Allison M. Dickson's Blog, page 3

The Bad Review Spin Cycle!

Aspiring and non-writers alike tell me all the time how much they would hate getting bad reviews of their work. And while to a certain extent I can appreciate that feeling, because getting negative reviews is never something I would actively choose (I want EVERYONE to love me! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD LOVE ME!), I can also say that once you take the time to really think about your negative reviews, you will see that very few of them are actually going to be detrimental to your success. Unless of course, you let them be by striking out at reviewers, stalking them, and otherwise letting them make you into a bitter poopy head.



So I'm going to list five of the most common types of negative reviews you might encounter out there on the wild frontier. While you can't control what people think of your work, you can control how you let them affect you, and I'm going to show you how. Now let's go hunting for some silver linings!



1. The Quick Hate Drive-By



This is a one-star review accompanied by a very brief sentence. "This sucks." "Hated it." "Don't waste your time."



These reviews are frustrating, because sometimes you want to know what exactly they hated so much about it. I know when I dislike something enough to use the word "hate," I tend to go out of my way to explain why, but then again, I'm a writer. I can't hold everyone to my verbose standards.



Spin: People reading negative reviews of your book aren't going to glean enough evidence from this person's feedback to make a decision one way or another. If anything, they probably won't take the person who wrote it very seriously, especially if there are plenty of positive reviews to offset it.



2. The "Meh."



These folks usually give 2-3 stars, followed by a general write-up about how they thought it was bland, boring, disappointing, or just "okay."



Admittedly, this is my least favorite review to receive, because it could mean (unless they're a regular reader of yours) that this is the only chance you'll ever have to win this person over. My goal as a writer is to captivate you, either out of pure love or hate. Offending someone's sensibilities is far better than being forgettable. But still, it's not the end of the world.



Spin: Your work might not have wowed them, but they at least took the time to go online and say so. That alone says they might be able to give you another chance down the line. There are books by some of my favorite authors that I've given a "meh" to, but then I turned around and gave them a raving five stars on something else.



3. The Ad Hominem



This is when the reviewer spends more time attacking you personally or reviewing "between the lines" stuff that they interpreted from your words instead of the story itself.



Reviewers like this typically have a bone to pick with just about everyone, so it probably isn't just you. Often times you can look at their review history and see they are generally displeased with most of what they read. Like most online trolls, they're probably lonely souls in search of a punching bag, and they likely approach most art and entertainment prepared to hate it.



Spin: Customers aren't often swayed by reviews that come off as mean. Or if they are, they're usually piqued into enough curiosity to try the book out for themselves. Just as you would deal with any bully, realize that the issue isn't with you, it's with them. You could have written a completely different book, and they'd probably still hate it.



4. "This Is the Worst Book I've Ever Read"



As the title suggests, you'll probably encounter this or some similar hyperbole in a review from time to time. There are some people out there who will just violently dislike everything about your book. It'll make them spit bile and think up whole new creative insults they've never made before. It'll turn them into seething raptors desperate to clean your offensive, awful, no-good words from their brains by any means necessary.



This review, for me, is the crown jewel. Of all negative review types, this one is my favorite. Also, I don't get them terribly often, which probably makes them easier to swallow, but they're still entertaining to read on a purely academic level.



Spin: First off, I highly doubt it's the worst book they've ever read. Emotions sometimes run high and make us exaggerate things. That being said, high running emotions can be a GOOD thing. Honestly, whether it's from love or visceral hate, I love inspiring strong reactions from people. That means they'll never forget me. I could go about my life and become a hugely famous bestselling author, and that person will be walking through Barnes & Noble or Walmart or some other store one day and they'll see my latest book and they'll remember my name. And they'll be like, "OH MY GOD THAT PERSON!" And what will they almost invariably do? They'll pick up the book. They'll turn it over and read the blurb. They might even read a few pages. And from there, because maybe it's been awhile since they've hate-read something, they'll buy it. Ding ding ding, you win.



5. The Professor of Hate



This is like the Great White Buffalo of reviews written by a person who dislikes something and very eloquently and convincingly details why in an essay that reads almost like a college level book report. They extract sections, pick apart your characters and motivations, and in the most civilized way possible detail all the ways in which you suck. These folks are so good that sometimes, by the end of their reviews, you find yourself nodding in agreement with them. Over your own book!



Argh, these particular pills can be hard to swallow. And if you're not careful, sometimes you can wind up ruminating over them for days, wondering what you could have done differently. They can eat away at your confidence like rust on a tin can left out in the rain. BUT you can still spin this one in your favor.



Spin: Someone who will take the time to thrash you open with virtuosity has more than likely come to respect you in some way. They see potential, perhaps more so than the other haters, and it's why their review can be so scathing. This is someone you can learn from, but also someone who might actually come to love your work. They will probably be interested to see your growth over time. And customers reading these reviews, again, may be swayed to check out the work just to see if they wind up coming to the same conclusion. At worst, you could earn yourself a new sale. It's rare that a review of such a caliber kills a book dead in the water, unless it was already headed there in the first place.



Hate and dislike is a powerful force. It can make us feel bad about ourselves by calling to those internal voices most of us have about feeling like impostors and hacks. But sometimes the right kind of dislike breeds infamy, and infamy sometimes sells.



Finally, if you are actually in the position to be reviewed AT ALL, it means you've finished a book and had the guts to get it out there into the world. It can also mean (if you're traditionally published) that a lot of people saw the potential in your work to invest their time and money into you. You're playing the game instead of sitting on the sidelines because you're afraid you'll get grass stains on your perfect little uniform.



I don't know about you, but I'd rather take my knocks and be reminded I'm alive than be a wallflower.

Why I Write vs Why I Write For Others

Art is weird. 



On the one hand, it's something we do to please ourselves. It's also something we consume to enlighten or amuse ourselves. It's a far more vital resource than I think many are willing to give it credit for, but that's another argument for another blog.




But then you decide you'd like to do your art for a job. And then everything changes, at least a little bit.




You start having a war in your head between the forces of creative juju and the forces of commercial enterprise. And it often IS a war, because the things that fuel the passion of art are not always the things that fuel our desire for a paycheck. And we DO want a paycheck, because otherwise we'd get "real" jobs, and art would become hobby and no one would ever complain about "lazy" starving artists.




There are people who DO make those two opposing forces jive together. Some people call them "sell-outs," but I'm not here to have THAT old argument either, probably because I fucking hate how easily people use that label to define the precious few who have managed to successfully eke financial gain out of an artistic pursuit. "No, Artist Person! You're supposed to amuse me AND be poor! That way I can criticize you for being a smelly, lazy piece of shit who amuses me! Like a monkey, see? Now dance, monkey, dance!"




