Dear friends

I’m writing to you from beautiful but, currently, cold Chile. Unfortunately, I had to travel here responding to an unexpected family emergency, but even when dealing with difficult times, visiting my country and my family is a blessing.

We are four months away from the release of The Catcher’s Trap and Inkshares has officially started the marketing efforts to promote the book. The Catcher has been pitched to media outlets, a couple of interviews have been scheduled, and the release party is being planned. All exciting news. Even more exciting, the fact that this is only the beginning.

As for the first official The Catcher’s Trap event, if you are in the mood for meeting a hard-working new author, come and meet me at the CT HorrorFest on August 27th, at The Matrix Conference Center in Danbury, CT. I will be there sharing advance copies of the book and paving the road for an epic release on November 8th.

More info here.

Finally, don’t forget I’m participating in the current Nerdist Contest as part of an amazing anthology with 14 other, talented and creative authors. Check out our project and get your copy of this collection of short stories.

Too Many Controllers

Have a fantastic weekend.

Dear friends:

Every once in a while, I get an e-mail from Inkshares with the subject line “You’re Selling Books.” Opening those e-mails is like opening a long awaited present. Those e-mails mean that a bookstore has decided to take a chance on my novel, and it will be carrying one or several copies of The Catcher’s Trap.

The first thing I do when I get those e-mails is googling the bookstore,  finding out where is located and then sending them a thank you tweet for taking a chance with a new author.

So far six independent bookstores will be carrying my book: A. C. Vroman, in Pasadena, Ca. Common Good Books, in St. Paul MN. Tattered Cover in Denver CO. Prairie Lights Book, in IOWA City IA, Mysterious Galaxy Books, in San Diego CA and Flyleaf Book, in Chapel Hill NC.

There are over sixteen hundred independent bookstores in the U.S. It would be a dream come true if all of them carry my book, but, in the meantime, I’m thankful for those 6.

Hopefully, a bookstore in my home state of Connecticut will take a chance on me.

I also dream about taking a road trip and visiting every single one of the bookstores carrying my book. So far my map looks like this:

My trip would cover 4 thousand miles and it will take 61 hours of driving. If I’m lucky, and readers love my book as much as I do, many other stops will be added. Maybe I’ll have to take a year off to cover them all. An author can dream, right?

 Have a wonderful weekend!

Hello Friends:

I’ve been staring at this blank page for 45 minutes trying to figure out what to say. In the wake of the Orlando shooting, I keep going back and forth struggling to decide what is the right way to express my anger and hurt.

As a gay man and as the founder of the Write Out Loud Syndicate I think it is important to remind my readers and supporters that homophobia and transphobia continue to be a reality in our country. The LGBTQ community has won significant battles in the past years, but there are still plenty of people vulnerable to violence and discrimination.

I know that love and action are the answers. So I will focus my anger into action and fight the hateful rhetoric flooding the internet with love. This afternoon I will attend a vigil in memory of the victims. I encourage you to do the same in your area. Show your support; show that you are not afraid to stand next to the LGBTQ community. 

It is not the violence against us but our courage what define us.

In this link, there are other ways in which you can help.

Love

Ricardo

Hello Friends

My childhood is filled with sweet memories of a big and loving family, but also terrifying episodes of bullying. I grew up knowing I was different, and other children noticed it and tortured me because of it.

While I started re-imagining myself, I also met the most amazing man, and I convinced him to marry me.

Hello Friends

 As I told you a couple of days ago, I joined a talented group of writers working on video games themed Anthology, called Too Many Controllers.

The tittle of my short story is Paragon Falling. The story follows a day in the life of a character who knows his world will end at the end of that day, and there is nothing he can do about that. It is clearly a departure from my horror/fantasy premises, but I’m looking forward to exploring deeper existentialist themes through this short story.

Besides my short story, there are 14 other stories going from the funny to the macabre.From some of the most talented authors currently on Inkshares. I can assure you; you’ll love it.

  Please consider supporting this project and help us make the first All Stars Inkshares Anthology a reality. Click here to pre-order

Thank you!

Hello Friends

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you are having a great weekend.

I have big news to share.

I’ve joined a group of prolific and talented authors on Inkshares to work on a collection of short stories. This anthology, called Too Many Controllers, will feature fourteen stories across genres, time, and realities connected by one theme: video games.

We decided to embark in this crazy idea inspired by the latest Nerdist contest, which will start this coming Wednesday, June 1st. We believe that a collection of stories in which the subject of video games is approached in many inventive and surprising ways will add a generous portion of fun to the contest.

 And talking about fun, check out the awesome video author Paul Inman created for the book. Click here to watch it.

I encourage you to follow the project. Once the contest start, I will appeal to your kindness and ask you to support it by pre-ordering a copy. It is about games, everybody love games!

Have a fantastic rest of your day

Ricardo

Dear Friends

I know what you are thinking: two updates in a row!! What?!

I’ll be quick. I just want to make you aware that today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT)

I know that many of you are strong supporters of the LGBTQ community, so I wanted to share with you the website where you will find information regarding this day of action.

www.dayagainsthomophobia.org

Also, I want to remind you of my own initiative within Inkshares to support LGBTQ authors and allies: Write Out Loud.

By joining Write Out Loud, every month you will be supporting the work of many talented authors in Inkshares. You also will get a book to add to your collection.

The mission of this syndicate is not only to support authors in their path to publication, but also to point readers interested in novels with diverse characters toward books that offer this, by giving our seal of approval.

Click here to check it out.

That’s it. I promise I won’t bother you for a while.

Have a great week!

Hello Friends

Things are quiet in the production front. With the book thoroughly edited and the front and back cover fully designed, we are now concentrating on details like interior design.

We will start marketing efforts probably late summer, building toward the release of The Catcher’s Trap on November 8th, 2016.

In the meant time I want to share with you my work on the sequel to The Catcher. So far I have written half of the book’s first draft (around 37k words) this is a significant achievement, but it is still far from the finish line. Just to give you an idea, I went through 4 drafts of The Catcher’s Trap before I submitted my manuscript to Inkshares and two more after edits.

Even though my experience is limited to only one and a half novels. I have to say the first draft is the most fun to write. So many ideas are swirling in your brain. So many decisions to make and so much world-building to do.

Worlds Walker –so far—is heavier in Fantasy imagery than The Catcher’s Trap. There is more magic and more mythical creatures, which is quite fun to write.

Worlds Walker won’t go into funding mode until The Catcher’s Trap is out. But I invite you to follow the project here.

 I also wanted to recommend for you to consider pre-ordering Scribbles, from Tabi Card. This is a collection of short stories from the futuristic and fantastical, to the ordinary and magical.

Tabi is a great writer. I assure you, you will enjoy her book.

The book has only three days left to reach 250 pre-orders, so please consider supporting it today. Click here to pre-order

That’s it for today, have a fantastic week.

  “I am and always will be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams.”
— The Doctor, Season 6, The Almost People