Knowing when to rewrite

Posted on January 31, 2016January 31, 2016 by Percival Constantine

Last week, I came very close to finishing Vanguard #14. In fact, I was less than a thousand words from the finish line. I’m already behind schedule on completion of season three, thanks in part to some unexpected computer repairs.

But still, I realized what the problem was. It wasn’t the stress of trying to meet the deadlines that was causing me to struggle. Instead, the problem was that the story just wasn’t right. At least not in the way I was telling it.

Originally, when I was mapping out the third season, episodes #11-13 and #15 came very easily. But #14 felt like empty space. I needed another episode to get to the usual standard of five episodes per season, I just couldn’t find out what the problem was.

And then I realized—the problem was I kept thinking that the finale would be a typical finale, so it would be able to fit into a single episode.

Now I know how wrong I was. The season three finale will be a massive turning point for the series. And once I saw that, I realized that it’s actually supposed to be a two-part episode.

So over the weekend, I went over what I had already written. I found out that about a quarter of what I’d written could be salvaged and used in the new episode. And then I remapped the episode and started writing it all over today.

And to my surprise, it works so much better. The previous draft felt more like filler than an actual episode. This now feels like it fits in so much better. Sometimes you have to take stock of what you’re doing and even if it means more work or missing deadlines, do what’s best for the story.

I have a lot more time on my hands this month, so the hope is I can double my daily word count goals. If all goes well, I’ll still be able to get Vanguard Season Three on schedule for release beginning in the middle of March.

And in case you’re wondering about The Complete Second Season? Check back next week.

The conclusion to Vanguard Season 2!

Posted on November 17, 2015November 17, 2015 by Percival Constantine

In the finale to Vanguard’s second season, the team discovers that their new ally has quickly become a formidable enemy!

J’Karra, an alien special from another world, has come to Earth for one purpose—to discover how the humans have used her people’s sacred resources to create specials! But in the process, she discovers something else—her people have come to Earth before, and it ended in disaster. Can Vanguard stop this alien warrior before she brings terror to the Earth? And what lies in wait?

The season finale sets the stage for new trouble on the horizon. Vanguard is back and better than ever, but the threat posed by J’Karra is just the beginning. Other threats loom, coming from across time and space!

Join the team as the end of season two kicks off the start of a new era, and find out what the future holds—literally!

Available only on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Only 99¢ for a limited time!

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Vanguard #8 available now!

Posted on October 20, 2015October 16, 2015 by Percival Constantine

We’re now at the halfway point of season two, and everything begins to change here! Various pieces are falling into place that will set up not only the season finale, but also answer questions and prepare for what promises to be an explosive third season!

In the latest episode, Zenith and Lee Parker have remained at Vanguard’s former base, the Atlas, ever since the team was disbanded. And they’re not alone! If you’ve read the previous episode, then you already know the other surprising inhabitant! How did they get here? The answer is in the latest episode!

Lee has been working to repair Zenith’s body and together they’ve been investigating Cerberus and Director Callus. But now, things take a turn for the worse as a new enemy called Omega appears!

If you’ve pre-ordered Vanguard #8, it should now be available to download. If you haven’t, then you can go over to Amazon and get it now. And if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, read it for free!

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Vanguard #7 out now!

Posted on October 6, 2015October 5, 2015 by Percival Constantine

The second season of Vanguard continues in Vanguard #7: The Experts, available now on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited!

With Vanguard disbanded in the wake of the Red Fist incident, Gunsmith has found new work with Cerberus, a global peace-keeping organization designed to keep specials in check. But an investigation into the remnants of the Red Fist turns up a surprising fact—the director of Cerberus has been using a strike team to round up specials and imprison them without cause or trial!

Now Gunsmith stands against an organization with a global reach, including their operatives who are armed with extremely advanced technology! His only hope lies in a mysterious informant and a former teammate in a desperate plan to try and overthrow the Cerberus director before he causes even more damage!