Squeezing money out of my writing over the last seven years hasn't been easy. I have not yet gotten to the point where we could come even close to living off my income as a family. In fact, that's laughable to even consider, especially factoring in things like health insurance and other perks "real jobs" offer as part of the deal. But it's getting better. I've added workshop teaching and conventions to my stream of income sources, and that's made a big difference. I still take on freelance editing jobs. I also have an agent working hard to secure me a big book deal, so everything could possibly change at the drop of a hat. The business side of things keeps trucking, and meanwhile I keep writing.




But I write for so many different reasons now, and the reasons are all dependent upon whether we're talking about why I write for me, and why I write for you.




Because it's both.




I write for me because:




1. I can't draw for shit.




2. Sometimes ideas feel like voices from another universe are speaking through my fingertips, and that if I stop typing their words, their voices will be stuck inside me and I'll explode.




3. It is a source of concentration for me. When I'm concentrating on something, I'm at ease. I feel a sort of equilibrium that I can't seem to find anywhere else except perhaps when I'm meditating.




4. I don't always understand people or the social constructs they create. Making stories brings me a little closer to understanding, acceptance, and in some cases forgiveness.




5. Stories are an escape. We tell them in words and songs and dance and brushstrokes. Stories are what we use to bring ourselves closer to the infinite. I truly truly believe that.



6. I revel in the abstract and finding new combinations of our odd, exciting, ever-evolving language to describe a feeling or a sensation.




I write for others because:




1. I love inviting people into my fucked up head via any means necessary. Books are a great way to do that. They come in neat packages, can be bought and shared, and people tend to remember the good ones (or the REALLY bad ones).




2. I still believe there is plenty of money to be made in this industry, and I want a chunk of it.




3. The best thing is when someone says they haven't read in years, but they read your book and loved it.




4. The other best thing is when someone says your work inspired them in some way. Considering it was my love of reading and books that inspired me to become a writer a long time ago, hearing those things makes me feel like the writer I always longed to be.




5. Writing for others affords me opportunities to talk to others about writing, which is one of my favorite things to talk about.




6. Getting to work with people who love the written word as much as I do, and who have made it their life's passion, is one of the best privileges. Readers are smart, witty, and nerdy. They're my kind of people.




So there you have it. All the reasons I write, both personally and professionally. I don't know that I could do one without the other now. It isn't enough for me to just write a story and put it in a drawer (though if it sucked, I would do that and I have, a lot). I have to be able to share it with others. Otherwise it just feels kind of pointless to me...

Bullets, Babes, and Bots: A Colt Coltrane FAQ

The latest and perhaps greatest Colt story yet! Releasing 3/17/15!






Want to watch a really awesome trailer produced by Justin Wasson to whet your appetite? Look no further!








1. Who is Colt Coltrane?





Hugh "Colt" Coltrane is a former Los Angeles homicide detective turned P.I. His specialties are usually tracking down cheating husbands and deadbeats late on their alimony payments, but he also has occasional run-ins with mob figures who remember him from his policing days. Those cases have started to take a backseat of late, though, because he's been encountering other very strange events in the city, and they're starting to hit very close to home.



2. What about this robot I keep seeing? What's he all about?



Ah yes, that's Petey, Colt's mechanical sidekick. He goes everywhere with Colt. With various modes at his disposal, he can do everything from stealthy tracking and recording, photographing of scenes, on-foot pursuit, and origami. Yes, that's right. Origami. He also has some other very special capabilities, but you'll have to read the stories to find out.







3. Wait, isn't this story taking place in the 1940s?



Indeed. The first book, Colt Coltrane and the Lotus  Killer, takes place in late 1947. The latest book is in 1949. Gradually, we'll be moving into the 1950s. These aren't your typical hard-boiled mysteries, though. Imagine Raymond Chandler meets Isaac Asimov meets Indian Jones. Without going into all the details, the LAPD uses their own brand of bots called Patented Electric Tactical Enforcers (P.E.T.E.), which is not-so-incidentally what Petey's name comes from. But there are bots all over Los Angeles. Private enterprise has taken over, and there are a lot of folks building them from scratch and scrap. The Colt stories share most of the sensibilities and the aesthetics of the 1940s as we know it, but with that technological twist thrown in.



4.  This stuff seems a little different from your other work. Don't you normally write scary stuff?



My focus is indeed contemporary suspense and horror, and the Colt series is definitely a change of pace, but I think you'll find my signatures all through it. Colt is a gritty dude with a lot of baggage, and he deals with some pretty heavy stuff. And those who know my full body of work also know I dabble in science fiction from time to time. Still, though, Colt has a starkly different tone from my other works. It's more of a period piece. I typically write stories that take place in the present day, and I would say there is a clearer underlying optimism in these stories that you have to dig a bit deeper to find in my other stuff.



However, Colt exists purely as a passion project for me. It keeps me busy between larger, traditionally published projects. I could have pitched Colt to my agent or other publishers (and who knows? I still might someday...), but in this dynamic publishing landscape where being hybrid rules, I wanted something that belonged strictly to me, and would have little danger of competing with other work of mine a publisher would have. Colt is my playground. With him, I can do what I want, when I want. I can experiment and also use it to explore more areas of the publishing side of things. He also gets me into all the comic cons, which have become a thriving and fun part of my career!





Me, fellow author Scott Bachmann, and Justin Wasson



5. Who's that other handsome fella on the Stolen Sky cover?



That's Clutch McIntyre, club entrepreneur/genius bot mechanic. Think of him as a greasier, not qite as wealthy version of Tony Stark. He was once an informant of Colt's back in the  LAPD days, but now the two are close friends. When Colt left the force, he commissioned Clutch to build him his very own bot. Clutch also runs The Parts Bin, which is the city's exclusive bot-run night club and casino. Bots serve the drinks, take the orders, deal the cards, etc. Clutch has basically taken his mechanical know-how and used it to build himself a small robot empire. He also still has access to a lot of inside channels with various criminal and underground networks.



6. How many stories are in the Colt series so far?



Three total, but soon to be four.



Colt Coltrane and the  Lotus Killer and Colt Coltrane and the Stolen Sky are the longer works.

"Colt Coltrane and the Harrowing Heights of Hollywoodland" is the mini-episode, but there is a new one coming in May: "Colt Coltrane and the Real Quick Caper."







My plan is to have 5 novels with several short stories woven in between, but who knows, it could carry on longer.



7. Do I have to read them all in order?



A lot of people have started with the short story and then jumped into the novels. I think that's fine, because the short stories aren't quite as anchored in a timeline and are meant to serve as random adventures for the gang, past, present, and possibly future. But if you're going to read the novels, I do recommend starting with Lotus Killer. While you wouldn't be lost in Stolen Sky without having read the first book, I think you'd understand Colt's arc a lot more, and the later book does reference the earlier works.







