Gunpowder and Ink!

I posted a little video update on FB the other day, and on a couple of the forums that I visit to let folks know where I’m at on Conquering Prehistoric.

To sum up my writing over the past few months, I wrote 16,000 words in November when my daughter was doing well. December a bit less, because work took more out of my PTO than expected… then in January I wrote 250 words, because she’s not doing well anymore.

As family comes first, the book is on the back burner. It’s probably 90% finished, and I’ve the rest of it already planned out in my head. I just need to find time and energy to work on it. And until my daughter is doing better, that’s going to be hard to find.

But we are meeting with some specialists next month to work out a protocol to help her. It will likely involve IVIG infusions and take a few months. As this illness ebbs and wanes, I expect I’ll get some more writing time in… this is just a really hard time right now. So don’t worry, the book will be finished… just not today.

(It’s taken me two days to get this much written for a blog post… I’m trying to speed through this before she needs me again.)

In other news, I got a cool shout out from Pro-Gun Millennial’s Blog.

https://progunmillennial.com

Red Menace’s Reading Room: 2023 Recap

West of Prehistoric by Erik Testerman – A great adventure novel set in the American West of the 1880’s except with dinosaurs and barbaric ape men. The premise is a lot of fun, the characters are great, and the action scenes were brutal. I can’t wait to get into the rest of the series. Also, apparently the author is a fan of us here at PGM. So on the off chance you’re reading this: Great book! 10/10

Groovy.

🙂

And as always, if you’ve read my books or listened to them on audible, please leave a review. It really helps sell more books, and the more books I sell the more likely I am to keep this side gig going. And tell your friends. Gift them copies. Be that guy(or gal!) that doesn’t shut up about how great cowboys and dinosaurs are and that you know this author who did this book thing that was awesome…

Til next time!

Erik.

I was supposed to have Conquering Prehistoric finished by end of year. That’s been my goal for some time now. And I failed miserably at that. The book is turning out to be longer than initially thought, and I spent a week sick with zero writing, and finally in my list of excuses, work unexpectedly took more out of my ‘time off’ than I thought.

Anyways, as I tell my kids when they complain, “Waaa, waaa, waaa.”

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, we did. No snow, but plenty of rain… to the point of nearly being a hurricane. I think the rain was blowing sideways when we reached my parents Christmas Day, after driving an hour through the wet fog. (You know it’s starting to get bad when people put on their hazards)

But my sister and my little brother were in town. So the entire family was there. Plus 4 dogs. (I didn’t bring any of ours. Because they are either monstrously too big to join in or laughably too tiny to play with others.)

I didn’t take any pictures either. So I’ve nothing to share.

Well, I did take this one of myself and ‘Skyla’. (I tried for three days to get a hair cut and never succeeded in doing so…)

Anyways, 2024 is just around the corner. And I’m excited, I always like the start of a new year. And 2024 is shaping up to be an interesting one already.

Resolutions are kind of hokey, but I’d like to get back in shape since I’m dang near pre-diabetic now, shoot guns more, and work on my writing/time management.

I wish you all the best ending of 2023 and the brightest of beginnings to 2024.

Erik.

So excited. I’m going to listen to it today.

The best man from my wedding narrated this. He built a sound studio in his house for it. So I’m expecting it to be full on awesome and the beginning of a long and royalty happy side gig for him.

I’m going to listen to it today.

Groovy.

Link below.

RAIDING PREHISTORIC – AUDIBLE

16,000 word written this month.

That might actually be a high score for me. Although, I may have done just as well back in June 2018 when I started writing. But to be fair, most of that was garbage that was either thrown out or heavily rewritten. (I originally had a point of view from the Big Bad Ape in West of Prehistoric… it was…laughably bad…) These 16,000 words are all useable, just need a little editing.

And I absolutely could not have done it without my daughter’s health improving. We’ve still a long way to go, but there is a noticeable change for the better. Yay heavy antibiotics hidden in ice cream for the win. And a major thank you all for your prayers, they worked!

Conquering Prehistoric sits at 55,000 words right now. The minimum goal is 70,000 words for a full length book, and I try for 100,000… but I let it end where it ends between those numbers.

And I think seeing that I wrote basically over a quarter of the book in a single month shows just how difficult writing has been this year.

At this rate though, plus with my PTO I need to burn before the end of the year, I might actually finish it by New Years. Then I can start sending out copies for proof reading while I get back to work on the WWII book.

Will there be another West of Prehistoric book?

I don’t know. I’ve talked before about wanting to start another series in that world about 20-30 years later. The concept resides in my head right now. There aren’t any notes or outlines or such yet. I also know of a great way to continue Jed and Skyla’s story, the villain for that will be set up at the end of Conquering Prehistoric.

It just comes down to sales and what the publisher wants.

And I’ve currently got my 5 book contract signed with Conundrum… They’ve been nice enough to not give me a strict deadline. But I don’t want to abuse their hospitality by doing more WoP books while owing them.

All I can tell you is… tell your friends about these WoP books if you like them. Spread the word, buy them for your kids, post about them on your various web forums, help them sell so the publisher wants more.

And buy the future books I write. Help me stay a relevant writer.

My broken down Jeep Wrangler depends on those royalties. 🙂

I almost forgot.

Audiobook for Raiding Prehistoric! I think it’s wrapping up now. I know my buddy took a week off from work to get some audio time in his sound booth.

He even sent me a picture of himself working on it.

Then he dared to text me asking if I intentionally misspelled a word.

The audacity!

Anyways…

I hope you all had a magnificent Thanksgiving. And I’ll update you again around Christmas.

Erik

To everyone who complains today…, go suck a deviled egg.

I’m thankful for my ancestors, who were explorers, conquerors, inventors, and ultimately… better fighters. They came to this continent with little more than an axe, a sword, faith in God, and started an empire.

Bless them for giving up a life of comfort and safety to seek out a better existence for themselves and their descendants at the risk of their own wealth and lives.

We owe them a lot.

It was through America that the world was modernized. And it was not the native Americans who did so, but the white man who took a great continent, reaped its many resources, and developed technology that set the world on fire. In less than 250 years, we went from horseback to the moon. That could not have been achieved without the great freedom our ancestors provided for us, knowing that they’d never see it, but trusting in Divine Providence to see their hopes and dreams passed on to future generations.

I won’t go into how we’ve squandered their sacrifice. Because today is a day to be thankful.

And my cup runneth over.

I am thankful to have been born in America and know my Lord and Savior.

I’m thankful for my family and their mostly good health. (BTW my daughter’d health is improving! Praise God!)

I’m thankful for my friends, my enemies, and the many people who work so diligently to keep this great country running. (No not politicians)

I’m grateful for the skills and abilities I possess, including being able to write books and score Expert Rifleman 5x in the Marine Corps. 😉

I’m grateful for you. Without you, my writing would be empty words on a page. You give them meaning by being entertained.

And I’m grateful for life. It is a noble thing to be in the trenches of a fallen world and struggle mightily to spread the Gospel.

I hope tou all have a marvelous Thanksgiving. And a wonderful nap afterwards.