Mario Acevedo's Blog, page 12
September 23, 2012
It's about the numbers
Mario here:
If you're a writer, you are about deafened by all the shouting and caterwauling regarding ebooks and the future of publishing (always expressed in Apocalyptic simpering). There's no doubt that publishing has definitely changed, both bad and good for us writers.
On the bad side: For most novelists, the multiple book contract is dead, and a series limps along based on the sales of the last book. Advances for even established, bestselling authors are shrinking, often to half or a quarter of what they were five years ago.
On the plus side: The continuing growth of ebooks allows the writer to circumvent the previous roadblock for self-publishing--the distributor. Before ebooks, if you self-published you had to fork over tens of thousands for hard copies of the books and then find a distributor to market them (and a bookstore willing to shelf them). Now you don't need any hard copies and through Amazon, Barnes & Noble's Nook, etc., your book has the potential to reach a huge and growing audience.
The big however for self-published ebooks remains that you still have to market them.
One golden marketing tactic was Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing Select program. The premise behind this tactic was that you'd offer free downloads of your book for a day or two to build buzz, and thousands of free downloads later, you'd put the book back on sale, then Ka-Ching! those thousands of freebies would translate into thousands of sales. But the ease of self-publishing means there's a glut of manuscripts available that should have never gone further than the trash folder. Now offering free downloads doesn't always work, and with the glut of bad free books, seems to work even less.
Forbes provides a welcome and factual analysis of how well free downloads have worked to market a book. Read the article here.
The most sobering statistic?
Weekly average a book sold before free loads--5. Weekly average AFTER free downloads--49.
Hardly day job quitting money.
But not so fast. I personally know two writers who have earned enough from ebooks to quit their day jobs. And several others who have rejuvenated their careers after getting jerked around in traditional publishing.
So what works? Marketing is governed by several proven principles, but applying marketing is an art, not a science. What worked yesterday may not work today. What works now may not work tomorrow. Elle Lothlorien shares her experience pimping ebooks and the need to remain nimble in your approach.
One commonly repeated tenet is that the best marketing tool is to write a good book. But what does that mean? I have writer friends who have written splendid books, and those books simply not have gained the attention and sales they deserve.
And so to pimp two deserving writer pals we have:
From Publishers Lunch:
"New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author CJ Lyons's BROKEN, where a critically ill teenage girl discovers that other teens are coming down with the same sickness, and the illness may not be what it seems to Leah Hultenschmidt at Sourcebooks by Barbara Poelle at Irene Goodman Agency. (world English) Foreign Rights: Heather Shapiro at Baror International."
Plus this very nice article about YA and mystery writer Jess Lourey. Like, or better yet, buy The Toadhouse Trilogy, Book One.
Lastly! Sound the alarm!
The University of Doom website is finally up. Mad science. Evil genius. Schemes and inventions gone very wrong. Plus awesome Lego videos.
If you're a writer, you are about deafened by all the shouting and caterwauling regarding ebooks and the future of publishing (always expressed in Apocalyptic simpering). There's no doubt that publishing has definitely changed, both bad and good for us writers.
On the bad side: For most novelists, the multiple book contract is dead, and a series limps along based on the sales of the last book. Advances for even established, bestselling authors are shrinking, often to half or a quarter of what they were five years ago.
On the plus side: The continuing growth of ebooks allows the writer to circumvent the previous roadblock for self-publishing--the distributor. Before ebooks, if you self-published you had to fork over tens of thousands for hard copies of the books and then find a distributor to market them (and a bookstore willing to shelf them). Now you don't need any hard copies and through Amazon, Barnes & Noble's Nook, etc., your book has the potential to reach a huge and growing audience.
The big however for self-published ebooks remains that you still have to market them.
One golden marketing tactic was Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing Select program. The premise behind this tactic was that you'd offer free downloads of your book for a day or two to build buzz, and thousands of free downloads later, you'd put the book back on sale, then Ka-Ching! those thousands of freebies would translate into thousands of sales. But the ease of self-publishing means there's a glut of manuscripts available that should have never gone further than the trash folder. Now offering free downloads doesn't always work, and with the glut of bad free books, seems to work even less.
Forbes provides a welcome and factual analysis of how well free downloads have worked to market a book. Read the article here.
The most sobering statistic?
Weekly average a book sold before free loads--5. Weekly average AFTER free downloads--49.
Hardly day job quitting money.
But not so fast. I personally know two writers who have earned enough from ebooks to quit their day jobs. And several others who have rejuvenated their careers after getting jerked around in traditional publishing.
So what works? Marketing is governed by several proven principles, but applying marketing is an art, not a science. What worked yesterday may not work today. What works now may not work tomorrow. Elle Lothlorien shares her experience pimping ebooks and the need to remain nimble in your approach.
One commonly repeated tenet is that the best marketing tool is to write a good book. But what does that mean? I have writer friends who have written splendid books, and those books simply not have gained the attention and sales they deserve.