8. I am seriously loving all this artwork. Who does it for you? Does he take commissions?



My artist is Justin Wasson, a dear friend of mine in addition to being a wicked awesome illustrator. He also did the trailer illustrations for my book THE LAST SUPPER. He does indeed take commissions. The best place to find him is on Facebook at his art page.



9. This series would make an awesome comic book or movie. Do you have any plans for that?



Justin and I have talked a good bit about graphic adaptations for the existing line of books. It's just a matter of working out the logistics, finding the time, etc. I plan to pen a screenplay for Lotus Killer later this year.



10. I'm sold! I want to buy all the books! Where can I get them?



For right now, Lotus Killer is available exclusively on Amazon for Kindle, but you can get it on paperback at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.



Harrowing Heights, the short story, is on Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Scribd



Stolen Sky will also be available at all of those above mentioned outlets. It's also currently up for preorder until its release on March 17th, at which point the price goes up, so take advantage of the $.99 price now!

When Flops Happen

Most books don't sell very well.



That's a hard fact.



The definition of "very well" of course depends on how you were published, what you've published, and how much has been invested in that title, so there is no arbitrary number that will define success for every book, though I don't think anyone would argue that selling at least 100,000 copies of something would be awesome.



But the sad truth is, most books on the market won't even sell 100th of that, especially if they're self-published, but it can also be the case for small presses all the way up to the Big 5.



And while some books might under-perform, others can just downright flop, even though you've done all the right things.



You can spend good money on ads and other promotions. You can have a beautiful cover and interior. You can commission great artwork and an awesome trailer, and of course you have a solid story concept and a well-edited and well-written book. You can also have a previous book that has sold really well and has received almost 400 reviews on Amazon and GoodReads combined, most of them positive. You can even get a starred review in Publishers Weekly and have people contacting you regularly to tell you how much they enjoyed the book and want to know about a sequel.



And even after all of that, your book just. won't. sell.



Believe me, I know.



And it's hard. It's hard especially when you think you've done all the right things. It's even harder when you've been doing this for years, slowly building an audience and regard among readers and peers alike, properly girding your expectations at every turn, and thinking you've finally reached a place where things might start to ease up a bit. The wheels, after all, have been well-greased. They should turn without too much force by now, or so you think.



Except at some point along the way, the wheels almost stop turning altogether, and the whole thing goes off into a ditch. You've become a disappointment, if not to your publisher and those closest to you, then certainly to yourself.



I almost wasn't going to blog about this. After all, part of the recipe for success is to project an image of success, even if it's half a mirage. But I've never found much use for bullshit. The best way I've found to deal with difficult situations is to use my predicaments as teaching moments for others who might be having similar struggles.



Because let's face it, there are a lot of us out there. Actually, if you have the word "author" on your resume, this is probably a piece that speaks to most of you. You wrote a book that by all accounts is a good book, but no one seems to want to buy it. Hey, you're the member of a pretty huge club, so let's get that out of the way first.



Now what do we do?



1. Keep Writing



Seriously, I shouldn't have to say this, but I have to, because it's the most important thing at the top of the list. So the book isn't selling. That's one idea. If you're a writer, chances are you have a bunch more swirling around in your head. Potentially better ones that will capture the public imagination too.



2. Sometimes They Come Back



Your book might not be selling now. Who knows why. But a year from now, it may find its audience. Trends are weird that way. It may also be that your next book could catch, and this will draw other people to your backlist. Books aren't like the people who wrote them. If they're dead, they can be resurrected, and you may not even understand how or why. If it happens, just soak it in and try to capitalize.



3. Try Another Approach



Perhaps a rebranding strategy is needed. A different cover, a new blurb. Sometimes a great idea is just in the wrong package. If you're self-publishing or working with a small publisher, it can be a bit easier to do things like this. Either way, don't be afraid to try a new approach if the one you're using isn't effective. Being agile means sometimes you have to be ready to chart a new course if you run into the weeds.



4. You Aren't the Center of Everything



When you feel like you've failed, it's easy to start to getting vibes of persecution too. But the world doesn't hate you. The reading public hasn't rejected you. Even if your flop of a book got a couple lukewarm reviews, that doesn't serve as effective cross-section if only a handful of people have actually bought it to begin with. There just isn't enough of a sample size to make that kind of determination. The truth is, most people just don't know you're even there. That may not make you feel better, this sense that your voice is drowning in a wailing chorus of other wannabes, but I think it's preferable to being a pariah...even the kinds of pariahs who manage to still sell books simply because of their notoriety. Yeah, they're making money, but who needs that kind of stress? If you wanted to be a famous asshole, there are better things you can do other than write books.



Besides, everyone who has had a long streak of success will tell you they're just soaking up every accolade and cent they can get before the well dries up, because dry up it will. There is no perpetual "moment." The important thing is to make sure you're not tying your entire sense of self-worth into the equation. There are too many variables at work, not only in your career but also in life at large, for every success and failure to be all about you.



5. It's Okay to Fail



Not every pitch Nolan Ryan threw sailed over the middle of the plate and into the catcher's mitt. Gordon Ramsay has probably burned a few omelets. Steven Spielberg has a few box office bombs under his belt. Point being you might be riding a great wave one moment, and the next thing you know you're face down in the trough.



The important thing to remember is none of this makes you a bad person or a hack. Everyone fails. Every. One. There is a disease to which no one on this planet is immune. It's called being human, and as a rule, humans tend to mess stuff up from time to time. There is no guarantee of success, ever. You can't predict it, and you're definitely not entitled to it. The only antidote is a powerful combination of work and hope.



I'm learning this lesson as I go, setting my sights on what's in front of me instead of what's behind. My books are out there. I can't force people to buy them. I can't force people to love them. I can only keep putting one word in front of another, because it's all I know how to do. The only way to avoid failure is to stop moving, stop wishing, stop risking, stop being.



If that's the only option, I would rather fail.

On Grimm Mistresses, Nectar, Being Invited to an Anthology

First, I am pleased to announce the release of an anthology just in time to celebrate Women in Horror Month. As a dark fiction writer, it's been my honor for a few years now to participate in various interviews and blog tours every February, but this is the first time I've been asked to submit a piece of fiction. This beautiful book comes to you from the great folks at Angelic Knight Press, the horror imprint of Ragnarok Publications, and I am extremely proud to have my name on the cover.








GRIMM MISTRESSES


REMEMBER THOSE GRIMM BROTHERS? Dark fairy tales that made you leave the light on long before Disney sanitized them? Well, we certainly do! And now the MISTRESSES GRIMM take back the night, five female authors who will leave you shuddering deliciously. Get ready to leave the lights on again with five pieces of short fiction bringing the Grimm Brother’s tales into the present. Be advised: these aren’t your children’s fairy tales!



