tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36673910352752323922024-02-06T19:11:06.259-08:00Man Cave Authors"Writing can be solitary, but success isn't."mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-80806543266996488532012-10-29T07:41:00.000-07:002012-10-29T07:41:54.586-07:00Space Eldritch just in time for Halloween<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpS9GEnfcP2RzpHlClxrsGGhTO5ojooOySojDiDHtwqvDi9d6XaQna3VENK3xsH_iBI_0JD_u0Wn06-f1OVy0h21s47FN5m6D-1KjDxOhL6cKRdZX2aey0VDn-N3ZI4R_AVN5E5lN6mOk/s1600/square-ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpS9GEnfcP2RzpHlClxrsGGhTO5ojooOySojDiDHtwqvDi9d6XaQna3VENK3xsH_iBI_0JD_u0Wn06-f1OVy0h21s47FN5m6D-1KjDxOhL6cKRdZX2aey0VDn-N3ZI4R_AVN5E5lN6mOk/s400/square-ad.jpg" width="400" /></a>This blog hasn't recieved some love in quite awhile, I blame the other guys<i> </i>;} In any case here is what is happening today!<br />
<br />
<i>“With five feeble senses we pretend to comprehend the boundlessly complex cosmos.”</i><br />
– H.P. Lovecraft <br />
<br />
Startling Stories meets Weird Tales in <i><b>SPACE ELDRITCH</b></i>, a volume of seven
original novelettes and novellas of Lovecraftian pulp space opera.
Featuring work by Brad R. Torgersen (Hugo/Nebula/Campbell nominee),
Howard Tayler (multiple Hugo nominee), and Michael R. Collings ( author
of over 100 books), plus a foreword by New York Times bestselling author
Larry Correia, SPACE ELDRITCH inhabits the intersection between the
eternal adventure of the final frontier and the inhuman darkness between
the stars.<br />
<br />
Can I just say how pleased I am to be a
part of this horrifying pulpy collection. I'm honored to be rubbing
shoulders with these guys and being able to put my best foot forward
with their legions of fans (OK, at least Larry and Howard's legions of
fans)<br />
I've been reading these other tales the last few days and WOW am I happy I'm in this.<br />
<br />
<u>The Table of Contents </u><br />
<br />
Foreword – <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Larry-Correia/e/B002D68HL8/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&qid=1349386739&sr=1-2-ent&tag=coldfusionvideor" target="_blank">Larry Correia</a><br />
Arise Thou Niarlat From Thy Rest – <a href="http://www.amazon.com/D.J.-Butler/e/B007TOU6GS/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&qid=1349386772&sr=1-2-ent&tag=coldfusionvideor" target="_blank">D.J. Butler </a><br />
Space Opera – <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Michael-R.-Collings/e/B001HPWLC2/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&qid=1349386802&sr=1-2-ent&tag=coldfusionvideor" target="_blank">Michael R. Collings</a><br />
The Menace Under Mars – <a href="http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003MWNNYS/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=coldfusionvideor" target="_blank">Nathan Shumate</a><br />
Gods in Darkness – <a href="http://www.amazon.com/David-J.-West/e/B004AIN4W4/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&qid=1349387661&sr=1-2-ent&tag=coldfusionvideor" target="_blank">David J. West</a><br />
The Shadows of Titan – <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=carter%20reid&linkCode=ur2&tag=coldfusionvideor&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks" target="_blank">Carter Reid</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=brad%20torgersen&linkCode=ur2&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Abrad%20torgersen&tag=coldfusionvideor&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks" target="_blank">Brad R. Torgersen</a><br />
The Fury in the Void – <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Robert-J.-Defendi/e/B002BLFEFW/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&qid=1349386833&sr=1-2-ent&tag=coldfusionvideor" target="_blank">Robert J. Defendi</a><br />
Flight of the Runewright – <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=howard%20tayler&linkCode=ur2&tag=coldfusionvideor&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks" target="_blank">Howard Tayler</a> <br />
<br />
So if mind-shattering Lovecraftian space opera is something your wicked soul needs, grab a copy now on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Space-Eldritch-ebook/dp/B009Y5S5G8/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351460067&sr=1-2&keywords=space+eldritch" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, or <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/space-eldritch-dj-butler/1113661672" target="_blank">Barnes &amp; Noble </a>or if you are so inclined you can get it from <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/249327" target="_blank">Smashwords</a><br />
<br />
The print edition is soon to follow and I'll of course keep everyone updated on that as well. <br />
<br />
All of us are book bombing the <i>Unfathomable Reaches</i> out of this today to get some
traction with the rankings, so I'd appreciate some help spreading the word if you're so
inclined.<i> Thanks</i>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-63938524936718515342012-02-20T13:14:00.000-08:002012-02-20T13:14:49.061-08:00Interview with Steve WestoverThis week the Man Cave welcomes author Steve Westover. (applause! applause!)<br />
<br />
I first became aware of Steve's work when I was doing a blog
tour for my own book "Who's at the Door?" In addition to his blog <a href="http://westoversleftovers.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">westoversleftovers</a>,
Steve's second novel is set to debut this March and is already
available for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crater-Lake-Battle-Wizard-Island/dp/1599559609/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329771433&sr=8-1-fkmr0" target="_blank">pre-order
on Amazon</a>. Let's find out more about it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for joining us, Steve! This is your first time at the cave, so pull a chair up by the fire and sit a spell. Just be careful of Dave's collection of swords in the back. We don't want anyone to cut himself by accident. (Jason had to learn that the hard way.)<br />
<br />
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<b>1. </b><b>Congratulations on the upcoming publication
of your second book "<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1329770018_0">Crater
Lake</span>: Battle for Wizard Island."
Give us the low down on your latest novel.<br />
<br />
</b></div>
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Crater Lake is my first
Youth novel and I’m
really excited about it. I wrote it for the two middle-grade readers in
my home
and I’m pleased that they really loved it. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
My 13 year old daughter and
12 year
old son can be a tough crowd. Crater Lake is a story about a 13 year old
who is
going to be dropped off at Crater Lake with his crazy Uncle Bart who is a
park
ranger. Ethan’s attitude isn’t great about spending the week with his
uncle and
he’s a little bitter that his younger sister, Jordan, gets out of the
activity. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
When all the adults at Crater Lake disappear, Ethan must unearth the
legends
of Crater Lake, locate hidden artifacts and rally some new friends to
rescue
the adults from an evil spirit chief. There are fantastic legends about
the
lake that I use as a jumping off point for the story and then we look at
the
question of “what would happen if it was all true?” It’s a fun and
sometimes
spooky story.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceN6rIPwnK09XCuKZH4AfMj3RWed2bBbloeBazzPfdsGB3kvtq4DacGnCOIdbGd7kfOrvCXZiHzjGJ0E6LCzFTk5tkPuaKDtyRdD8ROGxMrWC0WiAvjaNVW5D9IuVA8FXpyJ6pt41eAs/s1600/crater+lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceN6rIPwnK09XCuKZH4AfMj3RWed2bBbloeBazzPfdsGB3kvtq4DacGnCOIdbGd7kfOrvCXZiHzjGJ0E6LCzFTk5tkPuaKDtyRdD8ROGxMrWC0WiAvjaNVW5D9IuVA8FXpyJ6pt41eAs/s320/crater+lake.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<b>2. How long did it take you to write?</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
I wrote
the first draft in about 3
months but then did many revisions over the next year. It was the second
story
I’ve written and it seemed to write itself. Writing, and having my kids
read
along during the creative process was a lot of fun.<br />
<br />
<b>3. What is your writing process? Has it
changed since the release of your first book "Defensive Tactics?"</b></div>
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<br />
Writing Crater Lake was a completely different process than writing
Defensive
Tactics. I wrote Defensive Tactics as an experiment because I wondered
if I
could. Once I learned I could write a novel I had greater confidence and
increased motivation. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
With Crater Lake, I also had a mental map for the
story.
I knew the key points of the story and wrote towards the destination,
whereas
with Defensive Tactics I simply sat at the computer and started typing,
curious
to see what happened next.</div>
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<br />
<b>4. How was the publishing process
different from your first book?</b></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
<br />
Crater Lake is geared towards a broad commercial audience so when I
finished I
was really excited and eager for publication. I was a bit spoiled with
Defensive Tactics because I had a contract to publish after only 4
months and
then 4 months later the book was in print. That is REALLY fast. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
Even
though it
took me a year to write the story the publication came very easy. Crater
Lake
was written very fast but took longer to be published even though I feel
it has
much broader appeal. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
After signing the contract I had to wait 11 months
for the
book to be released. It’s a real trial of my patience but a more
realistic
publishing experience. </div>
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<br /></div>
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One of the fun things about Crater Lake is I was
much
more involved in making suggestions for the cover design and even
submitted
illustrations for inside the book. My daughter and my wife did the
illustrations which was a really fun experience. The publishing of
Crater Lake
has really been a family activity. Between the two different experiences
I’ve
gained a lot of knowledge and insight about the publishing process and
how it
can differ from book to book.</div>
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<br />
<b>5. What advice do you have for other
writers or other new authors?</b></div>
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<b><br />
</b>First, if you want to write, write. If you just want to give it a
try, try. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ve been surprised by how many friends, family, acquaintances have come
forward saying that they want to write a book. But most of them lack the
confidence to do it or maybe haven’t finished their manuscript. This may
be
cliché, but it’s also true—If I can do it, anyone can. I didn’t grow up
dreaming of writing a novel and I seldom read novels. I’d never
considered
writing until I woke up one morning after a cool dream. I liked the
story and
the characters in my dream so my wife encouraged me to write it down.
That’s
how I wrote Defensive Tactics.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
Give it a try. If you love it, stick with
it,
finish and then be patient as you shop the story around to the right
publishers
or agents.</div>
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<br />
<b>6. What inspires you to write?</b></div>
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<b><br />
</b>I may not read much, but I love movies and TV. I love good stories
and so I
write as if I’m watching the action on TV. What does the scene look
like? How
do the characters interact? What is the cliffhanger before the
commercial break
(i.e. chapter) The idea that I can create something that may entertain
others is
pretty exciting. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
In addition to the entertainment factor, my writing is
also a
reflection of who I am and my values and even some life lessons I’ve
learned
come out through the characters. So hopefully the stories entertain but
also
give readers time to consider some important life truths.</div>
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<br />
<b>7. Are there any challenges you feel
male authors in particular face?</b></div>
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<b><br />
</b>Good question and the short answer is, I’m not sure. In my little
writing
circles I am surrounded mostly by women who seem to do a really good job
of
networking and supporting each other. It is really great to see. There
are some
wonderful male writers who are also supportive but I think the group is
smaller. It’s a challenge and I think it goes against the grain for men
to
really connect and network effectively. At least that is true for me.</div>
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<br />
<b>8.I know you live on a farm. Do
you have a Man Cave in real life?</b></div>
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<b><br />
</b>I do have a man cave of sorts. We have a huge basement that is sheet
rocked, but unfinished. I have a pool table, ping pong, video games and
air
hockey down there along with a large desk where I can sit and write.
