Sammy Terry

When I was a young boy growing up in the 80s there were few things I loved more than staying up late on a Friday night to watch Sammy Terry.

Sammy Terry was, and still is, a well known local TV personality here in Indiana famous for his horror show. The movies he showcased were mostly b-rated horror films or classics from the 30s through the 50s. Sammy Terry's show is one of my most fond memories growing up. It sparked my long lasting love of horror and sci-fi.

On June 30th, Sammy Terry whose real name was Robert Carter passed away. Last year Sammy Terry performed a special show at a haunted house close to where I live. I had planned to go see him, but I missed the opportunity. I wish I hadn't.

There is no doubt that Sammy Terry was a major influence on the writer I have become today. I only wish I had taken the chance to tell him so.

Rest in Peace Mr. Carter. Thanks for all the scares.

Down To The Wire . . . Again

Well, surprise surprise.  I'm about 15 minutes away from almost missing a May blog post.  Shocking I know.

May has been an especially crazy month for me.  First, my lovely wife graduated from nursing school.  It's been a long hard road for our family, but she's a tough gal.  I'm very proud that she not only went back to school (which isn't easy once you're married with children) but that she has chosen to be a nurse.  It's a noble calling to help those in need.  She's the most caring person I know so I'm confident that she'll be a great nurse.

Second, I had a birthday.  I won't disclose my age, but let's just say I'm now closer to 40 than 30.

Third, I'm working on a new novel.  It took me a while to get started on it because I was trying to get my mind around the scope of the story.  I was originally going to go dystopian, but in the end I scrapped that idea.  It the first in a series and will feature ghosts, vampires, zombies and an assortment of other macabre characters.

I've been battling with Day Job issues, mostly in the dropping of my weekly hours from 40 to 29.  So, a new job search is in my future.  That means my writing time will most likely go down.  One of these days I hope to put this rat race behind me.  Some day I hope that my "job" will be creating worlds one word at a time.

So, on to June we go.  Who knows what is waiting for us.

Oh, Mr. Patterson. What Will You Do Next?

I'm sure by now you've all heard about James Patterson and the ad he paid for in the NYT.  About how he feels literature is swirling around the proverbial toilet bowl and how we are all destined to return to illiterate Serfs.  Though he admits he doesn't have the answer to the death of story telling he does suggest a "government bailout" may be the ticket.

There is a lot and more I could say, but I was always taught if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all.

Many others have chimed in on the subject.  Two of my favorites are by Joe Konrath and J.E. Fishman.  I'll leave it to them, seeing as I'm still a little ticked since finding out that Mr. Patterson no longer writes his own books.

A Deal Too Good to Pass Up

Who doesn't love a deal, am I right?  There is nothing quite like happening upon something you want for a price way under what you expected to pay.

Now, I know you usually get what you pay for, and anything worth having should cost you something, but don't get all philosophical on me.  Just hear me out.

I'm not talking about those cut-corner, buying generic, sacrificing quality kind of deals.  I'm talking about a Copy of the Constitution Found in a $4 Painting kind of deal.

Okay, I'm being dramatic again.  But I still have a really good deal to tell you about.  And before you click away thinking this is a self promotion thing, let me assure you it is NOT.

If you are just a reader of books this post may not excite you (sorry, but thanks for stopping by).  This one is for all my writerly friends out there, more specifically self-pubbers.

One of the pitfalls of self publishing is the upfront costs you have to pay to get your book into the public.  Cover art, editing, and formatting are things you should not be skimping out on.  If you can't do it yourself, you should hire a professional.

But say you're like me, strapped for cash and trying to decide whether you should spend your hard earned cash on the cover, the editing or the formatting.  Well, I can help you out with one of those.

When I decided to separate the stories in my collection Contemplations of Dinner into single shorts I knew I couldn't afford to pay for ten expensive covers.  I can justify paying $200 -$500 on a cover for a novel, but it's harder for me to shell that out for just a 6,000 word short.

