B.E. Sanderson's Blog, page 58
February 13, 2017
Happy Bookiversary to Me!
Today's the official 2nd anniversary of the publication of my first self-published novel - Dying Embers! Yay, I made it two years with most of my sanity intact. (Well, what little of it there was to begin with.)To celebrate, I've got Dying Embers and Fertile Ground on sale for 99c each in the US and .99p in the UK from now until Saturday.
AND
I'm running contests on my Facebook Page today. Go over there and Follow the page, if you haven't already, and join in the fun. The first one up is for a $10 Amazon gift card and all you have to do is comment on the post. The FB thing? I cancelled it. Only one person than me even 'liked' it and no one commented.
Right here, right now? Well, all you have to do is comment and get in the running for a paperback copy of Dying Embers or Fertile Ground (your choice).
February 10, 2017
Friday Tip
Stay away from places you aren't supposed to be.
It seems to me like a large majority of people who get into trouble are somewhere they probably shouldn't have been anyway. I know, I know... It's a free country, so anyone should be able to go anywhere they want without fear of being accosted.
Should be. But there are a lot of things that should be that don't necessarily jibe with reality. And don't get me started there.
Ahem. Back to the original point.
If your instincts say 'don't go there', then you probably shouldn't go there. Convenience stores late at night, the bad part of town, inside stranger's vehicles, poorly lit parking lots...
When I was younger, I ended up in places doing things that instinct told me was a bad idea. I got extremely lucky. Getting into a car with a guy I only just met in one bar to go to another bar, thus leaving the safety of my friends' company and the ride I came in to waltz off with stranger dude. Lucky for me, he took me home when I asked. Which brings me to the other stupid thing - I let him take me to my home, so if he had been a psycho, he then knew where I lived. Or the many times I spent walking city streets alone at night. Not smart. Lucky, but still not smart. (Hindsight is 20/20 after all.)
Listen to the voice that tells you this is a bad idea. (And it'll talk to you if you haven't drowned it in alcohol. Jus' sayin'.)
And stay safe out there.
It seems to me like a large majority of people who get into trouble are somewhere they probably shouldn't have been anyway. I know, I know... It's a free country, so anyone should be able to go anywhere they want without fear of being accosted.
Should be. But there are a lot of things that should be that don't necessarily jibe with reality. And don't get me started there.
Ahem. Back to the original point.
If your instincts say 'don't go there', then you probably shouldn't go there. Convenience stores late at night, the bad part of town, inside stranger's vehicles, poorly lit parking lots...
When I was younger, I ended up in places doing things that instinct told me was a bad idea. I got extremely lucky. Getting into a car with a guy I only just met in one bar to go to another bar, thus leaving the safety of my friends' company and the ride I came in to waltz off with stranger dude. Lucky for me, he took me home when I asked. Which brings me to the other stupid thing - I let him take me to my home, so if he had been a psycho, he then knew where I lived. Or the many times I spent walking city streets alone at night. Not smart. Lucky, but still not smart. (Hindsight is 20/20 after all.)
Listen to the voice that tells you this is a bad idea. (And it'll talk to you if you haven't drowned it in alcohol. Jus' sayin'.)
And stay safe out there.
February 8, 2017
Crime in the News - Deadly Duo
Recently, a couple went on a killing spree. I've seen them referred to as serial killers and I've seen them compared to Bonnie and Clyde. And, for once, I agree. They're criminals just like that famous couple. Period. Romanticizing thieves and murderers ain't my bag. Even if they are in their own twisted romantic relationship.
Anyway, they finally caught the duo. She came out when the police told them to come out and then everyone heard the single shot of him killing himself. One less asshole living on the taxpayers' dime, if you ask me.
Oh, sure, I'd like to see people like that get the justice they deserve at the hands of the courts, but then again, that shit costs a lot of money, so if they choose to take the more cost-effective way out, I can live with it.
Not quite sure what's going to happen with her. Likely, she'll say he did it all and she was a helpless dupe. I hope they have evidence to the contrary - if, in fact, she wasn't a dupe. I've seen too many instances where I thought it was pretty clear the woman was involved, or even the mastermind, but she got off on the 'he made me do it' defense. Umm, yah.
Despite all the progress we've made in women's equality, there are still a lot of people who think a woman couldn't possibly do all the bad things. :shrug: I suggest those people read Kipling.
