Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 315

Writing Noir in 4 Easy Steps by Anonymous-9

When Deb asked me to guest blog about writing noir fiction it seemed like a good idea to start off with a definition. Something about crime and mystery and point-of-view. Like I said, it seemed like a good idea, but it failed. Instead of defining noir, a few simple guidelines seemed more helpful. So thank you Deb for the guest blog invitation, and here's my best advice:

Step OneIn solitude, organize your writing area. If you don't write on computer, lay out two pens, just in case. A pad of lined paper is helpful.

Step TwoSet fire to the area. Let the room get good and scorched before you douse it. Smoldering embers in a few places are okay—there's nothing like the threat of combustion and smell of smoke to inspire a noirist.

Step ThreeSift through the ashes of your possessions and grab whatever material is still left to write upon. If the computer and pens are destroyed, open a vein and write with your own blood on the sooty wall—blood and grime contribute mightily to noir. Anything you write at this stage will be brilliant because it contains the four five essential elements of the genre: loss, pain, desperation and truth about human nature. Let's not forget a glimpse of mortality.

Step FourIf—unlike lions of the genre such as James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler and Jim Thompson—you are unable to reduce your life to ashes for the sake of art, all is not lost. But you must find a way to reach this state mentally before picking up a writing instrument. Bring devastation and lost hope front-of-mind and feel them so sharply that they drive away everything but truth. Particularly destructive to the noir oeuvre are shreds of level-headedness, dignity and esteem. Reckless abandon is a bonus.

Follow these 4 simple steps and any writer, no matter how new to the genre, is assured of creating memorable noir. Good luck. May your words burn bright.



Buy links:Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Hard-Other-Short-Stories-ebook/dp/B005MK1PWU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1326492529&sr=1-1 Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/83105YouTube Book Promo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6nQfG9KGbs&context=C359f65cADOEgsToPDskIgDC8qKeQiNOjLPiTreuqD



Anonymous-9 BIO: In 2010, a committee of the International Thriller Writers nominated Anonymous-9 in the first round of short-story judging for a Thriller Award. She won Spinetingler Magazine's Best Short Story on the Web 2009, and received another Spinetingler nom for the same award in 2010, as well as two nominations for the Derringer Award sponsored by the Short Mystery Fiction Society. Her e-book collection of noir, horror and satire is titled HARD BITE & OTHER SHORT STORIES, sold on Amazon and Smashwords. In 2011 she was published by New Pulp Press in Crimefactory's FIRST SHIFT anthology. In April, another story will debut in THE BIG CLICK magazine alongside mystery greats Ken Bruen, Tom Piccirilli and Jim Nisbet. A full-length novel based on her award-winning short "Hard Bite" is in final polish. www.anonymous-9.com

Interview with Joseph Armillas

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book?

Plantanimus "Awakening" is part one of the Plantanimus Trilogy. The story begins in the 27th century on the planet Mars, four hundred years after being settled by humans. The main character is Kelem Rogeston, a young Martian psychic and scientific genius who is the first member of the 6th Root Race, the next step in the evolution of mankind. Kelem learns to harness his amazing abilities and invents the n'time generator, a device that will carry mankind to the stars. Kelem struggles against The Phalanx, an evil organization from Earth that wants to steal the technology and conquer Mars. He designs an n'time ship and on its maiden voyage accidentally becomes stranded on Plantanimus, an alien planet where the Dreamers, an ancient race of sentient plant life, help him expand his abilities and teach him the true nature of consciousness.

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?I considered it at first, but I decided I didn't want to wait for an established publisher to make an offer. That does not mean that I wouldn't welcome an offer from an established publishing house. Plantanimus "Awakening" is the first book of a trilogy, so I would be open to a publishing deal that would encompass the first book or all three books. What finally convinced me to self-publish was Xlibris. I went with them because they offered me an incredible discount on their "Executive Package" which came with distribution to all the major sellers such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble etc., plus eBook conversion, book returnability,  [this feature guarantees brick and mortar retailers that they won't get stuck with unsold stock on their shelves] as well as online promotion and marketing.

Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?I recently joined Authors Learning Center. The free one year membership to the organization came with the original package that I purchased from Xlibris.  ALC provides independent authors with helpful resources for writing, publishing and marketing your book. The site has all sorts of webinars, articles and writer's community help forums. However I had already written and partially edited my book and had signed up with Xlibris by the time I joined ALC. But now that I'm preparing to possibly self-publish the next book in the series, "Return to Mars", I plan to take full advantage of all the resources available at ALC

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?Xlibris offered two full rounds of editing which I used, however, my life partner Barbara and I had already gone through seven rounds of proof reading prior to submitting the final draft of the book.

