<![CDATA[Scot's Blog]]> http://www.scotrstone.com/blog?cq=1 en-us Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:55:43 GMT <![CDATA[2008 Autumn Newsletter Available -- November 3, 2008]]> http://www.scotrstone.com/blog?cq=1&p=51 Good morning, fans and friends,


The 2008 fall newsletter has been completed and mailed out. If you did not receive it, or would like to, please e-mail me at scot@scotrstone.com and submit your e-mail address. It will not be shared with anyone else, and, of course, it will allow you to receive future newsletters about me and my work.

]]> Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:55:43 GMT <![CDATA[Your Wish Will Be Granted -- October 24, 2008]]> http://www.scotrstone.com/blog?cq=1&p=48 As most of you may have surmised by now, my summer quarterly newsletter never came to be, nor will it ever, due to my plate being too full with an abundance of projects (including cutting, splitting and stacking thirteen cords of wood on my own for winter fuel). However, I am happy to report that the Fall Quarterly Newsletter will be arriving in your IN BOX within the next two weeks. If you are not currently receiving my newsletters, go to the "Quarterly Newsletter" section of my website to learn how to sign up! They're FREE! That's right, FREE! I'll create an echo if you want me to...


]]> Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:58:58 GMT <![CDATA[Apologies for Long Absence -- October 19, 2008]]> http://www.scotrstone.com/blog?cq=1&p=45 Fans and friends,


It's been a hectic last six weeks for me. I haven't been able to write or edit anything since I finished the last book in The Snowtear Wars. I've had my parents come and go, and now my mother-in-law has been here for two weeks visiting. Of course, it's not just their visitation that eats up time, but all the work associated with being a good host. I love playing host, but it does make me have to sacrifice my writing for awhile (which I don't mind). I have a lot of editing sitting on my plate right now, which could take me months. I should be starting it again by the end of this week. I don't plan on getting back to writing my first book in my new series until late winter or spring sometime. But, I've been wrong with my guesses before. I will still be out and about doing book signings. Hope to see you at them.

]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:55:42 GMT <![CDATA[Regarding the Release of Book 4- September 26, 2008]]> http://www.scotrstone.com/blog?cq=1&p=44 To all of you who may be wondering where Book 4 of The Snowtear Wars is: the release date of the book is currently on hold. The book will not be released in 2008, as was previously reported on my website. I have plans to announce a new release date at some point in the future, hopefully by the end of this year. I apologize for any delays, and hope the book will be out sooner rather than later. I know you will enjoy it when it is actually released. I will keep you updated as information becomes available. And just to remind you, Book Five has also been completed, and may be released soon after Four is out.






As you wait for the last two books to be released, you can try any of my favorite books/series to occupy your time. I have more, but I will list them in a later posting.






Twilight series (Meyer), Harry Potter (by that billionaire), LOTR & The Hobbit (guess), The Chronicles of Narnia (guess again), The Great Tree of Avalon (Barron), any Dan Brown novel, the Inkheart series (Funke), the Prydain series (Lloyd), The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (especially the first three books) (Donalson), The Dark Tower, Gunslinger series (King), His Dark Materials series (Pullman), The Landover series (Brooks), The Icewind Dale Trilogy (Salvatore), The Stand (King), The Tommyknockers (King), It (King), Hamet's Awakening (Ward), Mammoth (Varley), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (You know who), Redwall series (Jacques)


]]> Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:54:32 GMT <![CDATA[Parents Out -- September 23, 2008]]> http://www.scotrstone.com/blog?cq=1&p=43 My ma and pa have come and gone for their visit to Vermont. We had perfect weather, to say the least. We went to a monastey in the township of Austin, Quebec, Canada. The name of this glorious, majestic place was St. Benoit-du-lac (pictured above). It was one of the most inspiring, humbling experiences of my life. The place was built on the shore of Lake Memphremagog in 1912. It looks like a castle in the distance, and even still some up close. It's south of Montreal, so if you're ever in the area, take the time to see it. A handful of exiled French monks from Belgium established it, led by leader Dom Paul Vannier. The going wasn't easy, however. Dom Vannier died in a boating accident, and poverty, isolation and hard work took their toll. The website is www.st-benoit-du-lac.com. They have a great gift shop that sells choclates, cheeses, and, of course, a large variety of religious artifacts. I bought a cross with St. Benoit on it, and had it blessed by a monk while I was there. I, unfortunately, managed to lose te cross already. The chain I had it on must have snapped at some point. I didn't feel it fall off. I'm bummed! 