It’s a
good place where my son and I spend time and relax, although we don’t
fully ban
my wife and daughters. We like them too so we let them play on occasion.</div>
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<br />
<b>9. Name five essential items for a
decent Man Cave.</b></div>
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<b><br />
</b>See above. I like my man cave. </div>
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<br />
<b>10. Give us your top five
essential guy movies.</b></div>
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<b><br />
</b>Die Hard, Happy Gilmore, Jaws, Field of Dreams, Raiders of the Lost
Ark<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3667391035275232392" name="_GoBack" rel="nofollow"></a></div>
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<br />
<b>11. You mentioned in a blog post
that every writer has an an "El Guapo" i.e. weakness. You said
yours was worrying that your writing may not measure up to what you want
it to
be. I think a lot of writers feel that way. How do you defeat your
"El Guapo?"</b></div>
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<br />
Practice. We get better when we practice. It’s that simple. Also, I
focus on
being satisfied with the work myself and not what others think of it. Of
course
I want others to like it because if they didn’t my work would never be
published and no one would ever buy the book. But I have to find
fulfillment in
the process of writing and personal satisfaction in my end result. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
And I
have
to practice. In the past 3 years since I’ve started writing I’ve already
noticed a significant increase in skill. I think I’m getting better and I
expect that I’ll continue to get better the more I write. Take that El
Guapo!</div>
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<br />
<b>12. What's on the horizon for you?</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
I have a
number of projects in the
pipeline. Crater Lake is intended to be a trilogy so I hope this first
book
does well so I get the opportunity to finish the other two. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
I’ve also
recently
signed a contract for the sequel to Defensive Tactics. My working title
is
Mormon Gold (though that may change) and is about the same FBI agents
from
Defensive Tactics who are investigating some mysterious crimes that
intersect
with LDS church History in a National Treasure kind of adventure. It
will be
released in December 2012.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
I’ve also
recently finished a YA
Dystopian book called The Aborted about a slave society harvested from
abortion
survivors. If the survivors didn’t have a right to exist in the first
place,
how could they have a right to live their own life? They don’t. When my
main character,
Silas, learns the painful truth about who he is he decides to fight back
against the society that created him. This is the first book of a
trilogy.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="yiv360146666MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
<b>Well, Steve, it sounds like you have a lot coming on your plate, and I wish you much success. Be sure to keep in touch with your future projects.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Crater Lake: Battle for Wizard Island is available for pre-order via Amazon. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crater-Lake-Battle-Wizard-Island/dp/1599559609/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329771433&sr=8-1-fkmr0" target="_blank">Check it out here</a>. </b></div>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-56469690873210314202012-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:002012-01-30T08:00:09.927-08:00Interview with Braden Bell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.bradenbell.com/uploads/6/4/1/4/641404/6022337.jpg?172" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.bradenbell.com/uploads/6/4/1/4/641404/6022337.jpg?172" width="205" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Today I've got author Braden Bell on the site. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>What
is your favorite place to write? Do you have anywhere that is your ‘man cave’?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In nice weather, I write at a table
on my back porch. The rest of the time, I write on my laptop in bed. I wish I
had a mancave--but I have five kids, so space is at a premium in our house.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Do
your set goals for your writing? If so, how do you decide what goals to set?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Given a variety of
responsibilities--church and family and work--I don't have a great deal of time
and so I'm not able to set goals like a certain amount of words or pages or
minutes a day. Instead, my goals are a little more general--for example,
finishing anything I start, no matter how long it takes or how tempting new
projects are. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Do
you think male authors face any challenges that women authors do not?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Well, that's a good question. I
guess that if you are a breadwinner with a family you have one set of challenges.
If you are staying home with children you have another set. Most of the others
in my critique group are mothers of young children. Our challenges are
different, but it all has the same effect in that we struggle to find time to
write. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>What
books have your writing and what is coming out next?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My next book will be released in the
summer and is called "The Kindling." It's the first in what I hope
will be a series. I'm also working on two other books right now. One is a YA
paranormal romance called the Soulstealer's Child that occurred to me on a long
drive to Texas. The other is a YA contemporary with a premise I don't want to
give away. I've also started a small side business doing content editing and
manuscript critique, which I've really loved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>What’s
your favorite new project you are working on?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Probably the Soulstealer's
Child<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>What
hobbies other than writing do you have? Do you ever include things from your
other hobbies in your writing?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I like to garden and work in my
yard. I like long walks in the Tennessee hills and I love to read. I did a lot
of theatre as a teenager, and now I teach theatre. All of my books have some
kind of theatrical background in them--not intentionally, but just because it's
what I know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Where
can people go to learn more about you and your writing?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.bradenbell.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0068cf;">www.bradenbell.com</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>If
you could meet any author living or dead, who would it be and why?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Charles Dickens. I am amazed at the
variety of characters he created and the vivid characterizations he crafted. I
also love the complexity of his plots. I can lose myself in his books and am
always happy when I realize that I'm in a good Dickens novel and have hundreds
and hundreds of pages yet to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>What’s
one thing you want your readers to know about you?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I'm not sure--I'm not terribly
exciting. I teach middle school and write a weekly blog for parents about
understanding their adolescent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thanks Braden! Please check out Braden's writing at http://www.bradenbell.com. </span></div>
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</div>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-24808680798674928402012-01-30T00:15:00.000-08:002012-01-30T00:19:04.930-08:00An Author's Greatest Desire: To Be READ<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-i_kjhTBB1fiLAis_MPD_BHEgO-W4r7ovS6YOfbS3zC6ODqSZV8dAniT68y5MasNCq-swg534f89E1CFo0AhZztFcX1MiSxA5TvC8rRu8fmq_WDVXz465UkfSrVinRg6vAiqi44PFU0Y/s1600/IMG_1791ed_453x604_facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-i_kjhTBB1fiLAis_MPD_BHEgO-W4r7ovS6YOfbS3zC6ODqSZV8dAniT68y5MasNCq-swg534f89E1CFo0AhZztFcX1MiSxA5TvC8rRu8fmq_WDVXz465UkfSrVinRg6vAiqi44PFU0Y/s320/IMG_1791ed_453x604_facebook.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Today we have a guest post from a friend of ours <a href="http://www.daronfraley.com/" target="_blank">Daron D. Fraley</a><br />
***<br />
There are <em>a lot</em> of opinions out there about ebook pricing. <em>Everyone</em> in the publishing industry has an opinion. Some say you have to price your books above $2.99, or you are devaluing the artistic value of the book. Some insist that 99 cents is the price to drive sales. Others think that free is OK. And the big publishers seem to think that $9.99 is the way to go.<br />
So what price do you use? I am still undecided. Here's why:<br />
Let's consider downloads of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thorn-Chronicles-Gan-ebook/dp/B00466HJ8U" target="_blank" title="The Thorn, free at the Kindle Store"><span style="color: #0068cf;">THE THORN</span></a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Water-and-Other-Stories-ebook/dp/B0045JK408" target="_blank" title="WATER, short story collection at Amazon"><span style="color: #0068cf;">WATER</span></a>, my two ebooks. They started out at prices of 2.99 and 99 cents respectively.<br />
<em>Total downloads in 2010, prior to making both of the books free:</em><strong> 9</strong><br />
Yeah. NINE. Granted, it wasn't a full year. The ebooks were first available in August, 2010. But if you extrapolate a yearly number out of that 4 month trend, you still only get 36.<br />
I wasn't very happy about that. And nothing I did to try to change that number seemed to work. I asked for reviews. I posted on facebook. I tweeted. I sent emails to friends and family. I gave out discount codes for a free-download for those who participated in contests. I talked to people on planes. I talked to people at work. I advertised so much online that I felt like I was hurting my relationships with people. Who wants to hear a friend constantly hawking their wares?<br />
I became very self conscious about it. I decided that I had to stop. I would never become a household name, and nobody would ever read my books, and I was OK with that. I knew that ebooks were my last hope because the print edition was only in a few indie stores around the country.<br />
But I am a fighter. I still wanted to change that. But how? If I didn't tell people about them, then how would people discover the books? I decided to try a bold move. I would make my books free.<br />
My plan: Build readership. Get people interested in my writing, and build a following. Then, sometime in the future, release the second book in my series and another novel as regularly priced novels. Whatever regularly priced means... as I said before, I am still undecided.<br />
<em>Total number of downloads in 2011, from all major sites: </em> <strong>21,446</strong><br />
And that was really only 1/2 a year, because the Amazon Kindle Store didn't pick them up as free until mid-year. Before June, the download numbers were still in the low hundreds.<br />
Amazon made all the difference. How that happened is a long story. Simply put, they saw the books being offered for free on competing sites, and matched the price. Authors can't normally price their books free otherwise.<br />
Besides the number of downloads, here are some interesting stats:<br />
Both of my titles, WATER and THE THORN have been in the top 10 for their genres (<em>Fiction/Genre Fiction/Anthologies</em>, and <em>Fiction/Religious Fiction/Science Fiction & Fantasy</em>) for the last two months straight. And on January 10th, they hit <strong>#1 and #2</strong> respectively on the <em>Fiction/Religious Fiction/Science Fiction & Fantasy</em> chart.<br />
Not too shabby with nearly zero advertising. In fact, <strong><em>I have no idea how it happened</em></strong> because I had stopped tweeting and posting about the books months before. I didn't even know the books were being offered for free on Amazon until late summer, and that was two months after Amazon matched the price.<br />
What does it all mean? Is their no easy answer? I submit to you that there IS an answer, even if it isn't easy.<br />
<strong>Here are the ingredients for being a successful indie author:</strong><br />
<em><strong>1.</strong></em> Work on your craft. Go to conferences. Read writers blogs and learn about technique, style, voice, etc.<br />
<em><strong>2.</strong></em> READ. Read a lot of books.<br />
<em><strong>3.</strong></em> Write your best book.<br />
<em><strong>4.</strong></em> Get that book professionally edited. PAY to have your book edited!<br />
