The OCD Writer

When I write, I tend to subscribe to the "letting the story flow" school of thought.  Writing outlines does not work for me, even if my ideas are basically outlined in my head.  Most times, though, I have an idea for the beginning, end, and a couple stopping points on the way.  As I make my way through these points, my mind tends to start doing its own thing and taking me down paths I didn't expect(usually with good results.)

Ask a Question, Get an Answer

Hello all,

Not that I like to show my son off or anything...

So, I find myself heading back into the world of...gulp...employment.  After a nice, extended length of time as a stay at home dad, I will once again be out in the world of work.  

Why am I blogging about this?  Well, naturally my writing time will take a hit.  As you may have noticed from my progress bars to the lower left of the blog(I'm just pimping 'em cuz I love 'em), I've got the vast majority of the first draft of Book 2 of Korin's Journal wrapped up.  I still plan on finishing by the end of the year with a release before March 2013.  Mid December at the earliest, March at the latest.  

Chapter 9 Excerpt

In celebration of finishing another chapter as well as the first short-story for the collection I am working on, here's yet another excerpt from Book 2 of Korin's Journal.  Enjoy!

Brian Beam

Progress Bars!

For anyone interested in my progress for Book 2 of Korin's Journal(which admittedly has and will be moving at a slower pace for a while), I have now included a progress bar on the lower left hand side of the page here.  Notice that I have progress bars for two other current projects as well.  Those will definitely be moving at a snail's pace(or slower), but are both projects that I am 100% invested in completing and releasing at some point(more details to come later).  Since I do not fully outline my writing, the percentages are solely estimations, but will still be a good indicator of where I stand on them.

I have just wrapped up the first draft of Chapter 37 of Book 2 of Korin's Journal and am about to get to all kinds of excitement, revelations, and a healthy dose of action.  Someone(s) may even die(gasp!)  Or...maybe I'm just messing with you .  You'll just have to wait and find out ;).

Have a great week, everyone.

Until next time,



Brian Beam

National Buy A Book Day: Part 2

Well, it's National Buy a Book Day in which book lovers are encouraged to go out to their local bookstore(independent or otherwise...as long as it's a BOOKSTORE and not Wal-mart or something) and buy a full priced book to support bookstores, publishers, and authors.  Bookstores, especially independent ones, are struggling in an age of Kindles, Nooks, iPads, and low-priced online retailers, so I fully support this concept.

Today, me and my 22 month old son  to Literary Bookpost, a local independent bookstore here in Salisbury, NC(http://www.literarybookpost.com/).  First of all, I was thoroughly impressed by what they had to offer and their support of indie and local authors.  That, and they had a slide in the kid's section that Jonas focused all his attention on...even though he has the exact same slide at home.

Anyway, I picked up a book called Not So Random from local author, N.J. Simpson ( http://www.njsimpson.com/, http://www.amazon.com/N.J.-Simpson/e/B00501K0DQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1) though it's outside my preferred genres.  I also got Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, the first in a children's series by my favorite author, Brandon Sanderson.  At night, my son actually likes having books without pictures read to him, so I'm going to use it to introduce him to Brandon Sanderson's genius early on :).  Lastly, I got Jonas a picture book called Dragons Love Tacos, because, come on, who doesn't?

National Buy A Book Day - Sept. 7, 2012

I had never heard of National Buy a Book Day until today - probably because it's only been around a couple  years  and hasn't become fully recognized yet.  However, I love the idea of it.  The gist is that on September 7th, you are encouraged to buy a new book at full price from a local bookstore.  The purpose is to promote the publishing industry as a whole: the authors, publishers, and bookstores who provide us with the books we love.  Buying a new book at full price ensures full profit for all involved.

Book 2: Chapter 1 Excerpt

Alright, as I promised, here's an excerpt from Book 2 of Korin's Journal(official title coming soon, I swear!).  I really, really wanted to keep spoilers from The Dragon Gem to a minimum, but I also wanted to post a little more than what I'm about to.  Therefore, if you have already read The Dragon Gem, don't plan on reading it, or you just don't care about spoilers, I have put a link on the left side of the page leading to the full first chapter of the next book.  Be warned, there is a literal recap of the whole first book in the full chapter.