GRIMM MISTRESSES contains the following tales:




• "The Night Air" by Stacey Turner

• "Little Dead Red" by Mercedes M. Yardley

• "Nectar" by Allison M. Dickson

• "Hazing Cinderella" by C.W. LaSart

• "The Leopard's Pelt" by S.R. Cambridge




Ragnarok is also offering up limited edition signed hardbacks of this gorgeous book! You can order one here. For this week only, if you buy the ebook directly from Ragnarok, enter the coupon code WiMH and get it half-off!




Of course, being invited to participate in anthology is a huge honor, and when the request initially came and I saw the names involved, I knew I'd be stupid not to do it. I've admired Yardley and LaSart from afar for awhile now, and Stacey Turner (the one who invited me) has been one of my favorite people working the indie horror--so gracious and giving of her time and energy to great writers and stories. S.R. Cambridge was a recent newcomer, but she fit perfectly into our group, and I've read her story and can only say she's one to look out for.




The only requirement was to take a classic fairy tale and put a dark and sinister twist on it, and I felt up to the challenge. In particular, I had my heart set on the Brothers Grimm tale that always used to chill me to the bone: Hansel & Gretel.




Only . . . the story took its time coming to me. I struggled. Though I had a few months before the deadline, I was getting closer and closer to that date with still nothing. In fact, I was pretty sure I was going to have to go back to Stacey and tell her she'd need to find somebody else. But then one day about two weeks before the final deadline, I sat down and started free-writing a blind date scene between a disillusioned and cynical man, and a young, beautiful woman who smelled like cotton candy and had a vocal fry problem.




It wasn't until I got to the end of the first scene, when he decided to follow her home for a night of fun, that I realized I was writing my fairy tale, which I came to call "Nectar." It's a hugely abstract version of Hansel & Gretel, one you would have to look closely at to see the parallels. Instead of lost kids, gumdrop roofs, and hungry witches, I wound up with a clan of far-future time-traveling warrior women enslaving lost men from the present day and fattening them up with sexual desire. Writing it was equal parts thrilling and frustrating.




I struggled because my fiction writing has largely belonged to me and me alone for many years. Meanwhile, so many of my writer colleagues have been in dozens of anthologies, have made them a major part of their offerings, but I rarely if ever submit, even when invited directly. I guess it's performance anxiety on my part. But there is also something deeper going on, I think. So many people huddle together against the cold, and yet I've always felt like I've existed outside those circles, foraging for my own place because I've already convinced myself no one would want me.




And yes, I realize how stupidly pathetic that sounds, but old habits die hard. I tend to stumble into groups or find myself lassoed into them, but make no mistake: being invited to someone else's sandbox is a privilege, and I need to do it more often, because I've met some great and talented people doing this, just as I did when I appeared in the two WRAPPED anthologies through Sekhmet Press, and I think collaboration is an important part of the process.




Writers write alone, but we can't be islands. Together, we raise one another up. Not only that, but we inspire on another. These women have certainly inspired me.




GRIMM MISTRESSES is dark, dangerous, gritty, and pretty lovely. I do hope you'll check out this book and let us all know what you think!

A Writer's Doubt: Taking Stock of the What and Why

Sometimes I feel like a crazy dog loping along after a car. And in my crazy dog brain, I imagine sinking my teeth into the bumper and whipping the whole thing around like a cheap toy, making it my own. There are times when I get so close to that sparkling chrome, I think I can almost taste its metallic tang.



And then I lunge forward and bite, only to meet thin air.



I tell myself I just wasn't as close as I thought, and so I keep running, tongue lolling out, breath wheezing, my determination made more zealous by the lingering essence of a dream so closely fulfilled. Only a fool would stop when they were so close. Right?



But no one can run forever. There is no such thing as a perpetual motion machine. Sometimes you have to slow down for a bit in order to get your wind back, and sometimes you hit enough obstacles on the path that you have no choice but to stop and lick your wounds and decide whether you're actually chasing the right kind of car.



Not that I've received many wounds.



Yeah, sales have been disappointing for the last few months.



Yeah, I've received a few rejections on a short story I've been circulating around since January.



Yeah, a couple of my other shorts have received lukewarm feedback, such that I've started feeling like the weakest link in the chain.



But nothing truly BAD has happened, really. In fact, in the grander scheme, things have never been better. New opportunities are sprouting up every day. Workshop teaching gigs, local conventions, invitations to submit to anthologies. The sorts of things that make working writers working writers, even if only on a small scale.



For some reason, though, my spirit is responding to a few minor setbacks like it's been whipped with heavy chains. It's insisting that I re-evaluate everything to make sure I'm on the right path. So I'm going to ask myself a few questions, just to make sure I have my head on straight, so I can figure out where I really am right now. Maybe I'll be able to get to the heart of what's really bothering me. Or maybe I'll decide I'm whinging over nothing. Probably that. Hopefully.



1. What do I want?



I want to be an author. Well, that was easy. The answer came to me without hesitation, and I think as long as that continues to happen, I'll be mostly okay.



But I want more.



I want to do speaking engagements. I want to make decent advances on my books. I want to travel. I want my books in stores. I want to write a movie script. I want to dig myself deeper into this crazy industry and really make a splash.



2. Why do I want it?



Because I don't know how to not want it. Might as well tell me to stop blinking or will my heart to stop beating. I love books. But more than that, I love stories. I think they're important for so many reasons I won't take the space to list here, but I'll just say that I think stories are as vital as anything to helping people understand their world and the ones we share it with. Not only that, but they're what I know.



3. What do I really want to write?



This is the hard part. Sometimes I think I need to give up on sci-fi and fantasy, because I always feel like the genre represents my writing at its weakest. Maybe others don't see it that way, but I do. Nothing exhausts me and leaves me feeling less satisfied with myself than writing speculative fiction, probably because I see so many other authors doing it better, and I will always feel like I don't measure up.



Mostly, I want to write about human beings, and I want to do so without always being tasked with imagining whole new rules and worlds for them. I've never felt more alive and competent than when I've written contemporary suspense. When I wrote Strings, I was reborn. I'd finally come home. Strings and stories like it are the kinds of stories I want to write forever. I felt the same way when I wrote Kudzu. Better yet, I have more of these stories to tell. So many more. These dark, gritty tales are pieces taken from the deepest part of me, and I honestly can't foresee a time when I would want to stop writing dark, gritty, visceral suspense fiction.