Anyway, they finally caught the duo. She came out when the police told them to come out and then everyone heard the single shot of him killing himself. One less asshole living on the taxpayers' dime, if you ask me.
Oh, sure, I'd like to see people like that get the justice they deserve at the hands of the courts, but then again, that shit costs a lot of money, so if they choose to take the more cost-effective way out, I can live with it.
Not quite sure what's going to happen with her. Likely, she'll say he did it all and she was a helpless dupe. I hope they have evidence to the contrary - if, in fact, she wasn't a dupe. I've seen too many instances where I thought it was pretty clear the woman was involved, or even the mastermind, but she got off on the 'he made me do it' defense. Umm, yah.
Despite all the progress we've made in women's equality, there are still a lot of people who think a woman couldn't possibly do all the bad things. :shrug: I suggest those people read Kipling.
February 6, 2017
Tax Time
All the 1099s have arrived, so that means it's time to do the taxes again. Which meant, for me, a hunk of time spent entering receipts into Excel, because I never keep up with that stuff and leave it all to the last minute.
Supplies, Equipment, Services, Postage, Marketing. Those are my receipt types. With columns for dates, amounts, vendors, and what the thing was exactly (paper, ink, etc.) Last year, by my reckoning, I spent about $2K getting three books to market. More than I made, but less than half of what I spent the year before, so I guess it's all good.
Yeah, I do my own taxes. We aren't to the point yet where I can't handle it. If things change, we'll hire someone. For now, I slap down the money for Turbotax (Home and Business, I think?) online. I've been using them so long that they have all my pertinent information going back 10+ years and I'm used to them.
The other day, when I went to print my 1099s off Amazon, I discovered they've streamlined the process. Previously, they issued a separate 1099 for each Amazon store (i.e. each country plus Createspace). This year, it's all on one 1099. Woohoo. Let me tell ya, entering each of those 1099s last year was a pain in the patootie.
Then I thought I was off by like $20. I spent some time wondering where the hell I went wrong only to remember that the last two months of 2016 haven't been paid yet and the last two months of 2015, which were paid in 2016 were about $10 lighter than this year's. And then I realized I had like $10 on my Draft2Digital 1099. Eureka! I love it when the numbers match.
Anyway, I'll be plugging away at that stuff sometime this morning. After more coffee. And my Monday call to Mom. They should be done today, though. Which is good. And then I won't have to worry about it anymore. Get 'em out of the way early, I say.
What about you? Are you a do them ASAP kind of person or do you wait until April 14th? And if you're in another country, how's tax time in your world?
Supplies, Equipment, Services, Postage, Marketing. Those are my receipt types. With columns for dates, amounts, vendors, and what the thing was exactly (paper, ink, etc.) Last year, by my reckoning, I spent about $2K getting three books to market. More than I made, but less than half of what I spent the year before, so I guess it's all good.
Yeah, I do my own taxes. We aren't to the point yet where I can't handle it. If things change, we'll hire someone. For now, I slap down the money for Turbotax (Home and Business, I think?) online. I've been using them so long that they have all my pertinent information going back 10+ years and I'm used to them.
The other day, when I went to print my 1099s off Amazon, I discovered they've streamlined the process. Previously, they issued a separate 1099 for each Amazon store (i.e. each country plus Createspace). This year, it's all on one 1099. Woohoo. Let me tell ya, entering each of those 1099s last year was a pain in the patootie.
Then I thought I was off by like $20. I spent some time wondering where the hell I went wrong only to remember that the last two months of 2016 haven't been paid yet and the last two months of 2015, which were paid in 2016 were about $10 lighter than this year's. And then I realized I had like $10 on my Draft2Digital 1099. Eureka! I love it when the numbers match.
Anyway, I'll be plugging away at that stuff sometime this morning. After more coffee. And my Monday call to Mom. They should be done today, though. Which is good. And then I won't have to worry about it anymore. Get 'em out of the way early, I say.
What about you? Are you a do them ASAP kind of person or do you wait until April 14th? And if you're in another country, how's tax time in your world?
February 3, 2017
Two Years
The second anniversary of the day my first self-published book went live is fast approaching.
Two years ago, on February 13th, Dying Embers became available for the world to read. It didn't take the world by storm, but it was out there and people were enjoying it. (4.6 stars / 28 reviews - yeah, baby) And that, my friends, was the point of all this - to get my books into the hands of people who would enjoy it.
