Author Archives: jakebible
Friday Night Drabble Party!
Howdy, Y’all!
Wow, has it really been since 2018 that I last published a Friday Night Drabble Party story? It has. Damn…
It was nice to write a new drabble this morning. I wasn’t sure if I was going to or not, but it felt right.
New to drabbles? They’re micro-stories that are exactly 100 words long. Kinda cool.
I’ll keep the announcements to a minimum tonight, but if you missed my last couple of posts, you can find them here:
I Thank You With Exclusive Content!
A quick heads up regarding FNDP: This will be the last FNDP I post on my website. From now on I’ll be emailing this to my entire list through September. After that it’ll only be available to subscribers. Don’t worry, subscribing is free! But…starting in 2021 FNDP will only be available to paid subscribers. So go subscribe for free now and get a few months of free fiction then see what you think. Cool?
Oh, and until I get the podcast up and rolling, you can hear my dulcet tones for free here! I’m now narrating/producing audiobooks!
***
Burn Day
By
Jake Bible
“Square it off, Ted!”
“I am!”
“No, Ted, you aren’t. You are not!”
Morgan sat at her bedroom window, watching and listening to the old couple bicker back and forth as they tried to instal a small awning over their back porch.
She didn’t know why they wanted to sit on their back porch. No one wanted to be outside anymore.
“It’s crooked, you moron!”
“You want me to put this screwdriver through your head?”
At least it was entertaining.
Then the wind shifted and Morgan was forced to close her window.
It was burn day for the corpse pits…
***
Disclaimer: I have no crystal ball, but we may need to face some hard truths soon…
That Promised Update…Sort Of
Well, a lot has happened since my last post.
Pandemic. Lost my job. Started narrating audiobooks. Working on some non-fiction. Writing novels again. Pandemic.
Did I say pandemic twice? Yes. Yes, I did. Seems some folks refuse to believe we’re actually in a life-threatening pandemic. You know, the kind that KILLS thousands and thousands of people. Just for clarity, I believe 100% in the science and the realities of this Hellscape we’ve been forced into. Could we have avoided where we’re at? Shit yes! But, hey, personal responsibility isn’t exactly what Americans are known for…
Anyhoo, enough with the End of Times, let’s talk about me!
Over the past few months I have started narrating/producing audiobooks for AuthorLoyalty and their partners. I have to say it has been a blast. I spent years podcasting my fiction (it’s how I started my career) and years podcasting writing advice (the soon to be resurrected Writing In Suburbia), so audio is something I gravitate towards. The income has been needed and welcome.
Want to hear what I’ve narrated? Check out Traitor here on Google Play (free!) and Audible (not free). More titles will be forthcoming as works are released.
Speaking of forthcoming…
I am currently writing the sixth Roak novel. Huzzah! It’s slow going since I am also working on other things, and I have no desire to kill myself with a writing schedule like I had previously, but you can expect to have it in your paws by the end of the year. I plan on rolling right into the seventh (and last) Roak novel to complete the series. Does this mean Roak goes away? No, it just means I can give y’all some closure so you’re no longer left hanging.
I also plan to provide closure with the third and final Flipside Sagas novel.
Oh, and if you really want some closure, I do plan on reviving and finishing the Kaiju Winter series with the fourth and final book. Currently you cannot buy the Kaiju books, but I did get the rights reverted to me and I’ll be publishing them myself. I need to finish the fourth book, record all four audiobooks, then publish everything at once. You know, just a couple things to do.
The “sort of” part of this post is that until I know my narration schedule I can’t give a definitive answer on when any of the novels will be done and out there. It’s one reason I have put off writing an update. I wanted to make some audiobook announcements, but it’s all taking a little longer than expected. So stay tuned for announcements!
