I have been tinkering with the design of the new book cover for Guardian Generations. There are now two versions. One has the female character’s face up close so it sort of matches the design of Guardian. The other version is more of a scene from the book.  Now I need your help. I am looking for feedback on which style you think is best. Please email me and let me know which style you prefer.

Book Cover Type 1

Book Cover Type 2

I have also produced some fantasy desktop wallpapers that can be downloaded for free from my www.guardianscifi.com website.

Please visit and download as they are free and you do not have to fill out anything to get them. I will be adding more as time goes on.

Guardian Generations is now 64500 words.

I am running a special Christmas offer on my Guardian Sci Fi website. An author signed copy of Guardian for £6.50. I will include a personal dedication of your choice just add it to your order or email me separately.

A signed copy would make an excellent Christmas present and you never know in the future you might be able to sell it on ebay for more than you paid for it

I am coming to the end of Guardian Generations. The word count I now 63000. I should have it finished and ready for the first round of editing within the next two weeks.

Once it is edited I will submit it to the publishers. So with any luck the book will be ready by April next year.

This time the cover will be my own and I am in the process of developing it. The Mark II version is now on the Guardian website. I am in the process of producing the MK III version so visit the website regularly if you are interested.

As I have got to grips with the graphics software I have started to produce other pictures with a Sci Fi or Fantasy theme.  I will be adding them to a new section on the Guardian website as I produce them.  I am also looking at the possibility of printing some of the pictures as posters.

I will let you know how that progresses. In the mean time if there is a particular picture you would like a copy of please let me know and I will see what I can do for you.

Three weeks away on the Isle of Arran has enabled me to get some serious writing done. Book two is now over 56,000 words. I have the remaining story lines planned in my head so I should have the book finished by mid next month.

Now the end is in sight I have started thinking about the cover. I find it makes a change from writing while still being involved in the story. The person who helped produce the cover for Guardian book one seems to have disappeared. He has not updated his website since April and not responded to any of my emails. I just hope nothing serious has gone wrong for him.

Anyway I have decided to have a go myself. I have purchased some 3D software and spent the last few days experimenting with it.  The things you can do are really out of this world! The only thing is it is a bit complicated and there is a significant amount to get your head round. However I have managed a first draft, which is something. There are a lot of things that need changing but it is a basis to work on.

As you can see I have finally settled on a title. It came to me once the story line had evolved.  (I only ever have a vague idea where a story is going when I start to write. The characters and situations take over as the story moves on.)

The new book is to be called…..

Guardian Generations.

I will shortly put the first chapter onto the Guardian Sci Fi website and update the cover as it evolves. So if you read and enjoyed Guardian please go over and have a look. Even if you have not read Guardian yet, (And why not!!!) please go check it out  and tell me what you think.

Yesterday was a red-letter day! I happened to be checking the links on my website and found that Amazon have only one edition of Guardian left in stock! (They have apparently placed a restocking order with the publisher so don’t panic.)

I have been looking for something to make my book website www.guardianscifi.com stand out from the other  (millions) of book/author websites.

I was at a restaurant with my daughter when an idea came to me. (I wonder why that happens? you rack your brains for an answer and have to give up then while you are doing something completely different bingo!).

We were talking about one of her friends when it came to me he used to write songs. I thought ‘why not have a theme tune for my book? That would be different’ I discussed my idea with her she thought it was worth asking him to see what  he thought of the idea.

I contacted him and he now plays the keyboard  for a heavy progressive indie rock band called Island Three. He sent me a copy of their latest EP Dark and Empty Spaces. The theme of the EP was space a good start I thought. I played the EP and was taken with one track  ‘Moon Mirror Window’ I thought it fitted well with my book.

To cut a long story short I now have a theme track I can put on my book website. I am also going to offer the EP and book as a bundle for those who like the track. I think it helped that he liked my book Guardian (especially as he had studied Artificial Intelligence in University!)

When it is up and running please let me know what you think. The only reservation I have is if you don’t like the music would it put you off buying the book?

Guardian Two: I have at last broken the 25000 word barrier hooray!
26320 Words

Even though I was informed the official launch of Guardian was scheduled for the 14th June I found out by accident that it is available now worldwide from online book shops.

I have added links to Amazon and Waterstone’s on the purchase page of www.Guardianscifi.com.  So if you want to purchase a copy of my book from a reputable online book seller in your local currency please search Clive Osborne Rapley on your local Amazon website.

The next milestone is the publisher’s seminar on how to sell books. It is scheduled for 19th June and I am looking forward to it. I hope to come away with some good ideas and an action plan.

I must knuckle down and get on with Guardian two. I have found too many distractions lately.    I have only managed a few hundred words. I have plenty of ideas the problem is they don’t seem to come out on the paper right.

Guardian Two word count 22780