It's February, Shane! Where's the first Seraph novel?

Well, it's well into February, and I figure I owe my readers/fans/friends/whoever's left some answers about my progress on "forging the Seraph", the first Seraph novel. The truth is, I've had to go back and re-plot the book and do a LOT more thinking about all the characters that are sailors on the Seraph.

It's not like I haven't been productive. A Seraph story (which started right here in this blog) was published in Fissure magazine in November. Seraph stories will also be published soon in two more publications; more about that when those deals are finalized.

I've finished rewriting my first movie screenplay (written with Curt Hart,) "Plateye," which I mentioned earlier. "We have an agent, and the script is being farmed out as we speak. I also just finished my second feature length script entitled "Shiners," written with Matt Broughton. We'll be farming that one out soon as well.

As far as the Seraphers go, I wish I could tell you all the cool things I've realized about Aerthe and about the crew of my favorite airship, but it would give away things best left in the stories. It seems that you'll have to wait longer, but I promise to keep you informed, and to start giving you pictures or something to actually give this blog more substance.

I can say that these are not stories that I can rush. They are very dear to me, and I want to make sure that I write them as well as possible and as accurately as possible. I hope that my faithful readers can bear with me and endure the wait while I blindly feel my way toward becoming a novel writer.

If any of you have questions, feel free to write, and I will answer them on the blog.

Sincerely,
C. Shane McElveen

Evolution Aint Always Easy

Hi folks. Once again, I'd like to humbly thank my readers for your interest and support. The past few weeks have been a turning point for me; I've finally learned to treat my writing as my chosen job...the job I truly love to do. And that is because I've allowed myself to actually sit down and DO that job. I had a long conversation with a fellow writer/best friend of mine, and that conversation finally kicked my butt into gear. Especially when I realized that I will be 34 this weekend. So, despite any frustrations or self doubts or (let's be honest) laziness, I am finally writing regularly, and the more I write, the more I love to write. Especially about the Seraph crew. which brings me to my point, and recent news.

As you have undoubtedly noticed, I have removed Captain Maelstorme Smythe's Journal entries from this blog. I am doing this for several reasons; first off, I am revising the history of the world of Aerthe, the mirror Earth that Mael and his crew are residents of. Secondly, the more I realize about Mael's entire story, the more I realize that some of the things I wrote before are a bit off; for instance, the Seraph isn't a zeppelin airship. She is something more dangerous and valuable. Lastly, I am combining and editing the existing journals into short stories, which I am attempting to have published. The short story "Black Skies" will be published in the upcoming Steampunk edition of Fissure magazine in November!

This blog will not be empty, however. I plan to post entries in the words of the Seraph crew members that give you insight into the world of Aerthe, as well as maps of Aerthe and descriptions of creatures and characters from the Seraph stories! Stay with me here, folks. It's going to be a great year.

In related news, my work on the first Seraph novel, "Forging the Seraph," continues. I am giving myself a serious deadline of February 1st to have the first draft completed.

In other news, I have co-written my first feature-length screenplay called Plateye as well as a pilot script for a web show. The web show has to remain a bit of a secret for now, as Evil Duck Productions is planning to film the pilot episode next month. Once it is on the web, I promise to reveal the details. As for Plateye, here is the synopsis:

"Plateye is a tale of southern-fried horror with a side of teenage angst. It is based on the Gullah legend of the Plateye- an undead servant created from sacrificed slaves. Plateye is the story of Shaun Whately, a goth kid from New York, who finds himself growing up in a very unfamiliar Southern culture.

Shaun and his family soon meet the colorful residents of the rural Southern town of Beulah. Residents who may know than they are letting on about the wicked slave owner, John Hatchet and his dark secrets. Unfortunately for Shaun, his new home is a creepy old plantation house full of those secrets; the same plantation house that once belonged to Hatchet.

When Shaun unwittingly discovers Hatchet's journal, the stage is set for Shaun and his new found cohorts to search for a legendary hoard of Confederate gold, stolen by Hatchet himself. Little does Shaun know that a sinister surprise lies in wait for him and his reluctant group of friends as they near Hatchet's trove. For the very slave that carried Hatchet's gold into the secret swamp cave are the same angry spiritis that murderously guard it to this day."

As for other recent projects, I am currently working on two more movie scripts as well, with ideas for plenty more. Looks like it's going to be a productive year for me. Wish me luck, and thanks again for your support. I will keep this blog posted when stories/novels are published. In the meantime, please speak up! I never get to hear from you guys. Please give me some feedback. How am I doing? What do you want to see on this blog?

Thanks again,
Shane McElveen

A Note From The Writer

To those who have followed the journal so far, I'd like to say hello, and thank you so much for your interest in my writing. For those who have been reading the journal over time, thank you for your patience. Please allow me to apologize for the lack of journal entries over the past few months. I felt that you, my readers, deserve an explanation of why you haven't seen a journal post for a while.

The truth is that I was stuck for a bit, and when the gears and cogs started turning again, I realized that the format is what is encumbering me in the story of Mael and his crew. I've never claimed to be an eclectic writer nor a champion wordsmith. This marks my first true attempt at a tale of any length.

What I'm getting at here is that I'm taking a hiatus from this version of the seraph Crew's story in favor of a broader, third-person perspective on things. And I'm going to take the ideas presented here and start on the first of the Seraph novels. I will rework this blog and post the first few chapters of the novel once it is finished, and I will also post links from time to time leading to other blogs where I will be posting my short stories.

I realize I'm leaving this at a cliffhanger, and I realize how much that sucks. Hopefully you can all rest easy in the knowIedge that the account of the island will be covered, in detail, in the novel I'm currently working on. I'm afraid that I just can't agree with the statement that it's better to burn out than fade away. So for now I'm going to fade and reorganize...hopefully emerging with a stronger tale and something worthy of your patience and support.

Thank you all again for your time and interest.

Sincerely,
Shane McElveen