What was that about resurrecting Writing In Suburbia? Yep, that’s gonna happen! I switched my newsletter service from Mailchimp to Substack which allows me to expand the scope of the podcast so that it becomes a forum for my work, my advice, my thoughts, my beliefs, my art, and much more. It’ll be a combo newsletter/podcast that will include podcast episodes where I revisit the past statements I’ve made on publishing (Writing In Suburbia Redux), podcast fiction (I’ll be releasing the original podcast version of Dead Mech), written announcements, links to videos of me doing “live” readings from home, weekly posts on my career and life, and semi-daily posts on Big Picture thoughts, faith and my beliefs, and so much more.
And it’ll all be free!
However…
Part of switching to Substack is that I can offer the option for folks to pay for a monthly/yearly subscription.
Why would anyone pay for something that is free? Not everyone will, that’s for sure. But I know I have some fans/readers/friends out there that appreciate what I do. Hopefully, that will be you! The first level will be “Buy Jake A Pint!” which’ll be $5 per month or $50 a year. Think of that for a second. Once a month you can buy me a virtual pint o’ beer for $5. There will be a “pay what you want” option for those that can’t hit the $5 per month level and also for those that feel super generous. The cool thing is that paid subscribers will get access to the full archive which will eventually have bonus content (Friday Night Drabble Party shall return!). Paid subscribers will also be able to join in on the community threads and speak directly to me about all kinds of subjects.
Speaking of all kinds of subjects…
Let’s get real, y’all. The times we are in really force you to look at yourself, your life, and what you stand for. I stand for justice, I stand for peace, I stand for change, and I stand for faith in something larger than ourselves. Most that know me won’t be surprised about any of that except for the last part. Faith. Even though my name is Jacob David Bible, I haven’t exactly made faith and belief in a higher power/god/buddha consciousness my main priority. That is changing. Don’t worry, I’ll still be me and won’t be shoving any communion wafers down your throats, but I will be posting my thoughts on faith, belief, religion, and all that spiritual jazz. It’ll be a semi-daily thing and should be very interesting to watch how things develop.
Okay, what else?
I think that’s it for now. Once I know what new books I’ll be narrating, I’ll let y’all know.
Oh, wait! Here’s the link to the new Writing In Suburbia with Jake Bible Please head on over there and subscribe. A version of this post will be the first thing you see, but there will be more content added starting in September/October. I’d give you an exact date, but making plans for the future is a shaky proposition, so just go subscribe to make sure you don’t miss anything.
Alright, I’m pretty sure that’s it for now. Quite a post, right?
I hope y’all are staying safe and healthy wherever you are. Please listen to reality and wear a mask. Most of all, be kind to each other.
Chat soon, y’all!
Cheers!
Slow And Steady…
Howdy, Y’all!
I know it’s been a while since I last updated everyone. Sorry about that. Time is in short supply.
Speaking of time in short supply, I need to be honest with everyone. I have no idea when the next novel will be published. It could be this year. It could be next year.
But more novels are coming!
Yes, more Roak will happen. And the last Flipside book. And maybe more Z-Burbia novels (I have ideas!). Oh, and more Team Grendel. I’ll also be revisiting/rejuvenating some titles/series that I abandoned due to poor sales. And there will be new stuff, too!
I am still writing, just short stuff right now. Also, I am focusing on re-releasing audiobooks and a whole new way of marketing them. I’ll update y’all on that, so stay tuned!
Anyhoo, rest assured that I haven’t stopped writing, I’m just no longer the fiction factory I used to be when I was writing full time.
And always feel free to email me or message me or post on Facebook. I will respond as fast as I can.
Thanks to all of you for your support!
Cheers,
Jake
A Bit of an Update
Hey, Y’all!
I wanted to give a quick update on the writing stuffs:
I am diving into indie publishing. I’ve gotten rights back to the Apex Trilogy (Dead Mech, The Americans, Metal and Ash) and I’m publishing those on my own. Going wide, y’all! That means for folks that don’t use Kindle you can now get all the Apex goodness!