And so to pimp two deserving writer pals we have:
From Publishers Lunch:
"New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author CJ Lyons's BROKEN, where a critically ill teenage girl discovers that other teens are coming down with the same sickness, and the illness may not be what it seems to Leah Hultenschmidt at Sourcebooks by Barbara Poelle at Irene Goodman Agency. (world English) Foreign Rights: Heather Shapiro at Baror International."
Plus this very nice article about YA and mystery writer Jess Lourey. Like, or better yet, buy The Toadhouse Trilogy, Book One.Lastly! Sound the alarm!
The University of Doom website is finally up. Mad science. Evil genius. Schemes and inventions gone very wrong. Plus awesome Lego videos.
September 19, 2012
Inspiration
Mario has been putting me to shame with his excellent blogs about books and writing. I wondered what I could do to add my own offerings since lately I've been immersed in promo for Haunted. So I started thinking about a blog piece I did earlier in the year as a guest post--answering a question that is often asked writers--what inspires me as a writer.
Maybe this is a good time to share how I answered that question, especially since so many of us are fresh from Colorado Gold and filled with enthusiasm for the writing process. And with NaNoWriMo just around the corner, it may be the push some of us need to get serious about our writing.
So when asked me what inspires me as a writer and a person, my first response was everything. But then I realized I was confusing inspiration with the process of taking an idea and developing it into a story. Two different things. The muse that sparks an idea can be anything. I get ideas for my books from newspapers, television shows, eavesdropping on strangers’ conversations, other books. Ideas float on the air like dandelion snow. You only have to hold out your hand to grab one.
Inspiration is something else.
Inspiration is what makes me sit down at the computer everyday. It’s what helps me through the dark days when it seems I’m fighting a losing battle against the indifference of critics and sometimes even my agent and editor. It’s fighting the urge to give up when a brand new writer comes out of nowhere and wins that huge contract complete with movie and TV rights and a six-figure advance. And then reading the book and realizing, it is that good.
Inspiration is that voice inside you that says keep going. It’s the message of a character like Anna Strong that I want women to hear. It’s the voice that says women are strong and clever and capable of great bravery—with or without super powers.
I need to be my own inspiration. I need to have faith in my abilities and the determination to persevere. I can and do take strength from those around me--my husband, my daughter, my writing partners, my friends. Ultimately, though, I am responsible for myself.
We all are, aren't we?
What inspires you?
inspirational graphics
Maybe this is a good time to share how I answered that question, especially since so many of us are fresh from Colorado Gold and filled with enthusiasm for the writing process. And with NaNoWriMo just around the corner, it may be the push some of us need to get serious about our writing.
So when asked me what inspires me as a writer and a person, my first response was everything. But then I realized I was confusing inspiration with the process of taking an idea and developing it into a story. Two different things. The muse that sparks an idea can be anything. I get ideas for my books from newspapers, television shows, eavesdropping on strangers’ conversations, other books. Ideas float on the air like dandelion snow. You only have to hold out your hand to grab one.
Inspiration is something else.
Inspiration is what makes me sit down at the computer everyday. It’s what helps me through the dark days when it seems I’m fighting a losing battle against the indifference of critics and sometimes even my agent and editor. It’s fighting the urge to give up when a brand new writer comes out of nowhere and wins that huge contract complete with movie and TV rights and a six-figure advance. And then reading the book and realizing, it is that good.
Inspiration is that voice inside you that says keep going. It’s the message of a character like Anna Strong that I want women to hear. It’s the voice that says women are strong and clever and capable of great bravery—with or without super powers.
I need to be my own inspiration. I need to have faith in my abilities and the determination to persevere. I can and do take strength from those around me--my husband, my daughter, my writing partners, my friends. Ultimately, though, I am responsible for myself.
We all are, aren't we?
What inspires you?
inspirational graphics
September 16, 2012
In this corner...
Mario here:
As a writer I tell wanna-be scribes to read...a lot. And deciding that it would be a good idea to follow my own advice, last year I had promised that I would read a book a week. Recently I tried a little contest to test my reading tastes by comparing genre versus literary.
In this corner, the genre heavyweight:
Consent to Kill by Vince Flynn. Years ago I had met Vince Flynn at the Men of Mystery con in Orange County, CA. I didn't have a chance to talk with him during the con as he was mobbed by fans. Then by chance, he and I were near the same gate for our flights home. He turned out to be very friendly and approachable. And very tall. Flynn is famous for his hard-driving potboiler political thrillers and you can't get more genre than him.
Consent is from Flynn's Mitch Rapp CIA super agent books. I chose this book because I wanted to see how Flynn handled backstory in a story from the middle of a series, and I wanted to analyze his writing style.
