Geoff Habiger's Blog, page 2
April 8, 2018
New short story available
I have a new short story - Brush Strokes - available to read for free on my website. I hope you will check it out.
Brush Strokes
Brush Strokes
March 16, 2018
Review of Krakatoa, by Simon Winchester
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded by Simon WinchesterMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
August 1883. Events happening on a tiny island in the Sunda Strait between the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java were about to dramatically change the world. On the morning of August 27 the volcanic island of Krakatoa erupted in an earth-shattering explosion. Krakatoa’s eruption was dramatic on many scales. Tsunami and volcanic ash devastated many of the villages that sat on the coastline of the Sunda Strait on both Java and Sumatra. In the capital of the Dutch colony Batavia (present day Jakarta) day turned into night from ash. The sound of Krakatoa’s explosion was heard in Bangkok, Manila, Perth, and Rodriguez Island - nearly 3000 miles from its source! The pressure wave caused by the eruption displaced barometers in dozens of fashionable gentlemen’s clubs across Europe and was later found to have traveled around the globe at least seven times! Once it was over nothing but two small islands remained of the once mighty volcanic island. Krakatoa was the largest volcanic eruption in recorded human history and the recent connection of many countries by telegraph cable made it one of the first truly global events.
Winchester takes the reader on a wonderful journey, looking not only at the eruption of the volcano but also at the events that shaped the world at the time of the eruption. Winchester’s story focuses on the geology of Krakatoa and on the history of Indonesia and the lasting effects of Dutch colonization. The book begins with a look at the history of Indonesia. The islands of Indonesia, that today make up the most populous Islamic country in the world, were key to the ambitions of European countries during the height of the Colonial Era due to the riches brought by its spices – pepper, clove, and nutmeg, what Winchester calls the “holy trinity of the Asian spice trade.”
Winchester’s back-story and history of colonization set the stage for the dramatic events of 1883. Through this set-up the reader learns a great deal of geology. Indonesia sits at one of the crucial sites found on our Earth, located at a junction between two tectonic plates. To the south sits the Australian plate that is traveling north and subducting under the Eurasian plate. The results create one of the most tectonic and volcanically active regions on Earth. Winchester takes the reader through the thought processes that led to the unifying theory of geology, plate tectonics, and is the key to understanding how and why Krakatoa erupted.
As in Winchester’s other books his style is straightforward and easy to read. For many readers the thought of reading a book that covers both geology and history may seem daunting and dry, but Winchester envelopes the reader with a rich and vibrant writing style combined with over 50 illustrations, maps, and photos that keeps you turning page after page. We experience the eruption of Krakatoa from many perspectives, those of sailors traveling through the Sunda Strait at the time of the eruption, to colonial administrators living along the Straits. We are immersed in the lives of those people that experienced the eruption first hand and those that struggled to interpret and study the volcano’s activities. In the end Winchester takes us up to the summit of Anak Krakatoa – the child of Krakatoa, the volcano reborn from the sea to experience the rebirth of this amazing island first hand.
I highly recommend Krakatoa, The Day the World Exploded to anybody interested in geology, or history, or with a passion for both (like me). You will come away with a deeper understanding of the geology of plate tectonics and the area of the Java Trench as well as the history of Indonesia and how events on a small island on the morning of August 27, 1883 started us down a path to a connected, global community.
View all my reviews
February 23, 2018
Musings After A Con (Part 2)
(Note - still not a scam I'm running.)
Coy and I just finished up at Planet Comicon in Kansas City last weekend. As usual we had a great time meeting everybody who bought our books (a huge THANK YOU to all of you), meeting some great fellow authors (A.E. Lowan we mean you!), and generally just having a blast talking to everybody that we could at the Con. Geoff got to meet Bill Amend (of Foxtrot fame), which was very cool, and generally we had a great weekend.
That's one of the great things about going to a Con - whether it be comics, or games, or any shared experience. Meeting all the other great people there, both attendees and the other exhibitors. In this case we were blessed to be placed next to A.E. Lowan (Jennifer and Jessica), and during the slow parts of the day, when everybody was waiting in line to meet Jason Mamoa or Alice Cooper, we got the chance to chat and talk about writing, publishing, world-building, and just geeking out. And that's one of the things I love the best about attending events is networking with other exhibitors. I always manage to learn something from my fellow exhibitors - whether it's a new product, a new way to pitch your stuff, or just cool and fun things. Plus it is a way to make life-long friends. I have friends that I made at paleontology conferences over 20 years ago who I still chat with on Facebook and Twitter. And I have new friends that I just made at cons this year.
