Phil Giunta's Blog, page 106
May 6, 2012
About This Writing Stuff...
Cliffhangers: Not Just for the End of the Book by Jami Gold
4 Ways to Hook Your Readers and Keep Them Wanting More by Jody Hedlund
5 Ways Novelists Can Benefit from Watching Movies and TV Shows by Lydia Sharp
7 Tools for Pacing a Novel and Keeping Your Story Moving at the Right Pace by Courtney Carpenter
Understanding the Minor Character's Role by Orson Scott Card
Slow Down and SEE It by Shelli Johnson
The Good Seed Part II by Donald Maass
Seven Out-of-the-Box Author Blogging Ideas by Shari Stauch
And we're growing ever closer to BaltiCon , Maryland's Regional SF and Fantasy Convention!
May 5, 2012
Movie Review: The Avengers
For me, the best comic book based film ever remains Superman: The Movie and Chris Reeve will forever be a hero for me both as the character and as a human being. Few superhero films since then have been able to match the standards set by Superman and director Richard Donner. Christopher Nolan’s Batman films so far have achieved that in my opinion.
And now, so has The Avengers.
Sponsored by our local comic shop, Comic Masters, my fiancée and I attended a 9AM showing of the film. Halfway through the film I knew that Joss Whedon had done his job and done it damn well. Every character had quality screen time with meaningful dialogue, which scored high points with me. Every member of The Avengers participated in the action. Every humorous beat hit its intended punch line, the dialogue was sharp and the action spectacular. I don’t mean Michael Bay’s version of action (ala Transformers) with blurred action and so many object flying and whipping by that you can’t follow it.
Of all the actors in the film, the one that impressed me the most was Tom Hiddleston. While I enjoyed his character of Loki in THOR, he was given far more to do in this film and hence, a much better opportunity to shine. I am now convinced that Hiddleston is one of the finest actors of his generation. And this takes nothing away from his fellow Avengers cast members. Each one of them outdid themselves in this film and as such, exceeded my expectations.
Images below copyright Marvel Comics and Paramount Pictures.
Book Review: Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
Despite job burnout, spring cleaning, home renovations, and my own writing, I finally managed to finish what is arguably Heinlein's greatest novel.
Valentine Michael Smith is the Man from Mars. He was the first human born on the red planet, his parents both crew members of the Envoy, an expedition thought lost seven years before a second vessel, Champion, followed. The crew of the Champion discovers that Mars is, in fact, inhabited and brings Valentine Michael Smith, “Mike” as he becomes known, back to Earth.
Enter journalist Ben Caxton and nurse Jill Boardman who hatch a plan to free Mike from the hospital where he is kept under military guard. Jill manages to successfully liberate Mike (dressing him in drag as a nurse) and learns that by sharing water with him, she has become a “water brother”. Doing so forms an almost unbreakable bond that if severed could cause Mike to willingly discorporate (which equates to dying in our limited human understanding).
Grok that?
But when Ben Caxton vanishes, and with the authorities on her trail, Jill turns to retired physician-lawyer turned loafer-writer Jubal Harshaw and his three lovely assistants, Dorcas, Anne, and Miriam (all of whom become Mike’s “water brothers”). While staying with Jubal, Mike learns about life on Earth, women, politics, and most impressionably, religion.
Meanwhile, the crafty Jubal strikes a deal with the military to leave Mike alone and in exchange, offers the Secretary General of the military power of attorney over Mike’s apparent fortune (Mike is after all the heir apparent of Mars itself based an obscure law cited by Caxton and later, Jubal). The safe return of Caxton is also part of the deal. Soon, Caxton also becomes a “water brother”.
Before finally striking out on his own, Mike attends a Fosterite religious service which is essentially a casino/church cult. With Jill at his side, Mike finally leaves the confines of Jubal’s home, travels as a carnie magician, learns how to spot “marks” in a crowd, then eventually—and somewhat scandalously—starts his own “cult” using his training as a carnie, his experiences with the Fosterites, and his concept of bonding through the sharing of water.
