C.T. Emerson's Blog

July 2024

I haven’t provided an update in six months and I have no-one to blame but myself. Well, that’s not entirely true. Moose has been more work than I bargained for… but look at that cute face!

Where Moose was only partially enthused with the Easter bunny ears, Olivia and I were fully so.

I’ll be honest—I needed a break. Working a day job and writing a series is challenging, to say the least. Particularly when you have the bright idea of surprising your wife with a Christmas 2023 puppy. But life’s too short for regrets. And besides, now that I’m recharged, you’ll be hearing from me plenty.

Best news of all, NOVA 03 writing can now resume in earnest. I’d never dropped writing fully—and the story’s arcs and characters didn’t wander off too far from my crazy brain space—so it won’t take me long to get back into the swing of things.

For my absence, I hope you accept the following photos of Moose as my penance. I am happy to confirm that he is a very good boy.

The end always arrives.

C. T.

P.S. if you’d like to support my writing endeavors, drop a review on amazon! Only takes a second to select the star count—text entry not a requirement.

December 2023

You might think of the start of the book writing process as a joyous occassion. An event layered with the same celebratory, but melancholic, undertones of a medievel hero send-off complete with trumpets bugling in a town square.

And that’d be because you’re absolutely right. Well, at least for when it comes to my book writing process.

If you couldn’t tell, NOVA 03 writing began in earnest this week. Quite literally with trumpets and fanfare in my head while I listened to Anakin vs. Obi-Wan on repeat.

When I conceive of the idea of a story, after the characters and general plot line are constructed, I often start writing a book with specific scenes in my head. And these specific scenes are always set to temp scores.

In film, temp scores—AKA placeholder music—are edited to punctuate an early cut of a movie or trailer. Think back to Man of Steel’s debut trailer—it used a score from The Fellowship of the Ring to great effect.

For my writing process, that manifests rather similarly. Only instead of a cut of a movie, it’s a cut of an imagined scene that’s been in my head for a very long time.

In NOVA 02, for instance, we open quietly, with Oliver waiting for his mentor figure to arrive to carry on right from where we left off at the end of NOVA 01. That opening in my mind always began quiet, before transitioning into the bombastic, swelling, orchestrated cover of the video game classic, Gerudo Valley. The scene exists to underscore just how woefully unprepared Oliver is for the arrival of his nemesis—The Damned—and it does so by showing off just how much closer Oliver’s mentor figure is to fending off the villain than Oliver could ever hope to be—at least at that point in time. The score doesn’t just only swell, it also takes time to breath, to re-visit its leitmotifs, just like the scene takes time to have Oliver internally re-visit the stakes at play in his story, re-establishing them for both himself and the reader.

I don’t want to give away all the temp scores I have in mind for NOVA 03 or NOVA 04 just yet, mainly because the titles of the scores themselves might spoil things, but I will share one of the scenes I’m most excited about is set to the The Last Agni Kai. And if I had the resources to create a trailer in between NOVA 03 and NOVA 04, it’d be set to Deliver Hope. Maybe some day.

If you can’t tell, I’m a sucker for a good score. Don’t care where it’s from.

Right. Better leave it there before I start rambling too much. If I don’t interact with you online between now and the end of the month, I hope you have a terrific Holiday season with your loved ones. When you get a quiet moment, do yourself a favor and listen to some high quality temp scores.

And before I forget… meet Moose. He’s the newest member of our household. Of the fuzzy variety.

Look at those sharp teethies.

The end always arrives.

C. T.

P.S. if you’d like to support my writing endeavors, drop a review on amazon! Only takes a second to select the star count—text entry not a requirement.

November 2023

Ever since launching The Serpent’s Tongue, the question I’ve faced the most has been a derivative of the below meme.

You know the drill, folks. We’re gunning for next fall, 🍂 because who doesn’t love a cozy, fall book release? 🍂

Poppy certainly does. Look at that sneezy face.

11/10 poppies—what a cutie.

And I may end up using the latter half of that fall window because if I were to fill up a legal pad with lessons learned from the NOVA 02 writing and editing process, I’d stencil in “CT, be kinder to yourself,” in bold, red text at the top.

Why’s that, CT?

Welp. NOVA 02 ended up being a decent chunk more sizeable than NOVA 01. You’ve all read it—we had some tasty virtue theory, psycopathy, and original sin story-telling to unpack—and all that good stuff took time to flesh out in a compelling fashion.

What’s that, you say? My instagram feed shows me travelling in exccess this past summer? That my temporary slice of carpe diem is to blame for NOVA 02’s delay?

