Bobby Nash's Blog, page 421

EARTH STATION ONE EPISODE 183 – FINALLY, THE WALKING DEAD

On this episode, the ESO crew kicks off the Countdown to Halloween with a look at the apocalyptic series from Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead. From the comics to TV, novels, toys, and games, it seems everyone’s favorite undead series will never die. Mike Faber, Mike Gordon, the award-winning author Bobby Nash, and special guests Deadpool Speaks (from the Chimichanga Talk podcast) and good friend of the station Jim “Spiff” Griffin grab some bats and go walker huntin’! Plus the Audio Comics crew of Lance Roger Axt, Elaine Lee, and the voice of Honey West, Carrington MacDuffie join us to discuss the recent release of “Battle for L.A.” and find themselves battling in The Geek Seat! And Nicholas Ahlhelm talks about his Lightweight project. All this, along with the usual Rants, Raves, Khan Report, and Shout Outs!

Join us for yet another episode of The Earth Station One Podcast we like to call: Finally, The Walking Dead at www.esonetwork.com
Direct link: http://erthstationone.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/earth-station-one-episode-183/

Table of Contents
0:00:00 Intro / Welcome
0:06:22 Rants & Raves
0:28:20 Interview & Geek Seat w/ the Audio Comics crew of Lance Roger Axt, Elaine Lee, and Carrington MacDuffie
1:11:21 Walking Dead
2:11:46 2 Minutes w/ Dr Geek
2:13:35 The ESO Khan Report
2:21:21 Kickstarter w/ Nick Ahlhelm
2:26:30 ESO Shout Outs & Show Close

Next on Earth Station One...

ESO’s Countdown to Halloween Continues!

Next week, the ESO crew knows the truth is out there as they dig into the declassified cases of The X-Files. We’ll also have the usual assortment of Rants and Raves, ESO’s Khan Report, interviews, The
Geek Seat, Shout Outs, and so much more. We hope you’ll join us for another spooky episode of the Earth Station One podcast.

X-Files fans, ESO wants to hear from you. Share your favorite storylines, memories, or predictions. Are you a Halloween fan? Tell us what you love about Halloween. Or just say Howdy at esopodcast@gmail.com, www.esonetwork.com, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. We love hearing from you. Who knows, we might just read yours on the show.
Download ESO Episode 183 mp3 here.

You can also find the Earth Station One podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, and YouTube.

4 SIMPLE STEPS...

Was sent the image above earlier tonight.

4 simple steps sounds good... in theory. It's a good way to get started, but there are a few more steps I think should be added.

Step 5: Keep writing until it's finished and meet those deadlines (easier said than done sometimes)
Step 6: Rewrite, edit, change, rewrite, cry, and rewrite some more.
Step 7: Publish (or look for a publisher, which is a whole new list of steps).
Step 8: Promote, market, huckster, promote, sell, cry, and promote.
Step 9: Repeat step 8 over and over and over again.
Step 10: Start over again at step 1 for next book while continuing to repeat step 9.

And that's how you do it.

And on that note, I have to get back to work.

Bobby

DRAGON CON 2013: THE ARROW FAN PANEL

Just in time for the season 2 premiere. The Arrow fan panel that I was part of at this year's Dragon Con is now live on Tuning In To Sci Fi TV Podcast. Listen in as Kevin Bachelder, Ryan Guthrie , Amanda Marron, Kevin Eldridge and Bobby Nash discuss Arrow in this panel done in the American Scifi and Fantasy Media track.

You can listen to the episode here.

NEW EVIL WAYS ADS

I was playing around with some new Evil Ways ad ideas that could also work as a cover image on my Facebook page. What do you think? Do these work for you? Would they make you curious to check out the book?

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Evil Ways is still on sale in paperback and ebook formats. The information on the novel is below if you would like to learn more.

Bobby


EVIL WAYS
A novel by Bobby Nash

Evil’s coming...
Don’t look back!

FBI Agent Harold Palmer needed a relaxing vacation. All he wanted was to travel to Sommersville, Georgia to visit his brother, newspaper publisher and reporter, Franklin Palmer. He should have known better.

