Today I started experimenting with the cover art for my memoir Baghdaddy. Here are my first two attempts at banners for Facebook and the website. I’ll have help PR help and professional interpretations in advance of pre-orders, but it’s always good to try new things.
I’ll float a few trial balloons over the next few weeks.
First up is a light vs dark pair.
Let me know what you think.
This is Veterans Day weekend. The U.S. federal holiday will be observed Monday, but it falls on 11 November every year. Veterans Day is a time to honor and thank those who are serving or have served in the military. It is the day we recognize and celebrate those veterans who are still with us.
We have fought for, and we continue to fight for our friends, our comrades in arms, the people we love, and for a country and way of life we believe in. America has and will always be a polarizing beacon to the world. We are many voices under one flag, and that has been, and always will be, a challenge.
We have practiced a novel form of democracy since our declaration of independence, that few other nations thought would last. Have we consistently lived up to our ideals? Of course not, no great nation or individual in history ever has. But we strive to, and we live in a nation where freedom abounds and is cherished. Plentiful opportunities exist, and talent and effort are rewarded.
My great, grandparents came here from Italy for a better life and the American dream. They had to work hard, and they made a better life for themselves than they had had before.
The United States is a great nation, and our guarantees of liberty are still a rare thing in this world. Many people come here to live free, and for their shot at the American dream.
Nations and groups have fought to defeat us and take away the freedoms we enjoy. Veterans are the reason they failed. So, for all of you who have served, or who serve now – Thank You. For all the times it was hard or horrible, and you pressed on – Thank You.
Because you were away from home and the ones you love, andfor everything you did, or do, to protect us. Thank you. Your service makes adifference. It has made a better future for all of us.
Good news! You get to see it first. Here is the cover for Baghdaddy. There were a lot of great ideas, and several concepts, but this one was perfect. Baghdaddy is a gritty story, and a big part of it is about how surviving your childhood, fatherhood, and going to war all require eerily similar skills.
Next week I should get back the line and architectural edits and I’ll be busy. Advanced reader copies (ARCs) are going out to ask for endorsements and reviews, as I type. Some I know I’ll get, but my publisher also sent out a few wish-list requests, my favorite longshot – Chuck Norris. These folks are ridiculously busy, but it was exciting to see my ARCs go out to people who I think are remarkable. Fingers are crossed, and I’ll let you know how it goes.
Baghdaddy should be available everywhere on 7 May 19, and I’llsend an update when the pre-order links are live.
The above image is from another secret location where the Cyphers battle to get their father back and maybe, in the process, save the world.
Another journey ends. I finally wrote my way to THE END. So, the story of Cypher 1.0 Ashur’s Tears, my first young adult thriller is done. We had take-out Chinese, and I munched away patiently while Jodi turned the pages.
She loved the story which made me happy because I love this story, it’s something I always wanted to write, and it was a good ten months of my life, so if my wife’s reaction was…meh…I would have had to switch to whiskey, and this newsletter would have been delayed.
Now that it’s Jo-approved, I’ll do a nose to tail review, get the markup copies out to my awesomely talented beta-readers next week for their reactions and comments, and submit the manuscript to ODNI for government review and release because based on my non-disclosure agreements everything I write must be reviewed prior to public release. Sigh. But perhaps I do know more than I think I do, or I should stop writing things like, “the above image is from another secret location”…but that’s not going to happen.
I did have a cranial MRI done a few years ago. I remember looking at the digital images with a grumpy doctor and how crushed I was when he looked over his glasses and told me, “Your brain is unremarkable.” Fortunately, that turned out to be a good thing because “interesting” areas on an MRI, are bad. ODNI’s review is a literary diagnostic to ensure I don’t inadvertently divulge something from my classified life, and that’s a good thing. The better thing is that, the more books they review from an author, the faster they turn them, once they see you do take security seriously.
After that, I need to find a good home for the story. A couple of agents and publishers have asked to see it, which is awesome, but it’s all just flattery and a heartache until the manuscript’s under contract. That should be another exciting adventure. I’ll send postcards. ?
Thanks again for reading my newsletter.
Bill
Visit BillRileyAuthor.com for updates and information on events.
A Newsletter for Books by Bill Riley
July 2018
Welcome to the first ever Wild Blue Yonder Newsletter!
Thank you for all your support and encouragement, and for sticking with me on this weirdly awesome carnival ride that transforms ideas into novels.
This edition includes updates on Baghdaddy, Cypher 1.0, and a trip to Hollywood.
Baghdaddy, a Memoir is scheduled for release Spring 2019
It’s been a crazy summer. I signed with Brown Books, met with my novel’s creative team, and brainstormed with my editor.
I’m excited to work with Brown Books. I started talking with Tom Reale, their COO, a year ago at the Idaho Writer’s Conference, but since my manuscript was still under review by the intelligence community I only had a limited amount of approved material I could talk about. When ODNI finally approved Baghdaddy for public release, Tom was probably as excited as I was.
