Norm Applegate's Blog: Norm Applegate's Blog, page 4

Shockwave: New Thriller Release

I'm introducing my novel; SHOCKWAVE, the first thriller I've published. My other novels are classified as horror but I always thought Into the Basement could be a thriller; although if abduction and torture has happened to women; and we know it has, it would be a horror! 
Deborah Levinson went over the manuscript for spelling and grammar. Then she sent me nine pages of ideas, all great stuff. A big shout out to her for helping me.
The cover is by James Rone. He did "Jumpers." SHOCKWAVE, is cool. If your looking for an editor or book cover artist contact them. You can reach them through me or Facebook. Below is what I've posted on Amazon and Smashword's premium catalog. 



*                   *                   *
Thriller writer Norm Applegate, author of Into the Basement, introduces us to a new character, Jack Dwyer.

Shockwave.
Loner Jack Dwyer.Pretty woman Kelly Paul.Homegrown terrorists use pipe bombs to kill.The cause? They want America back.Violence breeds violence. Never underestimate a loner!

Book Description:
Jack Dwyer is observant. Sitting at Starbucks he watches a van come to a stop. A nervous guy gets out, looks around, seems strange. Dwyer watches him. The guy crosses the street. Dwyer realizes the guy's staring at a pretty woman, Kelly Paul. Dwyer makes eye contact with her. Dwyer looks left, right, reacts, moves fast, pushes her down, saves her but the bomb explodes. People are killed. She goes missing and Dwyer is the suspect.
Dwyer can't forget her. Doesn't understand why she's missing.  He's a loner, ex-military, a psychologist and he has seen death. He's wildly attracted to the pretty woman and he goes after her.
Beau Redell, and a group of sadistic followers, is the problem.  Kelly Paul has been taken, abducted, terrorized. But Dwyer finds himself alone and a violent conclusion is inevitable…

Shockwave by Norm ApplegatePipe Bomb. Hostage. Terror.
Edited by Deborah Levinson.
Cover art James Rone.
Shockwave is approximately 79,000 words long, and is specifically formatted for Kindle. This ebook also contains bonus material:
Chapter 1 of Into the Basement by: Norm Applegate.

"Into the Basement introduces us to Norm Applegate's no nonsense staccato writing style and realistic approach to the thriller/suspense/genre." - Withersin Magazine June issue 2008, withersine.com
"Norm Applegate is a new voice just emerging onto the field of the mystery/thriller novel that has the rest of us looking over our shoulders."  - David Hagberg New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of Dance With the Dragon, Allah's Scorpion and Mutiny.
"Norman Applegate's writing truly delivers with all the raw force and prose of a top rate storyteller, seasoning his tales with a mixture of classic genre skill and infusion of intrigue and characterization that makes the stories move." - Nicholas Grabowsky Horror author of "Halloween IV.
"Applegate creates a very graphic and violent story filled with blood, gore, and sex." – The Book Faery Reviews

Books by Norm Applegate:
First to Die – Just $2.99!Blood Bar  - Just .99!Into the Spell – Just .99!Jumpers (short story)  - Just .99!
…and thriller novelInto the Basement – Just $1.99 #1 in Kindle Store >Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Horror: Since March 2011

How to choose between "Into" and "Onto!"

Here's an article that I found interesting.

Into, or "in to"? Onto, or "on to"?Into and onto are prepositions, words that describe relative position. They are part of prepositional phrases, such as "She settled herself into her seat" or "He climbed onto the roof." These words are forward looking, in that, as their grammatical name implies, they are positioned before the object."In to" and "on to," on the other hand, are combinations of an adverb (in or on) and the preposition to. Unlike the single-word forms, they look both backward (in and on refer to a preceding verb) and forward (to pertains to the following object).Of the distinctions between each pair, that distinguishing into from "in to" is more straightforward. If you wish to write that you went somewhere to let a representative of a company know you are disappointed with a product or service, you can express that idea using either form. But if you write, "I walked into the office to lodge a complaint," the sentence focuses on the prepositional phrase "into the office." If you write, "I walked in to lodge a complaint," the emphasis is the phrase describing the action: "I walked in."Onto and "on to" can be more confusing, but think of the problem this way: "She drove onto the highway" means, "She drove so that she was on the highway." Conversely, "She drove on to the highway" means, "She headed for the highway." The two-word form is also appropriate for figurative meanings, where no physical movement or placement exists — for example, "I think you're really on to something."Fortunately, there are a couple of ways to test whether onto or "on to" is correct — temporarily insert the wordup after the verb, or, just for the test, replace the word or the phrase with the word on:The "Up" Test
When you wish to write that you used a ladder, could you write, "I climbed up onto the ladder"? Yes, you could, so onto is correct. When you want to express that you clutched something, could you write, "I held up on my hat"? No, the sentence does not make sense, so the two-word form ("I held on to my hat") is the right one in this case.The "On" Test
When you wish to write that you scaled a boulder, could you write, "I climbed on a boulder"? Yes, you could, soonto is correct. When you want to express that you bequeathed something, would you write, "I passed it on him"? No, that doesn't make sense, so the two-word form ("I passed it on to him") is correct here.
Into the Basement
First To Die
Sadist (Turkish version of Into the Basement)