The second season continues here as the disparate elements of the team slowly begin to come together! Pick it up now for 99¢ on Amazon or read for free as part of Kindle Unlimited!

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Vanguard #6 available now!

Posted on September 21, 2015September 19, 2015 by Percival Constantine

The second season of Vanguard begins right here with Vanguard #6: Freak Island!

In the fallout of the Red Fist’s attack, Vanguard has been disbanded and replaced by an international peacekeeping organization. Shift has tried to return to her old life, but found the transition from superhero back to high school student a difficult one. But when she learns of the existence of an island for specials, she enlists the help of her former teammate, Sharkskin, to investigate. Is this a paradise for specials, or a hell in the making?

Although season 1 was only released on a monthly schedule, I’m pleased to announce that season 2 will be released bi-weekly! That means you’ll only have to wait two weeks to read the next episode in the season!

Vanguard #6, like all the episodes and the complete first season, is only available on Amazon. This also means it’s part of the Kindle Unlimited reading subscription package, so you can read all the episodes as part of your monthly KU fee!

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I’ll see you back here in two weeks for the release of Vanguard #7: The Experts, now available for pre-order!

Like it? Review it! Indie authors depend on reviews to help build an audience. So if you enjoy these titles, please take a few minutes after you’re done to leave an honest review on Amazon.

Luther Cross: Bloodlust now available!

Posted on August 24, 2015August 24, 2015 by Percival Constantine

The long-awaited third installment of occult investigator Luther Cross is now available from Pro Se Productions! Check out the product description:

Author Percival Constantine returns with another tale of Luther Cross—the only man clever enough to con Hell itself. In the third installment of Constantine’s Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series, Cross has to draw the line between passion and hunger in “Bloodlust”.

While helping the police investigate the murder of a high-end escort in uptown Chicago, Cross discovers that the victim is a vampire. Creatures of the night are moonlighting as prostitutes… and as dangerous as they are, something even worse is now hunting them. Cross must decide whose side he’s on—the monster’s or the monster hunter’s—and he must do it quickly before even more blood is spilled.

Bloodlust, the third digital single short story in Constantine’s Luther Cross Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series.

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Vanguard: The Complete First Season now available!

Posted on August 18, 2015August 18, 2015 by Percival Constantine

Vanguard: The Complete First Season is now available!

After a mysterious event has altered humanity’s genetic structure, a group of superhumans, called specials, have emerged. Fearing the potential danger these super-powered individuals could pose to normal humans, the President of the United States secretly authorizes the creation of a response team of specials, called Vanguard!

In this first season, Vanguard must not only adjust to working together as a team, but also face super-powered menaces in the form of a well-meaning yet arrogant special with a desire to be a superhero, a mad scientist who wants to unlock the secrets of humanity’s changes, a revolutionary with the power to enforce her rhetoric, a vengeance-driven powerhouse, and waiting in the wings is a mysterious warlord who desires to use specials to his own benefits in order to impose a new world order!

Fans of the X-Men and the Avengers won’t want to miss this explosive first season! This collection contains not only all five episodes of the first season, but also a special bonus episode previously only available to subscribers! And at $4.99, Vanguard: The Complete First Season will give you a discount of more than 50% if you bought all the individual episodes!

Pick it up today at your online retailer of choice! Season 2 is coming next month, so now’s your chance to catch up on season 1!

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The Descendants Volume 1

Posted on April 18, 2015April 18, 2015 by Percival Constantine

I first discovered comic books in the early 90s. I was a huge fan of the X-Men and Batman: The Animated Series and my brother, whose sports collectibles shop sold comics as well, shipped me some unsold issues of various comics. Although I first came to comics in the 90s, I became quickly addicted and through the use of my local library and back-issue bins, quickly began devouring older stories from the Silver and Bronze Age. And of the comics I read, the Bronze Age ones were undoubtedly my favorite.

