Kevin Lucia's Blog, page 70

Happy Halloween!

It's that time, folks!  (Even though it's snowing, here....)  

Anyway, have fun trick or treating tonight, rent or watch a scary movie later on, have a blast dressing up, and burn those Jack Lanterns brightly! 

Just watch out for the last house on the left, that old creepy manor at the end of the lane, and don't pick up any strange-looking hitchhikers on the way (or run over them, either!)

I have to admit, I wished I'd dressed up this year.  The kids are getting old enough, I think, to really appreciate it, so I think next year we'll have to figure something out.  That, and maybe next year we'll hunt up a haunted house or two...

Tomorrow I'm starting a tour around other folks' blog and websites.  I'll begin at the home of Greg Mitchell, author of the upcoming horror novel The Strange Man, as he kicks things off with an interview.  I'll end things at Apex Publications.  There'll also be a brand new, online short story for you too - which I think you'll all love!

Hope you come along! And Happy Halloween!

Contributor Copies Arrive...

Just got my contributor copies for the Guideposts collection containing my most recent piece of creative nonfiction (or nonfiction inspirational, whichever you like), "A Chorus".  All these stories are very personal, but this one in particular hits close to home because it's about the time I almost lost my best friend to an awful accident, and literally saw the power of prayer keep him on this Earth.
That's six for six, now - six fiction pieces to six nonfiction pieces. I like the balance.   Keeps me focused on what's important.  Meeting big authors, Stoker Recommendations, things like that - all very heady stuff.  These stories - about my children, about how Abby has supported me in this crazy pursuit of a writing career - they keep me grounded, remind me who I leave behind when I go on Cons.
That, and at this point, I owe my mother-in-law at least two "nice stories" a year for all the things she does for us!
However, I like where these stories take me, what they are - honest tales about how faith has impacted our life, how God has provided for us over the years. They're not about theology, doctrine, any of those things.  The only way I know how to share my faith is through what God has done for our family, how He's take care of us.  I'll leave the theology and doctrine to others much more scholarly than myself, and dogmatic stumping for those who have the time and energy to care about such things. 

Go to school, fool...

Seriously.  Two of the best things I ever did was enroll for my Masters of Arts in Creative Writing and attend two consecutive sessions of Borderlands Press Writers' Bootcamp.  Critique is an absolute MUST for any creative writer, and not only that - there are SO many things about creative writing that CAN be taught.  

Granted, that "spark" or "voice" that separates a creative writer from an academic writer or journalist often can't be taught (though it can be coaxed out), but there things Creative Writers can LEARN, like:

POV rules
Word Economy
Plot Structure & Logic
Grammar/Mechanics
Characterization/Character Voice

Anyway.  Whatever type of writer I'll become someday, I owe a LOT - if not everything - to my instructors at both Binghamton University and Borderlands' Writers' Bootcamp.  I consider Hiram Grange & The Chosen One to be a direct product of this instruction.

However, not everyone can go AWAY to school.  There are online options available.  Like this one, taught by Bram Stoker Award Winning Editor, Michael Knost.  Check it out - enroll.   Got to school and gets some learnin'! Plus, he's offering free stuff for the first eight people to sign up.  How can you go wrong there?


"Sign up for LEVEL ONE Online Writing Course and get a FREE copy of Specters In Coal Dust!
The first 8 people to sign up for the next LEVEL ONE Online Writing Course will get a FREE copy of my latest anthology Specters In Coal Dust.

I've had a lot of folks asking for the return of the earlier online writing courses, so I have decided to kick off from the beginning: the Level One online writing course. I will then schedule the subsequent course levels after that.

Online classes will be conducted live via audio/video conference with PowerPoint presentations and chat lines. Audio or video capabilities (or special software) are NOT required for participation. However, a computer with Internet connection IS required.

Here is the LEVEL ONE Online Writing Course

Thursday, November 4, 2010
Plot and structure.

Thursday, November 11, 2010
Description and detail

Thursday, November 18, 2010
Point of View and Dialogue

Thursday, November 25, 2010
Creating great characters

All classes are from: 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. Eastern

The course is $120.00, which includes all four classes. 

For questions or confirmations email me at michaelknost@me.com

The first eight people to sign up will receive a free copy of my latest anthology Specters In Coal Dust.

This anthology includes ghost stories set in coal mines from authors such as:

Gary A. Braunbeck
Christopher Golden
Tom Piccirilli
Steve Rasnic Tem
Elizabeth Massie
Lee Thomas
Ronald Kelly
Bev Vincent
William Meikle
Nate Southard
Joshua Reynolds
Barbara Jo Fleming
Michael Bracken
and Brian J. Hatcher.

