Phil Giunta's Blog, page 88
October 12, 2013
UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE - Voices of the Main Line Writers Group
Congratulations to friend and fellow writer, Susanna Reilly, on her first published short story for a new anthology called UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE. The book is a collection of tales written by members of the
Main Line Writers Group
based in King of Prussia, PA. They will be holding a
book launch on Sunday, October 27
at Nestology at the King of Prussia Mall from 1-3PM.
October 10, 2013
Upcoming Events - October/November
You can catch me at a few writer and book events in the Lehigh Valley over the next month. Stay tuned for more details over the coming weeks.
Saturday, October 26 : Monthly meeting of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group at the Palmer Library in Palmer, PA. Guest speaker: Katherine Ramsland .
Saturday, November 2, 6PM to 8PM : Signing copies of my paranormal mystery novels, Testing the Prisoner and By Your Side at the Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem, PA. The signing coincides with the final night of the Bethlehem Ghost Tour.
Saturday, November 16, 10AM to 5PM : I will be a guest at the Allentown Comic Con at the Merchants Square Mall in Allentown, PA.
Saturday, October 26 : Monthly meeting of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group at the Palmer Library in Palmer, PA. Guest speaker: Katherine Ramsland .
Saturday, November 2, 6PM to 8PM : Signing copies of my paranormal mystery novels, Testing the Prisoner and By Your Side at the Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem, PA. The signing coincides with the final night of the Bethlehem Ghost Tour.
Saturday, November 16, 10AM to 5PM : I will be a guest at the Allentown Comic Con at the Merchants Square Mall in Allentown, PA.
October 7, 2013
Chapter 8 of By Your Side is Now Available on Audio!
Another chilling chapter of By Your Side has been posted for your FREE listening pleasure. Just remember to keep the lights on...
Chapter Eight – The Fate of the VernonsDuring the investigation of Elias Gray’s house, Miranda falls into a trance and witnesses the grim and bloody fate of the Vernon family.
Click here to listen!
By Your Side is available in trade paperback and eBook from Amazon , B&N.com , and tons of other online booksellers!
Chapter Eight – The Fate of the VernonsDuring the investigation of Elias Gray’s house, Miranda falls into a trance and witnesses the grim and bloody fate of the Vernon family.
Click here to listen!
By Your Side is available in trade paperback and eBook from Amazon , B&N.com , and tons of other online booksellers!
About This Writing Stuff...
This week, Michael Jan Friedman finds himself inspired by Ray Bradbury while Darla McDavid shows us how to be Writers of Steel! Legendary speculative fiction writer Harlan Ellison discusses his 50-year career and his personal beliefs about working for free, sentiments which are echoed by Phil Hensher. Janice Hardy offers valuable pointers on POV while Jodie Renner talks proper phrasing. David Vinjamuri and James Scott Bell examine the state of self-publishing. Kristine Kathryn Rusch opines on when (and when not) to use pen names. All that and a bit more. Enjoy!
