Bradley Convissar's Blog, page 4

Wag The Fox: Guest Post by Bradley Convissar: Self-Publishing, Story Length, and Pricing

Wag The Fox: Guest Post by Bradley Convissar: Self-Publishing, Story Length, and Pricing

Excerpt of "The Madame Penitent"

In addition to the weekly, or bi-weekly, "Story Behind The Story" series, I am going to be posting excerpts for all 22 stories in the Pandora's Children The Complete Nightmares collection.  Up first is "The Madame Penitent", one of my favorite stories.  So click below to head over there!

http://darkestdayspublishing.blogspot.com/2011/08/madame-penitnent.html

Story Behind The Story- Four Corners

Want to know what inspired me to write "Four Corners"?  Click the link below to be brought to the post at my new website for all things book-related, Darkest Days Publishing.  The first entry in my new "Story Behind The story" series

http://darkestdayspublishing.blogspot.com/2011/08/story-behind-story-four-corners.html

Darkest Days Publishing

I have finally decided to create a publishing page, separate from this blog, for my books.  Everything I publish will be published under the Darkest Days Publishing Imprint, and details can be found at www.darkestdayspublishing.com.   This page will focus on the books themselves and only the books themselves; no opinions, no reviews, no dental stuff.  Only info pertinent to my books.

To that end, you will find things at Darkest Days Publishing that you will not find here, including direct links to any new reviews as well as new series of blog posts called "Story Behind The Story".  This series will focus on the events in my life or stories which I have read which inspired me to write a particular story.

First up is "Four Corners", one of my favorite short stories.  The entire post can be found here.  And please, "Like" the page, Tweet the page, share the page!

www.darkestdayspublishing.com

What I'm Reading, What I Just Bought

Let's see... I am currently in the middle of 4 books:

Dragons of the Highlord Skies- Book 2 in the Dragonlance Lost Chronicles.  Enjoyable.  Makes me a little teary-eyed for the early nineties when I was first introduced to Tanis, Sturm, Kitiara and the rest of the Dragonlance characters
Storm Dragon- Book 1 of the Draconic Prophecies.  A little slow, but I've enjoyed most Eberron stuff I've read.
Key of Stars- Book 3 of the Abolethic Soverignty.  I'll be honest, a little disappointed with all of the post-Spellplague books
Black Train by Edward Lee
And what did I just buy:Song of Kali by Simmons
Traveling Vampire Show by Laymon
Flesh Gothic by Lee
From hell With Love-  I love everything Simon Green does.  He is so over the top.  And His Secret Histories novels starring Edward Drood is no different.  
So leave me your opinions on any of these books.  Always looking to hear from fellow horror/D and D fans

Meth Mouth

Time for your weekly oral health post from your favorite horror/thriller writer:


Someone recently asked me if you could tell if someone had a crystal meth habit by looking at their teeth.  And the answer is a resounding: Hell yeah!  Just like you can tell if someone is bulimic (pitting of the enamel on the back of the teeth).  Or if they smoke (thick generalized stain).  The teeth offer a lot of clues to a person's habits.  Below is a classic example of Meth Mouth.  This is actually the least disgusting picture I could find:


[image error] Why do the teeth end up like this?  Five reasons:Obviously the Meth itself eats away the teeth.  This is the major cause of the break down
The craving for sweet food, which in turn eats away at the soft dentin inside
The lack of proper home care 
Decrease in salivary flow, which helps to neutralize acid and kill bacteria in the mouth
The lack of professional cleanings due to lack of caring about one's appearance
Yes, I have seen it on several occasions.  It is a very obvious, affecting every tooth in the mouth.  The only other thing that even compares to this is baby bottle cavities found in children who drink a lot of milk during the day and are put to bed with a bottle.  Obviously that is NOT as serious in the long run because baby teeth fall out, but there are still issues.Once Meth Mouth prgoresses this far, there is little to do but extract the teeth and make a denture.So there you are.  Just like severely stained teeth can point to a tobacco habit (though tea, coffee and wine can also lead to stain), teeth that are dissolved to the gumline are a telltale sign of someone who smokes Meth.

Teeth- Not Just For Chewing

Real comforting, I know.  And yes, I took this one out myself.

Seeing as I am a dentist first and writer second (as of now), I decided I should write a blog post about the importance of dentistry.

I know people don't like going to the dentist.  I don't take it personally anymore.  People just don't like the dentist.  Why?  The needles.  The perceived pain.  The nosies.  All of the above.  A dozen different reasons.

But I want to tell you why its important to visit your dentist, not only for your regular check-ups, but also when he or she tells you that you need work done.

