Phil Giunta's Blog, page 118
June 4, 2011
Saturday Nightmares Horror Expo
Spent part of the day in E. Rutherford, NJ at the Saturday Nightmares Horror Expo. I believe it was the convention company's second show. I honestly never thought I'd see the inside of this hotel again since both Chiller Theatre and Creation had pulled their conventions out for various reasons.
SN Expo was a small show, with both dealers and celebrity autograph tables in one ballroom. My main reason for attending was to finally meet
After a brief tour of the dealer room...twice, I then stopped at
After that, I happened across
All in all, a good, quick con and home in time to finish some much needed house chores!
June 3, 2011
Author Interview: Mark E. Benjamin
Since I began featuring author interviews on my blog in January, the response has been far more enthusiastic than I had anticipated. What was intended as a monthly entry quickly became semi-monthly as I reached out to more authors and in turn, more authors reached out to me with requests to be interviewed.
Once in awhile, it's a pleasure when I can go to a party and chat up a fellow local author. Today, we welcome Mark Benjamin who paired his deep Christian faith with his love of history, adventure, and fantasy to produce his first novel, Passing Through Lightning.
1. First, let us know where we can find you online such as blogs, websites, Facebook, etc.
Book: Facebook: "Passing Through Lightning" --- Website: http://ptl.voydphil.org/
Ministry: Facebook: “VoydPhil” --- Website: http://www.voydphil.org/index.html
2.
Are there any particular writers who inspired or influenced you? What genres do you enjoy reading?
Frank Peretti
J.R.R. Tolkien
Alex Haley
Adventure fantasy, mystery, historical.
3. Your first novel, Passing Through Lightning (Xulon Press, 2006) is a Christian themed tale set both in modern day and Civil War era, with a protagonist that travels in time between the two.
What inspired the story?
As far as the setting, my fascination for the Civil War time period and also personal family (ancestors) involvement in the Civil War and in the military in general.
As far as storyline and points that I try to get across, it is from observation of situations and struggles in mine and others' lives. There are many times we need to look back to be able to face the future and scrutinize what lies ahead of us in order to comprehend our past. Passing Through Lightning does that in many ways.
How much research was involved to depict that time in America’s history? Is that a subject in which you had expertise before you wrote the novel?
I have a personal family connection to each war in America’s history with quite a few ancestors of mine being in the Civil War. The most iconic being 6 generations back (my 4Great-Grandfather) Brigadier General James Nagle – who happens to have a statue at the Antietam battlefield. I have always been interested in and a student of history, but when you have relatives that were helping to make it, you tend to have an even higher interest in the subject.
Even though Passing Through Lightning is a historical “fiction”, you still do need to get the history part as close to real events as possible, so there was certainly additional research needed. Mostly done as I wrote and I came up against issues that needed to be just right or clarified I would look up those facts.
4. Can we expect any future books from you?
The Lord willing – yes. I have a first draft done on another book. It has to do with Spiritual and Physical warfare and how it is sometimes difficult to tell who is on what side, especially when they are so intertwined with each other. Plus I have notes on several other books I would like to write.
5. What does Mark Benjamin do when he isn’t writing?
Keeping up with a wife and five kids is a good place to start.
Working on furthering alone VoydPhil. Besides the PR and face-to-face type stuff, there is a lot of research and writing that is put in to VoydPhil. Between publishing newsletters, commentating on news events, articles and correspondence, there is more here to do than there is time to do it in.
VoydPhil’s purpose is to better educate Christians in their Jewish background so as to not only give them a deeper understanding of their own religion but to provide for a better connection to their Jewish cousins so as to present the optimum situation for witnessing and a higher success in bring the Jews to know their Messiah – Jesus.
Genealogy – it’s the ultimate mystery.
And then the biggest interruption – my full time job in computers.
June 2, 2011
About this Writing Stuff...