And yet sometimes I still feel that call to the pure creation that is speculative fiction. It's why I write Colt Coltrane. Colt is the lighthearted and fun break I need after digging the sometimes harrowing trenches of suspense. It's also why I chose to self-publish it, because I can produce the stories on my own schedule, when it feels right for me. They also allow me to collaborate with my friend and artist, Justin Wasson, and should they take off and find a huge audience, that's even better. But in many ways, Colt is my refuge, my own personal playground. And should I decide I've had enough of tromping around in the 1940s with a robot at my side, I can just wrap it up and move on. There is a lot I can't control about my traditionally published work, but Colt (and my other self-published fiction) allows me to feel like I have a tighter grip on this slippery eel known as my writing career.



4. So What's Next?



Well . . . I guess after spelling it all out, I can't see doing things much differently than I have been. I will concentrate on writing dark suspense novels that my agent can sell, because this will hopefully get me both the readership and the financial outcome I want. And also because these are the stories I love writing most. As such, these books will take up the majority of my writing time. Meanwhile, I will keep up on Colt Coltrane, releasing two stories a year, one novella, one short, until I have at least five of each. I will write other short stories as time and inspiration allow. I will submit a few of them to traditional markets and anthologies, but most of them will be self-published, because this is the fastest route to reaching readers.



Also, on the speculative front, my good friend Ian Healy and I have decided to resurrect our steampunk adventure tale The Oilman's Daughter. After it goes through a period of heavy revisions this summer, we will release it through his Local Hero Press imprint sometime later this year.



Finally, when my agent sells Kudzu (I'm saying "when," because if she believes in the story enough to say it, then I'm going to do her and myself the favor of believing in it too), a firmer path will open that will hopefully carry me for years to come.



As for current projects:



The Last Supper at this point will probably not receive a sequel. That could change if it does find its readership, and if that readership is found wanting for more, but until then, I will have to be satisfied with what it currently is, and frankly I am.



The Strings sequel has a lot more potential for completion. More people have read it, and the response it's received seems to warrant the second volume in the tale. It's on my list to complete this year, but not ahead of the new book I'm currently working on. I also feel like this book is a safer bet for my publisher.



Finally, I won't let a few minor setbacks discourage me. Sales will always have peaks and valleys. They don't define me. I will not always write someone's favorite story. That also won't define me. I will tell the stories of the people living inside my head, not to please others, but to please me because I believe those are always going to be our best told stories.



And I will keep reminding myself that the choice of actually doing the work is the only thing in the whole equation I can actually control. When I think about it, that makes me feel better, even when those creeping tendrils of doubt start finding their way in.



Well, I guess I feel a little better than I did when I started this. My wind is back and my wounds, such as they are, have been sufficiently licked. Now where's that bumper? I have some more running to do.

Writers Are From Mars, Novels Are From Venus: An Author's Dysfunctional Relationship with Her Own Books

First of all, I got this idea from the great Chuck Wendig, who recently (and hilariously) detailed his emotional milestones of novel writing. I could relate to several stages of his experience (Old Man Lost in a Mall, yes yes yes) and decided that since I have just finished a thorough colon cleansing and restructuring on the book currently with my agent, I was in a good place to relive own experience here.





After finishing eight novels, I've come more and more to see the experience as a very strange, messy, but ultimately gorgeous relationship. One of those May-December things that leaves you wrecked but eager for more, because like most writers, you're clearly a masochistic headcase who will never be satisfied.




What I've also discovered is whether the novel in question is 50,000 words or 100,000, the stages of the relationship are the same. They're just condensed. Of course the benefit of recognizing these stages is that you can anticipate them to some degree and hopefully devise strategies to work through them. Or, realistically, just repeat history because as John Cougar Mellencamp once told us, sometimes love don't feel like it should.




In fact, it hurts so good.



So let's tour this screaming vomit comet of love, shall we?








Stage 1: Checking out the Idea's Ass




You may be sitting by your lonesome, but chances are you already have your head tangled up in another story when a hot piece of literary sex meat walks in. Promising yourself not to get too eager, you just give it a good once over, imagining yourself in various compromising positions with it. Is it relationship material? Maybe it can be incorporated into an existing scenario if the idea's into that sort thing. Or perhaps it's just short story fodder, something you tuck away for those occasions where you just want a short fling.




But say this particular idea can't be ignored. The chemistry is that intense, even from across the room. You amble over and start talking and discover all the things you have in common and the great ways you would fit together. The idea makes you laugh, think, and feel good about your ability to attract really good looking concepts. You decide you're going to ask it out. (Tip: if you happen to be canoodling with another idea, you may want to finish that fling first before moving on to the next one. At the very least, get the new idea's phone number and promise you'll call just as soon as you're free).



Stage 2: That Awkward First Date Kiss and Grope




You've finally decided to let the idea court you, and things get off to a nice start. It produces promising gifts right away, and the conversation flows remarkably well. You're still not sure where exactly things are heading just yet, and there are a few tiny awkward moments as you get a sense of one another, but you've already decided you would like to continue seeing the idea, and you just hope those few awkward moments don't scare it away.







Stage 3: Let's Go Steady



By this point, you're going pretty hot and heavy. You only see the good things in one another, and the makeout sessions are mind-blowing, such that you're telling yourself this may be the Best Idea You've Ever Had. Even if you said the same thing to the last idea and the one before, you're pretty sure that while those other ideas were indeed great, this idea is The One. In fact, if the idea asked you to marry it and spawn a bunch of baby ideas, you would immediately say yes.



Stage 4: First Real Fight



You love the idea and all, but the idea stood you up one night, and when it finally showed up, it wasn't really saying much. At first, you tried to play it cool, but then it happened again, and you realize it's totally disrespecting the commitment you've made. The fight finally happens, and there are a few tense moments where you ask if maybe you moved a little too fast, but ultimately you decide the idea is worth saving, and maybe you're not so perfect either. You've been down this road before, and you still want to move forward, even if the stars have faded from your eyes a bit.








Stage 5: The Idea Farts in Front of You Now



It was inevitable. You've been together awhile, and comfortable with each other's company. Perhaps a little too comfortable. Does it have to rip one just as you're settling down for a night of fun? The stench is so overwhelming sometimes you can't even focus on the good parts of the idea anymore, and it doesn't even excuse itself. Did this idea always have such bad manners? You tell yourself if you'd known that from the beginning, you might have thought twice about bringing it home. But you've been together long enough that it would be stupid to just end everything now. It's just a phase, you tell yourself. Just a phase.



Stage 6: Passive-Aggressive Bliss; No Really, I'm Fine



Except you're not fine. The mask has come off the idea and now you can only see its shortcomings. Never mind that you've now had several babies with the idea and you've put in so much work. You're nearly halfway to fruition, and it all feels so pointless now. This wasn't what you signed up for, but this seems to happen every. single. time.