To further that mission, Dying Embers will be on sale for 99c from the 12th thru the 18th, so more people can enjoy it. And, if they like it, they can pick up a copy of the next book, Fertile Ground (which may also be on sale, if I can swing it with the timing.)
If you enjoy them, I'd really appreciate a review.
Anyway, I'll be running some contests and junk that week on my Facebook Page, here, maybe elsewhere. Keep an eye out.
And I want to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported me these past two years, and all the years leading up to it. You guys rock. :hugs:
Two years ago, on February 13th, Dying Embers became available for the world to read. It didn't take the world by storm, but it was out there and people were enjoying it. (4.6 stars / 28 reviews - yeah, baby) And that, my friends, was the point of all this - to get my books into the hands of people who would enjoy it.
To further that mission, Dying Embers will be on sale for 99c from the 12th thru the 18th, so more people can enjoy it. And, if they like it, they can pick up a copy of the next book, Fertile Ground (which may also be on sale, if I can swing it with the timing.)
If you enjoy them, I'd really appreciate a review.
Anyway, I'll be running some contests and junk that week on my Facebook Page, here, maybe elsewhere. Keep an eye out.
And I want to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported me these past two years, and all the years leading up to it. You guys rock. :hugs:
February 2, 2017
That's Done, What's Next?
This was supposed to post yesterday, but I must've hit 'save' instead of 'publish' or some such thing. And here I was wondering why I wasn't seeing any comments. Derp.
Without further ado...
Hi All!
Last night (night before last now), I finished the second round of edits and sent Natural Causes off to the most awesome Janet the Editor. Fingers crossed she likes this as much as she liked Accidental Death, and that it's as scrubbed as I think it is. If all goes well, I'm shooting for an early April release.
Which means I need to get the back cover copy done and, of course, create a cover.
But I have two months to do those things, soooo...
What's next?
I have Early Grave (SCIU #3) I could work on. OR I could get back to working on Wish Hits the Fan (Once Upon a Djinn #3). ORRR I could pick up something completely different. Like getting back to making Fear Itself a publishable thing, or going back to that dark urban fantasy thing I started, or that fun urban fantasy thing, or that fun mystery thing...
Decisions, decisions.
Most likely it'll be either serial crimes or the genies. Depends on what grabs me when I get ready to sit down again. Which probably won't be today. I am a crispy writer after the marathon editing thing over the past few days.
Without further ado...
Hi All!
Last night (night before last now), I finished the second round of edits and sent Natural Causes off to the most awesome Janet the Editor. Fingers crossed she likes this as much as she liked Accidental Death, and that it's as scrubbed as I think it is. If all goes well, I'm shooting for an early April release.
Which means I need to get the back cover copy done and, of course, create a cover.
But I have two months to do those things, soooo...
What's next?
I have Early Grave (SCIU #3) I could work on. OR I could get back to working on Wish Hits the Fan (Once Upon a Djinn #3). ORRR I could pick up something completely different. Like getting back to making Fear Itself a publishable thing, or going back to that dark urban fantasy thing I started, or that fun urban fantasy thing, or that fun mystery thing...
Decisions, decisions.
Most likely it'll be either serial crimes or the genies. Depends on what grabs me when I get ready to sit down again. Which probably won't be today. I am a crispy writer after the marathon editing thing over the past few days.
January 29, 2017
Writers Should Also Be Readers
I don't personally know any writers who aren't also readers. I've heard tales of non-reading writers, but like mountain lions in Missouri, I haven't encountered one yet.
Now, I'm not talking about writers who don't read while they're writing their first drafts. It takes a whole lot of writing your own words to defeat the voices of other writers in your head, so I totally get that. Hell, for years, I couldn't read other works of fiction while I was writing my own. And then for a while I couldn't read other works in the same genre while I was writing.
Nope, I'm talking about writers who proudly proclaim that they don't read. Or that they don't read new books. :shrug: I don't get it, but whatever.
Personally, I'm a reader. I've been a reader since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. And I read widely. Partly because I was a reader first and I love most genres. Partly because, as a writer, you never know what might come in handy.
To give you a sample, you can go here to see what I've read so far this year. Six books - mystery, action, history, paranormal romance, paranormal suspense, and YA paranormal. Pretty mixed bag, even if you group the paranormals together.