The graduating class of 2002 have returned to Sommersville for their ten year high school reunion, timed to coincide with the annual Sommersville Autumn Festival.  Classmates coming from all over to reconnect, retell old stories, and have a great time reminiscing.

The discovery of a brutally murdered young lady with a connection to the local police, coupled with a rowdy high school reunion and the annual Autumn Festival has Sommersville Sheriff Tom Myers and his deputies overwhelmed.

Agent Palmer finds himself on the trail of a killer who preys on the fears of his victims. His next targets are the unsuspecting members of the reunited class of ‘02.

They should fear his EVIL WAYS.

This re-release edition of Evil Ways by Author Bobby Nash kicks off the beginning of a new series of suspense thrillers starring FBI Special Agent Harold Palmer.

It all starts here.

Evil Ways was Bobby Nash's first published novel. He is excited to have it once again in print. Currently, he is busy working on Harold Palmer’s next adventure, Evil Intent, to be published in 2014.


BUY AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY DIRECT FROM BEN BOOKS
  EVIL WAYS can also be purchased in paperback and ebook at the following:
BEN Books estore paperback
Amazon paperback
Amazon (Kindle) ebook
Barnes and Noble (Nook) ebook
Barnes and Noble UK (Nook) ebook
Smashwords (multiple formats, Kindle, Nook, etc.)
DriveThru Fiction ebook
KOBO ebook
SONY Reader ebook



Harold Palmer will return in Evil Intent.

Bobby Nash’s Deadly Games! is also available. Although not part of the Harold Palmer Thriller series, characters and locations that appear in Evil Ways also appear in Deadly Games! Learn more about Deadly Games! here.

NEW BOOK JOURNAL SPOTLIGHT'S FIGHT CARD: BAREFOOT BONES

I'd like to thank the New Book Journal for spotlighting Fight Card: Barefoot Bones on their site. You can check that out here.

Also, thanks to all who picked up Fight Card: Barefoot Bones. Much appreciated. I hope you're enjoying it.

FIGHT CARD: BAREFOOT BONES can be purchased in paperback and ebook at the following:
Amazon (Paperback)
Amazon (Kindle) ebook




Bobby

EARTHSTRIKE AGENDA - AN EXCERPT…

As the weather cools on fall’s approach, it’s the perfect time to read. Here’s an excerpt from the Earthstrike Agenda novel by Bobby Nash. In this excerpt, we meet Braun Hatmeyer, part of the crew of the transport vessel Windsong.

Happy Halloween.

EARTHSTRIKE AGENDA EXCERPT

Transport Vessel Windsong

Braun Hatmeyer was restless.

Since his earliest recollection he’d had only one goal in life. He wanted to travel the space ways. Every story he read romanticized living and working in the outer reaches, the wonders of the cosmos had been conveyed with such reverence and awe.

Young Braun ate it up and set upon a course that would eventually take him to the stars.

Growing up on the Seltus Minor Colony only further fueled his ambition to go anywhere but here. Seltus was not a bad place to grow up, even he would admit. He had a loving family there who still worked the farm to this day. His two brothers and one of his sisters were still within walking distance of his parent’s home. Braun doubted they would ever leave.

His sister, Arani, and he were the rebellious ones of the bunch. They were the only Hatmeyers to actually leave the colony in generations. To this day, despite the years that have passed, his mother still expected her errant children to “grow out of this ridiculous phase and come home where they belong.” Braun suspected his mother was in for a hard lesson one day.

Although their father never said anything to the fact, Braun knew that it hurt him that two of his children had chosen to leave the nest. He was simply far less vocal on the matter than Braun’s mother. As such, Braun tried to keep in touch as often as possible. Communications across the gulf of space was expensive, especially for a real time feed so he mostly wrote them letters from whatever port the ship happened to stop at long enough to allow shore leave.
Arani, on the other hand, stayed closer to home. She moved to Mars where she attended University. While there she met a man, fell in love, and stayed. The last time he spoke with her, she was pregnant with her second child, a girl this time.
She told him of her plans to visit the family on Seltus in a month and she had convinced Braun to join them. Unable to deny his sister anything, especially when she laid on the guilt, he agreed. His captain had approved the time off request and even offered to drop him off since the ship would be in the Seltus sector on business around the same time. This officially eliminated any chance he had of backing out of it at the last minute.