Stage 7: Maybe We Should Have an Open Relationship



You and the idea still like each other, but maybe the problem is one of exclusivity. It feels like ages since you've checked out anything new. A little bit of strange is all you need. You promise the idea you'll still come home to it every night, though. Don't worry, you say. It's just a phase. So you start dabbling with other ideas again, and a couple shiny ones catch your eye.



(it's at this point, most people and their ideas go their separate ways, even if they can take months or years to actually admit it, because you still sometimes send flirty texts back and forth and make plans to get together, though they always fall through at the last second).



Stage 8: Okay Goddammit, Let's Work On This



You wake up one morning after a very naughty dream with your main idea, and you realize maybe you were just going through a rough period and pushing it away because you were feeling insecure and unworthy of it. After a tense conversation where you lay it all on the line, you both agree this thing is too good to let go to waste. You've made beautiful prose together before, and dammit, you can see this thing through. The makeup sex is phenomenal.



Stage 9: Let's Take Acid and Elope Yesterday



Pure bliss has been achieved. You've never felt so euphoric and certain of your destiny. It could be because you've been up for the last 72 hours and you've had enough coffee to split atoms with your mind. But you and the idea are so fixated on one another you wouldn't know how to quit if you tried. At the height of your brain-crackling frenzy, the two of you decide to strike west, get married, and seal the deal on this sucker once and for all. Don't plan. Don't think. JUST SAY I DO AND WORRY ABOUT THE REST LATER.







Stage 10: Until Death, For Better or For Worse



You don't even remember the wedding, because you were so blitzed out of your mind. It came and went and now the ring is on your finger. The idea is part of your life forever, which is both scary and awesome and also scary, in case you weren't sure the first time. You look over at your newest life partner, so unique and flawed--a perfect reflection of you, and as special as all the others you've had. Perhaps even better in some ways, because you realize the more you go through this, the better at it you get. Of course, like every relationship, it's still a work in progress. You'll have to work on a lot of issues still, and there will probably be a lot more drama and push and pull in store. But if you're doing it right, you'll soon discover, as you always do, that you're making each other better, and that's the point of this whole exercise.



But your search for more ideas isn't done. What, you thought this was monogamy for life? Yeah right. It's time to shower, fix yourself up, and get back out there again. The Best Idea Ever of All Time is out there somewhere, and it's waiting just for you. Don't let another moment go to waste.



You whore.

In Defense of Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight

I didn't want to have to do this, but the literary snobs have backed me into a corner, and now I feel forced to defend two books I dislike: Twilight and Fifty Shades.



In case you weren't sure, I'm about the last person on earth you would catch perusing the romance or erotic fiction sections of Barnes & Noble (at least with any intent to buy). I am also about the last person on earth you would catch writing in the genre. It's just not for me, the way g-strings and high heels and country music and olives aren't for me. If you like those things, though, that's awesome, because it means someone who produces them is making a living, while you remain one happily fed and entertained motherfucker.



But there are a lot of people--writers in particular--who look down their noses at books like Fifty Shades and Twilight. I mean, who hasn't taken a swipe at that low-hanging fruit? I know I have. I'm lazy and don't have long arms. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.



But why do we do it? Well, I guess it's because these books offend our sensibilities. We ridicule the not-so great writing and the ridiculous characters and proclaim the end of literature at large if books such as these can get so popular. We shake our heads that such junk can make so much money. And, of course, we are always so damn certain we can do better, and many of us have set out to do just that.



Of course, I don't think any agent or publisher is specifically looking for someone to improve upon two series that have collectively made them billions of dollars. No one will ever confuse E.L. James and Stephenie Meyer for Donna Tartt or Margaret Atwood, but I don't think that was ever their intention.



But why are books that are so regularly decried as poorly written or trash so very successful? Well, as William Munny said in the wonderful Unforgiven, "deserve's got nothin to do with it." And I could leave it at that, but I figure I'll dive a little deeper and provide some actual reasons.



1. That Fresh Car Smell (at the right time): Carp all you want about the BDSM "Mommy Porn" or the sparkly "vegetarian" vampires betwixt the pages of Fifty Shades and Twilight, but up until that point, there really wasn't anything else like it on the mainstream market at the time. Oh, there were books with sex. There were books with vampires, but none quite like these. Like all successful products of either culture or commerce, they filled a gap in the market in a way that wasn't being filled before. Yes, there were tablets on the market before the iPad, but Apple designed it in such a way that made us actually pay attention and want one.



These books made people talk, either in spite of or because of their less-than-stellar writing (and it's TALK that sells). Even their covers were different for the time. Alluring, striking, different. No flowing hair or pouty faces. It was all pure symbolism and clean-lined simplicity. These books very likely appealed in many ways to people's need for simple, unassuming comforts in a complicated and depressing post-9/11 world, and countless authors and publishers have copied that stark simplicity ever since (er, Hunger Games, anyone?)





Keep it simple (and sexy), stupid.

2. People Want Taboo-Based Escapism (but not too much): It isn't enough to just make your characters have sex. They need to be having a different kind of sex, the kind most people don't have. But it can't be TOO different. I don't imagine a story about furries would hold the same appeal. There was kinky sex in Fifty Shades. The kind with rules and rituals and an element of naughty danger that seems downright scandalous to your average housewife who regularly consumes magazines like Cosmo and Glamour, hoping to find more tips to spice up her bedroom. However, it wasn't so extreme it frightened off that intended demographic. It merely gave them a curious and safe peek. Going into full-bore gimp-suited ball gag territory would have relegated it back to the underground world of literary porn from whence it came. By the same token, Twilight appealed to a the inter-species romance taboo of a young girl falling in love with a creature long associated with blood-sucking gothy hissing fang-baring psychopathy. You might not like exactly what Meyer did with her vampires, but the point was she did something DIFFERENT at the time. Just as E.L. James (using the Twilight template) brought S&M to the mainstream. Not to say other authors weren't attempting to do the same, but these lightly taboo works happened to find the right set of eyes at the right time, and them's the shakes.





Kinky. Gentle Kinky.

3. Style Doesn't Matter (much): Look, I love making and reading awesome, lyrical, inventive sentences brimming with voice as much as the next book nerd. Words are fun, and I think writers should try to have fun with them. If you have a stylistic gift, fantastic. But when it comes to the buying public at large, at least the segment of it that will make you ten of millions of dollars, that kind of flashy stuff just isn't at the top of the priority list for many readers. They aren't looking so much for panache as they are clarity among ideas, plot, and characters. Sometimes so much clarity they're downright transparent. So transparent you can see all the gears and pulleys turning, and it fills you with a comforting sort familiarity that doesn't force you to strain your brain too much. You just just settle in and enjoy after a long ass day. People reading for this sort of escapism in particular, they want the literary equivalent of a standard Chevrolet, something they can hop into, know where all the buttons and dials are, and just dash down the well-worn path to wish fulfillment. Writers like Meyer and James and the people who published them understand this and they very keenly understand their audience. Even if you don't care for the characters in their stories, they are at least fully-formed and recognizable, and the stories follow an easy-to-read track. And within that template, they managed to make those characters do something just different enough to feel refreshing.



