Musk == Velitra?

Elon Musk has big dreams for a colony on Mars.  In my story, The Red, so did one Doctor Robert Velitra.  Science fiction has a way of becoming science fact.  I like the fact that Elon Musk is using his resources to push science and technology forward.  You can read more about it here:  http://news.discovery.com/space/mars-colony-spacex-121126.html

Congratulations!

Congrats to the winners of the Goodreads book giveaway.  You're paperback copies of The Red are on their way to your respective locations.  I hope you enjoy the story.  :)

Kirkus Review

The first review of my novel by a major publication just came in.  You can read it here. 

In truth, I was on edge waiting for the results of the review.  It's always hard to tell how others are going to receive your work.  Art, in any form, can be pretty subjective.  Sure, there are mechanics and rules that are mostly universal.  But after that, there's really no accounting for what someone is going to like.  Some people loved Napoleon Dynamite.  Other people hated it.  Who's right?

The people who loved it, obviously.  But that's not the point.  I'm just saying that opinions vary widely, and in the hands of reviewer, an opinion can impact the reputation of a novel.  When you enter the field of writing, you have to acknowledge that not everyone is going to like what you produce.  Some will be kinder about it than others, but the fact remains.  Some of those people with their opinions will be in positions of power when it comes to shaping the fate of your writing career. 

When you do the math on that, it adds up to a whole lot of nail-biting whenever the jury's out contemplating a verdict on your work.  It happens with every critique, every review, every submission.  Maybe it's not like that for everyone, but it is for me.

Turns out, the Kirkus reviewer actually had some good things to say about my novel.  In fact, after I read the review, I immediately wondered if they just, "Say such pretty things to all the girls," so to speak.  I checked around.  Short answer:  No.  There were more than a few harsh and unforgiving reviews to be found on the Kirkus pages.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy that people's work is getting ripped apart, I just wanted validation that I wasn't given a free pass.  And I wasn't.

Understanding this, I was left with only one conclusion:  They actually liked my book.  Someone who does this every day -- and has read more books than you can shake a stick at -- read my novel, and liked it.

That's a pretty big deal for me.  It was a great moment, and I'm thankful for that.

At this point in my career, I'm not trying to redefine literature or make the best-seller's lists.  I just want people to enjoy the story.  Anytime that I hear someone tell me that they did, it makes all the work worthwhile.

 

***

 

Quick Edit. 

 

I was poking around their site and I saw this:

 

 

Maybe it's not that big of a deal, but just seeing my book listed on the same webpage as a Heinlein novel...  It means a lot to this nerd.  A whole lot.  By no means am I comparing my work to his; don't get it twisted.  It's just the fact that a reviewer felt confident to tell a reader that if they liked Red Planet, that they'd probably like my story is pretty amazing to me.

First Ten Pages

Well, September came and went like a bad smell, and I blogged not-a-damn-thing.  I'm sure the world will never forgive me...

What have I been up to?  Writing.  Editing.  Many, many hours of editing.  If you're not sure what editing really is -- in regard to a novel -- it's basically taking a story you wrote and loved and reworking it so much that you're ready to burn the stupid thing and then eat the ashes.

Why did that make me think of Cocoa Pebbles?

At any rate -- editing.  I've been working on Valley of the Spun, which I'm now considering re-titling, based on some feedback I got.  I recently had the opportunity to attend a workshop put on by Writers Digest, and taught by Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary Services.  The purpose of the workshop was to improve the first ten pages of your manuscript to make the story more intriguing, exciting, and captivating. 

Look, I've spent a lot of time over the past several years working on craft (believe it or not) so I was a bit skeptical going into the class.  There's no shortage of people willing to take the eager writer's money and give little or nothing in return.  I decided to take a chance since both the names involved in the workshop were very reputible.  I have to say, I was really pleased with the results. 

At heart, I'm a 'why' kind of guy.  When I know the reasoning behind a rule or theory, it helps me understand and learn.  As we went through the lesson, many of the concepts I had previously read about came together as I heard about manuscript review from the agent's perspective.  A pretty big 'aha' moment.