Let’s meet in the middle and say both the meaty concepts and my summer travels are equally culpable. Either that or my productivity mirrors coach Gattuso’s football teams.

Hey, who knows? Maybe NOVA 03 drops early next summer as a thank you for waiting an extra month for NOVA 02 🥸.

The end always arrives.

C. T.

P.S. if you’d like to support my writing endeavors, drop a review on amazon! Only takes a second to select the star count—text entry not a requirement.

August 18th, 2023

Quick update for you this month. NOVA 02’s proof copy just arrived (hurled by the UPS truck onto the front porch like an assassin’s least favorite ninja star, mind you) and one minor dent aside from shipping and handling, this cover looks mint.

For NOVA 01, an issue we ran into was the semi-consistent approach of amazon’s many imprints—some copies of the book strongly displayed the glyphs in the background where others did not.

Fret not, dear readers. For NOVA 02 electric boogaloo, we’ve bumped up the opacity by three hundred luma basis points and the results speak for themselves.

I said “mint” didn’t I?

Get your pre-orders locked up now because capitalism demands it of you.

NOVA 02 drops September 30th, 2023.

Follow our cover designer Andie on instagram. She’s the bees knees.

The end always arrives.

C. T.

June 18th, 2023

Being a June-baby is a bit of a mixed bag.

As a kid, you rivaled royalty. In between the school years, your friends and their families looked to you to herald the arrival of summer. And boy did you deliver. Ice cream soirees and pool party jubilees kicked off every mid-year solstice, echoing carpe diem evenings from the gardens of Versailles across time.

Or so you thought.

What was certain, was the fate of your friends—those with non-summer birthdays. The best those clowns could hope for were birthday bash bummers complete with underinflated balloons on a school-night.

Then as a teenager, your hubris caught up with you.

Yes, your friends still celebrated your special day every summer. But the birthday candles no longer warmed the cockles of your heart the same way they used to. How could the attention of a choice-few compare to everyone’s attention at school? The popular kids with fall birthdays never knew how good they had it.

Finally, as an adult, we’re all on even footing again. Nobody’s birthday matters when you’re an adult. We’re all too busy working. The only reprieve comes at twenty-two when seemingly every girl in the country plays Taylor Swift’s 2012 hit “22” to flash the briefest of lights inside the gaping maw of adulthood responsibilities until retirement.

Yes, your birthday goes the way of the dodo bird. All those jubilees. Every single pool party. They taunt you with belittling waves through the rear-view mirror.

Then something strange happens. Your birthday is replaced by an altogether different milestone. The transition probably happens at age 22, given that’s when Taylor felt anxious enough to hype up her entirely unimportant twenty-second birthday with a dedicated song, but I digress. The point is, you’ll know life’s changed when you see it.

It’s already happened when you ask for a day off for your birthday and your boss sneers at you while your co-workers shake their heads. By then, you’re already halfway down the proverbial hill of life.

Enter the anniversary.

Ask that same boss for a week off to celebrate your anniversary? They’ll pack your bags for you, give you a raise, and drive you to the airport. Before you know it, you’ll be in Cancun sipping on coconut milk and rum.

But we don’t settle for replacements here in CT Emerson’s Procrastination Station. You see, dear reader, I never forgot about the sheer injustice of my summer birthdays drifting away to golden-tinted obscurity.

In the fires of Mount Doom—or at least my home office—I thought of a counter-curse.

Get married on your birthday, folks ;)

On that note, I’m off to Santa Barbara to celebrate my five year anniversary with my wife. And you better believe we’ll be enjoying an ice-cream soiree for my very special birthday while we’re there.

Oh yeah. You probably want an update on the NOVA series.

NOVA 02 beta draft? Done.

NOVA 02 beta reader feedback? Received.

NOVA 02 cover? In progress.

NOVA 02 zeta draft? In progress.

Hotel? Trivago (give me free stuff, Trivago!)

Also, I got a vintage typewriter for my birthday! NOVA 03’s gonna be done before you know it!

The end always arrives.

C. T.

April 3rd, 2023

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but this spring has hit me with the force of a runaway train. Instead of coal, this train spews pollen straight into my lungs. And the conductor—don’t get met started on him. More times than I can count, he’s shouted, “have you finished your to-do list yet?”

“No, good sir. I’ve not.”

But that’s not to say the last two months haven’t been enjoyable. Quite the opposite, in fact (this assumes a constant supply of claritin).