After a couple of chapters of setup, the plot gets into gear when an Arab billionaire petitions a Saudi prince to assassinate Mitch Rapp as punishment for killing the Arab's son (who had been targeted by the Americans for being a terrorist). The prince contacts an ex-Stasi agent who in turn hires a hit team--a former French Legionnaire officer and his girlfriend. The villains know that Mitch Rapp is the most dangerous of all prey, and if they botch his murder, he will ruthlessly hunt them all.
Whenever I read a novel I have to work to turn off my critique filter, but there was little trouble doing that in this book. Flynn's prose is uncomplicated and direct, and I couldn't find one example of what writing coach Margie Lawson calls a NYT bestselling phrase.
"It's all about story. Everything else is technique." Diana Gabaldon
Flynn delivered a well-crafted tale that forced me to keep the book handy so I could get to the story at every chance. At first, Mitch Rapp struck me as Batman without the cape. But Flynn knocked the props from under Rapp and about took everything from him. Once the villains heard that Rapp was dead (a planted rumor) they began to double-cross each other, then switched course when they discovered Rapp was alive. Rapp and the CIA tightened the screws in a way that made me cheer but Flynn is too clever of a storyteller to give the reader a predictable ending. This finale involved a surprising twist yet remained true to Rapp's character.
In this corner, the literary middleweight:
The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter. I don't mean to imply that Walter lacks any talent when compared to Flynn. It's that Walter hasn't hit it as commercially big as Flynn.
Though Walter is described as a literary mystery writer, he has won an Edgar from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Novel for Citizen Vince.
The hero in this book is Matt Prior, an unemployed journalist facing foreclosure. He and his wife are ass deep in debt and she's started an affair with someone she's met on Facebook. His live-in senile dad lost everything to a thieving stripper and her boyfriend. Matt's money troubles began when he bankrolled an Internet start-up that offered financial advice in poetic form. He befriends some slackers, scores pot, sells it for a nice profit, and decides he's found the way out of his quagmire.
What carries the narrative is Walter's witty prose, a hallmark of a literary read. Here are a couple of examples:
"The clouds hung low, like a drop ceiling suffused with light from the city."
Matt's appointment with his financial advisor is described:
"The appointment is a predictable as coffin shopping."
The story is a catalog of fresh literary gems. But as the plot unfolds, the narrative veers into mystery genre with a scene as hard-boiled and tense as anything from Breaking Bad.
If Walter's writing chops aren't enough to stoke my envy, this book is being adapted into The Bailout starring Jack Black. Consent is also in movie development.
So what's the verdict? Sorry, but it's a tie.
Wait, there's more:
Writer pal Cat Rambo has a collection of science fiction short stories out, Near + Far. Do yourself a favor and treat your mind to this book. It'll be like a brain massage with a happy ending.
As a writer I tell wanna-be scribes to read...a lot. And deciding that it would be a good idea to follow my own advice, last year I had promised that I would read a book a week. Recently I tried a little contest to test my reading tastes by comparing genre versus literary.
In this corner, the genre heavyweight:
Consent to Kill by Vince Flynn. Years ago I had met Vince Flynn at the Men of Mystery con in Orange County, CA. I didn't have a chance to talk with him during the con as he was mobbed by fans. Then by chance, he and I were near the same gate for our flights home. He turned out to be very friendly and approachable. And very tall. Flynn is famous for his hard-driving potboiler political thrillers and you can't get more genre than him.Consent is from Flynn's Mitch Rapp CIA super agent books. I chose this book because I wanted to see how Flynn handled backstory in a story from the middle of a series, and I wanted to analyze his writing style.
After a couple of chapters of setup, the plot gets into gear when an Arab billionaire petitions a Saudi prince to assassinate Mitch Rapp as punishment for killing the Arab's son (who had been targeted by the Americans for being a terrorist). The prince contacts an ex-Stasi agent who in turn hires a hit team--a former French Legionnaire officer and his girlfriend. The villains know that Mitch Rapp is the most dangerous of all prey, and if they botch his murder, he will ruthlessly hunt them all.
Whenever I read a novel I have to work to turn off my critique filter, but there was little trouble doing that in this book. Flynn's prose is uncomplicated and direct, and I couldn't find one example of what writing coach Margie Lawson calls a NYT bestselling phrase.
"It's all about story. Everything else is technique." Diana Gabaldon
Flynn delivered a well-crafted tale that forced me to keep the book handy so I could get to the story at every chance. At first, Mitch Rapp struck me as Batman without the cape. But Flynn knocked the props from under Rapp and about took everything from him. Once the villains heard that Rapp was dead (a planted rumor) they began to double-cross each other, then switched course when they discovered Rapp was alive. Rapp and the CIA tightened the screws in a way that made me cheer but Flynn is too clever of a storyteller to give the reader a predictable ending. This finale involved a surprising twist yet remained true to Rapp's character.
In this corner, the literary middleweight:
The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter. I don't mean to imply that Walter lacks any talent when compared to Flynn. It's that Walter hasn't hit it as commercially big as Flynn.Though Walter is described as a literary mystery writer, he has won an Edgar from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Novel for Citizen Vince.