What have you learned during your self-publishing journey?Patience! Self-publishing is usually a faster way to put your book out there as opposed to the traditional route of signing with an established publisher, but it is not an instant thing. The first thing I recommend for first timers like me is to make sure that your book is as good as it can possibly be. Don't be afraid to re-write or change things. You'd be surprised how many mistakes and inconsistencies you will find in your manuscript if you take the time to put it away for a week or two, before proof-reading the entire thing. Do it as many times and you can stand it, even if you think that you've caught all the mistakes in grammar and spelling. Even now that the book has been published, I still found a couple of things that I'll have to correct during the next printing! Be organized and be prepared. Read/research as much information as you can digest regarding self –publishing companies, marketing etc. Thousands of books are published every month and yours is just one of many competing for that market share of business in whatever genre you write in. If you can afford it, join an organization like Authors Learning Center or IBPA, (Independent Book Publisher's Association) or any of the many other organizations out there that exist to help and support independent, self-published authors.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?Yes. Barnes and Noble and my own two websites;  www.Plantanimusbook.com  and www.PlantanimusTrilogy.com.  The latter only sells the paperback version of the book.

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?Aside from Xlibris' marketing campaign, I have a blog on AuthorsXpress at: http//authorjosepharmillas.authorsxpress.com,  I'm on Facebook,  My Space, @JosephArmillas on Twitter, and of course Author's Learning Center. I also have a very slick 60 second promo video for Plantanimus "Awakening" on YouTube:  http://youtu.be/P-im0HswqBA  and an interview of me, on LifeForceEnergetics.com , also on YouTube:  http://youtu.be/JF-Ru5dgldM.  In concert with Xlibris' marketing I will be hiring an independent publicity expert to help me with additional promotion, personal appearances such as book signings, interviews etc.Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?Yes. But I'm organized and I spend a tremendous amount of time taking care of business. Like most creative people, (particularly writers!) I've been known to be a bit of a procrastinator, but over the years I've become very disciplined and learned that one must approach writing and business in equal measure, particularly if you're self-publishing. I schedule a certain amount of hours of the day for writing and another portion of my day for promotion and marketing. I've learned to manage my time well because I also work as a professional actor in film and TV. I'm a member of SAG and AFTRA and I work four to five days a month. I recently appeared on Lil' Wayne's latest video of his newest song, "How To Love", playing a doctor.  I also have an interview show that I host on YouTube, called LA Interview. I plan to begin a series of writer's interviews in the near future. I want to give other self-published writers a chance to get their work known by the public.

What inspires you to write, and in particular what was the genesis of the Plantanimus Trilogy? I grew up in a very artistic creative family. My mother and father were in show business. My mom, Margarita Lecuona, was a very well-known Cuban songwriter. She wrote Babalu, made famous by Desi Arnaz on the "I Love Lucy Show". My dad was an Argentinian actor/singer/dancer. Both always encouraged me to experiment with my creative side. I began writing short science fiction stories in grammar school and I never stopped. I also had a successful career as a musician for over thirty years. So I've never been short on inspiration. My problem with writing for many years was discipline, which is why it took me so long to finally become a serious writer.  The inspiration for Plantanimus came from a dream that I had over three consecutive nights in the summer of 2000. I've always been able to "lucid dream". It's an ability that came naturally to me, so it was very easy for me to remember the arc of the story and write down the entire three part dream which eventually became the three books of the Trilogy; Plantanimus "Awakening", "Return to Mars" and "The Gulax War".

What's next for you?I'm heavily involved in the marketing and promotion of Plantanimus "Awakening" at the moment, but when time allows, I continue proof reading Return to Mars, and doing some minor re-writes on The Gulax War. I'm also working on the last few chapters of a fourth book which is connected to, but not part of the Plantanimus trilogy, titled Reunion. That one's on the back burner but I pick at it whenever the muse comes. Additionally I've recently began to lucid dream a follow up to the previous four books, tentatively called "Kelem's Ascension". That one is still in its cocoon stage, but I'm writing down everything that comes my way the moment I wake up! All are part of the same universe that comprises the story of Kelem Rogeston.