Source:dailywritingtips

The Chicago Manual of Style

I kind of think this is a must in everyone's library. Thought I would re-post, it's good information.


The Chicago Manual of Style, born in 1906 as a house style guide for the University of Chicago Press, has made great strides over the past century, especially since it hit puberty with the publication of the twelfth edition in 1969. Now in its sixteenth iteration, it remains the supreme authority among American book publishers and a favored resource for many journal and magazine publishers as well.
The 1,000-plus-page manual, published only in hardcover but also available by subscription online, earns its reputation as a valuable resource for writers and editors, but it's not necessarily a must-buy.
For one thing, Chicago, as it's informally known in the publishing industry (its name is also abbreviated toCMS or CMOS), devotes many of its pages to book-production specifications and protocol. And because of its $65 MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price), it's quite an investment, considering that casual users are likely to consult fewer than half of its pages. (Notice that you can buy it online for around $35 though. Here's the link to the Amazon page selling it.)

But what a trove that middle half is, especially chapter 5, "Grammar and Usage," introduced in the fifteenth edition and updated for this one. Written by Bryan A. Garner, author of the authoritative Garner's Modern American Usage, its 100-plus pages include a primer on parts of speech and an alphabetical glossary of problem words and phrases (basically an abridged version of his encyclopedic work mentioned above).
The next half dozen or so chapters are also essential reading; they cover, respectively, punctuation, word treatment (including plurals and possessives, italics and quotation marks, and compounds and hyphenation), names and terms, numbers, and abbreviation. Also of some utility to writers and editors are chapters on foreign languages, mathematics, and quotations and dialogue.
The first part, on the other hand, though its sections on manuscript preparation and editing and proofreading, and its chapter on rights, permissions, and copyright, might inform and interest freelancers, is directed primarily at publication staff, and its more than 200 pages of guidelines on notes, bibliography, and references are applicable only to authors whose work is published in academic journals and scholarly books, or for editors who review their copy.
The final chapter, on indexing, the first appendix, on production and digital technology, and the second one, a glossary of book-publishing terms, will interest authors who want to know more about the process of creating print and online publications, but only professional indexers and editorial and production personnel are likely to return to these pages for repeat consultation.

I'm surprised that the University of Chicago Press hasn't acted on what at least one employee there must have thought of — publication of Part Two: Style and Usage as a separate volume that is more accessible and practical for freelance wordsmiths. However, it would be somewhat redundant to The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, a paperback volume originally conceived as a companion to Chicago that repurposes that volume's style and usage section for a more generalist audience — not just the titular type — and includes themed exercises at the end of each chapter.

Whatever you decide about whether to own the latest (2010) edition of Chicago — you might also buy a used copy of the fifteenth edition, or even the fourteenth, both somewhat out of date but still largely applicable — consult the namesake Web site. Much of the site's resources are available only by subscription, but the Chicago Style Q&A is a free, highly informative (and often humorous and sometimes exquisitely snarky) source.
Take-away: If you're committed to working in academic or trade publishing in the United States, this book is probably in your future. (But, then, it should already be in your workplace.) If you're not planning on an in-house career with a book or journal publisher, other guides and manuals are more appropriate for your professional goals, though repeated perusal of a library copy would not be a waste of time.


Author of:
Into the Basement

First to Die


Source: Dailywritingtips

Norm Applegate's Blog: How to hire an editor

Norm Applegate's Blog: How to hire an editor: I haven't posted in awhile, been so busy working and traveling. The last few weeks I've been in Dallas, Austin, Tempe, Denver and I live in...

How to hire an editor

I haven't posted in awhile, been so busy working and traveling. The last few weeks I've been in Dallas, Austin, Tempe, Denver and I live in Sarasota. I'm writing this Saturday August 27, from Vegas at 6:22 am. Hungry, just got up. Tonight going to Rod Stewart.

