Kyle Robert Shultz's Blog, page 19
February 26, 2018
Indie Author Interview: Jenelle Schmidt
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[image error]Today I’m excited to share an interview with the very awesome Jenelle Schmidt, author of the Minstrel’s Song series. The fourth and final book in the series, Minstrel’s Call, will be available on February 28 (and can be pre-ordered now!). Jenelle also has a terrific blog, and has provided us Twitterers with the fun #FantasyMonth hashtag during February.
Welcome, Jenelle! Pretend my readers and I are Hollywood producers and pitch the Minstrel’s Song series to us. What’s the series premise in...
February 23, 2018
Book and Audio Drama Reviews: Master Who?
I’m not quite sure what this says about me as a Doctor Who fan (and as a person), but I’ve always been a big fan of the Master—in all his and her incarnations. Well…almost all of them. I could have done without the snake-possessed-American-EMT in the 1996 TV movie, but he doesn’t exactly count.
In classic Doctor Who, the Master was often little more than your typical mustache-twirling villain. But over the years, the character has been cleverly reinterpreted in both the TV series and spin-off...
February 21, 2018
005: In Which I Disagree With Stephen King About Everything, Part 1
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Trying something a little different (and fun) this week. I’m reading through an article from The Independent called “22 Lessons from Stephen King on How to Be a Great Writer” and giving my own, off-the-cuff opinions of his writing advice. Do I actually disagree with him about everything? There’s only one way to find out…
Some of the questions answered in this episode:
Is TV really unhealthy for writers? Should you write primarily for yourself? Do you have to be “disconnected from the world”...February 15, 2018
A Belated Valentine’s Day Story, and an Announcement!
Sorry I’m late unveiling the promised Valentine’s Day adventure for Beaumont and Beasley…or is it Beaumont and Locke?
DownloadThis is the happiest day of Lady Cordelia Beaumont’s life. The man she loves has finally asked her to marry him.
Yet something doesn’t seem right. Is Robin Locke IV truly the one to whom she has pledged her heart? Is Nick Beasley really supposed to be in love with someone else? And what do magical cabbages have to do with it all?
This is just a go...
Cover Reveal–Minstrel’s Call by Jenelle Schmidt
Today, I’m honored to be part of the cover reveal celebration for Minstrel’s Call, the final book in the Minstrel’s Song epic fantasy series by Jenelle Schmidt!
If you have not yet read Jenelle’s books, you should naturally feel a deep and crippling sense of shame. Like I do. OH, THE GUILT. But, in my defense, I have recently begun reading Book 1 in the series, King’s Warrior, and I’m loving it so far. I will, of course, post a review of the series on this blog, so keep an eye out for that in...
February 9, 2018
Indie Book Reviews: The Day of the Sea Witch!
This is going to come as a tremendous shock to you–please brace yourself–but I am actually not the only person who has written an incredibly awesome fairy-tale novel involving the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid.
I know. I couldn’t believe it either.
In all seriousness, while you will have to decide on the “incredibly awesome” part for yourself, I did have a lot of fun writing The Tomb of the Sea Witch, Book 2 in my Beaumont and Beasley series. If you’d like to read it for yourself, you can...
February 7, 2018
004: Writing Should Be Fun
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NOTE: As of this episode, I’m switching to a twice-monthly schedule for the Fearless Fiction podcast. This will make it easier for me to balance my work on the show with my fiction writing, and provide more benefits to my Patreon subscribers in the long run as well. The next episode of the podcast will be released on February 21.
In this episode, I’m talking about creative burn-out (a frequent side-effect of prolonged creative anxiety), and some strategies for overcoming it.
Some of the topi...
February 5, 2018
Blog Tags: The Sunshine Blogger Award and The What If? Fantasy Tag
Today, I’ll be catching up on two tags given to me by fellow bloggers. Daley Downing tagged me for The Sunshine Blogger Award, and Jenelle Schmidt tagged me for her “What If…” Fantasy game. Thanks to both these awesome ladies for thinking of me!
The Sunshine Blogger TagWho is the one person that is the sunshine in your life?
My mom, who has the best sense of humor of anyone I know. She’s also responsible for encouraging me on my journey towards indie-author-hood, and I will forever be gratef...
February 2, 2018
Indie Book Review: The Blades of Acktar Series by Tricia Mingerink
Welcome to my first weekly book review post of 2018! If you haven’t already seen it, be sure to check out my book-review-explosion post from last week, in which I caught up on all the stories I’d been planning to review since forever. These regular posts every Friday will be a little less overwhelming than that one.
Granted, I am reviewing five books at once here, but they’re all in the same series, so I don’t think I’m overdoing it. Today I’m featuring the Blades of Acktar series by Tricia M...
January 31, 2018
003: How to Deal with Criticism
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This episode covers the thorny issue of how we deal with criticism. It might get a little controversial, but I’m hoping most people will find it helpful.
This week, we’ll discuss:
Why it’s important not to go back and change things you’ve already published How to use criticism to improve your writing without letting it destroy your self-esteem or your unique creative voice Why critiquer feedback is not the same thing as reader feedback Plus, a shocking, never-before-revealed secret about my...