So where's this heading? Honestly, I think I'm just rambling now, but if I was to sum everything up it would be that when attending a Comic Con, or a writing conference, or author event, or whatever where there are a bunch of other authors you should never look at your fellow exhibitors/authors as competition. Sure, you are all trying to grab the limited attention (and even more limited dollars) of the people that have come to the event, but you will come out farther ahead if you see your fellow vendors as collaborators rather than competition. You'll build long-lasting relationships that way, which will prove to lead to greater sales opportunities. Since meeting A.E. Lowan in KC and Zachry Wheeler in Albuquerque at the two cons I attended this year I've been blessed to have them help spread the word about my books (Unremarkable and Wrath of the Fury Blade), as I've helped spread the word about theirs (Faerie Rising and Transient). It's a vicious, dog-eat-dog world out there, so its always best to have some friends at your side.
Coy and I just finished up at Planet Comicon in Kansas City last weekend. As usual we had a great time meeting everybody who bought our books (a huge THANK YOU to all of you), meeting some great fellow authors (A.E. Lowan we mean you!), and generally just having a blast talking to everybody that we could at the Con. Geoff got to meet Bill Amend (of Foxtrot fame), which was very cool, and generally we had a great weekend.
That's one of the great things about going to a Con - whether it be comics, or games, or any shared experience. Meeting all the other great people there, both attendees and the other exhibitors. In this case we were blessed to be placed next to A.E. Lowan (Jennifer and Jessica), and during the slow parts of the day, when everybody was waiting in line to meet Jason Mamoa or Alice Cooper, we got the chance to chat and talk about writing, publishing, world-building, and just geeking out. And that's one of the things I love the best about attending events is networking with other exhibitors. I always manage to learn something from my fellow exhibitors - whether it's a new product, a new way to pitch your stuff, or just cool and fun things. Plus it is a way to make life-long friends. I have friends that I made at paleontology conferences over 20 years ago who I still chat with on Facebook and Twitter. And I have new friends that I just made at cons this year.
So where's this heading? Honestly, I think I'm just rambling now, but if I was to sum everything up it would be that when attending a Comic Con, or a writing conference, or author event, or whatever where there are a bunch of other authors you should never look at your fellow exhibitors/authors as competition. Sure, you are all trying to grab the limited attention (and even more limited dollars) of the people that have come to the event, but you will come out farther ahead if you see your fellow vendors as collaborators rather than competition. You'll build long-lasting relationships that way, which will prove to lead to greater sales opportunities. Since meeting A.E. Lowan in KC and Zachry Wheeler in Albuquerque at the two cons I attended this year I've been blessed to have them help spread the word about my books (Unremarkable and Wrath of the Fury Blade), as I've helped spread the word about theirs (Faerie Rising and Transient). It's a vicious, dog-eat-dog world out there, so its always best to have some friends at your side.
February 15, 2018
February 14, 2018
Release Day!
Today is the day that Unremarkable is now available to purchase. It has been a long time in coming, but the day has finally arrived. Coy and I hope that you will pick up a copy, and if you enjoy it, to leave us a note. We are working on a second book in the series called Untouchable that will continue to tell Saul's story. We are about 3/4 of the way through the first draft, and as we get further along and have updates we will let you know.
But for now, if you enjoy a fun historical fiction story featuring a noir setting and vampires, we hope you will pick up a copy of Unremarkable.
Enjoy!
But for now, if you enjoy a fun historical fiction story featuring a noir setting and vampires, we hope you will pick up a copy of Unremarkable.
Enjoy!
February 9, 2018
Countdown to launch
We are less than a week away for the official release of Coy and my first novel, Unremarkable. It will be out on Valentine's Day!
We have had a lot of great feedback already about the book, including book reviews by Publishers Weekly and a great Clarion review. Plus some great comments from others.