Q&A: Harlan Ellison by Damien Walter
Mike Friedman Finds Inspiration in Ray Bradbury's Words by Michael Jan Friedman
Super Writer: 5 Man of Steel Powers to Claim Your Writing Life by Darla McDavid
4 Tips to Solve 99% of Your Writing Problems by Janice Hardy via Jami Gold
Is Publishing Still Broken? The Surprising Year in Books and Is Self-Publishing Creating a New Underclass? by David Vinjamuri
What is Literary Value? by Henry Baum
Phrasing for Immediacy and Power by Jodie Renner
The State of Self-Publishing at This Moment in Time by James Scott Bell
Philip Hensher Stirs Debate Among After Refusing to Write for Free by Liz Bury
Neil Gaiman Novel Banned by New Mexico School After Mother Objects by David Barnett
"You'd think it gets easier to write a book after the first two or three have been published, wouldn't you? Well, it doesn't. Ask any writer - each book throws up a whole new set of problems and headaches and makes you feel as if you've never written anything remotely sensible or insightful in your life." --Meg Rosoff, author of How I Live Now
Q&A: Harlan Ellison by Damien Walter
Mike Friedman Finds Inspiration in Ray Bradbury's Words by Michael Jan Friedman
Super Writer: 5 Man of Steel Powers to Claim Your Writing Life by Darla McDavid
4 Tips to Solve 99% of Your Writing Problems by Janice Hardy via Jami Gold
Is Publishing Still Broken? The Surprising Year in Books and Is Self-Publishing Creating a New Underclass? by David Vinjamuri
What is Literary Value? by Henry Baum
Phrasing for Immediacy and Power by Jodie Renner
The State of Self-Publishing at This Moment in Time by James Scott Bell
Philip Hensher Stirs Debate Among After Refusing to Write for Free by Liz Bury
Neil Gaiman Novel Banned by New Mexico School After Mother Objects by David Barnett
"You'd think it gets easier to write a book after the first two or three have been published, wouldn't you? Well, it doesn't. Ask any writer - each book throws up a whole new set of problems and headaches and makes you feel as if you've never written anything remotely sensible or insightful in your life." --Meg Rosoff, author of How I Live Now
October 4, 2013
Legendary fiction author Alan Dean Foster to be at Farpoint!
Alan Dean Foster will be joining the guest list for the 21st annual Farpoint SF convention, February 14-16, 2014 in Timonium, MD!
Click here to read more about Alan's appearance
Farpoint has a wonderful line-up so far, including:
Melissa McBride (Walking Dead)
Phil Lamarr (voice actor, Futurama, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
And writers Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, Bob Greenberger, Aaron Rosenberg, Kelly Meding, Keith RA DeCandido, David Mack, Glenn Hauman, Dave Galanter, Allyn Gibson, Mary Louise Davie, Howard Weinstein, Steven H. Wilson, Lance Woods, Marc Okrand (Klingon language developer for the Star Trek films) and more!
Keep checking the website for further updates
Click here to read more about Alan's appearance
Farpoint has a wonderful line-up so far, including:
Melissa McBride (Walking Dead)
Phil Lamarr (voice actor, Futurama, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
And writers Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, Bob Greenberger, Aaron Rosenberg, Kelly Meding, Keith RA DeCandido, David Mack, Glenn Hauman, Dave Galanter, Allyn Gibson, Mary Louise Davie, Howard Weinstein, Steven H. Wilson, Lance Woods, Marc Okrand (Klingon language developer for the Star Trek films) and more!
Keep checking the website for further updates
October 1, 2013
Somewhere in the Middle of Eternity
About two years ago, I approached my publisher, Steven H. Wilson of Firebringer Press, with an idea for an anthology of SF, fantasy, and paranormal tales written by several burgeoning writers that I'd known for many years. A few of them started in fan fiction, as Steve and I had. Not only did the project receive Steve's blessing, but he steered a few more super-talented writers my way, all of which I had met through years of attending the Baltimore area SF cons. Next thing I knew, the project had taken flight!
I spent 2012 gathering and editing several amazing submissions and writing three stories of my own. Long time friend and artist Michael Riehl was brought on board to create the cover art and interior illustrations and as of February 28, 2013, Somewhere in the Middle of Eternity was finished and submitted to Firebringer Press. It was accepted for publication last month with an eye toward a mid-2014 release!
Featuring stories from Daniel Patrick Corcoran, Michael Critzer, Susanna Reilly, Stuart Roth, Amanda Headlee, Lance Woods, Steven and me, Somewhere in the Middle of Eternity is an imaginative amalgam of comedy, drama, mystery, suspense, and action set in our favorite genres and with locations as familiar as the apartment next door to mysterious regions of distant galaxies. We have characters ranging from...
A misguided vampire--with a therapist...
An an exiled scientist who wants nothing more than to save his wife, but whose discoveries could change the fate of a galaxy...
A Irishman who finally confronts the spectre of death that had tormented him for decades...
A young Japanese couple, nearly broken by a world war until the intervention of a magical fox...
