Category Archives: Writing

April 2016 Goals

The last time I posted goals was in January 2016. This is how I did on those:

(100%) two more revision passes on The Operative.
(100%) incorporate beta reader feedback into The Operative.
(100%) complete convention schedule

The Operative was handed in. I’m still waiting for editorial feedback, but that’ll come.

For April, this is what I want to get done:

Complete outline for The Rebel and start writing the darn thing.
Attend Ad Astra at the end of the month

There’s a lot of work in point 1, but I gotta get ‘er done.

Today is when North America gets to see THE COURIER in all of its glory. Some of the larger chains put it out last week, a tad early, but it gave me the opportunity to grab a picture or two. This sighting was unexpected, so I’m a little shabby looking, but there’s no hiding my smile. As you can see, thanks to my last name, I have prime real estate been Ray Bradbury and David Brin.

A motorcycle courier is caught in a web of corporate espionage
in this gritty near-future techno-thriller… Brandt’s debut offers
intriguing possibilities for later books in the series.
– Publishers Weekly

The Courier brings cyberpunk roaring back to life.
– Barnes & Noble

Starting today, THE COURIER is available in hard cover and ebook. The audio version is coming soon. You should be able to find THE COURIER almost anywhere. If your favorite bookstore doesn’t have at, just ask and they’ll bring it in for you.

Canada:
McNally Robinson
Amazon.ca
Bakka Phoenix
Chapters/Indigo
Kobo

US:
Amazon.com
Barnes and Noble
Books-a-Million
Indie Bound
Mysterious Galaxy
Powells

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Convention Appearances 2016

It looks like I have to leave the cozy warmth of my home and travel into the wide wide world.

These are the conferences I’ll be at in 2016. I’ll try to keep this list up-to-date as things change. You can also look at my calendar here.

Minicon 51 (Minneapolis, MN) March 25th – 27th
Ad Astra (Toronto, ON) April 29th – May 1st
KeyCon 33 (Winnipeg, MB) May 20th – 22nd
When Words Collide (Calgary, AB) August 12th – 14th
World Fantasy (Columbus, OH) October 27th – 30th

The Courier – Final Cover Design

I did a ‘cover reveal’ for The Courier a few months back. Since then, there have been some changes, including the addition of a series name. This image is the final cover design.

The title has been shifted up to include the series name.
The title has a lot more color in it.
The text has been moved from mid-page to the top.
My name is now in color instead of gray.

What do you think?

January 2016 Goals

How did I do on my December goals:

(100%) [two passes completed] Complete a pass or two of revisions on The Operative so I can send it out to first readers
(70%)Plan my convention list for next year and get on some panels

Not too bad, considering the amount of work I did in revisions. The Operative still isn’t ready to hand in, but it’s getting closer.

So, for January 2016, this is what I want:

two more revision passes on The Operative.
incorporate beta reader feedback into The Operative.
complete convention schedule

Another small list, another busy month.

December 2015 Goals

I didn’t get a chance to do everything on my November list, which is kinda sad since it only had two items on it. Still, I got the big one done.

November goals:

(100%) Complete first draft of The Operative
(0%) Plan my convention list for next year and get on some panels

Here are my December goals. Another short, but extremely busy, list:

Complete a pass or two of revisions on The Operative so I can send it out to first readers
Plan my convention list for next year and get on some panels

November 2015 Goals

A bit late, but here they are:

October Goals:

(ongoing) Continue first draft of The Operative
(0%) Plan my convention list for next year

As you can see, I’ve been so busy with The Operative that I didn’t get much else done.

Here are the November goals:

Complete first draft of The Operative
Plan my convention list for next year and get on some panels

October 2015 Goals

Let’s start with a recap of the September Goals:

(50%) Redo outline for The Operative (Courier book 2) based on Sheila’s feedback.
(100%) Complete page proofs for The Courier.
(100%) Continue first draft of The Operative.

It’s not good if don’t finish something your publisher wants. I got too involved in writing the darn thing.

So here’s the October goals:

Continue first draft of The Operative
Plan my convention list for next year and get on some panels.

Short but sweet. There’s a lot of work ahead.

New Book(s) Announcement

I am so pleased to announce the sale of The Operative and The Rebel to Sheila Gilbert at DAW, by Sara Megibow at kt literary. Film: Jerry Kalajian of IPG.

Back in July, I finished polishing the first fifty pages of The Operative and completed the synopsis. I also added a small blurb for book three in the series, The Rebel. Sheila and I had the opportunity to talk at Worldcon in Spokane, Washington and went over a few changes. A couple of weeks later I got a call from Sara – an offer had been made. The planned schedule is for 2017 and 2018 release dates. I’ll let you know more when I find out.

I’m currently working on getting The Operative finished.

Praise for The Courier:

Gerald Brandt’s The Courier is a stunning debut: a fast-paced cyberpunky story of a future Los Angeles with a kick-ass heroine you’ll never forget. A terrific book from a distinctive new voice; I’m looking forward to many more books from this author.

— Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Quantum Night

http://ktliterary.com/2015/09/sold-congratulations-to-gerald-brandt/

September 2015 Goals

It looks like I missed a few goal postings. Let’s see if I can do better.

My last goals were:

(100 %) Attend the Rocky Mountain Writers Retreat, and write write write.
(100 %) Finish polishing pages for Courier 2.
(100 %) Complete outline of Courier 2.
(100 %) Create simple small synopsis for Courier 3.
(100 %) Get Courier 2 package to Sara at kt literary, and maybe the brief synopsis for Courier 3.

Overall, pretty good. There was a fair amount of hard work in there.

Last month I attended WorldCon and had a discussion with my editor (Sheila Gilbert at DAW) about book two, so that helps me create my goals for September:

Redo outline for The Operative (Courier book 2) based on Sheila’s feedback.
Complete page proofs for The Courier.
Continue first draft of The Operative.

This is a shorter list, but a lot of work.