The hero in this book is Matt Prior, an unemployed journalist facing foreclosure. He and his wife are ass deep in debt and she's started an affair with someone she's met on Facebook. His live-in senile dad lost everything to a thieving stripper and her boyfriend. Matt's money troubles began when he bankrolled an Internet start-up that offered financial advice in poetic form. He befriends some slackers, scores pot, sells it for a nice profit, and decides he's found the way out of his quagmire.
What carries the narrative is Walter's witty prose, a hallmark of a literary read. Here are a couple of examples:
"The clouds hung low, like a drop ceiling suffused with light from the city."
Matt's appointment with his financial advisor is described:
"The appointment is a predictable as coffin shopping."
The story is a catalog of fresh literary gems. But as the plot unfolds, the narrative veers into mystery genre with a scene as hard-boiled and tense as anything from Breaking Bad.
If Walter's writing chops aren't enough to stoke my envy, this book is being adapted into The Bailout starring Jack Black. Consent is also in movie development.
So what's the verdict? Sorry, but it's a tie.
Wait, there's more:
Writer pal Cat Rambo has a collection of science fiction short stories out, Near + Far. Do yourself a favor and treat your mind to this book. It'll be like a brain massage with a happy ending.
September 13, 2012
Right Channel...
You're in the right place for Biting Edge Thursday edition so don't touch that dial. The problem is I, Jeanne, did not have a chance to put anything together. Why? Many reasons: illness, out of town visitors, brain fatigue.
Next week I'll be back. In the meantime, check out Mario's post on Monday if you haven't already. It's a good one. Or drop into Facebook and catch up on what I'm doing. I have some fun things coming up including speaking to the Denver SciFi/Fantasy group on Saturday night at the Broadway Book Mall and leaving to attend a Writers Police Academy next Thursday in North Carolina. All grist for the mill.
Have a good week and stay away from that awful bug that's going around. I promise I washed my hands before posting this!
XO
Next week I'll be back. In the meantime, check out Mario's post on Monday if you haven't already. It's a good one. Or drop into Facebook and catch up on what I'm doing. I have some fun things coming up including speaking to the Denver SciFi/Fantasy group on Saturday night at the Broadway Book Mall and leaving to attend a Writers Police Academy next Thursday in North Carolina. All grist for the mill.
Have a good week and stay away from that awful bug that's going around. I promise I washed my hands before posting this!
XO
September 9, 2012
The marketing road to nowhere
Mario here:Another Colorado Gold conference is in the rear view mirror. Gold conference number 30 to be exact. It was another welcome opportunity to reunite with writer friends and get all wonky about writing commercial fiction. The Saturday keynote speaker, NYT romance author Jodi Thomas, had us laughing as she spun her tale of going from rejected wannabe to making the "List." Sunday's farewell speaker, Debra Dixon, shared her stories of getting published, dealing with a rotten review, and making the transition from author to publisher.
And next:
Newly published novelist Rudy Ch. Garcia hosts his book launch signing at El Centro Su Teatro's Civic Theater, Sunday, Sept 16, 5pm. Go show him some love.There's no doubt that the growing phenomenon of eBooks is changing the structure of the publishing industry. One concern among both writers and readers is the trend to rush a manuscript into epublication before the book is ready. The big question is: How can you tell? If you've been through the ordeal of submitting query letters and getting rejections, then it's tempting to avoid that heartache by publishing the work yourself. After all, there are plenty of writers who've done rather well self-publishing on Amazon and Nook. Hugh Howey, Elle Lothlorien, and Lynda Hilburn are three good examples.
With that thought, I was drawn to the blog by Penny C. Sansvieri addressing 7 Signs That You're Not Ready to Publish, thinking she'd shed much needed light on the topic. Sadly, no.
What most bothered me was this:
2. You haven't researched your market or genre: This is another biggie and oddly enough, very often overlooked. Do you know what's selling in your industry? Who else is writing about your topic? Have you bought or read their books? It's important to know what's trending in your market, what's selling and what isn't. It's always good to read other people's work because you really want to know how others are addressing the topic that you're going to be writing about. Not only that, but these could be great people to network with.
If you're a novelist, chasing trends will lead you nowhere. Writing a novel can take months or even years. Unless your book is gonna get fast-tracked by the publisher, expect at least a year between submitting the manuscript to your editor and seeing the book on the shelf. Remember the zombie mash-ups a few years back? The pipeline for the first of those books was greased before the initial word doc was created. But the market dried up in a hurry and I know of one author who got burned in the process. Right now we're in the middle of Fifty Shades mania and it'll be interesting to see how hot that market remains.
Years ago, we were told that Anne Rice had written everything the public wanted about vampires. The market for undead bloodsuckers was, well, dead. Then Twilight and True Blood kicked that idea in the ass.