Spotlight: #Fantasy APOCALYPTO OMNIBUS by LK Rigel

Here's a treat for fantasy fans. Today's spotlight is for the best-selling series by LK Rigel. This volume contains three stories, SPACE JUNQUE, SPIDERWORK and BLEEDER. 









Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Apocalypto-Omnibus-Edition-ebook/dp/B006G5COMK





SPACE JUNQUE:

"Don't get excited." Jake lifted Char's necklace over her head. "I'm not going for your precious parts." He zipped the amulet into a pocket in her flight pants. "Okay, Meadowlark." He secured his harness and punched the ignition. "Let's get the hell off this rock."

- - - - -

An Apocapunk Science Fiction Fantasy

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Space Junque Edited by USA Today bestselling author Theresa Weir/Anne Frasier



Nominated for Best Romantic Science Fiction/Fantasy in 2010 and Best Debut Book in 2010 by The Romance Reviews.



The DOGs want to destroy the world. The gods want to make a new one. The trick is to survive both.



On the brink of a world-wide ecological cataclysm set off by the Oil Spill of 2010 and the Great Sea Level Rise of 2070, hydroponics agronomist Char Meadowlark has become a recluse. Her fiance was killed by a terrorist bomb, and her twin sister Sky has gone underground to protect a top secret energy project. Warned about an impending eco-terrorist attack, Char tries to get off planet, but the Defenders of Gaia strike while she's at the airport. Shuttle pilot Jake Ardri might offer her only hope.



When the DOGs' onslaught goes global and the material world threatens to implode, the ancient gods reemerge to take control over humanity. Now Char has to juggle two men, a world on fire, and a goddess with an agenda for a new world order.



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SPIDERWORK:

An Apocapunk Science Fiction Fantasy

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Her fate was to hold the world together. His destiny was to tear it apart.



Durga was named for a warrior with twelve arms - and she could use them all. After the events of Space Junque, she's chosen by the goddess to rule Red City, home base of the chalices who provide natural-born heirs to kings. Khai, the scion of Luxor, falls hard for Durga, and he isn't afraid to show it. Khai offers Durga the love she never expected - but to accept him is to disobey the goddess.



Jake Ardri is positioned to become king of an emerging city-state and desperately wants Char Meadowlark to be his queen, but kings are commanded by the goddess to provide natural-born heirs. Can Char share Jake with a beautiful chalice, trained to take Jake to the heights of sexual ecstasy?

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BLEEDER:

Nominated for Best PNR - Alien/Other World (2011) by The Romance Reviews

An Apocapunk Science Fiction Fantasy

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The King of Garrick wants to kill her.

The King of Allel wants to love her.

And shapeshifters stole her baby's soul!



A hundred years after sea-level rise and global nuclear war wiped out most of humanity, Mallory is a chalice, one of the world's rare fertile females. Chalices live under the protection of Red City, which contracts with the kings of the Concord Cities to provide natural-born heirs.



It's a pampered and easy life - until Mal is caught between one king's lust for world domination and the goddess Asherah's desperate plays for another god's attention.



When Mal's undeclared - and forbidden - feelings for King Edmund grow too strong to be denied, she must confront the truth of her past and the most terrifying threat of all -- the inevitability of her destiny.





And here's a bonus: FREE today and tomorrow (Jan. 14 & 15, 2012)





Amazon download link: http://www.amazon.com/Give-Me-Tale-Tethers-ebook/dp/B005KHHZXS

World of Symbols: TAURUS

Taurus, the Minotaur, and the LabyrinthMichelle Snyder: The Symbologistwww.whiteknightstudio.com http://whiteknightstudio.blogspot.com/

Taurus the bull was one of the earliest recorded constellations; Taurus is Latin for bull. The Lascaux culture of 14,500 BC understood and recorded astronomical patterns and calendrics - this knowledge was critical to their survival. From them come some of the oldest symbols on record, as well as prehistoric calendrics depicted in cave art. One well known image is that of the bull in Lascaux Cave. This painting looks almost exactly like modern depictions of Taurus. Patterns of dots located over the shoulder of the Lascaux Bull could represent the star group Pleiades, sometimes called Seven Sisters, located in the constellation Taurus. Like other zodiac symbols, myths and folklore about the Taurus constellation can be found around the globe.

