We’re in Print!

Hi everyone! It’s been a while since I announced the launch of the ebook version of Monsters: The Crossover Alliance Anthology – Volume 4, and I am happy to tell you that it is now available in paperback for the first time! The anthology contains my first published short story, “The Absolution of Oblivion,” along with nine other stories by eight other authors. You can find it here for $11.99 in print, or here for $3.99 in ebook. I’m super excited to share my story with everyone–and the other stories are pretty great, too! If you aren’t sure if this anthology is right for you, please check out the mission of The Crossover Alliance to see what they’re all about, and if it sounds like something up your alley, or even something you might be able to enjoy for a change of pace, take a look at this book trailer they made to promote the anthology. I hope you all get a chance to check out my story and the stories of these other talented authors. I know I’m looking forward to reading my copy!

Story Update!

Happy Halloween everyone! I’m just writing a quick blurb to let you know that The Crossover Alliance Anthology Vol. 4: Monsters is now available! It features my short story, “The Absolution of Oblivion,” alongside the stories of several other talented writers. I am so excited to be able to share this anthology with you, and I think you’ll find it quite enjoyable if you like to read things that are on the creepy side. Even if that isn’t your usual cup of tea, I still hope you’ll check it out, because you may be surprised by what you find in this new collection. You can find it here in e-book format, and it will be coming in print in the next month or so. Have fun today everyone, and be safe!

Exciting News! I Wrote a Story!

How’s it going everyone? It’s been a little while since I’ve posted, but that’s because I’ve been busy! Not only have I been working as a freelance editor, but I am also a substitute teacher now. To top it all off, I am going to be published! I have been working with the great folks over at The Crossover Alliance, along with several other talented writers, on their fourth short story anthology. My original short story, “The Absolution of Oblivion,” is going to be featured in this collection, alongside 9 other stories, all on the theme of “Monsters.” Fittingly, this collection will be releasing in e-book format next week on Halloween, with print copies following in time for Christmas! I am super excited to read the stories by my fellow authors, and I can’t wait to be able to share my story with you! If you like spooky, creepy, thrilling stories that have Christian themes and real-world content, then this collection is for you! You should also check out the other short story collections and novels published by The Crossover Alliance if this sounds like your cup of tea.

I hope you are all looking forward to this as much as I am! It’s been a great experience to write this story and work with the people at TCA to edit it and get it ready to publish, and it almost seems unreal that in less than a week, people will be able to read my story! I could keep going on, but I think you get the idea–I’m stoked! Rather than rant at you ad nauseam, I’ll sign off now, with the exhortation to check this book out! The other authors are all excellent, and this anthology is sure to be a treat. That’s it for now. Until next time!

A Special Editing Offer

Greetings everyone! You may remember how a few weeks ago I mentioned that I am now a freelance editor with my own editing website. Well, I have a special announcement I want to share with you! I am offering free sample edits for the month of August! Here’s the text from my Facebook post:

“Are you a writer, blogger, or online content creator? Have you been thinking about taking your writing to the next level? Do you want to make your prose as polished as possible? Then I have good news for you! For the month of August, I am offering free sample edits, with no obligation for any further services, to anyone who is interested. If you’ve been thinking about how an editor or proofreader could help your content be even better and wondering if it’s right for you, now is your chance to try it out, absolutely free! Just contact me at andrewnewtonediting@gmail.com and mention this post, and I will work with you on a free sample edit of 2 double-spaced pages or 500 words. I offer all levels of editorial services, from line edits to content editing and from general analysis and feedback to spelling, grammar and punctuation proofreading. If you want to improve your words, but aren’t sure about working with an editor, don’t wait! Try it out today for free, with not obligation! A good editor can mean the difference between a decent passage that kind of gets your ideas across and lively, engaging, polished prose that perfectly captures your message. Want to know more about me? Check out my website: andrewnewtoneditin.wixsite.com/andrewnewtonediting
Remember, this offer is only for the month of August, so don’t wait, and remember to share this post with anyone you think may be interested. Have a great day!” -Copied from  Andrew Newton Editing’s Facebook page.

I am making this offer both to publicize my services and to give people a chance to experience how much hiring an editor can improve their work. I love to help people make their best work, and even if they don’t end up hiring me to do anything further, I hope that people take this opportunity to see just how great working with an editor can be! If you or someone you know is on the fence about hiring an editor, take this opportunity to try it out. You won’t regret it!

Big News!

If you read my last post, you may remember I mentioned that I am trying to get into the freelance editing and proofreading business. Well, I’m excited to announce that I now have a website set up detailing those services! You can find it here, and I will be updating the about section of this blog to have the url as well. I’m super excited to begin working with people to make their words and stories the best they can possibly be. Feel free to contact me, either here or on the new site, if you have any questions or if you or someone you know would like to learn more about my services. This is an exciting step in my story, and I am thrilled to get to share it with you all. That’s it. I figured I’d keep it brief this time around since you suffered through a 2500+ word post on Monday. Keep making your stories the best they can be!