Remember this is the first draft.  Things may change.  They may not.  I may just decide to rewrite it as a musical with dance numbers and audience participation(the first 3 rows may get wet)...okay, maybe not.  My point is that there may be some editing needs that haven't been addressed, mainly because nothing in book 2 has been properly edited yet.  If you see an issue, feel free to point it out, but the purpose of this post is simply to reveal a little of what's to come in the story.

So, here's an excerpt from Chapter 1: Recaps And Broken Kneecaps.   Enjoy!

Brian Beam

Book 2 Info

So, as I continue through the final third of the first draft of Book 2 of Korin's Journal, I'd like to start posting more information about it.  To start, here's the titles of the first 19 chapters comprising the first major story arc in which Korin  makes his way to Tahron with some little(read: catastrophically major) hiccups including being kidnapped, hunted down by a tattooed Contract Holder, enslaved, and confronted with disturbing revelations about his father and the war in Gualain.

Remnants of the Past

(Because sometimes we hang out with peacocks and emus)

It's been a little while since I posted a blog.  Seems life has a funny way of getting in the way.

Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to post the prologue to an abandoned book I started back in high school over ten years ago now(hm...does that mean I'm getting old?).  The book was going to be called Secret of the Kolari: Book One of the Broken Cycle Saga.  Ten chapters in, I shelved it, but I found myself looking back at it tonight and decided to share a bit of it.

If you have read The Dragon Gem, you  probably noticed from the name alone that I carried over ideas from Secret of the Kolari to it.  Mainly, I just recycled a bunch of names.  Korin, Menar, Geeron, Kolarin, Ingran, and Kipp are just a few names that made the transfer.  Korin was the name of the protagonist for Secret of the Kolari, though he had a twin brother named Kris.   

Next time, I'll post some information on Book 2 of Korin's Journal.  I'm still a few months away from finishing the first draft, but I'm ready to post some longer excerpts, chapter names, and maybe even a title reveal in the near future. I'm also hoping to find some beta readers to check out the first story arc of it soon to get some feedback, so if you have any interest in participating, drop me a line here, www.facebook.com/brianbeamauthor, or at bbeams32@gmail.com.

I'll end by reminding everyone that I have posted a giveaway for a signed copy of The Dragon Gem on Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/31584-the-dragon-gem.  It runs until the end of September.

So, without further ado, and no guarantees on grammar,  here's the prologue to the abandoned Secret of the Kolari.

Best wishes to all,

Brian Beam

Moving On

Well, got all moved into our house in North Carolina(if huge stacks of packed boxes counts as moved in).  Looking forward to getting back to writing on my book over the next few days.  With all the unpacking ahead of us, watching the little guy when my wife's at work, and looking for work myself, my free time will be few and far between, but as any writer will testify, you've just got to make it work.

Anyway, we've moved to Granite Quarry, NC which is strange in that many yards randomly have huge chunks of rock just jutting out of the ground.  It's a beautiful area, though, and I appreciate being a little closer to the ocean(4+ hours, but it sure beats the 10-12 hours from where we lived before).  

I'm just going to keep this brief since I have a good million priorities I should be seeing to over writing posts!  Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

Brian Beam

Feet Back on the Road

So, went for my first run since my appendectomy three weeks ago.  If any reading this are joggers, then you know how frustrating it can be when something keeps you from running.  Runners are of a special stubbornness-the kind where even after surgery, you think "Maybe if I just go for a mile or so, my intestines won't spill onto the pavement..."

Anyway, being a licensed nurse(which brings about a whole other special breed of stubbornness), I tried to be good and wait until at least after my follow-up MD visit before setting back out for a run.  My follow-up went well and with my move to NC coming up this week, this was my last chance to get out there and test the waters, so to speak.

I set out for a slow one-miler in an effort to take things slowly and ended up with two just over my pre-surgery pace!  

For me, this is not just a huge thing for just getting back into the joy of running, but also because running plays a major role in my writing(and writers have yet another unique stubbornness).  When I feel like my plot has run into a wall(or down into a deep, dark hole for that matter), that I'm in a rut, that my creativity has run dry, or I have good ol' fashioned writer's block, a good run is all I need to dig myself out.  Most of my plots points originated during a good run.

So, hopefully this will help keep me a little more focused on my book.  Thirty minutes to an hour of running may take away that much time from writing, but more than makes up for it in inspiration.

