One of my characters has a fan page on Facebook

Korson Nelbus, the entrepreneurial informant in Next Rest Stop: Earth has a fan page. Click here to check it out and become a friend of Nelbus.

~p

Where's Edgar Font?

Hello Adventurers,

Edgar, Audrey and Garrett Font are in the middle of an adventure in the jungle surrounding a Mayan temple. They have made a bunch of new friends and encountered a dastardly foe who is creating trouble for the team as they race against the clock to solve a puzzle, which will soon take them into the underworld.

The writing of this adventure (#4) has been slow going, but I am almost finished with the first draft. I'll keep you posted on my progress here. Edgar Font will return strong!

Your Friend & Storyteller,

~p

The Invasion Continues!

Hello Adventurers,

NEXT REST STOP: EARTH is appearing all over the country. If you have read it or seen it on the shelf at your local book store let me know and I'll add your location to the invasion map.

Copies of the Kindle version are outselling the book, and readers from all over are loving the adventure. Here's what a few have written:

"Just finished the book. It has everything! Great work."
~Ryan in LA

"Currently reading Next Rest Stop: Earth by @PatrickHTDoyle and so far, I am digging... awesome!"
~Amy from SyFy's GHOST HUNTERS

"Finally pried @PatrickHTDoyle's NEXT REST STOP EARTH from @GHINick 's sweaty hands. He loved it so much, it disappeared the day it arrived."
~Crew from WhoForted Paranormal 'Zine

Feel free to contact me and tell m what you think. I look forward to reading your reviews.

Your friend & Storyteller,
~p

www.nextreststopearth.com

And the winner is....

The winner of the signed copy of "Next Rest Stop: Earth" is Erin in Philadelphia, PA!
Congratulations and I hope you enjoy the Sci-Fi adventure, Erin.

~p

The Lair of Forgotten Bears

Hello Adventurers,

I have begun work on the illustrations for my children's picture book, "In the Lair of Forgotten Bears." I'm a third of the way through the pencil drawing stage. If I stay on schedule, by trying to complete five spreads a week, I should complete the book before this Fall (2011).

Here are a few pictures I took of a few of this past weekends drawings.

~p


Page 4: Something stole my bear!


Page 6a: The search begins.

Win a copy of NEXT REST STOP: EARTH!

I’m giving away signed copies of my new science fiction adventure novel, NEXT REST STOP: EARTH on the day of its global release – Monday, February 28, 2011.

To enter, tweet on Twitter (mention @patrickhtdoyle) and post messages on Facebook telling your friends and followers about NEXT REST STOP: EARTH. Every time you spread the word about the invasion and direct friends to www.nextreststopearth.com you’ll receive one entry. The more messages you post, the better chance you have of getting your hands on a free copy of NRS:E.

Thank you and the best of luck!


This giveaway is open to residents of planet Earth only. These’s no limit to entries. No entries will be counted after 12:01 AM Monday, February 28, 2011. Winners will be announced Monday, February 28, 2011. Books will be mailed out within 2 weeks of announcement.

Look what I received in the mail today.

Hello Adventurers,

I received the printer proof of Next Rest Stop: Earth today. It looks awesome! The book will be out on February 28th, but you can pre-order it on Amazon before then. The link to the book's Amazon page is at NextRestStopEarth.com. I also have a series of promotional videos coming out for the books and I'll be doing a few radio interviews in the upcoming months. You'll find all the details on the website.

Thanks for the continued support & enjoy the adventure.
~phtd

NEW NOVEL: Next Rest Stop: Earth

Hello Adventurers,

I have completed the novel, the book has been designed & put into layout, and will be going to print early next week! I have also updated the website and you can pre-order Next Rest Stop: Earth on Amazon.com. Just go to the books website and you'll see the link to Amazon on the home page.

http://www.nextreststopearth.com/NRSE/NRSE.html

As for the next Edgar Font book. As soon as NRS:E goes out for print I will get back to completing Adventure #4. When I do, I'll be posting updates and pictures here to keep you up to date.

I believe that's all I have right now.

Your friend & storyteller,
~p

The Children's Book Bank

Hello new adventurers,

This past holiday, 300 copies of Edgar Font's Hunt for a House to Haunt were donated to the Children's Book Bank of Portland , Oregon. To all of you who have joined the Edgar Font adventure, I welcome you and wish you many grand adventures in the future. If you would like to donate books to the book bank, please visit:

http://childrensbookbank.org/Home.aspx

Your friend and storyteller,
~p

What it looks like at the moment

Hello Adventurers,

It's cold and rainy day here in the northwest. A perfect day to sit back and work on Adventure #4. I received an email from my editor and he promised to have Next Rest Stop: Earth back to me before Christmas. Once it's back in my hands I can make the changes and be one step closer to completing it. Until then I will focus on Edgar.