<em><strong>5.</strong></em> Get help with typesetting and formatting so that the book is a comfortable read.<br />
<strong><em>6.</em></strong> Get a good cover designer to help you create a simple, eye-catching cover. Yeah, you'll probably have to pay for that too.<br />
<strong><em>7.</em></strong> Get the book out there. At what price? I have no idea. Experiment. I don't think there's a silver bullet.<br />
Are you still with me? Except for step 7, which is mostly my opinion, every single one of those steps is touted by those who know what it takes. In fact, we keep quoting each other on those points. Do you think I came up with those? Hah! Nope. I read them somewhere. On the internet. So, they must be true, right?<br />
Don't stop yet, there's one more step:<br />
<em><strong>8.</strong></em> Hang up the horseshoe, rub the rabbit's foot, or whatever else you wish to do for good luck.<br />
Because that is <strong><em>exactly</em></strong> what it is. LUCK. Right place, right time, the right readers downloading your book and getting excited about it and tweeting about it and then they have hundreds or thousands of followers on twitter or facebook who retweet the clever tweet or repost the clever status because it catches their eye and then some of <em>their</em> friends do the same thing and then the book climbs the ranks and it hits the charts and it garners more downloads, and then Amazon sees that trend and marks it as a mover-and-shaker and that brings about even more downloads, and pretty soon you are totally blown away that there are that many people out there reading your book.<br />
Yeah.<br />
What about those who claim free doesn't mean squat? You know what? I have <em>no idea</em> if anyone is actually READING my books. I have no proof. After all, they are FREE, and people forget about free stuff because it has no perceived value. Or so everyone says. It may be true. Probably is.<br />
But here's the rub: I have had some really nice reviews. I know for a fact that I have had at least 50 people read the books. And many of those readers really liked them.<br />
And that is all I really wanted in the first place. To write. And to have someone read my work, and like it. So even if the number is now only TEN, I am no worse off than I was before.<br />
That's how I see it.<br />
Check back with me at the end of the year. After I get my next two books out there.<br />
Question: Will free loss-leaders bring in downloads for the paid novels? I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine. Now, where did I put that horseshoe?<br />
***<br />
Thanks Daronmancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-9510890967672087392012-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:002012-01-24T08:00:08.876-08:00Interview with B.K. Bostick<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Hello my mancavianites! That word closely resembles a mankini, which I'm afraid is a strange word and I hear it is uncomfortable. Anyways... I wanted to hop aboard the interview train and chat with fellow author B.K. Bostick (Huber Hill and the Dead Man's Treasure.) B.K. is a stud and way funny and you should totally check out his book(s).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Frank - So B.K. you’ve been published now and have a couple other books on the horizon. How difficult was your road to publication? And would you say you’ve finally arrived?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">B.K. - The road to publication has been a long one. When I set out a few years ago writing Huber Hill and the Dead Man's Treasure, I didn't anticipate just how hard it would be to find a publisher. I thought the hard part was writing the book- turns out that was the easy part. At one point, I even threw the manuscript in the recycling bin and told myself I was finished searching for publishers, but after I'd poured my heart and soul into the project, I couldn't just give up. I decided to send it to one more publisher and they picked it up. I wouldn't say I've arrived to where I want to be as an author, but at least I've got my foot in the door.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Frank - Congratulations on being published. That’s quite an accomplishment. But the world is full of books. Sappy ones. Tender ones. Ones that make our heartstrings reverberate. What makes your book worthy of the man cave blog? Or is it worthy?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">B.K. - I truly believe the book is worthy of the man cave blog- it was written by a guy for other guys. It's the kind of outdoor adventure series I loved to read and imagined myself being a part of as a kid. There are a lot of books out there, but with the Huber Hill series, I've tried to create something reminiscent of the Hardy Boys or a Jr. Davinci Code- something that kids can actually see themselves doing (and learn some history and folklore while at it).</span><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Frank - You’ve just woken up and found yourself marooned on an island. Aside from food, shelter, and water, list your top 5 plans for survival. Oh, and there are zombies…</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">B.K. - Top 5 plans for survival:<br />
a) Wipe out the zombies using tips from the Zombie Survival Guide<br />
b) Keep one zombie chained up for company<br />
c) Enjoy the little things like eating bugs and counting the stars<br />
d) Make the world's biggest sand castle.<br />
e) On second thought I'd just join the zombies.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Frank - Give us your one paragraph description of Huber Hill and the Dead Man’s Treasure. What book does it closely compare with and, more importantly, if your novel were to square off with this comparable book in a death match, which one would win?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">B.K. - When his grandfather dies, Huber Hill is devastated---until he opens Grandpa Nick's mysterious box. An old gold coin and directions to a hidden Spanish treasure send him and his friends off on an mind-blowing adventure, but he's not the only one on the hunt. Filled with dangerous animals and cryptic puzzles, this book will have you on the edge of your seat until the last page. People have said it's a mix between Goonies and Holes. I think Dead Man's Treasure wins in a deathmatch with one of them but not both.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Frank - Describe your writing rituals? Are there any necessities you must have for the magic to flow? If someone were to walk in on you and surprise you while writing, would you be embarrassed about what they saw?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">B.K. - Dead silence + middle of the night + Reese's & Mtn. Dew= Great writing. They'd find me in my pajamas, chocolate all over my face, and staring at them with glazed over eyes (not unlike a zombie).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Frank - Of all the mysteries in the world, be it paranormal or alien, what creature do you secretly desire to be true? And why?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">B.K. - I always thought it'd be cool to be a Predator (from the Arnold movie). Being able to go invisible and secretly target people in infrared has always appealed to me.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Frank - Here’s your chance to bring us up to speed on the future for B.K. Bostick. What does it hold? At what point will you be satisfied with your accomplishments?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">B.K. - </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Huber Hill and the Brotherhood of Coronado will be out this fall (those who have read it have said they enjoyed it more than the first). Huber Hill and the Golden Staff of Cíbola, the third and final book of the Huber Hill series will be out in 2013 sometime. I'm very excited for both. I'm also working on a few other super secret projects that I'll hopefully finish before the next decade- here's a hint- they don't </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Thanks my friend! </span>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-30354178321362918092012-01-19T00:59:00.000-08:002012-01-19T00:59:15.504-08:00Should You Shamelessly Self-Promote?Yeah, Why Not?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWW1CM9dZezWiSlYPCc4dcN4KOzr2o8rWtn8Ossh59ifQeFDUWERj91PPe9V7i5877BXQmCPhBBkuZMrjK75hTRr0XX7ixiJHncSwOeuOGMO-ILowSElCiOoSQ0pFoeFiU6CElixWelxUF/s1600/heroesfallencover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><em></em></a> You have to spread the word to the masses don't you? And to help teach you how to do it I'll give the following examples of Enticement, Humour, Description and Recommendation below, and because this is a Family Man blog, I'll leave out the gratuitous sex and violence. <em>(And <strong>NO</strong> Dan, don't mention any of that sounds like what Satan would say.)</em><br />
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Remember you have to be willing to alienate your/my 4 other co-authors and talk about your/my almost 2 year old book instead of their new releases, because there comes a time for all of us where 'we' as men & writers need to shamelessly self-promote, so here goes...<br />
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<em>For the next 5 days </em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heroes-of-the-Fallen-ebook/dp/B003XKNWD6/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2" target="_blank"><em>Heroes of the Fallen</em></a><em> is a free e-book.</em><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWW1CM9dZezWiSlYPCc4dcN4KOzr2o8rWtn8Ossh59ifQeFDUWERj91PPe9V7i5877BXQmCPhBBkuZMrjK75hTRr0XX7ixiJHncSwOeuOGMO-ILowSElCiOoSQ0pFoeFiU6CElixWelxUF/s1600/heroesfallencover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWW1CM9dZezWiSlYPCc4dcN4KOzr2o8rWtn8Ossh59ifQeFDUWERj91PPe9V7i5877BXQmCPhBBkuZMrjK75hTRr0XX7ixiJHncSwOeuOGMO-ILowSElCiOoSQ0pFoeFiU6CElixWelxUF/s320/heroesfallencover.jpg" width="218" /></a>Well, whats it about?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>A great civilization teeters on the brink of devastating war. Amaron of the elite guardsmen must embark on a quest to protect the fate of two nations. Nations whose destruction is being orchestrated by the greatest evil the land has ever known. Who will rise to become the heroes of the fallen?</em></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">OK, but is it free?</div><em>Yes, it is.</em><br />
And for how long?<br />
<em>Five days.</em><br />
And it <u>is</u> free?<br />
<em>Yes, it is.</em><br />
Is this one of those indie books you're just giving away because no one ever read it?<br />
<em>No, people have read it and here's what they had to say-ever so briefly.</em><br />
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<em>"brutal, gory, and depressing---But make no mistake, West is a talented writer, and whether a reader ordinarily picks up fictionalized scripture novels or science fiction once embarked on this novel readers will find it nearly impossible to put down." </em>Jennie Hansen reviewer for Meridian Magazine <br />
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<em>"Heroes of the Fallen is a Book of Mormon historical that reads like an epic fantasy. It's not often that the LDS market sees something truly new, but West's debut novel really is different. It was refreshing. A breath of fresh air--and a lot of fun." </em> Rob Wells, author of Variant<br />
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<em>"it’s very nice when you find an original vision at work. I’ve found one of those in David J. West, whose Heroes of the Fallen has imagination in spades. The world created by West is fully realized and backed up by both firm historical knowledge and a good feel for mythology. If imagination is the engine for Heroic Fantasy, fine prose is the fuel. Here, too, West achieves--"</em> Charles Gramlich, author of Bitter Steel, Cold in the Light, and the Talera Cycle trilogy<br />
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<em>"its a great read..."</em> Wayne May publisher of Ancient American magazine<br />
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<em>"Heroes of the Fallen is well researched, with an extensive cast of characters and lots of political intrigue. This is the first in a series. The sequel, Blood of our Fathers, arrives next year. Recommended." </em>Bruce Durham author of The Marsh God<br />
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<em>“David J. West has created a story line filled with excitement, archaeology, treasure and real history. This is a must-read not only for entertainment but also to open new doors and vistas of possibility for the mind</em>." Bruce H. Porter Ph.D. Brigham Young University religion professor<br />
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<em>"When I first learned that someone was writing a book based on the last events of the Book of Mormon. I thought, "Good. It's good to read those types of books." No, no, no! It is not simply good! And good is the wrong word! It is intrigue, fascination. Power. Obsession."</em> - M. Gray<br />