And here's a list of what I've one-clicked to read since the start of 2017...
Remember the Night by Silver James (paranormal romance)
The Thirteenth Man by JL Doty (SF)
In For a Penny by Naigle and Browning (cozy mystery)
Good, Bad, & Sexy by Jennifer Lyon (romance)
No One Lives Twice by Julie Moffett (mystery)
Granny Hooks a Crook by Julie Seedorf (cozy mystery)
Loads of new-to-me authors in there. I'll intersperse them with some old favorites from my shelves. Some hard-boiled crime, naturally, along with a few suspense novels waiting for me, and I've got two SF series I'm working my way through, and a couple fantasy series I'm in the middle of. I might also throw in a classic or two. I also read kids' books when the mood strikes me. Keepin' it fresh. You feel me? It's a smorgasbord all up in here.
LOL
What kinds of things do you read? Are you a one/two genre reader or do you read whatever strikes your fancy? Feel free to give a shout out to your authors of choice.
Now, I'm not talking about writers who don't read while they're writing their first drafts. It takes a whole lot of writing your own words to defeat the voices of other writers in your head, so I totally get that. Hell, for years, I couldn't read other works of fiction while I was writing my own. And then for a while I couldn't read other works in the same genre while I was writing.
Nope, I'm talking about writers who proudly proclaim that they don't read. Or that they don't read new books. :shrug: I don't get it, but whatever.
Personally, I'm a reader. I've been a reader since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. And I read widely. Partly because I was a reader first and I love most genres. Partly because, as a writer, you never know what might come in handy.
To give you a sample, you can go here to see what I've read so far this year. Six books - mystery, action, history, paranormal romance, paranormal suspense, and YA paranormal. Pretty mixed bag, even if you group the paranormals together.
And here's a list of what I've one-clicked to read since the start of 2017...
Remember the Night by Silver James (paranormal romance)
The Thirteenth Man by JL Doty (SF)
In For a Penny by Naigle and Browning (cozy mystery)
Good, Bad, & Sexy by Jennifer Lyon (romance)
No One Lives Twice by Julie Moffett (mystery)
Granny Hooks a Crook by Julie Seedorf (cozy mystery)
Loads of new-to-me authors in there. I'll intersperse them with some old favorites from my shelves. Some hard-boiled crime, naturally, along with a few suspense novels waiting for me, and I've got two SF series I'm working my way through, and a couple fantasy series I'm in the middle of. I might also throw in a classic or two. I also read kids' books when the mood strikes me. Keepin' it fresh. You feel me? It's a smorgasbord all up in here.
LOL
What kinds of things do you read? Are you a one/two genre reader or do you read whatever strikes your fancy? Feel free to give a shout out to your authors of choice.
January 27, 2017
Friday Tip
If you feel the need, at any point in a relationship, to tell someone 'if I die/disappear, my significant other did it', then you need to get the hell out of that relationship.
I've seen too many true crime shows where the victim said or wrote those words, but they stayed in the relationship anyway and wound up dead. And, sure enough, it was the significant other that did it.
Thinking that your significant other may, in fact, kill you - enough that you feel the need to tell someone to look at them for the crime - should be a flashing neon sign. Don't tell yourself you're being silly. Don't pretend you're just being paranoid. Hell, you might be paranoid, but that doesn't mean someone isn't out to get you. Ya know?
It's your flight instinct at work. Listen to it. Run away. Run away.
And stay alive.
Jus' sayin'.
I've seen too many true crime shows where the victim said or wrote those words, but they stayed in the relationship anyway and wound up dead. And, sure enough, it was the significant other that did it.
Thinking that your significant other may, in fact, kill you - enough that you feel the need to tell someone to look at them for the crime - should be a flashing neon sign. Don't tell yourself you're being silly. Don't pretend you're just being paranoid. Hell, you might be paranoid, but that doesn't mean someone isn't out to get you. Ya know?
It's your flight instinct at work. Listen to it. Run away. Run away.
And stay alive.
Jus' sayin'.
January 25, 2017
Crime in the News: What Do You Think?
A couple of days ago... maybe yesterday, I lose track of time... I saw a news story about a known gang member who'd been sentenced to 19 years (for what, I don't remember) and had his sentence commuted by Obama. The news story was that the man had been murdered in the halfway house where he lived after his dis-incarceration.
