Category Archives: Blog

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Dave Chesson reviews the pros and cons of Draft2Digital’s services while Chuck Wendig expresses concern about the current literary landscape with a focus on AI and book bans.

At Mythcreants, Chris Winkle reminds us that the hero of our story should always have agency, even when things go sideways.  Elisa Bernick advises new writers on the right and wrong ways to approach established authors for advice while the nice folks at Good Story Company offer tips on marketing your books to libraries.

Over at BookBub, we have a trove of information on book promotion covering topics such as pre-orders, contests and giveaways, and attracting new readers.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Draft2Digital: Read THIS Before You Sign Up by Dave Chesson

Marketing to Libraries by Good Story Company

Giving Your Hero Agency When Things Go Wrong by Chris Winkle

Origin Stories and Big Reveals: Do We Really Need Them? by Barbara Linn Probst

Let’s Chat About ChatGPT by James Scott Bell

6 Ways Clichés Can Help Your Writing by Kathryn Craft

Striking Hollywood Scribes Ponder AI in the Writer’s Room by Mandalit del Barco

The State of Being a Published Writer in 2023 is Really Weird and a Little Worrisome by Chuck Wendig

The Right Way to Ask a Published Writer for Publishing Advice by Elisa Bernick

24 Great Prize Ideas for Book Promotion Contests and Giveaways by Leila Hirschfeld

11 Ways to Promote Preorder Books that Drive Real Results by Therese Walsh

BookBub: Promoting a New Book to Current Fans and New Readers [Case Study] by Carolyn Robertson

 

 

Blog, Fishing, Outdoors

Out on the Water – Leaser Lake

Leaser Lake PickerelWhen I’m not writing, traveling to conventions, or working on my house, I like to be outside as often as possible whether hiking, walking, or fishing.

During April and May, I took a few days at the beautiful Leaser Lake in Lehigh County, PA. Had a wonderful time and hooked one of the largest pickerel I’ve caught in years. I look forward to going back soon!

Leaser Lake Largemouth Bass   Leaser Lake Yellow Perch

Blog, Book Reviews

Book Review: The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt VonnegutThe wealthiest Hollywood playboy in America, Malachi Constant, is invited to the home of Beatrice Rumfoord to witness the manifestation of her husband, Winston Niles Rumfoord, and his dog Kazak. Nine years before, Rumfoord had piloted his spaceship into an uncharted chrono-synclastic infundibulum near Mars. Kazak was his only companion aboard ship. Since then, man and dog exist as energy but materialize on a regular schedule in his mansion on Earth. Word of Winston’s materializations have spread over time and now draw a crowd outside the mansion’s walls. His wife, however, permits no audience to Winston’s appearances—until he specifically requests the presence of Malachi Constant.

What follows is a mind-bending journey, entirely predicted and orchestrated by Rumfoord, that takes Malachi and Beatrice to various points in the solar system, all memories and identities from their Earthly lives erased. In the meantime, Rumfoord creates a new religion called The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent in which the Almighty exists but cares not for the affairs of mankind. Oh, and then there’s Salo, an alien from the planet Tralfamadore who crash landed on Saturn’s moon Titan eons ago on his way to deliver a message from his people to parts unknown. Also on Titan is where Rumfoord and Kazak reside in a palatial estate when they’re not beaming across the solar system.

But what is the purpose of Winston Niles Rumfoord’s machinations? Why has he chosen Malachi Constant and his own wife Beatrice as his pawns and how does the Tralfamadorian Salo fit into the picture?

In The Sirens of Titan, Vonnegut’s dry humor sinks its claws into religion, morality, destiny, and the purpose of life in a tale that is sometimes hilarious, other times disturbing, but at all times original.

Blog, Book Reviews

Book Review: Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Cat's Cradle by Kurt VonnegutA writer named Jonah (or possibly John) looks back on his adventures, and his conversion to a religion known as Bokononism, while conducting research for a book about the late Frank Hoenikker, one of the fathers of the atomic bomb. The first leg of our hero’s journey takes him to Hoenikker’s hometown of Ilium, NY where he meets two of Hoenikker’s three adult children. There, Jonah learns that each of the children possesses a piece of Ice-Nine, a dangerous substance their father developed for the military.