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So do yourself a favor and check it out ~ and Thank Youmancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-78946416663470159992012-01-17T07:39:00.000-08:002012-01-17T07:39:38.214-08:00Interview with Berin L. StephensAs it says in this blog’s heading, “"Writing can be solitary, but success isn't." To that end, we’ll be featuring some other authors of the male persuasion on this blog.<br />
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Our first guest is Berin L. Stephens, author of two novels, “The Dragon War Relic” and “Time Gangsters”.<br />
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(By the way, I recently reviewed “Time Gangsters” on my personal blog. It can be found by clicking <a href="http://jlloydmorgan.blogspot.com/2012/01/book-review-of-time-gangsters-by-berin.html">here</a>.)<br />
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Without further ado, on with the interview!<br />
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1. What inspired you to become a writer?<br />
A: I'm not entirely sure. I read a lot when I was in elementary school but I don't remember thinking about being a writer until I read Tolkien's The Hobbit. For some reason, that book fired up an interest in me to create similar worlds. Shortly after that, I read Asimov's Lucky Star and the Pirates of the Asteroids which then got me into sci-fi. Since then, I've taken up being a jazz musician, and I think writing and jazz allow me to do something that is essential to my personality: to create. My mind is constantly thinking up new creative things, both in word and music, that it is just hard to keep it contained.<br />
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2. Tell us about your latest book.<br />
A: Time Gangsters is a middle-grade urban fantasy about two 12 year old cousins who find some ancient Egyptian coins buried in the walls of their neighboring houses. But it turns out that gangsters from 1927 also want the coins due to their magical properties. Some of the magic allows people to make super human leaps, or to shoot fire from their hands, or make it rain. The most powerful ones, though, are the ones that allow time travel. The kids are pulled back in time to face the vile gangster Franco Carnassi and his gang of thugs who want to use the coins to rule America. If they don't stop him, the kids might not have a future to return to.<br />
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3. What challenges (if any) have you faced as a male author?<br />
A: I really don't know of any. It is a little bit of a challenge writing female characters, but with a wife and three daughters to straighten me out, it hasn't been too bad.<br />
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4. In the books you've written, which character would you say is most like you as a person and why?<br />
A: In my first book, The Dragon War Relic, all three main characters were aspects of my personality. Jared was the boy I sort of was as a teenager. Doug was the teenager I sometimes wished to be. Gar the Ogre from Orgrenia is close to how I am now: the grumpy parental figure with a twisted sense of humor.<br />
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5. What types of books do you like to read? Has your taste changed as you've gotten older?<br />
A: I started off on Hardy Boys, then into fantasy through Tolkien. I also grew up on some of the old swords and sorcery stuff by Michael Moorcock and Robert E. Howard. I also read a lot of Edgar Rice Burroughs. As I got into my teens and early twenties, I got into David Eddings, Roger Zelazny, and Terry Brooks. Most of the stuff I like to read is fantasy, though I do love science fiction and comedy, too. Probably the thing that has changed the most in my reading tastes is that I read a lot more young adult and middle-grade material. For one, it keeps me up on what my kids have been reading. It also keeps me in tune with what the market is like. But most importantly, I prefer it because, for the most part, they are clean reads with without language, sex, etc.<br />
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6. Are you working on your next book? If so, can you give us a preview?<br />
A: I have several irons in the fire right now. The one I plan to reveal next is a story about a teenage sidekick of a superhero. He gets in over his head when the Moguls of Mayhem capture all the heroes in the city and he is faced with defeating them on his own. I also have a fantasy/steampunk/dystopian project I've been working on for a year that still needs work but is progressing well. This one is a little darker than my previous outings. I wanted to make it a comedy, since I've never seen a dystopian comedy before. Now I know why.<br />
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7. What advice would you offer aspiring authors?<br />
A: It might sound like a broken record, but you got to keep at it. For me, I did a lot of time wasting activities that kept me from writing for years. I watched a lot of TV and played computer games when I could have been writing. I wish I had that time back now. But TV and games don't interest me much anymore because creating my own stories is so much more interesting, exciting, and fulfilling.<br />
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I guess the other thing I harp on a bit is health. Part of the reason I didn't write for about ten years was because I had no energy. I ate a garbage diet and I didn't exercise. I lived on Advil and Tums. When you're tired all the time, it is so much easier to sit back in a chair and turn the TV on than to put forth any kind of mental effort. When I turned my health around by switching to a more plant-based natural diet and exercising, I suddenly had more energy. My creative juices started flowing. Then it became almost impossible not to write.<br />
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8. Where does the white go when the snow melts?<br />
A: Not to Utah. It looks like it's all going to my home state of Alaska. As far as actual color white, as long as there are people out there like us, fighting the fight against chaos and evil, we will always bring white back into the world.<br />
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Thank you Berin for the wonderful interview.<br />
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To find out more about him, click <a href="http://www.berinstephens.com/6101.html">here</a>.<br />
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To find out more about "Time Gangsters", click <a href="http://timegangstersbook.com/">here</a>.mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-40219622478108957542011-12-17T08:17:00.000-08:002011-12-17T08:17:31.856-08:00Writing the other gender<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKB3k6KvracV6qFPSaZtpc53xXl5MX-CkeRYfuhbExlbj_oLsN_-OvYyMjBBgxcy7R22l5vHl5LHTNVsjahY51kqlXwJiwJ5Vv_zwG47mLW8CBcKiwee4lcrypRTUkqsievTXow9FDw6w/s1600/Gender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKB3k6KvracV6qFPSaZtpc53xXl5MX-CkeRYfuhbExlbj_oLsN_-OvYyMjBBgxcy7R22l5vHl5LHTNVsjahY51kqlXwJiwJ5Vv_zwG47mLW8CBcKiwee4lcrypRTUkqsievTXow9FDw6w/s320/Gender.jpg" /></a></div>At Oak Knoll Middle School outside of Richmond, VA they have a wonderful reading program. In it, students and their parents choose a book to read together and then they meet weekly to discuss it. I was fortunate enough to have both the boy and girls pick my book, <i>The Hidden Sun</i>. It was the first time both genders had picked the same book. After they completed it, I visited the school and gave a presentation. It was a blast.<br />
The experience brought me to ponder on why <i>The Hidden Sun </i>appeals to boys <i>and</i> girls. It wasn’t really my intention when the book was written. I’ve come to the conclusion that it was a combination of things.<br />
First, the story is written from several different points of view. In each “scene”, we are in the head of someone. Sometimes it is a male character, sometimes it is a female character. In that regard, I believe both genders who read it had someone to relate to.<br />
Second, there are elements in the book that appeal to both genders. There are action sequences and competitions that the boys enjoyed. Then there are the romantic elements that the girls liked.<br />
I’m currently writing my fourth book. It’s the third book in the Bariwon series. The main character is female. While I’ve been writing it, I’ve read several books from other authors. Often, they are written from one person’s point of view.<br />
In one particular book I read, the main character was a teenage young woman. I’ll admit I struggled a little through the book because I had a hard time relating to her. Being the father of four daughters, as well as being married for twenty years, I’ve learned that men and women simply do not think the same way.<br />
If that’s the case, how does a male writer create a believable female character and vice-versa? I’ve come to only one conclusion: through observation. The female characters I create are composites of various people I’ve known over the years. Even then, I’m sure there is a lot I’m missing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYq7rHxBI9NMgowcGchYWTkjJ-mKZQ0dU1guJVOc1SGKgbfiXWmo-CGqb9S8f8ojkFHGlWosk-3zC_7Gumyb9ynhsyjBxrV8AdRJ395163O1ZcK9tH8JzU1BvpicKrYCgk1VUyl2hESyQ/s1600/Everything+men+know+about+women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYq7rHxBI9NMgowcGchYWTkjJ-mKZQ0dU1guJVOc1SGKgbfiXWmo-CGqb9S8f8ojkFHGlWosk-3zC_7Gumyb9ynhsyjBxrV8AdRJ395163O1ZcK9tH8JzU1BvpicKrYCgk1VUyl2hESyQ/s320/Everything+men+know+about+women.jpg" /></a></div>I once attended a bachelor party (it was an LDS party, so it was very clean) and one of the gifts given to the groom-to-be was a fairly thick book called <i>Everything Men Know About Women</i>. When the receiver of the gift flipped through the book, we saw that all the pages were blank.mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-74495229103678009282011-12-03T20:45:00.000-08:002011-12-03T20:45:18.677-08:00And the winner is........A random winner has been selected for the Man Cave Pick Your Present Christmas Contest!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTtKPnydwAFzonAyO4-BGHRRHJx9n4jk6MSp8OUpf-7mpiqeSjgFfBfon8ZhAeRUSgbfUIBVt40qCc3StkdpaNQ_6rM3h0gNrGg_jA_D85A4913_bri5uhq_OMtU0lPDEvKRNp8AJZbE/s1600/Christmasredgift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTtKPnydwAFzonAyO4-BGHRRHJx9n4jk6MSp8OUpf-7mpiqeSjgFfBfon8ZhAeRUSgbfUIBVt40qCc3StkdpaNQ_6rM3h0gNrGg_jA_D85A4913_bri5uhq_OMtU0lPDEvKRNp8AJZbE/s320/Christmasredgift.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<b>And the winner is.....</b><br />
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(Are you in suspense?)<br />
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<b>Angie Lofthouse!</b><br />
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<b>Congratulations, Angie! Please let us know what book you'd like and the appropriate author will send it your way. </b><br />
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<b>Thank you, everyone, for taking part in the Pick Your Present Christmas Contest!</b><br />
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<b>As far as the double dog dare question poll, I think Frank is officially voted the craziest dude in the cave. Go Frank!</b>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-34568111399173127872011-11-27T19:51:00.000-08:002011-11-27T20:01:06.583-08:00Pick your present!The Christmas season is upon us, and us fellas at the Man Cave want to help you celebrate!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now let's be honest. We don't always get what we want at Christmas--socks from Aunt Rita, undies from Mom, that fruitcake that nobody I know likes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So we want you to <b>pick your own present</b>. That way, you're sure to get something you'll enjoy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pick any book from any Man Cave author as your prize! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Choose from <b>The Hidden Sun, The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter, any Hashbrown Winters adventure, The Canticle Kingdom, The Last Archangel, Heroes of the Fallen or Who's at the Door?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>To win a signed copy of a book of your choice, leave a comment in this post and answer the following question:</b> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81amid1ZZ2ns59DW9Nvi5yMxF7kIjcDvsrlKxV7qEMQBGJDjL7CoZqJrn07aGU5LjiDQTV9ac7Ta_aCffUSR5IEpYmnIrWwuwk0ucNkKT_3cgKLhUuWvLuxhZNU4_WNPkcfO_2PE_ayI/s1600/triple+dog+dare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81amid1ZZ2ns59DW9Nvi5yMxF7kIjcDvsrlKxV7qEMQBGJDjL7CoZqJrn07aGU5LjiDQTV9ac7Ta_aCffUSR5IEpYmnIrWwuwk0ucNkKT_3cgKLhUuWvLuxhZNU4_WNPkcfO_2PE_ayI/s320/triple+dog+dare.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Which Man Cave Author do you think is most likely to act on a double dog dare? </b></span><br />
(Don't worry. There aren't any wrong answers. It's just for fun!)<br />
