B.R. Stateham's Blog, page 11

Man of Steel review

Time to talk about the new Superman movie, Man of Steel.

In short; I LOVED IT!

Okay, okay . . . I know there are all kinds of critics out there who are crying big alligator tears and lamenting like the followers of Moses trudging along the desert in their complaints on how Superman has changed dramatically.

Tough tamales, Tomas. 

To re-invent the franchise Superman HAD to change.

Let's get something straight; for a number of us the traditional Superman character was just too much.  Too handsome.  Too honest.  Too naive.  And WAY too POWERFUL.    He wasn't so much a super hero as he was the embodiment of a classical Greek god.  He was invincible and incapable of feeling pain.

Without weaknesses in a hero where is the thrill of victory in both overcoming the weaknesses and your foe?  No weaknesses means no one could stand against such a powerful creature with any possible chance of succeeding (readily I'll admit Lex Luthor and his brains made a good run for the money . . . but who really believed he could beat Superman?)

Along comes Henry Clavil and his interpretation of a reluctant super hero.  Handsome, brave, naturally caring, nevertheless this superman is carrying a great burden.  He knows he's different from the rest of the world.  Yet he doesn't know how to fit in.

In the movie Superman's natural father will say his son will be 'like a god' among Earthmen.  But Superman's adoptive human parents have a different take.  They know their son will always be 'different' from the others.  And being 'different' in Superman's version of being different means the majority of human will look upon him as a monster.

Therein lies the success of this movie.  The turmoil Superman has to go through to prove to others . . . and more importantly to himself . . . he is worthy.

For me everything about this movie worked.  The sci-fi geek in me absolutely went bug-eyed over the geewhiz gizmos Jor-El (Superman's natural father) plays with on his homeworld AND in the spaceship found lying in ice on Earth.  I LOVED the battle armor the bad guys wore.   I loved the choices for actors depicting Superman's two fathers.  Russell Crowe for Jor El and Kevin Costner for his Terran father.  Both men are iconic in their depictions.  Both give off those vibes that make you wish you could hang with'em for a day or two just for the heck of it.

Now for the controversy the movie has generated;  Superman, at the end of the movie, killing General Zod.  Yes. . . you heard it right . . . Superman actually killing someone.

Since I've never been a real fan of Superman I didn't know his legend was that of an all-powerful being who did not use his power to kill.  If you ask me, brother, taking on the gig of being a superhero and NOT killing a bad guy or two has to be a tough row to hoe.  To be honest, when the evil general gets his neck popped . . . well, tough cookies, general baby!  You deserved it!

A hero who never . . . ever . . . is placed in situations where the bad guys don't get whacked occasionally just doesn't sound right to me.  But the angst the big guy goes through in doing the dirty deed makes for a good cinematic story.

Are there flaws in the movie.  Yes.  Does the movie plod along?  Oh, my!  It moves along excellently.  Are match ups for actors to characters a good match?  Superb!  Would you go see another movie with this cast?  Sign me up, Kal-El.  I'm there!

Go see the movie.  Judge for yourself.  I suspect you're gonna like Henry Clavil's version of Superman.  Like it a lot!

One Lost Summer; the newest from Richard Godwin

A good friend of ours, Richard Godwin, has a new book out called One Last Summer.

An absolutely brilliant writer, Richard's been main lined here in this blog before.  Erudite, cosmopolitan, his writing is particularly insightful.  His newest is no less fascinating. 

Obviously the thought of interviewing Richard about the new book crossed my mind.  It's always good to hear the machinations and construction of the novel from the author himself.  Fortunately Richard was more than happy to comply.

So without further ado, here's our conversation over his newest book.


