R.S. Hunter's Blog, page 10

Ten Silver Bullets Available Now!

So this is all rather sudden. Last week I found out my short story "Blood Moon" was accepted in the Ten Silver Bullets werewolf anthology by Adam Millard and Crowded Quarantine Publications! And now that same anthology is available online! Ten Silver Bullets is available for Kindle through Amazon, or you can find it on Smashwords.

"Blood Moon" tells the story of a private eye on the job in Prohibition-era New Orleans. Except he specializes in cases that aren't quite…normal. You'll have to read the story to find out more, but the werewolf theme should give you a hint of where the story might go.

Crowded Quarantine is a UK publisher, so this is doubly exciting for me. I've never been published across the pond so to speak. I also have an electronic copy available for review, so if you're interested contact me.

The Kindle and Changing Reading Habits

While reports are all over the place about whether or not Amazon's Kindle Fire sold well in Q4 2011, I can say without a doubt that Kindle and other e-readers are completely changing reading habits. At the very least, my Kindle Fire has changed my reading habits in just a few short weeks. But what does that mean for me as a reader and as an author?

Personally, I love my Kindle. It's the best Christmas present I've received in a long time. With the ability to wirelessly download books pretty much anywhere, I've found I'm reading a lot more than I was in the last year. It saves me the hassle of having to either go to the library or a bookstore. Both libraries and bookstores suffer from physical limitations: not enough shelf space or not having certain products in stock. And ordering physical books online has its own drawbacks too: you have to wait for them to arrive and sometimes things get lost in the mail.

Since I got my Kindle, I've downloaded more books in just a little over a month than I'd purchased in probably the last six months. Because of that, I've also read more than I had in the last six months. I'm able to carry multiple books with me at one time. I can take it work and read on my breaks. I can take it with me to the tire store and read my multiple books while I wait for the mechanics to put new tires on my car. The Kindle is an amazing tool for helping me, as a reader, read more books and from a wider variety of authors. (I make a point to try and read books by indie authors along with bigger names).

But what does this all mean for me as an author? Well technically, I don't know because I haven't published a novel (yet). But with millions of people owning Kindles and other e-readers I can see the growing importance of ebooks. I used to be a staunch traditionalist. I swore I'd never give up buying paperbacks. Now my tune has changed a little bit. I still love physical media, but I can see the positives associated with ebooks and other digital media. And if I'm able to be swayed, I'm sure there are millions of other readers out there who feel the same way.

I used to only want to see my work appear in print, and not in digital formats, but that doesn't make sense anymore. To ignore ebooks and e-readers would be a huge mistake, especially if you're a first-time or indie author.

Saying No to Fun Things; Saying Yes to Writing

Who doesn't love weekends? I mean, I sure do. They're great. You get to go out with friends, watch TV, play videogames, do sports type things, go on dates, and so on and so forth. What about weeknights? Isn't it great to kick back after a long day at work and read a book, play some videogames, or watch some TV? You bet it is! Of course there's one problem with all the activities I just listed: where's the time for writing?

I feel like this a trap a lot of writers (including myself) can easily fall into. We all have friends, social lives, and significant others. We tend to have other hobbies and interests other than just writing. All of those activities, people, and hobbies take up time. So how do you balance all of them and still find time to write? You have to learn to say no.

It's tough; nobody wants to say no to their friends when they invite you somewhere fun. Nobody wants to force themselves to write on a night after work, when the words just aren't flowing. But sometimes you have to.

I fell into the bad habit of putting off writing. If it was a weekday I'd tell myself, "Oh I'll write extra tomorrow" or "Well I can always write a ton on the weekend, so go ahead, watch that episode of Top Chef." But then it'd be Saturday and I'd get invited to go hang out with friends. I'd tell myself that I had all day Sunday to write, so once again writing would take a backseat to everything else.

Writing is a craft, and it takes practice and dedication to get better at it. I desperately want to get better because I want to get more pieces published, and eventually support myself by writing full-time. I had to take a hard look at how much (or little) time I was devoting to my craft. It was painful to finally acknowledge that I was doing myself a disservice. But in the end, it's been worth it. Since I realized what I had to do to get better, I've been able to make progress on a novel WIP that had been sitting dormant for months as well as begin rough plotting for a new novel.