Why release a book on Valentine's Day? In our case we wanted to tie the holiday into the events of the book, which opens on the fateful day of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago, 1929. The events of that day have important consequences for our main character, Saul Imbierowicz, who suddenly finds himself thrust into a desperate situation between the gangsters "Bugs" Moran, Al Capon, and the Feds. Everybody suddenly wants something from Saul, and they are using his family as leverage to get their way. What Saul doesn't know (but quickly finds out) is that vampires are not just the stuff of legends.
As a special offer we are making the ebook version of Unremarkable available for just 99 cents to celebrate the initial release. The ebook is available for Kindle and many other formats including Nook, Kobo, ePub, iBook, and others.
We hope you will pick up a copy of Unremarkable and that you enjoy it. If you like the book, we ask that you leave us comments either here, or on Amazon and Smashwords.
We have had a lot of great feedback already about the book, including book reviews by Publishers Weekly and a great Clarion review. Plus some great comments from others.
Why release a book on Valentine's Day? In our case we wanted to tie the holiday into the events of the book, which opens on the fateful day of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago, 1929. The events of that day have important consequences for our main character, Saul Imbierowicz, who suddenly finds himself thrust into a desperate situation between the gangsters "Bugs" Moran, Al Capon, and the Feds. Everybody suddenly wants something from Saul, and they are using his family as leverage to get their way. What Saul doesn't know (but quickly finds out) is that vampires are not just the stuff of legends.
As a special offer we are making the ebook version of Unremarkable available for just 99 cents to celebrate the initial release. The ebook is available for Kindle and many other formats including Nook, Kobo, ePub, iBook, and others.
We hope you will pick up a copy of Unremarkable and that you enjoy it. If you like the book, we ask that you leave us comments either here, or on Amazon and Smashwords.
February 7, 2018
World Building - Differences
So, I had a great idea for a post about world building, and then I read a great post by Claire Buss on the same topic (read it if you have a chance), so I don't want to rehash what Claire (and others) have said.
But, I do have a unique perspective on world building - in an English class "compare and contrast" required essay sort of way. I have two books coming out - Unremarkable is being released this month (in 7 days in fact!), and the second, Wrath of the Fury Blade comes out in April. Both are fun books, and each has its own share of world building, but each is quite different on how Coy and I approached them.
Unremarkable takes place in 1929 Chicago. As a historical setting I did a lot of research to get the feel and character of the city right. There is a lot of name dropping to locations, streets, and places in Chicago to help set the scene. In fact one reviewer pointed out that the book feels a bit unsure about the city. And I will admit that that is probably the case. (Edit: the reviewer did like the story, and does recommend it, but I take their comments to heart.) While we had some historical locations within the city to draw upon, the story is set in an alternate world where the supernatural (vampires and such) are real. While not open and known to all, they are there, so creating the mythology of the supernatural elements, and weaving it into the story was the fun (and challenging) part.
Wrath of the Fury Blade in contrast is a story set in a completely fictional fantasy setting. I am a huge fan of Ian Rankin and his Inspector Rebus novels, and in Rankin's stories the settings of Edinburgh and Scotland are an integral part of the story. We wanted our fantasy city to be the same way, so we spent a lot of time mapping the location. I even drew a map to make sure I knew where everything was located and made little marks all over it whenever I placed a building or event. But just having the locations wasn't enough. The city - called Tenyl - needed to be lived in, to feel like it was more than just stage dressing. We had to think about the language, the culture, the food, the magic, and everything else. We wanted there to be a history to the locations, and to have everyday objects to have meaning for the residents. In the US we Americans have all sorts of slang for our money - "bucks", "greenbacks" "Benjamins", "dough", etc. What about in a fictional fantasy world? Calling coins generic "copper pieces" or "gold" wouldn't cut it, So silver coins are called Marks by the treasury, but the locals use slang to refer to them, calling them "Skippers" or "Skips" because of an ancient legend about a silver coin being skipped across the river to found the city. It was this level of attention to our world building that helped get us a review that said "In this marriage of fantasy and procedural thriller, the team of Habiger and Kissee...gives fans of both genres a master class in worldbuilding."
So, where was I rambling toward? World building can have many different facets to it, whether you are building on a historic setting or starting from scratch. Both are necessary, but there are different ways of addressing each, and the level of detail necessary to make both worlds seem real may be different. In the end it comes down to the type of story and world you are trying to create.