First off, what good are teeth good for?  Several things:
Eating.  With teeth, eating is easier.  Simple.Talking.  Without teeth, talking,  and being understood, is much more difficult.Smile.  Keep you teeth, you get a nice smile (in most cases)Face structure.  Ever see granny not wearing her dentures?  Sure you have.  It's ugly.  The whole face sags.  Without teeth, your face is quite scary.  Like melted wax.So there it is.  Why bring this up now.  Because of a certain type of patient I see too often.  Here's the scenario:



Patient comes in, first cleaning in a while.  He has a lot of cavities.  None into the nerve, none requiring root canal, but many that are close.  I sit down and explain the situation: "You have a lot of deep cavities and you need to get them filled.  It will cost x amount of dollars. If you don't get them fixed, and any one of them ends up needing  root canal and then a cap, it is going to cost you 15x that much.  Yes.  15x.  For the cost of doing a single root canal and cap, you can have every tooth in your mouth fixed.  If a tooth starts to hurt and you can not afford a root canal and cap, it will have to come out.  Guess what?  Having a tooth extracted costs the same amount as having a filling.  Except you no longer have that tooth in your mouth.  And it hurts a whole hell of a lot more to have a tooth taken out.  So please, schedule at the front desk so we can start filling these cavities before they start hurting and need more extreme treatment."

Sounds good, right.  And you would figure any sane person would do as instructed.  Because teeth do NOT heal, they only get worse.  So you are going to pay now or you are going to pay later.  But one way or another, you are going to pay.  The only difference is, how much, and how many teeth will you have left when I'm done.

So what bothers me?  When these people don't come back to have their fillings done.  You know what?  I don't mind doing crowns and root canals.  I get paid more.  But my first job is to try and make it so you don't need expensive, invasive work.  My first job is to maintain your oral health.  And when people start throwing excuses at me...  I know people have other things going on in their lives, but finding one afternoon, or morning, to get these things done should be a priority.  When you tell me that you have no money to get the recommended work done, but I see that you have a couple grand worth of tattoos on your arms and legs, don't be calling me on the weekend when you have a toothache.  Your tats may be worth more to you than healthy, cavity-free teeth, but if you're going to spend your cash on body art, don't expect me to jump when you get a toothache that should have been fixed a year ago.

I know dental work can be expensive.  But people don't seem to understand why.  My education, first off.  My loan payment every month is a small mortgage.  My schooling wasn't free.  My schooling wasn't easy.  Materials are expensive.  Lab bills are expensive.  Malpractice insurance is expensive.  Rent is expensive. Hundreds of stamps need to be purchased every month so I can send letters and postcards to patients asking for payment or reminding them of when their appointment is.  Competent help is expensive.  The amount of overhead in a dental practice is staggering.  Do we make a good living?  Sure.
But I spend my days trolling around inside people's mouth.  I'm responsible for maintaining people's oral health.  I'm responsible for discovering cancer before you lose your tongue.  Or your jaw.  Or your life.  And these days, they are discovering that gum disease leads to higher risks of having a heart attack or a stroke and getting certain types of cancers.

I spend my days making sure that people continue to eat right, talk right and look good and stay alive.
So if your dentist tells you you need work, get it done.  And if need be, get a second opinion.  But get it done before you find yourself in dentures


And for the love of god, pick up the fricking floss once in a while!  I don't care if you bleed.  Just do it.

End of Day 1

Well, Day 1 of my promotion has come and gone, and look at what we have:

Still quite a ways from finding itself in the top 100, but hey, it's a start.  Nice to find it in the top 100 horror.

So in day 1, we have 41 copies of Book 1 sold and 5 copies of Book 2.  Thanks go out to everyone who has purchased one of the books; all profits will be going to cover the massive medical bills my dog just incurred after needing some surgery.  So Friday, my dumb Daschund, thanks you, too.

So we have 46 copies sold all together.  That's one $25 Amazon gift card, only 15 copies away from giving out another.  Just remember, if you want to enter, read the rules on the previous post.  And please, Tweet about Pandora's Children and post about Pandora's Children on your Facebook pages.

Thanks again.

-Brad

Official Pandora's Children/ Dogs of War Contest!

