My very short FAQ list

Now that I am getting a little buzz (a little is a lot better than none) about my books I am finding that many people are asking me the same questions. I really appreciate the comments and questions so please keep them coming. But to help people that may have questions about my books I decided to write a quick FAQ blog.
#1) What is the intended audience for the Gruff series?
While I wrote the Gruff series without any graphic nudity and vulgar language, there are still some subject matters and words that young kids will not understand and there are some subjects that kids will not experience until much older. A ten-year old picking up Gruff will not have to have his eyes washed out with soap. That's not at all what I'm saying. The Gruff series is about a man's quest to acheive what he was called to do. This quest involves war, love, hate, and evil enemies. I tried very hard to be as descriptive as possible when writing the scenes and circumstances in this series. Kids can read it but I don't want the parents of these kids to be caught off guard by some things in these books. Gruff is not the story of a cute and cuddly Elf living in a tree and making cookies. Gruff is a 6'2" warrior with a lot of foolish enemies seeking to test him and his skills. Life lessons are taught through this series but they are not always depicted with smiley faces and sing-a-longs. For these reasons I suggest the Gruff series for teens to adults. You can read the synopsis for every book in the Gruff series on my website http://www.alexteralbury.com/.

#2) What is Recipe of a Man about?
Recipe of a Man is a short collection of poetry, short stories, and vignettes. They are samples of my work that range from high school to the present. I thought about altering some of my adolescent work but I decided against it. I was young, naive, and immature about a lot of things I wrote in high school but that was the person I was at that time (15 years ago...Ouch!). I have grown and matured since my teen years but my younger days need to speak as I once was. Recipe of a Man is my progression as a person and as a writer. Read it as it is, just remember that each poem and story was written at certain times of my life and at different ages. The stages of my life are randomly scattered in Recipe of a Man. I'll let you decipher the current me for yourself. By the way, I give this the teen to adult rating too. This ain't Dr. Suess!

#3) Where can I buy your books?
My books are only available online at the moment. You can purchase them through my site, my publishers sites, and most major book suppliers.

#4) What else do you write?
Everyone knows that I love sci-fi, anime, and comics so naturally I tend to write a lot of stories like these. But I also write poetry, screenplays, and fiction. Not everything that I write will involve super powers, aliens or enchanted creatures. There are many sides to my persona. I try to take care of all of them. I hope that last statement doesn't make me sound like I have multiple personalities because we don't. I am working on a book of my art that will be sort of a coffee table book. Look for that one near Christmas. (Hint Hint)

I'm sure that I missed a couple of questions. Feel free to ask me anything about me or my work in person or through email. I love you guys and thanks for the support!    

Buy the book

I'm happy to let everyone know that Gruff: Rising Sons is now ready for order through my publisher Lulu. It is also available as a digital download from Lulu and Amazon. It will take about 6-8 weeks for it to be available through the other online book retail stores. I am very excited! It's great to see the finished product. All of the months of hard work paid off. I would also like to thank everyone for their support and comments. Many of you have been asking me for months if my book was finished. Now you can stop asking. It's ready for you to enjoy and I hope you do just that. This will be the last in the Gruff series for a while. I have other projects that I need to complete. But my mind is already creating another story for the series. That will be a few years from now though. I'm very busy these days on various projects. As they are finished I will let everyone know about them. Until then...enjoy the blog and the book.

STEP OUT OF THE BOAT

Some of my greatest breakthroughs and moments have come shortly after uncomfortable or challenging changes in my life. These times are uncertain and the paths they lead me to are often veiled by unknown circumstances and future possibilities. I am a creature of habit. I like things to be well-planned and organized. I don't like unexpected changes at all! Not being in control of my life or current situation really throws me off. I am in one of those life-changing spells. But ironically it is something that I prayed for. God has answered my prayers but it requires my obedience-real faith. I have learned from experience that it is crucial to listen when the Lord speaks. Disobedience doesn't always mean pain and suffering. Disobedience can simply be a missed blessing. I dislike missing blessings far more than I dislike change. So now I must be obedient to what God has spoken. It is an answered prayer that requires me to leave my comfort zone. To have what He has clearly promised I must step out on faith. My faith is not a safety net that I pull out to rescue me from a terrible fall. I don't intend on falling. I wont fall! My faith is a rock that can't be moved. It is a foundation that is grounded on God's word. Times may be changing but God will receive the glory when His work in me is done. I am encouraged by the scriptures during this time. In Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus' disciples witness him walking on water. Peter steps out of the boat to join his master only after first getting Jesus' word on the matter. Peter walks on the water just as Jesus told him he could. Peter only had trouble when he took his eyes off the Lord and began focusing on the crashing waves around him. But even after a brief lack of faith, Peter was rescued by the hand of Jesus. This scripture is my encouragement to see this miracle through. I have stepped out of the boat and I will not look at the rough seas around me. My focus is on God and the word that He gave me.

Has God given you a word? Has He given you an answer to your prayers? Remember that He is faithful and he has only good plans for you. If He has given you a word, be obedient and act on it. Step out of the boat!

It is written!

I know that my deadline ended almost four months ago but alas I have finished my latest book. Gruff: Rising Sons is complete! Sunday I finished the book that I have been writing for about fifteen months. I guess if writing was my full-time job I could have completed it a lot sooner. I am so happy and relieved to have that story out of my brain and on paper where it belongs. Walking around with an epic tossing and turning in your mind is quite exhausting. My eyes hurt from staring at my computer screen for hours at a time. My fingers are sore from the sporatic tapping of keys. My head will finally have the peace that has eluded it because of the lingering thoughts of unfinished battle scenes and visions of imaginary beasts. Gruff's story is done..for the moment. I can breathe easy for a while.

There is still plenty of work left to do. I still have to edit it and design the cover. Those steps are welcomed changes from the harder task of writing the actual story. I will take a week off from everything involved with this book before I even attempt to do anything else. I have been sick for four weeks. I ended up in the hospital emergency wing this morning because of my prolonged sickness. Don't worry! I'm okay. I just need rest and medication. But I think it's funny that the day after I finished my book I end up in an emergency room with two doctors sticking a probe down my nose and throat! It's not the morning of rewarding jubilation that I had imagined when I went to bed last night. So I will rest this week and take care of my body. I'll leave the editing and cover design for another time. I'm content knowing that Gruff: Rising Sons is done.

Once Gruff: Rising Sons is a nice, polished, published copy, I will fill the rest of the year with drawing, painting, and sculpting. I have just as many pictures raking my brain as I have stories. By the end of 2010 my portfolio should be deep enough for me to begin my new art book. But for just a little while I will give my imagination a well-deserved rest.