In February I finished the first rough draft of NOVA 02. The next major draft, the alpha draft, goes out to our alpha readers soon. On its own, this accomplishment would be cause for a midsommar (midspringal?) festival. But the fun didn’t stop there.

As you saw on my instagram posts, we also hosted a NOVA 01 celebration “jubilee” at Park Road Books, our favorite local book store in the greater Charlotte-Meck area. The event was a huge success and the turn out was great. Thank you again to all who made it out :) it was a ton of fun to read from NOVA 01 and answer everyone’s questions! I hope my character voices did the characters you have in your head justice!

NOVA 01 celebration “jubilee” - Februath 18th, 2023

Lastly, on a more personal level, my wife and I moved into our first house this past month! Though we’re unlikely to ever feel fully settled—what with all the projects to work on… anybody know how to run wiring for a chandelier?—it’s just such a joy to live in something we “own” and love. The office where I write was fully put-together as of yesterday. So, at this point, there’s nothing stopping this NOVA-o2-launch-train from going “full steam ahead.”

That’s two uses of figurative language for you this morning. And both were train-related. That likely says something about my mental state, but it could just as easily mean you love trains and I was serendipitously inclined to write them in for you this morning.

Either way, thanks for tuning in this month and stick around for our future updates. With NOVA 02 reaching the endgame, these updates should continue to peak your interest. That said… I can’t promise a train analogy or metaphor every time.

Side bar, Poppy (AKA miss-pops-a-lot) has not enjoyed the move. She doesn’t normally venture outside and has taken to hiding in cupboards in the house. She’s made some progress, however, and will now slink around at night and even burrow herself into our covers where it is safe.

The end always arrives.

C. T.

Quick reminder! Author interview and book reading at Park Road Books on February 18th, 2023! If you’re in Charlotte, join us!

That is all—carry on reading below.

February 6th, 2023

In the third verse of No Hands Roscoe Dash says, “I be goin’ ham, shawty upgrade from bologna,” to which his hype man replies, “ham, please.”

My main takeway from the lyrics is that crunk rap lyricists were having more unbridled fun than anybody else in the mid 2000s. Today, I’m channeling similar energy as I revel in the joy of having finished NOVA 02’s first draft!

Yes, you read that write (heh that’s a little word play for you - see I could have co-written with Roscoe had the stars aligned): NOVA 02’s first manuscript is done. We’re still targeting August 30th, 2023 for the release which may excite and confuse you, dear reader.

“CT,” you might be thinking, “isn’t that 205 days away? If you’re done with the book, how come you’re making us wait so long?”

I’ll let Merry and Pippin explain that one for you in the meme below.

All I’ll say is pray for my alpha and beta readers (or send out your thoughts to the void, if that’s what you’re into).

To circle back to Roscoe, No Hands launched on Waka’s debut album, Flockaveli. Where No Hands is as subtle as a rhinoceros with its phallic-obsessed carpe diem messaging, Flockaveli is a delightful play on Flocka and Machiavelli. Is it a coincidence that Niccolo Machiavelli influenced the United States’ founding fathers, Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Wayne, and the NOVA series?

I’ll let you, the consumer of 1770s political theory, 2000s crunk rap, and the NOVA series decide.

Drop your theories in the comments below, on my instagram posts, reddit, or even my DMs if you’re in need of some personal attention like Roscoe did back in the day. Hey, he won “Best Club Banger” at the BET Hip Hop Awards, so you could do worse than emulate him.

The end always arrives.

C. T.

Quick announcement! We’ll be doing a book reading and author interview at Park Road Books on February 18th, 2023!

That is all on the announcement front :) please carry on reading below.

January 4th, 2023

Happy New Year, dear reader!

Trying out the whole30 diet to start off my own New Year (fruits, veggies, meats, and other “whole” foods). So far, so good, but I’ll be the first to admit my new year’s resolutions typically average about seven days before unravelling. Not via concentrated decision-making, mind you, but sheer forgetfulness.

Here’s to hoping this year will be different and that your goal is much more fun than mine! Maybe you’re gunning for a front squat personal record or a more active social life. No? Also an annoying diet? Hmmm. Let us wallow in self-pity together. I can’t eat sweets for 30 whole days, which may eventually threaten the state of the cosmos.

Now, normally, my New-Year’s-Eve escapades leave me feeling a bit dissapointed, with one of over-planning, insurmountable-expectation-setting, or just plain old-fashioned drama rearing its ugly head.

But, wow, this year was different!