For those who aren’t aware, the Bronze Age of comics generally refers to the period between 1970-1985. There was also a mixture of darker, more socially relevant storytelling. This is the era that brought us such classic stories as The Dark Phoenix Saga, The Night Gwen Stacy Died, Snowbirds Don’t Fly, and Frank Miller’s groundbreaking run on Daredevil. But even with the darker stories, there still remained elements of the fun of the Silver Age stories (unlike comics that followed and continue to this day, where grim ‘n’ gritty is used as a shortcut for good storytelling).

It’s clear that Landon Porter and I are cut from the same cloth, because The Descendants definitely follows in the mode of those stories. The group of young superhumans we meet in Welcome to Freeland House have some been through some trying situations, but they still maintain their youthful exuberance and act just as any other teenage kid would act. And like the Bronze Age comics of old, Porter gives us short, self-contained stories with larger story-arcs playing in the background.

Porter proves himself a master of the serial format, expertly weaving in and out the multitude of character arcs and plotlines that never drag on for a page longer than they should.

Some of the story elements didn’t win me over as much. I didn’t quite understand why the story was set in the future as the setting seemed like it could easily be the modern-day. I also wasn’t very fond of the non-powered friends of Warrick and Cyn. But the interactions of the residents of Freeland House, particularly Warrick and Cyn, more than make up for these weaker points.

Pick up The Descendants Complete Collection Volume 1: Welcome to Freeland House from Amazon or read it in serial format at the website.

If you’re looking for more superhero action, check out my Vanguard serial (issue #4 coming out Monday, April 20th!).

Vanguard #1 and Luther Cross #2 available now!

Posted on January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 by Percival Constantine

The first episode of Vanguard, my new serial chronicling the adventures of a team of superheroes, is now available exclusively on Amazon!

The world has changed. A mysterious event altered the genetic structure of humanity, granting a small percentage of the population superhuman powers. A small team of these specials has been formed to deal with potential threats. Paragon—telekinetic powerhouse; Zenith—hyper-intelligent automaton; Shift—shape-changing teenager; Wraith—teleporting shadow warrior; Sharkskin—human/shark hybrid. Led by the armored Gunsmith, they are Vanguard!

Callum King’s life has fallen apart. He lost his job, his wife left him, and he was about to end it all—when he discovered he possessed the powers of a superman. Now calling himself the Exemplar, he’s declared himself the world’s first superhero, out to prove those who doubted him wrong. But his arrogance far supersedes his good intentions! Can Vanguard overcome their internal strife in order to face their first threat?

If you’re a fan of superhero comics like the X-Men or the Avengers, then you do not want to miss this new monthly series! Available for only 99¢ on Amazon or free if you’re a member of Kindle Unlimited! Buy it now!

And if you can’t wait for the second installment of the series, there’s a special prequel episode of the series!

Want to know how Vanguard was created? Curious about the specifics of The Event that introduced specials into the world? Then you won’t want to miss Vanguard #0: The Event!

This prequel episode shows the lives of the members of Vanguard before they joined the team and why they signed up. Witness the birth of a legend right here in this exclusive episode. It’s and exclusive to subscribers, so sign up now to receive your free copy!

And also don’t forget Vanguard #2: Cold War Frankenstein, scheduled for release on February 23rd and now available for pre-order on Amazon!

This is a big day for release announcements because I’m not yet done! On the same day that Vanguard #1 came out, Pro Se Productions also released the second installment of my Luther Cross series for their Single Shot Signatures line. Here’s their press release:

Luther Cross 2 - The Ties That Bind PRO SE PRODUCTIONS SINGLE SHOT SIGNATURE SERIES-
FOUR NEW STORIES TO KICK OFF 2015!

At the end of 2013, Pro Se Productions, an innovative publisher of Genre Fiction, debuted its Pro Se Single Shots line, stand alone digital only short story singles at an affordable price. Due to the success of the single self containted tales, Pro Se launched the Pro Se Single Shot Signature line in 2014. The Signature imprint still focuses on digital singles, but invited authors either write individual stand alone stories under a ‘From the Pen of…” title or a series of their own creation, either featuring connected stories or even ‘chapters’ or ‘episodes’ as well as still features single short stories or recurrent ‘chapters’ or ‘episodes’ written as short stories. The New Pulp Publisher debuts the next chapters in four of its inaugural Signature series today.