Know Your Characters Inside and Out by Juliette Wade
5 Free eBooks Every Writer Needs by Jane Friedman
The Value of Reading Your Book Aloud by Kim Wright / posted by Chuck Sambuchino
The 5 Secrets of Great Storytelling by I.J. Schecter
What's the Difference Between Self-Published and Print-On-Demand (POD)? by Brian A. Klems
Agent Advice: Katie Shea of Caren Johnson Literary Agency posted by Chuck Sambuchino
6 Key Components of an Online Author Platform by Jane Friedman
2 Tricks to Keep Your Online Reading Manageable by Jane Friedman
7 Things I've Learned So Far by Lisa Lawmaster Hess posted by Chuck Sambuchino
How I Got My Agent: Diana Spechler posted by Chuck Sambuchino
May 31, 2011
BaltiCon 45 Recap
I did two readings from my first novel, Testing the Prisoner, and two readings from my upcoming paranormal mystery novel, By Your Side. I was also a panelist on three different topics throughout the weekend. The first was about Small Press publishers/authors, another about ghosts, and the last one was about the line between horror and the paranormal. All very lively and engaging discussions.
After the Small Press panel, Hildy Silverman (Editor-In-Chief of Space and Time Magazine ), introduced herself and asked me a bit about Crazy 8 Press, the publishing venture started by Bob Greenberger, Howie Weinstein, Peter David, Aaron Rosenberg, Michael Jan Friedman, and Glenn Hauman. We a had a brief conversation about self publishing, small press, and changes in the publishing business. She wished me luck with my writing.
The best part of the weekend was reuniting with my Maryland friends including the man who opened his publishing doors to me, fellow author Steven H. Wilson . I actually had the chance to sit with these folks and chat and have dinner with them without the burden of working the convention or being chained to dealer tables.
I also attended the 8PM Podcasting panel on Saturday night and met Podiobooks founder, Evo Terra . A very gregarious and energetic man who co-authored Podcasting for Dummies with fellow podcasting guru, Tee Morris . I had the pleasure of meeting Tee later that night at a podcaster party.
On Sunday at 2PM, I had the honor of meeting Dr. Ben Bova, author of over 125 books, both SF novels and real science and six time Nebula award winner. He was a very friendly and intelligent gentleman who regaled us with some very interesting stories from the golden age of SF writers like Arthur C. Clarke, Lester Del Rey, Harlan Ellison and others. On Saturday morning, he was a panelist along with three physicians on the topic of extending the human life span. THAT was an interesting hour.
All in all, an excellent show! Here are some pics from the show, including Ben Bova, Steve Wilson, and a cute Dalek. Yes, a cute Dalek...
May 26, 2011
Get Testing the Prisoner eBook at 50% off from Smashwords!
Soon, Prisoner will be available in all major eBook formats (Nook, iBook, and others) but this specific deal is exclusive to Smashwords. Get it while it's hot, people!
May 25, 2011
About this Writing Stuff...
How to Break the Rules & Get Published by Lori Foster
The Characters Must Come First (in Any Genre) by Juliet Marillier
5 Things The Great Books Taught Me About Writing by Robert Bruce / posted by Jane Friedman
The Revision Process: How I Prepared My Book for Publication by Madeline Sharples / posted by Chuck Sambuchino
Tips on Building Readership by Jane Friedman
7 Things I've Learned So Far by Bill Peschel / posted by Chuck Sambuchino
How I Got My Agent by Anita Clenny / posted by Chuck Sambuchino
Agent Advice: Deborah Grosvenor of Grosvenor Literary Agency posted by Chuck Sambuchino
My BaltiCon 45 Schedule
For those attending BaltiCon 45 this coming Memorial Day weekend, here is my panel schedule (below). I'm most excited about Firebringer Press Presents on Friday night at 11PM in Salon A and doing a reading or two at 4:30PM on Saturday in the Pimlico Room.
5/27/11 11:00 PM Duration: 00:50
Room: Salon A Track: Publishers (Mini-Program)
Firebringer Press Presents
Firebringer, publishers of Taken Liberty: A Tale from the Arbiter Chronicles, and Testing the Prisoner, will be on hand with authors Steven H. Wilson and Phil Giunta. The authors will read selections from their published and upcoming works, and we'll hear about several upcoming titles, plus plans to expand Firebringer's eBook and audio distribution channels. Plus, there will be free books available for a couple of lucky fans.
5/28/11 3:00 PM Duration: 00:50
Room: Salon B Track: Fan
Name Droppers
Our panelists tell their most colorful stories about their personal contacts with the field's departed giants. What were they really like?
