The Write Thing To Do

Me Versus the Bat

2012-01-25T16:36:00.000-05:00

I came home from work today to find a bat nestled into a small nook near the floor in my garage. I couldn't just leave him there. Every time we went out to the car we'd be ducking and weaving at every shadow. It was up to me to flush the little guy out. It looked a little something like this.

Now I have a full fledged case of the willies. What's weird is all of a sudden I have a craving for rare meat. And why does that garlic smell so bad?

A Special Day

2012-01-18T18:45:00.000-05:00

See the lady in the picture?

She's my best friend, my Ideal Reader, my biggest fan, and also my wife.

Today is her Birthday. I just wanted to tell the world.

Happy Birthday, Brandy!

Results

2012-01-09T16:05:00.001-05:00

My first day of free promotions on Amazon's KDP Select has ended. It is way too early to determine the long term effects, but here are the results.

Contemplations of Dinner: 252 downloads, topped out around 1,100 in the free ranking.
Guarding the Healer: 794 downloads, topped out around 450 in the free ranking.

I ran a month long free promotion on Smashwords for Guarding the Healer a while back and only managed around 140 downloads. All month long! I had over five times the downloads on Amazon in just one day.

I really wish those would have been paid downloads, but if nothing else, there are nearly 800 people reading my work that weren't before. It makes me nervous to think of so many eyes pouring over my work. I know not everyone will like what they read. I'm just hoping the majority does.

With a little luck this will spur some reviews and word of mouth and others will search me out and actually PAY to read my brain-goop.

Free Books

2012-01-08T00:00:00.003-05:00

After a good bit of research I have decided to take yet another plunge and try an experiment. I have signed both of my books into KDP Select which, if you didn't know, grants Amazon the exclusive right to sell my books for 90 days. I have pulled both books from Barnes & Noble and Smashwords for the trial period.

It seems like a long time, but when weighed against the infinite life of an ebook, three months really isn't that long. I've spoken to several authors participating and many have reported an increase in sales. That's what I'm shooting for.

Part of the Select program is five days of promotions where you can list your books for free. I will be using one of those days. *From now until the end of the day Guarding the Healer and Contemplations of Dinner will both be free from Amazon.

I hope you will all take advantage of this and please pass it along.

*This runs from midnight to 11:59 pm PST.

My Twen'y 'Leven

2011-12-31T19:59:00.000-05:00

The past year has been a year of changes--some good, some bad--for just about everyone I know.

After deciding on a career path, going back to school (while working full time), my wife was accepted into nursing school and successfully completed her first semester. Yay! Then her job was outsourced so people with more money than they know what to do with could afford another ivory back-scratcher. Boo!

My house became officially diaper and pacifier free. Both children are now in their own rooms and their brains have become Johny Five style super computers, absorbing every bit of input available. Needless to say, we can no longer watch Family Guy, Futurama, and certain Simpsons episodes while they are awake.

As far as my writing goes, it was the year I said goodbye to traditional publishing and jumped on the indie bandwagon. I self published Guarding the Healer at the end of May and Contemplations of Dinner just a few days ago. I upped my virtual presence in the digi-sphere in a valiant attempt to self promote my work. I'm a blogger, a Facebooker, Goodreader, and even a Tweeter. If you would have called me that ten years ago I probably would have taken it as an insult.

I also wrote another novel titled Predatory Animals. I know several people wrote novels (sometimes two or three) but this means a lot to me because after a long time of seeking an agent, I had lost my love of writing. Those of you that have traveled the Traditional Path know what I mean. You pour all you have into a novel, spending several months or even years just to perfect it, then your only hope of landing a publishing contract is to convince an agent to take you on. But you can't query all of them at once. At most ten. Six months go by and half don't even bother to respond. Three say they like it but don't feel "passionate" about it. The other two ask for a partial read, hold the manuscript for another four months to six months only to send you a form rejection letter. Then you have to start all over again with another group of agents. If you are lucky, you sign with an agent and the same mess starts all over with publishers.

What insane person wants to go through that?

Self publishing changed all of that. It set me free and the words started flowing again.

It's been one of the strangest years for me in memory. Not a bad one by any means. I'm thankful for another year with my family and friends and I'm looking forward to 2012.

Happy New Year!

Contemplations

2011-12-26T23:14:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned in earlier posts about the Kickstarter program I was hoping to use to fund my next two books. I've also mentions how it was a crash and burn event. I saw the hand writing on the wall early on, so I started to come up with a backup plan.

I had wanted to use professionals for the covers, editing, formatting and all other bells and whistles. I would still like to do all of those things for my novel Predatory Animals, but it's going to have to be done as I scrape the money together. The collection of short stories, however, I decided to go ahead and publish.

I found a guy on Fiverr who was creating covers for $5. It wasn't quite the cover I was looking for, but it was cheap and better than I could do on my own. All things considered I think I got more than my money's worth. Most of the stories have been published in various magazines or e-zines so they have been through at least a basic round of editing, so I decided to give it all one more read-through and then send it out into the world. Originally I wanted to publish the collection on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. I found a blog post that detailed an easy way to convert a Word document into a .prc file. I may publish the collection on B&N and Smashwords later on, but I make most of my sales on Amazon so we'll see.

With that being said, Contemplations of Dinner is now available for sale on Amazon for $0.99.

"A secret hidden in a freezer. A lonely woman takes solace in an ancient cat. A boy is trapped in a barn with a gang of killers. An open grave awaits an occupant. A man is encouraged to kill by a long lost love. And more.

Here lies ten eerie tales from the mind of author Gabriel Beyers."

I hope you'll stop by and have a look.

Where Do You Fall?

2011-12-23T14:21:00.001-05:00

I promised in the previous post that I would talk about the one word that will cause half of all writers on Kindleboards to instantly not like you. And that one word is . . .

KICKSTARTER

I'm sure most have heard of the program known as Kickstarter, but if you haven't you can read about it here. When I first started my Kickstarter program I did everything within my power to get the news out and hoped that it would spread like wildfire. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. It was more like that spark of static electricity that nips your fingertips when you reach for a doorknob. On my short adventure I encountered many that were supportive and willing to help get the word out, but there were others that seemed as offended by the notion as if I had been clubbing baby seals.

The former were wonderful, but it was the latter that got me thinking. What were they so angry about? What had I done wrong? I always try my best to be cordial and polite, especially during my online encounters, but suddenly I found myself being grilled from all sides as though I was running some kind of scam. That was fine. I understood. It's important to be transparent and honest, so I did my best to explain my situation. But for some that wasn't good enough.

These people were usually writers that already had several books published and were making at least okay money and were able to front the needed cash to self publish their other books. They seemed to look down their noses as if I (and all that would stoop to using Kickstarter) was some filthy beggar that needed to vanish into the sewers instead of muddying up their golden sidewalks. I'm being a bit over-dramatic here, I know, but I'm trying to make a point. There are some that aren't happy unless you travel the exact same path that they traveled. Any other way is the wrong way.

The literary world is no stranger to clicks and elitism, but up to this point I hadn't experienced it in the indie author neighborhood. It made me realize something. Even though writers are infinitely complicated souls, you can generally break them down into two groups. And no, it's not Genre vs. Literary.

The two columns are WRITERS THAT SEE OTHER WRITERS AS COMRADES and WRITERS THAT SEE OTHER WRITERS AS COMPETITION.

Writers in column one are always willing to blog, Facebook, Tweet, go stand on the roof and scream or any other means necessary to help other writers get noticed. They are not threatened by other writers or their books. They know that there is plenty of readers to go around and that we all have to stick together in this new digital world.

Writers in column two usually say things like "Why should I help you?" and "What's in it for me?" or even something like "I'll help you if you can get X number of people to buy my book." They get offended by other writers' successes. They blog, Facebook, and tweet about how it's unfair that so many crappy books are making money but their masterpiece gets no attention at all. Perhaps we are all just too stupid to understand it.

This is why I have lost my taste for message boards as a whole. Now don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great writers roaming around Kindleboards that are firmly in column one. The problem is most of the column ones are busy reading, writing, self promoting and helping promote other writers. That leaves ample space for the column twos to move in and pour their petty attacks down on newbies just looking for some help.

So, what can we do about it?

No much, I'm afraid. The only thing I know to do is to examine yourself and see which column you fall under. If you find yourself in column two then it's not too late to change. Scrooge made a complete turn around in just one night. Sorry, I've got Christmas on the brain.

That being said, the wonderful Cate Gardner has a new book out. You can buy Theatre of Curious Acts here. Go out and buy the book. Write a review. Like it on Facebook. Tweet away. Share it on your blog. I would scream it from my rooftop, except I have a bad case of acrophobia.

I have a small bit of news of my own, but I'll save the self promotion for the next post. I will probably wait until next week, so to all of you Merry Christmas.

Experiments & Observations

2011-12-08T20:31:00.000-05:00

I remember one time when I was younger, my cousin and I were playing around with a home chemistry set. It was one of those benign kits with nothing at all dangerous in it. The ones designed for kids. So, what did me and my cousin do? You guessed it, we improvised.

We were over an my cousin's house and I'm sure his mother didn't give a second thought about leaving us to try out the suggested experiments. She may have even been proud that we were attempting something academic. But you should never leave two boys to their own devices. Bored with the included ingredients, my cousin and I soon found ourselves raiding the cleaning agents under the sink.

Stupid, I know. You don't have to tell me.

Now I can't quite remember what all we mixed together, but we ended up making this green liquid with a terrible smell (luckily nothing deadly). I do, however, remember the last thing we added: yeast. We filled a glass jar full of the green sludge, screwed the lid on tight, and marveled at our own scientific endeavor.

Then we left to go to dinner. Did I mention we left the jar sitting next to a desk lamp? I didn't? Well, we did.

When we got back to my cousin's house the first thing we noticed was the smell permeating the entire house. We climbed upstairs, went into his room and wow! It was our first lesson in what yeast does. The light bulb caused the yeast to rise and that glass jar could only take so much.

The strange thing is the jar didn't react as you would expect it to. It seems like the swelling green gloop should have blown the cap off, or exploded the glass jar in all directions, making my cousin's room look like the set of some show on Nickelodeon. I suspect the chemical brew we had concocted had weakened the glass, because instead of rupturing in all directions, the terrible slime shot out of the side of the jar and made a B-line straight for a cage across the room holding my cousin's finches. I mean it, not even a drop was on his bed or the wall. I don't know if it was the slime or the sheer shock of the explosion, but we found the little birds at the bottom of the cage, little twig legs sticking up in the air.

Why did I tell you this story?

I don't know. It's a cautionary tale that never fails to bring out a chuckle in me. Seriously, though, I've done some experiments with my writing life of late and found some things I didn't expect.

First of all I experimented with the price of my book Guarding the Healer. My sales have been less than great, despite some nice reviews, so back in October I decided to drop the price to $.99. Many writers have reported huge jumps in sales after doing this, and even have earned more money even though you have to sell 6 times as many.

My sales in October went up a tad, but not even close to justifying the royalty drop (70% to 35% in case you didn't know).

In November I decided to bump the price from the original $2.99 and list it at $3.99. The reason I did this is some were conjecturing that the $2.99 price point was a marker of indie authors and may be driving potential buyers away. Some were finding that by bringing the price up they were getting more sales and making more money on each book sold to boot.

That didn't work for me. My sales bottomed out, and I mean ROCK BOTTOM. Guarding the Healer is now back at $2.99 and my sales numbers rebounded a bit, but are still bad. I'm not sure what all this means, except that I'm obviously doing something wrong.

Trial and error is what a good experiment is all about, right? I just hope I figure things out before too long.

Sometime soon I'll tell you about how to tick off half of Kindleboards with only one word. I'll also discuss the two categories of writers, and no it's not genre v literary.

Bad Mojo/ Good Karma

2011-11-20T20:39:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling a bit cursed these days. It just seems like things haven't been going my way. Maybe it's just the cold and rainy weather and a bad case of the mully-grubs. I don't know. But I feel like I need to do something to stir up some good karma.

I have no idea what that could be, so I'll just try to send some good vibes to some of my other writer friends.

First, I think you should all go and check out Barry Napier's blog. He has a new collection of short stories coming out soon titled Tricks of Shadow and Light. It sounds really good. Barry did the cover himself (along with the cover of Guarding the Healer), so if you need a cover or help with other aspects of self-publishing I encourage you to try him out.

Then there is Aaron Polson. Aaron's prolific writing never fails to make me ashamed of my own output. This isn't a bad thing. Aaron is every bit as busy with his regular life as I am, yet he somehow writes three times the stories I do. He encourages me to write harder. Aaron has a new book out titled In the Memory House and now he's offering a bonus story to go along with it.

Next, let us travel across the pond and visit an incredible author named Cate Gardner. Cate's work is hard to pin down to any one genre. It is steeped in the fantastic with touches of horror dabbled in. Cate is someone to watch out for. She is probably one of the most imaginative writers I know (and that is saying a lot) and it won't be long before she is a household name. By the by, the covers of her books are awesome.

Last, but never least, is Chris Holm. Chris is one of the first writers that I made contact with when I first started looking for an agent. He's been a big help to me in numerous ways. Chris's work is a great combination of crime, pulp and horror. His writing career has been gaining momentum and with good reason.

There are countless other writers I could and should mention, but I'm going to have to stop here. I have two toddlers screaming for daddy's attention and I need to go.

Well, hopefully that breaks the bad mojo hanging over my head. Seriously though, I encourage you all to check out these authors. You won't be disappointed.

Kickstarted

2011-11-17T01:13:00.000-05:00

My Kickstarter campaign is now live. You can see the widget in the sidebar to the right. Due to job troubles (both my own and my wife's) this is my only hope to publish my next novel, Predatory Animals, and the collection of short stories, Contemplations of Dinner.

I have 30 days to raise the money. No more, no less. If I don't meet my goal by December 17th then the project ceases to be and no money will go toward my project.

That being said, if you would like to donate I will be eternally grateful. If you can't, do me a favor and help me spread the word.

Thank you so much.

Monday Muse Fuel

2011-11-14T16:43:00.001-05:00

It has been Monday all day long, and I don't know about you, but when it comes to the M-word, I am of the same opinion as Garfield. If you, too, are worn a bit thin by the first day of the work week, and you're having some trouble getting your muse to get out of bed then I just might have the answer.

It's time for another installment of Monday Muse Fuel.

It seems zombies are all the craze these days. I don't know if they are the new vampire, but they have definitely captured our hearts and minds (or is it brains?). So, what would you say if I told you that zombies were real?

I tell you no lies. Very real, though a bit smaller than you might think. But if you feed this story to your muse I'm sure she can come up with something zomielicious--yeah, I went there.

Full Steam Ahead!

2011-11-10T19:10:00.000-05:00

Today I typed the words "The End" and it was a wonderful feeling. The first draft of my next novel (right now I'm still titling it Predatory Animals) is finished. I'm going to let it ferment for a few weeks then start the revisions.

I had a really good time writing this novel. It came from a very small idea and blossomed right before my eyes. There were moments when I hated to stop typing because I wanted to see what came next. Stephen King describes this experience with the analogy of a paleontologist discovering a fossil in the ground and then slowly and carefully brushing away the dirt to see what kind of animal is hiding below. I can find no better description.

It is my plan to have Predatory Animals go live by the end of January or the beginning of February. If all goes well I will also be releasing a collection of short stories, titled Contemplations of Dinner, at the same time.

My pockets are bit empty these days, so I am going to try my luck with a Kickstarter campaign (as I mentioned in my previous post). In the beginning I had mixed feelings about this path, but after some heavy research and discussing it with other authors--some who have used Kickstarter and some that haven't--I feel much better about it. It is not about begging for funding or panhandling. It is really no different than taking pre-orders for your novel and running a reward oriented campaign to stir up interest in you and your work.

I will be starting my Kickstarter campaign sometime in the next week or thereabouts, so keep your eyes pealed. I'm going to be offering some simple, but nice rewards. If you can donate I will be forever in your debt. If you can't or won't, I understand. Perhaps you could help me spread the word, though.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Full steam ahead!