But, I do have a unique perspective on world building - in an English class "compare and contrast" required essay sort of way. I have two books coming out - Unremarkable is being released this month (in 7 days in fact!), and the second, Wrath of the Fury Blade comes out in April. Both are fun books, and each has its own share of world building, but each is quite different on how Coy and I approached them.
Unremarkable takes place in 1929 Chicago. As a historical setting I did a lot of research to get the feel and character of the city right. There is a lot of name dropping to locations, streets, and places in Chicago to help set the scene. In fact one reviewer pointed out that the book feels a bit unsure about the city. And I will admit that that is probably the case. (Edit: the reviewer did like the story, and does recommend it, but I take their comments to heart.) While we had some historical locations within the city to draw upon, the story is set in an alternate world where the supernatural (vampires and such) are real. While not open and known to all, they are there, so creating the mythology of the supernatural elements, and weaving it into the story was the fun (and challenging) part.
Wrath of the Fury Blade in contrast is a story set in a completely fictional fantasy setting. I am a huge fan of Ian Rankin and his Inspector Rebus novels, and in Rankin's stories the settings of Edinburgh and Scotland are an integral part of the story. We wanted our fantasy city to be the same way, so we spent a lot of time mapping the location. I even drew a map to make sure I knew where everything was located and made little marks all over it whenever I placed a building or event. But just having the locations wasn't enough. The city - called Tenyl - needed to be lived in, to feel like it was more than just stage dressing. We had to think about the language, the culture, the food, the magic, and everything else. We wanted there to be a history to the locations, and to have everyday objects to have meaning for the residents. In the US we Americans have all sorts of slang for our money - "bucks", "greenbacks" "Benjamins", "dough", etc. What about in a fictional fantasy world? Calling coins generic "copper pieces" or "gold" wouldn't cut it, So silver coins are called Marks by the treasury, but the locals use slang to refer to them, calling them "Skippers" or "Skips" because of an ancient legend about a silver coin being skipped across the river to found the city. It was this level of attention to our world building that helped get us a review that said "In this marriage of fantasy and procedural thriller, the team of Habiger and Kissee...gives fans of both genres a master class in worldbuilding."
So, where was I rambling toward? World building can have many different facets to it, whether you are building on a historic setting or starting from scratch. Both are necessary, but there are different ways of addressing each, and the level of detail necessary to make both worlds seem real may be different. In the end it comes down to the type of story and world you are trying to create.
January 15, 2018
Musings After A Con
That's a Comic Con, not some scam that I was running.
Just finished the Albuquerque Comic Con this past weekend and I had a blast. Maybe you think that means I sold a bunch of books, raking in the dough. Well, I did sell books (and I'll be honest, I'd have loved to sell more than I did - what author doesn't!), but that was what made the con a blast for me. (It helped, but it wasn't the main reason. Maybe not even the second reason.)
For me the con was a blast because I got to meet so many great people. Everybody I spoke to, whether those coming to my booth, or the other vendors around me, was having a great time and really enjoying themselves. People that I pitched my books to almost always bought one of my books, sometimes both! But everybody I spoke to loved the ideas for the books, remarked on how unique the stories sounded, and were intrigued by what I had written. That to me was the best thing about the weekend, being able to interact with so many people and create new fans for my work.
The other fun thing for me was to meet the other authors who were there. By the end of the weekend I had traded many of my books for theirs (the barter system is alive and well among vendors!) and I hope I have made some new friends. It is fun to talk craft with fellow authors, and to give and take advice about writing, marketing, publishing, and basically what it means to be an author today. I wish the best to the authors I met and I hope you enjoy the books I traded with you. I know I am looking forward to reading what I got.
So overall it was a fun and amazing weekend. Even when things were slow at the booth it was just great to people watch and see everybody who had come to the con. There were some amazing cosplay outfits by young and old, and it was always fun to see them (even if on many of them I had no idea who they were supposed to be). I am definitely looking forward to my next convention (which is just over a month away).