5/28/11 3:00 PM Duration: 00:50
Room: Maryland Foyer Track: Autographings
Phil Giunta, Wayne Hall, and Bernard Dukas
Autograph Session
5/28/11 4:30 PM Duration: 00:30
Room: Pimlico Track: Readers
Phil Giunta -- Reading
5/28/11 5:00 PM Duration: 00:50
Room: Salon C Track: Readers
Ghosts: Are they scary? Why are they scary? Are we just prejudiced against the metabolically challenged?
5/29/11 5:00 PM Duration: 00:50
Room: Belmont Track: Publishers (Mini-Program)
Authors and Publishers
Small Press Publishing Round Table
Back by popular demand! Small press publishers discuss how they work with authors and authors discuss how their experiences working with small press publishers have been.
5/30/11 10:00 AM Duration: 00:50
Room: Belmont Track: Readers
The Line Between Horror and Paranormal Fiction
Does it matter? Are these really two separate sub-genres or is that just nit-picking?
May 23, 2011
Testing the Prisoner on Smashwords!
Check it out!
Of course, the book has been availble in Kindle since it was released.
Also available in trade paperback from Amazon , Barnes and Noble , Doylestown Bookshop , Powell's Books , and many more online resellers!
May 20, 2011
Author Interview: Michael Jan Friedman - Part Two
Click here to read Part One .
You co-wrote a season two episode of Star Trek: Voyager called “Resistance”. How did that come about? What else have you written for television and/or radio?
Kevin Ryan, Dave Stern’s successor as Trek editor at Pocket Books, was great at developing story concepts. At some point, we decided to collaborate on some ideas and pitch them to the producers of the Next Generation. At the time, everybody and his third cousin was pitching that show.
We got some nibbles, but no bites. A lot of the ideas we pitched were already in development. So we pitched again a few months later. Same deal, close but no kewpie doll. Finally, when the producers of Voyager opened themselves to outside pitches, we suggested the idea: “Janeway plays Dulcinea to a Kazon Don Quixote.” Jeri Taylor, one of the executive producers, called us back the next day and told us she wanted to buy the idea. She also told us that someone had made virtually the same pitch the next day. If we had pitched a day later, that other person would have made the sale and we would have been shut out.
Anyway, they made a few changes in our story and produced it as “Resistance.” We had Brian Dennehy in mind for the Don Quixote character but the producers cast Joel Gray, who was the complete opposite body type. As it turned out, he was brilliant in the role.
I also spent some time writing on-air promos for Nickelodeon. I did spots for My Three Sons, Donna Reed, and Car 54 Where are You? One Car 54 spot was for “the Gunther Toody School of Public Speaking.” Toody was a character known for saying, “Ooh, ooh” in response to pretty much anything, and not much of a conversationalist, wherein lay the humor. I think I was the only guy ever to pitch four promos to Nickelodeon and sell all four of them.
My radio work was a bunch of stuff ranging from on-air promos to public service announcements to restaurant reviews. Nothing you’ve heard of, I’m sure.
At Farpoint 2011, you led a panel to announce a new publishing venture called Crazy 8 Press. Your partners include fellow SF and media tie-in writers, Peter David, Bob Greenberger, Howard Weinstein, Aaron Rosenberg, and Glenn Hauman. Can you provide details as to how and why you fine gents created Crazy 8 Press?
I don’t have to tell you that the publishing landscape is changing. Kindles and Sony Readers and so on are on the rise, making the electronic book a viable commercial vehicle. Now that we don’t have to depend on traditional publishers for printing and distribution, there’s an opportunity that never existed before for professional writers to bring their work directly to the reader, free of the creative restraints imposed on them by the various middle men who had been in the mix.
The six of us got together last July to capitalize on that opportunity, deciding that we would achieve a higher profile in the marketplace as a group called Crazy 8 than as six individuals. The Crazy 8 website will introduce our new works on what will likely be a bi-monthly schedule. Readers can check in and find links through which they can purchase these new works for less money than they can now buy a paperback. So the writers win, the readers win, and...well, aren’t those the people we really care about?
What can you tell us about your upcoming novel, Blood of the Gods? What is the release date?