The best part of the workshop was getting a personal critique from the agent herself on my first ten pages.  Any writer who's ever submitted anything can sympathize with the empty wonder that comes with every rejection letter:  Like a pimple-faced teen in a powder-blue tux, you stand, corsage in hand, wondering why you just weren't good enough to take to prom.  Fact is, agents don't have time to write a personal response to each of the thousands of queries and pages they read -- it's logistically impossible. 

Given that, I've always wanted to know what I could be doing better.  Not just theory in an instruction manual, but for me, specifically, what I could do to strengthen my work.   Many times I thought, "If I just knew what it is I need to improve, then I can get to work on it..." 

I feel like I got that from the workshop, and it meant a great deal to me.  That was a fun interlude, but, now it's back to editing.  Wish me luck.

Short Story: Virgin Sacrifice's

Hi All,

The story I told you about -- Virgin Sacrfice's -- is now live on Infective Ink.  Check it out, and behold the wonder of Sarnath The World Masher!

New Short Story - Published by Infective Ink!

I don't mind telling you that the good folks at Infective Ink have accepted a short story of mine and are publishing it on August 20th.  As soon as the link is live, I'll put it up on my website and here as well.  I'm seriously stoked about this one, guys.

Infective Ink has a novel way of accepting submissions that I really like.  They have a series of prompts posted and if a writer would like to submit a piece to them, they have to build their story around that prompt.  For example, my submission had to written from the prompt, "Virgin Sacrifices."  I thought it was a lot of fun, and in a way, I feel like it's a system that pushes creativity, which I really dig. 

What did I write about?  You'll have to wait and see.  I'll just say that I had a lot of fun with this one.

This also marks the first time I've been paid for a short story.  Publications that compensate writers with more than a publishing credit for a short story are in short supply these days.  Unless you're already well known, or your story gets accepted by one of the few print publications still left that publishes them, the chances of getting a single cent for a short story are slim.  Like, quantum mechanics, slim.  Infective Ink does their best to take care of their writers, and I believe that shows in the quality of submissions they get and publish.

When they publish, they have an interactive Twitter forum where readers can comment on the story.  I may finally break down and get a Twitter account just so I can participate.

More to come!

A Memory of Light

I just saw on Tor.com that A Memory of Light will be coming out on January 8, 2013.  I remember hearing about Robert Jordan's death in 2007 and thinking about what a loss that was to the literary world.  On the "About" page on my website I mention his books as being among the first of the epic fantasy series I had ever been truly sucked into.  No doubt - the man had a gift.

Originally, I heard from people that the series was supposed to be a trilogy.  Then, a five book series, and on we went.  This was at a time when not everyone had internet access (or even computers at home) so most information about books came from bookshops or friends.   When I first got into the Wheel of Time, the latest book released was The Fires of Heaven.  The wait between that and Lord of Chaos was excruciating, especially after being able to read all the other novels one right after the other.

Being much younger then, I had more free time to read.  The last novel in this series that I read was Winter's Heart.  I'm sad to admit that I lost touch with the series after that.  It's a beautiful and complex story that interweaves the lives of many characters and their unique roles in the world.  It's that same depth and richness that ultimately took me away from the books.  If it had been over a year since I read the latest novel in the series, it became very easy to forget plot points, nuances, and supporting characters. 

Now that the series will be complete, I want to start again from book one and make the journey again; this time at a leisurely pace.  By the time I catch back up, I think it'll be well into next year, and I'll be able to finally read how the story ends.

The Red - Now In Print!

If you're interested in getting a real, printed copy of The Red, they're now available for purchase.  The Kindle version is definitely much cheaper, as the printing cost doesn't come into play.  However, there are many folks out there who don't have a Kindle or compatible device running the Kindle application.  And some people just prefer to have an actual book - I know that I do.  While I love being able to download and read books on my Kindle, there is something about the paper pages that will never go out of style.

If you don't think this is awesome, then I don't know what your problem is.

Nasa's Curiosity rover will soon making it's landing on the red planet.  Hopefully, this is will be a roaring success and not a fiery failure; as NASA has had it's share of both where the Mars missions are concerned.  On August 5th, 2012 at at 10:31 PM PDT, you can watch the landing live, just check out the link, above.

