In this blog, I will briefly touch on some of the hottest items on my plate starting with the latest with the contract offer from Pegasus …
Read MoreIt has been nearly a whole month since my last Cataclysm update. There is good reason for that. While I juggled a thousand tasks preparing for a …
Read MoreWelcome to the new (well, updated) website. Over the past few weeks, I worked on updating the site, preparing for new features like the newsletter, …
Read MoreIt's the MLK holiday weekend. Earlier in the week, I experienced a brain fart. During my final week of vacation, I heard or read the word …
Read MoreI suspect updates will occur with a little more frequency going forward. There is so much going on. I apologize if my previous blog kind of sounded …
Read MoreI worked tirelessly to contact 40 agents last year. Months later I received 11 or 12 rejections and almost 30 no-responses. This year, pandemic and …
Read MoreIn the Beginning Writing for me truly started 15 years ago. I’ll not bore you with the infinite details from yon to now. It did, however, begin …
Read MoreCataclysm: An 11:34 Novel has been through the ringer in recent months. After 3 major rewrites, a professional critique, proofing, and editing, it …
Read MoreI submitted this into a micro-fiction prompt. Using fifty words or fewer, write a short story or scene as if you were telling the tale to someone …
Read MoreQ: What inspired you to write Cataclysm , the first novel of your 11:34 series? A: A nightmare. Nightmares are a keyhole into the psyche. They …
Read MoreSometimes the saying “everything in moderation” finds applicability, and I think it applies here. While I aspire to be an author one day, my …
Read MoreLet me tell you about writing a novel. It is long, arduous, and full of pain-staking decisions and lip-biting. And if that weren't daunting enough, …
Read MoreI submitted this into a micro-fiction prompt. Using fifty words or fewer, write a short story or scene that includes the line: I Wrote Till My …
Read MoreMuch is happening right now, so where to begin. Last year, I peddled my novel to 40 agents. This is about to double. I am working with a …
Read MoreToday is a day for celebration. I completed the third major edit/rewrite of Cataclysm . 344 pages. 94,000 words. Today, I had a meeting with …
Read MoreAfter much deliberation, I have altered the title of the first 11:34 novel from "Halfway to the Apocalypse" to "Cataclysm." I felt the title …
Read MoreHave you ever awakened to feel that maybe, just maybe, something inside you is on ready to break out of its prison and run wild? We get so caught …
Read MoreA writing contest sought an imaginary first line you might write for your novel. Here was my entry: It was not an ideal time to cut through the …
Read MoreBook 1 Update I cannot say the "P" word. Not yet. Everyone has patiently waited for the arrival of the first novel, me most of all. I have …
Read MoreBook 1 Update It is time for some outside-the-box thinking. Time to change course. After nary a single whiff from 40 literary agents, I decided to …
Read MoreBook 2 Update While spending a wicked number of hours trying to peddle the first novel, I spent my any remaining free time working on the next …
Read MoreOn September 25, 1888, a news agency received a mysterious letter taunting police that he will never be caught. It was a defining moment in time …
Read MoreAs the final seconds ticked bringing an end to 2018, I was already anxiously awaiting to hear back from any of the 19 literary agencies I submitted …
Read MoreI have been busy working on the second book in the 11:34 series while I patiently waited to hear back from the 19 agencies I queried. I received 8 …
Read MoreToday, I received my 7th rejection letter for 11:34. I took a moment to reflect on that. Until now, I've been pretty upbeat about this whole …
Read MoreHAPPY NEW YEAR Happy New Year! This is the year. I feel it in my bones. My first novel is destined for publication. BRICK AND MORTAR UPDATE I am …
Read MoreTo aspire is to yearn to climb until a plateau is reached, We take a deep breath and gaze out into the distance. In those surreal moments that …
Read MoreOver the past week and a half I have submitted my novel to literary agents. It's a particularly confounding experience because the submission …
Read MorePeddling 11:34 This is it. This is the moment we have been waiting for. This week, I will submit 11:34 for publication to a dozen or more literary …
Read MoreIt's been a while since my last 11:34 update, so I'm going to make this one count. What's going on with Book 1 of 11:34? I hear this question a …
Read MoreHAPPY NEW YEAR Happy New Year one and all. This will be a year of change, dedication, and discipline. I committed these past few months to these …
Read MoreI just received my 2nd rejection letter. I'm flattered over the fact that someone has taken the time from their busy schedule for me. I'm sure …
Read More::::: CURRENTLY 11:34 The 2nd book in the 11:34 series has unofficially reached 201 pages, about 60,000 words. I have been writing this book for …
Read More11:34 - All Hell Breaks Loose (Book 2) A bloody scene greeted the lead officer of the RCMP as he arrived on the scene. He watched one of his boys …
Read MorePlenty of writers receive rejection letters. Rejection is a ubiquitous part of the craft. It is a reminder that someone, somewhere, is not …
Read MoreOut with the old. In with the new. It has been 2 years (July 4, 2015) since I last redeveloped my web site. I like to freshen things up every …
Read MoreAll Hell Breaks Loose is the second book planned for the 11:34 series. I finished writing the 2nd of the 2 cornerstone Test of Mettle stories …
Read MoreBook Title Announcements With 11:34 outlined to be a series, each book will require its own individual title. The titles are tentative and may …
Read MoreCLIFFHANGER One day while walking through the wilderness a man stumbled upon a vicious tiger. He ran but soon came to the edge of a high cliff. …
Read MoreHAPPY NEW YEAR Happy New Year one and all. 2017 promises to be an exciting year. To kick things off on the right foot, this is a feel-good …
Read More11:34 UPDATE 25. That was how many versions my query letter had undergone. That said, I am now compiling an updated list of literary agents for …
Read MoreView on YouTube The Apocalypse will commence in 600 years, but you did not know that, did you? Not many do. 400 years ago, an ancient …
Read More::::: CINEMATIC TRAILER As promised, there will be a cinematic book trailer for 11:34. Production of the cinematic trailer completed on Sunday, …
Read More::::: 11:34, COPYRIGHT 2015, MJ DELCONTE It took a little over 2 years to write. After I put the pen down, I submitted my work to the US …
Read MoreOver the past few weeks, a lot of my free time was spent self-training in cinematic techniques and amateur/professional film making. I watched more …
Read MoreI completed the final edits at 3:25 a.m. this morning - to be exact. After that, I researched copyrighting literary works. I've had a plethora of …
Read MoreFirst, I am writing this while sipping my second great cup of coffee, listening to Paul Oakenfold cranked as loud as my 5.1 surround sound speakers …
Read MoreI printed 2 copies of the manuscript to perform a reading. The book is read aloud with others. I or they read a chapter at a time. While reading, I …
Read MoreHalfway to the Apocalypse is the first book in the 11:34 series. The Apocalypse will commence in 600 years, but you did not know that, did you? …
Read MoreThere is something magical about a great cup of hot coffee, biscotti, and writing. It relaxes the mind's gatekeeper allowing entry to deeper more …
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