Hey Buddy, Got a Quarter?

2011-11-05T22:46:00.000-04:00

I'm closing in on the last few thousand words of my WIP. It's a little tale about a trio of dogs with an overactive knack for hunting, a well-liked family hiding a dark secret, and a deadly evil breeding in the forest out side of a town named Shadeland. I'm leaning toward the title Predatory Animals.

I plan on letting the story simmer for about a month before I start the second draft. After that I'll let my wife read it first, then a hand full of beta readers. But that might be as far as it goes.

Why? Do I think it's terrible story that should never see the light of day?

No, not as of yet at least. My opinion might change after the rewrite, but we'll have to see.

The real problem is funding. I like very much being an indie writer. I enjoy the freedom and control it brings. I'm not opposed to the traditional route. If I was offered a fat contract I'd most likely jump at the opportunity. I'm just a bit disenchanted by the traditional writing world right now, ranging from the elitist gatekeeper attitude to their obtuse stance on e-book pricing and royalties. I know there are a lot of indie writers out there making good money. I'm just not one of them right now.

I want very much to self-publish my next novel, along with a collection of short stories, but I don't have the scratch to get it done. Without bumming you too much I'll tell you what I'm up against. My wife's job is being outsourced in about ten days. She is also a full time nursing student, but won't be out of school for another year and a half. My job has decided to cut my hours to keep from paying me benefits. Things are starting to get tight.

With my first book, Guarding the Healer, I used some money from our tax return, but that can't happen this year. I was sort of hoping that Guarding the Healer would earn enough to pay for the next book, but my sales have been less than stellar.

I'm starting to bum myself out so I'll hurry up and get to the point.

I'm thinking trying a program known as Kickstarter. It's a nice little program where you take your ideas to the public and they can choose to fund your project, usually for some kind of token gift. Yes, it's a little like panhandling, but in this economy, can you blame a guy.

I have some mixed feeling about this path, but this may be the only way I can self-pub this book. It's my understanding (and I believe it to be true) that if you want to be a lucrative indie author you need to have as many works out as possible to expand your virtual shelf space. If I'm ever to make enough money writing to quit the day job then I have to get more books out.

I know what you're thinking. Why not learn to create my own covers and format my own books?

I could do that, I guess, if I wasn't working full time and chasing toddlers around my house. Besides, I want my books to look their best, and sometime you should know your limitation and just call in the professionals.

I don't know. I wish it wasn't so hard. I wish it was enough just to write a good book. Maybe it still is.

Please Help Those That Help Others

2011-10-19T22:27:00.001-04:00

I would like to take a moment to step away from my normal blathering about myself and my writing and talk about a serious subject.

As I'm sure most people in America have heard (I'm not sure if the news has spread across the pond) there was a large number of exotic animals--including lions, tigers, bears and other beasts--released from a private animal preserve in Zanesville, OH. The last report I heard is that the owner opened the enclosures before taking his own life. I'm not going to speculate as to why or how this man died, or even how the enclosures were opened. My deepest sympathy goes out to his family and the people of Zanesville who have had to brave this nightmare. It is a miracle that there was no loss of human life other than the owner's. And for that I am thankful.

In an effort to maintain safety many of the animals were unfortunately put down. This is extremely sad to me. I understand why and I'm not questioning the actions of the Zanesville authorities. What I do question is this country's lax laws on owning and breeding exotic animals. But that is for another time.

Not far from where I live, in the town of Center Point, IN, is a wonderful place called the Exotic Feline Rescue Center. EFRC is a non-for-profit organization that is dedicated to taking in and housing exotic cats that have been mistreated and abused.

I have had the pleasure of visiting EFRC twice in the past few months and I am in love with this place. The people there are kind and compassionate, working long hours for little to no pay, all for the purpose of giving these majestic cats back their dignity and giving them a place to live out their days. Many of the cats' stories are heartbreaking, and it is a testament both to the cruelty of some and the unconditional love of others.

Michael Koryta is a wonderful writer making a great name for himself. He and I are from the same town, and though we have never spoken, we actually have a close link (his sister and my wife are good friends from high school, and she was a bridesmaid in our wedding). I have been following his career with great interest, and someday I'll work up the courage to give him a call and pick his brain. But again, that is for later. (See how easily I get distracted.) I mention Michael Koryta because he is also a big, BIG supporter of EFRC. I understand that his novel The Ridge was inspired by EFRC.

So, what does all of this have in common?

The last that I have heard, the EFRC is attempting to take some of the exotic cats from Zanesville that have survived. Their nobility, it seems, knows no bounds. But remember, they are non-for-profit. They rely solely on the income they receive by giving tours and donations from other kind-hearted people. If you are passing through Indiana, I encourage you to visit EFRC. It is worthwhile and they can use the help. If you are interested in donating, I'm sure they would appreciate anything you had to give.

Michael Koryta has made his book The Ridge available for sale in the EFRC gift shop with all the proceeds going to help the center. I'm not sure if the proceeds still go to the EFRC if you buy the book from Amazon, but hey, you should be supporting a great author like him anyway.

If you have ever stood close to a majestic beast like Raja (above picture taken with my cell phone) then you'll understand the need to help. I hope you will.

Never Too Late for a New Trick

2011-10-14T20:10:00.000-04:00

So, I looked up a bit ago and realized we are 14 days into October and I haven't made a post. I've been very busy with my WIP, and have had little time to read, blog, Facebook, self-promote or much anything else. I'm shooting to be done with the first draft of Predatory Animals by the end of the month and I still have roughly another 20K words to add.

I should be fine as long as nothing derails me. I've been sneaking much of the writing in at work (shhh, don't tell) and a bit more at night after the kids go to bed. I'm excited to see this through, then it'll be time to concentrate on rewrites, beta readers, cover art . . . it never ends. But that's okay. I'm having fun.

On to the sequel news.

You all might remember a little novel written a few years back call The Shining. No? Well it was this nice little book about a family's wonderful adventures in a hotel one magical winter. The author was some guy named King. I don't think he really went on to do much after that.

Can you feel the sarcasm? Good, cause I'm laying it on plenty thick.

Well, it seems an old dog can learn new tricks, and it's never too late to write a sequel.

The sequel, titled Dr. Sleep, catches up with a 40 year old Danny as he uses his Shine to help terminally ill patients pass into the afterlife. Oh and there are Shine-sucking vampires.

I don't know about you, but I'm excited. I loved The Shining and have long waited to hear what has come of Danny. I hope Mr. King gives us glimpse of Danny sending messages back to himself as a child (in the guise of Tony, of course).

It just goes to show you how the characters we write about do not belong to us. Sometimes we think that we are done with a story, but if the character isn't finished with us, they'll find a way to come back around.

Spooky Times

2011-09-30T14:29:00.001-04:00

In honor of the spookiest month of the year, I have decided to drop the price of Guarding the Healer to $0.99 from now until Halloween. This price applies to Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

Don't be afraid to take advantage of the discount.

Have a good weekend.

The Only Thing Constant

2011-09-24T14:50:00.001-04:00

Okay, I know you shouldn't beat a dead horse, but is it all right if I poke it with a long stick? I'm referring to George Lucas's decision to once again alter the Star Wars Saga in the new Blue Ray releases.

Some people are fine and like the changes; some are, well, less than happy.

This got me thinking about stories and their creator's right to alter them after they have been released, especially in this digital/e-book era. Now, I didn't have a huge problem when Lucas released the Special Edition. I understood his thinking. The technology finally caught up with the vision in his head. Fine. Whatever.

Then came the prequels. Lucas then made more changes to Episode VI by replacing Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen. Uhm, okay. And now come the Blue Rays, complete with a more vocal Vader and blinking ewoks.

Now let's talk about books. When J.R.R. Tolkien released The Lord of the Rings he went back and altered parts of The Hobbit. Stephen King did something very similar with his Dark Tower Series.

With Tolkien his changes were to fix a major plot hole--i.e. Gandalf knowing in The Hobbit that Bilbo had a magic ring. He changed the story so that Bilbo hid the ring from Gandalf until Fellowship of the Ring.

With King the Dark Tower books were written over such a long period of time that some changes were necessary in the earlier books to make the whole story more cohesive. King explains this by reminding us that writers, when finished with a story, go back and work out the kinks and plot-holes in the second (or more) draft.

So what's the difference between what Lucas is doing and what King and Tolkien did?

In my opinion it's all about the motivation behind the changes.

Tolkien and King had the readers in mind. They made the changes to make the story better. They weren't frilly, non necessities like dialog that doesn't advance the story or changing someone's appearance. With Lucas he makes changes that no one cares about. So what if the original ewoks didn't blink? Did that stop people from loving Return of the Jedi? Did anyone walk out of the theater saying, "Yeah, it was all right, but am I supposed to believe those furry dudes don't get dry eyes?" Did it stop anyone from buying the gazillion pieces of merchandise spawned from the franchise?

No, no, no and no.

Frivolous changes tend to irritate the readers/spectators. As the genesis writers of the e-book world we must resist the temptation to change our published works every time we think the hero's eyes should be blue instead of green, or that the villain's name should be Smarmy Joe instead of Slimy John.

I think it is great that we live in a time when a writer can so easily update his/her creations. I just think we need to remember what Uncle Ben told Peter Parker.

Watch Your Holes

2011-09-17T00:24:00.001-04:00

Yeah, I said it.

My wife sent me an article discussing some major plot holes in some very famous movies. Some of the holes I've thought about before, some were new to me.

It got me thinking about how that when you are drawn into a story you are willing to suspend a whole giant dump truck full of disbelief. This can happen in books as well. But that doesn't mean you can leave that gaping hole just sitting there. Once you see a hole, fill it in, man!

Yeah, I said that, too. What can I say? I get a bit frisky on the weekends.

Sometimes when writing I'm in such a hurry to get to the meat of the story that I blow right past the little details. Those details soon run together to make a sinkhole big enough to swallow a house. If this happens to you, don't despair. You are in good company. Besides, this is what editors, beta readers and second (third, fourth, fifth . . .) drafts are for. Sometimes we are just too close to the terrain to see the pitfalls before us. That is why, though writing is a lonely endeavor, to be great you cannot go it alone.

I Will Not Forget

2011-09-11T02:27:00.000-04:00

WIP Wednesday

2011-09-07T22:21:00.000-04:00

I know there aren't too many hours left in Wednesday, but I thought I'd sneak this in anyhow.

I am currently 26,000 words into my WIP. I'm thinking the title will be Predatory Animals. I was hoping to have the first draft finished by the end of September, but I'm still having trouble getting good numbers every day. It may be closer to the end of October. I'm still planning on releasing a short story collection. I'm going to work on that while I let the first draft cool.

In other news, I finally managed to get Guarding the Healer out in paperback. I'm still not sure why there is such a royalty rate difference between Amazon and Createspace.

The sales for Guarding the Healer have been pretty low across the board, but I'm trying to remind myself that it has only been out for just over three months. Hopefully sales will pick up or I might not be able to afford to self-pub Predatory Animals. I had plans to spend the tax check, but due to unforeseen car troubles that will no longer be possible.

I'm not telling you this to get sympathy. I just want other writers out there to know they are not alone. But if we stick together and persevere I'm sure we'll be all right.

Monday Muse Fuel

2011-09-05T00:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for another addition of Monday Muse Fuel.

I know that it's Labor Day (for those of us in the US) but Monday is still Monday. If your muse is a bit tuckered out from your holiday celebrations then I am here to help. Anyone that knows me knows that I HATE spiders.

Blleech!

So this little article gives me a cosmic case of the heeby jeebies. With a story this weird I know there are countless paths your muses will carry you down. Let me know what you come up with.

Good luck. Now, go forth and write. And don't forget to have fun.

Wednesday Wordslinging

2011-08-24T00:00:00.008-04:00

Hello fellow wordslingers. If we were soldiers then our weapons would obviously be words. English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton said it best when he coined the phrase "The pen is mightier than the sword."

Now, there are some authors, like King, Koontz, or Anne Rice, that own a level of vocabulary that makes me feel illiterate. Not that big, flashy words make a great story, but if you don't have control of your words then how can you convey your message to your readers?

There is nothing wrong with a light vocabulary--at least that's what I keep telling myself--but there is also nothing wrong with trying to better yourself.

So, with that in mind, when I'm reading and I run across a word that I either have never heard before, or am familiar with but not quite sure of the exact definition, I write it down and look it up. I've collected a good sized list. Here are a few of my words:

ob·strep·er·ous

adj \əb-ˈstre-p(ə-)rəs, äb-\

1: marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness : clamorous <obstreperous merriment>

2: stubbornly resistant to control : unruly

— ob·strep·er·ous·ly adverb

— ob·strep·er·ous·ness noun

ra·con·teur

noun \ˌra-ˌkän-ˈtər, -kən-\

: a person who excels in telling anecdotes

re·splen·dent

adj \-dənt\

: shining brilliantly : characterized by a glowing splendor <meadows resplendent with wildflowers — Outdoor World>

— re·splen·dent·ly adverb

Byz·an·tine

adj
\ˈbi-z^ən-ˌtēn, ˈbī-, -ˌtīn; bə-ˈzan-ˌ, bī-ˈ\

1: of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient city of Byzantium

2: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of architecture developed in the Byzantine Empire especially in the fifth and sixth centuries featuring the dome carried on pendentives over a square and incrustation with marble veneering and with colored mosaics on grounds of gold

3: of or relating to the churches using a traditional Greek rite and subject to Eastern canon law

4: often not capitalized a : of, relating to, or characterized by a devious and usually surreptitious manner of operation <a Byzantine power struggle> b : intricately involved : labyrinthine <rules of Byzantine complexity>

ephem·er·al

adj
\i-ˈfem-rəl, -ˈfēm-; -ˈfe-mə-, -ˈfē-\

1: lasting one day only <an ephemeral fever>

2: lasting a very short time <ephemeral pleasures>

— ephem·er·al·ly \-rə-lē\ adverb

Noun : something that lasts for a very short time : something ephemeral; specifically : a plant that grows, flowers, and dies in a few days

These may be words that you already knew or maybe not. Go forth, write and choose your words wisely.

Monday Muse Fuel

2011-08-08T23:51:00.000-04:00

Today was Monday in full force. If the M-word has given you a bad case of brain-drain and you're in need of something to tickle your muse's fancy, how about a possible UFO found on the ocean floor.

Now, don't go ripping off Michael Crichton's Sphere, but feel free to feed your muse with this story and see what she gives you.

Good job surviving another Monday.

Not Looking So Good

2011-07-26T20:16:00.000-04:00

Once again I've let my blogging duties go by the wayside. I apologize. I'm working on it. Really, I am.

You will notice that the blog looks different. This is not the final product. I'm just tinkering right now. And just like any renovation, things are going to look a bit messy. But just for a bit.

So, why the change? you might ask.

Well, it all has to do with Kristen Lamb. She has been posting great advise on how to improve your blog. You can read the specific posts that inspired me here and here. So, right now I'm searching for a better look and a new banner.

In the mean time, I've added quite a few links over in the Promote Your Work section. If you are in need of a place to showcase your work, any one of the links are yours to use. All are easy to contact, prompt to answer, and in most cases cheap or even free.

Now, for a bit of "Me News". According to Kristen Lamb it's not good to always talk about yourself, but since I've been an absentee blogger, perhaps you won't hold it against me.

I entered Guarding the Healer into Smashwords' Summer/Winter sale. It's free and will continue to be until the end of July. To date 128 people have "purchased" the book. I've been exhaustively promoting, sending free copies and interviews to whomever will listen.

What are the results?

Other than the 128 from Smashwords, I think I've sold two books. Yeah, it's that bad. I'm hoping that all this promoting and free giveaways will gain me some fans and a few reviews. I know it's a marathon not a sprint. If only I could get rid of that nagging stitch in my side.

