R.A. Evans's Blog, page 27

People Watching

Yes, I am one of those people. I watch people. No, not in some creepy stalker sort of way; I am a fly on the wall.

I have drawn inspiration from complete strangers while standing in line at the grocery store, waiting impatiently outside the dressing room while my wife tries on outfit after outfit, and even my son's school events.

Although most of the character's I write about are based in some way on real people in my life – helps me to attach emotion to them – some are completely based on strangers and my vivid imagination. For instance, in Asylum Lake most of the characters are real to me in some way. April was indeed my first kiss, and Frank Griggs is a conglomeration of two of my older siblings.

The character I had the most fun with, however, was Douglass Wyatt. Doug Wyatt broke my nose in high school and it only took me twenty years to find a way to suitably repay him. No spoilers here…but I encourage you to read and learn about Doug.

Find inspiration where you can. For me, it comes from strange places and people. You never know, I may be behind you in line at the grocery store sometime — so be careful how you act.

Generating Buzz

I like the way Asylum Lake looks. The cover is suitably creepy and the teaser information is tightly worded and sure to draw people in. But there are thousands upon thousands of titles I am competing with — and a fair number of which look nearly as interesting. So how do I set Asylum lake apart? Easy — I generate buzz.

Okay, so maybe generating buzz isn't easy, but it sure can be fun! In case you are new to this blog, and from the count of followers I will put all of you squarely into that category, you may not realize that I am a huge fan of my book. I love the characters, the plot – even the way in which the author writes. Of course, I may be a bit biased. The point is – I want to get others to feel the same way about my work.

In a previous post I wrote about the value of a review, so I won;t continue to bore you with more details in that regard. What I will do is share what I have learned. Facebook is an amazing way to generate buzz. It can work like a chain letter – your friends tell their friends – who tell their friends – who tell their friends…and on and on and on. By creating and regularly updating a page for your book you can interact 24/7 with fans – encouraging them to help you spread the word.

I have also started an Asylum Lake TV channel on youtube where I have posted videos of me reading excerpts from the book, favorite music I listen to while writing, and even some footage of recent events. The key is to cultivate as many opportunities for people to stumble across your book as possible.

Heck, you might even want to consider writing a blog…:)

The Value of a Review

By and large most authors write to have their words read by others. Sure, some of us may write for the shear pleasure – and I have found myself doing so – but at the end of the day we are hopeful that somebody…anybody…will find value in our creativity and want to read more. Sadly, publishing isn't simply an "if you build (write) it they will come" business.

Reviews are an integral part of marketing a novel. They can also be extremely difficult to come by. There are paid sources to gain a review, but I always looked at these as having your mother tell you how good looking you are – it's her job to do that! For me, the challenge of getting Asylum Lake reviewed in mainstream media outlets proved to be a great motivator; it made me work hard not just at writing, but at selling. Trust me, I sent out plenty of free copies of Asylum Lake to media outlets only to never hear back, yet I pressed on and eventually found myself to be successful. The first review is always the most difficult to obtain. My best advice — start local and then expand. Of course, every author wants to be reviewed in the New York Times – and maybe one day I will – but the satisfaction from seeing my review in On The Town Magazine was tremendous.

Self Publishing

I am proud to say I am part of the new trend – self publishing. But what does this mean? Some might suggest it means my work wasn't viewed as being worthy of publishing. Hell, I had my own moments of doubt as the rejection letters poured in (137 of them to be precise – although who's counting). In hindsight, which is always 20/20, I am content with where I landed.

The upside – I am in control of everything. The downside – I am in control of everything. Sure, it would be great to be able to rely on a publishing house to market and promote my work, carry the printing costs, book my events, and even manage my creative streaks and personality. Yet what I am finding is this…by self publishing I only have myself to blame for success or failure. Instead of being just another author in a stable of authors contracted by a publisher, I am my own main priority. I know my work better than anyone. I know who reads it and why.

Of course, I also have the luxury of being a marketing/pr professional with a book set in my own backyard. This has helped tremendously, yet I have sales from around the world – thanks to facebook and an awesome website. It's not easy being a self-published author – especially with the stigma attached to it. But in reality, I have nothing to compare this to. I am just enjoying the ride.

And I thought it was tough to write a book!

I'm a good two weeks into the blog now and learning quickly that I could ramble on and on about any number of things and still get the same circle of small friends to read. It's got me thinking that writing a blog is in many ways much more difficult than writing a novel.

When I wrote Asylum Lake I knew the ending. Of course, it didn't realize right away that I wouldn't actually be getting to it until the conclusion of book number three. Apparently George Lucas and I share the same affliction - we don't know where to start to stop a story. Thankfully, however, I see no Jar Jar's in my future. Regardless, I always knew that the ending to the story I launched in Asylum Lake would totally rock at the close of Parting The Veil (and trust me it does).

Blogs are different; they never really end. Writing a blog feels very similar to the movie Groundhog Day. I wake up each day and know what to expect -- two cups of coffee to melt away the writer's block of ice covering my brain, momentary inspiration accompanied by frenzied typing, and then complete and utter anxiety as I wait for comments and views. It's like sending an "I like you. Do you like me? Check yes or no." note to the world and then sitting back to see what happens. The only thing missing from this process is my trusty Trapper Keeper and slick parachute pants from sixth grade. Oh how I miss the 80's!