Braun looked forward to visiting the old homestead, but a part of him also dreaded it. He had spent so long trying to get away from it that the prospect of setting one foot on the farm scared the hell out of him.
But he did miss seeing his family.

And it would still be a month before his visit.

Braun was off duty. Sitting alone in his cramped cabin, he lay in his hammock and stared out the porthole that was his window to the cosmos. When he had left Seltus, he signed on with the first ship that would take him. It had been a small freighter that was looking for strapping young men to work in the holds. It was grunt work, but he took it gladly. Surprisingly, grunt work on a freighter was very much like grunt work on a farming colony.

Basically, he worked for room and board with the occasional bonus, but really didn’t mind. He was finally in space, ready for the adventure he had so long dreamed of.

Ten years later he was still waiting.

He never once regretted his decision to leave Seltus, but space was not the sprawling adventure he had read about as a kid. In his case, truth was more mundane than fiction. Living in outer space was a lot of hard work. Oh, he still loved it, but he was a bit restless because even this great experience had become mundane. Nothing exciting ever happened to them. At least not exciting enough for Braun.

His biggest regret was that no one - most importantly, not he himself - had discovered an alien race.

None.

That fact was the hardest to swallow. The galaxy was vast, filled with planets of various sizes, shapes, and atmospheres. Surely, somewhere out there had to be… something.

Were humans the only intelligent life in the galaxy?

Braun Hatmeyer hoped not.

Too worked up to sleep, he rolled out of the hammock, his bare feet stinging on impact with the cold steel floor. He reached over and grabbed his shoes and pulled them on quickly. His cabin was compact enough that he grabbed them without leaving the hammock that was both his bed and easy chair. A small digital converter and screen sat atop the clothes dresser built into the wall of the cabin. A stack of movies sat on the shelf above the screen. He had acquired some entertaining movies over the past year thanks to the bonus the captain paid out after they made the Palfry run under budget. The movies were great, but he had already watched all of them at least twice and was not really in the mood for another viewing.

Maybe a run will help, he thought as he opened the door and stepped into the cramped corridor, which was barely wide enough for two people to pass one another.

His ship, The Windsong, was a transport vessel. Captain Reyes was the owner and operator. They moved any kind of cargo not considered illegal under the UPA legislature’s transport code. One of the things that Braun respected about his current employer was his integrity. With the black market flourishing and smuggling becoming a growth industry, Captain Reyes had chosen to keep his hands - and ship - clean.
Braun respected the man for that.

The Windsong was on approach to home port after an exhausting three-week round trip from the Pellor Three Colony. The colonists had chosen a harsh, barren world to cultivate. The terrain was rugged so farming was difficult. The colonists were certain they could fashion a living for themselves there and had thus far been successful.

Mining had become the primary resource on Pellor since the discovery of Trillium Ore in the mountains north of the initial settlement. The colonists were giving it a go, but since they were not miners by trade, they wisely went into business with those who were.

The Axapta Mining Company had partnered with the settlement to work the mine and share the profits. While Axapta Mining did not have the best reputation in the business, they did manage to get the job done.
The Windsong had been chartered to deliver the usual essentials to Pellor Three to handle the increased manpower on site. Food rations, toiletries, assorted entertainment programming, and medical supplies were the primary resources needed for the increased population of the colony.

After the three week round trip, the Windsong would put into port, take on a small job or two, then one week later head back out to Pellor Three. Apparently, Braun was not the only one impressed by his captain’s performance record.

Braun was looking forward to docking at McGintlee Station, the ship’s home port. Captain Reyes had an office on the station that served as home base for his shipping business. He also held the lease on warehouse space and a secure docking port. If business kept picking up, Braun might even start saving up some money of his own.

Reyes had already mentioned purchasing another transport ship to help handle the increased workload. That gave the crew incentive and offered relief that they had job security, a precious commodity considering the current unemployment rate in the quadrant.

While his competitors dabbled in smuggling, the Windsong was able to pick up those clients with government contracts because of the captain’s good name. Smugglers tend to shy away from government controlled worlds, for obvious reasons.