How do I do it? I say no to fun things. When my coworkers go out to lunch: I say no thanks (Pro tip: always be polite when you decline doing fun things). I spend many of my lunch breaks writing. (Pro tip #2: Dropbox is a lifesaver because I don't have to take a flashdrive with my most recent WIP to and from work) When I get home I only let myself watch a limited amount of TV and I don't let myself go to bed before I've hit my word count. I write more even if I've already hit my word count goal during my lunch break. When it comes to weekends, I try to get my writing done during the day while I'm doing laundry or something rather than just playing videogames.

It isn't always easy. Laziness is an extremely alluring option. But if I can learn to say no to fun things and activities, you can too. It's the only way I'm going to improve, hone my craft, and one day get to do the thing I love full time.

New Acceptance! The Exile’s Violin Contracted by Hydra Publications

Good news, bad news time. Bad news is I got a flat tire on my way to work this morning (Mondays…amirite?) and have to buy some new tire(s). But the good news definitely outweighs that: I get to officially announce that my steampunk, fantasy novel The Exile’s Violin has been accepted by Hydra Publications! Here’s a little description about the novel:

The Exile’s Violin is a steampunk novel set in the fictional world of Tethys. Jacquie Renairre’s life is ordinary up until the night her parents are murdered and two of their prized possessions are stolen: a pair of black and white revolvers and a black key. After spending six years trying to track down the murderers, all she uncovers is a mystery that will take her around the globe in order to stop a war from breaking out. The Exile’s Violin is a story of loss, action, airships, gunfights, and long-buried magic.

So I’ve known about this acceptance for a couple of weeks, but I got the official green light to announce it today. I had to wait until the ink was dry on the publishing contract and all that. Right now The Exile’s Violin is slated for a Summer/Fall 2012 release in electronic and paperback formats. It’s funny up until now I didn’t feel like this was really happening…but it is!

That’s all the information I have for now, but I’ll post updates on the revisions, samples (if I can), cover art (when I see it), and a firm release date (when it’s set). I’m also going to blog about my experiences getting a novel published for the first time. I have a feeling it’s a whole different ballgame than being included in an anthology.

Please contact me if you have more questions or want to set up an author interview or guest post or something! Now I have to go celebrate! (aka get back to my day job)

New Acceptance! The Exile's Violin Contracted by Hydra Publications

Good news, bad news time. Bad news is I got a flat tire on my way to work this morning (Mondays…amirite?) and have to buy some new tire(s). But the good news definitely outweighs that: I get to officially announce that my steampunk, fantasy novel The Exile's Violin has been accepted by Hydra Publications! Here's a little description about the novel:

The Exile's Violin is a steampunk novel set in the fictional world of Tethys. Jacquie Renairre's life is ordinary up until the night her parents are murdered and two of their prized possessions are stolen: a pair of black and white revolvers and a black key. After spending six years trying to track down the murderers, all she uncovers is a mystery that will take her around the globe in order to stop a war from breaking out. The Exile's Violin is a story of loss, action, airships, gunfights, and long-buried magic.

So I've known about this acceptance for a couple of weeks, but I got the official green light to announce it today. I had to wait until the ink was dry on the publishing contract and all that. Right now The Exile's Violin is slated for a Summer/Fall 2012 release in electronic and paperback formats. It's funny up until now I didn't feel like this was really happening…but it is!

That's all the information I have for now, but I'll post updates on the revisions, samples (if I can), cover art (when I see it), and a firm release date (when it's set). I'm also going to blog about my experiences getting a novel published for the first time. I have a feeling it's a whole different ballgame than being included in an anthology.

Please contact me if you have more questions or want to set up an author interview or guest post or something! Now I have to go celebrate! (aka get back to my day job)

Five Sci-Fi & Fantasy Wallpapers

I love customizing my desktop background. I have a folder on my computer dedicated to cool wallpapers. Some of my favorites have to be sci-fi, fantasy, or abstract themed. Here's some of the awesome ones I've found this weekend. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so maybe one of these will inspire a new short story, poem, or novel! Click on the pics to be taken to where you can download the full-sized versions.

I like this one's yellow color palette. Plus explosions in space are cool. Ask anyone.

Another space-y planet-y type wallpaper. A nice blue contrast to the yellow one up above.

This one's called "Rusted" and I think it fits perfectly. So there you have it: space wallpapers based roughly on the primary colors. Now onto a couple of fantasy desktop backgrounds.