I’m working on more Roak, but I plan on writing books 6 & 7 back to back, so there is a lot of prep going into finishing this series. Be patient as I work out all the details. I thought I’d get book 6 out in 2019, but odds are that will not be happening. Stay tuned!
The third book in The Flipside sagas will happen after I finish the Roak series. 2020? Maybe. All depends on progress with Roak.
I’m getting back into writing short fiction, so be on the lookout for announcements on where you can read the new stories. Better yet, sign up for my newsletter! I’ll be sending out news more frequently now.
There’ll be more news soon, but that’s it for now. If you want a few more details (and some slightly dated info) then check out my original post here: The End. The Beginning.
Cheers!
Jake
October 2019
The End. The Beginning.
Well, folks, as you are very aware, life never stays static. It never sits still and never waits for you to catch up. Life keeps on moving.
And with that movement (he he, I said movement), comes constant change.
For the past five years I have been lucky to have been given the gift of being able to write full time. Very few writers get that opportunity. Remember, only 5% of professional writers do it full time. The Arts is a tough career to crack.
With a kid in college, and one heading there soon, plus maybe a retirement at some point before Death takes me away in its bony clutches, we can no longer rely on my writing income to cut the mustard. That’s a saying. Cut the mustard. What was mustard like way back when they had to cut it? That’s some thick mustard. Crazy…
Anyhoo, I am now going back into the world of sales. I’ll be the sales manager for the retail division of A-B Emblem. Check them out. It’s gonna be a pretty cool gig, actually, and I’m looking forward to it. And being a sales manager means I’ll be working over 40 hours per week plus traveling to trade shows. Gonna cut down on my writing time. A lot.
Which means… Bullet point time!
- Expect the next Roak novel late 2019.
- Expect the third/last Flipside Sagas novel sometime in 2020.
- There will be no new Z-Burbia novels. For now…
- The kaiju series is officially over. No 4th novel. 3rd novel didn’t sell, so no point in chasing bad money with good words.
- Team Grendel will always be a favorite of mine, but if new novels happen it will be years from now. Years. Do not ask when. Years…
- There won’t be anymore Dead Mech or Fighting Iron novels or any continuation of any of the small series.
- Writing In Suburbia had its last episode released. After March I will be taking the podcast down. Download those episodes now!
- I’ll still be co-hosting the Asheville/WNC Writers Coffeehouse.
What does this mean for Jake Bible Fiction? Well, that’s a very good question. The newsletter will still be going out. I’ll still write some drabbles now and again, but not on a weekly basis. And all of the novels I’ve written will still be available for purchase! I’ve written 60 novels, 50 of them in the last five years, so I’m guessing there are some you haven’t read. Yes, I’m looking at you right there. You know who you are…
Join the newsletter. Join the Jake Bible Fiction FB group. Consult rune stones. Stay tuned. I’ll make periodic announcements as things happen.
I know I have said that the only way you fail at writing is to quit, and this may seem like quitting to many of you, but it’s not. I have zero intention of quitting writing. I am simply quitting it as a full time, sole income gig. Just like 95% of the profession, I’ll be doing it part time and only when I can. Life and work and family and all that jazz comes first. There’s something to be said about the peace of mind that a stable income brings and I look forward to that peace of mind.
In the meantime, check out the lists of novels and audiobooks above. I have menu links, people! MENU LINKS! Get a book you haven’t read yet. Listen to the new versions of the MEGA audiobooks. Re-read my first novel (Dead Mech). Have fun!
And just know that this isn’t goodbye. Far from it. This is simply a reboot of what has been so far an amazing ride as a professional writer. Death and rebirth has been the major theme of my life for as long as I can remember. Welcome to the rebirth folks. I hope you enjoy the journey with me!
Oh, and if you are an author or publisher and you need custom patches made (YOU DO!) then hit me up. I can make that happen.
Cheers,
Jake
December 2018/January 2019
Updated: July 2019