Kevin Hardman

End of the Year Reflections

As everyone knows, 2020 was a very challenging year in a number of ways. Most of us have had our lives impacted profoundly (if not permanently) by the pandemic.  In short, this thing has taken its toll.

In terms of writing, I didn't get as much done as I was hoping.  The goal was to publish at least three Kid Sensation books, but I only got two done.  That's going to result in me trying to step it up this year and write four. (Basically, one per quarter.)  It's certa...

The Electra Question

Well, it's Christmas Eve, and I honestly expected to have posted well before now.  Unfortunately, with everything that goes hand-in-hand with the holidays - shopping, etc. - I fell behind.  (Believe it or not, one of my kids came to me just moments ago and asked if I could order something online for them - in time for Christmas, no less!)

Anyway, I'm hard at work on Warden (Book 4), which  is the next item in the queue. However, I'm stil...

Conjuration (Kid Sensation #9) has Been Published!

I'm sure everyone will be happy to hear that I just hit "Publish" with respect to Conjuration (Kid Sensation #9). That said, it could still be up to 72 hours before the book becomes available, although it usually only takes them a few hours to...

Okay, scratch that. I just checked and the ebook status shows as "Publishing" and it already has an ASIN, so it could become available at any time.  Needless to say, that was incredibly fast - practically light speed. In fact, the...

Update on Conjuration Publication

I promised that I'd provide updates on where things are in the publication process. At the moment, the manuscript for Conjuration is in the hands of my formatting guy.  That's the last step before publication.

Typically what happens is that when I get the file back from my editor, I go through it and look at all of the things she's identified - typos, word usage, etc. My job at that point is to either accept or reject her changes, as well as review her comments and see if ...

Update on Conjuration and Warden #4

As I reported previously, Conjuration (Kid Sensation #9) is currently with my editor. Depending on how soon I get it back and get everything else done, it might be released within a week, although ten days is more likely.  That said, I'll post regular updates here so that my patrons will know the second I hit "Publish."

Next up in the queue is Warden #4 (working title: Roost of the Roc).  That one's been a long time coming, and I'm grateful readers have been ...

Conjuration (Kid Sensation #9) is Done!

I am pleased to say that Conjuration (Kid Sensation #9) is finished, and I will be firing it off to my editor today!  Woo-hoo!  

Right now, I anticipate getting it back from my editor around 11/15, and if I can do a quick turnaround on the edits I'm hoping I can get the formatting done and publish within a week after that.

Also, this is the title for which I had a special "Become Immortal" offer back in May.  Basically, patrons who took advantage of the off...

Update on Conjuration (Kid Sensation #9)

I'm sure I'm sounding like a broken record at this point, but I'm almost done with Conjuration (Kid Sensation #9).  Basically, as I read over the manuscript, I keep finding things that I want to change.  That said, I'm anticipating getting it done this weekend. (And as soon as it's finished, I'll announce it here first.)

Needless to say, by rewriting I am disobeying one of Heinlein's Rules for Writers.  For those who don't know, the great Sci-Fi writer Robert Hei...

Update on Conjuration (Kid Sensation #9)

I'd like to start this post off with what I hope is a bit of good news. As I'm sure everyone knows, I've been working hard on Conjuration (Kid Sensation #9), and completing it has taken longer than anticipated.  Therefore, I'm happy to report that the finish line is in sight and - barring something unexpected happening - I should be done in the next couple of days.

I've already reached out to my cover artist to discuss the art for this one.  At present (and for only t...

Excerpt from Work-in-Progress

I'm still working on my regular Patreon posts for September, but in the meantime I thought I'd share an excerpt from one of my [many] WIPs.  This one probably falls in line with the sword & sorcery genre.  Truth be told, I'm not sure how much I like it in its current form (I may change some things), so feel free to offer commentary.

As for the regular posts, I should probably say that publishing them towards the end of the month (as I've been doing) was never my intent. &n...

New Audiobook Release: Ignotus (Fringe Worlds #3)

So, I received quite the surprise yesterday when I got a notification that the audiobook of Ignotus was on sale.  Of course, I knew everything was completed on my end, but I wasn't aware that ACX/Audible had completed all of their necessary steps.  Regardless, I'm happy that the title is now available.

As before, I'm making promo codes - good for a fre...

The Kevin Hardman Story Development Method

Earlier, I had starting writing a Patreon post about a new development in the publishing world - namely, that Audible was going to start offering a subscription service for audiobooks. (This was on the heels of an article mentioning that Spotify was gearing up to enter the world of audiobooks and would presumably adopt a prescription model.)  However, by the end of the first paragraph, I realized that the post was probably better suited for my blog. Instead, I thought I'd let my patrons ...

Audiobook Update: Ask and You Shall Receive

Of course, it was just yesterday that I posted about the issues I was having with promo codes for Isolation (Kid Sensation #8).  Although it's not exactly the squeaky wheel getting the oil, I received an email bright and early this morning letting me know that promo codes for the Audible US store were now available.

Needless to sa...

Audiobook Issues

The audiobook of Isolation (Kid Sensation #8) is now available.  In truth, however, it was actually released about a week ago.  I've held off on announcing it here, on Patreon, because I was waiting for ACX/Audible to fix a related issue. In short, their system isn't generating US promo codes for th...

The Shape of Things to Come

I'm happy to report that the writing is going well at the moment. With any luck I'll finish Conjuration (Kid Sensation #9) soon and move on to the next book, which I anticipate will be Warden #4.  Of course, I'm slightly behind on KS#9, but on an overall basis I think I'm on track to produce a decent number of books this year. 

My plan right now, while things are going good, is to produce as much as possible and stuff the pipeline.  That way, even if things slow ...