This article is kinda timely for me. I hired an editor two weeks ago and she seems really good. So following what I've done in the past. When I see a writing tip that I like I repost it.
...
You've written a novel, or a short-story collection, that you hope to publish yourself in print or online, or perhaps you plan to send it to an agent in the hopes that an editor at a publishing company will consider it. Or perhaps you have, or work for, a business that distributes printed communications, or you're responsible for a Web site that posts lots of written material.
You know the content isn't ready for prime time. You need an editor. What do you do?
Determine the Type of Editing You WantFirst, clarify what kind of assistance you seek. Does your content need a substantive edit, copyediting, or proofreading? Substantive editing involves intensive attention to plotting, narrative, characterization, tone, and other holistic factors for fiction, and organization, logic, and effective messaging in marketing communications or other nonfiction. If your novel has been rejected for publication or your articles (or someone else's you're shepherding) lack the impact they require, you should search for an editor who performs substantive editing.
If you believe the content is basically sound, but you believe it needs revision for grammar, usage, style, and punctuation, find a copy editor. If you're concerned only about typographical errors, hire a proofreader. (But realize this: You can probably get away without a substantive edit, but content that has been proofread but not copyedited is probably substandard.)
Identify the Project's Scope and ScheduleNext, consider the parameters of the assignment. Is the project a single book, or a series of essays to be assigned over a matter of weeks, or an ongoing collection of articles for a Web site? Whoever you hire will want to know your time frame. Do you expect the assignment to be returned in weeks, days, or hours? Will it be delivered, and is it to be returned, all at once, or piecemeal?
Payment PolicyNext, decide how you will compensate the editor. Will you pay by the hour, by the project (a flat fee), or by the page? Most editors work with an hourly rate, which is the fairest and the most effective, because it allows the editor to do their best work. You can, of course, specify a cap on how many hours the editor is allowed to bill for.
And how will you pay? By check, or money order? By PayPal, or another online service? Some editors may ask for a percentage of the total payment up front or after you receive a specified proportion of the edited material. You can ask the editor to complete a sample (paid) edit of one chapter or a single article that you evaluate before approving them to complete the assignment.
Obtain an EditorNow, where do you find an editor? You can post physical or virtual notes in your area to solicit local teachers or English majors, but though they may be an economical choice, teachers and English majors are not necessarily good editors. You can put projects up for bid on Web sites like Guru.com, but it's a complicated process, and many editors who offer their services on the site are underqualified or are not proficient in American English or British English. (And if you lowball the rate you're willing to pay, you'll get what you paid for.) Employment sites such asMedia Bistro are effective for finding media professionals but not so much for obtaining help with fiction projects or small-scale assignments, and posting employment listings can be pricey.

Craigslist, however, remains an excellent resource, and job postings cost only $75. (And you needn't restrict your search to your local market.) In addition, organizations such as the Bay Area Editors' Forum are appropriate resources for private individuals and smaller businesses and organizations seeking editorial assistance. (Again, it doesn't necessarily matter where you or a prospective editor live.) Alternatively, many freelance editors advertise their services on their own Web sites. (Once again, geographical location is largely irrelevant.)
Consider the CostsSubstantive editing is likely to put you back $50 or more per hour, and the typical working rate is several pages per hour. Copy editors charge about $25 to $50 per hour, depending on their level of experience and expertise and on the subject matter, and they generally complete five to ten pages an hour. Proofreading costs less and is accomplished more quickly, but unless the content is online, you'll have to mail the proofs, send them as a PDF Portable Document File (the editor will need an editing program), or have the proofreader complete the project on site or pick it up and deliver it on completion. (And remember, proofreading without copyediting is a risky shortcut.)

As you can see, hiring an editor is an expensive proposition. Engaging even a $25-per-hour copy editor for a 100,000-word novel will cost you about a thousand dollars. An experienced substantive editor could end up billing you a few hundred dollars for helping you craft a 2,500-word article for a specialized publication. Even having some Web pages proofread can easily become a three-figure expenditure.
But consider the return on investment: A literary agent is impressed with your tight, cleanly written prose. A periodical accepts your clear, concise, confident technical article. Your typo-free Web site (which your proofreader has also improved with some apt suggestions about format and design) attracts visitors, who may also become customers. It's nearly impossible to quantify the effect of an editorial professional's contribution to the impact of any piece of content, and in many cases, the editing you don't notice is the best kind.
In a sense, it's a leap of faith to hire an editor. There's no guarantee that employing an editor (even one armed with an impressive resume or glowing testimonials) will result in publication of your content or any other definitive marker of success, and the process of obtaining an editor's services isn't effortless even in the best circumstances. But if you're careful, you'll reap the benefits of better content.

