Just to follow up on last week's blog post; I've been working with an amazing artist, Spiros Karkavelas, on coming up with the cover design to "Jupiter Symphony." Bear in mind these are just preliminary sketches, but I think they certainly do the book justice. As we progress closer to the final cover, I'll probably let out little previews, but don't expect for me to give away all my secrets.

Speaking of giving away, the first 50+ pages of "Jupiter Symphony" are available on my site. Feel free to jump on over and check out how the novel begins and meet several of the characters. I think you'll find them to your liking.

Book will go through formatting this week and should be ready by Friday. Cover image will be taken care of over the next couple weeks. Then we'll have a solid publish date, so get ready to strap on your rifle and goggles and enter the world of "Jupiter Symphony." Of course, if you like what you see here, share it with a friend. Remember, as and independent author/publisher I rely on word of mouth to keep things moving. As I'm already about 3/4 of the way done with my second book, "Unto Persephone," you'll certainly have something to look forward to by sticking around.

A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

Just a quick note for those following along: I am not posting anything on the blog this week as I am less than 100 pages from finishing the final check of my manuscript.

I have an artist lined up to do the covver work and will be sharing more on that as things develop. I'm very excited at the prospect of finally having cover art to share on the site to get everyone in the mood for "Jupiter Symphony."

Once editing and the cover are done, formatting should only take about a day (or so I was promised). Good times! Stick around and see what happens.

A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

I wanted this to be a happy blog post with updates on my novel, "Jupiter Symphony," but the reported death of Robin Williams has completely thrown my resolve.

As with many people that seem incredibly outgoing and socially well adjusted, Robin Williams suffered from depression, a mental illness no different than any other ailment. What frustrates me the most is the fact that in this country, the good ol' USA, we have marginalized mental health patients, pushing them to the side and filing them under 'crazy'.

Mental health falls under the scope of a person's entire condition. It should never be stigmatized, chastised, or ridiculed. And yet we are faced with countless tales of good people, famous or not, committing suicide or carrying out some other act of violence due to the fact that they never received the treatment they required.

Mental health is a sickness. It is a subversive, sinister, and tricky bastard that is hard to pin down and difficult to beat. It takes a lifetime approach more akin to cancer treatment than mending a broken bone. It takes years of treatment, combining medicine, therapy, and a generous support system. People don't look at mental health in this light, though.

Personally, I think these diseases get generalized into something that you just take a pill for, instead of something that is a lifelong struggle. In many cases the patient may not even realize they have a problem until it is too late. We educate the populace on recognizing the dangers of alcoholism, but not depression or anxiety or bi-polar disorder.

The truth is, the mental health system in our country is abysmal, and that's coming from someone who has had to deal with it directly. If we want to make strides as a nation, we need to realize that people's minds can be just as sick as their bodies, sometimes more so. We can prevent the mass shootings, the suicides, and the self-mutilation, but it's going to take communal effort, which has been becoming very rare as the decades have passed. We can help people through education and care, by using processes that aren't invasive or off-putting.

So I'm drawing my own line in the sand, and I'm going to be doing my part to reach out to those in need, to make sure they recognize the problems they might not see, and to seek professional help when needed. Be understanding and caring in your concern, don't force anything on anyone, and maybe, just maybe, read a book or article on the vagaries of mental health and how it can be treated.

Frankly, I'm sick and tired of waking up to news about good people dying in bad ways. I hope you share the sentiment.

A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

It. Is. Done. After 177,166 words, I have finished the final edit of my first novel, "Jupiter Symphony." What does this mean? Well, several things, really.

First off, it means I need to do one more quick scan through to make sure I didn't make any really big "duh" errors, but otherwise the ink is drying and will not change.

Next, I need to tackle formatting and cover art. In these two departments, I am blessed, as I have a volunteer willing to format the beastie. Even better, I am in contact with a graphic designer who is interested in doing the cover work, as well as creating a personal logo for me to use. Did I mention this would mean a new header image on my site to replace the generic and dull one you've been forced to stare at for so long?

So as not to lose focus, in the course of the week I plan on finishing the edits of the short story I wrote, then posting that on my blog so everyone can read that for F-R-E-E, free.

I will also be updating the excerpts that are posted on the "Jupiter Symphony" page, so if you want to see some tantalizing tidbits, you have not long to wait.

Lastly, I humbly ask that if you see something you like on my site, do please tell a friend or family member. Help grow my Twitter base, or give me a like on Facebook. Here, what you see is what you get, and I feel I pour a lot of great effort into making great things so that others can enjoy.

Cheers.

A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter.