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Showing posts from 2011

10 Questions with Writer Dan Kind (@DanHKind)

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This Author Spotlight features Dan H. Kind, writer of  fantasy and speculative fiction, and author of the hilarious and irreverent novel THE FOUNTAIN OF EDEN . 1) How did you get into writing? I read a lot, I have an overactive imagination, and I'd always wanted to write fiction. But after school I set this ambition aside, except for jotting down the occasional line of bad (and I mean horrible) poetry. Three years later, summer 2001, I attended a Phish show, a habit I retain to this day. During an insanely long Slave to the Traffic Light jam, it was as if the music opened up some unused part of my brain. Right then an idea hit me for a novel. A year later that idea was still stuck in my head and I thought, “It's now or never,” and began writing. Since then I've been hooked. Creating universes is highly addictive. 2) What do you like best (or least) about writing? Least: that I have so little time to do it. Most: world-building, and when that little plot pr

My review of Daniel H. Wilson's ROBOPOCALYPSE

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Daniel H. Wilson This is what a top-notch roboticist looks like. ROBOPOCALYPSE has been on my to-read list for some time. When I stumbled across it at the library, I grabbed it.  I'm glad I did.  For starters, it's got one of the best covers I've seen lately. Very professional and high quality.  Without giving anything away, the book is what you expect: the story of a robot uprising against humanity. In this it delivers. The story unfolds as a series of vignettes, almost like short stories, which are all connected. The chapters introduce the various characters and then weave through the story going back and forth and here and there, catching us up with what each character has been doing, how they've been struggling in the New War, as it is called.  The writing is smooth and not overdone, so no need for a dictionary. The story reigns supreme and is not diminished by any fancy attempts at wordplay. There are a few downright awesome one-liners, too. But I'l

10 Questions with Romantic Comedy Novelist Elle Lothlorien (@ElleLothlorien)

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This week's Author Spotlight features Romantic Comedy novelist Elle Lothlorien. 1.      How did you get into writing? I had professors in college who urged me to become a writer, but the desire just wasn't there.  About ten years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night with a story idea.  I sat on the floor of my bedroom with my laptop and began my first book, a literary novel.  It turned out that writing an entire book was much harder than writing a college paper!  I finished about 25% of it before abandoning it.  My second attempt was a suspense novel. I finished about 50% of it before the same thing happened.  My third attempt, the thriller VIRGIN ,  was the first book I ever completed; however, it was my romantic comedy THE FROG PRINCE (fourth attempted novel and second completed for anyone keeping score) that was published first. 2.      What do you like best (or least) about writing? Best: When the characters are transm

10 Questions with Writer Patricia Russo

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This Author Spotlight features Patricia Russo author of SHINY THING 1. How did you get into writing? Through reading.  I was a constant reader.  Since I have very poor eyesight, I also tended to skip the pictures in the books.  I focused on the text.  The words were what was real.  Words made worlds.  I was quite young when I decided I wanted to do that, too. 2. What do you like best (or least) about writing? The best part is the initial flash, brain-spark, heart-lift, of an idea or theme or image, or, best case scenario, when several elements come together and form a complete, or almost complete, story, in my head.  Second best part is the actual writing of it.  Worst part is thinking what I’ve written sucks.  And I always think that what I’ve written sucks.  Sometimes it sucks eggs, and sometimes it sucks big hairy donkey dick, but it always sucks. 3. What is your writing process? IE do you outline? Do you stick to a daily word or page count

Why Your Novel is a Tall, 6-Pump Vanilla, Breve Latte Grande, Extra Hot, Heavy Whipping Cream, Extra Dry Cappuccino (Or It Should Be) by Elle Lothlorien

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The Resident Self-Publishing Guru of the Blogosphere, aka Joe Konrath, had a great guest blog by novelist Elle Lothlorien. I'm mentioning it and linking to it because the self-publishing business is still The Wild, Wild West of the publishing world. In short, no one truly knows for certain what works, how to garner sales, how to get into the Kindle 1 Million Club, nor how exactly (or when, exactly) one can quit the dreaded day-job and be a full-time Writer. Nevertheless, Elle Lothlorien has written an insightful article. The comments on her article (90 as of this writing) are equally as fascinating and illuminating. Here's the link: http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2011_12_06_archive.html And take a moment to explore Elle's novels as well. Visit her website at  http://www.ellelothlorien.com/Home.html

10 Questions with Authorgraph Creator Evan Jacobs (@evanjacobs)

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This Author Spotlight features Evan Jacobs author/creator of Authorgraph ebook autograph software Have you ever had the opportunity to attend a book signing to meet one of your favorite authors, but you owned only the eBook edition of their book, so you whipped out a Sharpie and had them sign the back of your Kindle/Nook/Kobo/iPhone, and then ran home and slapped clear packing tape over the signature? If you're anything like me, you have a special place in your heart for eBooks (and you've never done the above; well, maybe just that one time, since you're not allowed in that store anymore). eBooks are extremely convenient, weigh far less than a printed volume, and you can carry hundreds and hundreds of them on your choice of eReader. But have you ever wished you could somehow get an autograph from one of your favorite writers for the eBook edition of their work? Now you can. (I even got one from E.L. James, author of Fifty Shades of Grey )

10 Questions with Science Fiction/Thriller Novelist Michael R. Hicks (@kreelanwarrior)

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This Author Spotlight features Michael R. Hicks author of DEAD SOUL In anticipation of his new Science Fiction novel DEAD SOUL, I had a chance to interview novelist Michael R. Hicks, who is quickly becoming one of the break-out indie novelists in the world today, alongside writers such as J.A. Konrath, John Locke, and Amanda Hocking, all of whom have put up some very impressive sales figures through their combination of talent and hard work. DEAD SOUL, the latest in the IN HER NAME series, is scheduled for release October 1, 2011. Without further ado. . . . 1. How did you get into writing? I’ve enjoyed writing since late in high school, and did a lot of technical and analytic writing during my career in the government. But I started writing novels because I had hit a major rut in reading science fiction, which was my favorite genre. The breaking point was after I read a book by an author whose work I had always enjoyed, but the book was terri

How do YOU choose names for your characters?

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What you are about to read is a true story. It is a fundamental tenet of a writer's life that one must always be writing new material. When one project is complete, it goes into the proverbial drawer for a few weeks or a month. This is to allow oneself to forget what one has written, so that after a few weeks or a month has passed, one may look at one's work with the objective eye required to evaluate the work in progress. During this cooling-off period, one must be writing new material. This also applies during the editing/polishing phase in which a manuscript is perfected prior to publication. To that end, while I am polishing Book 6 of THE GO-KIDS, I am two chapters into a new science fiction novel (the title of which shall remain secret for the time being). While making a fourth pass through Chapter 1 of this new novel, I decided to go ahead and name the two male characters featured in the scene. They stand on a street corner in Santa Monica, California, on t