In Greek myths, Taurus represents the Minotaur, kept by King Minos of Crete, whose kingdom was in the Mediterranean. As the story is told, Poseidon, the sea-king-god, was angry with Minos and seduced the king's wife. From this union was born a Minotaur. This powerful - and some said dangerous - creature was kept in a labyrinth, until Theseus killed it. In later versions the labyrinth was changed to a maze - a place with many possible paths, almost impossible to get out of. It is said the king's daughter, Ariadne, gave Theseus a spool of thread (called a clue) with which he was able to retrace his steps through the maze and escape, after besting the Minotaur. A labyrinth would not make a good prison, as the geometric design consists of two spirals stemming from a directional cross, with only one opening. One could keep walking in a labyrinth and find the entrance/exit. To decode the symbol of the Minotaur, we must look at the symbolism of the labyrinth - an archetypal image representing the center, the source, the sacred place - a secret. (Some myths state the Minotaur was imprisoned to protect others from the dangerous monster; secrets are sometimes dangerous.)Placing the characters of this story in context of history and climatology helps decode the symbols of the bull and the labyrinth as stories of ancient sea kings (symbolized by Poseidon), and their knowledge of navigation.  A Minotaur is part bull, indicating a connection to Taurus. Pleiades is associated with the Greek word plein, which means to sail. A labyrinth represents ½ year (spirals symbolize three months each), and so it is a symbol of two seasons. To the ancients, the appearance of Taurus and Pleiades in the sky signaled the beginning of storms during the fall and winter; not great sailing weather, and without superior navigational skills sailing would be deadly. The ability to navigate during these two seasons would have been advantageous for both trade and defense, and a skill worth keeping secret. According to Duncan-Enzmann, the ancient mariners knew how to calculate longitude thousands of years ago; this gave them the ability to sail in bad weather, and thus superior power on the sea. And so, deep in the labyrinth, the Minotaur protects the secrets of calculating longitude. The practice of symbolizing knowledge to protect it and insure its survival through generations is evident in the zodiac stories - the oldest stories in the world. Taurus is one example of a star-story that has its roots in prehistoric records of astronomical observation, navigation, and "trade secrets". Article © 2011 Michelle Snyder, author of Symbology: Decoding Classic Images, and eBooks World of Symbols, and World of Symbols: Secrets of the Mermaids. To find these books, and her symbolism blog, visit www.whiteknightstudio.com. To read an interview with Michelle, click here: http://twoendsofthepen.blogspot.com/2012/01/interview-with-michelle-snyder.html

Review: THE NIGHT SWIMMER by Matt Bondurant

3.5 of 5 stars

"The Night Swimmer" is a beautifully written novel that tells the story of Fred and Elly and their undertaking in moving to Ireland when they win a pub.  It's a new adventure for them and they dive into it head-long without much thought. Fred is thrilled with the pub and Elly is free to indulge her own passion—swimming in the ocean. Through a genetic defect, Elly is able to swim in cold water without any adverse affects for quite a long time.

While Fred submerges himself in learning how to run a pub in Baltimore and writing his ever-elusive novel, Elly finds herself taking the ferry to Clear Island on a regular basis to swim.  She befriends only a few. Most of the locals do not like strangers, and they ignore her, but some seem to keep track of her swimming in their waters.  There are a number of interesting characters on Clear Island, a decades old tragedy that no one will speak of, and an enigmatic goat farmer who seems to have a running feud with the Corrigans, a powerful family who runs most of the island commerce and the ferry service to and from the mainland.

The author does an excellent job of keeping to Elly's viewpoint. I could feel her anguish when her marriage begins to unravel and her hurt feelings when the locals shun her. I enjoyed reading most of the story. However, I did find some things either not explained at all or that they were so subtle that I found myself wondering what just happened especially surrounding the climatic events on Clear Island.  I feel like I missed something important, but just couldn't put my finger on it.  I found this frustrating and for that reason, I've not rated this novel as high as I would have liked.

Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Night-Swimmer-Novel-Matt-Bondurant/dp/1451625294

Copy provided by Goldberg McDuffie, New York 

Interview with Kenneth Janssen

Briefly describe your journey in writing your book. I write because I feel there is a story that needs to be told. I keep a file of newspaper and magazine articles about topics that interest me and they often become the source material for my novels. To this is added an exhausting amount of research to assure accuracy. I truly believe that my storytelling is unique and interesting enough to grab the reader and not let go until the unique ending. The characters are varied and have all the qualities that the reader would expect, including a range of emotions that includes love, hate, fear and horror. The dialogue is relaxed and believable.