I've attended a few How-To-Market-Your-Book-Using-Social-Media workshops and what was missing from every seminar was the most crucial aspect about writing a book. Which is: Write a Good Book. Nowhere in Sanvieri's blog does she mention the importance of writing a good book, or more simply, writing something worth reading. You could say that's an obvious assumption, but we writers know that there's a reason that writing is called opening a vein. Putting words together to make a coherent and compelling story is hard work. If it was as easy as pulling the marketing levers and getting your fiction onto the bestseller list, then every novel would be a winner.
Why do marketers harp so much on marketing your book? First of all, marketing is what they know best and that's the prism through which they see the world. Two, it's easy to set up a marketing plan and quantify your efforts. Do A. Then B. C. etc., and pretend you're doing something useful for your writing career. But no one has yet to quantify what makes a book "a good book" before it is written. Amanda Hocking is touted as a writer who marketed her way to success. But all her work wouldn't have mattered if her books hadn't resonated with her readers. You may go down the Write-A-Bestseller-Checklist and still end up with a turkey.
Remember what W. Somerset Maugham said about writing:
"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."
Don't let the marketing experts make you spin your wheels when your most important function as a writer is to write a good book. And forget that stupid 80/20 advice that you should spend 80 percent of your time marketing and 20 percent actually writing.
Does this mean you ignore marketing? Of course not. There's no point in publishing a book if no one hears about it.
But the best way to promote your current book is to write the next one.
So write and write well.
Don't forget, if you're in L.A. next weekend, catch me at ComiKaze Expo.
September 6, 2012
Colorado Gold Conference
This weekend I'll be presenting at Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Colorado Gold Conference. If you're attending, here's my schedule:
FRIDAY
2 – 2:50 How to Stay Motivated – with Mario, Warren Hammond -- VAIL
3 – 3:50 Writing Paranormals – with Mario, Lynda Hilburn -- VAIL
SATURDAY
10 – 10:50 WOTY panel – with Mario, Pamela Nowak, Robin Owens – BIG THOMPSON
3:30 – 4:20 Violence in Fiction – with Carol Berg, Warren Hammond – PLATTE RIVER
Friday evening is a signing open to the public so if you're in the neighborhood of the Renaissance Hotel, 3801 Quebec St, Denver, stop by and say hello.
After a weekend of non-stop action at Dragon*Con, I don't have more than a couple of brain cells to rub together. So here's what I've got for you this week. It ain't much, but it's better than nothing!
Some good news from Cinemablend.com:
J oss Whedon signs three year deal with Marvel Studios
Joss Whedon has plenty of experience as a showrunner. During his years in television he brought worlds like Firefly, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel to life, and even managed to the connect the arcs of the last two together. And now it looks like Whedon will have to take that same experience and talent to the big screen as he is basically becoming the showrunner for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Following news from earlier this afternoon, when it was announced that Whedon would be writing and directing The Avengers 2 and working on a television show set within the MCU, Marvel Studios has told the Los Angeles Times that Whedon has actually signed a three year exclusive deal with the studio that will have him working under the company’s roof until June 2015.
In addition to the projects announced earlier today, Whedon will also be contributing creatively to the Marvel universe as a whole, but that actually isn’t really new ground for the filmmaker. After being hired to write and direct The Avengers, Marvel had him do some work on the script for Captain America : The First Avenger and he also directed the tag scene at the end of Thor. While it’s unlikely that Whedon will have any role in the development of Iron Man 3 or Thor : The Dark World, as one is already months into production and the other is just a few weeks away from it, he could very well play a crucial role in Captain America : The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, which are the two films that Marvel is currently developing for 2014.
This is honestly the greatest thing Marvel could have done. Company President Kevin Feige did an absolutely brilliant job with developing Phase One, introducing audiences to the characters and getting them ready for a larger life on screen, but putting Whedon as the man at the helm is perfection. His years on television have shown that he is a genius when it comes to character development and gradual personality shifts, and that’s exactly what the Marvel Cinematic Universe will need in the years ahead. There is not a piece of bad news to be found in this developing story.
Amen to that. We can't have too much Whedon magic!!
FRIDAY
2 – 2:50 How to Stay Motivated – with Mario, Warren Hammond -- VAIL
3 – 3:50 Writing Paranormals – with Mario, Lynda Hilburn -- VAIL
SATURDAY
10 – 10:50 WOTY panel – with Mario, Pamela Nowak, Robin Owens – BIG THOMPSON
3:30 – 4:20 Violence in Fiction – with Carol Berg, Warren Hammond – PLATTE RIVER
Friday evening is a signing open to the public so if you're in the neighborhood of the Renaissance Hotel, 3801 Quebec St, Denver, stop by and say hello.
After a weekend of non-stop action at Dragon*Con, I don't have more than a couple of brain cells to rub together. So here's what I've got for you this week. It ain't much, but it's better than nothing!