An ex-con whose hearing aid picks up a vintage radio show--that never aired, leading her to a confrontation with the unexpected...
And so much more. Further updates to come. As the editor, I certainly hope you'll join us...
I spent 2012 gathering and editing several amazing submissions and writing three stories of my own. Long time friend and artist Michael Riehl was brought on board to create the cover art and interior illustrations and as of February 28, 2013, Somewhere in the Middle of Eternity was finished and submitted to Firebringer Press. It was accepted for publication last month with an eye toward a mid-2014 release!
Featuring stories from Daniel Patrick Corcoran, Michael Critzer, Susanna Reilly, Stuart Roth, Amanda Headlee, Lance Woods, Steven and me, Somewhere in the Middle of Eternity is an imaginative amalgam of comedy, drama, mystery, suspense, and action set in our favorite genres and with locations as familiar as the apartment next door to mysterious regions of distant galaxies. We have characters ranging from...
A misguided vampire--with a therapist...
An an exiled scientist who wants nothing more than to save his wife, but whose discoveries could change the fate of a galaxy...
A Irishman who finally confronts the spectre of death that had tormented him for decades...
A young Japanese couple, nearly broken by a world war until the intervention of a magical fox...
An ex-con whose hearing aid picks up a vintage radio show--that never aired, leading her to a confrontation with the unexpected...
And so much more. Further updates to come. As the editor, I certainly hope you'll join us...
Enjoy the Spacefaring Adventures of the Arbiter Chronicles!
Fellow fiction scribe Steven H. Wilson has taken his award-winning SF audio drama,
The Arbiter Chronicles
, and adapted them into novellas. The first four episodes are available for 99 cents from Amazon and Smashwords!
Library Journal calls the Arbiters "a cast of compelling characters," and Analog calls the Chronicles "a fun romp... like a cross between the funniest episodes of the original Star Trek and Monty Python."
Show moreShow less Mutiny Springs Eternal - A century ago, the Faraday disappeared. The great ship dropped into the mysterious region known as L-space, never to be seen again. There are only legends left, legends of mutiny, of murder, and of the discovery of forbidden secrets. Today, the young midshipmen of the patrol ship Arbiter have found Faraday, a ghost ship orbiting a remote planet. And, somehow, someone... or something... has survived. Mutiny Springs Eternal is the first adventure of the crew of the CNV Arbiter, adapted from the Mark Time and Parsec Award-winning audio drama series.
A Man Walks into a Bar - Cernaq is a telepath from the planet Phaeton, the gentlest, most unassuming of the crew of the CNV Arbiter. After he must take a man's life in the line of duty, his behavior begins to take a turn for the worse. Another presence is slowly gaining control of his mind, and one of the most powerful telepathic intellects in the galaxy is now a threat to himself and his shipmates. A Man Walks Into a Bar is the second adventure of the crew of the CNV Arbiter, adapted from Parsec Award-winning audio drama series, The Arbiter Chronicles. This story also received the Mark Time Silver Award for excellence in science fiction audio drama in 2004.
Man of Letters - In all of the history of the planet Phaeton, since it was settled hundreds of years ago, only a handful of its telepathic citizens have ventured into outer space. Professor Mors, a legendary intellectual, and his young protégé Cernaq are two of those. Now that Cernaq is serving on border patrol aboard the CNV Arbiter, his mentor has tasked him with chronicling the extraordinary events he is a part of. Cernaq's letters provide a glimpse of a very seedy corner of Naval service through very innocent, foreign eyes, as he learns that much of humanity is not governed by reason or science. Man of Letters is the third adventure of the crew of the CNV Arbiter, adapted from the Mark Time and Parsec Award-winning audio drama series, The Arbiter Chronicles.
