Michell Plested's Blog, page 7

Signing January 9th

I will be doing a signing at Indigo Signal Hill (Calgary) on January 9th at 10 AM. If you have been looking for my latest book or simply want to come talk about writing, that’s where you will find me. I hope to see you there.

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Going a bit off-track

Learning I’m going to write about something other than writing (sort of) today. I’m going to talk about learning. One of the most important lessons I learned early in my life is to never stop learning (yes, you will read the word “learning” a lot in this post. The challenge to continuous learning is (a) finding the time, (b) finding the money, (c) finding the information and (d) not overloading yourself. None of those challenges are show-stoppers; at the end of the day it really is up to you. So, what’s my point? Recently, a colleague of mine pointed me to a website called Udemy.com. They claim to have online courses on practically everything. I signed up for a couple […]

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I Now Have a Newsletter!

Newsletter At long last, I have a newsletter. I know that may not sound Earthshaking or momentous, but it marks a new chapter in my writing career. The name of the chapter? Self-promotion. Believe it or not, I really haven’t done much for self-promotion in the past. Yes, I have a Facebook account and a Twitter feed. I also have this website. Those are all somewhat passive mediums. I post stuff and hope that people will follow and read what I’ve done. The newsletter is different (at least, in my mind). I am actively asking people to sign-up for it. I’ve been putting sign-up sheets out at my events and I now have a spot on the website for you […]

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Interview – Mark Meincke Show

Hello everyone. Last night I was fortunate enough to be interviewed by Mark Meincke for his Anchor.fm show. You can listen to it here.

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The Last Post of 2018

2018 2018 has been a topsy turvy one. On the one hand, I’ve had to deal with an ailing parent. On the other, my daughter got married and I saw the third and final installment of Scouts of the Apocalypse (Zombie Masters) published. I think, all things considered, that I will call this year a draw; I can’t call it a win and, since I’m still moving forward, I won’t call it a loss either. Book sales for 2018 reached an all-time high, which is a good trend. Unfortunately, all-time high does not equate to going full-time as a writer. Not yet anyway. I still have a lot of work to do before that happens. But, it is a step in the right (write?) direction. […]

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A Taste of Local Authors – December 13, 2018

Hello, my friends. Brief announcement about an upcoming appearance: I will be at Owl’s Nest Books December 13th for “A Taste of Local Authors”. The gathering begins at 7 PM and I will be reading from Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters, which will also be available for sale. I believe I will have the entire trilogy there for sale (which, when signed, makes a fantastic Christmas gift – just saying) so don’t delay.

First Draft – Telling Yourself the Story

First Draft – Telling Yourself the Story There is a quote attributed to Terry Pratchett that says, “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” Being a huge fan of Terry Pratchett (and wanting to be Terry Pratchett when I grow up), that gives me hope as a writer. I mean, if you have ever read his work, you will find such a collection or wit, insight and sheer snark, you would wonder how anyone could possibly live up to the example he has set. I know, I certainly feel inadequate to meet the example he set; that is I did when I assumed his work came onto the page fully formed from his brain. Now, I’m not so […]

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Mik Murdoch 4 is Coming Along Nicely

Mik Murdoch 4 – Surprise NaNoWriMo Book I wasn’t planning to do NaNoWriMo this year. I was going to take my sweet time and write Mik Murdoch 4 at my own pace. But then, November 1st (the first day of NaNoWriMo) it occurred to me that doing it over NaNo would see the first draft finished in November. That would allow me to let it sit for a couple weeks and still have an edited version before end-of-year. That thought was very appealing to me. So, I took the 12,000 words I already had finished and put them aside. I’m not throwing those away. Not at all. What I’m doing is I’m using NaNo to add another 50,000 to the […]

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Why I Wrote Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters

Why Did I Write a Third Book? Why did I write Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Masters? To be honest, when I first told the Scouts of the Apocalypse story around the campfire, I never imagined there would be a second, let a lone a third book. In fact, I didn’t tell the story with a book in mind at all. It was simply an idea I had while driving out to camp that I was forced to make into a story due to extremely bad ghost stories.

In Memorium – Dave Duncan

In Memorium – Dave Duncan Last night I heard that Dave Duncan (the author, not the athlete) had passed away. I first encountered Dave’s work when I was in college in the form of his book, The Reluctant Swordsman. It wasn’t quite like anything I’d ever read before. I can still picture myself reading it on the train home after class. Let’s just say, it really resonated with me. I read all three (at the time) books in the series and then several more of his books. They were entertaining and thought-provoking. They fueled my own desire to write (although that wouldn’t happen for almost another decade). Over time I discovered other authors and then, when I started to write myself, I […]

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