My creative team at Brown not only includes talented editors, but also experts in Public Relations, Marketing, Graphic Design, and Multimedia Publishing. I love saying “I have a creative team.” But, truth be told, publishing a book requires so many artistic and business skills, I’m happy to be part of such an amazing team.
My lead development editor for Baghdaddy is Mike Towle. He’s not only an Army veteran and accomplished author, he’s an amazing editor. After meeting him, I know my story is in good hands. I get his first edits 1 August and by 1 October Baghdaddy will just need a little cleanup and then it’s off to the cover artist and printer.
So far, we’re go for an early Spring release.Cypher 1.0 Ashur’s Tears will be finished and out for feedback September 2018
Their father’s jet was shot down in Northern Iraq. They buried what the Air Force found in the wreckage. He was gone. They did the best they could. Cypher’s are smart, Cypher’s are strong. That’s what Dad always said, but in their grief, they discover a transmission. Their father was betrayed and captured, but he’s still alive. His message said, trust no one. But Cypher’s are smart, Cypher’s are strong, and they will do whatever it takes to find him.
This novel is a wild ride in the near future that tests the limits of science and magic. I love how the story is coming along and I hope you love it too. I’ll be halfway done with the second act early next week. I’m racing to finish the second act before my editor sends me his changes and comments on Baghdaddy. It’s going to be close. I’m shooting to have Cypher 1.0 to alpha readers for feedback in September.
So, I’m insanely busy. But this is what I always dreamed about. For as long as I can remember. Writing stories. After this, I’m on track for writing a book a year. Next year’s goal? Finding readers who dig my stuff.
I was in LA last week. Not because I had a book event in Hollywood. Not even because I love LA, I don’t. I promised my wife, Jo; we’d do whatever she wanted for her birthday. And she wanted to go to the LA County Fire Museum Grand Opening.
I offered to take her and all her friends to Iceland, but she grew up watching Emergency, the TV show and when she heard the original cast was getting back together with their original equipment, we had to go.
Promises being promises.
To be fair, LA can be a vibrant, exciting place. After all, the promise of the premise is if you go there all your dreams can come true. But for me, it’s a little like Vegas used to be twenty years ago, but without all the cigarette smoke. A lot of glitter, a lot of sad. Some amazing parties. Everyone working their next big deal. Now instead of cigarettes people vape their way to cancer. But now they smell like potpourri.
In the end, LA was fun. We met some great and interesting folks and the Fire Museum opening was pretty spectacular with parades of some of the original horse-drawn fire equipment ever made and static displays of more fire engines than I could imagine.
The EMT concept we use today started as a dream in LA to help save lives and that dream grew into the core of all EMT programs used around the world.
Thousands and thousands of lives have been saved from just that one expression of California dreaming.
Thanks again for reading my newsletter.
Bill
More information on my books and events will follow.
Also, the first 50 people to sign up for this newsletter will be invited to the Baghdaddy launch party at a place still to be determined somewhere in or around Boise Idaho.
Welcome to the Wild Blue Yonder Newsletter!
Thank you for all your support and encouragement, and for sticking with me on this weirdly awesome carnival ride that transforms ideas into novels.
This edition includes updates on Baghdaddy and Cypher 1.0.
This August is crazy. It has 23 different awareness campaigns. They highlight National Wellness, Crayon Collection, Family Fun, Catfish, Black Business, Eye Exams, Golf, Peaches, Immunizations, Panini’s and Goat Cheese, among other things.
When I remember, I try to do a few things or cook a few meals every month that reflect something I didn’t expect to see on the list. National Ice Cream Sandwich day was popular with Jo and the boys when I stocked up. Squid day was less popular for them, but I’ll celebrate it again just to see the look their faces when I serve all things squid for dinner. For a visual, think giving a toddler wasabi. To be clear, I’m not advocating feeding toddlers wasabi. But have fun, and do something unexpected.
Mike Towle, my Dev Editor, true to his word, returned Baghdaddy just before 1 August, and his comments were exactly what the manuscript needed. We talked before he started and one of the biggest challenges I had with Baghdaddy wasn’t the story, it was the right format to present the story in a way that would make sense to readers of memoir.
I tried a lot of different things and used a narrative style of alternating war stories with formative family stories. It worked and generated interest but each chapter needed to stand on its own, and that made the book long. Mike recommended a more traditional memoir structure to tighten the narrative, and I’ve been hard at work doing just that since the beginning of the month.
The final version of Baghdaddy will begin with an introduction to the world in the aftermath of 9/11, highlight what happened when two different Presidents called for uprisings, and review some of the reasons we found ourselves in Iraq. It will also discuss why childhood, fatherhood, and going to war are very similar things.
