Newsletter

I’ve been talking (and thinking) about a newsletter for the website for the past few months. The problem with that is, neither talking nor thinking about something actually gets it done. So, the other day, while riding the train home I started putting together the newsletter on my iPad.

But, what to put into it?

Obviously, updates on my own progress with my writing – people wouldn’t have subscribed if they didn’t want to know about my various projects, would they? But, it has to be more than a means to shill out my work. There has to be something special that subscribers will get that no one else can.

So what did I come up with?

Well, in fact, I came up with several somethings:

• codes to get discounts on any self-published work for Smashwords;
• discounts for anything I sell off my website (that is coming, btw);
• editing tips and examples from my own work (I’ve talked about this before – it is still on the table);
• newsletter-only new content.

The last is what I want to focus a bit more on because I’m pretty jazzed about the story idea. So, here it is: the story begins in 1870’s United States, Arizona Territory. Texas Ranger, Champ McKay is tracking a gang of gold thieves. When he finds them, he learns quickly that they are not what he thought. Instead of being human bandits, they are desperate aliens who were stranded on Earth. They needed the gold to repair their ship (along with a few more common items, like silicon). He accidentally hitches a ride with them when they leave Earth.

This story is set in the same universe as the GalaxyBillies stories, only 100+ years before. I will be doing the story as a serial. Each newsletter will have a new episode. Sometimes I will be doing two or three-part episodes that span multiple newsletters.

Sound intriguing? All you have to do is sign up for the newsletter and you too can get in on reading the stories. And who knows, I may have contests for subscribers to appear in episodes of the story. It will be titled: Champ McKay, Texas Space Ranger.