If you are like me, you have more stories floating around in your brain than you have time to actually write. Some of those stories involve one set of characters, others another. It can lead to all sorts of problems when it is time to actually sit down and do the writing. That doesn’t even consider how complicated the story-telling can be in a single novel. For example, I wrote a novel once where I had some important but secondary characters show up from time-to-time. The initial writing of the novel went by very quickly but with revisions and follow-up edits, the names (and some of the description) of those characters changed somewhere between the beginning and the end. Can […]
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Getting Published is an Emotional Roller-coaster
There are times when I completely understand why some writers quit after their first book. They sweat and fret and stress over the book until it is perfect. They are excited about sharing their book or short story or whatever and wait anxiously for the publishing date to arrive. They talk it up and on that glorious day…nothing happens. Maybe their mom and a few others who know the writer pick up a copy (pity purchase?) but beyond that the book sits unwanted. Dreams of glory and riches are crushed and the writer throws down (writing instrument of choice) and proclaims they will never write again. Dreams can build you up and they can tear you down. The thing is, […]
Read moreJune is Chock-full of Awesome
2015 has shown itself to be a banner year for me. Jeffrey Hite and I started our new imprint, Evil Alter Ego Press, our first book, Dimensional Abscesses was released and there are a number of big wins at work and at home. And then June rolled around and upped the ante by a considerable margin beginning right on June 1st when Jack Kane and the Statue of Liberty (Amazon.com link) was released by Champagne/Burst Books. Jack Kane and the Statue of Liberty (Kobo books link) is the first in the Jack Kane series written by JR Murdock and me. The book is a YA/Steampunk/Super hero/Adventure/Comedy mashup that was an absolute blast to write. I can honestly say it was one of the most fun writing […]
Read moreBeta Readers
I have always believed Beta Readers to be important to a writer. They are definitely important to me because, more often than not, my Beta Readers point out flaws in my stories that I am either unwilling or unable to see. For example, I’m currently editing/revising Scouts of the Apocalypse (formerly Boyscouts of the Apocalypse). This is a book I wrote some time ago for the Action Pack Podcast. I wrote it fast and episodically. When the story was complete I thought I had something that would be worth publishing. I converted the podcast script to a manuscript and sent it to a couple of my Beta Readers for comment. What I got back wasn’t quite what I expected but […]
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