Just finished the Albuquerque Comic Con this past weekend and I had a blast. Maybe you think that means I sold a bunch of books, raking in the dough. Well, I did sell books (and I'll be honest, I'd have loved to sell more than I did - what author doesn't!), but that was what made the con a blast for me. (It helped, but it wasn't the main reason. Maybe not even the second reason.)
For me the con was a blast because I got to meet so many great people. Everybody I spoke to, whether those coming to my booth, or the other vendors around me, was having a great time and really enjoying themselves. People that I pitched my books to almost always bought one of my books, sometimes both! But everybody I spoke to loved the ideas for the books, remarked on how unique the stories sounded, and were intrigued by what I had written. That to me was the best thing about the weekend, being able to interact with so many people and create new fans for my work.
The other fun thing for me was to meet the other authors who were there. By the end of the weekend I had traded many of my books for theirs (the barter system is alive and well among vendors!) and I hope I have made some new friends. It is fun to talk craft with fellow authors, and to give and take advice about writing, marketing, publishing, and basically what it means to be an author today. I wish the best to the authors I met and I hope you enjoy the books I traded with you. I know I am looking forward to reading what I got.
So overall it was a fun and amazing weekend. Even when things were slow at the booth it was just great to people watch and see everybody who had come to the con. There were some amazing cosplay outfits by young and old, and it was always fun to see them (even if on many of them I had no idea who they were supposed to be). I am definitely looking forward to my next convention (which is just over a month away).
January 1, 2018
Unremarkable Review
Just got notified of a review for Unremarkable by Publishers Weekly. I think it's a glowing review, but check it out yourself:
https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781...
https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781...
December 14, 2017
All I want for Christmas...
Being an author is hard work (and don't let anybody tell you differently!). Not only must you craft your story, get your characters to behave and follow along (hopefully) with what you want them to do, and put it all together in a coherent package, you must also do all the other things that they never tell you in "I Want To Be A Writer School". Marketing, publicity, setting up author events, promotion (or, what a good friend of mine calls "pimping your book").
All of that is hard enough if you have the luxury of being a full-time writer. But some of the best advice I ever heard for aspiring and new authors is, "don't quit your day job". So I have to do all the writing and all the marketing and promotion on top of working a full-time job. On top of that, I work a part-time job as a publisher, working to get other people's books published. (I'm senior partner and managing editor for Artemesia Publishing, so feel free to check us out.) (Yes, shameless self-promotion - it works for publishers as well as authors.)
So, Santa, if you are reading this, all I want for Christmas this year is some free time to be able to write. I'm not asking for much, maybe a couple of hours on the weekends. I'm midway through two sequels (Untouchable is the sequel to Unremarkable, and Joy of the Widows Tears is the sequel to Wrath of the Fury Blade) and if I don't get some free time it will take another 7 years to get these out there. Long lapses between releasing books may work for some writers (I'm not specifically calling George RR Martin out here, but....), but for a new author trying to build a fan base, I don't think I can do that.
So Santa, instead of new books that will just pull me away from the important job of writing, or movies that will just be a distraction, all I want for Christmas is a few hours in which to write.
And if you are interested, check out the giveaway for Wrath of the Fury Blade starting tomorrow.
All of that is hard enough if you have the luxury of being a full-time writer. But some of the best advice I ever heard for aspiring and new authors is, "don't quit your day job". So I have to do all the writing and all the marketing and promotion on top of working a full-time job. On top of that, I work a part-time job as a publisher, working to get other people's books published. (I'm senior partner and managing editor for Artemesia Publishing, so feel free to check us out.) (Yes, shameless self-promotion - it works for publishers as well as authors.)
So, Santa, if you are reading this, all I want for Christmas this year is some free time to be able to write. I'm not asking for much, maybe a couple of hours on the weekends. I'm midway through two sequels (Untouchable is the sequel to Unremarkable, and Joy of the Widows Tears is the sequel to Wrath of the Fury Blade) and if I don't get some free time it will take another 7 years to get these out there. Long lapses between releasing books may work for some writers (I'm not specifically calling George RR Martin out here, but....), but for a new author trying to build a fan base, I don't think I can do that.
So Santa, instead of new books that will just pull me away from the important job of writing, or movies that will just be a distraction, all I want for Christmas is a few hours in which to write.
And if you are interested, check out the giveaway for Wrath of the Fury Blade starting tomorrow.