Over the years I have written poems and short stories, several of which have been published by Nights and Weekends, Writing Raw and Long Story Short. A small volume by a Norwegian, Jostein Gaarder called Sophie's World inspired me to write my first novel. My favorite authors are Stuart Woods, John Sanford, Stephen Frye and Stephen King.

Writing is my destiny.

What genre are your books? Mostly Thrillers and Suspense.  

Do you write in more than one genre? Yes, one of my novels is Paranormal and one is Inspirational.

If you write in more than one genre, do you use a pen name? I did for the Inspirational novel, Everyman, Revisited, written by Michael St. James.

Did you query agents and traditional publishers?I did both. In the process I received some excellent formatting and character advice. I made several improvements because of the kind advice of several agents and publishers. Of course many did not reply or just sent e-mails telling me that the market dictated a shift in the number and genres that they were interested in.

Did you receive an offer of representation or a book contract? I received offers from several publishers, but I couldn't agree with their contract terms.

What factors influenced your decision to sign with Untreed Reads? Jay Hartman sent an e-mail telling me how much he liked the book. Their contract offered the flexibility I was looking for. I checked them out online and was impressed with the growth they were experiencing and what some of their authors had to say about their dealings with Untreed. On that basis, I accept Jay's offer. I have never regretted my decision. Working with K. D. Sullivan on the details of the contract and subsequent editing and proofing was a joy.

How involved were you during the creative process for your book's cover design? I made some suggestions and was very pleased with Dara England's final design. It is an eye catching cover.

Do you plan to self-publish any other books or will you stay with Untreed Reads? I am finishing the second Mark Matthews Mystery (Fatal Dose). If things work out, I would be very happy to continue with Untreed Reads. I have two other novels that are completed. The first, Mysterious Forces will probably be an e-book. The second Everyman, Revisited, I hope will find a hardcover or paperback publisher.



What kinds of social media [twitter, facebook, webpage, blog, writing forums] are you involved with trying to garner attention for your book(s)? At the moment, only Facebook.

How do you feel about the world of digital publishing?  Do you think it will replace traditional publishing one day? There is no doubt that e-books will continue to grow as the cost of Kindle type readers continues to plummet. I see a continuing market for those who need the feel, smell and cozyness of a printed book, but sometime in the future they will be in the minority. Authors will have to deal with both in the interim.

What is the biggest thing you've learned during your journey as an author? I learned a lot about the publishing business, but mostly I learned that writing gave me the opportunity to share with the world my thoughts, beliefs and dreams.  When a reader chooses your book, generally it's because of the cover, book jacket blurb, a book review or description by the seller. They are taking a leap of faith that you will satisfy some need they are harboring. If you deliver on this, you have a fan. If you deliver to enough readers, you're a bestselling author. What an exciting opportunity.

Do you have any advice for new authors? Keep reading and keep writing. You must read the latest books in your genre in order to know, not only what is selling, but the style of successful writers. There is room for descriptive and dialogist styles and for a mix of both.

What's next for you? I will continue to write daily, although the hunt for publishers for my completed works takes up a lot of my time. I am still looking for an agent so that I can spend the majority of my time on writing.

I'm beginning to formulate the third Mark Matthews Mystery and sequels to both Mysterious Forces and Everyman, Revisited.





Author bio:



Ken's debut novel centers on the exploits of Mark Matthews, a private investigator turned FBI agent. In Blood Money Mark helps topple an association funneling money to terrorist organizations. Blood Money was published as an e-book in November, 2011. Fatal Dose, the second Mark Matthews Mystery exposes a drug mafia distributing counterfeit prescription drugs. Mark tangles with Marco Vennuti who is responsible for the death of an FBI agent and his family and finds himself protecting his lover from the threat of the psychopathic killer.Hampton Manor is a multi-genre work about three generations of the Hampton family and their interactions with five townspeople in the peaceful community of Old Brooking, Connecticut. One of the five hires an assassin to kill Adam Hampton and his father and to burn Hampton Manor to the ground. The resulting sequence of events leaves the town reeling. Hampton Manor is an emotional rollercoaster that doesn't stop until the last word is read.Everyman, Revisited, Ken's latest novel takes narrative license from a fifteenth century allegorical morality play and Philip Roth's modern day adaptation, both simply called Everyman. In Everyman, Revisited, the protagonist is portrayed by Reverend Aaron Masters, minister of the New Thought Metaphysical Center. The novel is not about "new thought" per se; rather about new ways of thinking. Everyman, Revisited is as provocative as it is inspirational. Ken has epublished several short stories at Nights and Weekends, Writing Raw and Long Story Short.Ken lives in Ohio, with his wife Jeannette. Contact:  kjans3@yahoo.com