“Make a hole!” Braun shouted as he jogged through the corridor. A group of dockhands were milling about at the junction between sections. When not on duty there was not much to do aboard ship expect sleep, read, jog, or hang out. Sometimes a nice impromptu poker game would spring up, which usually drew a crowd.

Sex was a limited option as there were only a handful of women aboard. At a ratio of four to one they generally paired up quickly. As far down the totem pole as he was in the ship’s hierarchy, Braun no longer tried. Once they hit the station though, all bets were off. He had been seeing a dancer off and on for a few months. Nothing serious, but they enjoyed one another’s company. After a long voyage, that was more than enough for him.

After three weeks cooped up aboard the Windsong, Braun was looking forward to a little quality time with her.

The grunts moved aside as Braun jogged past. He spoke to each of them briefly, calling them by name and making an off-handed comment that brought laughs from the dockhands.  Braun himself had once been in their position so he made it a point to speak to them. On some ships there was an us vs. them mentality aboard transport ships that divided the crew. He was happy to see that was not the case here.

Yet another reason he liked serving aboard the Windsong.

On his second lap through the corridor, Braun spotted First Mate Eng, Captain Reyes right hand. Alexandra Eng was not the kind of woman you would expect to find on a transport vessel. The majority of the men on the crew drooled over her, and rightly so. Eng was tall, with legs that went on seemingly forever. She kept her auburn hair in a ponytail, usually sticking though the back of a faded baseball cap.

Eng too, was a jogger. Braun picked up the pace to catch up with her. They had jogged together a few times and he always enjoyed her company. They had some good talks while jogging.

“Evening, Commander,” he said as they rounded the corner that lead into the storage areas. Here the corridor was wider so they could run side by side instead of single file. Not that Braun had a problem following her. He loved the view. Since the Windsong was a civilian vessel there were no military officers aboard, although some of the crew were former military. Braun had called her Commander by accident early in his time aboard ship and she had thought it was funny. It had become a running personal joke between them since.

“How we doing, Braun,” she replied, not one bit out of breath.

“No complaints, Alex. Just ready to get home for a couple days.”

“Your girl waiting on you?”

“God, I hope so. With her schedule, it’s hard to plan ahead.”

They slowed at the end of the aisle while a load lifter moved a pallet from one hold to another. They had picked up a few items for delivery to the station while out on the fringe, which had made this a doubly productive haul. It also meant a small bonus for the crew, which was also a nice change of pace.

“I know what you mean. Malcolm was transferred to some godforsaken backwater world last week. I just got the letter now that we’re within the buoy net.”

“Sorry to hear that. You two seemed rather happy together.”

Her stride increased and Braun picked up his as well to keep up. “Yeah, but it was nothing exclusive. In our line of work it’s hard to maintain anything even close to resembling a long-term relationship. You know how our schedules are and his were even worse.”

“The Alliance is good about moving people around,” Braun said. He knew that Malcolm Setlik was an Alliance officer and as such never stayed in one place very long. He had met him once at a birthday party the crew had thrown for Alex’s last birthday. He thought they made a nice couple, despite how utterly different they were.

“I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye,” she said. “That’s the worst part. Naturally, I’ll call him, but it’ll be a good day or so before we’re back on McGintlee.”

“I didn’t realize we were that close.”

“Thanks for trying not to sound too happy about it, Braun,” she said, looking at him and smiling. At the end of the cargo bay, she stopped and rested her hands on her knees. She was not breathing hard, but Braun was and he appreciated the chance to catch his breath.

“Sorry, Commander,” he smiled.

She returned the smile.

“What say I buy you a drink and we can talk some more,” he said, surprising himself with the invitation almost as much as it had obviously surprised her. “I’m sure O’Toole’s got some good rot-gut under the bar.”

Her smile remained in place. “Better yet, I’ve got a bottle of the really good stuff back in my cabin. I picked it up on Pellor on a trade. I was hoping to save it for after we get home, but since there’s not much there to celebrate, I figure now’s as good a time as any to break it open.”

Braun shifted nervously. He’d certainly stuck his foot in it this time.

“And I’d rather not drink it alone,” she added. “What do you say?”

Not sure exactly how to respond, he was surprised to hear himself say, “Lead the way, Commander.”

