Phil Giunta's Blog, page 31
July 21, 2019
About This Writing Stuff…
This week, Chris Winkle reviews common IT mistakes in fiction and how to correct them while Angela Ackerman helps us improve our character descriptions. Speaking of characters, Ruth Harris runs through a roll call of irresistible rogues and shows us how they can spice up our fiction.
Nate Hoffelder offers financial advice for first time self-publishers and Crystal King provides a brief tutorial on Instagram. Kristen Lamb talks breakout novels and gatekeepers, Maria Grace reminds us that mere machinery does not good science fiction make, and writer pal Donna DeLoretta Brennan is in the spotlight for her new short story collection!
All that and a bit of counseling from Konrath, too. Enjoy!
Five Information Technology Blunders and How to Fix Them by Chris Winkle
Character Descriptions: Avoiding the Boring Stuff by Angela Ackerman via Jami Gold
Six Things Writers Need to Stop Worrying About by Joe Konrath
Instagram 101 for Authors by Crystal King
How to Waste Money When Self-Publishing a First Book by Nate Hoffelder
Rogue Characters: The Secret to Compelling Fiction by Ruth Harris
Forget the Mess-It’s a Time for a Story with Donna DeLoretta Brennan via Catherine Castle
Science Fiction: More than Gizmos by Maria Grace via Kristen Lamb
The Breakout Novel and Why Publishing is Desperate for the Next Big Thing and Gatekeepers & Good Books: Trophy Fishing in a Literary Tsunami by Kristen Lamb
July 19, 2019
“Take a Cue from the Canine” is Mentioned Honorably
Perhaps a month ago, I mentioned here that my short story “Take a Cue from the Canine” won Honorable Mention in the 2019 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable contest. My official certificate arrived in the mail today!
The story will be published online in the Winter 2020 issue of Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. When it goes live, I’ll post the link. Click here for more info on the contest.
July 17, 2019
Shore Leave 41 After Action Report
Last weekend, the Shore Leave SF convention celebrated its 41st anniversary with yet another stellar line-up of celebrity guests, writers, scientists, and artists.
My wife and I arrived on Friday evening straight from our vacation in Rehoboth Beach, DE. Due to an accident on 695, we were delayed and by the time we arrived, checked in to the hotel, and registered for the con, I was exhausted, sweaty, and in some physical pain. As a result, I missed my 6PM panel (for which I received a lecture from Bob Greenberger).
After a brief rest, my wife and I caught up with several friends in the restaurant including my buddy and former co-worker, Dan Torok, and his daughter, as well as writer pal Richard White, and Farpoint chairwoman Sharon Van Blarcom. Ultimately, the best reason for attending cons is not the celebrities, autographs, or collectibles, but to reunite with friends.
At 9PM, I met up with the entire cadre of writer guests to set up for the traditional Friday night book fair, Meet the Pros, where fellow Firebringer Press writer Diane Baron debuted her latest book, The Fandom Fifty: 50+ Fascinating People of the Maryland Science Fiction Conventions (aka, The Fandom Fifty for short). Since many of the people interviewed for the book (myself included) were present at the con, Diane’s launch was extremely successful and generated quite the buzz around the con! Everyone interviewed for the book who attended Shore Leave was chasing the others for autographs throughout the weekend, myself included. I believe Diane sold nearly 20 books by the end of the night and another 10 or more by the close of the con.
The Fandom Fifty was published by Firebringer Press, owned by writer pal, Steven H. Wilson who was, of course, with us at Meet the Pros. (As an aside, my wife and I co-rented the beach house in Rehoboth with Steve, his wife Renee, and their son and future daughter-in-law, all of whom had also volunteered to work Shore Leave!)
I managed to sell a few copies of my latest anthology, Beach Pulp, and signed many copies of The Fandom Fifty (which I also helped edit along with Diane and Steve).
Before breakfast on Saturday morning, I met up with veteran author Howard Weinstein who gifted me with More of the Monkees on vinyl. We arranged this before the con as Howie was reducing his vinyl collection and knew that I was a Monkees fan.
At 1PM, Steve, Diane, and I gathered once more for Firebringer Press Presents, our one-hour discussion panel where we talk about our current and upcoming releases. Of course, the hot topic was The Fandom Fifty, but we also discussed the third volume in our Middle of Eternity anthology series.
As usual, we carved out a few minutes near the end of the panel to mention publishing successes outside of Firebringer. Steve will have his first western tale included in Five Star Publishing’s next anthology, Hobnail and Other Frontier Stories and I was pleased to announce that I will have a Christmas story published in Over the River and Through the Woods by Year of the Book Press.