Into the Basement
First to Die

Source: Dailywritingtips

5 Ways to Reduce Use of Prepositions

Here's a great article on improving your writing.


Prepositions, words that indicate relations between nouns, pronouns, and verbs (mostly small ones like for, in, of, on, to, and with but sometimes more substantial, as in the case of beneath or between), are often integral to a sentence, but writers can clutter sentences by being overly dependent on them. Here are five strategies for minimizing the number of prepositions you use:
1. Eliminate Prepositions by Using Active VoiceShifting from passive voice to active voice, as in the revision of "The watch was obviously designed by a master craftsman" to "A master craftsman had obviously designed the watch" takes a preposition out of action. (But take care that the inversion of the sentence structure doesn't incorrectly shift emphasis or diminish dramatic effect.)
2. Substitute an Adverb for a Prepositional PhraseIn the writer's toolbox, adverbs are stronger tools than prepositional phrases. Revision of the sentence "The politician responded to the allegations with vehemence" to "The politician responded vehemently to the allegations" strengthens the thought and deletes the weak preposition with.
3. Use a Genitive in Place of a Prepositional PhraseAn easy test to help reduce the number of prepositions is to search for the genitive case, or a possessive form: If a sentence could use the genitive case but doesn't, revise the sentence.
For example, "She was disturbed by the violent images in the movie" gains more impact (and loses a preposition) by reversing the sentence's subject and object: "She was disturbed by the movie's violent images." (Combine this strategy with a shift from passive voice to active voice, and you jettison two prepositions and further strengthen the statement: "The movie's violent images disturbed her.")
Another use of this technique is to revise a phrase including a reference to a location within a location, as in "the Museum of Modern Art in New York City," which can be more actively and efficiently rendered as "New York City's Museum of Modern Art."
4. Omit Prepositions by Eliminating NominalizationsWriters and editors aid clarity and conciseness by uncovering nominalizations, otherwise known as buried, or smothered, verbs. In doing so, they also negate the need for a preposition.
For example, the sentence "Their attempt to provide a justification of the expense was unsuccessful," simplified to "Their attempt to justify the expense was unsuccessful," not only transforms the verb+article+nominalization clump "provide a justification" into the streamlined verb justify but also makes of unnecessary. (I originally wrote "but also makes the use of of unnecessary," but then deleted the superfluous phrase "the use of" and thereby deleted a preposition.)
5. Delete Prepositional PhrasesPrepositional phrases (preposition+article+noun) provide context, but they're not always necessary. In a sentence like "The best outcome for this scenario would be an incremental withdrawal," note whether the meaning is clear without the phrase, and if so, strike it out: "The best outcome would be an incremental withdrawal."

Author of:
Into the Basement
First to Die
Article for Dailywritingtips

Amazon set to launch services in India next year

Amazon, for all its shortcomings has been very good to me. This year with Amazon, my novels in both the UK and here in the USA have taken off. It happened in February and March. Especially Into the Basement, it has shot to number 1, in kindle>graphic novels>horror in both countries. We all know someone if not ourselves that own an ebook reader. I use an ipad and access books through the Kindle app and ibooks.
But something else is happening that has a huge potential for an author's income. Foreign markets are opening up. Most of you know earlier this year Amazon opened up book distribution to Germany. Now they are going into India. I need translators…
I was very lucky this year; a Turkish publisher approached me. They have edited, translated and given Into the Basement, a new title; Sadist. That one word really sums up the essence on "Basement." Plus, the cover is creepy! Check it out at: www.normanapplegate.com.
Here's the announcement about India:
Amazon set to launch services in India next yearIshan Srivastava, TNN Jul 26, 2011, 11.04am IST
CHENNAI: World's largest online retailer, Amazon.com is set to enter India, riding on the second wave of ecommerce boom in India. Amazon is in discussions with leading Indian e-commerce players like Flipkart.com, LetsBuy.com and Exclusively.in, among others and may enter the market as early as the first quarter of next year.