Blood of the Gods (which is just the working title) will appear on the Crazy 8 website around the beginning of November. It’s a contemporary fantasy involving a police detective and increasingly bizarre circumstances that draw him into...well, that would be telling. Suffice it to say it’s the best thing I’ve ever written.
Anyone that knows Michael Jan Friedman is well aware that he’s an avid runner. Aside from that, what other hobbies do you enjoy, Mike?
I’m a very physical person. I really enjoy taking part in sports (at least insofar as my body is willing to cooperate). In addition to running, I like to kayak and play single-wall handball. Fortunately I live in the New York City area, so I can usually find a handball court and somebody to play with. As for kayaking, I live on a bay off the Long Island Sound and we own a couple of kayaks, so the opportunity is always there. My favorite kayaking weather is when the wind is howling and I’m plunging through line after line of whitecaps. I sleep well after that.
Michael Jan Friedman on Simon & Schuster
Michael Jan Friedman on the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
May 19, 2011
Author Interview: Michael Jan Friedman - Part One
At SF conventions, Mike can often be seen entering the hotel soaked in sweat after a grueling run around the building. In that regard, Mike will always be half the man I am. That was a weight joke. Laugh, damn you.
For thirty years, Mike has written SF, Fantasy, paranormal, media tie-in, biographies, and comic books for both DC and Marvel. He is one of most prolific authors out there. So let's get talkin' to Michael Jan Friedman!
First, tell us where we can find you online such as blogs, websites, Facebook, etc.
My website can be found at MichaelJanFriedman.net. It’s got a blog. I hope to actually start putting in new entries in June, after I get a few other parts of my professional life in order. I can also be found at Crazy 8 Press--more on that later.
Your first original published fiction was a trilogy known as the Vidar Saga (The Hammer and the Horn, The Seekers and the Sword, The Fortress and the Fire). What inspired the storyline?
I’d always been a big fan of the Norse legends. Marvel’s Thor was a particular favorite of mine, but I’d actually been reading about the Norse gods even before I discovered them in the comics. I was especially interested in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods, in that it was billed as the final battle for good and evil. And what happens after the “final” battle is over? What kinds of battles will be fought then? These are the questions that compelled me to write the Vidar Saga back in the mid-1980s. People still come over to me at cons and in book stores and tell me they just read my trilogy, and how much they enjoyed it. It’s very gratifying.
For more than two decades, you have earned recognition as a media tie-in writer beginning with your first Star Trek novel in 1988 called Double, Double. Since then, you’ve written or co-written nearly forty Star Trek novels. What was the catalyst for your enduring relationship with Trek and Pocket Books?
I remember seeing the very first episode of Star Trek back in September, 1966. I was sprawled on my bed in my pajamas, hooked by the eyeballs. Star Trek was space adventure with a heart, with compelling characters, with a sense of right and wrong that felt very much like my own. From then on, I couldn’t miss an episode.
Of course, I had been an avid science fiction reader since I was in first grade, but this was different. It wasn’t a book I’d be reading with a flashlight under the covers long after I was supposed to have gone to sleep. It was out there. It was live action. It was real.
Years later, after I had come out with the Vidar Saga and another original work, The Glove of Maiden’s Hair, my first agent hooked me up with Pocket Books. Dave Stern was the editor then. He turned down my first proposal, which was too fantasy-oriented. Then I sent in the proposal for Double, Double, he liked it, and we were on our way.
More recently, you also wrote three novels for Darkhorse (Aliens: Original Sin, The Wolfman: Hunter’s Moon, and Predator: Flesh and Blood). How did these projects come about?
Rob Simpson, whom I first met when he was an editor at DC Comics, is a friend of mine and a terrific guy. When he got the editor’s job at Dark Horse Press a few years ago, we talked and he asked me which of the franchises Dark Horse had licensed might be appealing to me. I asked if I could do an Aliens book and a Wolf Man book. I loved Aliens because I found the Ripley character so appealing (not to mention so sexy). Wolf Man got my juices flowing because I wanted to explore the Satanic side of the story. After all, Talbot had been cursed by the devil. I wanted to see how he would react if he were offered a respite from that curse.