No longer jogging, they ran to the first mate’s cabin.

#####


BUY AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY DIRECT FROM BOBBYNASH.COM
  
EARTHSTRIKE AGENDA can also be purchased in paperback and ebook editions at the following:BEN Books estore paperback
Amazon paperback
Amazon (Kindle) ebook
Smashwords ebook (multiple formats, Kindle, Nook, etc.)
Barnes and Noble (Nook) ebook
Barnes and Noble UK (Nook) ebook
Barnes and Noble UK (Nook) ebook
DriveThru Fiction ebook
KOBO ebook
SONY Reader ebook
iTunes ebook


Learn more about Earthstrike Agenda here.

SNOW FALLS!

A little tease from today’s writing. This is all first draft so it might change on further drafts. Our hero, Snow, has caught up to a sniper who just tried to kill a VIP. The assassin has a detonator in hand, which is where this picks up.

Enjoy.

Bobby

###

“I don’t work for the FBI. I really am only here to visit someone. Wrong place. Wrong time. You know how it goes.”

“Right. And you just happened to interrupt an assassination attempt?”

“Just lucky, I guess,” Snow said.

“You’re just dying to quote Die Hard, aren’t you?”

He crooked his head to the side. “Maybe a little.”

“Don’t let me stand in your way.”

“You killed a man and tried to kill more,” Snow said, the playfulness gone from his voice. “I couldn’t stand there and watch.”

“So you just decided to get involved in a shootout and then chase down a shooter? I find that hard to believe, Mr. Snow. No one is that stupid.”

He chuckled. “I’ve been told I have impulse control issues.”

###
Look for more information on Snow Falls soon.

SOMETIMES I GET ASKED STUFF… PART 10

Do you want to argue with these guys? Can I ask you a question?My apologies for the delay in getting this one posted. Things have been rather hectic here at Nash Central (hey, I kinda like that). Without further ado, on with the questions.

One of the perks of being a writer is getting to meet some of the most interesting people. Whether it is at conventions, store signings, through the Earth Station One podcast, writer’s groups, on social media, and sometimes just from people I run into on when I venture out of the cave I call my office, and they have questions. Sometimes they are about writing or what I’m working on. Other times they’re out of left field. I thought it would be interesting to share some of them along with a few answers. Regardless of where they come from, here’s a few of the latest.

Check out past installments of Sometimes I Get Asked Stuff... Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here, Part 6 here, Part 7 here, Part 8 here, and Part 9 here.

Q: Writer's Block... ever had it? How did you get out of it?

I don’t really hit blocks that stop me from writing. Life does enough to keep me from working and doesn’t need any help from my subconscious. I sometimes get stuck on story points, but when that happens I hop over to another project while I sort it out. I do occasionally get bouts where I just don’t feel like sitting down to write. That usually lasts until I actually sit down and get started.

Q: What TV shows of your childhood have influenced your writing or affected you as a writer?

WOW. Good question. So many, probably. I learned a lot about characters from the shows of my childhood. Captain Kirk, Buck Rogers, Thomas Magnum, Steve Austin, Jim Rockford, MacGyver, and the like were characters I loved because they tried to good, but were also human and not completely perfect. They had their foibles, their failings, and their silly side. It made them feel well rounded to me. I like to create characters with that same type of feel.

As I got older, I got into shows that were darker in tone like The Shield, Sons of Anarchy, and the like, but I still love a good hero character too.

Evil Ways 2013 coverQ: What do you love to see in a book cover? Do you like the abstract (like the Twilight series)? Or do you like the straightforward cover art concepts? Does the book cover determine if you'll open or buy the book, or walk right past it?

I think a cover’s style varies depending on the book itself. The art/painted covers work great for pulpy novels, but for modern day thrillers like Evil Ways or Deadly Games! (free plug) I think the photo cover works. I’ve not tried to make an abstract cover as yet, but I have sketched a cover design for a novel I’m scheduled to write in 2014 that will probably fit that mold. I admit, I have killed a publishing deal or two over bad covers. I wish I had fought harder to change the original Evil Ways cover from 2005. It was awful.

Evil Ways 2005 coverI did a behind the scenes on creating the cover for Deadly Games! back in 2012. You can read it here.