So I went on over to the site Fiverr.  For those that don't know, Fiverr is a website where people offer all kinds of services, some legit, some comical, for five dollars each.  I sifted through the many graphic designers and came across an artist going by the handle Freestyle25.

Freestyle 25 is actually a wonderful young lady by the name of Emily Lam.  I liked the samples Emily had displayed on her Fiverr page, but I was a bit worried.  That whole "getting what you paid for" thing.  But Emily quickly put my fears to rest.

Long story short (too late, I know) I hired Emily to create covers for eight short stories and new covers for both Contemplations of Dinner and Guarding the Healer.  She is professional, courteous, patient and extremely talented.

I have seen covers of Emily's caliber go for $200+ easily.  I feel a bit guilty about only paying her $5 a piece.  Even though it would be shooting myself in the foot, I've tried to suggest to Emily that she ought to start her own cover design business, but unfortunately Fiverr has strict policies about directly emailing each other.  I'm hoping she will read this blog post and consider it.  But until then I suggest you take advantage of her generous nature and grab a cheap cover.

It's one of the best deals I've come across in a long time.

If you want proof you should head over to my Amazon page and look at the covers.  The only covers that aren't hers are the paperback version of Guarding the Healer, Predatory Animals, the audio version of Contemplations of Dinner and the anthology Cat Tales 2.

Fraud or Not, You Decide

As I was perusing the fun and informative blog The Passive Voice I came across an article that stopped my scrolling finger.

James Patterson: the best seller who doesn't write his own books.

As a writer and a reader I found that too intriguing to pass up.  You can read the full article here, but the skinny is Mr. Patterson doesn't really write a line by line book.  He comes up with a 60 - 80 page detailed synopsis then subs the actual writing out to other writers.

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this.  I'm still processing it.  My wife is not happy and says she will not be buying any more Patterson books, and will probably be getting rid of the ones on our shelf.  I understand where she's coming from.  There is a feeling of betrayal when you are spend your hard earned money on something and get something else in return.  Then again, if you liked the book who care who wrote it?

A few months back everyone was all in a huff about certain writers buying positive reviews for their novels.  I wasn't all that offended, but a lot of people were.  When you compare the two, which do you think is worse?

Is it more of a sin to pay to have people inflate the quality of your work or to let someone else write the book and slap your name on the cover?

I'm inclined to believe the latter is the greater transgression.

Mr. Patterson defends this method by calling it a collaboration and citing other artists and writers such as Gilbert and Sullivan, Woodward and Bernstein, Stephen King and Peter Straub.  My problem with this rationale is that when you buy their work both names appear together.  There is no deception.

Maybe what makes this slap sting all the more is the fact that Mr. Patterson is swimming in the cash.  I'm wondering just how many of the 275 million copies of his books he would have sold had it been known that though the idea came from James Patterson, the actual book was written by author So-n-So.

Maybe I'm wrong about all of this.  I need a few days to let my righteous indignation calm down.

What do you think?

A Couple More Shorts

I've published two more short stories from Contemplations of Dinner as singles.  Here are the covers for A Town Full of Holes and The Barn.


















I will be releasing a brand new short titled The Promotion just as soon as the cover comes back.

In other news, I made the jump from hobbyist to professional.  No, my writing has not yielded enough sales to allow me to quit the dreaded day job.  But I did add writing as a profession on my taxes.  The past couple of years has been a loss (hey, what start up company doesn't struggle in the beginning?) but things are looking up.  February has been my best month ever, and I'm convinced that as I add more titles I will eventually be in the black.

I've also started my own publishing house (sort of) called Gemini Gremlin Ink.  I'm not publishing other authors at this time.  It seems strange, I know, but the reason is that it looks more professional to have a publishing company listed instead of just my name.  I have watched other authors do this, and I thought I'd give it a try.  If you want to be professional, then you better act like a professional.

I'm hoping that the upward trend in sales continues into March.  I'm also waiting to hear some news, but I have a couple of weeks until I know if it's good or bad.

And Lord knows I hate waiting.