So if you are reading this, please check the "Yes" box and drop me comment, sign up as an official follower, and maybe even recommend my blog to a friend. If not, I may have to rely on my old standby from Junior High disappointment --
trust me it's scary

Changing Seasons

I complained all summer long about the heat and now find myself on this first snowy day of late fall preparing my long list of complaints about the cold.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching the seasons change - from the comfort of my home office where I am in completely control of both the temperature and my proximity to the beverage of my choice. I am quite sure this defines me as both lazy and old, but hope I am wrong.

If you've read this far you are probably wondering how I am going to tie this into something interesting ( so am I!). Here is my feeble attempt.

Weather inspires me; from thunderstorms to blizzards and everything in between. Today, in fact, I can't help but look out of my office window at the fresh blanket of snow and smile at the thought of how easily I could track a fleeing victim through the open field beyond merely by the trail of blood she leaves.

I'm not sure if the snow, however, is more or less of an inspiration than the severe thunderstorm about a month ago that echoed the very foundation of my home with its base drum symphony. I couldn't help but think of what dark deeds those loud thunderclaps would cover -- agonized screams, the crunching of bones, most definitely the scratching of something from the other side of the closet door.

You see, mother nature is a bitch, but she has her uses. I'd love to hear your ideas about how weather inspires you.

Changing Seasons

I complained all summer long about the heat and now find myself on this first snowy day of late fall preparing my long list of complaints about the cold.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching the seasons change - from the comfort of my home office where I am in completely control of both the temperature and my proximity to the beverage of my choice. I am quite sure this defines me as both lazy and old, but hope I am wrong.

If you've read this far you are probably wondering how I am going to tie this into something interesting ( so am I!). Here is my feeble attempt.

Weather inspires me; from thunderstorms to blizzards and everything in between. Today, in fact, I can't help but look out of my office window at the fresh blanket of snow and smile at the thought of how easily I could track a fleeing victim through the open field beyond merely by the trail of blood she leaves.

I'm not sure if the snow, however, is more or less of an inspiration than the severe thunderstorm about a month ago that echoed the very foundation of my home with its base drum symphony. I couldn't help but think of what dark deeds those loud thunderclaps would cover -- agonized screams, the crunching of bones, most definitely the scratching of something from the other side of the closet door.

You see, mother nature is a bitch, but she has her uses. I'd love to hear your ideas about how weather inspires you.

Just Don't Kill the Dog!

When I released Asylum Lake one chapter each week for the span of six weeks via the official website I was worried for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, I had never been a believer in the "if you build it they will come" philosophy of life. Sure, it worked well for Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, but I don't typically have his luck (my luck is much more on the Water World end of the spectrum). Fortunately, word of mouth spread and the website received 15,000 unique hits over the course of those six weeks. I give most of the credit for this to my wonderful designer who captured perfectly my dark vision.

My second concern was the graphic nature of the story, especially Chapter 5 - Crimes Against Humanity. Without giving away any spoilers, this chapter describes in fairly great detail the brutal murders of a young couple and their two children. It was a fun chapter to write -- mildly difficult but not too bad once I committed to it(much like sawing through bones with a hacksaw). Still, I worried about how it would be received by readers.

Surprisingly, my worries were very misplaced. I learned a few things about the readers of Asylum Lake. First, for some reason they enjoyed my musical references and skewed take on what happens when dark memories refuse to remain forgotten. Most importantly, I learned that readers can easily stomach the dismemberment of toddlers and parents, but any thought of harming good old Gruff would not be tolerated.

Easily, 80% of the comments I received during this time were readers who pleased "Just don't kill the dog!"

Switching Gears

Writing a series has some serious drawbacks. As much as I enjoy writing about Brady Tanner and his quest for the elusive Dr. Wesley Clovis, even I need to sharpen my writing blades on a new stone every now and then. Lately, and much because of AMC's The Walking Dead, that new stone has been my own dark take on zombies.

Tentatively titled FLEE, my latest work in progress involves US Air Marshall Elizabeth Downie and her unfortunate luck of drawing an overseas flight with a very disturbing cargo.

This is the second side-project I have started since the publication of Asylum Lake. The first is a somewhat completed novel about a serial killer's proclivity for cell phones. And although I have two more books in the Parting The Veil Series to churn out (Grave Undertakings in May 2011 and Parting The Veil in December 2011) I enjoy discovering new and creepy ways to torment my characters.

So as you dive into the mysteries of Asylum Lake and work your way through the Parting The Veil series, know that much darker tidings are on the horizon. You may never use your cell phone or fly on a plane again!

People Watching

Yes, I am one of those people. I watch people. No, not in some creepy stalker sort of way; I am a fly on the wall.

I have drawn inspiration from complete strangers while standing in line at the grocery store, waiting impatiently outside the dressing room while my wife tries on outfit after outfit, and even my son's school events.

Although most of the character's I write about are based in some way on real people in my life - helps me to attach emotion to them - some are completely based on strangers and my vivid imagination. For instance, in Asylum Lake most of the characters are real to me in some way. April was indeed my first kiss, and Frank Griggs is a conglomeration of two of my older siblings.

The character I had the most fun with, however, was Douglass Wyatt. Doug Wyatt broke my nose in high school and it only took me twenty years to find a way to suitably repay him. No spoilers here...but I encourage you to read and learn about Doug.

Find inspiration where you can. For me, it comes from strange places and people. You never know, I may be behind you in line at the grocery store sometime -- so be careful how you act.