     
1.  Richard, you have a new book coming out.  Tell us a little about it.
One Lost Summer is very much a summer novel, it is also in many ways a Noir novel.  Rex Allen loves star quality in women. He moves into a new house in a heat wave with few possessions apart from two photographs of his dead daughter. His next door neighbour, beautiful Evangeline Glass invites him over to one of her many summer parties, where he meets her friends and possessive husband Harry. Rex feels he knows Evangeline intimately. He starts to spy on her and becomes convinced she is someone other than who she pretends to be. When he discovers she has a lover, he blackmails her into playing a game of identity that ends in disaster.
One Lost Summer is a novel about obsession, love, memory and identity, and much more. It explores the things that make us feel we have an identity and what happens when those things are removed from us, as well as the extent to which we can know anyone, even ourselves. It also about how much we understand the irrational impulses that drive us.
Rex Allen, the protagonist, might say it is about what happens when you forget. Evangeline, his beautiful next door neighbour, might say it is about being trapped and the things you do to escape. Coral, the character around whom much of the drama revolves, might say it is about reality and how easy it is to manipulate it. Harry, Evangeline’s husband, might say it is about lies and liars.

2.  Give us the provenance for it.  What and when did that germ of an idea for the new book pop into your head?
 I was thinking about the things that make up identity and decided to explore them. I was also thinking about the double lives some people lead.

3.  Is this new book in any way different in style when compared to your other works?  Is this one another deep psychological thriller?  Or might we expect a grand adventure?
This one is different. My first novel ApostleRising was a violent police procedural, and at the
same time an investigation into the effects of evil on a police officer. Mr. Glamour also had a high body count but was in many ways a satire on a set of people obsessed with designer goods. One Lost Summer is not violent. I would call it  a Noir novel that is also a work of psychological suspense. It is not a grand adventure, it is more a suspenseful dig into what makes us assume an identity, it is also about nostalgia and how misleading it is. It is about loss and perception.



4.  The more books a writer releases into the reading public, does it help establish the brand name of a writer?  The more the better?  Or should a writer worry more about the quality of their product rather than the volume of  production?
I think quality should always take precedence over quantity. And in many ways that typifies the problem with publishing, an industry that uses a quantitative analysis of something, writing, that is purely qualitative.

5.  Returning back to the new one, tell us about the main character.  Someone we already know?  And their flaws . . . every great character has a certain set of flaws.  Are there any in this one we should look for?
Everyone is flawed.  As Rex Allen digs into the life of his beautiful next door neighbour he himself becomes unmasked and unhinged. He is in the grips of an irrational impulse that has a precise geography in his life, but he has lost the map.
Evangeline herself, beautiful dishonest, Evangeline, who is trapped by Rex and traps him in turn does not understand the forces at work that reveal her flaw. It may be that Coral, the character Rex asks Evangeline to act out in their secret meetings is Evangeline’s alter ego and the ultimate crack in her facade that was crumbling when Rex first arrived in Broadlands Avenue in the middle of a heat wave that changed everything. Harry, Evangeline's possessive husband has a dubious past and is flawed in his need to own people.
 6.  Of course we're interested in the villain!  Or villains. What can you reveal to us that will only entice us even more to hurry and acquire the new one?

One Lost Summer is about the lies people tell themselves to carry on living. Rex is an unlikely villain, a sophisticated man with expensive tastes in search of reality. The novel explores the moral parameters we operate inside in order to define ourselves. The events of One Lost Summer seem initially to exist in the mind of Rex Allen until you realise otherwise. Then there is an extremely dramatic revelation. It is also a real summer read. 
 7.  And finally, with a new one almost here, have you started working on the next book?  Care to tell us anything about it?
I have. I am under contract with Black Jackal Books for my next crime novel for 2014. I have also signed a contract with Italian publisher Atlantis, to write a mini-series and a novel for Christmas. It takes place in various European cities, with an emphasis on the crime of each city and with a Noir feel. Both the series and novel will be published in English and Italian.      Here's where you can find Richard on the net.  You'll find his Chin Wag at the Slaughterhouse filled with information about Richard, and Richard's many interviews with fellow writers.  Get to know this guy.  You'll discover a first-rate writer and one astute intellect.
  www.richardgodwin.net

One Last Summer; the newest from Richard Godwin

A good friend of ours, Richard Godwin, has a new book out called One Last Summer.

An absolutely brilliant writer, Richard's been main lined here in this blog before.  Erudite, cosmopolitan, his writing is particularly insightful.  His newest is no less fascinating. 