Two Certainties in Life: Death and [Sales] Taxes

First and foremost, I want to say thanks to all my patrons for your continued and unwavering support. I truly can't express how much it means to me and how grateful I am for all that you do.  As they say, however, no good deed goes unpunished, and the penalty in this instance is sales taxes.  Yes, believe it or not, you are - possibly - about to be taxed on your patronage.

Patreon will be reaching out to all patrons in a couple of days, but the long and short of it is...

Special Offer: Become Immortal!

Hey, how'd you like to be immortal? Well, now you can be. Sorta… 

For the next 3 weeks – until May 27 – I’m running a “Become Immortal!” campaign on Patreon. In essence, anyone who signs up to support me on Patreon at the $10 tier or higher (or upgrades to it) during that time period will have their name immortalized on a special patrons ‘Thank You’ page in the next Kid Sensation book.  (Needless to say, any...

The "I's" Have It

As everyone probably knows by now, I was finally able to publish Isolation (Kid Sensation #8), but it did come with a few hiccups, which I'll catalog elsewhere. However, it recently occurred to me that I now have a good chunk of books that all begin with the letter "I":

Infiltration

Incarnation

Isolation

Ignotus

That's four in total - three of which are part of the Kid Sensation series.  Given how the n...

Ignotus and Isolation

Lately, I've been so intensely focused on Isolation (Kid Sensation #8) that I practically forgot that Ignotus (Fringe Worlds #3) was being released and is now available:  

Normally, I publish every book as soon as possible, with...

Isolation is Finished!

The book, that is - not this social distancing we're all engaged in.  I finished it a bit behind schedule, but I'm glad it's done and am anxious to move on to the next one. Unfortunately, I don't have a release date yet.  All I can say in that regard is that it will be published as soon as possible (although I'm shooting for April).

Speaking of the next Kid Sensation book, I'm still wrestling with the title a bit.  The plot involves Jim finally making a trip to the home b...

Synopsis of Isolation

I just posted another chapter from Isolation (Kid Sensation #8) here on Patreon, but also thought it would be worthwhile to post the synopsis/description of the novel that will show up on Amazon when the book is published. As with excerpts and chapters, this hasn't been edited yet. (Also, although unlikely, there's still the possibility that the official description may change.)  And so, without further ado:

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First Render of "Warden (Book 3)" Cover

I've been asked this a number of times, so I wanted to confirm that there will be more Warden books.  I really do like the series and look forward to continuing it. In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to show the first render of the cover art for Book 3 of the series:

As I've mentioned before, the Warden books focus on monsters that don't usua...

Another Excerpt from Isolation

I just posted a chapter from Isolation (Kid Sensation #8) here on Patreon, but I realized that it's been a while since I posted any excerpts or similar items on my website.  Thus, I figured I should put something there for the readers who follow my site.  With that in mind, I intend to post the excerpt below, but wanted to give my patrons a chance to see it first (and never fear - I will continue to post exclusive content here):

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First Render of "Replication" Cover Art

If all goes well, some time in the next few weeks I'll probably be posting the cover art for Isolation (Kid Sensation #8). In the meantime, I thought I'd go ahead and post the early cover art that was done for Replication (KS #6):

Looking at it now, this one probably requires some explanation. Basically, in the story, Jim's grandfather is rejuvenated and ...

Update on Kid Sensation #8

As most of my readers know by now, I usually avoid making projections about completion dates for titles. Frankly speaking, that just seems to jinx things in that something always comes up and throws a monkey wrench in my plans.  That said, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I anticipate being done with Kid Sensation #8 by the end of the month. (Fingers crossed.)

Now, that's the good news. The bad news is that my editor is solidly booked in the near term. That m...

Pre-Orders in the New Year

It took a few extra days, but I was finally able to make Ignotus (Fringe Worlds #3) available for pre-order (which - as the name implies - allows readers to order a book before it's actually released). 

I previously talked about the notion of doing pre-orders on my blog. I person...

Adios, 2019

Happy Holidays!  Hopefully everyone has been enjoying the Yuletide season and embracing the holiday spirit.

It's the last day of the year, and I have to say that I'm eagerly looking forward to 2020 in terms of my writing. Not that 2019 was bad - it wasn't - but I'm excited about what I'm hoping to accomplish in the year ahead.

Ignotus (Fringe Worlds #3) is in the hands of my wonderful editor, and I plan to put it up for pre-order soon. It currently weighs in at a hef...

Happy "Thank You Patrons" Day!

As noted in the title, it's "Thank You Patrons" day on Patreon.  I'm still pretty new to this, but I would be remiss if I didn't state in unequivocal terms just how grateful I am for your support. 

As readers (including listeners, for those who like audiobooks), you already do a great deal to benefit me simply by virtue of reading my work. The fact that you're willing to go above and beyond that level in terms of supporting my writing is - as I've said before - incredibly flat...

Upcoming Publication Schedule

As I've mentioned before on my blog, the order in which I write books is not particularly scientific. Basically, it's whatever book is making the most noise in my head - the one I have to get out before it drives me crazy. And to be honest, sometimes it's not even an entire book; occasionally I just get inspired about a particular scene and I have to write it. (It may not even be part of my current work-in-progress.)

Anyway, with that understanding (and reserving the right ...

And We're Off to the Races...

So thanks again for joining me on this journey.  I've never done anything like this Patreon thing before, so I may stumble along the way.  My apologies in advance if I bump into you and we both go down in a tangle of arms and legs.

Anyway, I feel the first order of business is to talk about the writing, since that's what you're buying with your support.  I recently finished Incarnation, which is the second Kid Sensation book this year and the 7th overall - not co...