Kyle Robert Shultz's Blog, page 18
April 2, 2018
A Bold New Direction for Beaumont and Beasley!
Let’s face it–the Beaumont and Beasley series needs a good shake-up.
I mean, surprising twists on familiar stories, humorous banter, and reality-warping shenanigans are all well and good, but people are bound to get tired of all that eventually, aren’t they? Clearly, this is going nowhere fast.
So I’ve decided to take drastic measures and use a time-honored method of breathing new life into established properties. One used by all sorts of big-name creators in recent years, with great succe...
April 1, 2018
Why Everything Is Taking So Long
The title of this post specifically refers to my writing projects, not things in general. If you want to know why other stuff takes forever–like boiling water, red lights, or the production of the next Doctor Who season–then I’m afraid you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Also, this is not an April Fool’s post. Given that it’s also Easter, I decided I’d rather keep things little more serious today. (I cannot, however, promise that such hijinks will not happen tomorrow.)
I want to explain why it’s t...
March 30, 2018
Novella/Novelette Reviews–J.E. Purrazzi and Mollie E. Reeder
My poor TBR. It feels so unloved. Lately, I’ve only had time to chip away at it in small chunks, reading the shortest titles it has to offer – hence my not posting a book review in so long.
On the bright side, however, these short works I’ve been reading over the past couple weeks are really, really good. Today, I’ll go over three of them, two by fellow Phoenix Fiction Writer J.E. Purrazzi, and one by brilliant new indie author Mollie E. Reeder.
Infraction: Prequel Novella to the Malfunction...March 28, 2018
008: How I Publish Books
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The original title for this episode was “How I Sell Books”–but as it turned out, I had a lot more to say about the self-publishing process than I thought. So this time I’m going over how I get my books ready for publication and upload them to Amazon and other book-sellers. I’ll address the subject of marketing in the next episode so I can give it all the time it needs.
Some of the stuff I’ll be tackling in this show:
Do people judge books by their covers? (Spoiler: Of course they do. Let’s...March 22, 2018
Pre-Order How to Catch a Unicorn Today!
Hey everyone! This is just a quick update to let you know that the humorous-romantic-fantasy anthology How to Catch a Unicorn, featuring a short story from yours truly, is now available for pre-order!
Love is a funny thing–especially when it doesn’t work out the way you planned!
Are you looking for happily ever after? Do you dream of being swept off your feet by a handsome alpha shifter? Do you long to catch a unicorn?
Well, sit back while we explain why those are all very bad...
March 17, 2018
Crockett and Crane: The Leprechaun Trap
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! Here’s a short Crockett & Crane story for you, featuring everyone’s favorite dragon (aside from Malcolm, of course) matching wits with a famous creature from Irish folklore.
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It was particularly embarrassing for me to become trapped in a cave. I am a dragon. I am good at caves. Usually.
But on this occasion, I was in my human form, and I did not hear the sliding of the rocks before it was too late. They fell across the entrance to the cavern, blocking my exi...
March 14, 2018
007: How I Write Books
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This episode’s a little shorter than usual–not sure how that happened–but I’ll make up for it next time. The topic for this show is my own writing process. I’ll be explaining how I write books and providing tips that will hopefully be helpful to you in your own creative endeavors.
Some of the things I’ll be going over:
Why it’s okay to steal ideas The four things you need to discovery-write like a pro Why sometimes it’s a good idea to just call everybody “Steve”Also, some links to the v...
March 6, 2018
Book Review: Halayda by Sarah Delena White
The rumors are true. I have, at long last, read Halayda. Which means I now have authentic indie-pub credentials, as well as self-respect.
Seriously, I was starting to feel incredibly guilty about being the only person on the planet who had not read this highly-praised book. Kinda like you probably feel if you’re the only person on the planet who hasn’t read the Beaumont and Beasley series. (Marketing managed. *fist pump*)
It’s difficult to know where to begin in describing how truly excellen...
March 1, 2018
006: In Which I Disagree With Stephen King About Everything, Part 2
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Part 2 of my informal thoughts on an article from The Independent called “22 Lessons from Stephen King on How to Be a Great Writer”.
Some of the questions answered in this episode:
Do people really want to read about your characters brushing their teeth? Should you do drugs? (NO, obviously; I only devote two seconds to this one.) How long should you actually take to finish a book? How long of a break from writing should you allow yourself after finishing a project? Am I married?Also, my a...
February 27, 2018
SOSSERY! (a Guest Post on Daley Downing’s Blog)
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Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know that the wonderful Daley Downing has kindly featured a guest post of mine on her blog. It’s about that perpetually tricky question of Christianity vs. fictional magic. Head on over to Daley’s site to read my thoughts on the subject!
Guest Post: Kyle Robert Shultz on The Magic Elephant in the Room
Be sure to check out Daley’s awesome books on Barnes and Noble. And tomorrow, I’ll be back with the next episode of the Fearless Fiction podcast!
EDIT: Actu...