Obviously the thought of interviewing Richard about the new book crossed my mind.  It's always good to hear the machinations and construction of the novel from the author himself.  Fortunately Richard was more than happy to comply.

So without further ado, here's our conversation over his newest book.


     
1.  Richard, you have a new book coming out.  Tell us a little about it.
One Lost Summer is very much a summer novel, it is also in many ways a Noir novel.  Rex Allen loves star quality in women. He moves into a new house in a heat wave with few possessions apart from two photographs of his dead daughter. His next door neighbour, beautiful Evangeline Glass invites him over to one of her many summer parties, where he meets her friends and possessive husband Harry. Rex feels he knows Evangeline intimately. He starts to spy on her and becomes convinced she is someone other than who she pretends to be. When he discovers she has a lover, he blackmails her into playing a game of identity that ends in disaster.
One Lost Summer is a novel about obsession, love, memory and identity, and much more. It explores the things that make us feel we have an identity and what happens when those things are removed from us, as well as the extent to which we can know anyone, even ourselves. It also about how much we understand the irrational impulses that drive us.
Rex Allen, the protagonist, might say it is about what happens when you forget. Evangeline, his beautiful next door neighbour, might say it is about being trapped and the things you do to escape. Coral, the character around whom much of the drama revolves, might say it is about reality and how easy it is to manipulate it. Harry, Evangeline’s husband, might say it is about lies and liars.

2.  Give us the provenance for it.  What and when did that germ of an idea for the new book pop into your head?
 I was thinking about the things that make up identity and decided to explore them. I was also thinking about the double lives some people lead.
3.  Is this new book in any way different in style when compared to your other works?  Is this one another deep psychological thriller?  Or might we expect a grand adventure?
This one is different. My first novel ApostleRising was a violent police procedural, and at the
same time an investigation into the effects of evil on a police officer. Mr. Glamour also had a high body count but was in many ways a satire on a set of people obsessed with designer goods. One Lost Summer is not violent. I would call it  a Noir novel that is also a work of psychological suspense. It is not a grand adventure, it is more a suspenseful dig into what makes us assume an identity, it is also about nostalgia and how misleading it is. It is about loss and perception.

4.  The more books a writer releases into the reading public, does it help establish the brand name of a writer?  The more the better?  Or should a writer worry more about the quality of their product rather than the volume of  production?
I think quality should always take precedence over quantity. And in many ways that typifies the problem with publishing, an industry that uses a quantitative analysis of something, writing, that is purely qualitative.
5.  Returning back to the new one, tell us about the main character.  Someone we already know?  And their flaws . . . every great character has a certain set of flaws.  Are there any in this one we should look for?
Everyone is flawed.  As Rex Allen digs into the life of his beautiful next door neighbour he himself becomes unmasked and unhinged. He is in the grips of an irrational impulse that has a precise geography in his life, but he has lost the map.
Evangeline herself, beautiful dishonest, Evangeline, who is trapped by Rex and traps him in turn does not understand the forces at work that reveal her flaw. It may be that Coral, the character Rex asks Evangeline to act out in their secret meetings is Evangeline’s alter ego and the ultimate crack in her facade that was crumbling when Rex first arrived in Broadlands Avenue in the middle of a heat wave that changed everything. Harry, Evangeline's possessive husband has a dubious past and is flawed in his need to own people.
 6.  Of course we're interested in the villain!  Or villains. What can you reveal to us that will only entice us even more to hurry and acquire the new one?

One Lost Summer is about the lies people tell themselves to carry on living. Rex is an unlikely villain, a sophisticated man with expensive tastes in search of reality. The novel explores the moral parameters we operate inside in order to define ourselves. The events of One Lost Summer seem initially to exist in the mind of Rex Allen until you realise otherwise. Then there is an extremely dramatic revelation. It is also a real summer read. 
 7.  And finally, with a new one almost here, have you started working on the next book?  Care to tell us anything about it?
I have. I am under contract with Black Jackal Books for my next crime novel for 2014. I have also signed a contract with Italian publisher Atlantis, to write a mini-series and a novel for Christmas. It takes place in various European cities, with an emphasis on the crime of each city and with a Noir feel. Both the series and novel will be published in English and Italian.      Here's where you can find Richard on the net.  You'll find his Chin Wag at the Slaughterhouse filled with information about Richard, and Richard's many interviews with fellow writers.  Get to know this guy.  You'll discover a first-rate writer and one astute intellect.
  www.richardgodwin.net

Book trailers

Let's talk book trailers today.  You know, the absolutely MUST HAVE one or two minute blurb that EVERY writer must create in order to kick start his novel.  Videos plastered onto every video sharing site in the known universe.