Q: Who are your favorite artists in comics right now?

This is one of those lists that will obviously change from month to month, but here goes. Steve Epting, George Perez, Greg Capullo, Art Adams, Amanda Conner, David Aja, and John Byrne are all artists whose work I enjoy when I see it.

Q: Who are your favorite writers in comics right now?

This one will also change from month to month. Gail Simone, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Kyle Higgins, Scott Snyder, Jonathan Hickman, and the writing duo of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray.

Brubaker & Epting's VelvetQ: Does a writer have to be a "nice" person in order for you to enjoy their work?

No, but it helps. I can say from experience that I’ve met a creator or two whose work I enjoyed and had a bad experience that has colored my view of their work. Conversely, I’ve met creators whose work I wasn’t as big a fan of before meeting them, but he or she was very nice and personable, and that has colored my opinion of their work as well, only for the positive.

Part of being a writer (or artist, actor, musician, etc) is selling yourself as well as your work. In a perfect world the work alone would be the only thing the audience is concerned with, but that is not the world in which we live.

Q: What is your favorite Queen song?

Who Wants To Live Forever. There is the regular version and an instrumental version. Both are phenomenal. Don’t believe me. Give ‘em a listen for yourself. This song was part of the Highlander soundtrack.

Q: How many novels or installments do you write in a month’s period?

This is a difficult one to answer because not all writing assignments or even books are the same. When accepting a writing gig from a publisher I am given a word count to hit. That word count determines the size of the book, cost, and other factors relevant to getting the book out. My job is to make sure I hit that number. There is usually a little grace of one to two hundred words because it’s tough to hit the exact number so we get close to it.

My general writing day is 1,000 - 2,000 words. Sometimes more. Sometimes less. Here’s the word counts that make up the projects on my to do list at the moment. I just finished a 10,000 word story. Currently working on one that is 25,000 - 35,000 (unusual to have a margin this wide), a 30,000 one, a 40,000 one, another for 10,000 words, and finally one for 3,000 - 9,000 words. That takes me through October and into November. Whew. I’m currently bumping up the daily goal to 3,500 words to meet those deadlines.

Q: Acting or writing, If you could be a stand out star in which profession would you chose?

This explains it quite well.Writing. Hands down. I have fun with what little acting I do and I would love to do more, but it’s really something I do on the side. Will that ever change? Who can say.

Q: Are you a "shitty first draft" writer? Able to get the whole story down before you begin to edit and polish? ... Or are you an edit-as-you-go kind of writer? Trying to get everything as perfect as possible during the writing process?

Good advice at any age.I’m mostly a “shitty first draft” kind of writer, but I usually go back and read they previous days work before I get started. If I see changes that need to be made there I go ahead and do them.

Q: Go back in time, meet yourself at 18 years old. What #1 piece of professional advice would you offer?

Make a plan and stick to it. When I was 18, I had the dream to do this writing thing, but lacked the focus. I was all over the place. I would tell myself to focus and to try not to keep pushing aside the dream for things that at the end of the day were unimportant. When I was younger, I sacrificed a lot for my “day jobs” that was rarely, if ever, reciprocated. By the time I learned to say “no” to the extra things the day job wanted I basically started the writing career at step one. It was a lesson I wish I had learned sooner.

There are rules?Q: Do you ever use people you know as inspiration when writing about a character ?

Sometimes. Real people have inspired characters. It happens from time to time. Usually, it’s taking a person’s personality and/or mannerisms for a character so I hear that person’s voice clearly.

When I was writing Evil Ways, I was told by advance readers that the characters of Harold Palmer and Franklin Palmer did not “feel” like brothers in the novel. I looked at how my brother and I dealt with one another, how we communicated. I thought about that and decided to give one of the characters a bit of my personality and the other a bit of my brother’s personality. Suddenly, the characters interacted in a way that made the reader feel that brotherly connection. It added a little extra something to the characters.

The Purple Prose of SpringfieldQ: How do you recognize that you’re lapsing into "Purple Prose" before you pass it like a speed bump?