I love planetary exploration something fierce.  In honor of humans putting their time, attention, and brainpower into something worthwhile instead of just figuring out better ways to kill each other, I'm going to offer copies of The Red (which takes place on that same rocky globe) for free all day on August 5th.

Free Kindle Book!

There's a special going on over at The Red's page on Amazon.  For the rest of they day, you can download the book to your kindle device for free.  That's right - por gratis.

Amazon doesn't allow many of these promotions to run, and to be honest, I'm not sure how much of a fan I am of the free promotion.  I like the idea of getting my work to as many people as possible, I just see the risk of devaluing what I've put a lot of time and effort into - and that concerns me.  The regular Kindle price is only like $3.00, which is pretty dang low. 

Still, I want people to read what I've written if they feel inclined to do so.  At a price of $0.00, there's really nothing to lose from giving it a shot if you feel like it's your cup of tea.  If you want to take advantage of the promotion, I welcome you to.  Please understand that it's for a very limited time, though.  After you've read the book, feel free to leave some constructive feedback for other readers.  I hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

New Cover Art!

Sage words tell us, "You should never judge a book by its cover."

Fact:  Absolutely no one heeds this advice.

Let me be honest.  The previous cover art for The Red was pretty bad.  When the book initially released for Kindle, I knew I needed something better.  Especially if the book came out in a print edition.  I felt like I had a story I could be proud of and I needed a cover that represented this to readers.

After working with Kyna Tek, I'm proud to show you the new cover piece for the book:

You can check out more of Kyna's work at his website, www.kyteki.com.  His portfolio is very diverse; I'm a big fan.  He read the novel and came up with this depiction of Thom, which I absolutely love.  I can't imagine a better way to represent the novel.

For those of you who purchased the novel earlier and have the old cover art on your Kindle (or compatible device) I'm working with Amazon to get an update to you.  More on that to come - rest assured I'll find a way to update your version of the book.

Very soon, a print edition will also be available.  I'll announce details on that once everything is finalized.

Mundane Update

I did a soft launch of a new site today.  It's still not totally completed, but I wanted to clear all the old pages out and start deploying the new ones.  I have a feeling it will be a work in progress for a long time to come.

Also, I submitted a short story to The New Yorker.  I haven't got a rejection letter from them yet, and I feel like every writer should have at least one in their collection.  It's important to be well rounded.

Book Review - The Dig by Michael Seimsen

I first heard about this book when "Gabe" from Penny-Arcade gave it a quick review on their site.  I've been reading PA for about a decade.  Even though their site isn't dedicated to books, those guys have a lot of the same nerdy sensibilities I do - it's why I like their work so much - so I gave the book a shot.  Plus, it was like three bucks for the Kindle version. 

Totally worth it.

If you're looking for novels you can discuss over cigars and brandy and that'll look great shelved next to a bunch of other boring-as-crap classics, then this probably isn't for you.  If you read because you love a good story, then pick up/download this bad boy.  From start to finish, Michael Siemsen keeps up a quick pace in this story, moving us from one scene to the next in an almost cinematic way; a style that has become very popular in our movie-going age. 

Matthew, our main character immediately comes across as likeable, but, somewhat damaged, which creates an automatic connection with the reader and gives him some depth right off the bat.  We follow him along a trek from North Carolina to Kenya, where he has been contracted to use his psychokinetic abilities to investigate a mysterious artifact uncovered at an archeological dig site.

The central characters are certainly fleshed out well enough for me to believe them, and to get me firmly in their corner throughout the story (no spoilers here).  Siemsen walks a fine line with the illustration of his central antagonist, making sure that while we have no doubt who the bad guy is, that he doesn't turn into a mustache-twirling caricature, which can be the Achilles heel of many fast-paced stories.

Gabe made a comparison between The Dig and some of Michael Chrichton's work.  I can't verify that as I haven't read much of Chrichton's stuff, but he meant it as a complement.  If you read Chrichton, that comparison may make sense to you.  On the other hand, in the review section on Amazon, I saw some accusations about the story being derivative of The Dead Zone (due to the psychokinetic thing).  I can guarantee you that's not the case at all.  Many stories share similar elements - it's unavoidable.  What matters is the storytelling, and Seimsen's work stands on its own.

In conclusion:  Good stuff.  Seimsen has most definitely set us up for a series here, and I'd like to see where he takes this. 