Lots of questions.

Do they work?  How long should they be?  Should the images be still photos or animated?

And the sound?  What kind of a sound track should be included?  Should it be loud or soft?  Music or horses neighing?  And then there's the video sharing sites.  How many to use?  Can there be too little, or too many, one might flood their wares onto?

Questions.  Lots of questions.

Know what?  I haven't a fracken clue.  First, I'm not that sure book trailers work too well . . . although I'll readily admit, I have a ball making my own.  There's just not a whole hell of a lot of facts out there in Make Believe Land that gives you a hint on their efficacy.  I've never heard a successful writer rave about his book trailers.  Yes, I've listened to the sales pitches of promoters who are hawking their video-making skills.  THEY are quite positive a good book trailer will make or break a wannabe author.

Hmmmm . . . doubtful there, Quasimodo.  Very doubtful.

I suspect a good video of a book trailer might tickle the interest of the reader who is  teetering over whether to buy the book or not.  IF the book buyer, the book, and the video all converge on the same point at the same time.

And that's the point;  all three interests have to converge onto each other at the same time.  How many times does that happen in the grand scheme of things?

Still . . .

My problem is I can't (or haven't figured how to)  insert the trailers into a wide market base.   If these puppies have any hope of working they need to be seen by a lot of people.  And I mean a lot of people.  Five or six video sharing sites are not going to hit that sweet spot which will generate mass hysteria.  Fifty or sixty video sites might be the number needed.

So maybe . . . just maybe . . . the schlep who does these video for a living and knows the markets which will be the most successful should be the route to go.  If you can afford their services.

Questions.

The other question . . . or fascination . . . for me is the choice of background music.  A key factor, if you ask me, on the success or failure of a book trailer.  Music sets the mood for the reader.  And it's their mood that decides whether they buy the book or not.  Therefore I think one should be quite selective when it comes to the choice of music.

So let's see if I am right or not.  The last couple of days I made two trailers for the newest novel out on the market of mine.  Guilt of Innocence .  It's the newest Turner Hahn/Frank Morales novel.  I essentially used the same images for each trailer.  But text and selection of music are different.  Watch both of them and then decide for yourself which one is more effective.

Let me know what you think.