The White Lady - Years ago on Terra, Midshipman Terry Metcalfe's little sister Lydia died at the age of twelve. Terry left earth for the Navy of the Confederated Worlds, but his little sister's memory has haunted him ever since. Now, on the colony world of New Rhineland, a sinister figure, a demon ghost from stories he knew as a child, emerges, claiming to have a hold on Lydia's soul. All of his shipmates become trapped in the vengeful spirit's web, as the myth of the White Lady of Berlin becomes all too shockingly real. The White Lady is the fourth adventure of the crew of the CNV Arbiter, adapted from the Mark Time and Parsec Award-winning audio drama series, The Arbiter Chronicles.
Library Journal calls the Arbiters "a cast of compelling characters," and Analog calls the Chronicles "a fun romp... like a cross between the funniest episodes of the original Star Trek and Monty Python."
Show moreShow less Mutiny Springs Eternal - A century ago, the Faraday disappeared. The great ship dropped into the mysterious region known as L-space, never to be seen again. There are only legends left, legends of mutiny, of murder, and of the discovery of forbidden secrets. Today, the young midshipmen of the patrol ship Arbiter have found Faraday, a ghost ship orbiting a remote planet. And, somehow, someone... or something... has survived. Mutiny Springs Eternal is the first adventure of the crew of the CNV Arbiter, adapted from the Mark Time and Parsec Award-winning audio drama series.
A Man Walks into a Bar - Cernaq is a telepath from the planet Phaeton, the gentlest, most unassuming of the crew of the CNV Arbiter. After he must take a man's life in the line of duty, his behavior begins to take a turn for the worse. Another presence is slowly gaining control of his mind, and one of the most powerful telepathic intellects in the galaxy is now a threat to himself and his shipmates. A Man Walks Into a Bar is the second adventure of the crew of the CNV Arbiter, adapted from Parsec Award-winning audio drama series, The Arbiter Chronicles. This story also received the Mark Time Silver Award for excellence in science fiction audio drama in 2004.
Man of Letters - In all of the history of the planet Phaeton, since it was settled hundreds of years ago, only a handful of its telepathic citizens have ventured into outer space. Professor Mors, a legendary intellectual, and his young protégé Cernaq are two of those. Now that Cernaq is serving on border patrol aboard the CNV Arbiter, his mentor has tasked him with chronicling the extraordinary events he is a part of. Cernaq's letters provide a glimpse of a very seedy corner of Naval service through very innocent, foreign eyes, as he learns that much of humanity is not governed by reason or science. Man of Letters is the third adventure of the crew of the CNV Arbiter, adapted from the Mark Time and Parsec Award-winning audio drama series, The Arbiter Chronicles.
The White Lady - Years ago on Terra, Midshipman Terry Metcalfe's little sister Lydia died at the age of twelve. Terry left earth for the Navy of the Confederated Worlds, but his little sister's memory has haunted him ever since. Now, on the colony world of New Rhineland, a sinister figure, a demon ghost from stories he knew as a child, emerges, claiming to have a hold on Lydia's soul. All of his shipmates become trapped in the vengeful spirit's web, as the myth of the White Lady of Berlin becomes all too shockingly real. The White Lady is the fourth adventure of the crew of the CNV Arbiter, adapted from the Mark Time and Parsec Award-winning audio drama series, The Arbiter Chronicles.
September 30, 2013
Chapter 7 of By Your Side is Out on Audio!
A new chapter of By Your Side is available for your FREE listening pleasure (if you can tolerate my voice, that is)!
Chapter Seven – The House That Elias Built
Amy visits the Lancaster Historical Society to interview Frank Knedlhans about the Vernon family murder-suicide. Miranda calls Marc in to assist with the investigation at Gray’s house. Frank’s suspicion over Elias Gray deepens and he decides to act.
Click here to listen!
Chapter Seven – The House That Elias Built
Amy visits the Lancaster Historical Society to interview Frank Knedlhans about the Vernon family murder-suicide. Miranda calls Marc in to assist with the investigation at Gray’s house. Frank’s suspicion over Elias Gray deepens and he decides to act.
Click here to listen!
September 29, 2013
About This Writing Stuff...