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<b>A random drawing will be held December 3. Win a signed copy of a book of your choice!</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Merry Christmas from Man Cave Authors!</b></span>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-28923283550134929692011-11-14T07:52:00.000-08:002011-11-14T07:52:29.114-08:00Tengu Equal Blog Hits<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lJGNuxS4UMJgrPBgDj8CdgcLsdnfgN7zBpwjl8dAeJxfEoLTk6-Bx0GJF-Y2w90uND2jA63utXZ9J36h3H_Au66lBn5n3MOZjvIGeLi0Izl94uYEORZ5W31Y_PzPMbP9jqo8W4rFnn8/s1600/monk+punk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lJGNuxS4UMJgrPBgDj8CdgcLsdnfgN7zBpwjl8dAeJxfEoLTk6-Bx0GJF-Y2w90uND2jA63utXZ9J36h3H_Au66lBn5n3MOZjvIGeLi0Izl94uYEORZ5W31Y_PzPMbP9jqo8W4rFnn8/s320/monk+punk.jpg" width="213" /></a>My weird oriental fantasy story "<strong>Fistful of Tengu</strong>" from the MONK PUNK anthology is posted over at D. Harlan Wilsons <a href="http://www.dreampeople.org/">The Dream People</a> online journal, current issue #36.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I've been rather pleased that overall, my tale which opens the antho, seems to have been received rather well from most of the reviews I've read. (one didn't mention it-the rest sang the stories praises)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">That and my original blog post about the story, something about tengu, the mythological Japanese crow-like creature, is still one of my most visited posts. Seems google must direct a lot of people here who ask what a tengu is.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Good. Kind if like how <a href="http://chickenarmpits.blogspot.com/2005/04/mystery.html">Marion Jensen</a> still gets lots of the hits on his blog about 'exploding coconuts'.</div><br />
So lesson for the day-want a recurring blog post that gets a lot of hits? Post about something rather obscure so that your blog is high on the search list.mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-63837944097355502692011-10-30T20:00:00.000-07:002011-10-30T20:00:54.077-07:00Our little escapesMany readers tell me that a good book should help them escape. They're usually pretty vague after that, as if the word "escape" covers it.<br />
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It's up to our imagination to guess what so many people want to escape from: their troubles, their cares, monotony itself.<br />
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But then I realize that for the writer, it doesn't matter what each person wants to leave behind, only that they want to leave <i>something</i> behind. It's my job to make whatever is on the page more introspective and interesting than the personal problems a reader may have at the moment.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzW4Ycf43jN01l8azpBamYRQMEOiNx7twuEj497IqZpxICg1dTmGd_iuYJ73rht9xtuntgJE9bzycJ1sbExCihEcf4iZ3uzNDkyiCaF8-8zT9C-BrUqLYcbosvX4oF_Z0u8WQfw1AF0w4/s1600/escapism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzW4Ycf43jN01l8azpBamYRQMEOiNx7twuEj497IqZpxICg1dTmGd_iuYJ73rht9xtuntgJE9bzycJ1sbExCihEcf4iZ3uzNDkyiCaF8-8zT9C-BrUqLYcbosvX4oF_Z0u8WQfw1AF0w4/s320/escapism.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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This, I think, is also the essence of Halloween. It's a night to throw-off the mundane, to be less serious, to discard the ordinary.<br />
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It seems a little morbid that so many of us want to enter another person's reality in order to gain respite from our own. Whenever we pick up a book, it offers the chance to trade our problems for another person's.<br />
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Fortunately for writers most people are willing to make this bargain.<br />
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Why spend time on taxes, bills, the dishes, or taking out the trash? No. People would much rather run from Michael Meyers, hunt vampires, or try to survive a zombie apocalypse. Scary stories can make hearts race and palms sweat. When was the last time household chores ignited our need to survive?<br />
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So to the goal of escapism, I raise a toast of Halloween cider. For if a good story helps us escape, then what is an author but an escape artist?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IyHb6dQcAJbULLs1R-DQ8IG1uRnprgN_NyvEVflQ_YNnNLnvGEOL-3LOd77UVTCv-LcbRpc5UvRRc6mqBCzZUUOV1norpKYi_vrplvuNbqdd0_c-VnFMoL3NqRCDv9v5Y899hF3fbjA/s1600/escape2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IyHb6dQcAJbULLs1R-DQ8IG1uRnprgN_NyvEVflQ_YNnNLnvGEOL-3LOd77UVTCv-LcbRpc5UvRRc6mqBCzZUUOV1norpKYi_vrplvuNbqdd0_c-VnFMoL3NqRCDv9v5Y899hF3fbjA/s320/escape2.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><br />
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Unlike Harry Houdini, us authors don't have to chain ourselves up and get in our underpants to do our job. We can do it from the safety of our keyboard.<br />
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For the writer, then, there's a little escapism too.<br />
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You didn't think the readers had all the fun, did you?mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-80747066738028698512011-10-20T08:52:00.000-07:002011-10-20T08:52:33.191-07:00What if?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_taKk63K49e7rZUwY-8RrA1nN_XEbNv4PIT6dwXvbBgXdzIyGPIWR4wZtwdFytixXTgFk0i4HoNQ7oZZ0mYHbPpki6iWSJTcy2jkuIcpQ6oXTnv16SYiQY5tmGIR_H9ikCIBA4NiTAas/s1600/question-mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_taKk63K49e7rZUwY-8RrA1nN_XEbNv4PIT6dwXvbBgXdzIyGPIWR4wZtwdFytixXTgFk0i4HoNQ7oZZ0mYHbPpki6iWSJTcy2jkuIcpQ6oXTnv16SYiQY5tmGIR_H9ikCIBA4NiTAas/s320/question-mark.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">I had the chance to be a visiting author at a middle school recently. To prepare for the visit, I asked the teachers what things they would like me to cover. Basically, it was the writing process, the importance of edits and rewrites, and what else authors have to do.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I put together a PowerPoint presentation that addressed all sorts of different elements. One question I covered was "where do authors get their ideas from?"</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here is what I did to help the students understand one way I get my ideas. Actually, it’s the main way I get them. It is: "what if?"</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I told them, for example, "What if the sky was purple?" or "What if the school was attacked by zombie bunnies? (Sounds like something David J. West could turn into quite the amazing book, eh?) From there, I had them write their own "what if" statement. I was quite impressed on the different ideas students came up with. I joked that if any of them wrote a best seller based on their "what if" statement, I wanted a mention in their book.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I explained there are many different ways of writing. I used the example of "pantser" (writing on the seat of your pants) vs. plotter (doing an outline). I, personally, am a combo of both. When asked how I write, this is the best way I could describe it: The first thing I do is create the characters in my head. I use personality traits of different people I know (even myself) and try to create a unique individual. From there, I create a basic outline of a story—the major plot points and such. Then, when I write, I put these characters into the setting and see what happens. Often they don't do what I expect, based on their character, . . .but somehow, it works.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">When it came to demonstrate the importance of edits and rewrites, I showed them several pictures and had them write down the issue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here they are:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WUGMqLR17sfYAx5BmHpOQHQYUy1g2svDXoe40KarwPxh7fV_zXJKS886uI0KECeBshGFzhzDRR66k779GIzXC7u10_ameT6bqmL6PnBjcNcJSCtj-tyhQ2vj4Za1kZ6o7bv5-t_d5Y0/s1600/236-badmathskills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WUGMqLR17sfYAx5BmHpOQHQYUy1g2svDXoe40KarwPxh7fV_zXJKS886uI0KECeBshGFzhzDRR66k779GIzXC7u10_ameT6bqmL6PnBjcNcJSCtj-tyhQ2vj4Za1kZ6o7bv5-t_d5Y0/s320/236-badmathskills.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCb4z6knrJWXv7vS2EGW1ZtPVujnNJCgRsXuyIzgnff27m_0cc6aL1SAv4EJXA8AsKwemcGpQFca3zw-F6NGkV7HBcqX2RpJ2BZqb5yryh5nJndW7kgZPi3ubjc4k6Xm-NpMca_Aze54A/s1600/cheese+burger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCb4z6knrJWXv7vS2EGW1ZtPVujnNJCgRsXuyIzgnff27m_0cc6aL1SAv4EJXA8AsKwemcGpQFca3zw-F6NGkV7HBcqX2RpJ2BZqb5yryh5nJndW7kgZPi3ubjc4k6Xm-NpMca_Aze54A/s320/cheese+burger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDcbUyDoHlioL-4ARIgh2bM5ZLru94CTS56uAfcJUBKTWB1EETavdV7HR85HuKlKqDOlUePPaTSVpAnKJnUm7Hbv8e5g4Pizv80ZCANvEZdDjjF1KkQomIWKw4306l9QD022ON4kntDE/s1600/redundant02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDcbUyDoHlioL-4ARIgh2bM5ZLru94CTS56uAfcJUBKTWB1EETavdV7HR85HuKlKqDOlUePPaTSVpAnKJnUm7Hbv8e5g4Pizv80ZCANvEZdDjjF1KkQomIWKw4306l9QD022ON4kntDE/s320/redundant02.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrouSyUjRPh2OdC8e3_AIGW9Zqj68VB6b6hYHAUDx5_gxXNd7sen8NnEGsFmgjbOfYykn7xkOCLh-w8QB6BU3nnVYhbJEveTjOEYXHOsePDnHZqRNy7pzZygZbMmNKvOQGgDXgYMgT2I/s1600/One+way+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrouSyUjRPh2OdC8e3_AIGW9Zqj68VB6b6hYHAUDx5_gxXNd7sen8NnEGsFmgjbOfYykn7xkOCLh-w8QB6BU3nnVYhbJEveTjOEYXHOsePDnHZqRNy7pzZygZbMmNKvOQGgDXgYMgT2I/s400/One+way+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpON6-aDwZkQF49yuhsDQsQZu5LOEkTgIb74HoB75v2T29z9fYfXZwDMQkYpadps1_kI3oIWHpUZJ_jjiO458XANbho9alu8-oYIXcCXAnw5MZsz5xFzqHiZBJPB5DJ65enI3_VDJ72A/s1600/funny-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpON6-aDwZkQF49yuhsDQsQZu5LOEkTgIb74HoB75v2T29z9fYfXZwDMQkYpadps1_kI3oIWHpUZJ_jjiO458XANbho9alu8-oYIXcCXAnw5MZsz5xFzqHiZBJPB5DJ65enI3_VDJ72A/s320/funny-sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHu0CmBWjTynM5IGT0TQYwD9LpuNoO-rD5sALcPzhjrEUZ2CTx7z3jwvMHlEyFtNflH5Rw-N0MR0PAmAYAAzzNpyGjglc9k1q_8zJQpnblRbOMMk0ByiSdmpwPpLB8C7OsoMQbq6UIIy8/s1600/70-schoolsign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHu0CmBWjTynM5IGT0TQYwD9LpuNoO-rD5sALcPzhjrEUZ2CTx7z3jwvMHlEyFtNflH5Rw-N0MR0PAmAYAAzzNpyGjglc9k1q_8zJQpnblRbOMMk0ByiSdmpwPpLB8C7OsoMQbq6UIIy8/s320/70-schoolsign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As you can see, some are fairly obvious, and some are a little more hard to explain. The picture of Pizza Hut, for example, got a few of the students hung up. They didn't see anything wrong with it. For me, I explained the concept of redundancy. As a reader, I get frustrated with an author who beats me over the head with the same thing throughout the book.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Lastly, I left time for questions and answers. Any ideas what the number one question I was asked?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It was: "How old are you?"</span>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-46069407365468514032011-09-26T07:24:00.000-07:002011-09-26T07:24:22.093-07:00To thine own self be true<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPDfAW4gz4xpGLxpPAQG2C67IXcRZi55RCd5Y4GoSEbdrLHLVCaEP4SIOLhZnA3-Tq7LUHp58kjy8kcePB9L7bG9KgNtOhaaAFOHC8P6K0CIlR7SXwJObIIMVCOcoTA5AR6VGdY7BxDs/s1600/to_thine_own_self_be_true.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPDfAW4gz4xpGLxpPAQG2C67IXcRZi55RCd5Y4GoSEbdrLHLVCaEP4SIOLhZnA3-Tq7LUHp58kjy8kcePB9L7bG9KgNtOhaaAFOHC8P6K0CIlR7SXwJObIIMVCOcoTA5AR6VGdY7BxDs/s320/to_thine_own_self_be_true.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One thing I've battled as a writer is staying true to my spiritual beliefs while writing about things that may not be spiritual in nature. Well, check that. I guess I could argue that everything has a spiritual side to it--every decision we make is influenced by our core beliefs.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My <a href="http://www.jlloydmorgan.com/">Bariwon series</a> has priests in it, and there is a prevailing religion, but I don't dig very deep into that. Instead, I focus more on human nature and how different types of people react when they are faced with difficult choices. And for complete disclosure, the decision to leave out bad language, explicit sex scenes and graphic violence is based on my personal core beliefs.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, I was faced with a completely different challenge during the writing of my third book--one that is not in the Bariwon series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just completed the edits on it. It's called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mirror of the Soul</i>.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What makes this book unique is that it is based on the works of musician <a href="http://www.cdeb.com/">Chris de Burgh</a>. The main story is driven from the song of the same name, however, I used dozens of his songs as inspiration for the book. I'm proud to say, I feel I've written a pretty darn compelling story using all these elements.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But, back to the challenge. This book takes place just after the Hundred's Year War in France around the mid-1400's. The primary focus of the book is about religion and those that would use it to further their own gain.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of my biggest fears is that people would perceive this book as an attack on a certain religion--which it isn't. It is the story of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">one</i> abbot and his monks and the actions <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">they</i> take. At the same time, I wanted to stay true to my core beliefs while telling this tale. I can say that I feel like I was successful, and least in my mind. I've no doubt there are those who can and will find fault.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But that's the point of this blog. I think each writer is trying to express something of their beliefs when they write. I dare say it can be a form of therapy. Yet, as an author, you also want your readers to become emotionally invested in the characters and story--without them feeling like they are being preached to.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's something I think about each time I write: telling a good story while staying true to myself.</span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-74393438451529639402011-08-22T23:30:00.000-07:002011-08-22T23:30:45.412-07:00Guilty PleasuresI have noticed that you can make things clear in your own head if you try and explain something to someone else i.e. teaching them = teaching yourself.<br />