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At 3PM, I joined fellow scribes Kim Headlee, Jenifer Rosenberg, Amy Imhoff, and Richard White for Getting the Word Out, our discussion panel on book promotion. We discussed the various methods and tools that writers can use to promote their work, from the social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to book trailers on YouTube and from Goodreads and LibraryThing giveaways to the importance of creating your Author Central page on Amazon. More items were expounded, but as I write this, the clock is ticking past my bedtime and I worked a 12-hour day so my brain is beyond weary.
Thus endeth my discussion panels for Saturday. After Evon and I shared a wonderful dinner at the Iron Rooster with writer friends Susanna Reilly and Heather Hutsell, we returned to the hotel where I met up with Dan and his daughter again in the restaurant while Evon crashed in our room for a few hours.
Shortly after we sat down at a table, Anson Mount (Hell on Wheels, Star Trek: Discovery) ambled up to the bar for a late dinner. To our surprise, only a handful of fans interrupted him in an attempt to schmooze, but he handled it well before making his way to the back of the restaurant to hang out with the Star Trek authors.
Before calling it a night, I was invited via text message to a small gathering up in Sharon Van Blarcom’s room. By the time I arrived, Evon was already there and we were shortly joined by Steve and Renee Wilson, Brian Sarcinelli, and Ethan Wilson. We chatted about cons, fandom, and all the mayhem and chaos intrinsic to both.
After packing up the car on Sunday morning, I made my way to the McCormick Suite at 10AM for a conversation on How to Cut that Story or Novel Down. My fellow panelists included Joshua Palmatier, Hildy Silverman, Susan Olesen, and Kathleen David. We discussed ways to trim the fat our of your novel or short story. Some examples included removal of excess dialogue tags, cutting extraneous descriptions, avoiding infodumps, combining two or more characters into one where possible, and more.
Next up was Building an Anthology with Mike McPhail, Joshua Palmatier, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, and Michael Jan Friedman. As the name implies, discussion points included all of the ingredients that go into creating an anthology whether multi-genre, themed, or shared universe. We touched on invitation-only versus open call, the importance of cover art and back cover copy, using a series bible, editing, formatting, and much more.
With that, another Shore Leave came to an end almost as quickly as it took you to read this blog post. One thing to note was that after 26 years of attendance, this was the first time I did not stand in line for autographs and/or photo ops with any of the celebrities. It certainly made for a more relaxing convention experience and permitted me more time to chat with friends in between the panels and take a quick tour of the dealer room.
One item that definitely captured much attention was the Star Trek Operations Simulator arcade game from 1982. No, I did not play!
It should be noted that Shore Leave 41 was one of the final stops for Nichelle Nichols during her farewell tour. At 86, Ms. Nichols is retiring from the convention circuit this year. I have fond memories of meeting her several times in my 30 years of con attendance. She is an elegant lady and unfailingly gracious to the fans.
Nichelle Nichols (Photo credit: Larry Berman)Of course, it would not be a genre convention without a healthy coterie of cosplayers and Shore Leave never disappoints in that area! Pictured below are merely a few amazing examples.
(Photo credit: Shore Leave)
(Photo credit: Shore Leave)
Photo credit: Elisheva Atara Marks
July 10, 2019
Read “The Raven” by Barbara G. Tarn on the Infinite Bard!
Time again for another fantastic and FREE bi-weekly short story brought to you by The Infinite Bard. Check out “The Raven” by Barbara G. Tarn. This one has some bite!
July 6, 2019
Over the River and Through the Woods…
On the main page of this site, in the NEWS section, I mentioned that my Christmas story, “Limited Time Offer,” was accepted by the editor, Demi Stevens, in less than 24 hours. Over the River and Through the Woods will be published in time for the holidays by Year of the Book Press.
Below are the gorgeous front and back covers to this delightful winter holiday anthology.
I’m honored to be included among such an august body of writers. Stay tuned for more info, including the release date!
June 30, 2019
The Fandom Fifty to Launch at Shore Leave 41
Writer pal Diane Baron will launch her latest book, The Fandom Fifty, at Shore Leave 41 SF convention in less than two weeks!
The Fandom Fifty is a collection of interviews and anecdotes from many of the organizers, guests, and attendees of Maryland’s SF Convention scene. The Baltimore region is home to a number of popular and enduring SF cons that include Farpoint, Balticon, Shore Leave, and others. The Fandom Fifty covers much of the rich history of the cons and honors many of the dedicated people who make them happen.