Some good news from Cinemablend.com:
J oss Whedon signs three year deal with Marvel Studios
Joss Whedon has plenty of experience as a showrunner. During his years in television he brought worlds like Firefly, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel to life, and even managed to the connect the arcs of the last two together. And now it looks like Whedon will have to take that same experience and talent to the big screen as he is basically becoming the showrunner for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Following news from earlier this afternoon, when it was announced that Whedon would be writing and directing The Avengers 2 and working on a television show set within the MCU, Marvel Studios has told the Los Angeles Times that Whedon has actually signed a three year exclusive deal with the studio that will have him working under the company’s roof until June 2015.
In addition to the projects announced earlier today, Whedon will also be contributing creatively to the Marvel universe as a whole, but that actually isn’t really new ground for the filmmaker. After being hired to write and direct The Avengers, Marvel had him do some work on the script for Captain America : The First Avenger and he also directed the tag scene at the end of Thor. While it’s unlikely that Whedon will have any role in the development of Iron Man 3 or Thor : The Dark World, as one is already months into production and the other is just a few weeks away from it, he could very well play a crucial role in Captain America : The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, which are the two films that Marvel is currently developing for 2014.
This is honestly the greatest thing Marvel could have done. Company President Kevin Feige did an absolutely brilliant job with developing Phase One, introducing audiences to the characters and getting them ready for a larger life on screen, but putting Whedon as the man at the helm is perfection. His years on television have shown that he is a genius when it comes to character development and gradual personality shifts, and that’s exactly what the Marvel Cinematic Universe will need in the years ahead. There is not a piece of bad news to be found in this developing story.
Amen to that. We can't have too much Whedon magic!!
September 2, 2012
Mood music and Comikaze Expo
Mario here:
One thing we writers strive to create in our stories is mood, especially in noir fiction. I like the murky ambiance surrounding sketchy characters with dubious motives. Musicians also like to create mood and if there is one singer who can conjure the type of shadowed emotions that I like to color my stories with, it would have to be Tom Waits. Listen to his songs and you can almost smell the discarded cigarettes, spilled beer, and desperation.
Another crooner who also does a great job striking the moody chord is Kathy Kosins.
When I listen to her croon "Don't Wait Up For Me" I want to lie back at night and ease my regrets with a glass of scotch (the plume from a lit cigarette catching the intermittent glow of a neon sign down the street would complete the romantic image but I don't smoke).
If you write, then you can't help but deal with bouts of melancholia, and when that happens, there is a remedy for you. Next week is Colorado Gold, the annual writers conference of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and catch Jeanne Stein, Warren Hammond, and me presenting the workshop, How to Keep Writing While the World is Kicking Your Ass. Believe me, all three of us have mighty big bruises on our trim little butts and yet we keep on writing.
The following week I'll be a guest at the ComiKaze-Comic, Anime, Gaming, Sci-Fi, Fanatsy and Horror Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Judging from the line-up, I seem to be a token novelist. (A book? Not a graphic novel? There are no pictures. Is it like a screenplay? What's with all the extra words?) The con will be packed with guest artists, graphic novel writers, screenwriters, animators, all schmoozing under the benevolent eye of the comic god hisself, Stan Lee.
Zomie! Bam! Pow!
Still not impressed? Then check out this partial list of Featured Guests:
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
Adam West
Burt Ward
Julie Newmar
Lou Ferrigno
Ron Glass
Linda Blair
Morgan Fairchild
One thing we writers strive to create in our stories is mood, especially in noir fiction. I like the murky ambiance surrounding sketchy characters with dubious motives. Musicians also like to create mood and if there is one singer who can conjure the type of shadowed emotions that I like to color my stories with, it would have to be Tom Waits. Listen to his songs and you can almost smell the discarded cigarettes, spilled beer, and desperation.
Another crooner who also does a great job striking the moody chord is Kathy Kosins.
When I listen to her croon "Don't Wait Up For Me" I want to lie back at night and ease my regrets with a glass of scotch (the plume from a lit cigarette catching the intermittent glow of a neon sign down the street would complete the romantic image but I don't smoke).
If you write, then you can't help but deal with bouts of melancholia, and when that happens, there is a remedy for you. Next week is Colorado Gold, the annual writers conference of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and catch Jeanne Stein, Warren Hammond, and me presenting the workshop, How to Keep Writing While the World is Kicking Your Ass. Believe me, all three of us have mighty big bruises on our trim little butts and yet we keep on writing.
The following week I'll be a guest at the ComiKaze-Comic, Anime, Gaming, Sci-Fi, Fanatsy and Horror Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Judging from the line-up, I seem to be a token novelist. (A book? Not a graphic novel? There are no pictures. Is it like a screenplay? What's with all the extra words?) The con will be packed with guest artists, graphic novel writers, screenwriters, animators, all schmoozing under the benevolent eye of the comic god hisself, Stan Lee.
Zomie! Bam! Pow!
