Following up on a fundraiser I ran during April for Child Abuse Prevention Month. As promised, all proceeds from the sale of my novel Testing the Prisoner were donated to Prevent Child Abuse America. It’s a modest sum, but my gratitude to everyone who purchased a copy of Testing the Prisoner is enormous.
This month, we begin with author marketing and branding with Good Story Company’s Michal Leah. From there, Anne R. Allen weighs in on the value of blogging vs Substack (and newsletters in general).
These days, of course, we can’t avoid the digital elephant in the room known as AI, especially as related to copyright infringement. Check out the latest on that from The Authors Guild and Sidebar Saturdays.
We conclude our lineup with a variety of fantastic articles covering such topics as crafting effective dialogue and unforgettable opening scenes to exploring your character’s taboos and writing compelling inner conflict. Enjoy!
DIY Author Marketing 101 by Michal Leah
Substack Newsletters vs. Blogging: Should Authors Quit Blogging and Join Substack by Anne R. Allen
No One Buys Books by Ellie Griffin
Authors Guild Supports Groundbreaking Bill to Create AI Transparency Between Creators and Companies
Big Tech’s Disregard for Authors: AG Responds to Tech Companies Harvesting Books
Artificial Intelligence Generated Work – Copyright Protection and Infringement by Matt Knight
Why Should I Bother with an Outline? by Kristen Overman
Dig Into Your Character’s Taboos by Kathryn Craft
Labeling Your Dialogue by Chris Winkle
Shaping the Sound of Your Dialogue by Chris Winkle
Pacing Your Dialogue by Chris Winkle
Avoid, Persevere, Endure, Fight: 4 Goals for Unforgettable Opening Scenes by Ayesha Ali via Jane Friedman
Upmarket Fiction: Everything You Need to Know by Louise Tondeur
Why Trains Make the Perfect Thriller and Mystery Setting by Debbie Babbit
How to Write Compelling Inner Conflict by Angela Ackerman via Jane Friedman
Mix together a heaping cup of crime drama, a pinch of paranormal, a motley assortment of monsters, and a dash of creepy comedy and you get Toxic Candy, a thoroughly enjoyable and diverse collection of quick, fun stories from veteran suspense writer Weldon Burge. A few of my favorites include:
“The Old Man on the Porch” – An elderly man sits on his porch day and night, never moving, never speaking to his only neighbors across the street. Perhaps he’s not even human.
“Melvin and the Haunted Mansion” – Is a creepy ticket attendant of the Haunted Mansion ride in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware still hanging around four decades later, or is his ghost lurking among the mechanical monsters?
“To See the Elephant” – During the Civil War, a mysterious creature roams the battlefields, never straying far from the wounded and dying. No one knows what it is, until a Confederate doctor witnesses its horrifying manifestation.
“Vindictive” – A hitman finds himself haunted by the ghost of one of his recent targets, wreaking havoc with his next two assignments and putting him in hot water with his boss.
What happens when the illegal drug you’re taking splits your personality? That’s exactly what happens to Bob Arctor, a dealer addicted to Substance D, street name “Death.”
Fred is a narcotics officer assigned to monitor’s Bob’s activities. Only one problem. Bob and Fred are the same guy. Arctor’s situation becomes even more complex when the police set up holographic surveillance equipment in his house where he lives with two other junkies, Barris and Luckman.
Meanwhile, Arctor continues to buy Substance D from a young woman named Donna Hawthorne in hopes of getting to her supplier, but instead, falls in love with her. Eventually, Arctor’s addiction destroys his brain and lands him in a rehab center engaging its own nefarious activities.
While not my favorite Philip K. Dick novel (that’s a tie between Ubik and Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said), he does a phenomenal job of portraying the brutal reality of drug addiction and its devastating effects on the mind and body. Dick’s invention of the “scramble suit” is a clever plot device that allows Fred to go unrecognized among this fellow officers and eventually, to Barris who attempts to betray Arctor to the police in Fred’s presence. Buckle up for a wild ride.