Purple Prose has its place. Some writers do it with relish (see what I did there?) I write to fit the needs of my characters and story, not to mention my publishers to an extent. Some characters might use a language that is more purple than others and that’s okay. To be honest, I don’t really think about it. I don’t recall ever pouring over a manuscript to look for passages of purple prose. I also haven’t had publishers come to me complaining about my prose being purple so either I don’t write it or else it just doesn’t matter.

Art: step by stepQ: What is your process for creating comics?

I only handle the writing side. Plot is usually just a few lines (either typed or just in my head) then I head straight into scripting. Once it goes through art, I then adjust the script as needed. Sometimes the art will show emotions that I have in the dialogue so I can cut some dialogue as the art sells it without the extra words. Sometimes I have to add words because something might not be clear in the art or the artist didn’t leave enough room for dialogue.

Q: How do you pick and choose questions for your list?

I’d love to tell you that there is some great mystery to it, but the truth is, usually, if I get a question then I'll put it on the list. I haven’t received any questions that I refuse to answer. Yet. I say yet because I’m sure there will be someone out there who reads this answers as a challenge.  :)

The truth revealed.Q: How often do you promote? How much is too much?

I do a little promotion daily, but I try to avoid constantly doing “Buy My Book” promotional posts. It’s a fine line between promotion and spam. You have to be careful that you’re doing more than telling people to “Buy My Book!” because that type of promotion turns people off big time. Part of my promotion is posting writing updates, excerpts from stories, starting and participating in conversations on social media, and even this Q&A column. I also update my website often so there’s something new for visitors to see when they stop by. Maybe, just maybe, it will showcase something he or she might like to buy and read.

The late, great Stephen J. CannellQ: Who's your literary hero and why?

This is a tough one. Plus, it has one of those fluid answers that will no doubt change from day to day. Stephen J. Cannell is definitely on the short list. Although I never had the opportunity to meet him in person, we did converse via emails for a short time before his death. One of the things that struck me was his sincerity and attitude. He treated me as a peer, not just a fan. He asked me about my books, which was pretty cool. To me, this shaped the way I deal with others I meet who are also creators.

Q: Do you use frightening or scary experiences from your real life in your fiction?

Absolutely. Drawing from real life experiences adds a certain amount of weight to fiction because it adds a ring of truth to the story. An example: When I was a child I suffered from night terrors. Most of this comes from my parents telling me because I remember so little of it, but apparently I was good at screaming like a demon in the middle of the night while sound asleep. I remember my dad giving me a small Bible to keep under my pillow when I was younger. He told me that it would help keep the nightmares away. And it did. Sure, they still happened, but it eased my mind and made sleep easier to come by. I eventually grew out of it, but I still have that same small Bible, ratted and torn, nearby when I sleep.

In Evil Intent, I have Harold Palmer doing the same thing for his daughter when she has a nightmare. For those who have read Evil Ways (boy, I’m just plugging the hell out of that thing this time around, aren’t I?), you know that something happens to FBI Agent Palmer in the climax of the story. When we pick back up with him in Evil Intent (I’m working on it, I swear), he’s having some issues getting over it, which is causing him to have nightmares as well. It’s a nice parallel between what he tells his daughter about nightmares and what he himself is doing to combat his own fears.

Q: Does your protagonist have any (physical) scars?

Yes. In Evil Ways (that book again!), Harold Palmer has some scars from an accident as a child. He and his brother were playing somewhere they weren’t supposed to be and were injured. There’s also something that happens to him in Evil Ways that will be followed up on in the Evil Intent novel coming in 2014. I gave a hint about what it is in the question above.

Q: What is your Favorite Quentin Tarantino Movie?

Reservoir Dogs. Love it.

Q: What’s your favorite Robert DeNiro film?

So many to choose from, but I really like Heat.

Q: What's your favorite episode of Stargate Atlantis?

The two part “The Storm” and “The Eye” are standouts. I also love the “Vegas” episode in the final season. Actually, there aren’t too many episodes of this series I don’t like. Might be time for a rewatch. If you’ve not watched it, give it a shot. You might like it.

Q: Favorite TV series finale? (Part of a Breaking Bad discussion)

I didn’t watch Breaking Bad so I can’t speak to that finale, but Star Trek: The Next Generation' s ’All Good Things” is a great finale and probably my 2nd favorite. The M*A*S*H finale still holds the top spot for me though. Other good ones I enjoyed include Stargate: Atlantis, Babylon 5, Burn Notice, Angel, and of course the last 5 minutes of Newhart.