I'm working on another novel, tentatively titled HUNTERS. I'm only about 6,000 words in. I'm hoping to up my daily word count (I'm only able to get about 1,000 a day) so that I can get it out before I lose steam. I'm still wanting to release a collection of short stories as well, but unless someone wants to loan me some of the hours from their day then it's going to have to wait.

So, go check out the links and watch for the changes.

Independence

2011-07-04T19:36:00.001-04:00

Freedom Isn't Free

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze
A young soldier saluted it, and then
He stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many Pilots' planes shot down?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No Freedom isn't free

I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant "Amen"
When a flag had draped a coffin
of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard at the
bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.....
No -- Freedom isn't free!!

...Cadet Major Kelly Strong
Air Force Junior ROTC

Happy 235th Birthday America. Though I don't always agree with what you do; though I sometimes fear where our future lies; I am blessed beyond measure to be counted one of your children. Sometimes I forget myself and bemoan the conditions in which I live, but then I look about at foreign lands that truly know what heartache and sorrow are, and when I come to myself I feel such humility. I have a car that runs. I have a home that is warm in the winter and cool in the summer. When I hunger, my biggest troubles are where will I eat not how will I eat. Compared to so many across the globe I live as a King. I am proud and thankful to be an American. I am forever indebted to the every soldier that donned the uniform, signed his/her life over willingly, and paid for something I could never earn nor deserve.

Freedom.

Learning To Spread the Word

2011-06-29T00:33:00.001-04:00

And I thought writing was hard.

Wrong! Maybe because it's the part I enjoy most, but writing seems a dream compared to self promotion. Like most things it's a learning process. I don't claim to know much, and right now I don't have the sales to back up what I'm about to say, but if you are struggling to promote your own work, here is my advice.

I can't imagine there is a writer out there that isn't a member of some sort of social media, but if you're not stop right now and go sign up for one. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, United Basket Weavers Association . . . something. Go on. I'll wait.

I'm on Facebook, Goodreads, and Kindleboards. Now, I can't say that these places will greatly increase your sales, but they can't hurt. On Facebook I've created an Author's Page that is dedicated to just my writing. That way I can keep my personal life and writing life a little more separate. I also joined a couple of FB writing groups (Indie Authors International & Indie Writers Unite!). They have been a great support to me during my short time as an indie author.

Goodreads is another great place, both for readers and writers, to discuss books, movies, or just life. There is every kind of group to join. You can create an author's page, start a discussion group centered around your book, make quizzes, there seems to be no end.

Also, in the right sidebar I added a section titled "Promote Your Work" that has a short list of blogs that do free reviews, interviews, or allow you to advertise your book. There are two links to free press releases as well. With one press release I got around 200 views on the first day. Did that translate into sales? Not yet, but we'll see.

Joe Konrath has said it time and time again. E-books are forever. That's a long time to make sales. Self promotion can be kind of a crap shoot. It's hard to tell, especially in the beginning, whether you have made a difference or not. But if you do nothing at all, you have no right to complain about your terrible sales record.

Self promotion can make you feel like a wave lost in the ocean (believe me, I know). But you never know when you'll break the surface, and with a little help you just might become a tidal wave.

Write Where You Can

2011-06-14T23:47:00.001-04:00

So, I'm trying a little experiment the week. My word counts have been less than fabulous of late, and it's been driving me crazy trying to figure out how to fix this. My wife works full time and is going to school. We have two young children. There is always something broken at the house. My car is trying to commit suicide.

I'm not complaining. It's just life. But for most of us, life and writing seem to be at odds with each other.

So, onto my experiment.

A while back I mentioned that I bought a netbook so that I could be more mobile with my writing. Yet, I still struggled. Kids have a way of finding you no matter where you hide. Now, what I tell you next you'll have to promise to keep between just us.

At work I sometimes have a lot of downtime (hopefully my bosses don't read this). So, I've been sneaking my netbook into work so that I can write in between my other duties. So far things are going well. I'm not getting great numbers while at work, but every little bit helps. Right now I'm trying to finish up a few short stories that are rattling around in my head, then if thing go well, I'll be moving on to my next novel.

Of course, now that I've posted this I've most likely doomed myself to get caught. But a writer's gotta write and sometimes the only way to get the story on paper is to write where you can.

One Hundred and Sixteen Years Later

2011-06-02T16:17:00.001-04:00

In 1895 Mark Twain wrote an essay titled "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses". Twain stated that Cooper, in his work "Deerslayer", violated 18 out of 19 of the rules governing literary art. Here we are 116 years later and the rules still hold strong. I cannot say that I've never broken any of these rules . . . I cannot even say that I haven't broken them all. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

I've heard that rules are flexible and even meant to be broken. Yet that power should rest in the hands one who understands the rules through and through. Here are the eighteen that Cooper broke. Have you broken any of these in your latest WIP?

1. That a tale shall accomplish something and arrive somewhere. But the "Deerslayer" tale accomplishes nothing and arrives in air.

2. They require that the episodes in a tale shall be necessary parts of the tale, and shall help to develop it. But as the "Deerslayer" tale is not a tale, and accomplishes nothing and arrives nowhere, the episodes have no rightful place in the work, since there was nothing for them to develop.

3. They require that the personages in a tale shall be alive, except in the case of corpses, and that always the reader shall be able to tell the corpses from the others. But this detail has often been overlooked in the "Deerslayer" tale.

4. They require that the personages in a tale, both dead and alive, shall exhibit a sufficient excuse for being there. But this detail also has been overlooked in the "Deerslayer" tale.

5. The require that when the personages of a tale deal in conversation, the talk shall sound like human talk, and be talk such as human beings would be likely to talk in the given circumstances, and have a discoverable meaning, also a discoverable purpose, and a show of relevancy, and remain in the neighborhood of the subject at hand, and be interesting to the reader, and help out the tale, and stop when the people cannot think of anything more to say. But this requirement has been ignored from the beginning of the "Deerslayer" tale to the end of it.

6. They require that when the author describes the character of a personage in the tale, the conduct and conversation of that personage shall justify said description. But this law gets little or no attention in the "Deerslayer" tale, as Natty Bumppo's case will amply prove.

7. They require that when a personage talks like an illustrated, gilt-edged, tree-calf, hand-tooled, seven- dollar Friendship's Offering in the beginning of a paragraph, he shall not talk like a negro minstrel in the end of it. But this rule is flung down and danced upon in the "Deerslayer" tale.

8. They require that crass stupidities shall not be played upon the reader as "the craft of the woodsman, the delicate art of the forest," by either the author or the people in the tale. But this rule is persistently violated in the "Deerslayer" tale.

9. They require that the personages of a tale shall confine themselves to possibilities and let miracles alone; or, if they venture a miracle, the author must so plausibly set it forth as to make it look possible and reasonable. But these rules are not respected in the "Deerslayer" tale.

10. They require that the author shall make the reader feel a deep interest in the personages of his tale and in their fate; and that he shall make the reader love the good people in the tale and hate the bad ones. But the reader of the "Deerslayer" tale dislikes the good people in it, is indifferent to the others, and wishes they would all get drowned together.

11. They require that the characters in a tale shall be so clearly defined that the reader can tell beforehand what each will do in a given emergency. But in the "Deerslayer" tale, this rule is vacated.

In addition to these large rules, there are some little ones. These require that the author shall:

12. Say what he is proposing to say, not merely come near it.

13. Use the right word, not its second cousin.

14. Eschew surplusage.

15. Not omit necessary details.

16. Avoid slovenliness of form.

17. Use good grammar.

18. Employ a simple and straightforward style.

Does anyone out there know what rule #19 is?

Now Available

2011-05-29T16:20:00.000-04:00

Guarding the Healer is now available on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords. I will be releasing a print version in a couple of weeks.

I would like to thank Barry Napier for creating for me an incredible cover, and Rob and Amy Siders at 52novels for formatting the manuscript, and giving me some much needed hand-holding.

It's been a nerve racking experience, but I'm excited to try it all over again.

Here is the book's description:

"When Silas Walker is endowed with the power to heal, he discovers that no gift comes without a price.

Thrust into the path of a murderous evil, and given an ominous warning, "I have no need of martyrs", Silas embarks on a journey to discover the true purpose of his gift and draw the Demon Stalker away from those he loves.

While his guardian angel, Nassarius, is certain that Silas is heading into an ambush, he also knows that there is no turning back.

Even an angel can't alter a man's destiny."

I would greatly appreciate anyone willing to write a review or spread the word to friends or blog-followers.

As usual, I need all the help I can get.

A Nice Birthday Present

2011-05-25T00:03:00.003-04:00

Today is my birthday. I'm not going to tell you how old I am, but it is somewhere between 33 and 35.

Ouch, that hurt!

Anyway, today I received a nice birthday present -- something I've been looking for since February. To the left is the cover for my upcoming novel GUARDING THE HEALER. Who did this incredible cover? you ask. It sure wasn't me.

The artist is none other than the incredible Barry Napier -- writer, poet, cover-artist extraordinaire.

But, please, let me start from the beginning.

Back somewhere around the beginning of the year I finally gave in to all the self-publishing propaganda and decided that I would throw my hat into the ring. I did some research and decided to have Rob and Amy Siders over at 52novels do the formatting, and then I chose my cover artist (who shall not be named out of professional courtesy).

The formatting went well. Rob and Amy are great to work with, and I highly recommend them. The cover artist . . . not so much.

I contacted him in February, giving him the specifics of my book, and some ideas I had for the cover. He emailed me back and said he's have something for me the first week of April.

April? I didn't like it, but I understood. He was busy, and it wasn't really that far away. I'm just an impatient person. So, I waited. And waited. Each day I checked my inbox for any kind of news, and the closer it came to April, the more excited I grew.

The first week of April came . . . and then it went. No word. I gave it an extra week just for good measure then sent another email. No answer. So, I waited some more. I have been so used to dealing with publishers and agents, crawling, groveling, begging for just a bit of attention, that I forgot that he was working for me. I finally got an email explaining that he had had some system problems, and that he'd have something for me the following Wednesday. That was the last that I heard from him. Not even a response from the email I sent him stating that I no longer required his service. Hopefully all is well, and I wish him nothing but good things, but business is business.

I have been following Barry Napier's blog for a while, and I connected with him on Kindle Boards, where he offered to help me with my cover art. On May 5th I emailed Barry to see if he would still help me. Here we are twenty days later and I have a cover for my book that I couldn't be more proud of.

If you are looking for a cover artist then I suggest you give Barry Napier a call. He's professional, timely, friendly . . . is it too much to call him a visionary? I'll let you decide. Anyway, shoot over to his blog and check out his work. You can see some of the covers he's done for his own books here, here and here.

GUARDING THE HEALER should be available shortly on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.

Be Ye Warned

2011-05-13T19:27:00.003-04:00

If today you run across someone in a hockey mask, wielding a machete, it would probably be wise to turn and run, or at least commiserate with him about how you, too, miss your mother, hate the taste of pond water, and can't stand when people trespass on your property.

I can't remember a past Friday the 13th that more lived up to legend than this one.

No, I have not seen Mrs. Voorhees's misunderstood, yet inadequate swimming, son. I did, however, witness sprinkler malfunctions in two separate buildings today. Thankfully, I didn't cause either of these floods, but I did wonder if someone was targeting me in a bizarre attempt to drown me -- or at least make my socks soggy.

I think I'll hedge my bets and stay close to home tonight. Grill some burgers & dogs, and see how many slasher flicks I can watch in one night.

Have a good weekend.

TOM PETTY SAID IT BEST

2011-04-26T22:05:00.000-04:00

Waiting truly IS the hardest part. I've had to delay the release of GUARDING THE HEALER due to unforeseen events. The person that is doing my cover art had a system crash, and now is behind schedule. Hopefully the cover will come through any day now (and I'll love it completely and have no suggestions to improve it).

I know that those going the traditional publishing route have to wait much longer for their books to find the light, and I've been tempered by years of submitting short stories, waiting months only to find out the publication went defunct, but I still CAN'T HELP IT.

I feel like I've waited years to publish this novel . . . oh, wait, I have. I'm eager to start this part of my journey, and being this close is possibly driving me crazy. It's definitely turning me into a grouch, as my wife will bear witness to.

In other "Me Writing Stuff", I've decided to hold off on submitting any more short stories for a while. In an attempt to increase my virtual bookshelf I've decided to release a collection of short stories (I believe I've mentioned this before), that will be composed of stories that I have had published, plus a few new ones. I haven't settled on a title yet, and I'm working on the cover art myself, so this should be an adventure.

Now that I've bored you with my non-news, here's what's happening over yonder.

Over at Kindle Review they discuss People's Champion vs Publisher's Champion. It may be a bit skewed toward indie authors, but it's still a good read.

Nathan Bransford weighs in on the tightrope each writer must face in his post Separating Confidence From Self-Doubt.

Aaron Polson is playing Dr. Frankenstein.

Barry Napier has a lot going on and something has to give.

And, finally, if you're looking for a proofreader, Joe Konrath has just the person for you.

So, until we meet again, I'll be waiting.

Link-O-Rama

2011-04-05T22:22:00.000-04:00

I don't have too much to report. I'm waiting on the cover art for GUARDING THE HEALER, and hopefully it will be available by the end of the month. I've been tossing around the idea of releasing a collection of short stories, and I'm trying my hand at designing my own cover. We'll see how that goes.

So, since I'm a dry riverbed of news, I thought I'd post about what's going on elsewhere.

Jennifer Brozek announced the TOC for THE BEAST WITHIN 2. Check out her post here. It should be good. Jennifer is a great editor -- even if she did reject the story I submitted (smile and a wink).

Nathan Bransford talks about the dangers of responding to a bad review, and how when the mob gathers, nothing good can come from it.

Chris F. Holm's short story collection, 8 POUNDS, has been nominated for a Spinetingler Award. Here's hoping he wins, and wins several more.

Barry Napier has recently released a collection of short stories of his own. It's titled 13 BROKEN NIGHTLIGHTS, and is a bargain at $.99. Go buy a copy or four.

Joe Konrath recently ran a promotion for his book ORIGIN, stating that if it broke into the Kindle Top 100, then he would donate $500 to First Book, which he did. Now he has a new deal. He also had a follow up conversation with Barry Eisler about . . . well, a lot of things. Check it out here, but if you do, clear some time in your schedule.

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll have some cover art for you to check out real soon.

Brain Bingo

2011-03-19T20:44:00.001-04:00

I've finished my final polishing of GUARDING THE HEALER and have sent it off to be formatted for publication. I know some people are knowledgeable in this area, but I am not. Right now it is worth the money spent to have someone else deal with this for me, so that I can concentrate on other things, i.e. writing something new.

I'm waiting to hear from the artist creating my cover, and it's like being a kid looking forward to Christmas all over again. I only have to wait a couple more weeks, but the suspense is killing me. I can't wait to see what he has come up with for me. Again, there may come a day when I handle this part for myself, but right now I'll happily defer.

I know many people are wary of being indie authors, but I feel like it has set me free. I have an excitement toward writing that has been hiding for the past couple of years. I'm looking forward to the next project.

So, what is the next project?

Well, I have a couple of shorts that I want to get out of my gray noodle, then it's back to the longer works. My biggest problem is which project to work on next. I have several ideas for novels rolling around in my head. I guess it's a bit like bingo. I'm just waiting to see which one pops out first.

Prettiest Place I Probably Won't Work

2011-03-06T23:22:00.001-05:00

For most of my writing life I have been working at tiny desks in rooms that we called "offices", but were more truthfully "junk" rooms. They've served me well, though. I'm not complaining. I've done some good work in the privacy of these rooms (even though they often resembled the Room of Requirement from Harry Potter).

But all good things must come to an end. My family is growing -- not in number at the moment, but more literally in size -- and we've reached the point where both children need their own room and space. So, bye-bye office/junk room.

Now, my wife works from home, and when discussing moving the workspace downstairs into the living room, we decided it was time to buy an actual desk and upgrade from the prefab ones, as they never seem right after an attempt to move them. But, since the desk would be out in the open, where our two Diaper-Dwarfs could get at the computer and reek havoc with their ever-sticky fingers, we needed something we could close up. We also wanted something that looked nice, like real furniture. Oh, did I also mentioned it needed to be fairly cheap, since money seems to have a secret escape route out of this house?