Bullitt and the feeling of Deja Vu

The other night I watched Steve McQueen's Bullitt on the American Classic Movies channel.  As I watched a number of startling revelations hit me at once.  Some I actually thought quite profound.The first thought crossing my mind is how American movies in the action/police drama genre have changed over the years.  In part changed, thank you very much, because of this movie.  I'm only partially talking about the famous chase scene in the movie.  The rolling carnage of a rumbling Dodge Charger and its powerful Hemi driven by the bad guys being chased by McQueen in his British Racing Green Ford Mustang with its butch-sounding 390 cu.in. V-8.  Up and down the famous hilly streets of San Francisco--this chase scene becoming the standard ALL chase scenes afterwards would be judged by. Gives you a tingly sensation seeing the birth of a iconic image like this.  It really does. But what really caught my attention was McQueen's way of acting.  I was stunned by the lack of verbiage (dialogue) in the movie.  McQeen tells a story of a complex murder through innuendo;  through side-long glances.  Through pauses in what little dialogue there is.  I haven't done this yet but the thought crossed my mind that throughout the entire movie I'd bet at least a nickle (and that's a pretty big bet for me, brother) McQueen doesn't say more than 150 words max from start to finish in dialogue. That was his style.  He excelled at it.  And in this movie it was a brilliant performance. Now think of today's movies.  Lots of talk.  Lots of explosions.  Lots of outrageous physical action which defies Physics and Gravity at the same time.  Lots of forgettable movies. But the truly profound discover I realized while watching the movie was the stunning disconnect of seeing history flashing before my eyes.  Seeing a world I remember living in.  Yet at the same time having this deja vu like sensation of seeing an alien world in front of me. In the shots showing the skyline of San Francisco there is no Transamerica Building.  That famous pyramid shaped 85 floored building that dominates today's San Francisco. The movie was made in 1968.  The Transamerican building's construction didn't start until '69.  Kinda spooky realizing you're looking at a piece of history filmed just before Modern Times. But there's more.  The other thing that jarred my jingle bells was the startling realization just how much today's technology has ingrained itself into our lives.  A scene in the movie shows a suspect, gunned down (and the center piece for the whole movie's plot), in an hospital surgery unit being worked on by a group of doctors and nurses.  There is no technology present.  No multiple monitor screens keeping track of the patient's vitals.  No high tech gizmos with attending specialists hovering in the back of the room waiting to be called upon.  Instead the impression you get is a surgery room that's startling primitive in nature. There are no cell phones.  No computers.  No small two way radios.  Nothing.  You don't see pedestrians talking on their cell phones as they are walking down the streets.  You don't see gigantic digital screens flashing advertising slogans off buildings.  What you do see is a native species living lives completely divorced from technology. A jarring revelation, quite frankly. There is a reason why this particular movie so vividly impressed me compared to, say, watching an old reel of the Keystone Cops filled back in the 1920's.  Back in '68 I was 19 years old.  A year out of high school.  Already married and a father.  I new the old technology back then.  Was familiar with many of the cars. Familiar with the turtle neck sweaters and sport coats McQueen wears in the movie. I remember living in this alien world. And that scares me the most.

Old Books/Old Memories

Let's here it for rediscovering old books and old authors.  Let's appreciate the feeling of excitement when we stumble onto a long since gone author's work and realize that . . . Oh my Freaking Frederick! . . . this guy could write!

I get this feeling every time I pull down from my library shelves a book I haven't read since the introduction of the Internet onto an unsuspecting world.  Lots of old and forgotten writers resting, and calmly waiting, for me to find'em again.  And I have to be honest.  The joy of rereading them again is just as pleasurable as it was the moment if first encountered them.

Take Earle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason series.  Did you know that Gardner wrote under several different pen names?  Did you know he wrote eighty-two Perrry Mason novels using just the Earle Standly Gardner name alone?  Eighty-two!

God only knows how many books Gardner wrote under one pen name or another.  I'm thinking its roughly around 200 or more.  But that's only a guess on my part.  I probably vastly underestimated the total.

But my point is eighty-two Perry Mason novels is a freaking library in itself.  Think of the fun and excitement of raiding all the used book stores, or combing the Internet, in search of every single one.  And then the satisfaction of knowing the collection is complete and you can take your leisurely time reading'em all.

Another example.  Rex Stout and his Nero Wolfe series.

Stout wrote (I believe ) thirty-two novels featuring the fat detective, Nero Wolfe.  Comparing Wolfe to Perry Mason is like comparing gold fish to a Great White.  About as opposite in style and ambiance as can be found.  Yet equally enjoyable.  Wolfe, the 400 lb. genius behemoth, working with his employee, the ever wise-ass Archie Goodwin, make for enjoyable reading.

The two different styles of characters and styles of writing give you a bifurcation on what the
detective genre can be.   There are hundreds of examples like this waiting to be discovered.  The joy, if you're an avid reader, is going out and cruising thru the old bookstores looking for such treasures.

In a world dominated by electronic gizmos and the hypnotic lure of the Internet one still should be aware of the past.  Of the genius that lived and breathed before our time.

More names pop into mind thinking about this.  Agatha Christie, the great English writer, wrote a boat load of the Hercule Poirot novels.  Have you ever read a good Hercule Poirot novel?  Missing something if you haven't (and don't forget her Miss. Marple.  Thirty-three novels featuring Poirot; twelve novels featuring Marple).