All the bestNormInto the Basement
First to Die

Software Program to Write Better

It hit me the other day I haven't talked about what tool I use to write with. By tool I mean software program. I use Scrivner. I know, kind of a strange title. I wondered about that myself. It's a medieval English occupational surname for a 'writer', a clerk, especially one who writes and copies books and manuscripts.
The Scrivner team is small, looks like about five people headquartered in Cornwall England. The program was developed by one of the team to help him and I'm quoting here, "get a grip on my writing, notes and research, to organize it and start putting it all together like a jigsaw."I'm a Mac user and Scrivner was built for the Mac. Therefore it's stable. I understand there is a Windows version on the way. There isn't an iPad version yet but with a few third party apps you can sync and go mobile.
Scrivner is simple. It's a word processor and project management tool. Here's how they describe Scrivener on their website: "you can enter a synopsis for each document on a virtual index card and then stack and shuffle the cards in the corkboard until you find the most effective sequence. Plan out your work in Scrivener's outliner and use the synopses you create as prompts while you write. Or just get everything down into a first draft and break it apart later for rearrangement on the outliner or corkboard."I like the corkboard concept. This is where you can store index cards. I use one card per chapter. It's how I plan out my novel. For reading all the index cards I switch to the outline, helps me take my plan to the next level.
Oh yeah, there is even tutorials on YouTube. How convenient is that?
It's worth checking out. I'm on my 6th novel using Scrivner.http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php
all the bestNorm ApplegateInto the Basement
First To Die

7 Writing tips! Powerful effects you can use now!

If you've been following my blog you know I post writing tips. That is mixed in between all the horror thriller suspense book stuff. Oh yeah, some film and movie stuff too. What I've posted below is really cool. These are some excellent tips for adding motion to your writing. 


The following rhetorical tools enrich writing by eliciting a primal emotional response in readers:
1. AlliterationAlliteration, the pattern of two or more words within a phrase or sentence that begin with the same sound, is an effective form of emphasis that adds lyricism to even straightforward prose and influences the mood.
Alliteration can be delivered in consecutive words: "They have served tour after tour of duty in distant, different, and difficult places." Or it can recur with gaps of one or more nonalliterative words: "Squaring our performances with our promises, we will proceed to the fulfillment of the party's mission."
2. AssonanceAssonance, akin to alliteration, is the repetition of vowel sounds in a phrase or a longer passage: "The clamor of the band addled them."
3. ConsonanceAs the name implies, consonance refers to repetition of consonants — specifically, those at the ends of words: "Their maid has spread the word of their deed."
4. OnomatopoeiaThis term refers to words that are sound effects, indicative of their meaning or otherwise imitative of sounds: "A splash disturbed the hush of the droning afternoon."
5. RepetitionRepetition is the repeating of a word or phrase to produce a pattern or structure that strengthens the cumulative effect of a passage: "When I find you, I will catch you. When I catch you, I will cook you. When I cook you, I will eat you."
6. RhymeRhyme, the matching of identical or similar word endings in sentences of prose or lines of poetry, needn't be limited to lyrical contexts: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit."
7. RhythmRhythm, the deliberate manipulation of syllabic patterns in a passage, like rhyme, should not be consigned solely to poetry: "The eager coursing of the strident hounds and the sudden pursuit of the mounted men drove the bounding prey ever on."
When employing one or more of these techniques in your writing, keep these points in mind:
Be sure they have intrinsic value to the content and do not simply showcase your cleverness. Employ them in moderation, and be true to your voice and the tone of your writing.In serious expository prose, no more than one or two instances will help readers retain important information or strengthen a memorable conclusion. A more casual, lighthearted essay can afford a few more tricks, especially as mnemonic devices. A humorous piece allows you to be more indulgent, but an excess of use can quickly become wearisome and counterproductive.Study the masters, take note of their restraint and originality, and use those lessons as points of inspiration for your own applications of these techniques.Author of:Into the Basement

First to Die


Source for the article: Dailywritingtips

Indie Author Released in Turkey

In April I received an email and thought it was a scam. In fact I'm still waiting for the hit. An editor for a Turkish publisher saw my novel Into the Basement on AmazonUSA and UK and wanted it. Come on, horror in Turkey? What did I know?
Basement is currently #1 on Amazon USA and has been in the top 5 on Amazon Uk since March.
Into the Basement Amazon USA

Into the Basement Amazon UK
We exchanged emails, worked the deal, I signed the contract and this week saw the cover. I'm thriller. The name for the Turkish release is: "Sadist," very creepy.
Sadist will be available in two weeks at 94 D&R's, KİTAPSAN Book Stores and in other bookstores throughout Turkey. Also from these websites:

http://www.idefix.com/vitrin/
http://www.kitapyurdu.com/
http://www.okuoku.com/tr/index.php
http://www.pandora.com.tr/