Phil Giunta's Blog, page 96

About This Writing Stuff...

This week, is Barnes and Noble heading the way of Borders?  Guy Kawasaki reviews common mistakes made by self-pubbers while Kristine Kathryn Rusch offers advice on hiring editors.  Jami Gold discusses the disparity between the morals of writers and their characters and Veronica Sicoe enlightens us on writing female protagonists. Chuck Sambuchino counts the many ways we can help promote a writer's new book.   Jeff Gerke raises the stakes, and at the age of 78, legendary speculative fiction writer Harlan Ellison creates a new universe for DC Comics!


The Barnes & Noble Elephant in the Room at DBW 2013 by Rich Fahle

The Top Ten Mistakes Writers Make When Self-Publishing a Book by Guy Kawasaki

Authors vs. Characters:  Can Our Morals Be Different? by Jami Gold

The Business Rusch: Hiring Editors by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

But I Want Success Now! by Boyd Morrison

3 Things You Need to Know Before Writing a Female Protagonist by Veronica Sicoe

The Rules of Writing by Marc Levy

How to Support an Author's New Book - 11 Ideas for You by Chuck Sambuchino

How to Raise the Stakes in the First 50 Pages of Your Novel by Jeff Gerke

Harlan Ellison Explores '7 Against Chaos' by Kiel Phegley


Image copyright DC Comics 2013

I'm Off to See the Wizard in May!

Well, this is pretty awesome…

One of the largest comic book conventions in the country, Wizard World Comic Con, has just added me as a guest for their Philadelphia show at the end of May/beginning of June. 

And here’s my bio on their site.   This was all arranged by Laura Inglis, who created the cover art for By Your Side.  She will be an artist guest there and we will be sharing a table so come out and see us!

More updates to follow.

First Milestone...

A project that I've been keeping on the down-low has reached a major milestone. I've been editing an anthology that started almost a year ago and tonight, all of the fully edited stories have been consolidated into one manuscript. I'm going to give the entire show one more thorough read-through before submitting to the publisher after Farpoint. Wish me...wish US...luck.

About This Writing Stuff...

This week, questions, questions!   Jami Gold ponders whether omniscient POV will ever make a comeback and Jody Hedlund explores ways to avoid cookie-cutter writing.  Kristine Kathryn Rusch clears up misconceptions about the writer-editor relationship.  Digital Book World looks at how to make engaging book trailers while John Scalzi discusses writing for money...or not.   Nathan Scott observes how we read and Dan Blank wonders if writers should "just write" and disregard the connection to readers.  Traditional publishing takes its beatings but rages on according to James Scott Bell, and Joe Moore talks character motivation.

Friend and NYT bestseller Peter David released part two of Pulling Up Stakes --at about the same time he suffered a stroke. At the Farpoint con next month, where Peter has been a guest since day one, we will be selling copies of his books and asking any interested author guests to set aside a portion of their proceeds to help cover Peter's mounting medical bills. 

A Moment of Financial Clarification by John Scalzi

Making Book Trailers Jump Off the Screen by Mary Cummings

How We Read by Nathan Savin Scott

Will Omniscient POV Ever Be Popular Again? by Jami Gold

How Can We Avoid Cookie-Cutter Writing? and The Power of a Reader's Word of Mouth by Jody Hedlund

Editorial Revisions by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Death Wish Motivation by Joe Moore

Is Traditional Publishing the Raging Bull of Industry? by James Scott Bell

Should Writers "JUST" Write? by Dan Blank

Can Acting As If You're a Writer Make You a Writer? by Carleen Brice

Pulling Up Stakes Part Two by Peter David

Finally...an Author Website

With the upcoming release of my second paranormal novel, By Your Side, I thought it was about time to create an author website (never thought I'd see the day!). I threw together a rudimentary site in Adobe Dreamweaver last night. I did it quickly and without much "bling", but I'll work on it further over time.

Whoo-hoo!

Book Review: Have Spacesuit--Will Travel by Robert Heinlein

Clifford "Kip" Russell wanted nothing more than to go to the moon.  Winning a used space suit in Skyway Soap's slogan contest only encouraged his dream.  With a head for mathematics and engineering, Kip repaired and enhanced his space suit, nicknamed "Oscar".  While taking Oscar for a field test, Kip talks to himself over the radio that he had installed in the helmet.  He is shocked when another voice answers!

Soon, Kip finds himself guiding a space ship to a tumultuous landing almost directly on top of him.  Immediately after, another similar vessel lands beside it.  From the first ship, a strange alien creature emerges followed by a small space-suited human.  The alien quickly tumbles to the ground.   When Kip runs to its aid, he is struck from behind and knocked unconscious.

Later, he awakens aboard one of the vessels on its way to the moon.  He finds himself imprisoned with a 10-year-old girl named Patricia aka Peewee.  She is a prodigy, but emotionally immature and sometimes frustrating.  Her best friend is a rag doll named Madame Pompadour.   Kip learns that they've been captured by a beastly alien criminal who, during an interrogation, Kip comes to call Wormface.   The criminal and his human henchmen have also kidnapped a benevolent alien that Peewee had come to know as the Mother Thing.  This was the creature that Kip had tried to help before being assaulted.

