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.