There are many details left out of this review. Stranger in a Strange Land is a challenging book to summarize. I also do not wish to reveal spoilers. While the book is a product of its time, especially in the way that women are treated (one of Jill’s lines explicitly states that it’s partly a woman’s fault if she’s raped), the story of Mike’s evolution from a lost creature to a cult leader is astounding, told as only Heinlein can. I can see why this book became a favorite among the hippies in the sixties.
All I can say for now is that I grok. Perhaps not in fullness, but waiting is.
May 4, 2012
Author Interview: A.M. Boyle
I had the pleasure of meeting Ann Boyle at the Write it Right writers conference in April, sponsored by the Black Diamond Writer’s Group. Ann was the keynote speaker and her talk on The Changing Literary Landscape was both thorough and inspiring. A former trial lawyer, Ann is now a freelance writer and novelist and works closely with the Wolf Pirate Project. What’s that, you ask? Read on!
First, tell us where we can find you online such as blogs, websites, Facebook, etc.
You can find my website at www.amboyleauthor.com. It has a link to my Author page on Facebook and also to my blog. I’m on Twitter as @amboyleauthor. Hopefully, I will soon figure out how to get the Twitter link onto my webpage as well!
Before becoming a full time writer, you were a trial lawyer for 17 years. Have any of your experiences in the legal profession made their way into your writing yet or possibly in future projects?
Absolutely not. Working as a trial lawyer was extremely demanding and exceptionally stressful. I needed to find some way to escape from it in order to stay relatively sane. Writing always served as that escape hatch. When the rigors of the profession got the best of me, through my writing, I could always slip off into my own private dimension, take something of a mental vacation. If I wrote about the legal profession or brought it into any of my stories, it would be like giving the fox access to the rabbit hole. Consequently, I purposely avoided writing about anything legal. None of my characters are lawyers, nor will they ever find themselves in a courtroom for any reason. Otherwise, I’d have to go there with them. I think I made one reference to a “possible lawsuit” in SENTRY’S PAST, but that’s as close as I’ve ever come to mixing law with writing. I have tremendous respect for authors like John Grisham and Scott Turow who have the fortitude to write such incredible legal thrillers drawing upon their own experiences as attorneys. However, I can’t for the life of me understand how they can do it without overdosing on the legal profession. I guess they must love it that much. Maybe that’s the problem—I never did.
Your first novel was Turn of the Sentry (Wild Wolf Publishing, May 2009) which you have re-written and re-titled as SENTRY’S PAST: Veil of Darkness (Wolf Pirate, March 2012) to be the first in a trilogy.
The original story was born of characters that have lived in my brain for a while. Those characters compelled me to write the book. In that sense, it was not so much “inspired” as handed to me. I didn’t have much choice in the matter. You see, when I write, I am more of a spectator/transcriptionist. I watch the action on this private movie screen in my head, and take down what is happening as I see it. The characters tell the story. I don’t interfere. My job is just to paint he picture with words for others to see as well. It’s at once very entertaining and thoroughly frightening. I had a very basic, bare-bones idea of what the story was about before I began writing (much like how you might know vaguely what a movie is about before you enter the theater), but in order to get the details and find out what happened, I had to write it. The events that took place were as much a surprise to me as they occurred as they will likely be for my readers.
What compelled you to rewrite it as a trilogy?
It’s an odd story, and a long one, but I’ll try to be brief. Before the original book (TURN OF THE SENTRY) was picked up by a publisher, I went through an intensive workshop sponsored by The Wolf Pirate Project (then called Wolf Pirate Publishing). Originally, I had submitted the work for publication through Wolf Pirate (then working as a micro-press publisher), but it was rejected. I wouldn’t let it rest and wanted to know why it was rejected. Aside from some other comments, I recall the chief editor (Catherine Rudy) indicated that certain aspects of the book were (and I quote) “cheesy.” This made me angry but also incited stubborn determination. I wanted details about what she considered cheesy. We went back and forth for a while until Catherine finally invited me to submit the work to their writer’s workshop. The rigorous workshop was free to writers who showed potential, enthusiasm, and a strong work ethic. When the book was done, though, Wolf Pirate still refused to publish it. Within six months, however, it was picked up by Wild Wolf, UK.