A Tale of Two Mowers

Today God taught me a lesson using two lawn mowers.

It’s been a kind of crazy year for me. It’s had ups and downs and a whole lot of in-betweens. This past fall, I applied to as many doctoral programs as I could afford (which was only 7, by the way–those application fees add up fast!), in the hopes of jumping straight from my undergrad to the big leagues in the most time and money efficient way possible. I knew I was shooting for the moon, but I knew I would regret not going for it if I didn’t at least try. The months between submitting my applications and waiting for the decisions were filled with fear, excitement, and anticipation. The world was about to open up before me.

Except it didn’t. I heard back from school after school thanking me for my application and reassuring me that they received so many highly qualified applicants that they just couldn’t take them all–you know, the stuff they tell you to make you feel better. But it doesn’t work. It sucked. Suddenly the world that was opening up in front of me had slammed closed again. There was no time to apply for master’s programs, since all of the deadlines were back when I was spending all my money applying to the doctoral programs that had just rejected me. I did get considered for the University of Chicago’s one year intensive MA program, as a consolation prize for not making the Ph.D program. This would have been better news if the MA program was funded like the Ph.D program. It wasn’t. I got in, but the scholarship they offered me was small potatoes compared to the enormous price tag of not only tuition, but also moving to and living in Chicago. I was back to square one, and I was graduating in a little over a month.

March Miscellany (Catching up)

Did it seem like February just flew by to anyone else? And here we are, already a week into March! Faithful readers will remember that I asked you all for input back in January about which creative project I should work on next. Don’t worry, I have not fogotten about it, and I will fill you in on the results of that poll below. What I’ve decided to do for this post is a rapid-fire recap of what I’ve been up to and a look ahead to what I’ll be working on in the weeks and months to come. If that sounds good to you, then let’s get to it! (If that doesn’t sound good to you, too bad, I’m gonna do it anyway.)

In Which I Talk About My Dislike For New Year’s Resolutions (and then make one anyway)

Hello again, everyone. It has been quite the crazy six months since I last checked in with you. Between my new job and one of the busiest semesters of school yet, 2016 ended in a furious avalanche of activity. With all the craziness, there were many things I wished I could have done last year that never materialized. And so, of course, as the new year gets started, my thoughts naturally turn to what I want to accomplish in this year to come. I never liked New Year’s resolutions. It seems like we always just point out the things we wanted to do last year and failed to do, then we say “This year for sure!” At least for me, this never actually develops into any real results, and only serves to further disappoint me when I realize that I failed once again. The problem with the whole resolution game is the fact that it is just that: a game. A game that we play every year to help us put our wishes into words. But it stops there. Just wishing doesn’t do any good. As the old saying goes, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

A Change in the Change in Direction (But this time for reals)

As some of the more astute readers out there may or may not have realized, it has been approximately a million and a half years since we have updated this blog. The simple fact of the matter is that life got busy and we decided to let it slide.

Lately, however, I’ve been wanting something to help push me to write on a semi-consistent basis, and I thought back to the halcyon days of yore and decided to give this whole blog thing another go. Tim won’t be joining me on this outing, but I may be able to convince him to pop in for a guest post or two from time to time. I’m broadening the scope of the blog to “whatever pops into my little brain and sticks around long enough for me to want to write a post about it.” There’s no telling what I’ll post from week to week, but you can be guaranteed that it will be 100% fresh certified grade A(ndrew) Newton!

I’m a full time student and a married man so, I’m not going to tie myself to a rigorous, set in stone posting schedule, but I will do my very best to post at least once a week. (And yes, this counts as my post for this week, don’t push it.) So whether you’ve been waiting by your rss feed wondering when we would post another, well, post, or you’ve completely forgotten that we exist, or you’ve never heard of us and you just stumbled onto this blog for the first time, welcome aboard Newton and Newton Inc. 2: Highlander Edition. I’m glad to have you with me on this semi-new adventure in writing things on the internet.

UPDATE: Aldaeus Returns

It’s been a while, friends, but the time has come. Things are settling down here in the Newtonsphere, and I’m happy to announce that in two weeks from today, on the 3rd of January, you’ll have a brand new entry of Aldaeus to read. From there, the plan is to keep up with weekly updates straight through to the end of the story, whenever that may be. No more unexpected interruptions and months-long hiatuses. Thanks for you patience and thank you for reading.  Tell your friends, mark your calendars, and we’ll see you back here bright and early next year to carry on the adventure!