This week, Kristen Lamb and Kevin Lucia explain the characteristics of good horror writing. Jody Hedlund and Nancy J. Cohen talk time management. Beth Bacon and Chuck Wendig offer behavioral advice for writers while Goodreads cracks down on abusive reviewers. Barbara O'Neal briefs us on the traits of a creative personality, James Scott Bell wants us to write what we love, and John Vorhaus challenges us to find creativity by breaking a rule--or two.
All that and a bit more...enjoy!
5 Ways for Authors to Handle Bad Reviews by Beth Bacon
The Truth About Author Websites by Jason Allen Ashlock
Goodreads Tells Readers to Play Nice (Or Else!) by Pavarti K. Tyler
The Sacrifices Writers Make in Order to Have Writing Time by Jody Hedlund
Why Writing Horror is--SHOULD BE--Hard Part I and Part II by Kristen Lamb and Kevin Lucia
Time Management for Writers by Nancy J. Cohen
Write What You Love by James Scott Bell
The Right Age to Write by NeoBluePanther (thanks to Nicole Zoltak for sharing this one on FB!)
The Creative Personality by Barbara O'Neal
Break a Rule! by John Vorhaus
25 Bad Writer Behaviors by Chuck Wendig
The Lost Slumgullions of English by Kate Manning (thanks to Howard Weinstein for sharing this one on FB!)
All that and a bit more...enjoy!
5 Ways for Authors to Handle Bad Reviews by Beth Bacon
The Truth About Author Websites by Jason Allen Ashlock
Goodreads Tells Readers to Play Nice (Or Else!) by Pavarti K. Tyler
The Sacrifices Writers Make in Order to Have Writing Time by Jody Hedlund
Why Writing Horror is--SHOULD BE--Hard Part I and Part II by Kristen Lamb and Kevin Lucia
Time Management for Writers by Nancy J. Cohen
Write What You Love by James Scott Bell
The Right Age to Write by NeoBluePanther (thanks to Nicole Zoltak for sharing this one on FB!)
The Creative Personality by Barbara O'Neal
Break a Rule! by John Vorhaus
25 Bad Writer Behaviors by Chuck Wendig
The Lost Slumgullions of English by Kate Manning (thanks to Howard Weinstein for sharing this one on FB!)
September 27, 2013
Book Review: Doomsman by Harlan Ellison
Finally had a chance to finish this last night. I started it in July, read the first four pages, and then it sat untouched for months while life consumed my time. This particular book was especially interesting to me and with good reason. When I met Harlan back in 1999 at I-CON, Doomsman was among the stack of books and Starlog magazines that I brought along to be signed. That particular copy was an ACE double. ACE had often paired two works of similar genres together in one book. When Harlan noticed that I had Doomsman, he offered to buy it. As I had not yet read it, I said "No".
You never, EVER say "no" to Harlan.
In response, he flung the book across the table at me and said, "Then I'm not signing the fuckin' thing." I carry that moment as a badge of honor. For those that known Harlan or have seen interviews with him or watched the documentary Dreams with Sharp Teeth, then that moment was classic Harlan. Ellison is not merely a brilliant writer with a deft command of the English language, not merely a cantankerous champion of authors' rights...
...Harlan is an experience.
In the end, I traded Doomsman for a copy of the anthology, Ellison Wonderland, after which Harlan stood up, held up the controversial book over his head, and shouted, "I got a Doomsman!"
Fast-forward 12 years. It was not until 2011 when the late Ann Crispin and I shared a discussion panel together and Harlan's name somehow arose. She said that he is a wonderful man as long as you don't mention Doomsman! Apparently, the publishers had someone re-write most of his story. In reaction, Harlan had undertaken a mission to collect as many copies as possible to burn them.
Harlan hates hacks.
Fast-forward again to Balticon 47 and lo and behold, what do I find in the dealer room among the plethora of used books but a copy of Doomsman, this one published by Belmont. It is also a double book with the other being Telepower by Lee Hoffman, which I will read next.
Having shared all of that with you, let us move onto the review.
