Author: KM Martinez

Fantasy writer from South Texas.

My first event…

Slinging books!!

This weekend was my first event. Nerdtacular, although exhausting, was a great experience. I sold some copies of my paperback and met other vendors and artists and received first hand experience on what works when it comes to selling my book to people who’ve never heard of me before–which lets be honest, is pretty much everyone. But the best thing about people not knowing who you are or what you’re about is there are no expectations. So you can just put yourself out there with no second guessing. Overall, it was defiantly an interesting experience that I will do again next year.

One of the most enjoyable aspects was talking to all the people who had a genuine interest in my book. It made me realize how supportive people can be, especially when it comes to local, self-published authors. I definitely picked a great event as the participants were definitely my demographic for the book. People that stumbled onto my table had a genuine love for fantasy, and loved talking about fantasy stories. I’m hopeful that I gained some readers that will want to follow the series.

There was even one heartwarming moment when a woman who had bought my book asked me to write something on the dedication page. For those of you that don’t know–I dedicated Dark Sun Rising to my grandmothers, who both passed away before the book was published. Apparently, the woman had recently lost her grandmother last month, and when she opened her new book and read the dedication page, it really touched her. I was really touched as well.

So, what I really want to relate is that my weekend was successful, and definitely memorable. I had a lot of fun. So much so, that I look forward to my next event, which is scheduled for 2/15 at Twig Book Shop at the Pearl. Ya’ll should definitely come see me then if you haven’t made it to see me yet. We can talk books. My books–your books–whatever ya’ll want.

A little update and some streaming TV…

Look how much time has gone by since I’ve posted! I do apologize for not posting regularly. But I do have some good news: I’ll be attending Nerdtacular 2019 on December 7-8. It’s a little mini comicon here in San Antonio. If you’re in town, come by and see me! I’ll be selling paperback copies of Dark Sun Rising and some t-shirts as well.

In other news, I’ve been slowly getting through book two–no major updates on that front. Still chipping away and trying to find time between the day job that’s been taking up so much of my mental energy. I was so hoping for the project work to cool off around this time, but nope! Looks like I’ll be working hard all the way to Christmas, but I am taking a few weeks off for the holidays, so I plan on doing quite a bit more writing then!

You know what’s also happening around Christmas? Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker! I’m kinda looking forward to it. And, I really, really hope the trilogy wraps up nicely and leaves us all satisfied.

And speaking of Star Wars–I’ve watched the first three episodes of The Mandalorean and I’ve got to say–it’s pretty good. And not just cause there’s a Baby Yoda that is the cutest thing on streaming TV–but I pretty much love anything that broadens the Star Wars universe–and focusing on a Mandalorian, and his clan and their cultural ways is a nice way of opening the Star Wars scope. Peeling another layer off the onion, so to speak. So, if you’re a fan of Star Wars, and you haven’t checked this show out yet, put it on your To-Do list.

Well, okay folks. That’s all I have for this week!

Halloween Hijinks

Boy, oh boy! It’s already late October–the year sure is flying by quickly. So, what have I been doing the past month you may ask? Why, drowning in the day job by working late hours so I can get a couple projects out the door. It’s been hectic! And unfortunately, it’s left little time for writing.

I don’t know about you, but during times like this, I need something to look forward to, and aside from the Holy Grail that is the three day weekend that’s coming in a few weeks, I’m also looking forward to is Halloween. To be honest, Halloween isn’t something that I get too into as an adult. I don’t really dress up, but I do give away candy.

But of course, when I was a kid, it was everything. We’d go trick or treating every year. In fact, there is one year that I think back on with amusement.

Story time!

So, one time I went trick or treating with my younger brother and his friend. I was like thirteen years old. So anyway, we went door to door getting candy as a group, cutting up and just having a good time. After awhile, it got late, and everyone went home. All the neighbors turned off their porch lights calling it a night. But we were young and stupid, without any supervision and decided to just keep walking around the neighborhood. We came across a house that belonged to someone that my brother and his friend didn’t like, and someone (I’m not sure who) suggested we egg the house.

But of course, we didn’t have any eggs. But my brother’s friend would not be deterred–instead he walked all the way back to his house to get some. He ended up sneaking a whole dozen out of the house, and I just looked at him like: “WHAT?” Cause I’d thought we’d just throw one or two eggs and get the heck out of there–no one said anything about a whole dozen.

My brother’s friend opens the container, and looks at us expectantly–like he expects us to grab and throw. And me and my brother freeze, cause we’d never egged a house nor had we done anything out of anger toward anyone before. So, it was like, “Are we really going to do this?”