Dreaming right? I would think so, too. But, you don't know my wife. If there is a deal, sale, coupon, or bargain out there, you better know that she'll find it. She scoured the net like a school nurse searching for lice.

Too visceral? Sorry.

On this tiny, unknown site, called Craigslist (I didn't figure you'd heard of it) she found this incredible roll-top desk, that was the look, size and most importantly, the price we were looking for. After an hour drive north we had the desk.

Now, when I sit at this desk and type, I can pretend I'm one of the great writers of yore, penning my masterpiece, you know, the one that will change the world. There are only a couple of problems with this.

One, it's out in the living room, and as those of you that write know, sometimes it's hard to write when everyone is watching TV, or playing video games, or if you have children like mine, screaming at each other over crayons.

Two, my wife works from home. Her job is fairly flexible, which is nice since she is also going back to school. But, at the same time that means that she sometimes has to work odd hours and I have trouble blocking out a set time for me to write.

So, what's the solution?

I'm typing this post on my brand new netbook. It's small, portable, and hopefully just what I need to be more productive with my writing. We bought a regular laptop a while back, but with work and school, my wife really does need it most of the time.

So, while the roll-top desk is beautiful, I most likely won't navigate too many of my strange worlds from its helm. I'd say I'll most likely be writing like Stephen King did back in the old days. You'll probably find me sitting in the bathroom (he sat in the laundry room with a typewriter, but we have more of a laundry closet) with the netbook balanced on my lap.

King had some great things that found their way out of that laundry room. I don't think that's too bad a way to start.

Barry's Mask

2011-02-17T19:52:00.000-05:00

Barry Napier has announced today that his novel THE MASKS OF OUR FATHERS is now available on Amazon as an e-book, and soon it will be out in print as well.

The cover looks great, and the description is intriguing:

There is a powerful secret waiting in the forests of Moore’s Hollow. Buried in myths and ignored by history, there are dark things in the woods that laid claim to the land many years ago. Jason Melhor heard about this secret around summer campfires as a boy. As a child, he came to know the legends well. But as he grew older, these fables disappeared with other childhood things.
Now, as a man unable to escape a past marred by an alcoholic father and his mother’s suicide, Jason has returned to Moore’s Hollow to bring his sordid family tragedy to a close. He has packed only a pistol and a single bullet. But the secrets of Moore’s Hollow that Jason passed off as myths over the years are still lurking in the forests. Something knows Jason has returned…and he has returned at the worst possible time.

Sounds great. I can't wait to read it.

An Early Announcement

2011-02-08T15:45:00.010-05:00

This is a bit premature, but I still wanted to go ahead and get it out there. I've been stuck in indecision so long, it feels nice to have finally made a choice.

I've been watching, intently, as this crazy phenomena called e-reading has popped up almost over night. I shouldn't be surprised. I come from the generation that went from phones with rotary dials, to touch tone, to beepers, to car phones, to giant cell phones resembling army radios, to what we have now, which is more of a mini-computer that you can make phone calls from (if you broke your thumbs and don't feel like texting with your mouth).

At first I was appalled. I hated the idea of e-books. No one would take my real-world books away. Blah, blah, blah. We were all a bit miffed back then, weren't we?.

Now, however, I see a tool that benefits both the reader and writer. I sometimes feel like a peasant, who having survived the Dark Ages, now stands with hope shining upon him like the summer sun.

And I'm not the only one.

I've commented before about Joe Konrath's blog , and the effect it has had on me. But please, don't think me a simple follower with lofty, unattainable dreams. I know that the money he's pulling down won't find its way into every self-published writer's wallet, but, truthfully, that's not what I'm going for. I only need enough so that I can turn this "hobby" into a career. That's all I'm asking for -- though I won't turn away the cash if it shows up on my doorstep.

Another fellow writer, Barry Napier, posted a couple days ago that he is going to try his hand at self-publishing, and Aaron Polson just posted about being a 21st Century Digital Boy. I know that there are several others that have already or are going to try soon. It's an exciting time to write.

So, with that bit of ranting out of the way, I would like to announce that I too will soon be throwing my hat into the self-publishing arena with my paranormal thriller Guarding the Healer. I know that success won't come overnight. Just like most things, this wall will only go up brick by brick.

I do not have a release date, yet, but when I do, you'll be one of the first to know.

Time For a Change

2011-01-27T21:29:00.001-05:00

I've made a few changes to the blog. I'm still using a template, mostly because I don't understand a gnat's eyelash worth of HTML, and I'm still too poor to pay someone to amp up my look. That being said, I think it looks a lot better. More professional. Simplified. I'm sure more changes are on the way. My goal is to have a blog that is as awesome as Cate's. It's my favorite of all the blogs I read.

Not that I don't love the rest of your blogs as well.

Anyway.

I'll have something better to blog about in a day or two. I promise.

Don't give me that look. This time I'm telling the truth.

I'm So Vain, I Probably Think This Post Is About Me

2011-01-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

Is it courageous to break away from the pack and take your destiny into your own hands or is it foolishness to leave the tried and true path? I'm not sure. Really, I'm not. This question has been plaguing me of late.

I've been following Joe Konrath for a good while now. He's smart, interesting, and pulls no punches. If you haven't heard of him (which I can't fathom you haven't) then I suggest you check out his blog A Newbie's Guide to Publishing.

The reason I mention Mr. Konrath is that he has been encouraging writers to leave the traditional publishing path and consider self-publishing e-books. There is no doubt he has had great success doing this, and has given examples of other writers (many without traditional publishing backgrounds) doing the same.

I've been mulling over all the pros and cons. Looking at all the stigmas. The words "self-published" have been such ugly words in the writing world for so long that I feel a certain amount of shame when I consider taking this path. But in this budding e-book universe we find ourselves in, should this stigma remain?

I still love paper books, and always will. And I know that inviting every writer to self-publish will just saturate the market with electronic mountains of trash, but eventually the cream always rises to the top. Then comes the word "vanity" which somehow attaches itself to self-publishing and not to its traditional counterpart. But as Konrath points out, if all I want is to see my name on the spine of a book, to win awards, or to be on the New York Times Best Seller List, that sounds pretty vain. But if my goal is to reach readers and make enough money to continue writing full time why should I care if my book is electronic or the dead tree variety?

Still, I can't help the old formula from busting in and pointing a bony finger at me and yelling "Quitter! Fraud! No good hack that can't get published any other way!"

You get the point.

I have published several short stories and I did have a couple of high ranking agents take a good look at my novel. So I believe that eventually I will write a novel that gets me an agent, and that agent will find me a publisher. But should I subject myself to being a starving artist just because that's what the formula says I should do? Or should I break away, keeping my eyes on the ever changing horizon and try to mold my own destiny?

I still don't know.

True, I am very disillusioned with the publishing industry right now. It seems that if you aren't an instant success then they don't want to waste time trying to grow you into a brand. That if your first book doesn't sell 500,000 copies all you can do is change your name and try again. And why should someone (I mean the publishing industry as a whole) who is so unwilling to change and adapt be the gatekeepers to what people read. I believe the e-book revolution has put the power back into the hands of the consumer. The people, not the Big 6 houses, decide what is good and what is bad. The writer -- the one that created, labored, sweated, bled and cried -- is given a bigger cut of the cake. Maybe I'm just being one of those embittered writers that crosses his arms, screws up his face, and portions the blame out leaving none for myself. But I don't think so.

Still, I don't know. I can't get the model out of my head: Write a book, get an agent, pray for a publisher, then hope you can catch enough coin to keep the pattern going.

So, my circle of wordslingers, what do you think? If you follow Konrath's blog or read his books, leave me a comment. If you don't, click on over there, go back as far as you dare, then when you can stand no more come back and talk to me.

I really want to know.

Oh, 2010, We Hardly Knew Ye

2010-12-31T18:50:00.000-05:00

Just a little over five hours left of 2010 here in Indiana. It's been a good year, and I will miss it. I didn't accomplish as much, writing-wise, as I wanted to, but I was able to get my head on straight and work on my priorities.

Welcome twenty-'leven. My resolution is to fill my life with more love. Not to sweat the little things. Read more; write more. Get off my butt and do something with the few gifts God gave me.

Happy New Year every one.

I Just Don't Have the Words

2010-11-30T18:12:00.010-05:00

"Self taught, no lessons, thank you very much, Pop!"

Ten points to the person that can name the movie this quote appears in, and another ten if you can name the actor.

The end of November is here, and I'm at a bit of a loss for a blog post. I've had an idea for a repeating post that I was thinking of implementing in the future. I think I'll try it out right now.

Now, as writers go, I'm not all that educated. I skipped out on college to take a good paying job (good for an 18 year old, anyway) and well, here I am. This post isn't really about that. What it is about is vocabulary. Mine is a bit on the light side. In an attempt to bulk up my word-muscles, I've been compiling a list of words from the books I read. When I run across one I've never seen, don't understand, or recognize but am not sure of the correct usage, then I write it down, look it up and try to burn it into my brain.

Here are a few words from that list.

Convivial : relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking, and good company

Troika: 1. a Russian vehicle drawn by three horses abreast; also : a team for such a vehicle

2. a group of three; especially : an administrative or ruling body of three

Arcana: mysterious or specialized knowledge, language, or information accessible or possessed only by the initiate

Urbane: notably polite or polished in manner

Raucous: 1. disagreeably harsh

2. disorderly

I have a much longer list, with more difficult words. I realize some of these words are pretty common. Remember, I said some of them I was merely unsure of (he says, nursing his wounded ego), not completely ignorant of. If you must laugh, be gentle.

Haunted Indiana - Haunted Woods - (2 of 6)

2010-10-07T23:05:00.001-04:00

Haunted Indiana - Skeleton Boy - (6 of 6)

2010-10-07T23:04:00.001-04:00

Haunted Indiana - Burnt - (5 of 6)

2010-10-07T23:03:00.005-04:00

Haunted Indiana - Campers - (4 of 6)

2010-10-07T23:03:00.004-04:00

Haunted Indiana - Cable Line Monster - (3 of 6)

2010-10-07T23:03:00.003-04:00

Haunted Indiana - Introduction - (1 of 6)

2010-10-07T22:50:00.001-04:00

I Yam What I Yam

2010-10-07T22:43:00.006-04:00

Halloween is my favorite time of the year. I love all things spooky. It's no wonder that I write stories filled with horror and the strange when I grew up watching things like Haunted Indiana and Sammy Terry. What are they? you ask. Haunted Indiana was a collection of local urban legends that were re-enacted, so to speak. The production values are terrible (they are 25 - 30 years old) but they are campy and fun. Sammy Terry was the local late night ghoul that appeared every Friday night, introducing young minds like myself to the fabulous world of Horror Films.

Like Popeye said, "I yam what I yam." I wanted to link the videos all in one post but I can't get it to work just right, so I'm going to make six more posts, each with a video of Haunted Indiana. If I can find one with Sammy Terry I'll post that one as well.

Enjoy!

That Was Fast

2010-09-30T23:00:00.002-04:00

And then Summer was over.

Don't get me wrong, Fall is my favorite time of the year, but didn't Summer go just a bit too fast for all of you? I really am pushing it this time trying to get a September post in. I'm sorry. Soon I will try to make this blog more interesting. Less chatter about me will be a start.

So what's been going on? Unfortunately, not enough. The ideas are still flowing. The word counts continue to disappoint. But Halloween is on the way. I get all giddy just thinking about it. I can't help myself. I just love the spookiness of the season. If I ever become more financially comfortable, then you can just count on me opening a nice little haunted house out in my garage. I live to scare -- or is it scar? -- people.

I just applied for my first writing "job". Literally. Just now. I hit send for the email not more than two minutes ago. The Edge of Propinquity (which was nice enough to publish my story) has an opening for a Universe Author, which means a story appearing in each monthly issue for a year.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and if it doesn't work out then I already have my next novel outlined.

How's that for positive thinking!

Jamie Eyberg: My Friend

2010-08-19T16:32:00.005-04:00

The internet has made a small world even smaller. We meet and share our lives with people that 20 years ago we never would have met. We form digital friendships that are no less powerful than face-to-face friends.

Jamie Eyberg was my friend. No we never met. Never shared a meal. Never watched a movie together. And now to my great sadness, we never will.

Jamie was a good man. He always encouraged my writing. Always posted nice things on this blog. He enjoyed working with his hands, spending time with his wife and children, and dreaming of writing something people would find moving. In that we are brothers.

I don't pretend to understand. My heart hurts. My thoughts and prayers go out to his children, who lost not one parent, but both. There are a few people setting up donations for the children. You can read about them on Barry Napier's blog.

I will miss sharing Jamie's life via his blog. I will miss my friend.

Can't You Please Wait?

2010-07-31T18:51:00.004-04:00

Man, ol' man. It never fails. I get an idea for a novel; get some research done; get my characters fleshed out; sit down for the long haul, and what happens? That's right, some new idea for a short story digs in and won't leave me alone.

Normally this isn't all that bad -- if I'm working on another short story. But when it's a novel then I have to worry that by the time I'm done the short story will leave me. Not the idea, but the desire to put it on paper.

Part of my job takes me through a couple of museums on a daily basis. I see lot of art that moves me, some I'll never understand, and some that, well, appeal to my dark scribbling nature.

So, though I probably shouldn't, I think I'll take a small break to write the short story.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so they say. I hope this one will be worth at least five times that. And yes, if you are wondering, that IS in fact a tattooed pig. Let your imaginations soar with this one.

Opened or Closed?

2010-06-30T22:43:00.002-04:00

Wow, has it really been almost two months since my last post? Did our revolution around the sun get shorter somehow? Sure feels like it. I'm cutting it close to the wire. I almost missed my June post.

I've been plugging along on my YA novel, still feeling it out, not sure if it's going to end up whimsical or dark and gritty. The latter is what I suspect, but that's the great thing about writing -- if you do it right the story takes over and you are just as surprised at the ending as everyone else.

I've not been too happy with my word counts of late and I'm trying some new things. Stephen King discusses in his book On Writing about when to write with the door open and when to write with it closed. He suggests that when writing the first draft you should write in solitude with the door closed. Later on, when revising, write with the door open.

I agree with this method and I've done most of my writing this way. Problem is it's not always a feasible way to write. Now that my babies are becoming toddlers I'm facing some writing dilemmas. Either go into my room of solitude, shut the door and try to block out the knocking and calls for Daddy to come play. Or grab the laptop, shove my butt into the seat and write in small (sometimes VERY small) doses, working around the noise and distractions. There is one other option, but I don't seem very good at it. I could wait for the kids to go to sleep then write late at night. Not a bad option, but I get up very early for work, so I end up nodding off at the computer.

Oh how I dream of a professional writer's life. Get up, get the kids to the sitters, sit down and clack out about 2,000 words. Grab lunch. Get some editing done, surf blogs, a bit of self promotion. Then spend the rest of the day reading.

Okay, it's not realistic, but it's my dream so back off!

Sorry.

I'm afraid for the time being I'll have to do a bit of mix and matching with all of the above options. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't. I'll be glad when they invent a machine that will transcribe the stories in a writer's brain while he sleeps. According to Back to the Future 2 we're only about five years away from flying cars, so my brain-transcriber should be along anytime now.

Spoke Too Soon

2010-05-01T11:39:00.005-04:00

I often put the proverbial cart before the horse. In my last post I was discussing how I was waiting on an accepted story to be published in an anthology. I have been waiting a good long time to see this in print, and my faith that it would happen had started to waiver.

So, I posted my comment about it not looking too good. Then, in a moment of OCD writerly behavior, I decided to check the sites again. And there it was. The anthology was listed on both the publisher's website and on Amazon. I was elated. I was over the moon. I was . . . a little confused as to why my name and story title wasn't listed in the TOC.

