Michell Plested's Blog, page 21

Jack Kane is a Print Book!

A few years ago, JR Murdock and I wrote a book titled Jack Kane and the Statue of Liberty. We were both delighted with how it turned out and were convinced it would one day see print. Then, a couple years ago it was accepted by Champagne/Burst Books for publication. The model Champagne/Burst Books follows is, e-book first and, if it generates enough interest, then a print book. It was released in e-book formats in June of last year. Sunday, I learned that it was now available as a print book. You can purchase it right now from the Champagne Books store here. It will be available on Amazon in the next few weeks. If you have been waiting for […]

Review: Dracula by Bram Stoker

When I was in grade school I read everything. Or, at least, I tried to read everything. When I got to the “Classics” like Moby Dick, Three Musketeers, Don Juan and many others, I just couldn’t get through them. The language was too dense and odd to my teenage eye. Recently I started reading Dracula. I had nothing else to read at the time and decided to fight my way through it if for no other reason than to say I’d done it. I can now see why some people gravitate to the “Classics”. The language is rich, the characters are proper and polite and the detail makes the prose extremely vivid. You feel like you know the characters when […]

Nominate Scouts of the Apocalypse for a Prix Aurora

All, Prix Aurora awards season is here again. Please take a moment to get a $10 membership and nominate Scouts of the Apocalypse for a Prix Aurora (YA Best novel). And while you are at it, nominate Suzy Vadori’s The Fountain in the same category. Membership gives you the ability to nominate AND you will get e-book versions of the finalist books when they are announced for free. Please do this by Saturday (March 19, 2016). Go here: http://www.prixaurorawards.ca/ Thank you,     -Michell

7 Strategies to Overcome Writer’s Block

I’ve heard many different opinions on Writer’s Block. Some people deny its existence while others say it is absolutely a real thing. Regardless of where you stand on the issue (I personally don’t deny it but don’t really believe in it either), there are times when writing is hard. Maybe impossible. So, how do you overcome it? Well, before we come up with some strategies to overcome the problem, it would be wise to understand what might be causing it. Let me list a few of the reasons I’ve had difficulty writing and then I will relay some of my own strategies to get past the problems. Causes of Writer’s Block You don’t know what’s supposed to come next in […]

Review: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

Old Man’s War is one of those books that starts up with a totally unexpected premise and then goes on to tell a truly entertaining story that leaves you wanting more. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am a fan of this book. So much so that I’ve actually read it a few times. The book tells the story of John Perry, a 75-year-old man who enlists with the Colonial Defense Forces. His mission? To go to the stars and defend humanity against the numerous alien races that would do us harm. Not exactly a normal, everyday thing to happen or read about. John quickly learns that what he knew on Earth has very little bearing on the […]

Six Writing Rules for Finishing your Novel

Writing a book is something many people want to do. Some people actually start doing it and a few complete it. I am one of those few and, the biggest lesson I learned when I finished my first book was… Wait for it… …that I could actually write a book. Please note, I didn’t say, “Write a good book.” Just that I could do it. Since that first book, I have written seven or eight novels (four of which have been published) and a dozen or more short stories (several of which have been published, too). I have come up with a concise list of rules that, when followed, will allow you to finish a novel (again, note I didn’t […]

Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

I’ve got to make a confession regarding this book: I read it because the movie interested me. I also read it prior to the movie because I am well-aware movies often gloss over (or change) aspects of the book. For the record, there were some rather obvious changes to the movie. I’m not going to say what they were. Just that they exist (other than a condensed timeframe, of course). The Martian largely reads like a diary. Purposely done since most of the book has the main character, Mark Watney, living and working alone. The entries are sometimes very long and other times extremely short. There is often humour involved as the snarky character of Mark Watney (which I personally […]

Leave a Tip on Your Way Out

In North America tipping is a common (in most cases, expected) thing in restaurants. You get good service, you leave a gratuity for the server. The theory is (created by and propagated by the hotel and restaurant industries) that serving staff is making minimum wage, works hard and should have their income subsidized by tips. Before you go thinking I am anti-tipping, I’m not. I was a server in my youth and I was making minimum wage. The tips made a difference. It’s just unfortunate that this is a manufactured thing much like *name that Hallmark Holiday*. Today, I’m going ask you to consider tipping those authors whose work you enjoy. Not in cash or cheque but in reviews. This […]

Review: Mrs Bradshaw’s Handbook by Terry Pratchett

Mrs Bradshaw’s Handbook isn’t a typical novel. In fact, it isn’t a novel at all. Instead, it is a companion book to Terry Pratchett’s extremely rich Discworld universe. Mrs Bradshaw’s Handbook was originally mentioned in Terry Pratchett’s novel, Raising Steam. For the uninitiated, Raising Steam is the book about the invention of the railroad on the Discworld. Mrs Bradshaw is a widowed lady of means who is smitten by rail travel who endeavours to write a traveler’s book for all who wish to follow in her footsteps. That little bit of background out of the way, let me say, if you are not familiar with the Discworld, do NOT pick up this book. In fact, even if you are a […]

Revision Equals Altering Reality

I’ve been working on revisions for Mik Murdoch: Crisis of Conscience for a few months now and I had an epiphany: revising a book is like altering reality. Let me explain. When the television series, Sliders aired, I watched every episode religiously. It was always fascinating to me how every world was different due to some distant decision that was different from the one made in the Sliders world. Sometimes the resulting outcome was as small as a gate squeaked/didn’t squeak. Other times the Earth was either destroyed (as we know it) or about to be. All because a key decision was different. Part of the lengthy revision process for me has been because of a decision I made when […]