Growing up I always wondered how my favorite writers worked. Did they just barricade themselves in a room and hover over a typewriter with a pot of coffee? Did they write the entire book out by hand first? Did they retreat to a cabin in the woods to escape the world?

I unfortunately have to hold down a full time job in advertising, which makes it hard to concentrate on the books. I give them as much time as I can on the weekends and evenings, but I do have a family and life to live as well. I dream of the day when writing is my only job. I'm sure it will happen one day. There are a lot of books in my head and all I have is time. As for my process;

1. I start with a detailed outline of the entire story. I also write out a characters list and highlight all the notes from my research.

2. Once I have all that I open the laptop and type out a first draft. It's really rough, just me getting the basic story out of my head and into the computer.

3. I will then read through this draft and make sure I haven't missed anything from the outline and I also make sure the story flows and makes sense. At this stage I'm not worried about spelling or grammar.

4. The pages are then printed out and I read it again, but this time sentence by sentence with a pen and extra attention on the details.

5. I'll then make these changes to the file, read it one more time and then send it to my editor for their notes.

Right at this moment I'm between steps 3 and 4. Above is a picture of what I have. On the left is my marked up manuscript. On the right is the list of characters in the story.

I'd better get to it if I'm to have it completed by late summer.

Your friend and storyteller,
~p

New novel & the next Edgar Font Adventure

Hello Adventurers,

I have big news. For the past six months I have been writing a new Science Fiction novel which will be in bookstores and available online in February 2011. It's called NEXT REST STOP: EARTH and you can learn all about it at nextreststopearth.com.



Also, I returned from a trip to Kenya two weeks ago. I was investigating a story I found in Garrett Font's journal and I discovered some very interesting facts. But that is a story I will be telling you later. For now I want to let you know that I have been working hard on Adventure #4 since my return and will have the book ready and in your hands by late 2011. To prepare you for what's to come I tease you with this page from the unedited manuscript.

I will be updating this blog weekly with notes, pictures, drawings and news so be sure to bookmark this page a come back often. Feel free to drop me a note while you're here. I always love hearing from you.

Your friend & storyteller,
~patrick

EDGAR FONT'S Hunt for a House to Haunt
Adventure 4: The Playhouse of Phym
By Patrick H.T. Doyle
copyright 2010, Armadillo Books

“Is there a key to the front door?” Grandpa Edgar called out to Mr. Neckritz.
“No. You’re not allowed inside tonight.” He whipped around in his chair. “If you were on time it would have been under the door mat, but I checked this morning and it’s gone.”
“Gone?” Garrett questioned.
“Removed as instructed. You’ll just have to wait until morning.” He spun back around and continued towards the cabin. “Randy. Edward. Come!”
The dogs left Grandpa Edgar’s side and raced up to the cabin.
“What are we supposed to do now?” Audrey asked.
“Let’s see what Aunt Phym wrote.” He held the note in a beam of sunlight and read out loud.

“To my most adventurous nephew Edgar on the eve of the house’s 100th anniversary (I knew you would be late). In the event of my death before this special day, I pass onto you an adventure, which began when I was an eleven-year-old girl. The enclosed painting is of a very wise woman who shared with me the secrets of the stones and treasures concealed within the ruins. If you don’t remember this painting from your past, the present adventure will never begin. I will guide you along the way if you follow the correct path, and I’m sure the fairies with help as they have me these many years if you need them.

~Phym

“Fairies,” Audrey’s face lit up. “Mr. Zare was right about them being here.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Garrett scoffed.
“Quite a turn of events, Adventures.” Grandpa Edgar started up the steps to Aunt Phym’s house.
“It’s starting to get really dark, Grandpa.” Audrey pointed out.
“And I don’t want to be in an animals belly,” Garrett stressed.

Adventure Four!

Hello Adventurers,

Winter has set in and the Portland rain has come. This is a good thing. It forces me to focus on the next adventure and get some writing done. In this tale of the Fonts, Grandpa Edgar, Audrey and Garrett are going where no one has ever ventured and will come face-to-face with a culture thought to have vanished over a thousand years ago! If you have read Adventure Three: The Flint Island Treehouse and solved the puzzle in the back of the book and on the website you will see the house they will be exploring and a few of the sites they will discover. I will post more information about the next adventure here in the future and a few illustrations once I finish them.

Until then, have an adventurous holiday.
~patrick