Have a great week, everyone!

Brian Beam

The Dragon Gem Book Trailer

Thanks to a handy-dandy(that's right, I said handy-dandy) Animoto tutorial on Indies Unlimited( www.indiesunlimited.com ), The Dragon Gem: Book One of Korin's Journal now has a nifty(yep, nifty) book trailer.  Check it out at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW1qAgbS2Bo

Special thanks to Pluto Revolts for allowing me to use their song, Suffer No Delusions for the trailer.  Pluto Revolts is a great band from the Cincinnati, OH area.  Check them out at http://www.plutorevolts.com/ and show them some love!

Hope you enjoy the trailer!  

Brian Beam

Book 2 Excerpt

Here's a (very)small excerpt from Book 2 of Korin's Journal to A) prove that I'm actually working on it and B) prove that some answers about Korin's past will finally be revealed in this book.  I had to reword the first sentence to avoid a major spoiler from The Dragon Gem.  I'm still a long ways from finishing the story and even further from having it fully edited and ready for publishing(still shooting for Dec 2012 release if possible).  If anyone is interested, I would love to put up more excerpts every now and then just to give clues as to what to look forward to in this book.  Maybe I'll reveal the title one of these days too :-P Enjoy!

Brian Beam

Max stared solemnly across the waters..  “You know, a part of me thought I would never tell you all of this.  There was a time when I lost hope, when I truly believed that my life would be spent watching you grow up on that farm.”  He shook his head and looked up at me.  “I must start this with a heartfelt apology.”

I licked my dry lips to work up some moisture.  My nerves had dried out my mouth.  “It’s okay, Max.”

“No,” he replied, staring back out across the lake.  “I told you before that it was for your own good.  When I really think about it, it was actually more for my own.”  He paused for a moment.  The chilly breeze picked up as if to prod him to speak.  “I just ask that you allow me to speak this out.  I know you will have questions, but I just ask that they wait.”

Useless Body Parts

So, for anyone who doesn't know, one of my birthday presents this year was appendicitis. Went in, got it taken out, had to stay an extra day because of a high white blood cell count, and am now back at home. Fun stuff. What better way to ring in the big 3-0.

 Appendectomies are fairly routine and they caught my appendicitis early, so it wasn't anything too major. Just lots of pre-op pain followed by some post-op soreness. My wife has gotten on me about how instead of focusing about recovering, I have been getting on myself about my lack of writing. You would think that surgery would be a great excuse to just lay around and write, but instead, I find the nausea and pain-med loopiness does not lend well to writing. The worst part is that I'm at a place in Book 2 of Korin's Journal that I've wanted to get to from the very beginning. It is a pivotal point in not just this story, but the series as a whole. I don't want to screw it up by thinking, "Wow, this sounds great" while on Vicodin only to look at it the next week and see that I actually just wrote a short story about bunny rabbits from Venus or something. 

Complaints aside, I have officially started on a couple other writing projects as I work on Book 2 of Korin's Journal. I have some ideas I am really loving, so I hope something comes out of them. Anyway, if any of this came across as whiny, feel free to hunt me down and give me a good smack and say "Shape up, wuss!" or something along those lines.

 Have a great week, everyone!

 Brian Beam

Some Hometown Love

So, I gave a couple freebie copies of the Dragon Gem to my hometown's independent bookstore just for the fact that my book could A) Be available in a bookstore, and B) Be available in a bookstore I spent so much time at as a kid(well, in their old location at least).

Anyway, since the bookstore also doubles as a candy store, my wife stopped by the bookstore to get me some chocolate covered gummy bears(shut up, they're delicious!) and took this pic of The Dragon Gem displayed in the front of the store.  I'm not sure how I feel about Fifty Shades Darker trying to rub up on it, though...

In all seriousness, as a writer, seeing my book displayed like this makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...even if they were giveaway copies that I won't see a dime for. A special thank you to Bardstown Booksellers in Bardstown, KY for stocking it and already selling one of the copies I gave them!

Brian Beam

You Might Be A Writer If...

You have nightmares about getting bad reviews.