If you think your own version of an erotic or vampire story is more worthy simply because you can make your words sound prettier, then you're kind of like the five-star chef cooking up foie gras and duck confit in an elementary school cafeteria. You're not paying attention to what the audience actually wants. Sure, have your style cake, but if it's making your story too impenetrable for everyday readers, then you might not be able to eat it too.





Yeah, it's a little "meh," but it'll get you there.

4. It Looks Easy to Do (but trust me, it's not): Storytelling using simple, non-flashy prose depicting tropey characters doing predictable and formulaic things looks easy because it reads easy, but I can guarantee you it isn't easy at all. It's deceptive that way, but it's actually the hardest thing in the world for an author to get out of his/her own way and just tell the damn story. Some authors have a knack for it right out of the gate, while others develop it over time after enough editorial wrist-slappings (I'm still working on it). That isn't to say their stories will always be something you particularly enjoy. Maybe it's because their characters are saying things and making choices that just don't sit right with you, but that's separate from being able to actually objectively say "I can comprehend this story and see its characters and what they're trying to do easily enough in my own head. Full stop." Sooooooooooo many stories just do not pass this seemingly very simple sniff test. Some of them get published anyway, but most of them do not. Whether you like them or not, Twilight and Fifty Shades both accomplished this feat, and given the millions of people have read them, I would say they did it remarkably well.



It sounds like a backhanded compliment, but trust me, it's not. I may snort at some of the lines of dialog and bristle at the ridiculous themes, but I bow down to those two ladies for doing what so many writers and aspiring writers struggle to do every time they sit down to write. Until you can accomplish that feat even a little bit, you might want to keep your snark somewhat in reserve (I said somewhat...).





It's just that simple.

So there you have it. Reasons why Twilight and Fifty Shades made (and continue to make) billions of dollars. Is it sad the mainstream at large doesn't appreciate more "literary" type work? I suppose. But then again, we all have a favorite niche, but we ALL need our popcorn, and it comes in a variety of flavors. Stephenie Meyer and E.L. James earned their paychecks, and not only that, their incredibly lucrative bodies of work have helped publishers and countless midlist authors earn theirs. I might not be into whatever they're peddling, but as a writer, I'm glad they're doing it.

5 Reasons Why I Hybrid Author

So many writers out there are making so much ado about whether to self-publish or traditionally publish. They form sides, they bicker about who has it better or worse. I'm not gonna rehash all that, because frankly, Chuck Wendig has done a hell of a job over at his blog covering the bases of why there should be no debate, and how there are pluses and minus to doing it both ways.



I'm going to assume you the author are coming here with your brain filled with all that information. Maybe you're unsure how to traverse this freakishly fecund publishing landscape. Maybe you're interested in why others have made the choices they have. Maybe you're just looking for simple validation. Or MAYBE you should be writing your book, but you feel like engaging in shop talk. Either way, you're welcome to stand next to my virtual watercooler while I talk at you!



To begin, I consider myself a hybrid author. I have an agent and traditionally published books, but I also independently produce short stories and novellas. I love this arrangement for more than 10 reasons, but right now I'm only going to do 5:



1. Cake or Pie? The Correct Answer is "Yes."



Sometimes you go to a dinner party and there are multiple desserts, but you don't want to look like a cow, so you have to pick one dainty slice of something while you look longingly at the other things. Publishing doesn't have to be that way, and honestly if you're entering the industry in 2015, it behooves you to not limit yourself. In fact, instead of a stuffy dinner party, publishing these days is like visiting your favorite Vegas buffet. Load your plate, man! Experiment, learn, have fun. Get more of what works and toss out what doesn't. Being a hybrid author is like . . . CHERPUMPLE!





Sweet Sexual Jesus

2. Because Maybe You Won't Be A Whiny Fucking Diva So Much.



Taking a little time to act as your own publisher is a great crash course in learning, at least a little bit, what a larger publisher goes through to make sure your pampered ass gets to call yourself a "published author." When you're in DIY mode, you're responsible for the editing, cover, formatting, interior design, promotion, and distribution of your sweet little darling. What you soon discover is it's a lot of hard work.  It's also expensive and takes time to get it right. You might also find you hate it, but hey, sometimes you have to do a little of what you hate, because you're a fucking grownup.



This is the stuff a traditional publisher goes through, only it usually costs them more money because they're doing the same thing for a whole roster of authors as well as trying to manage a full staff and a bunch of other drama. So hopefully, if you have a good bit of experience with independently producing and decide to start submitting your work to other publishers, hopefully you'll be doing so with healthy expectations for what meticulous, expensive, slow, and often frustrating work it is on the other side of things. And you'll understand that their decisions aren't personal, and maybe you should chill the fuck out a little and let the professionals do their jobs. And while you're waiting for them to do that, maybe work on another project. Which brings me to . . .



3. You Do Your Thing, Mr. Publisher. I'll Just Be Over Here Making More Awesome Shit.



So traditional publishing is often pretty slow, right? It takes weeks or months for an agent to respond to you, even after they've requested a full manuscript. And then, if you're lucky to get an offer, it can take many more months for that agent to sell your book. And then, if your agent is lucky enough to entice an editor to buy your book, it takes even more weeks or months to draw up the contracts, and still more months (sometimes up to a year or 18 months!) for that book to come out. That's a LOT of time to fill. So what are you gonna do, twiddle your damn thumbs and cry into your margaritas?



Of course not. You should be working on your next book for said agent or editor, sure, but why not get some short stories out there too? Or maybe you have this really cool experimental idea that you'd like to tinker with and release as an ebook. Something to get your name out there a little more and perhaps get them interested in the book your publisher will be releasing soon? Not only that, but you can get a little extra money coming in month to month instead of having to wait for advance payments and residuals. Because in case you weren't aware, almost no traditional publisher pays you monthly. But when you publish yourself, you can count on a little direct deposit action at the end of every month. It could be tiny, but it could also be pretty substantial too. And you don't have to give up 15% of it to your agent either! It's like bonus play money for your hookers and blow fund!