Q: Are you involved in local writing groups and organizations? Attend monthly meetings? Participate in the group's events? How do these groups help you as an
author or aspiring author?

Not so much these days. This is mainly due to my crazy schedule. When I was first started writing prose I took a creative writing extension course at the local college. I got a lot out of that and joined a writers group. Reading my work aloud in front of the group gave me instant feedback, but it also helped me get over the shyness I suffered from in those days. Both were valuable .

Q: Your Favorite Emma Stone Movie?

Zombieland. I enjoyed her in The Amazing Spider-man also.

Q: What’s the best movie remake of all time?

I don’t know about all time, but The Thing and The Fugitive top my list of favorite remakes. True Grit is another remake I enjoyed.

Q: What is your favorite Paul Newman movie?

There are so many to choose from, but The Color of Money is one of my favorites. I love that movie.

Q: I am very excited to see "Fat Chance". I've been following the production on the Facebook page. Just wondered if you knew when it will be released on DVD and if it will be at Redbox?? It looks like it will be funny. Is there any fart/poop/toilet humor? I know it sounds immature but that type of humor is my favorite! LOL. It makes me laugh so hard.

Fat Chance will be on DVD in 2014, but I don't really know dates yet. The production company has distribution so RedBox is a possibility. I really don't know. When any of that is announced, I'll certainly share it here and everywhere I can.

There is very much that type of humor in there. I think you'll be pretty happy with it.

Also, if you're not already, please follow the Fat Chance Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fatchancemovie This is where details will be released first and foremost. They are also slowly but surely releasing photos and production diaries.

Q: Who is your favorite female superhero?

I’ve always liked The Invisible Woman, Spider-Woman, Supergirl, and the Black Widow, but the top spot would have to go to She-Hulk. I don’t know what it is, but I love that
character.

Q: Being a writer, do you have to have peace and quiet to knock out a story?

Peace and quiet is best, but it hardly ever happens.

I cannot write with the TV on. I get sucked in to whatever is on the TV, even if I've seen it multiple times. I've tried to write with it on. It just doesn't work. I usually have the radio on or music playing on my laptop. I end up tuning it out, but I like that background noise. Since I don't currently live alone, having the headphones on with music playing helps block out the noises the others in the house make, at least a little bit. I write on a laptop since my desktop computer died. I can take it outside, which is nice. I do have a desk, but it becomes a catch all for everything. Very cluttered.

Harriette AustinQ: Who has mentored you most in your journey as a writer? Give your mentor a well-deserved shout out!

Great question. I have had a few people who have helped me in my journey, but if I had to single out one person in particular, it would be Harriette Austin. I met Harriette when I took her creative writing night course at the University of Georgia. I wanted to write a novel, but was having trouble. Having the class and instant feedback really helped me a lot. My first published novel, Evil Ways, was mostly written while taking her classes. I don’t see her as often as I used to, but Harriette has been a friend and mentor for many years now. I should give her a call and say hello.

And I think that is a good place to finish this round of Sometimes I Get Asked Stuff… Do you have any questions you’d like me to answer? Post them here as a comment or send them along to bobby@bobbynash.com and I’ll answer them in a future installment of Sometimes I Get Asked Stuff...

Also, please sign up for my mailing list. Drop me an email at bobby@bobbynash.com and I'll happily add you to the list.

Thanks.

Bobby

BOBBY SPOTTED!

I was "spotted" last Sunday at the Warner Robins Comic Con. It was such a fun day. You can see the photos here.

Thanks to all who came out and said hello.

Bobby

PERSON OF INTEREST

I'd like to say a special thanks to the folks over at Person of Interest and CBS for the cool Person of Interest promo T-Shirt they sent me, which you can see above. It looks great. I love it. This is one of my favorite shows on TV. If you haven't watched it, give it a look. I think you might like it. Seasons 1 and 2 are currently available for purchase.

Thanks again, CBS.

Speaking of Person of Interest, we just recently reviewed the show on episode 182 of the Earth Station One podcast. You can listen to it here.

Bobby