And then there are the eighteen Tony Hillerman novels.  Hillerman novels are completely and totally different compared to the authors mentioned above.  True, they are detective/mystery novels.  But detective/mystery novels shaded heavily with Navajo Indian mythology.  That's a whole new wrinkle in the reading.  One you'll enjoy.

So we have something like 177 novels to collect from just these four authors.  And the potential of the old writers goes on and on and on . . .

Thinking about collecting all of'em makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. Or more like a jewel thief in a Belgium diamond exchange.

Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

I'll confess right from the beginning.  I am a Star Trek fan.  A gizmo-loving hardware freak.   I fell in love with The Enterprise the first time I saw it (along with every variation and model designation since).  I cut my eye teeth on the original James Tiberius Kirk and my no bull shit, pointy-eared friend Spock.  I booed and applauded whenever the original Khan Noonien Singh showed up. And those fracken' Klingons . . . . sigh!

 I've loved it all, buddy.

But I gotta say I'm a sucker for tekkie gizmos in flashy Sci/Fi movies.

Example; when The Enterprise punches into Warp from a standing still position, a big, big, big grin of pure dumb pleasure spreads across my lips.  Every time.  Without exception.

(Even love the difference in the way Captain Picard says, "Make it so," and boom! Warp speed.  While the rebooted Kirk can say, "Punch it!"  And whammo!  We're there, baby!)

Loved J.J. Abrams rebooting of the series.  Thought the way he remolded the major characters in the series into deeper, more interesting three dimensional living creatures fascinating.  And so when I heard Abrams was making Star Trek Into Darkness . . . . Holy Hanna and her bad Habits!  I was ready for it!

(By the way . . . have I said to you how much I love Star Trek?  I did?  Oh . . . . okay.  Just wanted you to be aware of my fondness for it.)

So how was Star Trek Into Darkness, you ask.  My answer: FRACKEN AWESOME, BABY!

Made so, no less, by the amazing Benedict Cumberbatch's portrait of Khan Noonien Singh.  The original Kahn (portrayed by Ricardo Montalban) was a revenge-filled monster who allowed his hate for Kirk to cloud his judgement and dim his so-called super intellect.  The New Khan of Cumberbatch's vision is very different.  We have a darker nuanced, far more interesting look onto that cold dish called Revenge.  Cold.  Calculating.  Infinitely cruel.  Incredibly intelligent. Absolutely determined to exact every savory second of maniacal delight from those he wishes to torment.

And that voice of Cumberbatch's.  That deep, deep voice.  Measured and precise.  And oh so
deliciously menacing!

If you want a truly good bad guy, Cumberbatch is your fella, Sherlock!

But there was more to this movie than just Khan.  I really enjoyed the word play between Kirk and Spock.  The personalities growing to like each other and meld into a deep, deep friendship everyone knows Kirk and Spock had from the first go around.  But there was Bones' constant pessimism mixed with a commitment to get things done. Along with his friendship developing between Kirk and Spock.   And there's Scotty . . . the ship's Chief Engineer.  Feisty little fella, this Scotsman.

Aye, laddie.  Ya gotta hand it to J. J. Abrams and his talent at making a good movie.  I agree with the pundits;  there was an uncanny but subtle visual feast of a man who loved and admired the Star Trek series back in his childhood.  A man who, while honoring the past, has definitely put a stamp of his version of a new Star Trek.

The opening four day run of the movie sucked in $84 million dollars.  A fantastic haul from the box office.  But the studios were disappointed.  They actually thought Into Darkness would crack the $100 million mark.  The greedy bastards.  Before this movie goes into the DVD market it's  going to go way over the billion dollar mark. Waaaaaaaaay over that mark!

Surely that should satisfy every one's expectations, shouldn't it?

Even if you're not a Trekkie you should see this movie.  It's that good.

The newest Turner/Frank coming soon

Here's the newest Turner Hahn/Frank Morales novel.  Not out yet.  But coming to you shortly.  Self-published in ebook format only.

Time to experiment.  To explore some ideas.  The quest is to push this novel into the widest number of markets I possibly can manage on a limited budget.