In the beginning this was supposed to be a four-part anthology, with my story appearing in either the third or fourth. After the first anthology was published it was decided (as so often is the case) that the others would be shelved. But they had enough accepted stories that they elected to make number two the last. I was contacted and told my story would be published in the second and final of the series. When I didn't see my name in the TOC I panicked. What if I got bumped? There was not going to be a number three.

To make matters worse, on further searching, I discovered that the editor of the anthology (the only person I had any dealings with) had passed away a few days prior. I made contact with the head of the publishing company, John Betancourt, and after a bit of searching he confirmed that my story IS a part of the anthology.

If you like cats or you fear them; if you like stories of the strange; if you just want to buy a copy to make me feel better, then I encourage you to read Cat Tales 2 from Wildside Press, edited by the late Geor ge Scithers.

P.S.

I want to take this space to say how thankful I am for the chance (however small it was) to work with George Scithers. After reading of all his accomplishments, and how largess he was with help and instruction to writers of all status, I feel humbled that he chose my story. It is a great loss to the writing world and a void not easily filled.

New Territory

2010-04-27T20:51:00.002-04:00

Hello all. I'm still here.

Sorry for all the short posts of late. I've been working, but I don't have much interesting to discuss.

I'm waiting to hear back about a submission I made to an anthology. Still waiting for a different anthology to get published so that I can see my story in print. At this point I'm not too optimistic. They have been putting it off for some time and I'm afraid it may have gotten the boot. I tried emailing the editor, but he has yet to respond to me.

I have ventured into new territory (as the title hints at). For the most part I write horror stories. Some are the good ol' fashion "blood'n'guts, chalked full of monsters" type. Others I would classify as just weird. They all are written for adults. But just when I get comfortable, what do I do? That's right, I go and try to write a Young Adult novel. I've never tried my hand at YA, and it's a chore to keep my overly dark style from permeating this story. Not that YA can't be dark, it's just that I can sometimes be "black hole" dark.

I'm not very far in and I have no idea where the story is heading. I'm a shoot-from-the-hip writer, but I usually have a good idea where the story is going before I write it. I have a little glimpse with this story, but not enough to feel comfortable. I hope it doesn't peter out on me, or doesn't come off as a cheap knockoff.

Wish me luck.

More Than Gold

2010-03-10T10:40:00.003-05:00

The work side and the writing side of my life have been at war for about a year now. As I mentioned before, I was in a job that I tolerated, maybe even liked (just a bit, though) and they came along and dissolved my position, moving me to another department.

This new job was hideous -- and I've had some bad jobs before. It wasn't my co-workers, it wasn't the environment . . . it wasn't even the work itself, if that makes sense. It was the constant irritation of micromanaging and unachievable expectations. It was the cortex zapping power that comes with daily having to relearn your job because the Higher-ups can't make up their minds how they want things to run.

Needless to say I've been stressed. That stress has led to, I won't say writer's block, but more of a drain on my creativity.

Now to the good news.

I'm leaving that job behind. After a year of searching I have accepted a position with a different company. The best part of the job is the hours. If everything goes right I should be able to get in some writing time every day after work instead of my once a week (if that). Plus, it should be less stressful. I can already feel my creativity returning. I've been capturing little thoughts left and right on post-it notes, napkins, the back of my hand.

If I can get back to writing, then I can get back to being happy. And that is worth more than gold.

2010-02-28T20:17:00.002-05:00

It's the last day of February. The year sure is going fast.

I've been invited to submit to another anthology, so that is what I've been working on. I have two possible stories that I could submit: one is done, the other is a WIP. I'm going to finish this one before making the decision on which to submit. It will most likely be the one I'm working on now, since I'll be able to direct it more toward the specific theme of the anthology. I still have a novel in me that is begging to get out, but I'm not sure when I'll start on it.

Normally I'm the healthiest person around. I rarely get sick. But there is just something about having small children in your home that weakens your immune system. I now seem to have a touch of bronchitis, which has stolen my voice. This is bad since I talk on the phone all day at work. Also, today I bent down to pick up my daughter and threw my back out. What a week, and it just started.

That's about it in a nut shell.

I hope the words are flowing fast and free for the rest of you.

When Life Floods In

2010-01-30T23:46:00.003-05:00

I don't have too much to report but I didn't want all of January to go by without letting you all know I'm still here. Work continues to conspire against my writing. Lately I've had all the productivity of a snail on a salt-lick. But I will prevail.

Life has a way of rushing in like a flood. All we can do is wait for the waters to subside. With that in mind, I leave you with a video of a flood that happened at my own home. It's bit hard to tell, but the water is probably about seven or eight feet deep in the middle. Enjoy.

Here at the End

2009-12-30T15:21:00.002-05:00

It's been a strange year, and I can't say that I'll miss 2009 all that much. I have high hopes for 2010 even though we're not on schedule with those flying cars I heard so much about when I was a kid.

As far as writing goals go, I'm batting about 500. Some I accomplished, some not so much. But I'm pressing on. I'll confess I did have a few moments in 2009 when I asked myself "why write?" They were just short moment, though.

Just before sitting down to write this post I was messing with my latest WIP. I didn't get much done (just 500 words) but I feel better; less stressed; more focused. That's why I write.

Hopefully somewhere in 2010 hobby and career will meet. Until then I'll be satisfied with what I have.

I wish you all a happy and safe New Year.

Will Ya Shut Up Already

2009-11-16T22:33:00.004-05:00

I had something happen to me recently that has never happened before. I abandoned a book (one that I was reading, not writing) after laboring with it for 120+ pages.

I hate giving up on books or movies. I usually will give it a once through just in case it redeems itself in the end. If it doesn't, then I don't read or watch it again. Besides, bad writing can sometimes teach you as much, if not more, than good writing. But this book, which I will leave anonymous, was just too much.

Maybe it's because I'm getting older and I just don't have as much time to waste. I'm not sure. It wasn't that the author was a bad writer. He was very good. The book was a New York Times bestseller (not that that means a great deal). What really sealed it for me was the chunk of back story that lasted for over 70 pages. I don't mind a bit of back story . . . a lot of back story if it carries the story along . . . but man, come on. Stephen King talks in his book On Writing about authors that fall in love with their own writing and ramble on just to see the words on paper. It's the equivalent of a blabber mouth who talks just to hear his own voice. There are few things more annoying.

So, away with it.

My wife and I are voracious readers (well, we were before children). I'm sure most of you are, too. You know the score. You buy books with the fervor of a habitual hoarder, and hope someday you'll be able to sit and read them all. So, my bookshelf is never void of a book to read.

I found one I got for Christmas last year: a collection of short stories by Clive Barker. Man oh man is it good. But my writing feels so remedial next to such a giant. My vocabulary is just too humble.

But that's a different post.

Writing wise, I haven't yet started my next novel due to a short story that popped up out of nowhere and derailed me. I hope to have it out of my brain soon so that I can start the long journey that is the novel.

50th Post

2009-10-28T15:09:00.002-04:00

As the title reads, this is my 50th post. It's a tad pathetic considering I've had this blog for just over three years now. In the beginning I didn't post all that regular (if you look close you'll see a blank span of about seven or eight months) and I'm still not quite where I'd like to be. This year I tried my best to get at least one post in a month, two if I was really feeling it. In 2010 my goal is to get in a post a week. We'll see how that works out.

I have enjoyed all the new friends I've met through this blog, and I've learned a lot by following along with your adventures. It's been a tough year job-wise. I don't think I could have made it without sneaking a looky-loo at your blogs while pretending that I'm working.

Things are looking up. I see a light up ahead. My wife's schedule is starting to steady and solidify, which means I should be able to settle into a better pattern of writing. That makes for a less grumpy Gabe.

Now onto the writing news.

I know it is never a good idea to post about your agent rejections -- why promote how bad your are doing? -- but I'm not sure what the etiquette is for small victories. Who knows what agents and editors are lurking around your blog posts, using your little electronic journal as a judge of character? But what the heck. If it's bad form, please forgive.

Another agent has requested a partial of my novel GUARDING THE HEALER. I'm doing a little dance for no other reason than this lets me know I'm still on the right track. As you well know, it's a slippery slope and getting lost is an easy thing.

I was going to post about walking away from books too awful to read, but I think I'll save that for the next post.

If I don't talk to you before have a Happy Halloween.

The Clutter King

2009-10-08T15:06:00.002-04:00

I was roaming the blog of the powerful and terrifying agent, Janet Reid, the other day and she had a link to another blog (some days it's like running through a maze) Murderati and a wonderful entry about positive and negative spaces.

It touched me on many levels; not just as a writer. I have to admit I live a very cluttered life. I don't want to. It's no ones fault. That's just how it is. I just haven't quite figured out how to move all the junk out of the way. I'm working on it, though.

I don't have much to report. I'm still harassing agents; still adding to editor's slush piles. I'm getting close to starting another novel. I've been putting it off a bit -- trying to de-clutter, and all that -- but I can feel it worming its way to the surface. I'm having trouble writing any new shorts because this new novel won't get out of the way.

I'm still in the planning stage right now. I'll let you know when I hit it full strength.

Well, I better go. Storms are rolling in and I want to finish before the power goes out.

Cutting it Close

2009-09-01T23:34:00.002-04:00

I made it. It was a bit too close, but I did it.

I just finished up a tiny little story titled A TRIP TO THE BLUE HOLE. I received an invitation several months back to submit a story to CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE URBAN KIND and the deadline was today.

Those of you that actually read the tripe I shovel on this blog know that life has been kicking my butt of late and my writing has suffered. I really thought I was going to blow this one, but I hunkered down and forced that story out of my brain. And I still have about twenty minutes to spare.

Now, whether it gets accepted remains to be seen. That is always the hope. But the mission here was keeping the deadline. I know that I'll never be a professional writer unless I start acting like one and real writers have deadlines.

I had a lot of trouble with this story. I'm not sure if it was the length (it weighed in at just under 1,400 words . . . I'm terrible at shorts) or if it's just the work stress, but I'm so glad to have this one out and gone.

And now on to my next adventure.

The New Toy

2009-08-17T22:39:00.002-04:00

I'm writing this post from our new laptop. Life has been rough of late and my writing has suffered more than anything (that's what you get for not making me any money, stupid writing).

Sorry. I'm better now.

Technically, this laptop is for my wife so that she can consolidate her three (yes, I said three) part time jobs, and have more family time in the evening. But I have no problem usurping it for my own devious purposes . . . i.e. blogging, net surfing, and maybe if I can drag my lazy butt out of bed after the kids go down, some actual writing.

I've been very bad. I have a story that's due on September 1st and I've yet to write a single word. I've got a basic grasp on what I want to scribble down, but with little time to plan, I'm going to have to rely on my warped subconscious to fill in the blanks. I'll let you know how successful I am.

Multiple Personalities

2009-07-18T13:35:00.003-04:00

Nothing too important is going on in my world these days. Mercedes sent me a note, in the comments of my last post, checking up on me. I was very touched that someone I had never officially met was waiting to "hear" from me.

What can I say? She's a doll.

Anyway, I've been adjusting to 10 hour days; trying to mow my grass before it reaches jungle proportions; disposing of the skunks (yes, that's plural) that my dogs have been warring with; chasing a toddler through mosquito infested jungle-grass; and like always, click-clacking away at the computer.

I finally finished my latest story. It took a long time, mostly due to life, but I kept at it and I'm happy with the finished result. It is titled MY PATIENT GRAVE and weighs in at about 8,700 words.

Jamie is particularly good at flash fiction, but I stink at it. I've done a few, but they're not that great. There is nothing wrong with longer works, it's just that I find them harder to place. Most paying markets now a days want something a bit more streamlined. Just my own observation there.

As I put the finishing touches on MY PATIENT GRAVE, I started having one of those identity crises I've been reading so much about.

What I mean is, I mostly consider myself a horror writer. I'm an affiliate member of the HWA. I don't really like the tag, but it seems a necessary evil. But MPG isn't really a horror story. It's dark. It's a little sad. It even has my trademark weirdness to it. But it's not horror. To be honest, I don't know what it is. Dark Fiction, I guess.

And now I'm rolling my next novel around. The characters, the setting, the skeleton of plot is all there. But what I can't decide is if this will be an adult novel or a young adult novel. Most of my work is dark, twisted and not for children -- which is kind of funny seeing as how I'm a Sunday school teacher (whoops, I let the cat out of the bag).

Here is how I see it. Stephen King is one of the greats. Even if you don't like his work, you have to at least give me that he was built to write. So, what raises him above other horror writers?

I think it's because he's not really a horror writer. I think he writes literary novels (whatever that means) that are infused with the fantastic. Every story of his that I've ever read were never about the "creature". It was about people living and breathing in strange times.

I'll give one example -- there are many to choose from.

Let's look at his novel CELL. When you break it down to its most basic, it's not about the strange signal coming through the cell phones. It's about a man trying to find and protect his son during a dangerous time. This is pretty much the theme of Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD. It just so happens that Stephen King's CELL is filled with crazy telekinetic zombies.

My point is that at the heart of King's stories it's more about people coping with tragedy than with the monsters.

This is just my opinion. I am far from a die-hard King fan and I don't claim to have read all of his work. This is just based on the things I HAVE read. I think the same could be said of all the great genre writers, though.

This is the type of story I want to write. If you strip away the horrific and fantastic, the magic and monsters, at the heart you still have a pretty good story.

This is what I'm hoping an agent then publisher then reader will find in my novel GUARDING THE HEALER. Sure it's full of angels and demons, killers and healers, but really, it's about a man trying to deal with a great tragedy, find his place in a world he doesn't understand, and help redeem a friend going down the wrong path.

Jamie touches on this same thought here. I swear I didn't read his post until after I'd written mine (I'm not above stealing topics, though). Great minds and all, but I think his is more coherent. He IS a college grad . . . not that I'm jealous or anything.

Good Liars Make Great Writers

2009-07-02T22:03:00.003-04:00

Oh, man. I tell you what. I must be getting a lesson in patience. Just when I get this 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. shift down, they go and change it on me. I was just getting used to writing in the morning, too. Now I'm doing 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. four days a week. It sounds good on the surface, but it's hard with the kids to get much writing done on the weekends and writing that extra day off during the week isn't going to get me very far. I may have to start night-writing again. Hey! I could be the Night Writer. I like that. Maybe my computer could have a light that flashes back and forth and talk to me in a droll voice.

Sorry. Went off on a tangent there.

Anyway, Mercedes, bless her to pieces, must have realized I needed another distraction so she tagged me and I'm bound by blogger-code to obey. So on with the lies.

“Sometimes you can learn more about a person by what they don’t tell you. Sometimes you can learn a lot from the things they just make up. If you are tagged with this Meme, lie to me. Then tag 7 other folks (one for each deadly sin) and hope they can lie.”

Pride: What is your biggest contribution to the world?
Killing off the dinosaurs so that they'd stop using us for entrees.

Envy: What do your coworkers wish they had which is yours?
It's either my tall, well toned body or my long, curly locks of hair.

Gluttony: What did you eat last night?
Some left-over T-rex (see pride).

Lust: What really lights your fire?
I always liked that sorceress chick from the Thundar the Barbarian cartoon.

Anger: What is the last thing that really pissed you off?
Not being able to get all my hundreds in my wallet.

Greed: Name something you keep from others.
I never share my underwear. Sorry, no matter how much you beg, those babies are mine.

Sloth: What’s the laziest thing you’ve ever done?
Once, when I was walking with Big Foot, he made his business and I just left it. Sorry, my baggies weren't big enough.

Now, I guess I should tag someone. I choose, in no certain order:
Jennifer Brozek, Joshua Reynolds, Cheryl Reif, Jim Cooney . . . uhm, sorry, that's all I got. Everyone else has either done it or is an agent and I'm not going there.

I'm Still Here . . . Somewhere

2009-06-13T02:25:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry that I've been a bit distant of late. There have been a few changes in my life that have left me feeling a bit . . . cluttered.