Buy link: http://store.untreedreads.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=68_7_48_63&products_id=229

Kitty Funnies: Homework and Mama

We interrupt your regularly scheduled posts about writing and books.  Found these pics over at I Haz a Cheeseburger site. They made me laugh out loud.



This cat looks like my Isabelle and this is exactly something she would do if given half a chance.







And my favorite for the day: Mama, I need a hug!





OK, now that you've smiled, break is over. You may now get back to overly-scheduled lives.

WRITER vs. AUTHOR by Dean Wesley Smith

Indie Publishing and the Author— How an indie AUTHOR thinks:When a person who is an Author at heart finishes their "master work" known as "their novel," their attention turns at once to making sure all their work on "their novel" isn't wasted.Most of the time, even though "their novel" has been rewritten into a bland paste, they still fear it is not "good enough" and give the book to an "editor" who then makes it into even more white paste. And don't forget all the copyediting because "their novel" must be perfect. (At this point the Author has so lost track of telling a story it's sadly funny. "Their novel" is nothing more than pretty writing, made perfect in grammar and spelling. Story and voice and character means nothing. Only pretty writing done in what the Author thinks is a perfect manner.)So now the Author has two choices. Send it to an agent, as is the myth, or indie publish it. Most Authors go the traditional route because of a thousand reasons, all silly, such as "My book will get more attention."  Or, "I want the publicity team on my book because it's special."  Often these Authors will run into a new agent who will play into their need for perfection and have them rewrite "their novel" a number of times more, turning it from white paste to pure nothingness.Or the Author can indie publish, but this brings on other issues such as silly needs for "editors" and "cover designers" to make sure "their book" doesn't get hurt.And then the big day when the book is published on Kindle. (Forget all the other places, right??? Only Kindle matters, or so the Author has heard…) Now the Author watches "their book's" sales numbers every hour, getting discouraged when there are no sales in two hours.And then the Author starts the promotion on Twitter and Facebook and so on and so on and so on. Promotion is now all the Author thinks about day and night, because after all this is their "master work" and "their novel" so it deserves their respect and time and promotion.— How an indie WRITER thinks:Story is done. Cool! Get a few friends to proof it while the Writer gets started writing the next story.Proofing is done, Writer spends a little time learning how to do a cover and blurbs, gets the story up on all the sites, all the while working on the new project, annoyed that the last project is taking his time away from the next project.Book is indie published quickly and Writer goes back to work on next project, finishing it and getting it proofed while he starts the next project.And so on and so on.Writers, besides announcing a book or publication on a web site, don't do promotion like Authors do. They can't, because their focus is on writing the next book and the next story. They don't have time. Writing time is more valuable than promotion of an old book.Writers tend to believe that their own writing is the best promotion.A Better DistinctionSo maybe a better way to define Author and Writer these indie publishing days is this:— A Writer is a person who writes the next story.— An Author is a person who spends their time promoting their last story.Yet maybe yet another way of looking at these two diverse camps is this:— A Writer gets feedback from the simple act of writing and finishing stories.— An Author must get feedback from external sources such as reviews, sales, promotions, editors, workshops, and so on.Full post can be find here:http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=6190

#SS Assassin's Curse - FREE today only

Here's a sample from our new book, "Assassin's Curse, Book 1 in the Witch Stone Prophecy." As an added bonus, the book is FREE today only. What do an assassin's guild, a witches coven and 2 twin girls have in common? Check out our book and find out. Enjoy!



















The Prophecy of the Witch Stone

From the line of power twice bornTo the power born twiceShall arise the seekers of the Stone.

Look for the sign of the witch in two joinedFor they shall be the saviorsWho shall grasp the power from darknessAnd bring it into the lightFor when the flower blossomsThen will be the time

For their powers shall be twined within a single aspectAnd stand balanced on the sword's edge of good and evil.False guidance shall lead to the path of doomAnd will spell destruction of all                                                That they were brought about to save.



