Brian Harmon's Blog, page 7
July 23, 2011
Narrowing it down
Since I pretty thoroughly introduced myself in my previous post, I think I'll jump straight into talking about my books this time. We'll get these things out of the way quickly that way and I'll have a nice, solid base to build my future posts from.
I make it sound like a chore, don't I? "Dang it all, I have to talk about my books now… …sigh…" Of course, I am trying to be modest because I really don't want to be one of those authors who twists every subject back to his own books ("I'm terribly sorry to hear that! It must be quite frightening to lie there knowing that you have to endure heart surgery in the morning…but do you know what that reminds me of? In chapter four of my latest novel…"). But also, talking about my books, and consequently the series they are attached to, always brings with it a number of complications.
First of all, I'm not real good with genres. I know a horror story when I see one. It's scary. I know a science fiction story when I see one. It has spaceships. I know a romance when I see one. It's mushy. And sometimes spicy. Like chili. I know a fantasy when I see one. It has elves and dragons and things in it. Not like chili…I don't think… But then let's say you have an elf driving a spaceship…what is that? And then what happens when that same elf finds something scary? And what if that elf is eating chili? I get so confused. Which element is primary? And did you ever try classifying your frightened, chili-eating, spacefaring elf when your options are horror, sci-fi, fantasy OR romance? And then you see the "thriller/suspense" option and you say to yourself, "It does keep me on the edge of my seat…I keep wondering…will he finish his chili? Will he spill it? Does chili come out of elfin flightsuits?" When I write, I write the story first. I let the characters tell me where it's going. I don't start off with a specific genre in mind and what happens is that the story weaves in and out of multiple genres. The end result is that I sometimes don't know where to begin talking about my book. When someone asks me what it's about, what do I say? Sometimes I envy writers who can say things like, "My book is a classic, sword and sorcery fantasy with a twist." I consider myself a horror writer. I love reading horror and I am an enormous fan of the supernatural. My short stories tend to be straight-up horror fiction. But The Temple of the Blind is not simply a horror fiction tale. It's also a mystery. It's an epic adventure. It's suspense. It's also laced with elements of fantasy and science fiction and even romance. But where do I begin? Which element rises to the top? It's something I've struggled with while learning how to market my books.
With all these things to consider, I always end up feeling like a deer in headlights whenever someone asks me what my book is about. I hesitate, considering. Are they really interested or are they just being polite? Either way, they don't intend to stand there and listen to me ramble on and on. I need to be brief, concise, to the point, and yet it has to be clear. I can't say, "It's sort of a horror, suspense, adventure, mystery thing." Most of the time, you only have a few seconds to catch a reader's attention and then they'll move on. And even if I know for a fact that the person asking is never going to read my book, how stupid am I going to look if I can't even tell them what it's about?
Speaking of being brief and concise, perhaps I'll save my rant about the difficulties of writing a well-balanced book summary for next time. I'm kind of hungry right now. I've got a weird hankering for chili…
I make it sound like a chore, don't I? "Dang it all, I have to talk about my books now… …sigh…" Of course, I am trying to be modest because I really don't want to be one of those authors who twists every subject back to his own books ("I'm terribly sorry to hear that! It must be quite frightening to lie there knowing that you have to endure heart surgery in the morning…but do you know what that reminds me of? In chapter four of my latest novel…"). But also, talking about my books, and consequently the series they are attached to, always brings with it a number of complications.
First of all, I'm not real good with genres. I know a horror story when I see one. It's scary. I know a science fiction story when I see one. It has spaceships. I know a romance when I see one. It's mushy. And sometimes spicy. Like chili. I know a fantasy when I see one. It has elves and dragons and things in it. Not like chili…I don't think… But then let's say you have an elf driving a spaceship…what is that? And then what happens when that same elf finds something scary? And what if that elf is eating chili? I get so confused. Which element is primary? And did you ever try classifying your frightened, chili-eating, spacefaring elf when your options are horror, sci-fi, fantasy OR romance? And then you see the "thriller/suspense" option and you say to yourself, "It does keep me on the edge of my seat…I keep wondering…will he finish his chili? Will he spill it? Does chili come out of elfin flightsuits?" When I write, I write the story first. I let the characters tell me where it's going. I don't start off with a specific genre in mind and what happens is that the story weaves in and out of multiple genres. The end result is that I sometimes don't know where to begin talking about my book. When someone asks me what it's about, what do I say? Sometimes I envy writers who can say things like, "My book is a classic, sword and sorcery fantasy with a twist." I consider myself a horror writer. I love reading horror and I am an enormous fan of the supernatural. My short stories tend to be straight-up horror fiction. But The Temple of the Blind is not simply a horror fiction tale. It's also a mystery. It's an epic adventure. It's suspense. It's also laced with elements of fantasy and science fiction and even romance. But where do I begin? Which element rises to the top? It's something I've struggled with while learning how to market my books.
With all these things to consider, I always end up feeling like a deer in headlights whenever someone asks me what my book is about. I hesitate, considering. Are they really interested or are they just being polite? Either way, they don't intend to stand there and listen to me ramble on and on. I need to be brief, concise, to the point, and yet it has to be clear. I can't say, "It's sort of a horror, suspense, adventure, mystery thing." Most of the time, you only have a few seconds to catch a reader's attention and then they'll move on. And even if I know for a fact that the person asking is never going to read my book, how stupid am I going to look if I can't even tell them what it's about?
Speaking of being brief and concise, perhaps I'll save my rant about the difficulties of writing a well-balanced book summary for next time. I'm kind of hungry right now. I've got a weird hankering for chili…
July 16, 2011
The Beginning...
