Josh Hayes
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It's been three years!?

6/26/2019

2 Comments

 
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Holy cow...

I mean, I know I don't update this page as much as I should, but damn...

I'll do better.

So, what have I been up to?

Well, I've written a four book series with Richard Fox called the Terra Nova Chronicles. It's set in his Ember War universe and the final installment just published today!  YAY!! This series has been a blast to write. I love the characters and really enjoyed crafting the action sequences, especially the final battle between the Pathfinders and Kyrios, that gave me chills.

I've written a crap-ton of short stories. 

I've written a novel in Jason Anspach's and Nick Cole's Galaxy's Edge Universe called "Stryker's War". Right now it's exclusively on Audible.com, but soon it will be out in ebook and print. That was a ridiculously fun story to write and I'm honored and blessed I had the opportunity to write it.

I've started a project called Ashland, set in JN Chaney's Renegade Universe, which has been a blast so far. It's basically Mad Max in an alien planet with lots of violence and big explosions. It's pretty legit... LOOK I even have a cover to show you:

Also, last but not least, my very first solo novel, Edge of Valor is coming out in a couple days and I'm nervous as hell about it! Everyone that's had a chance to read an early copy has absolutely loved it and I've received some pretty kick ass editorial reviews, so I'm really excited to see how the readers receive it. Valor has been a passion project of mine for about six years, so seeing it finally hit book shelves is kind of a dream come true for me.

So, anyway, that's where I've been. I shall not neglect you again fair blog!

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Keystroke Medium

5/1/2016

3 Comments

 
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So, if your a regular visitor to my page, you'll know that I post a blog here about once every three blue moons. That's my bad.

But there's is some pretty cool stuff going on in my writing life that I wanted to share!

For almost two years now, ever since I decided to jump into this whole indie publishing thing, a fellow author, Scott Moon, and I have been getting together once a week to talk about our writing, production ideas, marketing plans and just about everything else that's involved with writing (and selling) books. Froese meetings have been hugely beneficial to both of us for a many number of reasons, most noteably for motivation to keep going. Honestly, if you're a writer and you don't have a writing buddy, get one.

Anyway, a couple of months ago we couldn't meet up on our scheduled day because my house was full of children and one very hyped-up Shitzu, so we decided to meet online. We talked for our usual hour and throughout that time we began to realize that maybe we were saying things that other writers might be interested in hearing. So, The Write Stuff Show was born and so we decided to record our meetings and share them with the world, (those who cared to listen anyway.)
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Our original idea seemed to grow and grow as we talked and planned, and over the next few weeks the idea which started as a simple weekly discussion between friends grew into Keystroke Medium. Now, instead of one show, there are three and instead of just friends chatting, we now are talking with successful authors and reviewing their books. We've had two interviews so far on our show LIVE! and reviewed our first book, Control. Alt. Revolt!

We've had a blast watching how excited people are about the show and seeing it grow, literally right in front of our eyes. We've got some fantastic guests lined up for the show and think our listeners/viewers are going to get a ton of value for their time.

Normally, we record our shows on Friday mornings, generally between 930am and 11am, usually on a site called Blab (however, due to some technical issues that may be changing. We'll see.)

Check us out live, or check replays of the show on YouTube or at our website: Keystroke Medium

3 Comments

Keystroke Medium and The Write Stuff Show

3/18/2016

5 Comments

 
So, I’ve been neck deep in revising Shadows of Neverland (Second Star Book 3) and haven’t had time for much else. However, there are some new happening of late that some of you might be interested in.
 
Almost two years ago, I learned that one of my co-workers was also an indie author and began reading one of his first books, Enemy of Man. Since then, Scott Moon and I have been meeting almost every week to discuss the craft and share news and write. We’ve both learned a lot and helped each other grow as authors.
 
A few weeks ago, when we weren’t able to meet in person, I suggested we meet on-line and video chat our weekly meeting. This spawned an idea:
 
Why not record our sessions and put them up for others to share and view?
 
The Write Stuff Show was born.
 
Using a service called Blab.im we are able to share our chats live, on-line, where people can watch and interact with us live during the show. Then we can export those shows to YouTube for later viewing.
 
I figured if we were recording them anyway, we might as well put together a podcast and expand our reach to people that might not want to sit and watch the entire session, but might send a few minutes here and there listening.
 
We’ve chosen to present our collaborative efforts under the name Keystroke Medium and share them in every format we can.
 
You can check out our YouTube Channel here: Keystroke Medium (be sure to subscribe!!)
 
If your interested in the podcast, you can stream or download each episode here: Keystroke Medium
 
(iTunes support is on the horizon)
 
Thanks for you support guys! I really appreciate!
 
Josh
5 Comments

Ready for a New Year and New Challenges!

12/22/2015

1 Comment

 
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If you've been following my Facebook updates, which you had better be doing, you already know I'm a little over three-quarters of the way through Shadows of Neverland, the third of my Second Star series. This is a first draft and even after I’m finished with it, there will still be a shit-ton of work to do.