***Mave saw the boy look his way and inwardly smiled.  He knew the boy was scared, and rightly so.  It was not chance that brought him here today, but a carefully orchestrated scheme to make sure he tested the boy.  He felt Jeda was no more than a third-year upstart who did not deserve the opportunity to test for apprenticeship.  Most novices trained for five or six years before petitioning to test.  Mave was going to make sure that the boy did not pass.  That was as it should be, for it was Mave who had brought Jeda to the guild in the first place.  He should be the one to put the boy in his place and teach him humility.Jeda finally reached up and took a pair of fighting knives off the wall.Mave shook his head at the boy's choice.  I knew it.  The boy may know how to fight, but he knows nothing of winning."Begin," said the dispassionate voice of the master-in-attendance judging the test.Mave strode forward, closing the distance and eliminating the only advantage knives would give the boy.  Without the distance to throw them, they were completely useless against swords.  The boy stood stock-still, visibly trembling as Mave approached.  His frozen fear was pathetic and almost embarrassing.  Mave would cut him slightly with his first blade and knock him out with the handle of his second, putting a quick end to this charade of a test.  Twirling his swords in a deadly dance, Mave felt no sympathy for the boy.  Today's failure would set Jeda back at least a year and give him more time to learn proper respect and modesty, traits Mave felt he was sorely lacking.  The young fool doesn't know what he's in for.    As Mave swung the first blade to catch the boy across the cheek, something unexpected happened.  Jeda dove forward, under the first blade, and whipped one of his knives at Mave's exposed side.  Mave deflected the throw with his second sword.  If he had not been such an excellent swordsman, the throw would have a scored a hit. Maybe not quite the fool I took him for.  Mave spun around swinging the sword in a deadly arc to face the boy as Jeda jumped to his feet.  The swing cut the boy high on the arm and he cried out in shock and pain.  The cut was deep and bleeding heavily, rendering the arm useless.  The boy went down on one knee, but Mave moved cautiously forward.  He would not be caught off-guard a second time by the boy's cleverness.  When Mave came within a sword's reach of him, the boy jumped forward into a diving roll and threw his second, remaining knife.  Mave anticipated the move and easily deflected the throw, shaking his head at the boy's stupidity in throwing away his last means of defense.  As he turned to face Jeda, he realized his mistake.  He felt a blade slice through his trousers, burning and drawing a bright-crimson line along his leg.  Jeda had used the second throw to distract Mave from his true objective: the first blade that Mave had deflected.  The boy had used his diving roll to reach that first blade, left forgotten on the floor.   How did he get that knife so quickly and throw it so precisely? Mave wondered, looking down at his bleeding leg.      "Enough.  Blood has been drawn by Novice Jeda," said the master's voice from the balcony.  "He is elevated to the rank of apprentice."Mave studied Jeda with a smoldering anger.  He was a good fifteen feet away and was wobbling on his feet from loss of blood.  It didn't seem possible that he could have thrown that knife in his condition.  Mave knew the boy must have somehow cheated.  This is not over; no one makes a fool of me.



Amazon link: FYI, if you are an Amazon PRIME MEMBER, you can borrow the book for FREE anytime.http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Curse-Witch-Prophecy-ebook/dp/B006T3HN2A

It's Here! NEW #fantasy: ASSASSIN'S CURSE

Dave and I are so excited that our newest fantasy, ASSASSIN'S CURSE, is now available for sale.  If you like assassins, intrigue, betrayal, witches and a battle against evil, we hope you'll give our new book a try.



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Book blurb:



When elite assassin Jeda received his assignment to kill a witch and deliver her twin daughters to the Countess of Berkshire, he had no idea it would be his last. The witch stuns him with an elemental blast, but not before he's able to throw his knife. When Jeda regains consciousness, the dying witch is performing a compelling spell between him and her twin daughters .


Now bonded to the girls, Jeda's old life is forfeit. His only thought is to take the girls and run as far away as he can. He has no idea that the twins are the ones spoken of in the long-lost prophecy of The Witch Stone. Forces are gathering: the white witches want to teach them; the Countess wants her grandchildren back, and the guild has sent their best assassin to bring Jeda back, dead or alive.



Jeda must use all of his assassin skills to stay one step ahead of them all, but will it be enough to save himself and keep the children of prophecy alive?



Buy Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Curse-Witch-Prophecy-ebook/dp/B006T3HN2A