Pernell Rogers – Writer

Author Archive

Hello all. By a fluke of luck, I submitted this story for publication at smashwords.com on July 20, 2019. Exactly 50 years ago on that same day, man first set foot on the Moon. I’ve been interested in space ever since watching that historic flight, even to the point of majoring in astronomy and astrophysics while in college. During those years, and long after, I’ve been a lifelong learner.

With the publication of this collection, I wanted to submit my book in an epub format instead of a Word document. The biggest thing I learned is that there are too many epub readers. There was no way I could make it pleasing for each one. Therefore, I made a choice to use Calibre as the epub reader of choice. Smashword’s publication guide was extremely useful to assist me with the formatting.

I also learned quite a bit about the underlying HTML code for ebooks. It’s been over a decade since I delved into HTML, but it didn’t take long before a lot of it came back.

So, after multiple submission of my epubs files to smashwords, with rejections each time, I reverted back to submitting a Word document and formatted the story using their publication guide. This morning I was ecstatic when it was finally accepted into their Premium catalog which allows it to be distributed to the other websites. It’s never taken me eight days to get any of my stories into the Premier catalog, but I needed the experience before I submit my next novella, hopefully by the end of the year.

Hello all!

Something’s been crawling from my mind over the past two years, and I’m about to unleash it onto all of my unsuspecting readers. My upcoming twisted collection of tales will make think twice about the food you eat and those strange noises you hear (and not only at night!).

Check back often to find out when I’ll release the evil!

Disclaimer: If these tales leave you a bit unnerved and make you want to visit a psychiatrist, please do so. Don’t let them corrupt your mind.

It’s too late for me!

Hello all. I received a 5-star review for ‘An Unexpected Evil’ earlier this week from ReadersFavorite.com. It’s a big accomplishment for me and I hope I receive other reviews soon. You can read it by clicking on the link below.

Hello all! I have a new interview at NFreads.com. You can read it at the following website:

Hello all. I asked my editor for a developmental edit of my upcoming collection of stories, and I received the feedback this past Friday. I was impressed how well she pointed out my strengths and weaknesses. My personal thoughts are anyone wishing to publish a story should send it through developmental editing. I’m lacking reviews for my stories, so getting feedback is extremely difficult. A developmental edit helps fill in that gap.

During a quick search, I found the following website that explains the different aspects of editing:

There are many more that explain the same subject, but I like this one. Most of my other editing revolved around copyediting and proofreading only. I think I have to include developmental editing now for all my writing.

For this upcoming collection, she recommended I remove certain sections of my stories because they tend to bog it down, and I agree.

A spark lit in my mind.

For those that join my mailing list, I will send them the backstory information of each character in my stories. I write backstories all the time to help me understand their motivations, and in case my readers need to understand also, here’s their chance to get it directly from me.

Until next time! Keep reading!

Hello all. I’ve been trying to work two stories simultaneously. One is a short story while the other is my first novel. I’m still using the Story Grid method, but I’m finding myself being very caught up in my characters lives and slowly losing the plots.

For the short story, my protagonist’s characterization is well developed, but the supernatural element is vague. I took a break from it to ponder how I can make it more concrete.

As for the novel, I introduced a new character that is more ‘human’ than the others, and the story took a sharp turn. I found a different supernatural element I could use, but that means modifying my current Foolscap outline (it’s part of the Story Grid method).

In reality, that’s one of the aspects I love about writing. Once you start viewing the world through your character’s eyes, they can take over, and their actions will drive the story.

I’m going to dive back into the short story this weekend so I can finish the rough draft. That is my goal. The novel will have to wait, even though I REALLY want to work on it.

Just had to vent a little. Take care, everyone!

Hello all. A good friend at my main forum, The Write Practice, has informed me that I’ve been using the wrong word for my upcoming story release. I’ve been calling it an ‘anthology’ when, in reality, it is a ‘collection’. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Thank you, Justin, for keeping me on the straight and narrow. Take care!

Hi everyone! Well, I’m a step closer to publishing my next book. Below is the cover I’ve chosen for the anthology:

Secrets – we all have them (admit it, you know you do!). As I state in my Smashwords biography, I try to expose those fears that tend to control human motivations. This anthology is comprised of five stories with secrets well beyond normal.

In this cover, I see the door to the nightmarish recesses of the mind opening. I’d like your feedback about the cover. Do you think it works, or should the image include something else. Leave a comment or drop me an email at pernellrogers@cox.net.

In an unrelated topic, Phoenix weather is bumming me out right now! It’s cold here! On Feb. 6th, at 3:00 pm, I had to zip my heavy coat up all the way and put on my Cleveland Cavaliers beanie because the ‘hawk’ was out. The ‘hawk’ is old Cleveland slang which means the cold reaches the bones. Yes, the high was in the 50s that day, but the whipping wind made it feel like it was in the 30s. Now, I’m not saying that the other weather around the nation isn’t bad (it’s horrible!), but one of the reasons I moved to the ‘desert’ was to get away from all that cold! See ya soon!

Wow, what a journey! In mid-December, I was so stuck on my last short story for my upcoming anthology. I adopted the Story Grid methodology and was able to complete the story in mid-January.

Today was a milestone because I’ve finished my second and third drafts. It’s ready to go off to my editor along with my other four stories! As a celebration (and well-deserved one), I’m watching a music concert and sipping on some rum & coke. Time to relax for a while.

I have quite a few music concerts that help me when I get stressed or just when I want to hear some good music. My musical taste is very wide. Some of the concerts I have are the Eagles, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Grover Washington Jr., George Benson, Ray Charles, Santana, Led Zepplelin, and Pink Floyd. Ahh, I can’t forget Stevie Ray Vaughn!

I did get a chance to add to my novel over the past few days. It’s nearly 20,000 words, and I’m just starting Act 2. I can’t believe how much content I have. Well, I’m going to get back to my concert and my cocktail. Have a great weekend everyone!

For those of you that have been following me for a while, you may have noticed the new cover I chose for my latest story ‘An Unexpected Evil’.

It was a difficult decision since I really like the previous cover. However, this cover depicting the protagonist strolling down a city street with gun in hand follows the content of the story. Plus this new cover raises the question:

Why is he doing that?

The story itself has not changed.