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, my job was dissolved (I just love that word. Bring all sorts of images to mind!) back in March. I am now getting settled into my new position and the new shift. I was working 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. It was a good shift. I would come home, do some writing before the wife and kids got home, maybe do some work around the house. Now, I go in at 10:00 a.m. and get home a little after 7:00 p.m.

It's a real bummer. I am now a morning writer. I'm not an early-to-rise kind of guy. I'm mostly on auto-pilot. I get up, help see my wife and kids off, then sit down and get as many words down as I can before I have to trudge off to work. This way it frees up my after-work hours for the most important thing of all: family time.

The downside, however, is that this leaves me very little time to do blog posts.

I would like to answer a couple of fellow bloggers who have reached out to me lately.

First is Mercedes. She asked about my partials that are lingering with agents. The answer . . . I'm batting 500. The agent that has my full manuscript still hasn't replied to me. Today is 14 weeks that he has had it. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, but as of right now, it's not a rejection. The agent that asked for the first five pages passed on my novel. I was a little disappointed, but it was a minor wound. Again, I'm happy she liked my query well enough to follow up.

Second is Chris, who by the way is mostly responsible for the success of my query letter. He took me under his wing and pointed me in the right direction. Chris tagged me with the "four-thing meme" and who am I to resist?

Here we go:

4 movies you would watch over and over again:
Die Hard
An American Werewolf in London
The Shawshank Redemption
The Terminator

4 places you have lived:
in a low income apartment
in a farmhouse sans the farm
in another apartment (not low income)
the house I'm in now
(boring, I know, but I'm a deep rooted Hoosier and never moved far from home)

NOW WITH BONUS! 4 places you have lived (fiction edition):
Belmount
The Dark Tower
an Earth peopled with vampires, save one
Middle Earth

4 TV shows you love to watch:
Simpsons
The Office
World's Deadliest Warrior
Family Guy

4 places you have been on vacation:
Clearwater, FL
Gatlinburg, TN
Nashville, TN
Red Lake, Ontario

4 of your favorite foods:
steak
fried chicken
pork chops
strawberries

4 web sites you visit daily:
my wife's blog (sorry, no link, it's private)
AgentQuery
Wildside Press
HWA

4 places you would rather be right now:
in bed sleeping (it IS 3:00 in the morning)
somewhere warm and sunny, playing with my kids
camping
fishing

4 things you'd like to do before you die:
See a novel through to publication
Make a living as a writer (I stole both of these from Chris)
Visit all 50 states
Learn to fly (I mean like Superman does)

4 books you wish you could read again for the first time:
An Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Wasteland by Stephen King

Tag 4 people you think will respond:
Jamie Eyeberg
Catherine Gardner
Samantha Sterner
Jennifer Hudson Taylor

A Well Deserved Thank You

2009-05-25T14:46:00.002-04:00

I would like to start out this post by giving a heart-felt thank you to all the American soldiers, past and present, on this Memorial Day. Whether it is peace or wartime, to wear the uniform means a willingness to separate yourself from friends and loved ones, and despite the agenda, to simply go where needed, and sacrifice all that we might continue to be free. Freedom is, and never will be, free. Thank you for paying the price for me.

In writing news, I have had another agent request a partial of my novel. Not a large partial, mind you, but that does mean she at least liked my query letter. Today won't be very productive as far as writing goes. I have the day off, but my wife still has to work. So, I'm spending the day chasing diaper-dwarves, and later I have to go to a birthday party. I HAVE to go because it's my party. I'm 32 today, and everyone will be upset if they can't tell me how OLD I'm getting.

I just love that part.

Happy Memorial Day.

An Invitation to the Dance

2009-04-16T22:47:00.007-04:00

I received a nice little email this afternoon.

The lovely Jennifer Brozek (the new submissions editor at Apex and chief editor of The Edge of Propinquity) sent me an invitation to submit a story for the upcoming anthology CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE URBAN KIND.

Maybe this happens all the time to other writers, and maybe this same invitation was sent out to 100,000 other writers, but it's a first for me, so don't spoil it. Also, don't think me foolish. I understand that an invite isn't a guaranteed acceptance.

The Day Job has been a bog of depression. I'm getting a rush training for my new position, and I'm not all that thrilled (but as they say these days "at least I HAVE a job"), so this invitation was a bright beam of sunlight through a thick canopy of black clouds.

As any writer knows, it's lonely out there. So when someone reaches out and actually ASKS you to write something . . . I mean, wow! Give me a computer; a crayon and some paper; a chunk of stone and a chisel; something quick!

I have until September 1st to turn something in, but I'm already sifting through ideas. As soon as I'm done with the current WIP, I'll be on it like gnats on a dog's . . . sorry, bad Indiana analogy.

Agent update:

It's going on six weeks that my full manuscript has been in the hands of a certain agent. The suspense is killing me, but to be honest, I'm a little afraid to get a response. Right now I'm holding onto the old adage "no news is good news", and I'm praying that things will go my way.

Big Changes

2009-04-01T03:11:00.002-04:00

I really wanted to have a good April Fool's joke for all of you, but I'm sorry to say, I'm drawing a blank.

As you all can see I've given the ol' blog a much needed overhaul. There will be some more changes on the way, but right now I'm too tired to do much more.

Let me know what you all think.

Will Write For Food

2009-03-19T17:17:00.003-04:00

So, I've become a statistic.

I'll give you a minute to ponder that. Go ahead, I'll wait. There, are you done? What did you come up with? No, no, nothing so sorted.

I was talking about my job. You should really watch where your mind wanders.

Yes, alas, it's true. The Krakens of Corporate Sheol have decided to "dissolve" my position with the company. Now, before you get all weepy for me, I still have a job. They are stuffing me into another department. It's not terrible, but it's not good, either. I feel a bit like Milton from the movie Office Space.

One, I don't handle change very well. Two, my work hours will be going from good to bad, so I'm not yet sure how this will affect my writing. I'll still write, it's just going to be a bit more difficult for me.

Unless I land that six figure book deal that I've been dreaming about. That really does happen to writers, right? Most of the time, no, you say. Crap!

Maybe I can go stand by the freeway with a sign that reads, "Will Write For Food."

That's a First!

2009-03-06T20:08:00.003-05:00

So, there I was at work (trying to look like I was working) when I noticed an email pop up. I glanced at the description balloon and saw that it was a response to one of my agent queries.

No big deal. I'd received one just a few hours earlier . . . a rejection, mind you. Again, no big deal. But something caught my eye. A strange phrase that I had yet to see in an agent's response. I couldn't be sure, but I could have sworn that I saw the word "interested".

Trying my best -- and failing -- not to get my hopes up, I opened the email. And there it was. Something that turned my good day into great day.

I have received my first official manuscript request by a literary agent.

Now, I know that this means nothing. It could still end in a rejection if my writing doesn't register with him. But it still feels good to know I'm doing something right for a change.

Now I'm off to put the boy to bed and then it'll be a late night of submitting my manuscript and synopsis.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Beware the Mask

2009-02-16T12:23:00.002-05:00

I am very happy to announce that my story THE MASK OF DESLOW MANSION is now available in volume 38 of The Edge of Propinquity. Stop by, have a look, but please don't judge me on the head shot. I'm just not very photogenic.

I would like to thank Jennifer Brozek for allowing me to be this month's guest author.

Not Sure How I Feel About This

2009-01-29T21:48:00.004-05:00

I found something interesting on Cheryl Reifsnyder's blog today. It's called Authonomy. It is a fascinating idea, but I'm not sure I'm sold on it.

Go check it out. Tell me what you all think.

Happy B-Day Mr. Poe

2009-01-19T16:30:00.002-05:00

I was perusing blogs (I should've been writing) when I came across an interesting fact on Joshua M. Reynolds' blog, Hunting Monsters. Today is Edgar Allen Poe's 200th birthday.

It seems as good a thing as any to blog about, so I'm going to give my own tribute to the tortured soul by sharing a story (boring as it may be) about finding a treasure in the oddest of places.

So, there I was at work, just trying to get through another day. I am one of a handful of people in the office that has a key to the "records room". This room is the catch-all of the building and somehow I'm lucky enough to hold the key to everyone else's junk.

I know you're jealous.

Anyway, I was back in said room on said day, when I noticed a large cardboard box. I can't say what drew me to this particular box. There are dozens filling the room. I go to the box and open it up. To my delight, it is filled with old books. Being a writer and all around lover of books, I tucked it away and went in search of its owner.

A very nice man, named Glenn, was the owner and it was then that I learned Glenn was a book collector. His storage unit (that's right STORAGE UNIT) was too full of books so he stashed the box in the records room for later inspection.

To my surprise, with very little coaxing at all, Glenn says, "I have plenty of books. You're welcome to take any that you want." So, like a giddy little leprechaun sneaking off with a pot of gold, I put the box in my truck and took them home.

Now, all of the books were old, but not many were that interesting. There was an old dictionary, some old turn of the century prairie books, but there were a few gems in the mix. Though they were not in good condition, I found a copy of THE THREE MUSKETEERS and UNCLE TOM'S CABIN. Then I pulled out . . . TALES OF ROMANCE AND FANTASY by Edgar Allen Poe.

Now, it's not in great condition, but considering the publication date is 1894, I'd say it's in good condition.

The pages are browned, and just a bit brittle. There are a few smudges and tears. But every time I look through it I can't help but wonder what all has this book seen in its 115 years? What famous hands might have turned the pages?

So, happy 200th birthday Mr. Poe. Thanks for the book. I would have liked an autograph, but what am I gonna do?

P.S.

On a completely side note.

Jim over on Ink & Beans asked if I would post a description of my novel GUARDING THE HEALER. Now, call me paranoid, call me superstitious, but I have a bit of trouble talking about my writing if it hasn't yet been published. This may be silly, but it's still true.

I'm still seeking an agent for GUARDING THE HEALER, but I was thinking about posting the pitch I've been using in my query letter.

What I need is opinions. Do you think this is good? Bad? Should I spread the premise of my novel to the world even though it has yet to be accepted by agent or editor? Or is my paranoia justified?

What do you all think?

A Wee Over 85

2009-01-05T23:39:00.003-05:00

Stolen from Cate.

Supposedly if you’ve seen more than 85 of these films, you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, then put x’s next to the films you’ve seen, and add them up.

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
() Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
(x) The Princess Bride
(x) Anchorman
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
(x) Saw
() Saw II
(x) White Noise
() White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
() The Princess Diaries
() The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(x) Scary Movie 2
(x) Scary Movie 3
(x) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
() Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
(x) The Village
() Lilo & Stitch
(x) Finding Nemo
() Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
(x) White Chicks
() Butterfly Effect
() 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
() Robots

Total so far: 39

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(x) Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
() KING KONG

Total so far: 47

() A Cinderella Story
() The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
(x) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
(x) The Ring
() The Ring 2
(x) Surviving X-MAS
() Flubber

Total so far: 53

(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
() Chicago
(x) Ghost Ship
() From Hell
(x) Hellboy
(x) Secret Window
() I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
(x) The Whole Ten YardsTotal so far: 60
(x) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child’s Play
() Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
(x) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
() Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
() The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
() Son Of The Mask

Total so far: 70

(x) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Slevin
() Ocean’s Eleven
() Ocean’s Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
() Bourne Supremecy
() Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
(x) Predator II
(x) The Fog
() Ice Age
() Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George

Total so far:77

(x) Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
(x) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
() Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2

Total so far: 85

() Best Bet
() How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She’s All That
() Calendar Girls
() Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3

Total so far: 95

(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
() Sky High
(x) Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
() Freaky Friday
(x) Reign of Fire
(x) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
(x) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2

Total so far: 109

() Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
() The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
() Krippendorf’s Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin

Total so far: 113

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Total so far: 119

() Basketball
() Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
(x) House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
() Three

Total so far: 124

(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
() Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard

Total so far: 126

() High Tension
(x) Club Dread
(x) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
() Orgazmo
(x) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld

Total so far: 134

() Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
() Kingdom of Heaven
(x) the Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
(x) Army of Darkness

Total so far: 137

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor

Total so far: 143

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
() Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
(x) Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
(x) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal

Total: 150

That's a lot of time I could/should have been reading and writing, but what can I do? I'm a boob-tube baby.

My End of the Year Post

2008-12-31T12:23:00.005-05:00

Here we are again. Another year gone, and that time when we all evaluate what we've accomplished.

I took a look at my post from a year ago and it only depressed me. The year of 2008 wasn't my best writing-wise. I'm still waiting for ROMEO'S KISS to appear in Wildside Press's Cat Tales. I only sold one story -- THE MASK OF DESLOW MANSION to The Edge of Propinquity. But I did finish rewriting my novel and after an exhausting research venture, started sending the poor thing out to agents. No bites as of yet, but some nice rejections have crossed my desk. I did manage to consistently post on this blog, and I've made a lot of new writer friends which have helped me grow (as good friends do).

So, what are my plans, resolutions as it were, for 2009? Well, faithful reader, I will tell you. I'm going to continue to push my novel on every agent until one either signs me, or they band together and hire someone to stop me. I'm going to continue writing as best I can. I don't know right now if 2009 will belong to short stories, novels, or just my own wailing on this blog. I plan on reading more, writing more, praying more, laughing more, and loving more. What else better is there to do?

Now, as I leave you until the breaking of the new year, I thought I would show you the best thing I've received in 2008 (which is also what has caused my writing to diminish at such a rate).

Meet Olivia Ann. That's big brother Aiden (the best thing I received in 2007) doing all the kissing.

Not Much a Goin'

2008-11-15T23:57:00.002-05:00

Not much happening here right now.

I'm still waiting to hear back from eight agents. If I don't get any hits then I have another ten to fifteen lined up for the next round.

I just sent my story A WHITE ROOM & TIME to the anthology Clockwork Phoenix 2. I can't seem to find a response time listed for that publication, but it's supposed to be out around July 2009, so I guess I'll know sometime before then.

I'm working on another short story, one that's been rolling around in my warped little noodle for some time. I don't know how long it'll be, yet--I'm only 1,000 words in--but I'm feeling good about the flow. It's a first person POV, which is hard for me. THE BARN was the only other first person POV that I've written that I felt was worth anything. I won't tell you what it's about, but my working title is THE SHALLOW GRAVE.

Not that original. I'll try to come up with something better when it's done.

You Think YOU Had to Wait a Long Time

2008-10-27T21:44:00.004-04:00

I received a letter today from the editor of Outer Darkness magazine, Dennis Kirk, that my story, LOVE, OBSESSION & THE DEEP FREEZE, is still going to appear in issue 37.

Now, as writers we all know how hard it is to send out a story, wait months upon months only to get a form rejection. But it makes the acceptances all the more sweet, does it not? Then comes the agonizing time between acceptance and publication. That time period where you cut a path walking back and forth to the mailbox, or you click on an ezine's homepage so many times a day that surly you should win a door prize.

L, O & THE DF has already been published in Midnight Times, but that doesn't mean I'm any less pumped to see it in print again. So, for those of you that think YOU have trudged a long road between acceptance and publication, let me give you a little back ground information.

I submitted L, O & THE DF to Outer Darkness Magazine on 12/06/2004. It was accepted 12/19/2005, and will be appearing in OD sometime in the spring of 2009.

Is four years the record? Oh, I highly doubt it, but it has to be up there somewhere close.

On a side note I would like to say that I am in no way angry or begrudge Dennis Kirk for the long wait. Life has a way of stepping in front of our writing duties and when it does we have no choice but to yield. He has had a full plate, and I think he did right by taking care of Life's tasks instead of the magazine. I'm glad to see that he's able to press on.

Ouch!

2008-10-19T15:19:00.003-04:00

It came Friday in the mail. My first letter from an agent.

I'd love to tell you all that the letter was full of praise for my novel along with an offer for representation, but alas, that would be a lie.

It was a rejection . . . a form letter at that.

I knew rejections were coming. Lord knows I've racked up enough of them with my short story submissions. I thought my skin was thick, but man did it hurt to read. I'm still a bit sore.

I have a few more queries floating around out there, but this agent was my top choice. Maybe that's why it hurts so much. I was hoping to at least send in a partial manuscript before being rejected.