Yeah, that's right;  even though I am amazingly handsome and unusually endowed with the gift of gab, nevertheless the acquisition of money (income) has never been a long-cherished trait I've experienced in this karmic go-around.

(And just to keep it straight . . . the jab about being amazingly handsome and unusually endowed with the gift of gab?  Sarcasm, my friend; sarcasm)

Self-published authors who have hit it big.  How the hell did they do it?  I know you've asked this question ten thousand times or more.  I certainly have.  Maybe asked it even more after picking up the self-published novel, reading it, and experiencing the first reaction as 'How the hell!?'

Sometimes 'talent' has nothing to do with being 'successful' when it comes to self-publishing.

So okay.

Past efforts in self publishing have fizzled.   Why, you ask.  And what to change?  I've got a few ideas.

One: Artwork.  I think artwork is absolutely critical.  Always have and prefer coming up with my own original stuff.  Commissioned, of course.  My ideas.  An artist's visual expertise.

Two: Markets.  Gotta figure out a way to get the book into as many markets as possible.  Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble.  Push for 100 markets where a potential reader might find this and purchase it.

Three: Book trailers.  Spend what limited funds you have on building a kick-ass book trailer and then again, flashing the trailer out to as many video sites as possible.

Four: Friends and their blogs.  Shamelessly hit your friends up with a request if you could squeeze a word or two about your new creation on their blog sites.  I do this all the time for my friends on this blog.  Should be a no-brainer.

Five:  Solicit reviews.  Figure out a way to get as many reviews posted on the book as you can. Good or bad.  The more reviews you have the more curiosity is generated. Again, revert back to your friends.


This is the plan, Tonto.  Spend a little money.  Expand the market exponentially.  Hit the video sites as hard as possible.  Solicit reviews.  Maybe this will work.  If it does and the book starts selling there should be one immediate benefit (other than actually earning an income!) coming your way. The more success you have in selling your book makes you more attractive to both agents and publishers.  They just might come to you with a little enthusiasm behind their offers to help you become even more successful.

Who knows.  Hell, I still believe in Santa Claus!

Iron Man 3

I slipped out of the house on Friday and went off to the theater to see Iron Man 3.   I've been reading all kinds of glowing reviews about how this might be the best of the Iron Man movies yet.  And maybe the last we see Robert Downing Jr, Mister Iron Man himself, playing the part.

So what I went forthwith filled with high expectations.  I must admit I am kinda a 'gadget' man.  I like my movies teetering dangerously close to hardcore traditional sci-fi abyss filled with cool gadgets.  And without doubt the mechanical suits and neat holographic computers Mr. Stark uses to build his armored suits are right there in my 'Gee Whiz!' notebook of wonders.

So you ask, "How did I like the movie?  On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate it?"

Uh . . . it was okay.  And I'd give it a rating of about 7.  And that would be pushing it.

Look.  I like my gadgets.  I love my Gee Whiz moments.  And I sure as hell like my action.  This is, as were all the previous Iron Man movies, essentially an action move.  So one should expect big explosions, fast cars, incredible getaways. etc.  But . . . somewhere a little over half way thru the movie (maybe about the time we discover who The Mandarin truly is) something happened.   It was that feeling akin to a kid suddenly losing all the air out of the balloon he just won at a circus side show.  Everything just hissed away into the afternoon sunlight.

What happened?

I got the feeling the movie was straining.  Straining to be too 'hip.'  Too witty.  Too chic.  I got the feeling the writers realized what they were doing and decided to switch over to the gadgets and let the action take over.

I know . . . I know; it's my fault.  My warped sense of story-telling.  I wanted more of a mystery to solve.  More human-to-human and human-to-computer interaction.  I wanted more of a story-line between Stark and this young engineering whiz-kid he came across in some backwoods little town out in No Where Land.  A mini-Stark who was just as witty, just as cool, and just as grown up Stark.

THAT subplot had miles and miles of possibilities to play on.  Yet it was handled as an afterthought thrown in just to hurry along the main story line.