Four Short Stories

I have published four of the short stories from my collection Contemplations of Dinner as singles.  You can purchase them for $0.99 each or get Contemplations of Dinner for $2.99.  I did this to widen my virtual shelf space and to cater to those who would rather read a short story than a whole novel.  If you're so inclined, to check them out.

 Beauty Needs A Hunter

 The Mask of Deslow Mansion

My Patient Grave

Romeo's Kiss

Better Late Than Never

This is more than a bit late, but I want to announce that my novel Predatory Animals is free until midnight PST.  You can find it here.  Feel free to grab a copy, "Like" the page, and once you read it leave an honest review.

This is the last of my free days from Amazon KDP Select.  I've enrolled my other books in Select before and I didn't see the huge uptick in sales like others have.  I weighed whether or not to enroll Predatory Animals.  I hadn't sold a single copy on Barnes & Noble, Kobo or Smashwords, so I figured what the heck.  This time around I decided to do it not for the prospect of increased sales, but more for the opportunity to land some reviews and increase the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" section.

Lofty goal, I know.

Funny enough, this time around I have noticed increased sales.  Not the crazy numbers of some other writers, but enough to make me smile a bit.

I've also been in the process of splitting up the stories in my collection Contemplations of Dinner into stand alone shorts, while submitting them to the Kindle Singles Program.  The first two out are The Mask of Deslow Mansion and Romeo's Kiss.  You can get both for $0.99 each or get all ten shorts in Contemplations of Dinner for $2.99.

This along with my normal writing, working three jobs, chasing two kids, doing damage control for two dogs and trying to fit in some sleep has left me a bit frazzled.  And now it's snowing and schools have already been delayed tomorrow.

These are the salad days.

Indie Book of the Day

I am a couple days behind on this (big shock, I know) but I wanted to do a little bit of bragging.

Guarding the Healer has won the IBD Award.

There aren't very many awards for indie authors (or as I prefer to be called *artisanal author) and I appreciate any recognition given.  It's a tough road to choose and it's good to know someone cares.

Thanks Indie Book of the Day.


*Term is no my own. It was shamefully stolen from Guy Kawasaki.

Anno Domini Two-Thousand and Thirteen

Out with the old, in with the new.

The year 2012 was a strange one for me.  My writing life didn't quite measure up to what I had hoped, but it wasn't terrible, either.  I'm learning and growing all the time, and I believe my writing is getting better with every typed word.

I'm not much for New Year's resolutions, but I have some plans and goals to help my writing career grow.  Let's hope I can stick with it.  If all goes well, my wife will be graduating from nursing school in May and reentering the work arena.  We are both looking forward to that.

It's been a tough year.  Not bad.  Just tough.  My deepest hopes and prayers are that 2013 will be a better year for us all.  A safer, steadier, more productive, and more prosperous year.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

I just want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas from me and my own.  I hope your day is filled with peace and joy, safety and satisfaction.

For all of you who receive an Kindle or tablet or PC or smart phone for Christmas (or those of you that already own one), I would like you to know that my novel Predatory Animals will be FREE on Amazon's KDP Select on 12/26 and 12/27.  I invite you all to stop by and download a copy, click Like on the page, write a review, and please feel free to gift a copy to all of your friends.

Thank you.  I appreciate all that you do.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Answering A Few Questions

In my last post I linked to Sherri Rabinowitz's blog where she answered a few questions about one of her books.  If you missed it, you can find it here.  I agreed that I would answer the same questions about one of my own books then try and pass the baton on to someone else.

So, without further ado.

 1) What is the working title of your book? 

The title is Predatory Animals.  It took me a long time to decide on this for the title.  Sometimes they come to me at the same time as the story concept, but not this time.  I think it was the last thing I added.

 2) Where did the idea  come from for your book? 

I got the idea from watching my two dogs and their uncanny knack for hunting other woodland creatures.

 3) What genre does your book fall under? 

I have it under Dark Fantasy, a sub-genre of Horror, but it also fits nicely into Contemporary Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, or Paranormal Thriller.

 4) Which actors would you choose to play in your movie rendition? 