Click the link below to sign up:

http://pages.suddenlink.net/michaelknost/LEVELONE.html "

Sign up now, get a free collection featuring the best in the business, and then receive top notch instruction from the best in the business.  How can you go wrong?

Just what the doctor ordered...

...for my case of the blues this morning.  Lon Prater, friend and fellow author, has this to say:

"So. If you like tormented heroes who tend to find themselves in quirky tentacle-strewn "damned if you do and damned if you don't" situations, and also tend to extricate themselves with gallows humor and a blazing Webley--then I suspect the Hiram Grange books from Shroud might be just what the doctor ordered. This one (Hiram Grange & The Chosen One) from Kevin Lucia was pure pulpy nonstop testosterony goodness..."
Very nice precursor to November's blog tour.  Just remember, starting November 1st you can enter to win one of three copies through my Goodreads giveaway, and if you want to take part in the blogging madness, email me at: spreadingtheword@kevinlucia.com.

A Life Less Ordinary

There are times when I wish we lived more of an ordinary life.  Whatever that might be.  Of course, that brings up all sorts of questions as to what constitutes as "ordinary".  The word defies definition, really, and means widely varying things to different people. 

And, let's be honest - I'm trying to carve out a career as a writer.  Weird sleep schedule, Con road trips, (which cost money we don't have, which leaves me caught between wanting to be with my flighty artist friends, leaving behind a family I miss, and knowing that I'm hurting the family budget chasing an impossible dream), my own flighty artist mood swings, chasing an impossible dream that's impossible to let go of - such things do not engender a sense of the ordinary.  So for that, I've no one to blame but myself.

Add in Zack's autism.  One family mini-van that barely runs.  A university administration that's been basically stonewalling me at every turn on a stupid test that has nothing to do with Literature.  A job I'm not sure I have faith in anymore.  And of course, Abby's exhausted too.  Sometimes I wonder how she has the patience to put up with me.  She's to be blessed and sainted, certainly.

And my own impatience.  I see friends doing big things with their writing. I have lots of opinions about that but don't know what I'm supposed to say about what I think and feel about how I see the writing world and my opinion about those who are getting ahead.  Everyone seems to have a mentor.  An older, experienced author who not only guides them along but also acts as a friend and confidant and...let's be honest...a patron who endorses their work.  

I have a few people who have influenced me, given me good advice - but let's be honest, some of them I've met only once.  Not exactly a mentor, really.  I know tons of people I'd LIKE to call mentor.  That's about it.

I grew up thinking writing was just about the writing.  If you were good at writing, that was all the mattered.  Now I see it's more.  

And I'm not sure what to think about that.  

A really good writing friend - a potential mentor, I hope - gave me very good advice via email, recently - there is that.  Thank God for that, and if you're reading this, Thank God for you.  It's people like you that I'll have to thank if I don't quit this.

I'm probably just tired and moody.  Zack woke up coughing at 11:30 - and for some reason it not only jolted me awake, but sort of made me angry. Not at him, obviously.  But we'd just gotten him to start sleeping really well the last two days.  And last night he went out like a light.  I was just starting to think: "Thank God,  now we can get back to normal", and here I am - I just sat down after my 8th or 9th time in a row putting him back to bed again.

Like I said - I'm tired and moody.  The alarm was turned down and I overslept, so no writing today, which always makes me grumpy.  It's Thursday, which means Abby has to work and I have to fly around, get ready for work and feed the kids, take the kids to daycare - which in essence I really love to do - but also means I have to drive in the opposite direction from work, then speed back to work and hope I'm not late and don't miss homeroom.

And I just put Zack back down again.  He's been awake since 4.  Which means he'll oversleep, be too tired to eat much breakfast, and maybe have another bad day at school. 

We have teachers and doctors' appointments for Zack's sleeping difficulties, both on days when we have only one car.  What should I do?  Skip classes at Seton or take two whole days off?  Which is it? Am I actually being a concerned Daddy by wanting to be involved, or am I using it as an excuse to get out of a job I no longer feel effective in, where only one class really excites me - the Creative Writing elective at the end of the day?  And if I'm being a concerned Daddy, how much more of this is work going to take?

Okay.  I'm gonna put an end to this.  I'm sure you get it.  Bad day in the life.  Tomorrow will be better.  Let's just hope I don't run out of gas on the way to work like I did this past Tuesday....