In the meantime, I started my second book, which was also accepted into the Wolf Pirate workshop. It was during that time that Wolf Pirate went through the transition from micro-press publishing to non-profit charitable organization. Catherine Rudy (who, by this time, had become a good friend of mine) indicated that she loved the second book and would consider taking both the first and second ones into her program on two conditions: I agree to rewrite the first to her satisfaction, and I agree to write a third to make it a trilogy. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I agreed to both conditions. We then went through the first book, chapter by chapter, and she explained exactly why she didn’t take it the first time, and what I needed to do to fix it.
In the long run, the mythos of the book is much richer and the peripheral characters have much more substance and depth. The settings are more vivid and the motivations of the characters have been explored with greater intensity. Additional chapters have been added for the sake of clarity. Certain aspects also had to be changed to bring the first book more in line with second. All in all, I must admit that it is a much better book and I’m almost embarrassed to have people read the first version.
Catherine is a phenomenal editor. I don’t know what I’d do without her. We still laugh about the “cheesy” comment.
When is the second installment, SENTRY’S TIME: Veil of Redemption, due for release?
We don’t have an exact date, but barring any unforeseen calamity, the second book should be released in late fall, early winter of this year (2012).
Do you have a time frame for the final book?
With any luck, the third book SENTRY’S RETURN: Veil or Reason (working title) will be released within nine months of the second (late summer/early fall of 2013).
Tell us about the Wolf Pirate Project and how you became involved with them.
Well, I mentioned in a previous answer how I first found Wolf Pirate. Back in 2008/2009, they were listed as a micro-press publisher, and I submitted my work to them. Although they refused publication, my book was accepted into their workshop. About a year or so ago, Wolf Pirate turned from traditional publishing and became a nonprofit organization devoted to the promotion of literature as an art form. They are devoted to helping readers find great writers, while helping talented writers get recognized. Aside from a very selective intensive workshop—definitely not for the thin-skinned—they will produce a saleable book for any author in their program. They give each author a stack of author copies for their use and authors are free to sell/market/give-away their books as they see fit. In the meantime, Wolf Pirate prepares “publishers packages” and tries to place the books with large publishing houses so that writers can have a shot at getting into the “big leagues,” so to speak. They don’t take any fees whatsoever from either the authors or the publishers (they have nonprofit status), and they hold themselves out to the publishing houses as something of a screening service, so that a publisher knows that when a book comes through Wolf Pirate it is basically “shelf ready,” and meets the highest of literary and editorial standards. Naturally, a lot of authors and publishers are suspicious because it sounds too good too be true. But it is true, and I think in the future, we will see other philanthropic organizations such as this develop, with the goal of promoting reading and giving talented authors a leg up.
After the SENTRY series, what can readers expect next from you?
I don’t really know. It depends on which of the characters in my head voice their story the loudest. One thing I do know is that I will keep writing. I can’t NOT write. I think if I tried, I’d end up locked up in a white padded cell somewhere.
What does Ann Boyle do when she isn’t writing?
Of course I like to read, but I am a very, very picky reader. The story has to be strong enough to distract my from my tendency to analyze the writer’s style. Aside from that, I love to cook and create my own recipes. I love music and enjoy strumming on my guitar or puffing on the harmonica, so long as no one is listening. I enjoy just relaxing with my family and watching a good football game or movie.
April 29, 2012
About This Writing Stuff...
Should You Focus on Your Writing or Your Platform? by Jane Friedman
Do Deadlines Help Us or Hurt Us? by Jody Hedlund
Why Does Feedback Hurt So Much? by Jami Gold
Tips for Writing Back Cover Copy by Roz Morris via Jami Gold
All Changed, Changed Utterly by Lawrence Block
Was Self Publishing the Right Decision? by David Gaughran
Authors Guild Opens Door to Self Published Writers by Matt Paust
'These Are Your Kids On Books' Poster Goes Viral by Jason Boog
Three from Dean Wesley Smith
Think Like a Publisher 2012: Expected Costs
Think Like a Publisher 2012: Projected Income
The New World of Publishing: Respect
April 28, 2012
Chiller Theatre Autograph & Collectible Show
Some pics of celebs I met at Chiller Theatre today in Parsippany, NJ including Dean Cain (Lois and Clark), Parker Stevenson (Hardy Boys), Richard Lynch (The Seven Ups, Bad Dreams,and a bazillion other things), Bob Gunton (Shawshank Redemption, Demolition Man and much more), Kevin J. O'Connor (The Mummy), Dan Shor (TRON), and Patrick Labyorteaux (JAG).
