Book Review: Brent Spiner’s Fan Fiction

Fan Fiction by Brent SpinerDuring the third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, actor Brent Spiner attracts a stalker, a fan from the lunatic fringe who sends disturbing packages and threatening letters to him under the name “Lal.” Trekkies know that Lal was an android created by Commander Data in an episode titled “The Offspring.”

Spiner contacts the LA police only to finds himself dealing with an eccentric detective who seems more concerned about getting his Star Trek script produced than investigating the case. The FBI becomes involved when “Lal” sends razor blades to Spiner through the mail and a postal worker is injured. The female agent assigned to the case just happens to have a twin sister in the bodyguard business and she’s hired to accompany Spiner everywhere…and I do mean everywhere. The action heats up as “Lal” closes in. Along the way, Spiner veers off on several odd tangents about his stepfather that loosely relate to the plot. As for the ending, no spoilers here, only that it was rushed and contrived (the kind of “riveting” finale we’ve seen in a hundred other thrillers).

While not perfect, this amusing noir-comedy blends fact and fiction to deliver a fast-paced and suspenseful tale that includes the main cast members of Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as Gene and Majel Roddenberry and even a cameo by Ronald Reagan.

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, we’re doing it by the numbers. At Career Authors, Polly Stewart offers five tips for creating suspense while Barbara Butcher explains six rules for writing true crime.

Mythcreants Chris Winkle and Oren Ashkenazi give us five ways to maintain tension in our stories and five mistakes to avoid when crafting our villain’s master plan.

Over at the Kill Zone, Sue Coletta shows us a formula for writing effective back cover copy while James Scott Bell reviews the latest news in the publishing industry.

If you want to make sure your characters aren’t boring, listen to Amy Wilson at Good Story Company. If you want your characters to be iconic, take some advice from literary agent Donald Maass.

All that and a lot more. Enjoy!

CRAFT

Boring Characters by Amy Wilson

3 Helpful Tips for How to Rewrite a Novel by Rhiannon Richardson

Better Book Descriptions in 3 Easy Steps by Sue Coletta

Five Secrets to Writing Suspense by Polly Stewart

Five Ways to Restore Tension by Chris Winkle

Five Questions to Ask About Your Villain’s Master Plan by Oren Ashkenazi

Six Rules for Writing About True Crime by Barbara Butcher

Iconic Characters: Made Not Born by Donald Maass


BUSINESS

Eye on the Publishing Business by James Scott Bell

The Balance Between Indies by Lauren Wise

8 Unexpected Benefits from BookBub’s New Releases for Less Promotions by AJ Yee

Top Tips on BookBub Cost-Per-Click Bidding from 15 Advertisers by Carolyn Robertson

KKR in Advanced Talks to Buy Simon & Schuster for $1.65 Billion by Anirban Sen and Milana Vinn

 

 

 

 

Battle of the Books

On Wednesday, July 26, I shared a wonderful evening at my local library with several fellow writers for Battle of the Books, a game show in which three writers read three-minute excerpts from their novels or short stories in six rounds. The rounds include opening scene, introducing a character, action, dialogue, random page (chosen by the audience) and closing scene. After each round, the audience votes on their favorite reading. Following this, our quizmaster reads an excerpt from a famous novel and the audience is given the opportunity to answer and win a prize.

The random page segment was cut for time but it was a blast to read alongside Suzanne Grieco Mattaboni and Dianna Sinovic. John Evans was our Alex Trebek, Charles B. Kiernan our quizmaster, Judy England-McCarthy our timekeeper, and Michael Daigle kept score.

As a bonus, I sold a few books afterwards but more importantly, shared a few hours with amazing friends for a welcome midweek break. This was my fourth Battle of the Books, and one of the best yet.

Battle of the Books was created about seven years ago by John Evans as a public outreach event for the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group.

Books for Sale at Battle of the Books  Contestants at Battle of the Books

Chaz Kiernan-Quizmaster at Battle of the Books  John Evans and Phil Giunta at Battle of the Books

John Evans-Host of Battle of the Books  Michael Daigle and Judy England-McCarthy

Phil Giunta at Battle of the Books  Suzanne Mattaboni-Battle of the Books