Embarking On A Blog Tour and A Goodreads Giveaway

During the month of November, 20-30 bloggers and I are going to embark on an experiment and blog tour myself and Hiram Grange & The Chosen One.  I'm not holding my breath or expecting big things - especially because my initial idea, to see if I could spike a small press novella up Technorati's book rating page, is now defunct because apparently Technorati doesn't rate books anymore.  If any folks out there know of book rating/ranking websites/services you can ping, give me a holler.

Anyway, I'll be around on several blogs: being interviewed, guest posting, or bloggers will be reviewing Hiram Grange and posting the first three chapters.  Also, I'll be running a giveway of three Hiram Grange's through Goodreads during the tour. Basically, to win you must join Goodreads, visit that link (wait a few days) and indicate you want a copy. Goodreads will pick three winners, and I'll send you three copies.

So, at odd times throughout November, I'll post a blog listing all the places that are "touring" Hiram Grange  - in interviews, reviews, ect - and those other posts will also feature all the links touring Hiram.   Back when Technorati still had a book page, all this posting and linking would ping an Amazon URL and boost said book up their Popular Books page (which no longer exists).   Now, it'll just make for a November of Hiram Grange, and I figure you can't go wrong there. Plus, I'm hoping the folks involved will also see some increase in traffic on their blogs.

Okay.  If you want a chance for a free Hiram Grange & The Chosen One, join Goodreads and keep an eye out for the initial post.  If you want to be part of the blog madness during November, and still have a chance to win some cool stuff, drop me a line at: 

spreadingtheword@kevinlucia.com

Should I Make A Shelfari "Kevin Lucia" Group? and Book Blog Tours

SO, I had this idea about a book blog tour for Hiram Grange & The Chose One.  An experiment, really.  A few years ago, I reviewed for a few book blog groups that picked a certain time of the week/month, blogged for three days consecutively about a book, always posting that book's Amazon URL so it'd "ping" Technorati's "Popular Book" list, moving it higher up the rankings, giving it more visibility.  I thought, "Hmm.  Wonder if we could do that for a small press novella?"

Sadly, Technorati no longer features its "Popular Book" list, and its book blog lists look too diffused and sprawling to feature anything I'd do with a tour.  Still, I had a really nice response from my query, so I'm going to do something this coming November.  Call it the "Month of Kevin".  I mean, why not?  At the end of November you roast a big turkey, and according to everyone I know and love, I'm....

Well.  You get the idea.

Anyway, there's a bunch of semi-formed ideas floating around in my head, but basically my thoughts are this...I'd love to get a bunch of blogs featuring Hiram Grange and...well... me...for the month of November.   You could do this in a few ways.  First of all, I've got tons of stuff I can  send you to post:  blurbs, an interview, other reviews, a synopsis, 1-3 chapters - either as text in your post or as a .pdf, other things.  I can send you a review .pdf or the real deal for your own review.  You can do your own interview with ME, if you'd like. If you don't have a blog, your Myspace blog or Facebook notes will do.

I don't have a set idea how many times a week I'd want to be featured.   I blog three times a week. I certainly don't want to hijack anyone's blog for a whole month.  AND, though all you folks have been really gracious in saying you won't take anything from ME, I've decided I'll give out some free stuff for a few different categories:

1. most posts total
2. most posts in one week
3. most creative posts

Plus, for the whole month of November, whenever I post, I'll post all the links of those people involved, and if those folks who are posting can ALSO post all the links of everyone involved, then you get this big huge whirlygig of interwebz fun.  Lots of traffic.

Now.  A word about marketing.  Word of mouth.  I'm a big fan.  But I also believe that if the quality isn't there, none of the above matters.  Heck, sometimes quality is there, word of mouth is too, and still things don't take off the way they should.  Anyway.  There are several reasons why I'm doing this:

1. experimenting for my first novel, which will be published by Shroud sometime 2011.  There are other, MUCH BIGGER ideas I'm keeping to myself.  This one is smaller, and needs tinkering.

2. Stoker Recommendations are happening.  Hiram Grange has already received a few recommendations.  It's ludicrous to believe it could be nominated, and I'm ludicrous that way.  BUT, I'm not into "trading" recommendations or begging HWA people to recommend it.

HOWEVER, one of the tips on the HWA page recommends (ironic) that those who want their work recommended should try and get it reviewed multiple places, build up a buzz, so then folks in a position to recommend it will have a natural inclination born of natural curiosity to check it out. So. Here's the buzz.

3. I'm basically bored and have very little in the way of a life, and I like to "tinker".  Makes me feel busy.

I'll have some RL (real life) ideas for contributing during the "Month of Kevin" over my next few blog posts, so those who are fans of the family and personal stuff, bear with me as I indulge in a little self-pimpage.  We have several doctors/teachers appointments coming up for Zack's recent sleeping difficulties, so I'll have plenty of that stuff soon, also.

