Christoffer Petersen

Authentic Arctic Thrillers

petra

Freedom

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I am an independent author. Sometimes, just saying it aloud helps. 🙂 There’s a lot of stigma attached to being “independent” and a lot of negativity, usually slung from publishers and those authors and aspirational authors who believe the traditional route is the one and only route to being published. Well, in 2021, all I can say is “good luck with that.”

Being independent gives me and authors like me the freedom to decide pretty much everything. It also means we have to own our mistakes along the way. Like everything, there’s a learning curve, but learning is a big part of the reward. Can I do things better? Sure. How do I do things better? Well, I go and learn from people better than me in that area.

But one of the true freedoms can be found in the creative process, including everything from writing to cover design. I’ve always done my own covers – some are better than others, some are far better than others, meaning I really should go back and change one or two of my covers. And, because I’m independent, free to make my own mistakes, I can.

This year, a good friend I met through writing but have never met, put me on to 3D art. I’ve always enjoyed playing around with images in Photoshop, but felt something was missing – in a nutshell, it was “people” or characters who were missing. With 3D models and assets a whole new world opened up, and I could put a face on my characters. Now, there’s a danger here, and anyone who read The Lord of the Rings before Peter Jackson’s films probably experienced the same identity crisis as I did when Elijah Wood became the new Frodo. So, if I add Petra, one of my main characters, to a book cover or promo image, as I have started doing, then readers might experience the same thing.

I think I just compared Petra to Frodo, there. 🙂

Whatever the consequences, I’m actually fine with it, as what I’ve discovered is a new string to the creative bow. Now, when I create covers or promotional images I find I am adding to the story. Sometimes playing around with a cover inspires a story, which is what happened last night when Petra went back in time (see cover image).

I don’t yet know when or if I’ll write this story, but I’m seriously considering it, just to shake things up a bit.

Being an indie author gives me the freedom to do that.

Chris

Sit down and make stuff up

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Yesterday, I had a rant, I think. But when I think about what my job entails, yesterday’s worries or niggles are just so yesterday. Ultimately, my job is really simple. I sit down and I make stuff up. Sometimes I might stand up, record notes or chapters for transcribing, or maybe go for a run to puzzle out a problem, but more often than not I sit down and type. I’ve been through a few keyboards, and my preferred writing computer – a laptop smaller and lighter than an iPad – has very few symbols left on the keys. I guess it helps when writing mysteries.

Okay. Bad pun.

But what “helps” is the whole idea of not knowing what will happen next. I love that. I also love it when I get an idea that could fit with something else, but will need a good shoehorn to make it work. Which is where I’m at today.

I ran a Kickstarter recently, and some generous backers chose the option of getting written into one of my Greenland stories as a character, interacting with my main characters. I’m in full swing working on those stories, and am very excited about how they might fit into the current “canon”. The stories are scheduled to be sent this Christmas Eve, so no spoilers here. But I can’t help sharing a cover, just for fun.

While I thought these short stories might be standalone, it’s more fun for me to make them a part of the whole thing. Yes, this will involve playing with the timeline a little, but they will be “point fives” and can be read later (obviously) without spoiling the stories that come before or after.

They are personalized stories with “real” people fictionalized for the plot. They will also be published over Christmas, but not before they have been sent to the new “characters” first.

Lots to do.

Lots to make up!

Chris

Lots of cheap eBooks … potentially!

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The End of the Line Kickstarter campaign is now 108% funded! In other words, if more people jump in there will be more rewards for all backers.

Currently anyone backing the campaign for the rebooted End of the Line novel will also receive 5 short stories or “scenes” from the book, exclusive to the campaign.

There are just 3 days left and I love the thought of giving away books if we hit the stretch rewards. 🙂 But I can’t do this alone.

The first stretch goal is in sight, and if more people get on board then we have a chance of reaching it.

There are also some fun rewards left for those readers who want to get into a story – literally and literaturely – (that’s definitely not a word) and I’m looking forward to working closely with those backers of the campaign who are excited about joining Maratse and Petra in a story. (Luui is already taken, folks!) The reader will be a character in a personalised short story (eBook) and will also get their name on the cover with the tagline: “and introducing …”

Right, I’ve gotta go. Lots to write, lots to do.

Please check out the Kickstarter campaign if you’re interested and share it if you can.

Thank you.

Chris

SOS: Stories on Saturdays

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I’m trying something new… again. SOS: Stories on Saturdays. Free stories featuring favourite characters, published on this website. I’m still working on the idea, but on one or more Saturdays each month I will post a story, linking to it via a blog post. Here’s a link to the SOS page (scheduled for Saturday*) with a sneak preview of the cover for the first short story: Plain Clothes Problems. The SOS page is nested under FREE. The stories may be bundled and published at a later date.

*The page with the story is scheduled for publishing at midnight on Saturday July 24, 2021.