Wow

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA15689

When I see this kind of thing, I'm floored. Not only is it amazing to see such clear images of a completely different planet, but to think about the staggering amount of work that went into building the Rovers, getting them to the surface of Mars without crashing and burning, and then operating them for years past their predicted lifespan...  Wow.

To put that in perspective - most people can't make it across town without GPS.  Just sayin.

Note: Don't Rush the Query

That's pretty much what I did last time, and I paid for it in the long run.  I was in such a hurry to get my manuscript out to agents and publishers that I rushed through the process of writing the query.  I felt like just because I had come up with a few different versions of query letter, that I had explored the best possibilities and arrived at the best result.

Surprise - I was wrong.

It's hard to imagine the scope of your competition in getting a reader to select your query letter and ask for more pages.  Let's put it this way, an agent who is gainfully employed can receive up to eighty queries a day.  A day.  And some of these folks don't have staff to help them wade through the slush pile.  Another way to get a good visual on it is this exercise:  Go to Amazon, get into the books section, and start searching for terms that describe your story.  Next, be amazed at the thousands upon thousands of books already out there.

The point isn't to discourage - quite the opposite.  Looking at all the works already out there, and understanding the sheer volume of queries and agent receives are ways to show the importance of making your story shine.  Why is it unique?  Why is it interesting?  How do you tell your story differently?  These are all things a query should highlight.

With that first letter, I didn't get any bites from the first fifteen agents I submitted to.  I knew something had to be wrong.  Now that a few weeks had passed after my 'final' draft of the letter, it was easier to spot the flaws.  I spent too many words trying to summarize the story, point for point, rather than finding interesting ways to get the reader invested in the story.  I kept in lines that I really liked, but that didn't work well with the rest of the text.  In short, I realized that I could've done much better.

So, I went back and retooled the letter.  With better perspective on my side, I produced a new draft of the letter and sent it out.  Within a week I had my first bite, and several more followed.  But, I couldn't help but think, who would've been interested had they not received that first, flawed query letter?

I'm trying to keep that lesson in mind, as I work - and try not to rush - through the query letter on my new novel.  It's difficult, I mean, it takes a long time to finish the draft of a novel when it's not your full-time job.  After typing "End" on the story, it's an exciting moment, and it's hard to temper that feeling with patience.  But, if I learned anything on my last go-round, it's that every bit of copy that gets submitted has to be tight.  If that takes some extra time, so be it.

Grammar V. Style

Recently, I read a forum thread titled "Advice to New Authors" or something like that.  In reality, it read more like a bitch session from aggravated readers.  Still, some good points were raised.  One of which being that readers don't want to pay for work that contains poor grammar, misspellings, and typos.

I can dig it.  I've seen some work out there that's pretty rough.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect.  Everyone makes mistakes, and I'm sure that I haven't spotted the last one in my work.

Thing is, I take this writing bit seriously.  After I decided to put my whole heart into this, I knew that I would need to sharpen my skills in the mechanics of writings.  At the time I didn't realize how frustrating this could actually be.  Sure, there are easy lessons.  Spell stuff right, know your punctuation, etc.  But, there are some gray areas out there, too.

For example:  Most sources will tell you that when it comes to dialog attribution, just stick to the classic, "he said" and "she said."  This would be great advice, if I haven't read so many examples from contemporary fiction where this rule is ignored consistently.  Then there are authors like Cormac McCarthy, who don't even bother to use quotation marks.  Why didn't they get called into the editor's office for a stern lecture?

The short answer is, when these authors bend or break the rules, it's called "Style," but, when other writers do the same, it's called, "Terrible."  In the thread I mentioned, and in others like it, I've heard many writers play that card.  So, the question I asked to the contributors was this, "What do you define as the line between Style and Bad Grammar?"  Responses varied, but, there is a common thread I noticed.  In the subtext of what every person said would constitute plain old bad grammar was this message:  Don't pull me out of the story.

Which is what it really comes down to.  What they told me is that if I write something in such a way that it makes the reader stop and think about the writing rather than the story, then it's not working.  Call it bad grammar, or a failed attempt at style, either way, something will need to change.  There is, as always, a degree of subjectivity.  Some readers enjoy modern styles of writing where the authors play around with the rules of grammar.  Other's can't stand it.