Give me Christian Bale to play Casper Brown. He's gold in my book and can pull off the wounded Marine aspect of Casper.  For the villain Arthur Pummel, I'm going to go with Jason Isaacs.  He has the look and can play a great bad guy.

 5) What is the one sentence synopsis of your book? 

A man suspects his dogs, with whom he has a supernatural connection to, of being involved in missing persons about town, but soon must rely on them when a hidden evil turns its eyes on his family.

 6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 

I have already self-published Predatory Animals.  You can find it here.

 7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 

I believe it took me about three months to complete the first draft.

 8) What other books would you compare this story to?

The first book that comes to mind is Dean Koontz's Frankenstein novels.

 9) Who or what  inspired you to write the book? 

My two dogs, Sammy and Sadie, are my inspiration.  Without their insatiable blood lust, I may have never thought of the story.

 10) What else about your book might pique the readers interest? 

I think readers will enjoy the strange town of Shadeland.  It is a place of secrets and shadows and I plan on writing other novels based in Shadeland.

 

Be sure and check out Kelly Michaels' blog, especially next week as she will be answering the same questions about one of her own works.

A Special Note

My friend Sherri Rabinowitz posted a special book tour edition on her blog Ri the Bard.  I promised that I would give her a shout out, and I'm a man of my word (though sometimes a bit late).

Go take a look, and don't forget to read up on Sherri.  She has multiple blogs and a BlogTalk Radio show.

She's an interesting person and I think you'll like her.

Paper or Plastic

Assuming the world doesn't end on the 21st, Christmas will be here soon.  Inevitably the question arises "What do you want?" to which I reply with a shrug and a blank look.

I'm at the age where there isn't much that I want.  I've either already bought it for myself or it's too expensive for me to own.  The first list seems to be shrinking while the second list is growing.  But I digress.

Books are a sure thing for me.  I love to read.  And I'll read just about anything.  I even read Twilight!

Oh, calm down Twi-Moms, I won't rip your beloved today.

But in this crazy digital world we live in, what kind of book should someone buy me?  I do so love reading on my Kindle, but I'm not as easy as all that.  I do admit that cheap ebooks have ruined me a bit.  I find it very hard to fork over $30 for a hardback.  But under the right circumstances, I will take that hardback over even a cheap ebook.

Let me explain.

I'm not sure how the rest of you are, but I love to collect books.  I have several series.  *If another book comes out in that series I'm compelled to buy the next one in the same format as the others I own.  Weird, I know.

So, for example, I started reading The Hunger Games on my Kindle.  When I buy the next two books it won't bother me in the least to buy them as ebooks.  But, on the other hand, I have Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas series in hardback.  When the time comes to buy Odd Apocalypse, will I fork over the cash?  I'm afraid I will.

I don't know if this is normal or not, but it's the way I am.

This is one reason why I don't buy into the whole "ebooks will kill print books" doctrine.  When someone asks me "paper or plastic?"  I'll reply, "both, please."  And I'm sure I'm not the only one.


*I know the the pic shows both paperback and hardbacks of Harry Potter.  Please know I'm not happy about this and will remedy it as soon as I can.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm thankful to be an American. Though she has her problems, there is no other place I would rather be.

I'm thankful for freedom of speech and religion, that I can speak my mind and you can speak yours.

I'm thankful for the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I'm thankful for a home, a car, a job.  For food on the table.

I'm thankful for my wife.  My children.  My family.  My friends.

I'm thankful for my health, both mind and body.

I'm thankful for every soldier that has given so much, from missed holidays to the laying down of lives, that I may continue to live free.

Though some days I complain and lament my economic standings, I realize that compared to much of the world, I live as a king.

Lord God please know, I'm simply thankful.

A Little Change

I've decided to enroll Predatory Animals into Amazon's KDP Select Program.  For those of you that don't know, that means I have agreed to sell the digital version of PA exclusively on Amazon for 90 days.  Amazon Prime members can borrow the book for free and I'll be offering it for free to everyone else at some point over the next three months.