Went down to South Carolina to celebrate a couple good friends getting engaged + New Year’s Eve at the same time! Not only was it efficient, but also the perfect amount of planned VS unplanned. We went clay shooting one day, golf the next, and new year’s celebrating last, which included many a boot-leg firework being shot off into the air (see video taken by my delightfully giddy buddy below). Three days of constant fun and memory-building with some of my closest friends.

Hope you got up to some fun, too! Let me know in the comments below or by reaching out on instagram!

And with the year officially kicked off, all systems are go for getting NOVA 02 published by August, 30th 2023! We’re still trending in that direction and will keep you posted on any changes there. I’m cracking deeper into the second half of the manuscript at this point, and it is getting FUN! Can’t wait for everyone to read it.

The end always arrives.

C. T.

December 4th, 2022

The book writing process can get a bit dull when you’re going through the hardest part. The part where you actually sit down and write.

It’s much more fun to world-build, re-shuffle outlines, strategize story arcs, update character description spreadsheets—okay that last one isn’t as fun. But the writing itself? Well, let’s just say it’s easy to find yourself bogged down with anxiety over character motiviations, story arcs, dialogue, descriptions, etc. It’s never-ending!

With that said, I’m also happy to share that it’s been super energizing having folks engage with me online over my appearance on The Small Business Safari podcast! I had a ton of fun on the show, and if you listen, you’ll catch a clue about what to expect in NOVA 02! So, to everyone who has engaged with me online, let me say thank you! Your energy keeps me going!

To show my appreciation, I share this extra photo of miss pops-a-lot. Enjoy it in moderation. I find too much Pop can inhibit the senses.

In less eccentric news:

NOVA 02’s manuscript is half-way done! This is especially exciting because getting this far required an ironing-out of a specific character’s motivation within NOVA 02—thier motivation had already been fleshed out, per say, but I changed directions with some re-writes because it hadn’t been in line with who they really were. “The character just really surprised me, you know?” That’ll mean something to you if you’ve listened to the pod. Check it out on the homepage!

If you’re a member of the CLT gang, get ready for a reading and signing event at Park Road Books in February! More information to come, but be sure to come on out and support a local author. Even if you don’t buy a copy of my book, buy somebody else’s! PRB does a tremendous job supporting local authors and I love having a brick and mortar presence there.

That’s it for now. I’ll continue writing through the holidays, but no promises on word count once egg-nog is within reach (Miss Joan’s recipe—you already know). If I don’t hear from you, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

The end always arrives.

C. T.

November 1st, 2022

Last month I went to a gala. There’s a first time for everything and, boy, am I now a fan of galas.

Spread the gala gospel folks. The people must know. Not only do you eat delicious food, but you also support a cause. This gala, for instance, supported childhood literacy. You’d have to be a monster to not care about childhood literacy. Are you a monster? I didn’t think so. Then again, yesterday was Halloween, so maybe you are a monster.

Jokes aside, the gala was hosted by Preface (link), a not-for-profit organization that tutors (monolingual and multilingual) early readers and English language learners. Over the course of the evening, the Preface team crushed their fundraising goal by several hundred percentage points, and I got to observe it all, sitting in the corner, as an absolute nobody.

In a room full of people like congresswoman Carolyn Bordeaux it’s easy to feel like a nobody. But I loved being there all the same. It reminded me that there are good people in this country doing the best they can to make it a better place. And as a writer who is trying to increase latinx literacy and reading in general across the country (hey, Oliver García isn’t latino by accident), I am proud to be inolved with Preface and hope to attend all future galas.

Here’s a photo of me absolutely cheesing at the event. Who knows what I was doing with the bag. Enjoy, and be sure to laugh at me, not with me.

Onto some more serious stuff.

Yesterday my grandfather passed away. You didn’t know him, of course, so I won’t waste your time with my favorite memories about him or anything like that, but one thought I keep having in my head is the serendipity of the timing.

Today is Día de los Muertos, or, Day of the Dead— a one-of-a-kind holiday. It’s a day where we honor our past relatives through rememberance. The day is meant to be neither dreary or sorrowful, but celebratory and joyful, and it’s times like these where I proudly wear a culturally Mexican badge on my sleeve. My Western European ethnic heritage would have me mourn my grandfather’s passing, but my Mexican childhood would have me celebrate his life. I’m choosing to do the latter.

That’s all for today. I’m about 40% done with NOVA 02’s manuscript, which is exciting in it’s own right. Next week I’ll be on Chris’ Small Business Safari Podcast (link). The hosts on the show, Chris and Alan, are two hilarious entrepeneurs and I couldn’t be more excited to be joining them for a chat about the small business side of self-publishing.

The end always arrives.

C. T.