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I was pondering why do I love books, I'm talking physical hard cover, paperbacks and trade softcover books while I still have yet to embrace e-books. I'll come out and say it, I have almost (not completely, but almost) no interest in e-books.<br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
Because I'm some kind of Luddite?<br />
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I sure don't think so.<br />
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A huge portion of what I enjoy about books is the discovery. <br />
<br />
I am sitting in my office, same one I have used for almost the last five years and the very office where everything I have had published (or to be published) was written. Forever remembering a Ray Bradbury quote, that I am sure I won't get quite right, he said something to the effect of having his office full of curios and inspiration for his writing. That has always stuck with me, so I fill my office with swords, models, music, art, tokens and fetishes of far away lands and...books.<br />
<br />
I have not counted in a year or two but I should have around 2,500 books just in my office. There's plenty more around the rest of the house too. At any given time I 'll have several open for research and interest in whatever subject I want to think about - currently its Celt's.<br />
Maybe you can do something similar with multiple open windows on a kindle, I don't know, but I doubt the musty soul is there. (Tell me if I am wrong kids)<br />
<br />
This post wasn't meant so much as my rant against e-books as it was on why I have a guilty pleasure in bookstores (which can't exist without books).<br />
<br />
I like to peruse bookstores (or librarys) for hours, picking through whatever strikes me fancy. I may be captured by a cover or eclectic font, a name that sounds interesting or a subject matter that moves me-but it is all about discovery and taking my time and letting myself be guided by the dead tree's ink stained soul.<br />
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I have discovered a lot of very fine books that were not on anyones review list or recommendation. Even some of my favorite books were chance discoveries. This would not have happened even close to the same with e-books. You can't look over amazon's pages like you can a multi stacked book shelf. The experience is not the same and I am boiling it all down to my own personal guilty pleasure, perusing and discovering books.<br />
<br />
I've heard rumors that with the demise of Borders and B&N scaling back, that perhaps the independentts will return. <br />
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I pray they do.mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-15581594956112509842011-08-13T13:56:00.000-07:002011-08-13T13:56:36.270-07:00Breaking Through Without Breaking Yourself<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Brick_wall_old.jpg/448px-Brick_wall_old.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Brick_wall_old.jpg/448px-Brick_wall_old.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another author once told me something to the effect “Publishing is like a wall that you just have to hit yourself against until it breaks.”<span> </span>I think that’s true. I can take considerable time and effort to get something published, and many attempts to break through the publishing wall, even once you’ve got a finished project.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The problem I see with some people is that they either get tired of going up against that wall, or the walls breaks them instead of them breaking the wall. <span> </span>It is easy to get discouraged and let every rejection you get irreversibly wound your self-esteem.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When dealing with rejection, remember that you are not alone.<span> </span>Rejection is not unique to new authors either.<span> </span>I recently read that Kathryn Stockett, author of “The Help” (which was recently adapted as a movie), was rejected 60 times before she founds someone to pick up her novel.<span> </span>Now I’m betting that those other 60 agents/publishers regret turning her down! Just think is she had stopped after rejection 2, or even rejection 22.<span> </span>She had to run up against the publishing wall 61 times before she finally broke though.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Sure, each of those rejections must have hurt.<span> </span>It is okay to be sad about a rejection.<span> </span>My policy however, is that I can’t dwell on them for more than 24 hours.<span> </span>Once that time has passed, I promise myself to start looking for the next place to submit my work.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">What do you do to overcome discouragement in writing? Do you have any methods that you think you should avoid?<span> </span><o:p></o:p></div>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-12019708337716854672011-08-09T08:02:00.000-07:002011-08-09T14:55:52.758-07:00The Hidden Sun's release is announcedSorry for the shameless plug here, ah heck, no I'm not sorry--I'm very excited!<br />
<br />
My book, <em>The Hidden Sun</em>, is being released by Walnut Springs Press on August 13th, 2011.<br />
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Here is the cover:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHH92K7GauVdpS23PHpd-yGTT0fdDvjIoXQ78gbDZx-wtfLUxJg3_6EE9wAOa_Z8aHYFn8koSOrCDLQsnBhQ3gSK83kdOy7DoLwbJUnnZFDOuRhPQSr6UKqis4SA4oX7hkbK7md60nZp4/s1600/HiddenSunCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHH92K7GauVdpS23PHpd-yGTT0fdDvjIoXQ78gbDZx-wtfLUxJg3_6EE9wAOa_Z8aHYFn8koSOrCDLQsnBhQ3gSK83kdOy7DoLwbJUnnZFDOuRhPQSr6UKqis4SA4oX7hkbK7md60nZp4/s400/HiddenSunCover.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is the blurb on the back cover:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 16px;">A faraway kingdom. <br />
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A beautiful princess. <br />
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A courageous hero.<br />
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A ruthless villain.<br />
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An impossible choice.<br />
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Eliana and Rinan are in love. However, she is destined to become queen of Bariwon, obligated to marry the victor of a competition called the Shoginoc, while Rinan, her royal guardian, is forbidden to marry. Normally they could renounce their titles to be together, but these are <i>not</i> normal times. Abrecan, the malevolent governor of Erd, is determined to win the Shoginoc, thereby placing his easily manipulated son Daimh on Bariwon’s throne. Can Eliana and Rinan find a way to be together without jeopardizing the peace they are so desperately trying to protect?</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;">I'll be launching the book as part of the August Authorama on August 13th at Pioneer Book in Orem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Here is a nifty flyer with the information:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKye9kfe5E7nbaSSkv9gnImrVWur3oC5iWiCTMcsr61vv2RmvpTNTpwVYKC7BXeFvl91TewWnIImEA0didMf1NXg0A4Z0eOszf68hvnHJl1098OPCn6jxeVSEknr3BL-gjEtTos_TAyRo/s1600/August+Authorama+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKye9kfe5E7nbaSSkv9gnImrVWur3oC5iWiCTMcsr61vv2RmvpTNTpwVYKC7BXeFvl91TewWnIImEA0didMf1NXg0A4Z0eOszf68hvnHJl1098OPCn6jxeVSEknr3BL-gjEtTos_TAyRo/s400/August+Authorama+3.jpg" width="351" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
I'll also be signing books at "Handcarts in the Valley" bookstore on Monday, August 15th from 4 until 6 pm. It's located at <span id="coreBizAddress">32 S Main St in Heber, Utah.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'd love to see at either (or both) events!</div>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-5283129085413849272011-07-28T11:45:00.000-07:002011-07-28T11:45:24.856-07:00Where do you draw the line?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhezIr0n8MHk_TTk-m2OIIL4sgqMZB3hz7f4c_6v0AIPFqTRfQKAcwNPG65BHvQemxiH4nJeTCTmNRqOH9ec5y35wAAvrpW8xdNF77z5Qhj1sV7Y80FqpemISvs-zPvLq1-VurTDHcuUg/s1600/Geometry_draw_line.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhezIr0n8MHk_TTk-m2OIIL4sgqMZB3hz7f4c_6v0AIPFqTRfQKAcwNPG65BHvQemxiH4nJeTCTmNRqOH9ec5y35wAAvrpW8xdNF77z5Qhj1sV7Y80FqpemISvs-zPvLq1-VurTDHcuUg/s320/Geometry_draw_line.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was once asked, "How long did it take you to write your first book?" That's a loaded question. Is it measured in the actual amount of time writing, meaning the hours spent pounding on the keys? Or is it measured by the date you started until the date you ended?</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Frankly, I don't have a clue how many hours it took. But when it came to writing <em>The Hidden Sun</em>, it was a good five years from when I started to when it hit the shelves for the first time. Granted, I have a full time job, plus a wife and four kids and I'm active in my church. In addition, there were times I had set aside for writing, and the inspiration just wasn't there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And then came the question of "what is your story about?" What's been interesting is that<em> I've</em> asked that question to people who have read it--and I've gotten all sorts of different answers. It doesn't fit into a particular genre. It takes place in medieval times in a fictional land. But there isn't magic and the only monsters are the human antagonists. For that reason, it isn't fantasy. Is it a romance? Well, there are romantic parts of the book, but that isn't the focus. Is it a coming of age story? Well, yes and no. To explain this would ruin some of the surprises in the book. Is it young adult? Here, the answer is "yes--sort of". Meaning, there isn't any bad language nor sex scenes and while there is some violence, it isn't graphic. BUT (and that's a big but) the book isn't targeted for only young adults. It's written for adults as well, just without the typical elements that would make it be considered an "adult" book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So. . .what is it? Well, I would describe it this way: It has action. It has adventure. It has romance. It has political intrigue. It has heroes. It has villains. It has many twists and turns. It has interweaving subplots that come together in the end. But overall, it's a book I wrote to convey a message.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Having said that, when different agents and publishers were reviewing the work, I'd get suggestions like "add some sex and violence, and we'll be interested." Or, "get rid of <em>this</em> or <em>that</em> and we'll be interested." In those cases, they wanted me to change things to make it fit into a more particular mold.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That is where I had to ask myself, where do I draw the line? Keep in mind, I had a lot of good suggestions on ways to improve the book that I did incorporate. Which suggestions did I choose to ignore and which did I keep? It boiled down to this simple question, "Does it change what I'm trying to say by writing this book?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In everything I write, I have two things in mind when I start. First: What is the basic story? and Second: What is the theme or message behind this story?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For me, a story without a theme or message doesn’t hold the same impact as one that does. If I may be so bold as to offer suggestions to other authors, it would be this: If the changes you are asked to make to your work alters what you as a writer are trying to express, then they aren't good changes. Draw a line in the proverbial sand and don't cross it. In the end, your book is your work. You are writing for a reason. Don't lose sight of that.</span>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-85457431311658651182011-07-19T23:55:00.000-07:002011-07-19T23:55:54.929-07:00What Comes First?What comes first in this field that we are all a part of? <br />