It was a packed house for Dean Cain as well as the three main stars of Boondock Saints (Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, and David Della Rocco). The pre-show ticket holder line was the longest I'd ever had to stand in but it moved fairly. All of the guests were very friendly and I think a few were overwhelmed as this was their first convention appearance. First timers included Dean Cain, Patrick Labyorteaux, Kevin J. O'Connor and a few others.
April 24, 2012
Fellow GLVWG member Kieryn Nicolas gets some press!
Kieryn will be a writer guest at her first Shore Leave convention this August along with fellow writer (and my publisher) Steven H. Wilson and me!
April 22, 2012
About This Writing Stuff...
Kristine Kathryn Rusch puzzles over suspicious royalty statements and eBook accounting methods in two posts. In the third, she addresses the recent decision by the Pulitzer board not to bestow an award for fiction and how publishing itself is changing (which seems to be a common discussion these days).
Don't Be Fooled: Big Publishing Hates Competition by David Gaughran
The Anti-Amazon Campaign Jumps the Shark by David Gaughran
Think Like a Publisher: Chapter 1 - The Early Decisions by Dean Wesley Smith
Reflections on the Value of Bestseller Lists vs. The Long Tail by Bob Mayer
The Agency Model Sucks by Joe Konrath
How to Write Effective Supporting Characters by Hallie Ephron
Amazon Lets Authors Spy on Readers by Phil Sexton
The Business Rusch by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Royalty Statements
Royalty Statements Update
The Changing Definition of Publishing
April 21, 2012
Write It Right Conference Recap
Due to some confusion over the exact location of the building (my GPS actually guided me to an office complex across the street), I arrived with minutes to spare for the opening welcome from Sara Hodon, co-founder of the Black Diamond Writers Network.
There were two sessions each hour. I started with Patricia Gallagher's "Writing from Real Life" which focused on memoir. She offered excellent tips on methods for telling factual accounts of your life, respecting the privacy of others who you may include in your recounting, various types of research to make the story more interesting, etc. Patricia was adept at keeping her audience engaged and her presentation energetic.
Then it was my turn for two back to back presentations. The first was digital publishing and audio books at 10AM which saw excellent audience participation and a little help from writer Autumn Jordon . Autumn offered a testimonial about an author who found success with KDP Select, a program offered by Amazon that allows them exclusive sales of your eBook for 90 days. KDP Select has garnered mixed reviews but there are always some who will have better luck than others in any given venture. We also touched on Digital Rights Management, ISBN numbers, Smashwords, and Podiobooks (for audio books).
The paranormal writing session at 11AM had me talking more than I wanted. The audience was a bit quieter. I tend to think they were hungry for lunch more so than enraptured by my babbling. However, we covered everything from character arc to story arc, suspense and tension, raising the stakes, and infusing emotion.
Keynote speaker Ann Boyle had a wonderful presentation after lunch on the changes in the publishing landscape. She touched on the evolution of self publishing and small presses, the rise of eBooks, and the advantages and disadvantages of publishing through the New York houses versus doing it yourself.
I sat in for Autumn Jordon's "Breathing Life into Your Novel with Emotion" at 1:40PM. Autumn covered every possible method for imbuing not just your characters but your entire narrative with emotion such that you, as a writer, would evoke those same emotions in the reader with every scene. Her presentation was thought provoking and all encompassing.
After Autumn's session, I took a break to get caught up on emails and update Facebook. I also took the time for some editing on the short story I'm currently working on. The conference ended with a small book fair and door prize drawings.
While the event was small, with perhaps 40 people in attendance, it allowed for excellent networking opportunities and a more intimate atmosphere. I enjoyed talking with several attendees about their experiences in writing, promotion, and choices in publishing. Good times!
April 20, 2012
Shore Leave 34 Writer Guests
Hope to see you there!
