Category Archives: Blog

After Action Report: FrightReads Book Festival

On Saturday, September 30, I attended the third annual FrightReads Book Festival in Millersville, MD as an author guest. It was my first time there and will certainly not be my last.

It was a magical weekend of hanging out with old friends, making new ones, and putting faces to names I’d only known through Discord or social media.

I managed to sell 14 books (not bad for my first time at this event) and as a bonus, my hotel was directly across the street from the Bass Pro Shops in Arundel Mills and I had a $50 gift card to burn, which meant a new winter jacket!

Many thanks to showrunner Harry Carpenter and his wonderful staff. Check out these pics from the show. I look forward to next year!

All set up and ready for the show!
Photo credit: Jay Smith

My table at FrightReads Book Festival   Rachel at FrightReads Book Festival

My table at FrightReads Book Festival

My table at FrightReads Book Festival

Sharon VB and Laura at the Farpoint Table
Always great to see Farpoint friends! Sharon Van Blarcom and Laura Inglis on Sunday. Not pictured: Cindy Shockey held down the Farpoint fort on Saturday.
Sawney Hatton and Jason Voorhees
Run, Sawney, run!

Girl from The Ring   The Jackal from 13 Ghosts

Michael Myers  Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

Pam and Jay Smith
Wonderful chatting with Pam and Jay Smith. Despite the humidity, Pam braved it out in costume until 4PM on Saturday. It was definitely a shorts and T-shirt weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

Pam and Jay Smith

Krampus   Krampus

Jurassic Park Jeep

GhostBusters Ectomobile

GhostBusters Ectomobile

GhostBusters Ecto 1B Car

Easton Book Festival 2023

October is nearly upon us and with it, the Easton Book Festival, which will take place October 19-22 in downtown Easton, PA. The central hub of the festival is Book & Puppet Company at 22 Centre Square but programming is scheduled all over town including:

International Fusionism Museum
Nurture Nature Center
College Hill Tavern
Easton Area Public Library
Skillman Library
Quadrant Book Mart
Easton Farmers Market

The full schedule of impressive events can be found here on the festival website.

I’ll be participating on Sunday, October 22 in the following events:

Easton Book Festival Small Press Expo11AM – 5PM – Easton Small Press Expo. Author tables will set up in the Easton Public Market located at 325 Northampton St. Come on out to see local writers Angel Ackerman, Michael Stephen Daigle, Phil Giunta, Christopher Ochs, Ginny Shephard, Felicia Heath, Dianna Sinovic, and Tom Lubben.


Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin Book Cover11AM – Noon – Grit and Crime: The Art of Writing Noir with Albert Tucher, Suzanne Mattaboni, Dianna Sinovic, Phil Giunta (moderator).

Noir is a subgenre of crime literature featuring cynical characters and bleak settings. Dark in theme and subject matter, noir often features systemic corruption and a disturbing mixture of sex and violence. It is frequently associated with hard-boiled detective fiction, but they’re not exactly the same. Panelists will discuss the similarities and differences between noir and hard-boiled fiction, and what inspired them to write in these genres. Panelists will read excerpts from their stories in “Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin,” the latest crime noir anthology from Hawkshaw Press.


Dark and Stormy Night Gameshow2PM – 3PM – A Dark and Stormy Night: Game Show with Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. Host: John Evans. Participants: Phil Giunta, Bernadette Sukley, Michael Stephen Daigle, Suzanne Mattaboni, Dianna Sinovic, Charles Kiernan.

Storm clouds gather as the audience votes on their favorite excerpts read by three GLVWG authors in a literary “gameshow.” Each round showcases the authors’ mastery of an element of fiction: dialogue, setting, character with the audience as the judge. Expect audience participation, a literary trivia quiz, door prizes, and fun for all.


3:45PM – 4PM – I will be reading a 10-minute excerpt (unless I speak quickly and finish the entire thing!) from my short story, “Where Halloween Never Ends” at the Easton Public Market.

About This Writing Stuff…

Nice to hear from a few writer friends on the blog this month. Sara Karnish reminds us about proper critique etiquette and discusses the writer/editor relationship with Pattie Giordani.

It is said that your focus determines your reality. That applies to fictional characters as well. However, there are occasions in real life when we deliberately ignore or avoid something unpleasant. Writer pal Kathryn Craft shows us effective ways to depict that in our characters.

Over at Good Story Company, Amy Wilson draws a distinct line between editing and revision while Kristen Overman delves into the “chosen one” trope and how to ensure your hero is up to the task.

Struggling with book marketing? With a writing drought? With imposter syndrome? We got you covered on all three this month.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Follow the Energy of Denial by Kathryn Craft

Chosen One Stories: Is Your Hero Worthy of the Journey? by Kristen Overman

How Right Do Your Characters Have to Be? by Terry Odell

How to Give a Critique (Without Being Too Critical) by Sara Karnish

I Would Rather See My Books Pirated Than This (Or Why Goodreads and Amazon are Becoming Dumpster Fires) by Jane Friedman

How to Market Your Books to Get Worldwide Exposure by Diana Urban

How Authors Use Preorders to Promote New Books in 2023 by AJ Yee

5 Things Influencers Look for in a Book by Ryan Steck

5 Ways to Survive a Publishing Drought by Katrina Kittle

The Difference Between Editing and Revising by Amy Wilson

The Author/Editor Relationship: A Q&A with Pattie Giordani by Sara Karnish

How to Escape Imposter Syndrome in Your Writing Life by Lynette M. Burrows

 

 

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