Attendees of Shore Leave 41 will be able to buy copies of The Fandom Fifty–and all other Firebringer Press titles–at the Friday night Meet the Pros book fair from 10PM to midnight.
Further, Diane, Steven H. Wilson, and I will host the traditional Firebringer Press Presents discussion panel in Salon A from 1-2PM on Saturday to celebrate The Fandom Fifty’s launch!
We’ll also showcase Firebringer’s current titles and update everyone on what’s to come, including the third volume in the Middle of Eternity anthology series and the next installment of The Arbiter Chronicles, Steve Wilson’s popular SF series.
Hope to see you there!
June 27, 2019
My Shore Leave 41 Schedule
If you’re attending Shore Leave 41 SF Con in Hunt Valley, MD in two weeks (that would be July 12-14 to be precise), here is where you can find me if you want to stop by and say Hi!
FRIDAY
Aging Science Fiction – Chase Room, 6-7PM. There’s a lot of SF that remains timeless, and there’s a lot that has aged badly. Is it because the stories are getting old—or is it the fans? Glenn Hauman, Greg Cox, Phil Giunta, Roberta Rogow, Robert Greenberger
Meet the Pros – Hunt/Valley Corridor, 10PM-Midnight. Meet all of the author guests and pick up signed copies of their books at Shore Leave’s traditional Friday night book fair!
SATURDAY
Firebringer Press Presents – Salon A, 1-2PM. The writers of Firebringer Press will discuss current and future book projects, including the Shore Leave debut of The Fandom Fifty by Diane Baron and our upcoming third installment in the Middle of Eternity anthology series. Steven H. Wilson, Phil Giunta, Diane Baron
Getting the Word Out – Derby Room, 3-4PM. Social media, blogging, Facebook ads, Amazon ads, giveaways, book trailers, and more—what are the best platforms, and the best strategies, for getting your name out there? How can you enhance your brand without pushing too hard? Phil Giunta, Kim Headlee, Jenifer Rosenberg, Amy Imhoff, Richard White
SUNDAY
How to Cut that Story or Novel Down – McCormick Suite 10AM-11AM. Writers often hear from editors that the story needs to lose 1000 words or that the novel should be cut 20% (or even 40%). Panelists will discuss some tricks of the trade to trim some of that fat and keep your editor or agent happy. Joshua Palmatier, Phil Giunta, Hildy Silverman, Susan Olesen, Kathleen David
Building an Anthology – Chase Room 1-2PM. From author-wrangling to story order, cover design to well-balanced plot lines, how to ensure an anthology or collection comes together in its best final form. Mike McPhail, Joshua Palmatier, Phil Giunta, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Michael Jan Friedman
June 26, 2019
Read “Moongarden” by Sarah Stegall on The Infinite Bard!
Click here to enjoy!
June 22, 2019
After Action Report: Lehigh Valley Comic Con
It was great to chat with writer pal Jack Hillman, and my buddy Kevin Miles showed up to keep me company for the day. I was interviewed by a representative of the convention, and of course, there were cosplayers galore.
The next show is August 17th. I can’t make it to that one, but I look forward to returning for the October 12th and December 7th shows.
June 21, 2019
What’s Doing?
A lot has happened to me over the past year and I’m afraid the associated stress, anxiety, and depression (notice the abbreviation of those three words is S.A.D?) have taken a toll on my health and state of mind, not to mention my writing productivity. To say that I’ve been burned out and dispirited would be an understatement.
Nevertheless, I push forward—albeit slowly. It’s June and the most I’ve finished in 2019 are three short stories and the first draft of a SF novel. However, three of my short stories from 2018 were published earlier this year in two anthologies, Rewriting the Past (March 2019, Greater Lehigh Valley Publishing Group) and Beach Pulp (April 2019, Cat & Mouse Press).
Also, one of my latest short stories, “Take a Cue from the Canine,” just took Honorable Mention in the Bethlehem Writers Group annual contest. More on that in a week or so when they send the award certificate.
I’m currently finishing a short story to be submitted to a winter holiday anthology on Wednesday, June 26. After that, I’ll get to work on a tale of the macabre for a horror anthology with an August 31 deadline, followed by a detective noir story for yet a third anthology.
Eventually, I hope to start revisions on that SF novel that’s been dragging on for three years.
Tomorrow (Sat. June 22), I’ll have a table in Creator Alley at the Lehigh Valley Comic Con at Lehigh Carbon Community College from 10AM to 4PM tomorrow. If you’re in the vicinity, stop by and say Hi!