Juanito Montoya was a wild child of the streets until AmericaState agents, known as Seekers, captured him and brought him to the School to be trained as an assassin. AmericaState's mission is to destroy all of the petty monarchies that had formed within its boundaries after the War. One such target was a man known as Eskalyo. After a mind probe, it is learned that Juanito is the son of Eskalyo and as his first assignment, he must kill the man.
However, in order to do so, Juanito must find Eskalyo. In doing so, he learns a number of things that lead him to doubt the integrity of AmericaState and the School. When a dying fellow agent reveals the truth in his final moments, Juanito's loyalties begin to vacillate. What will he do when he finds Eskalyo, his father and enemy of AmericaState? Will he kill him as he was trained to do or join him in rebellion against the almighty AmericaState?
The first few paragraphs of this novella, and a few scattered others, hold to true Ellison style. Everything else reads as if it were a high school freshman's embryonic attempt at fiction. Redundant wording, clunky prose, over description of objects and settings to the point of cliché. While the pacing was satisfactory and the story well-conceived, it is plainly and painfully obvious that Doomsman had been altered.
It is no wonder that Harlan was on a seek and destroy mission. A brief Google search produced reports by other convention attendees who watched as Harlan purchased copies of Doomsman from fans at his autograph table and tore up the copies right on the spot.
Above: The Belmont double book of Doomsman and Telepower.
Below: Harlan Ellison pauses for a photo with me at I-CON in 1999.
You never, EVER say "no" to Harlan.
In response, he flung the book across the table at me and said, "Then I'm not signing the fuckin' thing." I carry that moment as a badge of honor. For those that known Harlan or have seen interviews with him or watched the documentary Dreams with Sharp Teeth, then that moment was classic Harlan. Ellison is not merely a brilliant writer with a deft command of the English language, not merely a cantankerous champion of authors' rights...
...Harlan is an experience.
In the end, I traded Doomsman for a copy of the anthology, Ellison Wonderland, after which Harlan stood up, held up the controversial book over his head, and shouted, "I got a Doomsman!"
Fast-forward 12 years. It was not until 2011 when the late Ann Crispin and I shared a discussion panel together and Harlan's name somehow arose. She said that he is a wonderful man as long as you don't mention Doomsman! Apparently, the publishers had someone re-write most of his story. In reaction, Harlan had undertaken a mission to collect as many copies as possible to burn them.
Harlan hates hacks.
Fast-forward again to Balticon 47 and lo and behold, what do I find in the dealer room among the plethora of used books but a copy of Doomsman, this one published by Belmont. It is also a double book with the other being Telepower by Lee Hoffman, which I will read next.
Having shared all of that with you, let us move onto the review.
Juanito Montoya was a wild child of the streets until AmericaState agents, known as Seekers, captured him and brought him to the School to be trained as an assassin. AmericaState's mission is to destroy all of the petty monarchies that had formed within its boundaries after the War. One such target was a man known as Eskalyo. After a mind probe, it is learned that Juanito is the son of Eskalyo and as his first assignment, he must kill the man.
However, in order to do so, Juanito must find Eskalyo. In doing so, he learns a number of things that lead him to doubt the integrity of AmericaState and the School. When a dying fellow agent reveals the truth in his final moments, Juanito's loyalties begin to vacillate. What will he do when he finds Eskalyo, his father and enemy of AmericaState? Will he kill him as he was trained to do or join him in rebellion against the almighty AmericaState?
The first few paragraphs of this novella, and a few scattered others, hold to true Ellison style. Everything else reads as if it were a high school freshman's embryonic attempt at fiction. Redundant wording, clunky prose, over description of objects and settings to the point of cliché. While the pacing was satisfactory and the story well-conceived, it is plainly and painfully obvious that Doomsman had been altered.
It is no wonder that Harlan was on a seek and destroy mission. A brief Google search produced reports by other convention attendees who watched as Harlan purchased copies of Doomsman from fans at his autograph table and tore up the copies right on the spot.
Above: The Belmont double book of Doomsman and Telepower.
Below: Harlan Ellison pauses for a photo with me at I-CON in 1999.