Okay fans and fans-to-be, in honor of the release of Pandora's Children The Complete Nightmares: Books 1 and 2, I have decided to have my first contest.  Each book contains eleven stories and over 90,000 words (300-400 printed pages depending on how you calculate it), and well worth the $2.99.  Read the rules below to get started.  And remember, NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY:
Prizes:For every 30 (thirty) copies of Pandora's Children The Complete Nightmares I sell through Amazon for the Kindle, I will be giving away a $25 gift card for Amazon.  That is combined copies sold- if 15 people buy both books, that counts as 30 copies.If by some miracle either book ends up in the top 100 paid Kindle books (not top 100 horror, but top 100 overall), I will give away a $100 gift card for Amazon.  If both books make it, that will be 2 (two) $100 gift cards for Amazon, 1 for each book.In addition, if Dogs of War, my $.99  25,000-word novella breaks the top 100 paid Kindle books, I will be giving away a single $50 Amazon gift card.  (There are no prizes for the number of copies of Dogs of War purchased- the $.99 price makes this impossible)
Rules:
No purchase necessary- but remember, if you enter the contest but do NOT actually buy anything, that severely decreases the chances of me reaching any of my goals and less likely that anyone wins anything.
To enter, you need to do the three following things:Follow me on my Facebook author page here.Follow me on Twitter.  My name is @bconvisdmdE-mail me at bconvisdmdcontests@gmail.com with your Facebook name and Twitter ID so I can make sure you did the 2 steps above.  I will send a confirmation e-mail by the end of the night after I make sure everything is right.  All you need to do is enter once to be eligible for all 3 contestsAnd, though not necessary to enter the contest because not everyone has a blogger account, I would appreciate it if you would follow this blog.You must be 12 or older (minors w/ parental permission) and live in the U.S. or Canada.  The winner agrees to have his or her first name and location published for verification purposes (ex: Jim from St Louis).  The winner must provide a valid shipping address for delivery of the gist card.This contest will run from the minute this post is published until Friday, August 5th, 2011, at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time.  All entry e-mails must be received by then.  Why so short?  Because if any of the books are going to have a chance to break the top 100 paid Kindle books, a lot of copies need to be purchased in a relatively short time.
Now why am I doing this?  Exposure, of course.  As I've learned working as a dentist, you get some patients through the internet and yellow pages and other ads, but you get the most patients through word of mouth.  So I'm hoping that you guys will not only buy the books and enter the contests, but tell your friends and Tweet it up.  Remember, you don't need to buy anything to participate, but if no one buys anything, than no one will win anything.
Now how can I be trusted to follow my end of the bargain?  Well first off, anyone here can check any of the books' hourly rankings by going to their respective Amazon pages.  But I will make sure I check every hour or so through the day.  Again, hitting the top 100 paid Kindle books for any of the three books is a longshot, but possible if you encourage friends and family to buy the books.As for total purchases of each book, on Saturday morning, before choosing the winners, I will post a page shot of my sales page, with the date, on this site so everyone can see themselves.Winners will be chosen on Saturday, August 6th, using Random.org.  Each eligible e-mail entry will be given a number based on order in which it is received.  Winners will be notified by e-mail on Sunday, August 7th.So there it is, guys and gals, the rules and prizes. Descriptions for all three books can be found here on their respective pages or on their Amazon pages. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at the above e-mail address.  And remember to share this contest with your friends through Twitter, Facebook or your own websites/blogs.  Thanks!

The Scavenger's Daughter review

I picked up Mike McIntyre's The Scavenger's Daughter based on several good reviews I read.  And I'll admit, I enjoyed it.

I tend to not read too many books in the thriller/mystery/suspense genres simply because I am overwhelmed with fantasy and horror books.  But, I am a fan of Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme books and Preston/Child's Pendergast books, I needed something to read on my Droid X, and it was only $.99 so I decided to give this book a try.
The story was fast-paced and follows suspended, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Tyler West as he tries to tack down the man who is murdering several rich and famous people in San Diego using medieval instruments of torture.  The descriptions can be gruesome at times, as can be expected considering the contraptions used are quite gruesome, but the author never goes overboard with his descriptions.  I will admit, though, while reading the book, I went online to view some of the awful devices.  Hey, I'm a dentist.  I love instruments of torture.

Like I said earlier, I enjoyed the book.  It was a quick, fun read, informational and engaging, with a likable and well-developed lead character.  McIntyre paints a vivid picture of his location, int his case San Diego, which always helps the reader to put himself into the story.  There were some events and circumstances that were a little too convenient and coincidental, needed to move the story ahead, but nothing too egregious to affect the story.  Not plot holes, exactly, but a couple of logic jumps.

My biggest gripe with the book is the length and how much the author tries to accomplish in the single book.  Now, we all know that with the advent of digital publishing, page count has gone out the window.  Now what matters is word count.  Conventional wisdom says it is 250 words per page, but we all know that, when you count the number of words on an average printed book page, it is between 350 and 450, depending on the amount of dialogue.  So if an eBook is 75,000 words, that can be converted to approximately 300 pages.  But, if that same book were converted to print, it would only be around 250 pages.

But I digress... I don't know how long The Scavenger's Daughter was, but it seemed on the short side.  I felt that there could be more meat to it.  More side stories.  Now, McIntyre did set up a contentious relationship with the local police which can be, and I expect will be, explored in later books.  But I thought the mythology of Tyler West's world could have been opened up and explored more.  He finds a lost love who hates him at the beginning of the book and patches things up over a single novel.  Now, their relationship is important to the plot, but I felt that maybe it could have taken two or three books for their relationship to heal.  And if that meant that this had to be the 2nd or 3rd book in the series, then so be it.  My next blog posting will actually be a short commentary on eBooks and length, so keep your eyes open for that.

Anyway, these are all mild complaints which really won;t affect how much you enjoy the story.  And for $.99, you get your money worth.  Hell, this book is worth $2.99.  And I will definitely pick up the next book in the series when it is released.