Here's what I remember from the story. Two masked, armed men came into the house. While one man held the other residents at bay, the other man shot and killed the dude. Then they left. No one else was harmed. So, basically, a hit.
Okay, here's the question of the day... Do you think the hit was carried out by vigilantes or by rival gang members?
Personally, I think it could go either way. If it's rival gang members, it should be this one killing and that's it. If it's vigilantes, prepare to see more of this. Obama did commute an awful lot of sentences before he left offices.
* No, I don't know if he commuted more sentences than other outgoing presidents. Just stating the fact that he commuted sentences and an opinion that it seemed like a lot to me.
Here's what I remember from the story. Two masked, armed men came into the house. While one man held the other residents at bay, the other man shot and killed the dude. Then they left. No one else was harmed. So, basically, a hit.
Okay, here's the question of the day... Do you think the hit was carried out by vigilantes or by rival gang members?
Personally, I think it could go either way. If it's rival gang members, it should be this one killing and that's it. If it's vigilantes, prepare to see more of this. Obama did commute an awful lot of sentences before he left offices.
* No, I don't know if he commuted more sentences than other outgoing presidents. Just stating the fact that he commuted sentences and an opinion that it seemed like a lot to me.
January 23, 2017
Sneaking in a Snippet
Hey All! I thought I'd drop a little surprise on y'all this morning. Here's a first taste of Natural Causes...
Natural CausesChapter OneDennis Haggarty gazed at the clock on his office wall, ticking the seconds until he could go home to his wife. He still couldn’t wrap his brain around the words ‘his wife’ or the fact that she was leaving him so soon. In a few short hours, she’d be on a plane headed east to visit a dear friend he’d never met. Then again, there were a lot of people in Jillian’s life he’d never met. He didn’t have anyone left for her to meet. His sister was dead. His mother and her husband would never speak to him again. As for his former partner, Pat had already adopted the new Mrs. Haggarty like the daughter he never had. Dennis didn’t care enough about anyone else to want them to meet his new bride.The minute hand clicked to quarter after the hour of four. If he could make it another forty-five minutes without another shitstorm blowing across his desk, he’d be home free. The newest chief of police in the mountain town of Last Ditch, Colorado could avoid the mundane calls that came in nightly. He wouldn’t be bothered until morning—not unless something drastic happened or the phone rang while he was still at the office.No sooner did Dennis finish his thought than the black plastic bastard shrilled. He waited for Norma to answer, but then he remembered his office manager had taken off early. Something about a bridal shower or a baby shower or needing a new shower curtain. Frankly, he couldn’t remember. Picking up the phone, he blurted out the standard greeting. “Last Chance P.D. This is Chief Haggarty. How can I help you?”
Just a taste and it's not totally edited yet, but I hope you enjoyed it. I expect to have this ready to publish in a couple of months, depending on editor availability and my own gumption.
Natural CausesChapter OneDennis Haggarty gazed at the clock on his office wall, ticking the seconds until he could go home to his wife. He still couldn’t wrap his brain around the words ‘his wife’ or the fact that she was leaving him so soon. In a few short hours, she’d be on a plane headed east to visit a dear friend he’d never met. Then again, there were a lot of people in Jillian’s life he’d never met. He didn’t have anyone left for her to meet. His sister was dead. His mother and her husband would never speak to him again. As for his former partner, Pat had already adopted the new Mrs. Haggarty like the daughter he never had. Dennis didn’t care enough about anyone else to want them to meet his new bride.The minute hand clicked to quarter after the hour of four. If he could make it another forty-five minutes without another shitstorm blowing across his desk, he’d be home free. The newest chief of police in the mountain town of Last Ditch, Colorado could avoid the mundane calls that came in nightly. He wouldn’t be bothered until morning—not unless something drastic happened or the phone rang while he was still at the office.No sooner did Dennis finish his thought than the black plastic bastard shrilled. He waited for Norma to answer, but then he remembered his office manager had taken off early. Something about a bridal shower or a baby shower or needing a new shower curtain. Frankly, he couldn’t remember. Picking up the phone, he blurted out the standard greeting. “Last Chance P.D. This is Chief Haggarty. How can I help you?”
Just a taste and it's not totally edited yet, but I hope you enjoyed it. I expect to have this ready to publish in a couple of months, depending on editor availability and my own gumption.