We decide very quickly that we are.

The three of us grab an egg. I look at my brother and I say, “You first.” And he’s such a trooper, he agrees. He winds up and throws. The egg smacked loudly against the house–CRACK!

I’d known it was loud because it’s all I’d heard as my brother’s friend and I raced down the street as fast as we could.

When my brother caught up to us a few minutes later, well, let’s just say he was not pleased.

Jiu Jitsu and all its suckage

It’s been an age since I’ve written about jiu jitsu. Could be because attending class has been a bit hit or miss the last few months. Anyway, yesterday I had the hardest time finishing a roll because some dude’s feet smelled so bad. And I mean bad. So bad, like, the smell was on the mat and on my gi. It just stuck to everything.

Disgusting right?

Well, they really don’t tell you about what you’ll go through when you first join jiu jitsu. You just sort of learn as you go, and if it doesn’t scare you off, then you stick around and just deal with the suck.

And there’s a lot of suck.

I’ve had sweat drip in my eye and my mouth. I’ve finished rolling and was drenched with other people’s sweat all over my gi.

I’ve smelled so rank that I couldn’t wait to get home to wash, and literally splashed water over my upper body, shirt and all, to try to wash the smell off.

These are the things you go through when you’re in jiu jitsu.

These are the things I tell my friends who aren’t in jiu jitsu. Who are grossed out, and suggest I try something else for exercise. Because why? Why would anyone put themselves through it? To be all up in another person’s sweaty, smelly space?

Of course, they don’t understand–even though there are times when it sucks, the reward is worth it.

When you finally nail that arm bar you’d been wrestling so hard to get. Or pulling off the kimura, omaplata, or triangle. Or hell, just surviving seven minutes without getting choked out is an accomplishment in and of itself.

So, no. I won’t quit jiu jitsu and join taekwondo.

I’m good just where I’m at.

It’s a marathon…

It’s the second week since Dark Sun Rising has been released and as I originally thought–it’s going to be a marathon and not a sprint.

And personally–I’m okay with that. I know I have a long way to go. So first thing on my agenda (and what has always been number one on my list) is growing my readership. That will take some time and patience, which I have plenty of since I didn’t get into this business to make loads of cash. I mean it would be nice… but it’s not likely.

Nope, not at all.

The reason why I got into this whole thing was because I love writing. It brings me joy–it was so much fun writing Dark Sun Rising. And, it looks like there might be a few folks out who really enjoyed reading the book, too, and are looking forward to more from Mel, Victor, and Gabe.

Which brings me to number two on my list… finishing the next book of the Continuous War series. I’m forty-five thousand words in, and not even halfway through. So, I’ve got quite a bit more writing to do. Then after, I’ll need a little time to let the story rest before starting the editing process. And I think by now you know how much I like that part.

So those are my immediate plans. I mean, other than slinging the paperback copy of Dark Sun Rising everywhere I go. It can be found here and here for those of you interested. Don’t be shy, check it out.

It just might be your thing.

It’s almost time…

Well. It’s finally here–the month of my book’s release. I’ve prepared as much as I can so now I’ve just gotta wait and see. I’ve had lots of support from my family as well as friends, so at this point, I’m just happy that it’s going to be out there for people to love or hate.

And, I’m happy to say, that I’m not worried about the reception. I thought I would be. But nope. Maybe because I have been keeping myself sufficiently busy–at the moment I’m in Little Rock for training for the day job. When I’m not filling my head with IT stuff, I’m listening to Radiohead’s OK Computer over and over (Track 5 is on repeat!) while writing away in my hotel room. I’m hoping to get a large dent in for book 2 or at the very least, bang out that novella.

I’m also hoping all the writing will make the days go quicker. I’m missing home something crazy. Hotel rooms are for the birds. I want my own bed and my own pillow and blanket. And I already know what I’m going to eat after my plane lands on Friday. It starts with ‘T’ and ends with… oh, hell. It’s TACOS. TACOS PEOPLE.

On a side note: it just so happens that August is also my little brother’s birthday month. So, I’m just giving him my book for his birthday. No other gift. Just the book. So, there you go little brother! May you enjoy it. Happy Birthday to you! And Happy Birthday to all the other Leos, too! I give you my ART! Here’s an honest review of Dark Sun Rising just so you know what you’re in for.

Well, that’s all from me. See ya’ll.