Still not impressed? Then check out this partial list of Featured Guests:
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
Adam West
Burt Ward
Julie Newmar
Lou Ferrigno
Ron Glass
Linda Blair
Morgan Fairchild
August 29, 2012
Thank You
First of all, thanks to all of you who made the Haunted launch a success--friends, family, old friends and new, the staff of the Tattered Cover. You are all great and I appreciate you more than I can say. To those of you who don't follow me on Facebook, I need to share this little token from my critique group. I'm sure you who can guess who picked it out!
Anna has her gun, I have mine!!
I'm putting the blog up early (or rather late, it's about 11 PM on Wednesday night) because tomorrow I'll be on the road to DragonCon in Atlanta. If you're going, here's my schedule--be sure to look me up!
Title: The Good, the Bad and the Undead Description: The never-ending appeal of vampires Time: Fri 11:30 am Location: Centennial I - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Title: Vampires, Demons and Werewolves--Oh, My! Description: Paranormal fiction, urban fantasy etc. Time: Sat 04:00 pm Location: Embassy D-F - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Title: Heroism and Sacrifice Description: What's worth facing the forces of darkness for? Time: Sat 05:30 pm Location: Embassy A-B - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Title: You Are What You Fight Description: How heroes identify (or not) with their monstrous foes Time: Sat 07:00 pm Location: Embassy C - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Title: Autograph Session Time: Sun 04:00 pm Location: M301 - M304 - Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)
Title: Short and Not So Sweet Stories Description: Help for short story writers from the pros. Time: Sun 07:00 pm Location: Embassy D-F - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Title: The Perfect Blend: Genre Mixing in Urban Fantasy Description: Urban fantasy has been romantic, mysterious, magical. What makes the perfect blend? Time: Mon 11:30 am Location: Fairlie - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
It's an interesting, varied tract and I'm pleased to be included. I'm also looking forward to spending time with pals Carol Malcolm and Derek Tatum and visiting with my special GA fan, Ron Marlar. And Ron, I have some swag for you!
# # # #
But enough about me. I have a couple of fun things, too. Colorado made another list--this time it's the Forbe's ugliest mansion list. I always thought the sleeper house kind of cool...
Loved this, too: On what today would have been Bradbury’s 92nd birthday, said Michael Meyer, NASA’s lead scientists for the Mars Exploration Program, “In his honor, we declared the place that Curiosity touched down to be forever known as Bradbury Landing.” Meyer’s announcement was followed by applause for Bradbury, as requested by Pete Theisinger, Curiosity’s project manager.
# # # #
Okay--I'm off to bed. See you all next week? Or maybe at D*Con?
Anna has her gun, I have mine!!
I'm putting the blog up early (or rather late, it's about 11 PM on Wednesday night) because tomorrow I'll be on the road to DragonCon in Atlanta. If you're going, here's my schedule--be sure to look me up!
Title: The Good, the Bad and the Undead Description: The never-ending appeal of vampires Time: Fri 11:30 am Location: Centennial I - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Title: Vampires, Demons and Werewolves--Oh, My! Description: Paranormal fiction, urban fantasy etc. Time: Sat 04:00 pm Location: Embassy D-F - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Title: Heroism and Sacrifice Description: What's worth facing the forces of darkness for? Time: Sat 05:30 pm Location: Embassy A-B - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Title: You Are What You Fight Description: How heroes identify (or not) with their monstrous foes Time: Sat 07:00 pm Location: Embassy C - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Title: Autograph Session Time: Sun 04:00 pm Location: M301 - M304 - Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)
Title: Short and Not So Sweet Stories Description: Help for short story writers from the pros. Time: Sun 07:00 pm Location: Embassy D-F - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Title: The Perfect Blend: Genre Mixing in Urban Fantasy Description: Urban fantasy has been romantic, mysterious, magical. What makes the perfect blend? Time: Mon 11:30 am Location: Fairlie - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
It's an interesting, varied tract and I'm pleased to be included. I'm also looking forward to spending time with pals Carol Malcolm and Derek Tatum and visiting with my special GA fan, Ron Marlar. And Ron, I have some swag for you!
# # # #
But enough about me. I have a couple of fun things, too. Colorado made another list--this time it's the Forbe's ugliest mansion list. I always thought the sleeper house kind of cool...
Loved this, too: On what today would have been Bradbury’s 92nd birthday, said Michael Meyer, NASA’s lead scientists for the Mars Exploration Program, “In his honor, we declared the place that Curiosity touched down to be forever known as Bradbury Landing.” Meyer’s announcement was followed by applause for Bradbury, as requested by Pete Theisinger, Curiosity’s project manager.
# # # #
Okay--I'm off to bed. See you all next week? Or maybe at D*Con?
August 27, 2012
Two Lessons
Mario here:
I'm just back from Bubonicon 44, another winning con. It's my favorite of the smaller cons as you get to rub shoulders with some of the biggies in today's sci-fi/fantasy literary fields like George RR Martin.