It's terribly overwhelming. I now see why writers jump on the first agent (good or bad) that gives them a yes. I mean, how do you know if you REALLY match with an agent or not. Not very many have blogs to follow and a surprising number don't even have websites.

Don't mind me. The pity party is just about over.

I was going to work on fixing a short story I've had tucked away, and I have another one begging to be typed out, but I'm afraid both will have to wait. With the two diaper-dwarves haunting this house, finding time to do writerly-things has become very limited. I need to do a bit more searching. See if any agents (and their limited info) reach out and grab me . . . figuratively, of course.

Cat Tales

2008-10-12T00:03:00.004-04:00

Wildside Press's anthology CAT TALES #1 is now in stock.

My story ROMEO'S KISS is not in this book, but will hopefully be in #2. If you recall from earlier posts there is a chance that if the sales for #1 are low then there will be no #2. So pick up your copy today.

If you like cats and you like speculative fiction then you'll love this book. Here is the TOC:

NOT ANOTHER BLACK CAT STORY, by Geoffrey Maloney
SCOUT, by Mary A. Turzillo
AMERICAN CURLS, by Nancy Springer
THE CATS OF ULTHAR, by H.P. Lovecraft
KREATIVITY FOR KATS, by Fritz Leiber
NON-EXISTENT CATS, by Tony Richards
ANGELIQUE'S, by Sandra Beswetherick
THREE HAIKU, by Mark Budman
THE CAT, by Charles Baudelaire
BLACK PUMPS & A SKANKY TOM, by Pat Edsen
DRAGON DREAMS, by Shereen Vedam
CAT CALL, by K.D. Wentworth
A CHRISTMAS CAROL, by Jack Williamson
THE EYES OF RA, by Jim C. Hines

CREEPER SHADOWS, by Fred Chappell

Ramblings of the Sleep Deprived

2008-10-10T23:39:00.001-04:00

I told you I would do it. I dug down deep, found three more agents that I liked and sent them each a query letter. So that’s a total of four (just in case you’re two years old or tragically behind in your math skills). I suddenly have the urge to laugh like the Count from Sesame Street.

Sorry. I’m very sleepy.

I’m going to give it a few days, maybe a week, then try to find four more agents that I like. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that one of my top choices requests a partial. But it couldn’t hurt to have some more options lined up in the event that I’m pelted with four fast rejections.

Wow. My stress level just tripled.

Anyway, all joking aside, I’m actually feeling good about this point in my writing career. It’s a lot like when I first sent my short stories out to editors. I got a lot of rejections before I landed my first publication, and that very well might happen with my search for an agent. But I’m not languishing in fear. I’m not hiding from the world. It feels great taking the next step. I’m glad to be moving on. But before I do:

One . . . two . . . three . . . four. Four . . . four agents. Ah, ah, ah!

Again, sorry. I couldn’t help it.

And It Begins

2008-09-26T11:10:00.002-04:00

It's done. No more procrastinating. No more obsessive rewrites. It's in the mail and I can't get it back.

I have just returned from the post office, where I have finally sent my novel (technically just a query letter, short synopsis, and the first five pages) GUARDING THE HEALER to my top choice agent.

Yeah, I know. I should send my novel to more than one agent, and I will. Sending to the one was stressful enough. I'll get to the others in a few days.

But now it begins. A whole new level of stress and agony. Days and nights where I check my inbox with OCD fervor. And I thought the stress of submitting my short stories was bad.

So, after all this time, I'm taking the plunge. I'll let you all know when I touch down.

Someone Loves My Blog

2008-09-17T17:28:00.005-04:00

You like me! You really like me!

I would like to thank Jamie Eyberg for nominating me. So now I must share the love.

Here are the rules:

1) Add the logo of your award to your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3) Nominate at least seven other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on your blogs.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Let's see. I nominate . . .

Chris F. Holm is a scientist by day, writer by night. He's got the goods. Plus, he cracks me up.
Jennifer Jackson is an agent at the Donald Maass Literary Agency. If you want to get into the mind of an agent, this is the blog for you.
Janet Reid is the Query Shark. Submit at your own risk. If you're struggling with the query letter and you want to know what NOT to do, take a look. It's also good if you need a quick laugh at someone else's expense.
Jennifer Brozek is the editor of The Edge of Propinquity ezine. He blog is visually sharp and clean. She is a lady with a lot going on. I get stressed just READING about her daily chores.
Kameron Hurley is someone I just recently stumbled across, and I'm glad I did. She has a great voice, a warped take on life (in a good way) and is too young to have to watch her pizza intake.
Jamie Eyberg is getting another one (and not just because he sent me mine). He's a writer of all trades, a man that likes to work with his hands, and his blog is great to read. Makes me want to visit Iowa.
Last and certainly not least is Catherine Gardner. I know, I know. She's been given like a hundred of these, but that should make you sit up and wonder what all the fuss is about. Go on. Check out her blog. I promise I won't get jealous (well, maybe just a little).

On a side note. I was going to nominate my wife's blog. Let me tell you a bit about this lady. She's strong, but lets me baby her. She's smart, but she tries to tell me I'm smarter. She's independent, and dependable. Beautiful, but not vain. And when she laughs her nostril flare in a way that makes me want to kiss her. She does do some writing but keeps it to herself. Her blog is about her journey through life. Sometimes it's funny. Sometimes it's heartbreaking. I would have nominated her and put a link up, but she asked me not to. But she didn't say I couldn't tell you all a little about her.

The Most Wonderful Distraction Ever

2008-09-11T22:31:00.003-04:00

On Tuesday, September the 9th, 2008 at 7:31 a.m. (EST), I received the most wonderful distraction to my writing that I could ever want. My beautiful daughter made her grand entrance into the world, weighing in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces.

Trying to adjust my writing schedule to fit the needs of my son (who just turned 18 months) has been a nice learning experience. Now that I have two in diapers, life will be nothing if not interesting.

I'm very happy to be a father (there was a time I wasn't sure that I could be a father, but that's a different story). My family is the greatest treasure I have. I know that life is a bullet train with no stops. That's why I try to look out the window as often as possible.

I'll just keep on writing the ten to midnight shift. You'll not hear me complain.

TEoP

2008-08-29T22:56:00.002-04:00

Last night I receive an email from Jennifer Brozek, editor of The Edge of Propinquity. A few weeks ago I had received an email from Jennifer stating that my story "The Mask of Deslow Mansion" had made it through the first round of readings. Of course I was happy for that good news, and have been waiting with faux-patience for the follow up letter.

I’m in danger of getting off topic here, so I’ll try to keep it simple. Back to the email from last night.

When I saw it come up in my inbox I was just happy that it wasn’t spam. That’s all I seem to get these days. It took me a few minutes to open it, as it always does when I’m opening letters from editors. It started out like this:

"Unlike every other one of my story submissions, you do not get a form letter response."

Ah oh, I thought. It’s a rejection. But at least it was going to be a nice rejection. The kind that come with advice or admonishment. The kind that are like nice girls, who after you hit on them, explain to you why they aren’t going to give you their number, and somehow make you feel all right about it.

I’m not saying that’s ever happened to me (not the being rejected part, the feeling all right about it part) but I’ve heard stories.

Anyway, I forged on through the email. It takes me a second to absorb what I’m reading. I’ve told you before, I’m preternaturally thickheaded. The words are all in English. I just have to wait for my brain to put them in order. When the ol’ gray matter finally kicks in and I see the sentence that follows, this is what I read:

"Rather than keep you in suspense, the short version is: I want this story."

I just love acceptance letters. Love ‘em! Like a fat kid loves cake.

Sorry. I’ll be all right.

"The Mask of Deslow Mansion" is slated to be in either the January or February volume of The Edge of Propinquity.

I can’t wait.

Where is 44 & 51?

2008-07-31T17:24:00.003-04:00

All is quiet in the World According to Gabe. The Mask of Deslow Mansion has made it through a first-round reading at a particular publication, and now I’m just doing what I always do . . . wait with a side of more wait.

I have no new projects on the burner due to my obsession with perfecting my first novel, Guarding the Healer, before sending it out to agents. I have my query letter and my short one-page synopsis written. Right now I am systematically polishing ten pages of the novel a day--most days anyhow--while writing my long synopsis (a.k.a. the dreaded outline). It’s rough going since the only good time I have to work is from around 10:00 p.m. to around 1:00 a.m.

But, hey, sleep is overrated, right? Plus, as I’ve mentioned before, the hallucinations from sleep deprivation make great writing fodder.

So, to make up for my short and pointless post, here is a neat little item that I stole from Catherine J. Gardner.

The Big Read, an initiative by the National Endowment for the Arts, has estimated that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they’ve printed. How do you do?

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
*
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
*
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

* Numbers 44 & 51 seem to be missing for some reason. I tried to track them down, but was unsuccessful.

Milk Duds On My Desk

2008-07-14T17:40:00.000-04:00

I’m sorry to report that my story "The Mask of Deslow Mansion" will not be appearing in Graveside Tales’ anthology Harvest Hill.

Though they liked the story, it just didn’t fit well with the group. I always did have trouble playing with others.

Oh well, back to submitting. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be all right. The box of Milk Duds sitting on my desk is helping.

Congratulations to all who find themselves between the covers of Harvest Hill. I’m sure it will be a great read.

A Site for Sore Eyes

2008-06-30T23:24:00.000-04:00

It’s getting down to the wire now. Any day I should be hearing if Graveside Tales is keeping "The Mask of Deslow Mansion" or tossing it to the side like a dirty diaper.

Sorry for the simile. I’ve been changing a lot of diapers lately.

I’ve been on mandatory overtime at work and haven’t had much time to devote to writing, so there isn’t much to report right now. So, instead of some whimsical anecdote or poetic prose, I’ll share with you some nice new (new for me, that is) websites that I’ve come across over the last few weeks.

http://fright-fest.blogspot.com/
Catherine J. Gardner is the author of this blog (along with an impressive number of short stories and novels). The layout of this blog is as beautiful as the content is insightful. Catherine is charming and funny, and is one of the busiest writers I have ever seen. I am envious of the amount of writing she is pumping out on a regular basis, and in awe that she has time to keep her blog as updated as she has.

http://www.chrisfholm.com/index.html
Chris F. Holm is a young writer with a sharp wit and warped sense of humor (much like yours truly). Many of his experiences and thoughts on writing mirror my own, and though I have yet to make contact with him – I barely have time to make contact with my own mother – I hope to soon. He seems to me a man of like precious faith . . . as far as writing goes, that is.

http://queryshark.blogspot.com/
Janet Reid is a successful literary agent by day and the infamous Query Shark by night. She shows no mercy to the chum that floats her way. If you are looking to strengthen you query letter or maybe just need to grab a laugh at the competition’s expense, I suggest you stop by.

http://arcaedia.livejournal.com/
Jennifer Jackson is a literary agent with the Donald Maass Literary Agency, and is the agent of the afore mention Chris F. Holm. Jennifer is smart and fiery, delivering matter of fact information with a punch. She is a beautifully clear window into the scary and mysterious world of publishing.

None of the four above know me (well, Catherine and I have had a bit of correspondence, but not much). I’ve learned from all four people and feel that any aspiring writer could do a lot worse than stumbling across these gems. When I get a bit more time, I will try to add these to my links.

Go check them out. You won’t be disappointed.

How About That

2008-05-31T23:03:00.001-04:00

Well, I mailed out the contract selling "Romeo’s Kiss" to Wildside Press, and my copy has returned, signed by the publisher.

I’m still waiting on Cat Tales, volume 1 to arrive in the mail, and hoping that its sales are through the roof. I wish I knew the publication date – if it will be published at all – of volume 2 (I assume my story is in the next book; I could be wrong).

I’m also awaiting news from Graveside Tales’ Harvest Hill about my story "The Mask of Deslow Mansion." Their submission guidelines state that they are shooting for a response time of 4 - 6 weeks for the rejections, and today is week number six for me.

That may mean my story has a good chance of being accepted. Then again it may mean the rejection cometh tomorrow.

Just one more wait-n-see.

But hey, I got two posts in this month. How about that!

Contract Concerns

2008-05-11T00:37:00.004-04:00

It’s here, it’s here, it’s finally here!

The contract from Wildside Press has arrived. I’ve always heard a watched pot never boils, and sure enough when I got too busy to stress out about it, there it was in my mailbox.

With nervous, giddy fingers I opened the large white envelope and AAAAHHHH there it was: two copies of the contract, a typeset version of "Romeo’s Kiss", and a couple of pages of information.

I read the contract slow, relishing every word, then poured into the beautiful typeset version of my story. What a feeling! My first professional contract. It’s official, "Romeo’s Kiss" will appear in one of the remaining three issues of the anthology series Cat Tales.

Or will it?

After putting down the contract and the copy of "Romeo’s Kiss" (mostly because my wife was watching and I couldn’t justify staring at the same sheets of paper for hours on end) I picked up the other two pieces of paper. One was simply explaining that they would like a bio from me and gave some examples of what information I might include.

Nothing bad there.

The second sheet of paper explained how that the first issue of Cat Tales was off to the printer and would be shipped out soon. It went on to state that the publisher was unsure of how the sales would go. If they end up being low then there is a good possibility that the last three issues will be scrapped. My story will be released and I will be free to try and place it elsewhere.

Boy did that take the caffeine out of my coffee.

You mean after all this waiting, even with a contract in hand, there still is a chance that this thing won’t come to pass? Maybe it’s just a legal thing, covering the publisher in the highly unlikely event that they don’t sell enough. Right? Surely they know they will sell enough or they wouldn’t have even tried. Right? RIGHT?

Okay, here is the plan: I need everyone to go online (I’ll supply the link a little lower) and order a copy. Here is a little reading material.

Cat Tales edited by George Scithers: "Cats and mysterious fantasy: it's a magical mix that appeals to the imaginations of young and old readers alike. The first volume of this new anthology series includes colorful new stories by authors Nancy Springer, Ann Marston, Jack Williamson, Fred Chappell and P.D. Cacek, as well as classics by Fritz Leiber and H.P. Lovecraft."

If there is enough support then they will continue with the other three issues. I believe "Romeo’s Kiss" will be in issue two. So get out there and order an issue.

Come on now. Don’t make me beg.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_adv_b/?search-alias=stripbooks&unfiltered=1&field-keywords=cat&field-author=george+scithers&field-title=Cat+Tales&field-isbn=&field-publisher=Wildside+Press&node=&url=&field-binding=&field-subject=&field-language=&field-dateop=&field-datemod=&field-dateyear=&sort=relevancerank&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=17&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=9

Hurry Up and Wait

2008-04-30T23:17:00.000-04:00

I know you should never put all of your eggs in one basket, but as any 5 year old during an Easter egg hunt will tell you, that’s a thing easier said than done.

I’ve been researching agents of late, and though I’ve come up with a short list, one agent is head and shoulders above the rest. All of my energy is pointed toward said agent and the others have fallen neglected to the side.

This is a top agent, but an approachable one. I know the odds are against me and I’ll have but one (two if I’m lucky) shot(s). My brain is screaming to spread out my research and blanket my agent list with queries, but my heart is whispering to slow down and do things right.

I may be setting myself up for a heartbreak but it’s too late now. I’m already filling my basket.

We’ll see how it goes.

In the meantime I sent another story, titled "The Mask of Deslow Mansion", to an anthology named Harvest Hill. If things go well then I won’t hear back from them until sometime after late June. Anything earlier is probably going to be a rejection.

So it’s hurry up and wait, like always.

News and More News

2008-03-31T23:03:00.002-04:00

It’s that time again. Time for me to be a good little blogger-monkey, and jot down some words with the ink from my brain. The past few posts haven’t been breathtaking, but at least I’ve gotten in one a month.

We’ll see how long I can keep it up.

So here is my news . . .

I know that I said I wouldn’t post the name of the publication where my latest story (Romeo’s Kiss) will appear until I have received a contract from them, but the first issue is about to be released, and I thought what the heck.

