra since Section K, back when the con was at the Crown Royal, off Eglington East. I have to say, this year’s launch went a lot smoother than that one! We had cupcakes. Demon cupcakes! Baked by the awesome and talented (and awesomely talented) Elizabeth Hirst, the big cheese at Pop Seagull.

I did four readings, all well-received (including a reading from Robotica!). There were two waves of launch-goers, with people leaving for or arriving from panels over the two hours allotted to us. Many of them were good friends come to cheer me on, and the others were new friends well-met.

We played around with my Play-Damn, but not as much as I’d thought we would. We had a Make Your Own Damned contest, and the winning entry I named Mr. Pointy. Because of his tail. At least, I think it was his tail… Anyway, that went very well. The other game I came up with was shooting Damned figurines from across the room with elastic bands, but that one failed to garner interest. Oh well. It was an experiment in promotional marketing material stuff, and fun to try.

The rest of the con was the usual blend of joy, fellowship, and rushing around. I spent a lot of time in the dealer’s room, at the Pop Seagull Press table, promoting the new novel and pushing a couple of old favourites. Sales were good, and I was able to get a couple of my friends’ books.

Also, I couldn’t resist Cathullu here. Isn’t he cute?

My panels went very well. Friday night was the Deadpool panel, which I shared with two close friends. We had fun with the Merc with the Mouth, but the conversation kept coming back to how much everyone in the room hated Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. I had to bring us back to the subject at hand a few times, not that I minded. Not that anyone in the audience minded. Bashing BvS (and praising the Deadpool movie in comparison) was extremely popular.

On Saturday, I had two panels, but I had to skip one of them (Joss Whedon: Femenist) because it happened at the same time as the book launch. A shame – I always have plenty to say about Joss (and I finally saw Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog the other day, woo-hoo!). The other one was about used bookstores and whether they are good for authors. All of us on the panel thought the answer was a resounding yes.

I attended a few fanfiction panels – always a fun subject. They should have a drinking game next year – every time someone mentions 50 Shades of Grey in a fanfic panel, take a shot!

I had three panels back to back on Sunday. I don’t think that’s ever happened to me on a con Sunday before. Nostalgia in Fiction, Stephen Moffat’s Dr. Who Legacy, and Mental Health in Fandom, in that order. All three were reasonably well attended, and good discussions took place. By the time I got to the mental health panel, however, I was pretty drained.

The end came, as it always does. I helped Elizabeth pack up her table, and then I was on my way back home.

What I’ve Been Up To Lately

I’m happy to announce that the edits for The Five Demons You Meet In Hell are done. The revised draft is back at Pop Seagull, delivered a full week ahead of schedule. Gosh, I’m fantastic!

I’ve been in contact with the programming people at Ad Astra, still a month away but closing in fast. I will be a panelist again, naturally, when I’m not busy LAUNCHING FIVE DEMONS!!! I can’t wait.

I’ve added more to the world of fanfiction. One is a continuation of a Doctor Who story, spun out of Bane of the Doctor: Coda. I’m very happy this story is coming together, and I’ll start posting episodes when they are ready. It’s called Abby and the Doctor, and is a crossover between Dr. Who and the 2009 indie dramedy, Paper Man.

The other is currently posted, and is a weird and wacky crossover that throws Marvel’s merc with a mouth Deadpool into The Big Bang Theory. I’ve had the ‘Pool on my mind a lot in the lead-up to the release of the film, and that enthusiasm hasn’t waned one bit since. I’ve seen it 3 times now, and still can’t get enough! When I saw a certain BBT episode, I saw the perfect place to stick Deadpool in! Before I post the link, though, be warned – the story is a hard-R, suitable for my Section K fans but not my YA work. Read at your own risk. Rated D for Deadpool.