Last night I dreamed that I received a scathing review for The Dragon Gem on Amazon.  The reviewer stated that after the first couple of chapters, they saw absolutely no reason why anyone would want to continue reading the rest.  Then they attacked the length of my book, saying it was way too short for the price, though my book is a healthy 140,000 words.  Anyway, this actually woke me up with my heart speeding.  Sad, huh?


Coincidentally, this morning on my favorite indie author site, Indies Unlimited, there was this great feature that listed one-star reviews for some of the most classic literary works of all time. Be sure to check it out at http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2012/07/06/one-star-reviews-of-the-hundred-greatest-novel-100-76/.It was an eye-opener in that it helped me realize that, as with all books, whether my book is good or bad, eventually, someone is going to dislike it enough to want to let the world know that they felt it was a nice big pile of...


That day hasn't come yet, but I think when it does, I think I'll be better prepared now.


That said, The Dragon Gem just received a good review from The Ink Puddle!  It can be found at http://ink-puddle.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-dragon-gem-book-one-of-korins.html.  It's a great review blog, so give it a look!


Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!


Brian Beam

Shameless Plugging

Thanks to B&N offering the print version of The Dragon Gem for 28% off, Amazon has it price matched.  You may now pick up your physical copy for $11.51(as opposed to 15.99) from either site (or $2.99 for Kindle or Nook).

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Dragon-Gem-Korins-Journal/dp/1477610006/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341030534&sr=8-2&keywords=korin%27s+journal

Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dragon-gem-brian-beam/1111603924?ean=9781477610008

Today I dropped off a couple of free printed copies of The Dragon Gem to be sold at the independent bookstore in my hometown.  It feels weird, yet awesome, to have my book available at the same bookstore I used to walk to on countless days after school many years ago.

Anyways, have a great weekend, everyone!

Brian Beam

The Dragon Gem, Nookified

The Dragon Gem is finally available on the Nook!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dragon-gem-brian-beam/1111866222?ean=2940014643634

The Doctor Is In

Be forewarned, this will not be the most original blog post, nor will it be the last of its type.

So, as I was getting my little guy ready for a nap today, I read to him as I usually do.  Today's book was Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss.  Now, I've read plenty of Dr. Seuss through my life and the meanings and morals so cleverly hidden in his fun books have always had a major effect on me.  I've been so happy to pass along the magic of Dr. Seuss' words, pictures, and worlds with my son(even if at 19 months he's not quite able to understand the wonder of Dr. Seuss).   Today, though, when reading Yertle the Turtle, the last line really hit me: "And the turtles, of course...all the turtles are free, As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be."

Maybe it's the fact that Mr. Ted Geisel(Dr. Seuss) was able to write such powerful sentiments in only a couple lines of rhymed metric verse.  Any writer would be hard pressed in writing, or even finding, more effectively written and powerful messages.

Though Dr. Seuss' stories carry wonderful messages from the Lorax's conservationalism message, to The Grinch's commercialization of Christmas, to The Sneetches equality message, I solely want to focus on a couple two-line quotes that I feel embody his ability to pack such deep, thoughtful messages in so few words.

"And the turtles, of course...all the turtles are free
As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be." -Yertle the Turtle

"I can't put it down.  And I won't!  After all
A person's a person. No matter how small." - Horton Hears a Who

"'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store.
'maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!'" - How the Grinch Stole Christmas

"The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches
And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beeches." - The Sneetches

"You have brains in your head.  You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose." - Oh, The Places You'll Go

And maybe most of all:
"Who sees who sew whose new socks, sir?
You see Sue sew Sue's new socks, sir."  - Fox in Socks

Okay, that last one was just for fun.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is this:  Dr. Seuss was a master of words.  Sure, he wrote books aimed towards children, but can you name another writer as proficient in embodying the massive amount of meaning and thought provocation as Dr. Seuss was able to in two rhyming lines?  Scratch that.  Two lines of any kind?   Two paragraphs of any kind?

I am proud to pass on Dr. Seuss' stories to my own child.  Though I write stories geared for adults, I hope that maybe one day I will have the a millionth of Dr. Seuss' brilliance with words.

Have a great week, everyone!

Brian Beam

Dragon Gem Free Today!

The Dragon Gem is free all day today, 6/21, for Kindle on Amazon!  Be sure to get your free copy!

Also, welcome to my new followers from IU!  Great to have you here!

Brian Beam