This is the beginning of my blog. This is where I suppose I start everything off by introducing myself and announcing what I'll be writing about on this page…except I don't really have a clue what I'm going to write about yet. I didn't set out to write a blog, after all. I set out to write fiction. But I keep getting told that as a writer I need to write a blog. …I didn't even know what a blog was until fairly recently.
We'll start with who I am, I guess. My name is Brian Harmon. I am an author. I wrote The Temple of the Blind, a dark adventure, horror and suspense series. I began independently publishing my work about three months ago, so I'm still new to all this. It's a roller coaster ride as I monitor my progress day-to-day. Sales slump and sales soar and sales slump again and my mood seems to follow right along with it all, much to the exasperation of my poor wife, who suffers it all quite patiently. I know that she would love for me to find someone else to talk at about my work for awhile. So I guess my journey through the world of independent publishing will be the primary focus of this blog. Perhaps future authors will find some inspiration and guidance among my scattered ramblings. Or at the very least, my fans can get a little chuckle at my expense. I do aim to please, after all.
What else can I say about myself? I grew up in rural Missouri, but now I live in Southern Wisconsin with my wife and two kids. I'm a stay-at-home dad and a first-time homeowner who, it turns out, is highly unqualified to do a great many household repairs (although I'm learning pretty fast). I enjoy cooking, especially when I can experiment with new foods, and I'm getting quite good at it, I'm told. I'm a bit of a pessimist, so I'm sure it won't always be sunny here, but I'm not so bad. I promise. Also, I'm a very private person who is suddenly dealing with the reality that I need to get out and market my books and therefore have to find some way to become outgoing, engaging and approachable. (I haven't even posted this yet and I can already hear some of my friends laughing hysterically at that…) I love movies and theater and I like to play games and watch cartoons with my kids. I like all sorts of ghostly and supernatural things. I despise coconut. I'm also a cat person. …I'd say that pretty well covers me.
After much consideration, I've chosen to title my blog "Dark Things Rising" in reference to my web page, which I refer to as my "gallery of dark imaginings." I thought it seemed rather fitting on more than one level. It sounds nice and creepy, for starters, which relates nicely to my writing, since I am a horror writer, after all. Also, it is my goal to make my writing successful, to grow as an author, to let my "dark things rise" from obscurity.
To my readers, please use this blog as a way to get to know me a little bit. I won't be committing to any specific number of posts per week, as I simply don't know how frequently I can sit down to write just now. I'll simply drop by whenever I can and when I have news to share. I'll post updates on my latest and upcoming releases and talk a bit about my writing and what I'm currently working on. I'll likely be organizing a giveaway of some kind soon, as well. It'll be a great way to celebrate the upcoming release of my first paperback. Feel free to ask me questions and discuss any subject that might come up here.
Well…maybe I do know what I'll be blogging about after all. Sometimes I just have to talk my way through things a little. I guess I'll just start here, then. Welcome to Dark Things Rising and thank you for joining me.
We'll start with who I am, I guess. My name is Brian Harmon. I am an author. I wrote The Temple of the Blind, a dark adventure, horror and suspense series. I began independently publishing my work about three months ago, so I'm still new to all this. It's a roller coaster ride as I monitor my progress day-to-day. Sales slump and sales soar and sales slump again and my mood seems to follow right along with it all, much to the exasperation of my poor wife, who suffers it all quite patiently. I know that she would love for me to find someone else to talk at about my work for awhile. So I guess my journey through the world of independent publishing will be the primary focus of this blog. Perhaps future authors will find some inspiration and guidance among my scattered ramblings. Or at the very least, my fans can get a little chuckle at my expense. I do aim to please, after all.
What else can I say about myself? I grew up in rural Missouri, but now I live in Southern Wisconsin with my wife and two kids. I'm a stay-at-home dad and a first-time homeowner who, it turns out, is highly unqualified to do a great many household repairs (although I'm learning pretty fast). I enjoy cooking, especially when I can experiment with new foods, and I'm getting quite good at it, I'm told. I'm a bit of a pessimist, so I'm sure it won't always be sunny here, but I'm not so bad. I promise. Also, I'm a very private person who is suddenly dealing with the reality that I need to get out and market my books and therefore have to find some way to become outgoing, engaging and approachable. (I haven't even posted this yet and I can already hear some of my friends laughing hysterically at that…) I love movies and theater and I like to play games and watch cartoons with my kids. I like all sorts of ghostly and supernatural things. I despise coconut. I'm also a cat person. …I'd say that pretty well covers me.
After much consideration, I've chosen to title my blog "Dark Things Rising" in reference to my web page, which I refer to as my "gallery of dark imaginings." I thought it seemed rather fitting on more than one level. It sounds nice and creepy, for starters, which relates nicely to my writing, since I am a horror writer, after all. Also, it is my goal to make my writing successful, to grow as an author, to let my "dark things rise" from obscurity.
To my readers, please use this blog as a way to get to know me a little bit. I won't be committing to any specific number of posts per week, as I simply don't know how frequently I can sit down to write just now. I'll simply drop by whenever I can and when I have news to share. I'll post updates on my latest and upcoming releases and talk a bit about my writing and what I'm currently working on. I'll likely be organizing a giveaway of some kind soon, as well. It'll be a great way to celebrate the upcoming release of my first paperback. Feel free to ask me questions and discuss any subject that might come up here.
Well…maybe I do know what I'll be blogging about after all. Sometimes I just have to talk my way through things a little. I guess I'll just start here, then. Welcome to Dark Things Rising and thank you for joining me.