After the Intro there will be three short chapters of battles in my war to grow up, followed by surprising experiences in Kuwait, and a behind the scenes tour of fighting terrorists and insurgents in Iraq. As I watch the story get tighter and move even faster, I’m confident I made the right decision. But after years of work, a developmental edit is tough. I knew it was coming, but it still feels like my baby is having major surgery so he can grow up big and strong. The good and bad part is, I’m the surgeon.
I’ll finish the changes to the first part of Baghdaddy today. My deadline to return my edits to the manuscript is the 23^rd. After I get the new structure right, there are still a few different types of edits yet to come, but we are on track for a Spring 2019 release.
My new book Cypher 1.0 is somewhere between halfway and three-quarters of the way complete, and I’m still chipping away at it. Next week, I’ll be far enough along on Baghdaddy to also get back to writing Cypher. This is a great example of “Be careful what you ask for,” but I’m getting ready to start the last two major sequences in the second act, and I can’t wait to begin.
I love the characters in this book, and after I get this novel out to my alpha readers, I’ll introduce the Cypher children to you. I’m working hard to finish this book by the end of September but getting Baghdaddy to the publisher takes priority. Keep your fingers crossed. It’s going to be close.
Thanks again for staying with me on this journey.
Bill
Thanks again for reading my newsletter.
More information on my books and events will follow.
Also, the first 50 people to sign up for this newsletter will be invited to the Baghdaddy launch party at a place still to be determined somewhere in or around Boise Idaho.
Welcome to the Wild Blue Yonder Newsletter!
Thank you for all your support and encouragement, and for sticking with me on this weirdly awesome carnival ride that transforms ideas into novels.
This Issue: Updates on Baghdaddy, Cypher 1.0, and Sam’s bar mitzvah.
Well, I was overly ambitious. I figured if I
My new book Cypher 1.0 is about world building and ‘what-ifs,’ a young adult view and creating imaginary friends in my head. Changing gears between the two books was hard. I did finish a new Cypher chapter, but restructuring a novel is even tougher than it sounds. At the same time, we were pulling together our son Sam’s bar mitzvah.
To put it in perspective, it was like performing ER surgery on a shooting victim while at the same time, trying to deliver a baby. All while trying to get Sam to temple on time. Fortunately, my wife Jo took the lead in Sam’s ceremony.
I grew up Catholic, so I didn’t know everything that went into a bar mitzvah. It’s a coming of age ceremony in Judaism, and Sam had to work hard. He had to learn Hebrew, decode an ancient language, and think hard about an unfamiliar subject. After that, he had to stand in front of the entire congregation and connect those dots to make a biblical lesson from long ago real and relevant to how we live today.
He did a great job.
Sam is a teenager. He grew up in a military family where Jodi and I spent a lot of time away from home in war zones. So, it was almost divinely appropriate that Sam’s Torah portion dealt with the rules of conflict and war.
Anyone who’s ever raised a child, particularly two-year-olds and teenagers, has lived through conflict and uncertainty, where seemingly simple things are frustrating and hard. There are times when you don’t really know what to do as a parent, or as a young man trying to find his way in the world. There are times when you’re angry and don’t always know why. There are times when you just have to do the best you can at that moment, persevere, and have a little faith.
Having done both, raising a teenager is a lot like going to war.
Teenagers are working desperately hard to figure out who they are and who they want to be. To do that they have to step into the shoes of a lot of different kinds of people and live a lot of different lives, at least for a little while, to discover who they really are. And even though I understand that, I don’t always like those strangers living in my house.
Although there are a lot of them, they move on, and we have watched Sam become, day by day, a little more of who he’s going to be. And that’s amazing.
With Sam’s Bar Mitzvah complete I was able to finish editing Baghdaddy a day early, so we’re still on track for a Spring 2019 release. Probably late Spring because I have an ambitious ‘wish list’ of people I’d like to see endorse and review the book and those folks are busy and hard to reach even if they do want to read the story.
This morning was cool and bright and beautiful. I watched big hot air balloons floating over my neighbor’s roof in a jagged line as I worked out the last kinks in my Cypher book. The Cypher kids just fled a place called Stratos, and they’re racing to where their father’s being stored. Imagery of where they’re headed follows.
It doesn’t look like their life is getting any easier.
Thanks again for reading my newsletter.
More information on my books and events will follow.
Bill
Bill Riley has signed with Brown Books to publish his debut novel BAGHDADDY.
An airman navigates a clash of cultures and the brutal realities of war to finally come to terms with his troubled past. He was mercilessly prepared for an unforgiving world, but each combat mission left its mark, and he only learned the real price of peace and freedom as he fought his way home.
BAGHDADDY is a coming of age memoir driven by crisis, unexpected friendship, and military operations across the Persian Gulf. It examines the rape of Kuwait, provides a first-hand look at what came after, and shines a bright light on the unique challenges of trying to rebuild a foreign country while its people are trying to kill you.
Brown Books Publishing Group was recently recognized as the #2 Fastest-Growing Independent Publisher by Publishers Weekly.
BAGHDADDY is tentatively scheduled for early 2019 release.