Every con has a certain vibe to it and if I had to choose one for this con, it had to be humility.
Lesson One: Delivered by none other than the ever-witty Connie Willis. She knocked 'em dead as moderator at our presentation, "Worst Panel Ever" which included staged examples of bad panelist behavior. I did my best to be the snarkiest panelist, which was difficult to do, considering Willis' rapid-fire bon mots.
Lesson Two: Warren Hammond and I sat next to each other in the Author Signing room and we renamed our tables Humility Row because we sat beside the long line formed for George RR Martin and the Guest of Honor Author, Brandon Sanderson. It can be dispiriting to see fans carrying milk crates stacked with books for Martin or Sanderson while the rest of us sell onesies and twosies.
Brandon Sanderson took over the Wheel of Times series from the late Robert Jordan and has continued to keep up the momentum for the series' success. He was a great GOH and extraordinarily generous with what he's learned as a professional writer.
Besides the above lessons, I didn't leave the con empty-handed. Some back story needed here. I constantly run into wanna-be writers who talk about their work and most of the time I nod agreeably and walk on. Two years ago I heard how the locals spoke highly of Ian Tregillis so I attended his reading of a work-in-progress and was blown away. I said to myself, "Damn, this Ian can write." So this time around I bought copy of his book, The Coldest War. Check out his ultra-cool website: Ian Tregillis.
Another book I've been waiting to get my mitts on is After The Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn. She has a wonderful way of twisting conventions and creating immensely satisfying characters. This is her take on super heroes and their families. Ever wonder what it must be like to be Lois Lane and suffer the attentions of evil super-geniuses? This book should provide an insight.
I'm just back from Bubonicon 44, another winning con. It's my favorite of the smaller cons as you get to rub shoulders with some of the biggies in today's sci-fi/fantasy literary fields like George RR Martin.
Every con has a certain vibe to it and if I had to choose one for this con, it had to be humility.
Lesson One: Delivered by none other than the ever-witty Connie Willis. She knocked 'em dead as moderator at our presentation, "Worst Panel Ever" which included staged examples of bad panelist behavior. I did my best to be the snarkiest panelist, which was difficult to do, considering Willis' rapid-fire bon mots.
Lesson Two: Warren Hammond and I sat next to each other in the Author Signing room and we renamed our tables Humility Row because we sat beside the long line formed for George RR Martin and the Guest of Honor Author, Brandon Sanderson. It can be dispiriting to see fans carrying milk crates stacked with books for Martin or Sanderson while the rest of us sell onesies and twosies.
Brandon Sanderson took over the Wheel of Times series from the late Robert Jordan and has continued to keep up the momentum for the series' success. He was a great GOH and extraordinarily generous with what he's learned as a professional writer.
Besides the above lessons, I didn't leave the con empty-handed. Some back story needed here. I constantly run into wanna-be writers who talk about their work and most of the time I nod agreeably and walk on. Two years ago I heard how the locals spoke highly of Ian Tregillis so I attended his reading of a work-in-progress and was blown away. I said to myself, "Damn, this Ian can write." So this time around I bought copy of his book, The Coldest War. Check out his ultra-cool website: Ian Tregillis.
Another book I've been waiting to get my mitts on is After The Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn. She has a wonderful way of twisting conventions and creating immensely satisfying characters. This is her take on super heroes and their families. Ever wonder what it must be like to be Lois Lane and suffer the attentions of evil super-geniuses? This book should provide an insight.
August 22, 2012
Six Days and Counting...
Tonight I'll be at Tattered Cover Lodo to celebrate the kick off of this year's RMFW Colorado Gold Conference. As one of this year's nominees for Writer of the Year, I'll be on the panel to answer audience questions about the exciting life of an author...that's a joke btw. Mostly being an author is isolation, work, self-doubt and a questionable future. But every once in awhile you open an email from Amazon and see something like this: your book offered front and center. One just hopes that buy link gets used over and over!
Are you looking for something in our Science Fiction & Fantasy books department? If so, you might be interested in these items.
Haunted (An Anna Strong, Vampire Novel) by Jeanne C. Stein
Price: $7.99
I should mention that Haunted will not be available tonight. Unfortunately, the publisher would not let TC offer the book before the official drop date of Aug 28. There will be lots of other door prizes though, and you will be able to see my new hair color so that should be some consolation. If you are a friend on FB, you'll know all about how that came about! And next Tuesday, I'll be at the Highlands Ranch TC with plenty of copies of Haunted. So please join me.
I hope I get these bookmarks before the 28th. Aren't they great? I want to use them as door prizes.
Got them from an outfit called Etsy in the UK.Okay, I guess that's all I've got for this week. My nerves are shot. Everyone asks me how I can be nervous about the debut of a book when I've done it so many times before. But it doesn't get easier. The future of any new book hinges on the past performance of your last. So my personal plea is this--buy Haunted early and often!
You have my undying gratitude.
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