He later learns that Hoenikker’s oldest son is a high-ranking official on the Caribbean Island of San Lorenzo, home to one of the poorest populations in the world. As it happens, Jonah accepts an assignment that takes him to the island and finds himself on the same plane as Hoenikker’s other two children.

Shortly after his arrival on San Lorenzo, Jonah finds himself in an unimaginable position just before all hell—and a lethal quantity of Ice-Nine—breaks loose.

With Cat’s Cradle, Vonnegut delivers a satirical tale of religion, destiny, futility, and the end of days. It’s a delightful and quick read with most chapters no longer than a page.

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, the folks at Good Story Company offer tips on writing active protagonists, realistic dialogue, and child characters.

Juliet Kemp discusses the basics of strong prose while Diana Urban provides a guide to social media for writers. How effective are author newsletters and what are the reasons to use them? Bookbub’s AJ Jack provides metrics and testimonials to answer all of your questions.

On the business side, Lauren Aratani spotlights Barnes and Noble’s second wind while David Barnett examines the often painful reality of being a debut author.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Authors on Social Media: Choosing Platforms and Avoiding Burnout by Diana Urban

Writing an Active Protagonist by Michal Leah

Tighten Up Your Writing by Juliet Kemp

Tips for Writing Child Characters by Good Story Company

Amazon Doesn’t Care About Books: How Barnes & Noble Bounced Back by Lauren Aratani

Writing Realistic Dialogue by Michal Leah

State of the Author Newsletters: Data from 500+ Authors by AJ Jack

Debut Authors Find Publishing ‘Disappointing’ — Sorry, What Do They Expect? by David Barnett

Writing Is Much Too Important to Be Left to Copywriters by Mike Reed

Know Your Story’s Selling Points by Paula Munier

Blog, Book Reviews

Book Review: The Best of L. Sprague de Camp

When we think of the writers who comprised the golden age of SF, names like Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, Lester del Rey, and Ted Sturgeon might be the first to spring to mind. There were many others, but to my dismay, they’re fading into the brume of antiquity—folks like Henry Kuttner, Clifford Simak, A.E. Van Vogt, Fritz Leiber, and L. Sprague de Camp to name a few.

The Best of L. Sprague DeCampWhich is why I’m always excited to peruse used book shops and book dealer tables at conventions. I never fail to leave without a stack of golden age gems. One such recent find is the The Best of L. Sprague de Camp. Known in his time as a humor writer in the fields of SF and fantasy, the stately de Camp was also a historian, scientist, and engineer, all of which influenced his fiction. 

This “Best of” compilation is an eclectic showcase of de Camp’s humor and intellect. My favorites include: 

“The Command” – A chemically altered bear that can read, reason, and even operate some machinery, stops an evil chemist and his henchmen bent on world domination. 

“Nothing in the Rules” – The desperate coach of a woman’s swim team knows they cannot beat the opposition without an advantage, but his solution is downright mythical. 

“The Hardwood Pile” – Loggers cut down a Norwegian Maple that happened to be home of a wood nymph. After all attempts to reason with the company owner fail, the nymph uses her magical abilities to ensure he can’t sell the lumber made from her tree. 

“The Reluctant Shaman” – The indigenous American owner of a trinket shop is burdened with temporary custody of the legendary Gahunga, elemental beings of the Seneca tribe who use their magic in the service of their caretaker. However, when the shop owner asks them to drum up more business for his shop, he soon regrets it. 

“A Gun for Dinosaur” – Things go sideways when a time-traveling dinosaur hunter takes two clients back to the Late Mesozoic era. One customer is too small in stature to handle a dinosaur gun and the other is a belligerent hothead who disregards the guide’s advice and fires at every creature he sees.

“The Emperor’s Fan” – The Emperor of Kuromon comes into possession of a magical fan. Simply wave it at an enemy and watch them disappear, but what happens when the fan falls into the hands of an unexpected adversary?

“Two Yards of Dragon” – In order to achieve knighthood and win the hand of a lovely maiden, a young man travels far from home to slay a dragon and return with two yards of its hide. Little does he know that dragons are now protected game, he has no hunting license, and worse, dragons are out of season.