4. One Hand Washes The Other If You Get Both Hands Dirty



It goes something like this. Before I traditionally published a novel, I self-published a lot of short stories on Amazon, Smashwords, and other sites. During one successful spate of giveaways, my short story "Dust" fell into the hands of one Vincent Hobbes. Vincent Hobbes is the founder of Hobbes End Publishing. He reached out to me and we formed a great rapport, and he offered to place two more of my shorts in one of their anthologies. Later they published two of my novels, and those novels have done pretty damn well. People who discovered those novels eventually discovered my author-published short work, while the people who were with me from the beginning with my author-published stuff also read my traditionally published novels and reviewed them and recommended them too.



When my novel KUDZU eventually comes out, the new readers who discover me will have a whole backlist of stuff to enjoy, both indie and traditionally published, long form and short form. Some of that money will come directly to me, some will come via my publisher. Either way, I profit.



Furthermore, I met other small independent publishers through my dealings with Hobbes End, and they've also published some of my work. Those publishing credits as well as my years of working to build my name through my short fiction gave me the industry experience and the established audience that likely helped me land an agent and also get some pro-paying sales in other markets. Being able to come to a publisher with even a small audience in your pack pocket makes it a little bit easier for them to part with their money.



Long story short: IT ALL STARTED WITH SELF-PUBLISHING, however my publishers probably did more to push my name out into the world than I ever could have done on my own. It was a purely symbiotic thing. There are other ways to skin this cat, but the point is if you're not at least considering taking both avenues, you could be missing out on some very cool opportunities.





You missed a spot.



5. Be A Little More Future-Proof



We have no idea where this crazy publishing ride is taking us. News reports every day that major bookstore chains aren't doing so hot. We already lost Borders. What happens if Barnes & Noble officially goes tits up? While no one can predict exactly how those dominoes will fall, it's safe to say that the drastic loss of shelf space in the bookseller market will have a tremendously negative impact on the publishing industry for awhile. Even if B&N holds tight, other catastrophes could be awaiting you. What if your publisher is the one to go tits up instead, or they sell out to another imprint and your book winds up trapped in contractual limbo while the dust settles? It happens all the time. The publishing business is brutal and cannibalistic as shit.



BUT if you have a healthy backlist of independently published work established, you at least won't be totally out of the marketplace while other people get their ducks in a row. Having a working knowledge of e-publishing is in many ways instrumental to insuring that your art has a chance to find a home and endure no matter how the winds happen to be blowing in the industry at large. Whether you sell through Amazon or direct through portals like Payhip, there are myriad ways to make your works available to the reading public today.



TL:DR -- Don't sell yourself short. Never have we authors had so many options laid out before us. If you're serious about getting your words before the eyes of readers, your best bet is DO IT ALL.



And that, folks, is why I hybrid.

New Book! COLT COLTRANE AND THE STOLEN SKY Now Available for Pre-Order!

The Colt-verse has Officially Expanded!


Brace yourself, kids! On March 17th, you'll be able to get your hands and peepers on COLT COLTRANE AND THE STOLEN SKY, the third installment of my independently produced Colt Coltrane series. Pre-order your copy for your Kindles now! It will also be available for pre-order in other digital formats as well as print upon the official release.



For those who live locally to me, I will be debuting print copies at the Gem City Comic Con at the end of March, and I am ecstatic to be able to see this baby in print. I mean, look at that cover:





Behold the gorgeous art of Justin Wasson!

My dear friend Ian Healy of Local Hero Press fame will be doing the interior layout, just as he did for COLT COLTRANE AND THE LOTUS KILLER.



For a taste of what it's about, here is the blurb from Amazon, where you can pre-order!

Ever since Colt and his robot sidekick Petey battled with a monster beneath the city streets, a dark cloud has been hanging over the private detective and the City of Angels at large. Struggling to find steady work and indulging an ever-increasing taste for booze, our titular hero is angling for rock bottom when his best friend, Clutch McIntyre, becomes his next client.

Clutch's sister and her new husband have been involved in a mysterious plane crash, and dozens of passengers from a DC-4 bound for LAX lie scattered across the desert outside the city. The only problem is the aircraft appears to be missing, along with the pilot and several passengers, Clutch's sister included. As more incidents of missing planes and passengers raining from the sky soon follow, Colt faces down biggest case of his life, with no clues to help him break it but one: a lone survivor of the original incident, a stewardess who landed in the Salton Sea and came out with a spotty memory. If he can crack the secrets she holds inside her, he could solve the mystery of the stolen sky, but doing so may also shatter everything Colt understands about himself.

As readers of the series likely know, things were pretty low for Colt in the first book. He was in a hate-filled marriage largely of his own making and his investigation of a murder case puts him squarely in the cross-hairs of the mob and the police force he once worked for.



But in STOLEN SKY, he soon finds things can get even lower as the relationship with his best friend is put on the line, and his personal demons really start to take the wheel. And as a hint, a major shift happens in this book that will affect the rest of the series going forward.



Additionally, I'll soon be writing another mini-episode, "Colt Coltrane and the Real Quick Caper" to tide folks over until I begin the next novel in the series. For awhile, I tinkered with the idea of making this into a three-story arc, but I think I would like to push it to five, with at least as many mini-eps taking place at various points throughout the series timeline to fill in the gaps.



Finally, I'll end here with the opening monologue and a little bit of the first scene.

I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

It was a personal motto even before my life became one long smear of nightmares. The world doesn’t wait while you give your brain a little shut-eye. Bad guys get away, evidence slips between the cracks, long incubated plans begin to hatch. By the time you wake up, you’re too late to stop any of it. Of course, now I couldn’t sleep if I wanted to, and you’d think a man who hunts clues for a living would be happy about that, but you never know how much you want something until you can’t have it. I manage to steal an hour or two at a time, just enough to keep me sane, but never enough to fill the cracks or heal the wounds. Most nights, when I close my eyes, the ghosts in my head pop to life and play the same movies over and over. Ava, my dead wife, has been the star attraction of late, back from the grave to have her revenge on me. Her hate pours out of her rotting skin along with the rest of her insides, and she plunges her fist into my chest, grabs my still-beating heart, and everything goes cold and dark. Next thing I know I'm a wide-awake sack of earthquakes soaked in moonlit sweat, wondering whether it’s punishment or luck to be alive. 

***

Clutch McIntyre’s bot-run club, The Parts Bin, did fine business during the wee hours for folks who couldn’t lasso the sandman. Most of them were bleary-eyed zombies playing the one-armed bandits and swilling bottom shelf booze while halos of cigarette smoke circled their heads. I didn’t go for the gambling—Clutch got enough of my money replacing all of Petey’s gadgets and gizmos when they broke—but the gin was on the house. Nothing cut through the residue of a nightmare better than a tart gimlet, and I was working on my third double. Oblivion had the scent of my trail, and I would likely finish up the night on Clutch’s shop couch again, which was fine by me.

To be continued on 3/17/15!

Pre-order here!