And the gadgets.  These gadgets so, close to being sentient life forms themselves, acted more like slaves.  Mindless.  Obedient.  Colorless.  I wanted more interaction here.

I mentioned 'The Mandarin' already.  As visually a stunning villain as has ever been created.  Very dark.  Very menacing.  Very existential.  Oh, brother! That story line would have been fascinating to develop!  But it's not to be.  In the end it fizzles into nothing as well.

Really, in the end, I just wanted a better, more intricate,  story!

Don't get me wrong.  It's a well made film technically speaking.  The acting flawless.  The special effects marvelous to behold. I strongly urge you to go see.  Undoubtedly when you do, you'll completely disagree with everything I've said.

That's okay by me.  Hell, you already know I'm the biggest contrarian sitting at the dinner table with you.  Why change now?

Artwork (Again!)

Let's rant and rave a little bit on artwork again, kiddies.  A subject that, frankly, intrigues me.  A link in the publishing chain that has, traditionally, not been a focus for authors.  Either because the author wasn't/isn't interested in what kind of cover will grace their literary effort . . . or more likely not involved because traditional publishers have  consistently viewed that decision as being in their bailiwick and not in the author's bailiwick.

But as you may have noticed . . . the publishing world is changing.  And so too should a writer.

If you're a writer you should be intimately involved in the selection process.  If you're lucky enough to pick up a traditional publishing contract, what a potential reader sees on a book shelf could be the critical deciding factor in the decision to buy, or pass up, that purchase.

I think the same thing is true for ebooks.  Nope, most potential readers do not browse when they shop for a book to read on the internet.   But, along comes an eye-popping cover in a genre they're interested in, and I'd betcha half interest in the Brooklyn Bridge said curious reader will stop and closely examine both the artwork and the contents the artwork represents within.

Therefore let me reiterate.  As a writer you should be closely involved in the design and look of the book cover.  You should find an artist(s) whose style appeals to you.  Hopefully an amicable working relationship evolves between you two where give-and-take suggestions back and forth between artist and writer helps create the perfect image.  Use the world 'collaboration.'  It fits perfectly in what I'm trying to say.

Above is the finished process for the cover of a book of short stories called The Turner Hahn Files: Twenty for the Grave.  It's not out yet--still looking around for a publisher (and one may be very, very, very close to saying 'yes').  Twenty short stories featuring Turner Hahn and Frank Morales.  Stories that stretch over a two and a half year span of time.

The artist(s) are a couple of brothers Javier and Jesus Carmona of Madrid, Spain.  We've worked on other projects of mine before. Mostly my Fantasy novels (see Roland of the High Crags cover in the list of books in the right hand column).   I like their use of vivid color; their composition and lay outs, their attention to detail.  But more than anything, I truly enjoy their desire to work closely with me in coming up with the perfect image.

The above illustration started out as a mental image in my minds' eye.  Especially the background: the polished green marble with the gold veins.  My original idea was to have the two standing together like you see now . . . but in submitting my idea to the two in writing  I didn't make it clear enough.  So the rough-draft version came out looking like this.

I'm sure you see the differences.  More importantly I'm sure you see in the rough draft no visual representation of what the marbled back ground would look like.  A very important point.  When you select an artist to help you out, you have to rely their artistic ability to get the whole design hammered out correctly.

So there was an exchange of emails.  I suggested changing the hands on Turner.  We discussed the marble background.  There was another discussion on making the two look like they were 'moving' somehow.

In the end: Voila!

The perfect image!

I plan to use this image on more collections of Turner/Frank short stories in the future.  When they come out the artwok will essentially be the same---but with some differences.  Very slight alterations in the color of their suits and ties.  Maybe a more wind-blown look involving Turner's hair.  (Oooooh!  I like the idea, for instances, of 'punching' gouged out bullet holes in the marble behind them.  That'd look really neat.)

The writer and the artist in close collaboration in the making of a book cover.  Absolutely essential in my estimation.

(By the way, looking for an artist to hire?  Allow me to recommend the Carmona Brothers of Spain.  You'll find they could very well be interested in hearing from you. Look at the selection of sites to wander through and find Carmonaart.  Contact them there.)