“The Pro Se Single Shot Signature line,” says Tommy Hancock, Pro Se Productions Partner and Editor in Chief, “is a project that, although it’s gotten off to a slow start, has in many ways altered how Pro Se sees publishing. We’ll continue with our traditional publishing of novels and anthologies, but the Signature imprint allows us to play with all sorts of possibilities of promotion, distribution, and accessing new readership on several levels. With schedules being sorted in the next week or two as well as multiple series and writer’s imprints debuing within the line over the next month or so, Pro Se is preparing to redefine Genre Fiction and New Pulp in 2015. And the four latest installments to the series that kicked off the Signatures are the best way to move forward.”

The four newest releases from the Pro Se Single Shot Signature line are available at Amazon and www.smashwords.com.

FLY GIRL: THE ICE QUEEN by Russ Anderson

Russ Anderson Jr’s Fly Girl returns, soaring into her second adventure in her Pro Se Single Shot Signature series as she faces The Ice Queen!

Still reeling from the events of the first story, 16 year old Caryn Clay struggles to understand her newfound abilities, her truly awesome connection with her Navajo heritage, and the attack of another strangely powered figure, known only as The Trickster. Before she can come to grips with any of that, though, a new foe presents herself. Can Caryn survive the chilling vengeance of a wronged girl? And are she and her mystical feather to blame for the destruction wrought by this frigid new enemy? Find out in The Ice Queen, Fly Girl Book Two by Russ Anderson, Jr., featuring exciting cover and logo design by Jeff Hayes and ebook formatting by Anderson. Available on the Kindle athttp://tinyurl.com/prt4yoo and for most other formats at http://tinyurl.com/q6vm3pl for only 99 cents.

LUTHER CROSS: TIES THAT BIND by Percival Constantine

Author Percival Constantine returns with another tale of Luther Cross—the only man clever enough to con Hell itself. In the second installment of Constantine’s Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series, Cross finds himself embroiled in a missing persons case and becomes dangerously entangled in Ties That Bind.

A stop for breakfast in a small diner becomes a case of life and death…and more for Cross. Overhearing a distraught woman’s plea for help to find her missing brother, Cross senses there is more than simply an absent sibling at work here. Finding themselves on their own deep in the woods, Cross and his new companion discover that small towns not only hide skeletons in the closet. There’s something much worse they keep in the barn.

Ties That Bind, the second digital single short story in Constantine’s Luther Cross Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series, features evocative cover art and logo design by Jeff Hayes and ebook formatting by Russ Anderson. The latest story in Cross’ saga is available for only 99 cents for Kindle at http://tinyurl.com/l79xflt and at Smashwords for other formats at http://tinyurl.com/o76jp2j.

MAGEE: TWO SOULS by David White

The Angel Heaven and Hell hate to see coming discovers new truths in the third installment of author David White’s Magee, a Pro Se Single Shot Series from Pro Se Productions.

Finding love in the arms of a witch, Magee seems to be finding his stride in the mortal world. That is, until a guitar wielding demon shows up, fully intent on playing Magee’s funeral song on his corpse. As the battle ensues, Magee finds himself face to face with unbelievable secrets now revealed as well as an evil older than God itself. An evil that offers Magee the world…or suffering beyond even his imagining.

David White’s Magee: Two Souls is the third digital single short story in this supernatural action Pro Se Single Signature Series and features striking art work and logo design by Jeff Hayes and ebook formatting by Russ Anderson. Get your copy for only 99 cents at Amazon for the Kindle at http://tinyurl.com/k6qcrxb and for most other formats at Smashwords at http://tinyurl.com/pqaptzy.