In a series of adventures that spans the galaxy--from Earth to the Lesser Magellanic Cloud and back--Kip, Peewee and the Mother Thing explore the surface of the moon and narrowly escape Wormface's secret base on Pluto, nearly at the cost of Kip's life.  On Delta Vega, Mother Thing's home planet, Kip is nursed back to health just in time for a trip to Lanador, a planet located in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud.  There, Wormface and others of his race will be put on trial, but there is something else that Mother Thing cannot reveal.

On Lanador, Kip and Peewee meet two other human "prisoners", a cave-man and a Roman soldier named Iunio.  The following day, all four are brought to a vast courtroom of the "Three Galaxies".  The Wormface aliens are tried for their crimes...and then the human race itself comes under the microscope with Kip, Pewee, and Iunio as representatives for Earth.  The decision:  allow the human race to progress or destroy them immediately?

Have Spacesuit—Will Travel is counted among "the Heinlein juveniles", one of a number of books that Heinlein wrote between 1939 and 1958.  Heinlein had been rather successful in expressing advanced and enlightened ideas not often found in adolescent stories of the time.  I enjoyed Have Spacesuit—Will Travel immensely.  It contained a wonderful mix of fast-paced storytelling, fun characters and scientific facts.  The science fiction is just that, of course, but the human characters of the story engage in detailed exercises of astronomical calculations and practical engineering that, in modern novels, might be stultifying, but I enjoyed a dose of old-fashioned SF.

 

About This Writing Stuff...

This week, a recent Digital Book World survey reveals that a sizable portion of published authors would self-pub their next title.  John Cavnar-Johnson sees the publishing world as four segments including web, apps, eBook, and print.  Kristen Lamb suggests that writers burn their ships and commit fully to the writing life.  From the Kill Zone, Joe Hartlaub looks to the news for story ideas and P.J. Parrish advises on eBook covers.   Writer Unboxed offers tips on outlining, hoarding and where writers can find the magic!   Writer's Digest offers tips on starting your novel and James Scott Bell encourages us not to worry about our writing.  Enjoy!

Third of Published Authors Interested in Self-Publishing Next Book by Jeremy Greenfield

There is No Publishing Industry by John Cavnar-Johnson

Want to Be a Successful Author? Burn Your Ships by Kristem Lamb

Why The Well Never Runs Dry by Joe Hartlaub

You CAN Tell an eBook by Its Cover by P.J. Parrish

Plot vs. Story by Anna Elliott (with some help from Martin Scorsese)

Writing an Outline by Sophie Masson

Writers Who Hoard by Dave King

Where to Go for Magic by Jenny Milchman

How to Start a Novel Right: 5 Great Tips by Jessica Strawser

Don't Let Worry Drag You Down by James Scott Bell

The NEXT GENERATION of HOBBIES

In an economy that continues to deracinate small businesses, I applaud those who strive to support locally-owned shops.   If you love toys, model railroad, model kit building or any kind of hobby craft, Next Generation Hobbies in The Art and Craft Village of Sugar Loaf, NY is a place I urge you to visit.

Nestled in a quaint, relaxed country setting, Next Generation Hobbies offers a wide variety of model kits, paints, and other supplies.  I've enjoyed building science-fiction model kits for decades and Next Generation carries a plethora of kits in the genre as well as auto and military models.  Everything from Battlestar Galactica to Star Trek to classic movie monsters to superheroes can be found on the shelves at reasonable prices.   If you're a hobbyist, Next Generation Hobbies is for you!  Won't you please consider supporting a small business with friendly and knowledgeable service?

You can also join up with Next Generation Hobbies on Facebook !   Don't just take my word for it, check out the images below!

So Close, Yet So Farpoint!

Farpoint , the annual SF media con in Timonium, MD is a mere six weeks away and what a show it is shaping up to be!   We have about 27 writer guests in addition to six actor guests.  The weekend will be packed with programming ranging from costume contest, book fair, Saturday night dance party, discussion panels about everything podcasting to self-publishing and from writing anthologies to word-building, from Big Bang Theory to Doctor Who to Sherlock.  Science presentations about NASA, astronomy, computer forensics and more. 

I hope you'll join us for our 20th Anniversary!!!

About This Writing Stuff...

This week, Dean Wesley Smith proves that indie publishing is a viable route into traditional and also suggests methods for tallying your year-end book sales.  Kristine Kathryn Rusch advises us to take an inventory of all our manuscripts for estate planning. Jami Gold defines the "New Adult" genre while Dan Blank offers tips for a better book launch.  Smashwords founder Mark Coker makes predictions for the coming year in publishing.  Jael McHenry explains three ways to put the finishing touches on your story and Guy Kawasaki defines criteria for deciding whether that self-pubbed book is worth a read.

And more...enjoy!


Crossover Deals from Self-Publishing to Traditional and Counting Numbers by Dean Wesley Smith

Fearless Inventories by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

The "New Adult" Genre: Why Does it Exist? by Jami Gold

Don't Make Your Book Lauch Like a Trip to the Dentist   by Dan Blank

The Finishing Touches   by Jael McHenry

How Many Books Does it Take to Get to the Top of the Best-Seller List? by Kristen Lamb

Mark Coker's 2013 Book Publishing Industry Predictions: Indie eBook Authors Take Charge  (thanks to Steven H. Wilson for forwarding this along)

Rapturous Research by Sean Pidgeon (thanks to Howard Weinsten for sending this one in)

My Self Doesn't Want Any Self-Help by D.T. Krippene

How to Decide Whether to Read a Self-Published Book by Guy Kawasaki