We also went to a Scottish festival in Lincoln, NH (was packed, but awesome) at the Loon Mountain Resort. The website for the Highland Games is www.nhscot.org. They have pipe bands, fiddle contests, harp competitions, Sheep dog trials, Scottish country dancing, sword fighting, heavyweight Scottish athletics, etc. If you like Renaissance festivals, you'll probably like this, too.




]]> Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:11:08 GMT <![CDATA[The Snowtear Wars Series: Completed -- August 28, 2008]]> http://www.scotrstone.com/blog?cq=1&p=41 It is with great pleasure, and satisfaction, that I am announcing I have completed the fifth and final book in The Snowtear Wars series. It ended up having twenty-two chapters in all. The relief I feel is enormous, and the joy is overwhelming. Yes, I still have to do a lot of editing left to do, but the story is now in place, and now I can relax and enjoying polishing everything up. I will put the book aside for awhile now and then go back to it in a few months to do the editing.




















]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:00:49 GMT <![CDATA[Summer Work Almost at an End -- August 27, 2008]]> http://www.scotrstone.com/blog?cq=1&p=39 I'm beginning to wind down my summer projects for the year (my outdoor projects). All my wood has been cut, split and stacked. I've built my kids a clubhouse. I built benches around our bonfire pit (which I also built). I made a picnic table, with benches. I redid our upstairs bathroom, and got my neighbor to help me lift a cast iron tub up there, too. God bless him. I repainted my front porch and basement door. I've put up five sets of shutters (I still have  eight to go, but am not sure if they'll get done this year). I built a garden arch for the gateway, and another massive arch to support a giant wave of grapevines that were trying to take over a path. I cleared one new path down to our brook, and can't wait to make a seating area down there next year. Overall, a lot got done this year.


All these projects coming to an end means one thing: time to get back to serious writing. Yep. The train is leaving the station again, and it's time for my imagination to get aboard. I'm 10 pages away from finishing Book Five of The Snowtear Wars, so I'll do that first. Then I'm going to do some more polishing on a couple of other manuscripts I have in a drawer so my agent can send them out. Then I'll get back to doing more editing on The Snowtear Wars. And then, finally, I will get back to writing my new series. We'll see where I'm at by Spring of 2009. Hopefully, I will be well on my way to the next level.

]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:16:41 GMT <![CDATA[Stories Produce Stories -- July 16, 2008]]> http://www.scotrstone.com/blog?cq=1&p=34 If you can write fast, you may have an advantage over other writers. Publishers like to put out books that reflect the hot topics in the world.  The best place to find those ideas is in the news. And if you can provide a unique angle on a story, your chances of getting published increase tenfold. Of course, you actually need to write a GOOD manuscript, and have it nicely edited BEFORE you submit it. Whatever's hot, sells. It's as simple as that. And if you can predict something that could become hot, then you may have a sure thing. Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet are the no-brainers to get started.


]]> Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:43:06 GMT <![CDATA[Read the New Review for Chimes -- July 15, 2008]]> http://www.scotrstone.com/blog?cq=1&p=33 Here's another great review for Book 1 of The Snowtear Wars, The Chimes of Yawrana, by Molly Martin at The Compulsive Reader. You can read the new review here: http://www.compulsivereader.com/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1964

]]> Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:53:11 GMT <![CDATA[Artwork for Book 4 Finalized -- July 14, 2008]]> http://www.scotrstone.com/blog?cq=1&p=32 Book Four, The Mirrors of Methalis, in The Snowtear Wars series, has been completed. Unfortunately, I can't attach a photo of the cover here (text not yet added to the image by publisher). I don't want to post it in my blog to be viewed either because I don't think this is the proper place to unveil it, in my opinion. I will post it, however, in "The Bookstore" section of my website once it's ready and up on my publisher's website. Sooooooo, keep your eye out for it there or on my website!]]> Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:29:41 GMT