THE FABULOUS WORLD OF ZENITH: MY FLORIDA IDYLL, PART TWO
by Chuck Miller

Chuck Miller, the master of Psychedelic Pulp, returns with the second episode of the wildest, weirdest Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series yet. The Fabulous World of Zenith, a new and original series that will examine the world of the Black Centipede, Vionna Valis, Mary Kelly and Doctor Unknown Junior from a variety of strange and oblique angles continues on with The Journal of Bloody Mary Jane: My Florida Idyll- Part Two!

Finding herself trapped in the small Florida settlement of Cotton Mather and Ponce De Leon, Mary Jane Gallows continues on her odd mission for the now vampiric Professor Moriarty, as well as her own personal twisted journey. Strange creatures inhabit the dilapidated village surrounding the mysterious Fountain of Youth. Three men stumble their way into the crop of building and strangeness seeking a murderess, not knowing that Bloody Mary Jane is indeed among them. And Miss Gallows finds out much and yet nothing about the future, her destiny, and secrets that could mean her own demise or even better, the end of the world.

The Journal of Bloody Mary Jane: My Florida Idyll- Part Two features a fantastic cover and logo design by Jeff Hayes and ebook formatting by Russ Anderson. It is available for only 99 cents at Amazon for the Kindle at http://tinyurl.com/kxfgfme and at Smashwords for most other formats at http://tinyurl.com/pkbcslh.

For more information on these titles, interviews with the authors, or digital copies for review, contact Morgan McKay, Pro Se’s Director of Corporate Operations, at directorofcorporateoperations@prose-press.com.

To learn more about Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com. Like Pro Se on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions.

Luther Cross: The Reckoning now available!

Posted on September 10, 2014September 10, 2014 by Percival Constantine

HELL KNOWS NO FURY…UNTIL NOW.
NEW PRO SE SINGLE SHOT SIGNATURE SERIES DEBUTS- ‘LUTHER CROSS’ BY PERCIVAL CONSTANTINE

Continuing with its innovative approach to Genre Fiction and New Pulp, Pro Se Productions announces the debut of its newest Pro Se Single Shot Signature series of digital singles. Author Percival Constantine brings an occult action thriller to the Signature line centered around a man who has literally been through Hell. The Reckoning: Luther Cross Book One is now available from Pro Se Productions.

“Luther Cross,” says Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “is a character and a series that will strike a few notes with Genre fans. It has a definite horror/supernatural angle to it and the action sequences sing like fine bloody opera, but the real fun here is the main character himself. Luther is simultaneously a skilled troubleshooter of all things strange and beyond and a man with his own troubled history, which definitely colors his view on the world. Also, Percival instills Cross with this sort of relaxed, deliberate approach to the world around him, both of them, and that makes the character both likable and more approachable to readers.”

Pro Se Productions goes to Hell and back with the debut of its newest Single Shot Signature Series. Author Percival Constantine introduces readers to the enigmatic, inexplicable Luther Cross.

Luther Cross has been through Hell—literally. Born of a mother he watched die, conceived as part of a demonic ritual, and raised by monks after being saved by a mysterious, murderous individual, Cross now makes what living he does through confidence schemes…and the death of demons. What led to a school shooting in a small town, and why is there a mystic component involved? The spirits of the victims call out for help, and only Luther Cross can answer their cries.

“Ebooks,” says Constantine, “have changed the entire market and I’m thrilled to be part of Pro Se’s efforts to take full advantage of the format with the Single Shot Signatures. With the ability to quickly and cheaply publish stories, eBooks are the pulp paper of the new millennium.”

The Reckoning: Luther Cross Book One features stunning cover art and design by Jeff Hayes, main title logo by Constantine, and eBook formatting by Russ Anderson. The first issue of the latest Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series is available for the Kindle via Amazon and for most eBook formats at www.smashwords.com for only 99 cents.

For more information on this title, interviews with the author, or digital copies for review, contact Morgan McKay, Pro Se’s Director of Corporate Operations, at directorofcorporateoperations@prose-press.com.

For more information on Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com.Like Pro Se on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions.

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