Here's a sneak peek at the cover: 

I’ve had some really productive weeks over the last month and a half, or so, and I feel that the story is really taking off for me. I’m learning so much more about my characters in this book than the previous two and I feel, as a whole, this book is more complete than Breaking Through and Forgotten Prince.
 
They say that your writing should improve with each new project, and I can say, with a fair amount of certainty, that mine certainly has. (At least I hope it has, I guess you’ll ultimately be the judge of that...)
 
*crosses fingers*
 
During the last month I’ve started to listen to several indie publishing podcasts, which are not only entertaining, but also extremely educational.
 
A writer friend of mine suggested Write. Publish. Repeat. by the Self-Publishing Podcast guys: Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt, I finished it about a week ago and found myself wondering why I hadn’t read it before. The book is packed full of useful information that isn’t just your usual “get rich quick schemes” or “how I should a million ebooks in 5 easy steps”, rather, their guide shows you exactly how they’ve made their living up from nothing and the best ways they’ve found to create a memorable author brand.
 
 I’ve got some ideas for 2016 that hopefully will push my writing and brand to the next level:
 
1) I’ll be finishing up the Second Star series and continue work on a military science fiction novel (and hopefully the start of a new series if people like it).
 
2) I’ve started to live-stream some of my writing sessions, so those who care to see how my books come together can either hop on and watch live, or catch the videos later on my YouTube channel. Next year I’m planning to do some video book reviews and maybe some interviews or just random videos on fun things.
 
3) Networking. I want to get to at least one writer’s conference next year, most likely OWFI in Oklahoma.
 
I made a promise at the beginning of 2015 that I was going to become a more serious writer than I had been in 2014, and to date I have more than doubled my word count and learned a shit-ton about the art (and science) of writing. In 2016 I hope to double my word count again, and obviously continue to learn and grow my craft!
 
Thanks for all your support guys! It means the world to me!
 
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Fantastic New Year!
 
See ya!
 
Josh 

1 Comment

Hello...is this thing on?

11/4/2015

1 Comment

 
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Hello, hello…is this thing on? Ah…there we are…
 
Again, it’s been a ridiculously long time since I’ve blogged, and man…I’m sorry about that! But I’ve got some cool news I wanted to share, so I figured there’s no better time than now to start back up again!
 
This week I’ve been gearing up for my first writer’s conference where I’m actually selling physical—turn an actual page—books, and I’m really excited about it. I ordered the largest quantity of books I’ve ever ordered to have ensure I have enough on hand to sell (I’m not planning on selling out, but you never know!) and I also ordered bookmarks to giveaway and secretly drop in peoples bags as they walk by!
 
Oh, sneaky, sneaky!
 
I just finished printing out price information sheets and an abbreviated bio to display, even though I’m not really sure if that’s a necessary thing or not. But I figure, what the hell, they will read it or they won’t. Either way they’ll see my name, and maybe…just maybe they’ll buy my book, or, at the very least, tell a friend to buy my book.
 
Since it’s been a while since I’ve updated anything at all on here, I’ll give you guys a little update on what’s been going on in my world.
 
THE FORGOTTEN PRINCE did pretty well during it’s initial launch, but BREAKING THROUGH did very well during it’s promo period and shot up to #2 in it’s category on Amazon. I think that’s pretty freakin’ sweet!
 
I’ve received a few more reviews on both books from the promo’s and garnered my first two 1 Star reviews, both of which we’re pretty harsh. But hey, not everyone is going to like my writing, hell, George R R Martin’s books have plenty of 1 Star reviews and he’s a millionaire.

I also went on my first waterfowl hunt with some family, and let me just say, I think I may have the duck fever! Had a blast hunting game and spending some much needed time away from the computer and the city, and just enjoying the outdoors. I do foresee some duck hunting interfering with my writing time in the future!
 
I do want to give a big thank you to all your support thus far and hope you stay around for years to come! I truly do appreciate each and every one of my readers and value your time and thoughts!
 
Josh

1 Comment

The Forgotten Prince is Live!

8/17/2015

1 Comment

 
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The Forgotten Prince has arrived, and after a fantastic day for Breaking Through this weekend has been very exciting. 

You can pick up both from here: Josh Hayes Author Page

Over 1700 people snatched up copies of Breaking Through over the last week, and pushed the first book in the Second Star series to #1 in Space Opera on Amazon and #10 overall in science fiction in the Amazon free store. Not to mention the awesome reviews and that have been coming in for both books.

I’m truly humbled by the amount of people taking the time to read my book. With The Forgotten Prince being in KDP Select I can see how many pages are actually being read, and let me tell you that’s pretty darn cool.

With Prince finished and published, I’ve started draft work on Shadows of Neverland and I’m very excited to be working on something fresh for a change. After looking at the Prince manuscript for over six months, day after day, it’s nice to see some blank space on the screen, waiting to be filled.