Wildside Press – the publication responsible for Weird Tales, Adventure Tales, Fantasy Magazine, & HP Lovecraft’s Magazine of Horror, among others – is releasing a new anthology series titled Cat Tales.

Cat Tales will be a (I believe this is right) four part anthology series. Volume one will be out sometime in April. I don’t think “Romeo’s Kiss” is in the first volume. If it is, then wonderful, but if I’m right, then it will appear in one of the following three. I will let you know more when the contract arrives.

Now for the REALLY big news . . .

It seems that I flunked out of Baby Boot Camp and will have to retake the course sometime in early September. Yep, that’s right. There’s another one on the way.

My wife and I are jubilant that our trio will soon be a quartet. And who knows, maybe the hallucinations I have from the sleep deprivation will be good fodder for future stories.

Watching for the Snail

2008-02-29T17:48:00.000-05:00

Though it pains me to say so, there isn’t much new coming from my writing life of late. Still, I thought I should post today. It is Leap Day after all, and if I don’t take this opportunity now, I will have to wait a long time before I can post on February 29th again.

Speaking of waiting . . .

If you are a writer, then you know the sting of waiting. If you are not a writer, or are thinking of becoming one, then let me put it the best way I can.

Imagine a snail, a turtle and a sloth are having a relay race across the country. Each animal must go coast to coast, then back again, before handing the baton to the next in line. Now imagine recording this race and watching it later in super-slow-motion.

This is but a small taste of the speed of the publishing world.

Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t say that such a race wouldn’t be interesting or worthwhile – and neither is writing. But at times both become excruciating.

I’m still waiting on two stories to be published, and all communication with the editors has stopped. I know they are busy and will send me word when the time comes. Yet, I can’t help feeling like that turtle, watching for the snail to top the horizon, signaling that my time to shine is close at hand.

Daydreams

2008-01-29T22:25:00.000-05:00

I promised I would be a better blogger in 2008, so here I go.

I’m feeling a bit stir crazy of late. I haven’t written anything new in a while and it’s starting to get to me. I don’t sleep as well. I have weird dreams. And my wife says I’m a real grouch (but that may or may not have anything to do with my writing). I have a few things I would like to work on, and I’m afraid that if I don’t get started soon, then the inspiration might dry up.

Maybe I’m being neurotic again. I do that a lot.

The nano-seconds I have to write have been spent on the synopsis for my novel. I want to get it out of the way before I start searching for an agent. And I thought writing the novel was hard! From what I’ve read the goal is to turn every twenty-five pages of the novel into one page of the synopsis. So I have to shrink around 340 pages into about 14 pages.

It sounds easy, right?

Maybe I can get it done and start on my query letters sometime before 2009. I keep telling my wife that if she would just let me quit my job and write full time while she supports me, then I could be a lot more productive.

It’s a nice thought. I’ll daydream about it tomorrow while I’m at work.

Out with the Old, in with the New

2007-12-31T17:43:00.000-05:00

The year of 2007 has slipped through my fingers. And in those twelve months I’ve managed to write only four entries to this blog. Terrible, I know.

Perhaps I’ll be better in 2008. We’ll see.

This last year has been very strange for me, both with my writing and the other aspect of my life. Here, at changing of the time, I have finally finished re-writing my novel. There is a bit of tweaking left to do, but for what it’s worth, it’s done. Now comes the agent search.

My first professional sale, a story titled "Romeo’s Kiss", is still scheduled to appear sometime in the near future. When the contract arrives I’ll let you all know when and where to find the story.

Happy New Year.

They Call it Gaman

2007-10-22T23:02:00.000-04:00

Eight months is too long between posts, but hey, I never claimed to be the best blogger in the world. I created this blog to help give me a web-presence so that when my publishing career takes off, I’ll be better equipped to do some shameless self promoting.

But, as most young writers are all too familiar with, the road to success is filled with great empty potholes – long jags of time where nothing is happening. Oh, you’re still writing your little heart out, but either no one is responding to your manuscripts, or you are just stacking up a pile of rejection letters that leans to and fro as you enter the room, threatening at any minute to tumble and bury you beneath self-doubt and dismay.

There are plenty of reasons (some good, some lame) as to why I haven’t been posting lately. On my last post I had written that I was hoping to have re-written my novel by the time my son was born. Ha! Oh man, I still fall over laughing when I read that.

Well, the novel is still being polished, but I really am close to the finish line now. I promise. I just had to learn to write at odd times: after work, late at night, in my sleep ... you get the picture.

Besides the Baby Boot Camp I was attending, I also ran into a spot of bad luck. While re-writing the novel, I also was sending out three short stories that had yet to be published. I figured if any of them landed then that was just one more publishing credit I could show to potential agents.

One of the stories came within a gnat’s wing span of making it into an anthology. It came down to me and another story, but in the end they went with the other guy. That was heartbreaking, I’m not going to lie, but I took a deep breath, did a little revising on the story and sent it back out with its brothers.

I sent all three stories to one publication. I was very encouraged that at least one of these stories would hit the mark. I watched the calender like a druid mathematician, waiting for the response day to come. Well, it came and went. So, like always, I gave it an extra month, playing it light and breezy, when in fact I was all nerves and twitches.

I sent a well edited email, as to not seem too desperate or pushy, and awaited the response. It wasn’t good. They had no record of my stories. They must have been lost in the mail.

I wasn’t very happy, but what could I do? That’s right, nothing. So I sucked it up and re-sent all three stories (this time online). I got an email the next day; they had received my stories. Again I waited. The response time came and went. I dispatched another query email, and once more was informed that all three of my stories could not be located.

I was not in a very good mood. Though I was given the option to re-send the stories again, I declined. Instead I decided to send them out to separate publications.

Two of the stories came back with repeated rejections. No big deal, I was used to that. Besides, at least they weren’t being misplaced. But the one remained out there; not a word to ease my pain.

No news is good news, as they say, and I was hopeful this would hold true. I had sent this story (the one that almost made it into the anthology) to one place in particular that I felt was a great match. Once again the response time came and went, so I sent the all too typical email.

You’ll never guess what happened. That’s right! They had no record of receiving it.

This publication was very understanding, though. They usually required a postal submission, but allowed me to re-send the story by email. I gave it a quick once over, then sent it back.

Same ol’ song and dance. Response day came and went, I sent an email, but this time no response. I waited a couple more weeks, then sent another email. Can you guess the answer?

Right again! They couldn’t find one word of it anywhere.

I literally threw my hands in the air, stomped about my house, and pondered whether or not this was a sign that I should hang up my keyboard, and find a better use of my time.

After cooling off I decided, against my better judgement, to re-send the story a third time. What did I have to lose? It was another email, so at least I wasn’t wasting paper.

The next day my wife informed me that there were two emails in my inbox from the publisher. I assured her that it was only a confirmation that they had received the story and that they would be in contact.

I opened the first email, and I had to read it twice before I could believe what I was seeing. The editor remembered reading my piece, and he wasn’t sure how he had misplaced it. Then he simply stated, "Contract will be along in due time." The second email, sent only minutes later, was asking if I could provide a bio for the story.

Needless to say, I couldn’t hit the floor with my hat. I had my wife come up and read the emails just to make sure that I wasn’t fabricating something in my mind. She verified that I wasn’t crazy, at least about this, so I responded with a heartfelt thank you.

At the moment I am awaiting the contract to arrive. This is my first "professional" sale. My first publication where I’m being paid with dollars and not free copies. It has nothing to do with the money. This is a real publishing credit, and will hold a lot more weight than the other seven that I’ve collected.

Until the contract comes I’m going to keep the name of the publication to myself, lest things fall through, and I look foolish. But my hopes are high, and my spirit is refreshed. I believe the Japanese call it gaman: perseverance.

So, if you were wondering what I’ve been up to these past eight months ... the answer is persevering.

My Happy Place

2007-02-22T17:28:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I’m a little behind schedule. The important thing is I haven’t stalled.

I had hoped to rewrite my novel by the time my son was born. I’m close to half way done (around thirty chapters left), but my wife’s due date is nine days away.

If she goes early, or even on time, then no, I’m not going to make it. If she goes late, and I really bust my butt, then ... well, it’s a maybe.

I’ve had to throw out whole chapters. Write new ones to replace the ones I couldn’t live with. I’ve deepened the characters and their relationships. More imagery. More suspense. It’s been slow going.

I’m happy, though. Happy to be writing. Happy to see the progress I’ve made from the first draft to now. Happy that the world I’ve created (or at least transcribed) is becoming more real and defined.

It is the euphoric sense of purpose that only comes from the act of creating. It doesn’t really matter what comes of this novel, does it? As long as I can be happy with my work, then the rest will work itself out.

Moving Forward with Focus

2007-01-13T00:11:00.000-05:00

To move forward, sometimes one must go back to the beginning. I have been sitting at a crossroads for a while now, not sure which way to go.

It’s my own fault. I’ll admit it. I was good out of the gate, but down the road I always petered out. Sometimes it was fear. Sometimes it was procrastination. Sometimes it was that big bully "The Job" that pulled me away. I’m ranting. Let me focus.

As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, I started my writing career with a novel. I didn’t set out to do this. I was just putting to paper the story that was in my head. This is the story that started as a couple of paragraphs–the one my wife spied on the computer. I did good. I forced my butt to stay in the seat and I pumped out around 100,000 words. It was tough but I finished it.

Now came my first dilemma.

Who was I? Nobody, that’s who. I had no publishing credits. No contacts in the publishing world. If I was going to get published I would need an agent. And if I was going to get an agent, I would need to be published. Whoa! Did anyone else feel their head spin?

So I set my novel aside and started writing short stories. That part has actually worked out well for me. After about three or four short stories I once again felt the itch of the novel. I had had an extremely vivid dream–one of those that stays with you like indigestion from a 4 A.M. pizza. That dream was the fuel for novel number two.

Dilemma number two.

Do I embark on the second novel or do I go back and polish on the first one? Right or wrong, I went for the second novel. It was winter time. I was laid off from pouring concrete until the weather broke. It was great. I would get up early, kiss my wife as she left for work, then off to the computer I’d go.

I was doing great. I had somewhere around 50,000 words down when something horrible happened. They called me back to work! Oh, did that take the wind out of my sails. I struggled over the next few weeks to keep writing. My output kept dropping and dropping, and eventually I gave up.

I continued to write short stories and even wrote a second draft to my novel. You want to talk about a ROUGH draft. It was like a chunk of coral wrapped in sandpaper. I passed out my revised version of the novel to some trusted friends. I even gave it to an English professor at Indiana State. The advice that was the hardest for me came from my friend Catie–an English major at Indiana University and granddaughter of the afore mentioned English professor.

My novel was written in first person. Catie said I should switch it to third person and tell the story from several different points-of-view.

That did not sit well. The story wasn’t perfect, I knew that. It wasn’t ready to send to agents yet, but a change like that was a bit much. That was a complete overhaul. I would practically be writing the whole thing over again.

I set the novel aside and went back to the short story again. But the two novels wouldn’t leave me alone. The first was down on paper, the second still half in my head. They come to me in my daydreams and the times when I look inward. It seems they’re not through with me yet.

So I found myself at that proverbial crossroads. An alarm is ringing within me. "Crap or get off the pot," it tells me. I never said my inner self wasn’t rude. Maybe it’s that another year has come and gone. More likely it’s that my firstborn is only a couple of months away. Whatever the case, there are hot coals beneath my feet. I have to move, or die where I stand.

I began to consider Catie’s advice. Good advice is like good medicine. You’re better for taking it, but it sure is hard to swallow. I was afraid. What if I spent all my time re-writing my novel and it still isn’t fit to be published? It was the first story I had written. There is a lot there to fix. But it is a good story. I was more experienced when I wrote the second novel. It’s only half done, but I still have the desire to finish it. What to do?

Well, come what may, I’ve decided to go back to the beginning. I am taking Catie’s advice. Yeah, it’s hard. Yeah, I have to re-write a lot of it. But it feels really good.

I’ve regained my focus. I’m polishing this jewel with everything I’m worth. If I stay on schedule, it should be finished about the time my son is born. I have three short stories that are still floating around out there. I’m confident they will find homes. Soon I am going to take my FINISHED novel, whatever publishing credits I have, and I am going to find an agent.

After that I have my eyes set on novel number two. I can still see that dream. The characters still call to me. I’ll not let them down.

Wish me luck.

"Love, Obsession & the Deep-Freeze"

2006-12-23T20:07:00.000-05:00

I have one more story that has been published that I would like to share with you. "Love, Obsession & the Deep-Freeze" was first published in Midnight Times, issue 14, in the summer of 2006. It will also appear in print in issue 37 of Outer Darkness Magazine in the summer of 2007.

I was reading Stephen King’s book On Writing (which, by the way, I encourage any aspiring writer to purchase–but more on that later) when this story came to me. In the book Stephen King sets up a writing exercise in which he gives you a common situation, has you switch the roles, then tells you to write about it.

"Love, Obsession & the Deep-Freeze" was born, loosely, from that situation. As I have said before, some stories come easy, like a trip down a water slide. Some come hard, like a fat man squeezing through the cat door.

This one ... it was a fun ride all the way to the water. I did have to rewrite it a couple of times before I captured it just right, but that’s all part of the job, isn’t it?

Brandy liked the story, but she wasn’t too fond of the title. "It’s seems a little too long," she told me. It is the longest title of any of my stories, but still, what a title! It came to me out of the blue. An epiphany (or apostrophe as Shmee in Hook would say). I thought it was poetic. Dark, yet beautiful. I sent it without apology into the world.

And looky there! Not one acceptance letter, but two.

Oh, come on. I’ve been losing arguments to this woman for over eight years now. I’ve got to boast a victory, no matter how small. It could be a long time before I see another one.

All joking aside. "Love, Obsession & the Deep-Freeze" was an enjoyment for me to write. I hope you will feel the same about reading it. It is dark, and a little sad, but all my stories are seasoned with those spices. That’s just who I am, I guess.

I am not going to print the story here. Just like "A Town Full of Holes," I want you to visit Midnight Times (www.midnighttimes.com/) and check it out there. Or if you want, order your advanced copy of Outer Darkness, issue 37.

That would be just fine, too.

"The Monster's Box"

2006-12-19T19:03:00.000-05:00

"The Monster’s Box" was published in the Spring/Summer, 2005 issue of Fighting Chance.

Of all the stories I’ve written, this is the one that my wife deems her favorite. Of all the stories I’ve written, this one has caused me the most pain.

I love the fantastic and impossible. Monsters, aliens, supernatural gunslingers that travel the dimensions–those are my kind of stories. "The Monster’s Box" isn’t at all fantastic or impossible (although the title would suggest different).

The story is about real pain, real monsters. It is a subject that hits very close to home. There is absolutely nothing in this story that is real. I am not the main character. It is a story, not a memoir. But it is a subject that I know a good bit about.

I didn’t write this story with the thought of seeking publication. I wrote it out of frustration and hurt. Maybe that’s what makes it my wife’s favorite. Its honesty.
What is sweet nectar to her is bitter water to me. The words cut me when I wrote them–they cut just as deep every time I pass by. But please don’t confuse pain with regret.

The Monster’s Box
by Gabriel Beyers

I stand staring into a box. Inside the box is something I love and something I hate. The box belongs to a monster. I know that seems foolish and simple, but it’s the truth.

I can’t remember when the monster came into our lives; perhaps he was always there. If I press hard into the thick swamp of my mind and force myself into the wilderness of my memory I can feel him there. Red hot and angry.

When I was young, I spent my nights being startled awake, not sure what it was that woke me. I would lay there, staring into the dark ceiling, mute with fear, listening to the monster’s growls slithering up and down the halls. Could my mother hear him? What if he found her?

All I could do was pull the covers over my head and clog my ears with my fingers. Sometimes it took me hours of lying like that before sleep would come again.

Years went by, and soon my little brother came to share my fear of the night. The monster, who had limited his visits to once or twice a week, was now coming every night.

...