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Story.<br />
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I am answering this from a fiction writers perspective, but it has to be story-ultimately that's why we all write, we have a story to tell. Anything else comes later and that includes marketing, promotion, finding an agent/publisher, and even doing favors for other people that are tacitly related to all of the above.<br />
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I mention this because I have felt a little overwhelmed as of late and my wife gave me a dressing down for being too nice to people. "Why are you doing this? Why are you doing that?"<br />
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My answer was always-"Well, its for promotion, to get my name out there, to support someone else, give out some reviews my readers might like, etc, etc, etc."<br />
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Not that there is anything wrong with any of those things--But what comes first? What is the most important thing to <u>Your</u> career as a writer?<br />
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Telling your story and writing your books.<br />
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So I am not against any of the above, I have expanded on some social networking lately Google+ for one, but I do need to find a better balance of my time because of what is more important in the big picture for my career-Yes, I am working toward it being THE career.<br />
<br />
When I told Dan this would be my post for July (sorry about nothing for June) he thought it might be controversial-I don't see how. <br />
Anyone who I told I would read their book, or give them a blurb or review etc is still going to get one-I'm just probably not going to volunteer so much once I get through this current batch.<br />
And<br />
as is stated in the heading of the Man Cave -"<strong>Writing can be solitary, but success isn't."</strong> is true, I'm not advocating an every man for himself policy, just a reminder like my wife had to give me...of what comes first?mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-45215881366059775932011-07-08T08:51:00.000-07:002011-07-08T08:51:35.520-07:00Mothers and Angels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7zHvDZdAm4SfwkKcaamyhVQOGqZvh_ViVw8BtroM55UBNtryMr_X2MVxFhVjnfRbkR3QxNhegfBpiVubk4zYaJoxEZHlnuN8He_l867HXU_zhrWwTM6sYrBwElcLKkqeejhHqn61XGI/s1600/mikemombook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7zHvDZdAm4SfwkKcaamyhVQOGqZvh_ViVw8BtroM55UBNtryMr_X2MVxFhVjnfRbkR3QxNhegfBpiVubk4zYaJoxEZHlnuN8He_l867HXU_zhrWwTM6sYrBwElcLKkqeejhHqn61XGI/s1600/mikemombook.jpg" /></a></div>Last year, I entered my short story into the Cedar Fort Mother's Day contest. To my delight, "Portrait of a Mother" was selected for publication as a Mother's Day pamphlet and turned out great!<br />
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Now they are calling for submissions again. You can find all of the details on this blog post:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.cedarfortbooks.com/call-for-manuscripts-mothers-day/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">http://www.cedarfortbooks.com/call-for-manuscripts-mothers-day/</a></span><br />
Go ahead and try it! You may find yourself in print sooner than you think! And if you submission gets published, you'll already have the perfect Mother's Day present.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TM98gbfaY0knsnLeVyheFSAx1EMtrnatBESaAcdZEyCm7Xt1arTkGTu_0EXxMa9XOC_BzIri1nzOSnx1zcX-LuK3unL1_WcQyqvJ8GrajNspg-HD-u8kByOsCWD8VfnLMUkbanOjkws/s1600/Last_Archangel_blog_tour_banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TM98gbfaY0knsnLeVyheFSAx1EMtrnatBESaAcdZEyCm7Xt1arTkGTu_0EXxMa9XOC_BzIri1nzOSnx1zcX-LuK3unL1_WcQyqvJ8GrajNspg-HD-u8kByOsCWD8VfnLMUkbanOjkws/s320/Last_Archangel_blog_tour_banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In other news, my new release "The Last Archangel" is on a blog tour right now and getting great reviews. You can also win a copy of the book just by stopping by and filling out a form. Come check it out at http://www.writermike.com.mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-72847366082362521522011-06-19T19:34:00.000-07:002011-06-19T19:36:53.864-07:00From the Department of Redundancy Department<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTFUimqmOShaY5Pe5IJwdM96Y7vVW_TZAdmsrRmz5jc_qGQ1-ly-Jd6oiIvuipFRbQaNn9grQ-NgNg3H_PGpfeRLmdfJodXG79GVzfrNIMgg8IN6BH0yawm-CRVlqmAcRR9353HIJmag/s1600/redundant02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTFUimqmOShaY5Pe5IJwdM96Y7vVW_TZAdmsrRmz5jc_qGQ1-ly-Jd6oiIvuipFRbQaNn9grQ-NgNg3H_PGpfeRLmdfJodXG79GVzfrNIMgg8IN6BH0yawm-CRVlqmAcRR9353HIJmag/s320/redundant02.jpg" width="290" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">One thing I've noticed as I review my writing is all the extra words I include that aren't needed. That's part of the fun (and I'm being sarcastic) of editing.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">When I wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hidden Sun</i>, I would fret over sentences and paragraphs as I wrote. I remember there was one line that I just couldn't get to sound good. I got so hung up on it, I started to lose focus on the story. I finally threw my hands up in the air and moved on. When Tristi Pinkston edited the book for its re-release, she masterfully fixed it. Sadly, I don't recall the details aside from just taking out a few words here and there and tada! It flowed very nicely.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">The subject this month is really about editing, though I'm taking a bit of a different approach. I've heard from other authors that they suggest to just write the story and then come back to edit it. Some people write and re-write the first chapter over and over and then get frustrated about how slow it is going.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hidden Sun</i> was my first book. It took me roughly 5 years from the time I started writing it until</span> <span style="font-size: large;">the day the first copy was sold. Granted, I was working full time and yadda, yadda, yadda, but still, that's a long time to hold on to a dream.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">My second book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Waxing Moon</i>, came from an idea I got while editing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hidden Sun</i>. It's done and will hopefully see the light of day within a year's time. The trippy part about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Waxing Moon</i> is that the final version is actually quite a bit different from the first draft. I was shooting for about 100,00 words. When I got to about 65,000, the story was over. So. . .I wrote another 35,000 words and tacked it on the end. My beta readers noticed what I had done right away. The end result? I went back into the original 65,000 words and added some interweaving subplots that enhanced the book--and I think it's much better because of it.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">And about those 35,000 at the end that were cut? Let's just say I have a good head start on the third book of the Bariwon series. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">In my current work in progress, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mirror of the Soul</i>, I'm just plowing through the story full steam ahead with the knowledge that I'll be going back to edit, fix, adjust, add, and rewrite what I've done. And isn't it wonderful that writers can do that.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">As for the subject of editing and use of redundant phrases, let me end with a few examples:</span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Advance preview</b>. I guess this means you get to see a preview of something yet to come before someone else?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Over exaggerate</b>. I've used this phrase at least a million times.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kneel down</b>. Along the same lines of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Stand up</b>.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">True facts</b>. Very important to use these when writing non-fiction. </span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pair of twins</b>. I actually had this on an earlier version of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hidden Sun</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, my <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">final conclusion</b> is that it's <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">absolutely necessary</b> that writers <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">plan ahead </b>to avoid using redundancies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when editing, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">scrutinize in detail</b> the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">sum total</b> of your redundant words, with your <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ultimate goal </b>to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">completely eliminate</b> them from your writing. If you need help, you can always ask a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">knowledgeable expert</b>.</span></span></div>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-31189406793518020872011-06-04T17:23:00.000-07:002011-06-04T17:23:18.227-07:00After Patting Yourself On the Back...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So you finished your project, a novel, a short story, a play, whatever it is. Take a minute and pat yourself on the back. Now remove that hand from your back and put it back on the keyboard. You’re not done yet.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Hashing out a first draft is only phrase in the life cycle of your work, and also vital is polishing up your work so that it will shine as brightly as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Competition for publication can be fierce, and you cannot afford to put anything less than your best work out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Revision ,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>like writing the first draft, is a highly personal process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone does it a little differently and whatever works best for you is how you should do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Here are a few things I’ve found helpful. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Read for one element: </b>There are so many things to look for, including grammar and spelling, pacing, style, etc, that you might be overwhelmed if you look for it all at once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">You might find it better to give the work multiple readings, focusing on a single aspect.</span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><b>If in doubt, read aloud:</b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you stumble when you read, your reader might as well. If you are not sure, read the passage aloud and see how it flows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This helps in a way that cannot be duplicated by reading silently.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Your manuscript is not “for your eyes only.”</b>: After spending so much time with your work, you are too close to it to see it completely objectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though you need to go over it yourself, it is best to seek the help of others, at best, those who can give you their genuine opinion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a good idea to give the manuscript not only to those who know something about writing, but also to someone in your target audience.</span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">No matter how you do it, remember that there is a time to revise and a time to refrain from revising. You cannot revise forever, or you’ll never see print. Revise until you feel good about your work and then send it out into the world. It sometimes feels like letting out a child out into the world to fend for themselves, but as long as you have </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">taken the proper time to revise, you have nothing to worry about.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 21px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 21px;">The blog tour and launch party for my next book approach. Come get the details at </span></div><div><a href="http://www.writermike.com/p/appearances.html">http://www.writermike.com/p/appearances.html</a></div></div>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-49456648237684617542011-05-24T19:18:00.000-07:002011-05-24T19:18:35.620-07:00From a spark to a flame<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3KH0WKsDLDEMwG2fDgK2kD6bcH313onPY1g5zPeD8EkSKMMaoFOa0cBNLkCVdwGRAlFR7sWZvrj9yb6JVIH5qsTYCWQv7etNJHbQB_m1seVQDvNexMy9-qjWB_GmK16KE_vneyQaJiA/s1600/Dream-Weaver-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3KH0WKsDLDEMwG2fDgK2kD6bcH313onPY1g5zPeD8EkSKMMaoFOa0cBNLkCVdwGRAlFR7sWZvrj9yb6JVIH5qsTYCWQv7etNJHbQB_m1seVQDvNexMy9-qjWB_GmK16KE_vneyQaJiA/s320/Dream-Weaver-l.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><br />