I’ve already got most of the book planned out and the words are flowing, I’m hoping I can keep up my current pace and have the draft done by November. My goal is to have Shadows released by the New Year. It’s a pretty ambitious schedule, but I think I can make it work. Book 3 gets into the meat of the story and is where I think all the characters will really start to shine.

Thank you to everyone that’s bought the book already, your support means the world to me! I hope you all continue to enjoy our journey through Neverland together.

Josh


1 Comment

Pre-order Giveaway!

8/8/2015

1 Comment

 
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Amazon uses algorithms for everything and one of those is how they calculate rankings for titles on launch day. New release titles receive bonuses to help them move up the charts easier than titles already published, to give them more visibility.

This is where pre-orders come into play:

All purchases received during the pre-order period are not counted until launch day, no matter when the person actually bought the book. This adds to the actual launch day sales and hopefully will push the title higher up the charts and get some real visibility.

So, what can you do to help?  PRE-ORDER   Click here:  The Forgotten Prince

And for everyone that pre-orders and sends me proof of purchase, I will put them into a list to receive one of three signed paperback proofs of The Forgotten Prince when they become available. (Should be a week after official launch)

It’s a win-win, help me out and win a free signed-book. How can you go wrong?


1 Comment

Just another day...

7/9/2015

3 Comments

 
So, I completely forgot how much work it takes to release a book after the writing is finished.  I put The Forgotten Prince up for pre-order and have spent the last couple of days sending out emails, making release announcements and working out a promotional strategy to get the most out of launch day.

I spent all my “writing time” last night reformatting Breaking Through so that readers can simply follow a link at the end of the book to the next one. I added some cool chapter headings that match the typeface of the new covers and in my opinion the book looks a lot more professional than the last version.

Still pounding away at the keys and making progress on Edge of Valor. I moved the completion date back 2 months to give me more time for marketing and things for The Forgotten Prince. If I can keep on task and get my daily word counts while still prepping to launch Prince I should have a completed first draft by Sept. 30th.

Definitely looking forward to what the next month brings. Launching is always exciting and I’m hoping this launch will be even more successful than book one!

Not a whole lot to post today, so back to writing it is!
3 Comments

Shoot off fireworks and manuscripts

7/4/2015

4 Comments

 
Happy Independence Day!

Sent off my latest manuscript to my editor this week and I’m feeling pretty good about it. They say the number one hurdle to overcome as a writer is finishing the book. Well, now I’ve done that twice. I’m not sure what took me so long to finish it, though.

When I published my first book [Breaking Through] I had book two [The Forgotten Prince] almost completely written, well the first draft anyway, and it’s taken me almost six months to revise and produce a finished manuscript that hopefully doesn’t suck.

Having said that, I think that Prince is a much better book than Breaking Through, both in style and format. We get to learn a little bit more about the people and unravel some of the mysteries of Neverland. I’ve received some good early feedback from by alpha readers and I’m looking forward to getting the book out there to the masses.

I’m aiming for a September launch, but I’m holding off on setting a pre-order date until I see my editor’s notes on the manuscript. Once I get those back I’ll have a pretty good idea how long it will take to wrap everything up and put it all together for release.

I’m still looking for ARC readers, so if your interested give me a shout and I’ll make sure you are one of the first to get your hands on The Forgotten Prince when it’s ready!

Oh, and on a side note: Breaking Through is now *permafree* on Amazon, so if you know someone who hasn’t read it yet, now would be a perfect time to get them into the series!

4 Comments

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack!

5/25/2015

2 Comments

 
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Holy crap, my last post was on January 4th? Are you serious right now?

…What a slacker!

Okay, in my defense, I’ve been house-shopping, packing, moving, unpacking, decorating, sorting, storing, unpacking again, packing again, oh, and dealing with a teething baby. Not that I’ve been busy or anything…

On top of all that, I’ve been hard at work wrapping up revisions on Second Star: The Forgotten Prince (Book 2 for those of you counting) and plotting out books 3 and 4. I spent about two days working out a few different plotlines for the series and I think I have it narrowed down and set, of course, I’m sure once the characters get involved my carefully laid out plan with probably go to shit.

I’ve also started work on separate project I started planning last year and it’s starting to come along nicely. It’s a standalone novel, but it will be set in a universe I have planned for an epic space opera that’s been living in by head for the better part of ten years. The working title for the project is At What Cost, but I know that will change and I'm going to work on that while The Forgotten Prince is going through beta and final edits.

I guess while were on the topic of Prince, I’m looking at releasing around mid to late July, depending on how long it takes for editing and final revisions and formatting. Stay tuned for updates on that!

Also, I’ve been hard at work with my completely lack of Photoshop skills and think I have come up with a pretty decent cover for Prince. I found a new title font that I think shows more of the book’s character. On that note, I have redesigned the cover for Breaking Through to keep the look of the series consistent.

Anyway, enough rambling, it’s good to be back at it again!

Next week, exclusive content for my email subscribers is going out, so if you haven’t signed up you better get on it!


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