Finally, I want to tie this into my Shelfari account and my Shelfari Author Page.  Also, I'm wondering...should I make a "Kevin Lucia" Shelfari Group?  Is that  too presumptuous? I don't want to make a Facebook fan page yet - I kinda loathe those things as it is, and that would feel too contradictory right now - but maybe a Shelfari "Kevin Lucia" group?  Is that too much?  Please - discuss.  And  if you haven't thrown in already: 


spreadingtheword@kevinlucia.com  YH84MTRVUV2T

Free Books: ARCs, Hardcovers, Collectibles - Maybe Cash?

Bad night tonight with little sleep, (but I did get some writing in, because might as well if I'm not sleeping) so no regular blog post.  Instead, this:

Sometime in 2011, Shroud will be publishing my first novel. In preparation for that, there are some marketing techniques I'd like to give a dry run on my Shroud novella, Hiram Grange & The Chosen One. The Hiram Grange Chronicles is unique in that all the installments are standalone adventures, so there are some things I'd like to try to spread the word about it and Shroud Publishing.

What do you get out of it? Free books - ARC's, hardcovers, collectibles - maybe even some cold, hard cash. Anyway, to learn more, email me at spreadingtheword-at-kevinlucia.com.  Sometime today I'll get back to you with the details.

Thanks! And, er...spread the word...

What is Horror to ME?

Sort of a follow up to Friday's question, which was about why I found myself drawn to the horror genre.  This may crossover a little bit, but even so...

I've never been much afraid of monster movies or slasher flicks.  Because of this, they hold little interest for me.  Extreme gore makes me a bit nauseated and disgusted, but not afraid.

Why so much interest in fear? Because how we face fear - as human beings and individuals - says a lot about ourselves.  I'll be the first to admit that I don't like facing my fears, and can often ignore them or pretend they don't exist, depending on that fear.  So maybe I've turned to horror these later years - as a writer, and a reader - in an effort to try and find a way to use my creative gifts to face my fears. That writing in the horror genre - where ANYTHING can happen - is often just a cool side-treat.

What is horror to ME?

I touched upon it last week. I still want to write about monsters and demons and ghosts, but only if they're useful in examining some inner part of us.  So many times, that monster we hate the most looks back at us from the mirror in the morning.  There, then, is a great vehicle - in my mind, anyway - for a werewolf, vampire, changeling, shapeshifter, possession, etc story.

Anyway.  Last week I stopped in to visit Zack at his school.  For those just joining us, a year ago my two year old son was diagnosed as severely autistic.  He's since been downgraded to moderately autistic and his speech is growing by leaps and bounds, but I can honestly say we're in a rough patch right now in regards to the rest of his development.

Plus, there are daily things that bite beneath the skin, for both Abby and I.  Reminders that our son is different, not like other kids...and may never be.  For almost two years, he's had to attend a five day a week, 7 hour a day special intervention program.  The program has done wonders. Abby especially hates even thinking where we'd be without it. 

But, the physiological impact of putting our 2 and then 3 year old on a BUS, in a CAR SEAT for over an hour long drive both ways hits hard, deep inside.  Abby can't deny how the program has helped him, but she feels like she's lost her little boy so much sooner than she should have.  

He spends almost his entire summer there, because relapse is a huge danger this early in the game. So already my son spends more time IN school than out, and he's not even four.  He should be running and jumping and playing in the summer. Not seated at a desk, falling asleep because he's so tired.

I stopped in to check on him last week.  They have an open door policy that allows parents to drop in unannounced to watch their children from a different room through a closed-circuit TV.  Now, the visit itself went fine.  

But the moment I walked into the center, I felt an icy chill.  A medley of wails and groans and even screeching - of children - echoed throughout the halls and into the waiting area.  Now, my rational mind - having worked with these kids before as a paraprofessional myself - knows most of those screams are from kids acting out and throwing tantrums.  And, I know Zack is far past that level.

But still.  This is how my three year old son spends his days?  Surrounded by all these cries and screams of kids who sound like they've never known a moment of peace their entire lives? That's what my baby boy has to hear, five days a week, almost year round?

It sounded like an insane asylum for children.

Now, I'm playing the drama queen a bit.  I'm sure it's not always like that, and from my own experiences I know how these kids are. BUT, from my own experience I also know that some children with autism - ones who have it worse than Zack does - NEVER achieve much more than a vague sense of comfort.  No real pleasure or happiness or sense of accomplishment.