I know that there is a lot of controversy over this, and I'm not doing it to anger anyone.  It's just a little experiment.  I promise, when the 90 days are up PA will once again be available at all the normal spots.

In the mean time, if you have an e-reader other than the Kindle, and you just can't wait the 90 days to read Predatory Animals, please email me and I'll make sure you get a copy.

Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween.  It's by far my favorite holiday.

Here is another little secret.  I love the actor Tim Curry.

Why, you ask?  Because, he can make even THIS look good.

Happy Halloween everyone.

A Quick Announcement

I just wanted to pop in real fast and announce that Predatory Animals is now available in paperback.  You can find in on Createspace right now.  It should show up on Amazon in a few days.

So, those of you that still love the feel of dead-tree books in your hands, head on over and have a look.

Fourteen Years

It doesn't seem possible.  Fourteen years?  Is that right?  Surely it has only been five . . . six, tops.

Today my wife and I have been married for fourteen years.  If you count the two years that we dated before tying the knot, we've been together literally half of our lives (well half for my wife, slightly less for me).  It seems so strange when I say that out loud.

And yet, when I examine myself, I cannot imagine a life before her.  There is no part of me she doesn't inhabit.  We have seen good times, bad times, and strange times, but we have traversed them together.

I'm not much PDS (public displays of sappiness), but she deserves it.  For putting up with me all these years as much as anything else.

Thank you for fourteen joy-filled years.  Happy Anniversary, Brandy.  I love you.

Here is a picture of the grand day that we started our adventure together.  If we look like kids it's because we were.  But man, look at the hair on that handsome young man.

Why I Think Movie Theaters Will Go The Way Of The Dodo

My wife and I went on a date night last night.  We don't get many since those two crazy Carpet Trolls invaded our lives.  Before the kids came alone, my wife and I were regulars at the local drive-in and movie theaters.  We love movies.  Love to discuss and critique them.  Love to watch them over and over while reading the trivia and goofs on IMDb.  Love to share the good ones with those poor unfortunate souls that have yet to experience their grandeur.

Needless to say, there was hardly a flikr-show that escaped me.  Now, not so much.

So, as an early anniversary gift to each other, we went to see the movie Alex Cross.  This post isn't about the movie (which was good) nor about Tyler Perry's successful transition from comedy to action.  It's about the highway robbery that is the modern movie theater experience.

Now, I know the movie theater industry has been gouging us all for years.  And it's not like I haven't been to ANY movies since my kids were born.  But I was shocked and a bit put off by how much hard earned dough I forked over.

For two tickets, one medium popcorn, one medium soda and one medium icy the bill came to just a bit under $40.  Prices vary around the country, so to some this sounds high and to others it's way low, but regardless it's ridiculous.

Maybe it's these trying economic times.  Maybe it's that I'm getting older and find it harder to stomach spending money on non-necessities.  Probably a bit of A and B.  But for $40 dollars I can buy a Blu-Ray, watch it as many times as I want and still afford a trash bag full of popcorn.

The movie industry needs to take a good hard look at themselves and consider what has happened to their cousins the music industry and the book industry.  Digital, like the unstoppable Huns of old, is coming their way.  If they aren't careful they will price themselves right out of a job (at least the theater component, anyway).

Here is what I see on the horizon.

As technology advances and our TVs and entertainment systems continue to get better, there will come a day when movies--and I'm talking premiere Hollywood Blockbusters--will be available to stream directly to your home.  No waiting three months.  I mean opening night.

Oh, sure the price will be high.  Say $100 or so.  It will be similar to Pay-Per-View events.  But it will be oh so much better.

Imagine this.  Instead of trudging out into the night, wading through a river of traffic, elbowing through the crowd to see a movie, you instead invite your friends over to your house to stream the movie onto your 70 inch high def screen with surround sound.  Everyone splits the bill which will be cheaper than the ticket price (depending on how many show up), you sit in comfort with people you like and eat snacks that don't cost you your children's college funds.

It will never happen, you say?

Yeah, and how are the music and book stores doing these days?