The Predator assignment came a bit later; because I had overcommitted myself, I brought in my pal Bob Greenberger to help me with the project, and he did his usual bang-up job. The Predator book is about an organized-crime family in the future--a family that prides itself on its toughness--running up against the toughest beings of all in the form of the Predators.
I was delighted in 2007 when I learned that you were collaborating with Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson (from SyFy’s Ghost Hunters) to produce the book, Ghost Hunting. That was followed up by Seeking Spirits in 2009. How did you become involved in these projects and is there another book on the horizon?
My agent called me with the Ghost Hunters gigs. I had seen the show on SyFy and enjoyed it, so I was pleased to have the chance to work with Jason and Grant. Aside from having great stories to tell, they’re good guys to hang out with. One day we spent an hour just sitting in a trailer in Jason’s driveway looking at tapes of events they had experienced but couldn’t explain--for instance, a swinging gate that had no earthly reason to be swinging. A third Ghost Hunters book that collects the first two is on tap for later this year.
You have almost two hundred comic books under your belt from Star Trek to Batman to Flash to Silver Surfer and of course your original title, Darkstars. H ow did you get started in comics?
You can blame that on Bob Greenberger, who was the Trek editor at DC Comics for a while. Shortly after I started doing work for Pocket Books, Dave Stern held a holiday pizza party for his New York City-area writers. Bob was there. I asked him if I could do some work for him. He said there weren’t any openings at the time because he already had a guy named Peter David working on the one Trek title he was editing. However, he would keep me in mind. When DC renewed its Trek license with Paramount and added a Next Gen title, Bob took a chance and gave me the Next Gen book. I don’t think he ever regretted it. At least he’s never said so in public...
Please share with us the origins of your Darkstars series. What was the premise and how many issues were there?
Darkstars is a take off on the Green Lantern mythos. The Green Lantern Corp was created by a benevolent bunch of little blue guys with big heads who wanted to empower the exemplars of intelligent species to defend their species against evil. The Darkstars were a lot grittier, a lot less idealistic. Their organization was created by the Controllers, who selfishly wanted to keep chaos and violence as far from their civilization as they possibly could. So right from the get-go, the Darkstars were operating under a different philosophy. They defended whatever worlds they were assigned. I remember the first caption I wrote for the title character’s thoughts: “Another day, another dungheap.”
I loved writing Darkstars, although the series reads better if you go through in a single sitting than if you buy it and read it on a monthly basis. The story arcs were long, probably too long for the average comic reader, but they were different. In one issue I introduced an alien criminal who had basically turned state’s evidence and gone into a galactic witness protection program. In another issue I had the Darkstars trying to contain the growth of a tiny expanding universe in the Dallas suburbs.
Part of the thrill of working on Darkstars was the chance to take in great DC characters like Donna Troy and John Stewart who didn’t otherwise have a home at the moment. It made sense that they handled their Darkstar duties and abilities differently than did Ferrin Colos, the star of the series. In the end, Darkstars ran thirty-nine issues and was cancelled because of monthly sales that would be considered stellar (no pun intended) these days. But it was fun while it lasted.
Most of your comics work was with DC. How did you come to write for Silver Surfer (Marvel Comics)?
My friend Ron Marz was stepping away from the title to pursue other work and he knew I liked the character, so we collaborated on issues 101 and 102 of the 1980s-90s run. I had some ideas I wanted to implement for the Surfer but the editor wanted to make a clean break and gave the book to one of his fellow editors, I believe.
In the meantime, I got a chance some time later to rewrite the ultimate Surfer arc in a title called Marvel Remix, which updated classic Marvel stories. Ruben Diaz, the assistant editor on part of the Darkstars run, had left to become the editor on Remix. He wanted to retell the tale that first appeared in Fantastic Four 57-60 in which Doctor Doom steals the Power Cosmic from the Surfer. It was pretty hard to improve on Stan Lee, but I had a great time trying.
Tune in again tomorrow for Part Two when Mike talks about writing for Star Trek: Voyager, his upcoming original novel, Blood of the Gods, and the formation of Crazy 8 Press with fellow authors Bob Greenberger, Aaron Rosenberg, Howie Weinstein, Peter David, and Glen Hauman.
Michael Jan Friedman on Wikipedia
Michael Jan Friedman on Simon & Schuster
Michael Jan Friedman on the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