And of course, the horror writer in me snatches that moment.  Thinks about how it makes me feel.   Thinks about how other parents like us feel, and about the fact that, if you DON'T have an autistic child yourself...you have no clue.  And of course because of that, the horror writer in me kicks into storytelling gear....but sometimes writing about that stuff hurts. A lot.  But it has to be done.

So.  At the risk of repeating answers to Friday's question - when I asked "Why you chose horror"...what's horror to you?

Why Horror? - And Some Personal Revelations

So I'm going to try another question.  Some people actually answered last time, and that was cool.  We'll see how it goes this time.  I was going to do a Friday question, but we've had some sleep issues with Zack this week, so Friday morning was simply a no go.  He slept better last night, so we'll give it a whirl today.

But no, I'm not asking "what is horror" or trying to define "horror".  That topic has been done to death.  I want to know what brought people to horror in the first place - fans and writers alike.  Folks are often surprised to discover that horror wasn't my first love.  

There were certainly indications that I'd go that way someday: I loved those collections of "spooky" tales in the school libraries and I was obsessed with "movie monster" books in sixth grade.   Plus (don't laugh, people) as a youngster I found a few of the Hardy Boys to be a "touch" spooky, and I liked that.

However in high school I was pretty much an "equal opportunity" kinda reader.  I read everything I could get my hands on. Even a few (again - some of you, I KNOW where you live) teen romances when I'd exhausted our library's stores.  BUT, toward the end of my high school career I discovered Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and it pretty much hooked me.  

That same year Timothy Zahn wrote the first ever post-Return of the Jedi STAR WARS novel, Heir to the Empire.  During this time, my parents also got me my first box set of Star Trek novels, and this coincided with the premier of Star Trek: TNG on television.  So, for most my college career I considered myself a Sci Fi guy and devoured every science fiction novel I could find.  Of course, I also planned on being the next Isaac Asimov and my greatest dream was to write a Star Wars novel ( that latter sorta still is, BTW).

My first completed novel manuscript - written senior year in high school, in a Mead spiral notebook - was a goofy teen basketball drama/romance.  My second completed novel manuscript -part one of an epic science fiction trilogy that would stun the world with its bloated 178,000 words - I finished my senior year in college.  I also sold my first science fiction story - for a grand  total of $10 - to a long defunct magazine called Millennium Science Fiction & Fantasy, of which only this encyclopedic entry remains (sadly, I misplaced my contributor copy during several apartment moves).

This all extended to January 2000.  Then, my life came to a screeching halt.  

I ran into serious money and credit problems.  Lived every day one step from eviction, and pretty much felt like a reprobate.

My personal life descended into a shambles.  I can honestly admit I did a lot of things and went  a lot of places I'd regret later.

I broke off my engagement to my then-fiance four months before the wedding.  Even though it was the right thing to do - that's never fun.  This, of course spurned me into several ill-advised relationships directly following.

I enlisted in the NAVY Reserves, went to Boot Camp, survived - and discovered what a BAD decision that was.

I had my driving privileges almost taken away, and was limited to a "work-restricted license".

After graduating from Binghamton University, being a teacher, Youth Director, administrator, and college basketball coach...I found myself working as an aide in a middle school for just barely over minimum wage.  And I pretty much lived in a slum apartment.

AND, for a brief time, I believed I'd never write anything, ever again.

Enter horror.  Enter Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub and for a few novels, John Saul.  On the faith side of things, enter Ted Dekker.  Science fiction just didn't do it, anymore.   Those stories didn't have that sense of "loss" that consumed my life for almost 5-6 years.  Plus, I no longer cared about monsters from space.  I'd seen - most powerfully in my mirror - what a monster a human being could be, and how people survived those things - even the monsters themselves - called to me in a way science fiction never has.

Soon after that, I met Abby and got married. Then, several years later, Madison was born... and then my sense of horror became even further defined.  Now, loss of life and sanity or soul didn't seem so bad.

How about the loss of a wife?  A child?  Your entire family?  Or loss of respect and pride before them?  Ironically enough, during this period I also discovered what I still believe are seminal works in my development as a writer, Peter Straub's lost boy, lost girl and in the night room - and to me, Rio Youers is the modern contemporary to Peter. And of course recently I've been delighted to discover T.M. Wright, Norman Prentiss and Charles Grant, writers who epitomize "quiet horror".

So  there.  I love battles against monsters and demons and ghosts, but I'm only interested in them insofar as they reflect the monsters and demons within, and our battles against them.  I'm into atmospheric, tension-filled, "quiet horror" - where any bloodshed is calculated and moderated.

So.  How about you? Why horror?  What type of horror is for you?