This goes back to the whole, gray area... thing.  It seems to me that some authors can pull of unique styles because they understand the rules of grammar, and know how to break them in such a way that it won't distract their readers, or break the continuity of the story.  Writing is art.  In any art form, knowing the basics will help you communicate your ideas more effectively.  Painters learn brushstrokes, it seems only natural that writers would have to learn the rules that we call Grammar.  Once the rules are known, it's up the artist how they tell that story.

Someone will probably still bitch, though.  I read somewhere, "Pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everyone off sure is easy."

Writing is like Skyrim. Seriously.

Last night I finished the first draft of my second novel. Typing the word "End" has only felt that good once before. Writing a novel can be arduous, even when you enjoy doing it. The best comparison I can give to my experience with it would be like playing a video game that you're really in to.

Sometimes, the game gets really difficult. When you're stuck it makes you want to throw the controller against the nearest hard surface and place a voodoo blood curse on the sadistic game developers.

Other times, you really kick some ass. You charge in, dual wielding with enchanted weapons, and just lay waste to everything in your way. All the pieces fall in place, and it feels like you couldn't have planned it better if you tried. These moments may not come easily, but that's okay, because they shouldn't be easy. Accomplishing a difficult task is the whole point.

Then, late at night, as you near the end of some journey, you stay awake way too late just to see the game beaten. Every few minutes your eyes go back to the nearest clock, and an empty promise is made to stop at the next save point. Next thing you know, it's four am. You know you'll be a wreck in the morning, but you still grin like a moron because you did it.

You're actually done.

For those of us masochists who choose to write because we love it, despite the overwhelming demands of work, life, and family, it's one of the sweetest moments there is.

I'm going to let this draft sit for a bit, then start editing. Then, I'll work my ass off to get this one in print. We'll see how it goes.

Back Again

My last blog post was...  Wow.  Over two years ago.  Well, I didn't exactly abandon a rabid fan-base thirsty for more of my wisdom, so I'm thinking it's a "no harm - no foul" situation.

Why has it been so long?  So glad you asked.  Okay, no one did, but that's aside from the point.

As a writer, I don't feel as though I'm anywhere near a point in my career where I can dole out advice to others on those common writer topics like how to write a captivating query, or story creation, craft, etc.  It felt very disingenuous, and I had an issue with pursuing a blog from that angle.

I recently published my first novel, which I had written over three years ago now.  I didn't get picked up by a major publishing house, or a big shot agent as I had hoped I would.  I've actually got a pretty impressive stack of rejection letters from agents.  Most are form letters, some are simple "thanks but no thanks" scrawled on the top of my original query to them.

But some weren't rejections.  I lived for those moments, man.  When I got a letter or an email (I really like it when an agent uses email - I think it's better for everyone involved) and that letter said something like, "Hey, you've got me interested.  Send me some chapters."  Now, that's the cat's pajamas.

Unfortunately, none of those chapters convinced the agents that they could carry my novel.  I did get a couple of notes back, which I valued highly.  Because as anyone who's been through this process knows, personal feedback is rarer than gold.  At any rate, they said that while they liked my work, they wouldn't be able to sell it.

I get that.  I'm not saying I like it, but I get it.  We have to keep an eye on what's going to earn our next meal, right?  Hey, I don't go to work every day because I'm in love with my job.  Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for it and I appreciate it.  But, if I won the lottery today, I wouldn't be showing up tomorrow, you dig?

You know what I would still do even after winning all that money?  I'm sure it's obvious.  I'd write.  I'd tell stories.  Because, that's what I love doing.

Which brings me back to the blog - I'm okay with posting again.  I want to come at it from a different angle, though.  I'm going to post about trying to sell books.  About bullshit writing contests and trying to get your name out there.  About fretting over query letters and secretly hating anyone who gets published because they wrote ANOTHER GODDAMN VAMPIRE STORY.

I guess the best way to say it, is that I'm going to post about the journey instead of trying to pretend I've made it to the destination.  You're welcome to read, and I welcome your comments.

Except from trolls.  Trolls can go fuck themselves.  You know who you are.  Y'all should be ashamed.