I'm sure Freud would have something to say about this. Or perhaps there is a dream weaver out there who could shed some light on the subject. Or maybe, just maybe, a dream is just a dream.<br />
<br />
(Quick trivia: was the movie <i>Inception</i> inspired by <i>The Princess Bride</i>? Answer below.)<br />
<br />
I have this reoccurring nightmare where I'm about to finish school and there is a class I need to complete to graduate, but I haven't been there all semester--in fact, I'm not even sure when and where it meets. But, I have hope that if I find it, I can take the final and perhaps pass. Most often than not, it's an English class.<br />
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Quick side note: being dyslexic, I was always a terrible speller growing up. English classes often have spelling as part of their curriculum, so rarely did I get a good grade. I never thought I'd get my minor in English, let alone become a published author. However, as I got older, I came to realize something: there are these wonderful people called "editors" (shout out to Tristi and Kayla!) who let my imagination run wild without having to stop every two minutes to wonder if I typed something else that sounds like the word in my head. Example: my first drafts almost always have "has" in place of "as" and vice-versa--and bless my dyslexic mind, I just don't see them.<br />
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But back to dreams. There is also the reoccurring one where I can float just about an inch or so off the ground. And if I concentrate hard enough, I can actually get myself to rise higher--sometimes so high I can levitate over large objects, like walls or buildings.<br />
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What does this have to do with getting ideas for writing? <a href="http://www.thehiddensun.com/"><i>The Hidden Sun</i></a> was based on a very vivid dream I had one night. I woke up and remembered it well enough that I could share it with my wife. In doing so, I remembered it even more. She said, "That's interesting. You should write that down."<br />
<br />
So, I did.<br />
<br />
Then I got thinking about what happened to the characters before and after the dream. And, tada! I had my first idea for a book.<br />
<br />
For me, I often get ideas for books or storylines or blogs from dreams--of the day or night variety. I have an app on my smartphone where I can jot down little snippets. Most of the time, these ideas are "sparks" that get fanned and have fuel added to become a flame.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UY4HhRL3yMJWJBfWIB1YxdQ-MSn7kALiOUVK7eWPafF89f7Eu-hAnHIMBeiIylhEd2woHtTBPfYIn5xHXCU9L5RqG3a_5AvW_f4Z5K3wxzqTSwPzTB1uwrqvwT9pXzxOIfiG5Dlp40A/s1600/flame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UY4HhRL3yMJWJBfWIB1YxdQ-MSn7kALiOUVK7eWPafF89f7Eu-hAnHIMBeiIylhEd2woHtTBPfYIn5xHXCU9L5RqG3a_5AvW_f4Z5K3wxzqTSwPzTB1uwrqvwT9pXzxOIfiG5Dlp40A/s320/flame.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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What's been a lot of fun for the current book I'm writing is that it's based on a song from <a href="http://www.cdeb.com/">Chris de Burgh</a> called <i>The Mirror Of The Soul</i>. While the story in the song itself is compelling, I needed to add things to it in order to flush it out into a full blown book. In this case, I'll listen to random songs by Mr. de Burgh and use the stories or even a line here or there for inspiration. (And yes, I got permission from his manager, publisher and even Mr. de Burgh himself before I proceeded)<br />
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As for the other dreams? To psychoanalyze myself, I'd say my dream of failing a class is tied to something I've forgotten to do, either in real life, or in my writing, that is very important. And for the levitating? Well, perhaps in a world where many people are trying to push you down, and tell you that you can't do things, it's my mind telling me that I can if I just try.<br />
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Trivia Answer:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VNnj_MxUo2k" width="425"></iframe>mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-46018270601992685022011-05-20T00:25:00.000-07:002011-05-20T00:25:19.165-07:00Counterpoint on King's AdviceI read recently that Stephen King said (and I'm seriously paraphrasin') <em>Don't write down idea's because IF they are good idea's you will remember them anyway-and if you don't remember them-they weren't good idea's.</em><br />
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<strong>BULL CRAP</strong><br />
<br />
And here's why.<br />
<br />
YOU as the writer won't/don't/can't know what is going to resonate with the reader and <em>move</em> them.<br />
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Sure, sometimes you'll think, hey this will work or that will work--but other times a little aside that has little conscious meaning to you as the writer will strike a nerve and move someone-it will resonate and rock their perception and the readers perception of your story <em>is</em> the readers <em>reality</em>.<br />
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I know because I have done it. Small tweaks in stories have changed characters into some readers favorites-and that would not have happened if I wasn't taking notes and later perusing them and putting that stuff into the book. I call it Tetrising things in.<br />
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It's all well and good for King to throw out that particular advice but the reality is we all forget things and will continue to forget things and at King's age - How many things has he already forgotten? How many sparkling gems has he potentially trod over? I suggest it isn't even a potential-its absolutely already happened countless times.<br />
<br />
So I advise, in contrast to a million dollar writer (because he is wrong), take notes because <em>YOU</em> will forget. <br />
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The Muse can be fickle, don't ignore her, don't think she'll call back later with the same message, and don't forget to map the journey she is asking you to travel on.mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667391035275232392.post-47904723576827071352011-05-14T11:23:00.000-07:002011-05-14T11:29:44.365-07:00Deadline: how an old enemy became a good friendDeadline.<br />
<br />
I've always hated that word. It reminds me too much of words like "homework" and "chore." You know, those really nasty concepts that could ruin entire weekends.<br />
<br />
It took a long time for me to realize how important deadlines are.<br />
<br />
Before I was published, back when I wrote only fiction, deadlines were a rather aloof topic. People would ask when I would write a book or get a story out. The truth was that I didn't know. I always answered in vague timetables like "later" or "this year."<br />
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Finally, I got tired of my own procrastination and started working for a local newspaper. That's where I learned how to write and how to write fast.<br />
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No longer could I tell someone "I'll write it later" or "this year." Stories were due often a few hours after I interviewed someone.<br />
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At first, this terrified me. I had always told myself that I could write a really good story if I were given more time. I'll admit that sometimes that's true, but procrastination is never the answer.<br />
<br />
In 2010, I pushed myself to the limit by signing up for what became a 22 part series for my newspaper. I had always wanted to do a series, and I was thinking big--something that would really make me stick out. I wanted to profile prominent Mainers for their success across the state.<br />
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>This meant I would have to snag interviews with busy hard-to-reach people, write stories and turn them in well before my usual deadline. My editor wanted it to be a front-page series, so there was no fudging the dates. I agreed, and to this day, I surprised myself.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGr-mOHli4hAgPIL1KYOBwUXgqIrU0OyDoT4XrXy6i2asOhq1Uynb8ZOzh9FUDvQnGqrJ3yLM3YfJ3Nz2Fnzyho-ckjN8JEWQKUOdHWVZ7YB461n-7WXYCQw3H7g0fHmNVoSgH18xv9I/s1600/Victoria1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGr-mOHli4hAgPIL1KYOBwUXgqIrU0OyDoT4XrXy6i2asOhq1Uynb8ZOzh9FUDvQnGqrJ3yLM3YfJ3Nz2Fnzyho-ckjN8JEWQKUOdHWVZ7YB461n-7WXYCQw3H7g0fHmNVoSgH18xv9I/s400/Victoria1.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
<i>I took this picture in 2010 when I interviewed author and actress Victoria Rowell. It made the front page along with my story. Everyone I knew was shocked that I got to meet her. In Maine, she's known from her roles in prime-time series like "Diagnosis Murder" and "Dumb and Dumber" with Jim Carey.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
During that time, I interviewed people like Victoria Rowell from "The Young and the Restless," former Maine governor Angus King, UFC Fighters Marcus Davis and Tim Boetsch, and New York Times Bestselling author Tess Gerritsen, among many others.<br />
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I churned the stories out as fast as I could because half my time was spent scheduling interviews, some of which never worked out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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But more importantly, I learned more about myself and what I could accomplish. I just needed a deadline to do it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RDOlPmwXSBGe31VbzCeKEDfZyRRItuupKotKD5qZEMsRs9aU1AM3_KLrbvB_GsQa6abOuDVXQPithNdVSS-sX6YoIl38_2Fi_7a2m1eBdrCyVhcidnWsXMYK9cVSh1Fzq2CxT2XqbcM/s1600/Tim-Boetsch-punching-Mike-Patt-at-UFC-88._BkfLv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RDOlPmwXSBGe31VbzCeKEDfZyRRItuupKotKD5qZEMsRs9aU1AM3_KLrbvB_GsQa6abOuDVXQPithNdVSS-sX6YoIl38_2Fi_7a2m1eBdrCyVhcidnWsXMYK9cVSh1Fzq2CxT2XqbcM/s320/Tim-Boetsch-punching-Mike-Patt-at-UFC-88._BkfLv.jpg" width="320" /></a><i> </i><br />
<i>Here's a pic of UFC fighter Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch (right) in action. Due to his training schedule, I wasn't able to meet Tim, but he spoke to me over an hour on the phone. His UFC record is an impressive 16-4. He knocked this opponent, Mike Patt, out in the first round at UFC 88.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
I learned that there are too many stories that need attention. As a writer, each one is a step in improving your craft.<br />
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Writing is a lot like lifting weights. If you want to see results, you don't start working out the night before your big date. You have to do it consistently over time.<br />
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Sometimes you won't lift that much. Sometimes you might drop the weights. But what matters is that you're doing it. Only by lifting weights do you see results, and only by writing do you finish a story.<br />
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The thing I hated most--the deadline--helped me finally become a writer. Now with more than 200 articles published in various newspapers and magazines, I've come to recognize the deadline as an ally in the continuous battle against procrastination. <br />
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If you need to organize your ideas, make a deadline. Nothing will light a fire like that.<br />
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If you want to write fiction every week, create a writers group. Nothing will make you write more than sharing your work with others on a regular basis.<br />
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Only writing will make you a writer, and if you're anything like me, you need a deadline to make you write.mancaveauthorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08762750547570261191noreply@blogger.com5