Published? One Giant Leap for Greg Prado

Getting Published: Every Author’s Dream

Even writing this post, I’m in incredulous as to whether or not my books’ futures will be bright or dim. Like most authors, I was sure my first book was going to be a masterpiece read by all and published by the first distributor I sent it to. I knew my ideas were good. I was positive everyone else would love them as well.

They didn’t.

“Drakesport,” my first novel, centered around a witch who was executed at the Salem Witch Trials. She was doomed to reincarnate as a pyromancer every hundred years on the anniversary of her death. I wanted my book to be published so badly, but “Drakesport” was far from complete. My story-lines were cheesy. My grammar was atrocious. The plot was predictable. Drakesport, most egregiously of all, had no real ending. I planned to get a series published. It was incapable of standing on its own. As a result, my book had several scenes which I find delightful to look back on. Unfortunately they were glimmers of shiny gold buried in a mountain of shit.

Darkly: To Print or Not To Print?

Six years ago I decided that I would self-publish. I wrote a new novel, one very close to my heart, and called it “Darkly.” This was going to be the novel to get published. I was sure of it. Darkly was about a cataclysmic event overshadowing the globe in an impenetrable fog of nano-machines. Of course, none of the characters knew that. Likewise, the reader would remain oblivious until the second book. You see, I wrote Darkly as part of a series too. I hadn’t learned my lesson.

With excellent character dynamics, and a few phenomenal story lines, I was once again lost. Darkly was a beautiful mess. My story had dozens of loose ends at its conclusion. I didn’t want to abandon it. I loved my characters. They were a part of me. I felt beyond stuck. I was morose in the doldrums of writer’s block.

Then, I gave up on writing, for a time.

The Titanite Universe

Two summers ago, I had an idea. I planned to write a short-story centered around an “Alien” like concept. That short story turned into the first book I wrote last summer, “Unnatural Selection.” I truly enjoyed the process. It reminded me about how much I adored writing. It was at that point I realized I wanted to keep going.

Then, I kept writing and made something I feel is truly exceptional. Entrapment is my baby. I love it deeply and truly. Stick with me for a few months, and I think you’ll see why. I will be publishing some snippets from it in the coming months, so stay tuned! I will say this: Entrapment is a murder/mystery set in the twenty-second century and set in a mansion buried under Martian ice. Ironically, Entrapment is my least sci-fi book. Even if “Star Wars” isn’t your thing, I think you’ll enjoy my book.

I am releasing three books within a month of each other. The first to debut will be my baby: Entrapment. I will then release Unnatural Selection, followed by my newest novel: The Andromeda Paradox. All these books, and all my other books, will take place in the same universe (for the foreseeable future). I plan to jump around the timeline in order to tell a much larger story. I’m building the web of interconnected stories now. I designed my books to be approachable and understandable. You may have to suspend disbelief about some concepts, but I am trying my damnedest to make sure my characters follow the rules established in their universe. 

Published!

I am certainly verbose. Here’s to a grand experiment. For better or for worse, I am a published author. I am in denial of the amount of work that lay ahead, but am excited to undertake it. Please join me in celebrating the end of a long journey telling tales to my shadow and my cats.

Check out Virulence now! It’s FREE until 2020, so don’t delay! Virulence is not only my first novella, but it is also the first story chronologically in the Titanite Universe. It’s ALSO a #1 bestseller on Amazon.com right now, so if you’ve got a kindle and prefer to check it out there, go for it!

Wanna help? Check out my Gallery. I think the old artwork and works-in-progress are pretty sweet. Really like me? Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for exclusive content. For your viewing pleasure, I’ve included a drawing by the fabulous Xia Gordon many years ago of a character from my third book, “The Andromeda Paradox.” Thanks for sticking with me to the end, y’all. You’re awesome!