Another Update…

Hello everyone! I feel like it’s been forever since I posted even though in reality it’s only been a few weeks. There’s an explanation–I promise. And that explanation is: life has been crazy. The work life that is. I’ve been assigned several projects that are all due at the same time, and so, most of my mental energy has gone into keeping those projects going successfully.

I also took a much needed vacation last week to Miami which was ridiculously hot and sticky but still lots of fun. I even took a little jaunt down to Key West. If you’ve never been, you should definitely check it out. Very nice, cool little beach town. I even got to check out Ernest Hemingway’s house, which I thought was pretty cool. And taking a stroll down Duvall street and eating key lime pie at one of the numerous bakeries was pretty sweet.

I will admit, I’ve been so busy, I haven’t thought much about the release of Dark Sun Rising, which is just a few weeks away, incase you didn’t know. As the time draws nearer, I keep wondering if there’s more I could do to make it more successful. Should I have reached out to more bloggers? More readers? Just more…

In these moments I tell myself that I’m doing the best I can with the knowledge I have. It’s all a learning experience. Trial and error. And all I can do is try to grow my readership. And lastly–I’ll make up for any shortfalls with book 2.

One good decision I made was setting up a blog tour with the nice folks from Rockstar Book Tour. Hopefully you guys see that in the internets in the next few weeks.

Anyway, that’s all from me today. Hope you guys have a good one.

K.M.

Another TV show review

Hello Everyone! Happy Fourth of July!

It’s been awhile since I posted and that is mainly because I’ve been working on marketing for Dark Sun Rising. I won’t lie–it was so much work (and so time consuming) reaching out to book bloggers that it kinda put me off of writing. I didn’t even really get a chance to work on book 2 either. Between work and all the other life stuff it was hard to do anything creative. I spent most of my free time recharging.

I think by now you all can tell how I recharge my batteries–Netflix!

So what show has caught my eye, you ask? Well, Lucifer, of course. For awhile now, I had heard about this show–how good and entertaining it is–but I had no idea how fun a watch it was. It’s kinda formatted like Law and Order and CSI in the sense that Lucifer helps the local police department with solving murders. The only difference is he has a secret power of making people tell the truth. Very handy for solving murders, that is.

Lucifer is also a lovable guy, not quite the fire and brimstone characterizations that have been done in the past. He’s actually a bit of a dolt when it comes to self awareness, which makes for some good comedy. The fact that he’s very honest about the fact that he’s Lucifer Morningstar, the Devil of Hell, and no one believes him make for some funny situations. I’m on season three, Chloe (the female lead and love interest) still doesn’t believe he’s the Devil, so I’m eagerly waiting for that reveal.

So yes, this show has been used to keep me from doing the thing I should be doing: writing. But it’s not a complete waste of time… I mean inspiration and all that.

Right?

Dark Sun Rising available for pre-order!

Hello Everyone!

So good news. The Dark Sun Rising eBook is now available for pre-order. Get it for $0.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iBooks. The paperback is also available for pre-order through Barnes & Noble.

I thought you guys may want a sample, so I’ve uploaded the first chapter as well under the My Books section. Check it out!

Also, if there are any book bloggers interested, please message me and I will send you a free ebook copy for your review.

Happy reading!

Hamilton 2019

Around fall of 2015, I went New York City on vacation, and at the time Hamilton was all the rage. Personally, I had no idea what the musical was about, but I really wanted to check it out. Unfortunately, the tickets were well over a thousand dollars and way, way to pricey for me. But I did promise myself that when the Broadway show came to Texas, I would buy a ticket, and get myself to the show and see what all the fuss is about.

Flash forward–and here we are in 2019, and finally, Hamilton came to town. Now first of all, not much has changed since 2015, I really don’t know much about the musical other than it was based off an Alexander Hamilton biography. That’s it. I wasn’t familiar with any of the songs, I hadn’t read any reviews, I just had a clean slate–a blank paper of which to scribe my own conclusions.

So what did I think of the musical, you ask?

It was amazing. Like, seriously amazing. From the opening of “Alexander Hamilton” to the last song, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story”, it was non-stop energy. This had to do with the fact that most of the music was hip-hop with rapped versus that were catchy, educational (who knew Alexander Hamilton lived such a dramatic and interesting life?), and full of such passion that I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed at times. I admit, I cried. I cried quite a bit. Not because there were maudlin parts (there were), but because there was just so much. So much emotion. So much life. I can tell you, I’ve never experienced a live performance that moved me as much as this musical.

If you ever have a chance to experience Hamilton, I suggest you do. I assure you, you will not regret it.

Hamilton-poster

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