I like this one because she's a fantasy female warrior of some kind, but she's wearing sensible armor, not a chainmail bikini.

This one caught my eye because it could be interpreted as either fantasy or sci-fi. Either way, it's cool looking.

 

Naming Your Characters

Naming the characters in your short stories and novels can be fun or it can be a huge nightmare. Sometimes you'll write a character and you'll already have the perfect name for them. And then sometimes this happens: you finish a chapter or story and it's filled with characters with placeholder names. It happens to me more often than I'd like to admit. I've lost count of how many characters I've had to call Guy1, Person McPerson, or Girl3 until I can find more proper names for them. I'm sure it happens to even the most famous writers. Imagine Stephen King writing all of something like The Shining but with placeholder names for Jack, Danny, and Wendy.

But luckily there are tons of resources out there for writers who've hit a roadblock when it comes to naming their characters. Here are some of my favorites. Some of them are geared more toward science fiction and fantasy, but others can work for any kind of story.

Seventh Sanctum — This website has a huge collection of name generators. It's definitely one of my favorite sites. Some of the generators are more humorous than others, but overall it's usually the first place I turn to.

Squid.org — This website's random name generator is geared more towards fantasy, but still some of the options are really useful. It can only generate so many names at a time, but its options more than make up for that.

— This website's name generator is made up of "real" names from around the world. You're able to choose what countries and cultures you want it to generate names from. Also most of the names have descriptions associated with them so you can find out alternate spellings and meanings.

— This isn't a web-based generator. Instead it's a program where you can download a free trial version. It contains thousands of different names from all around the world. You can even download different "chapters" that can generate names based on other fantasy works and universes. It's a great resource for when you're looking for a very specific type of name.

There are other resources out there, but these are some of my favorites. They've definitely saved me from submitting a manuscript full of placeholder characters.

Sci-Fi Space Battles and Submarine Warfare

Want to know one of my favorite sci-fi space battle scenes of all time? Definitely in my top five is the space portion of the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi. Even if you've seen it dozens of times (and if you haven't seen it shame on you) go watch it on YouTube real quick and get reacquainted with it.

Still awesome, right? Nothing like that CGI mess at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith. Despite the Battle of Endor being one of my all time favorite space battles, there's one thing wrong with it: space combat will never be like that. In fact, I have a feeling space combat will be more like submarine warfare.

It's no secret that George Lucas based a lot of his space battles off old gun camera footage from WWII aerial battles, and it shows. X-Wings and TIE Fighters behave more like airplanes than ships fighting in a vacuum. In fact it's not until Empire Strikes Back that you actually see a ship do something "spacey". While trying to escape from Hoth, the Millennium Falcon is being chased by a Star Destroyer and two more are moving to cut it off from the front. This is a good move…if they were on an ocean. In space you have three dimensions to work with, and finally it seems like Han realizes that. He dives the Falcon straight "down" at a 90 degree angle. Because of the Star Destroyers' mass and inertia they're unable to make the same maneuver in time and end up crashing into each other.

But that scene still isn't a very "realistic" depiction of a space battle either. (Yes I know "realistic" isn't quite the word because to this day there hasn't been an actual space battle. Just bear with me.)

The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series gets it a little better. The Galactica resembles a submarine more than anything else. Its bridge isn't exposed on the top or front of the ship. It's buried in the middle under layers of armor. The crew has to rely on a vast array of sensors and projections to keep track of enemy positions. Still because it's a TV show, the space battles have to be exciting, so most of them take place at very close ranges where the Galactica and Cylon Basestars. This allows the viewer to see the two ships firing conventional kinetic weapons at each other along with barrages of missiles. Still some aspects of the combat feel more like naval vessels fighting each other than space ships.

However, given the vastness of space, it's unlikely that two ships engaging each other would ever get close enough to establish visual contact–especially given that light can only travel so fast. If you were far enough away, any visual you'd receive would already be outdated. Therefore space combat will probably take place at great distances and based around highly sophisticated guess work.

Instead it'll be like two submarines trying to outmaneuver and outguess each other. Submarines have to rely on sonar and other instruments to figure out where their enemies are. My guess is that space combat will be more like that. More like a chess match than two heavy brawlers punching each other in the face. Still that kind of fight doesn't make for very entertaining movies and TV episodes, doesn't it? So while my head knows that space battles will happen one way, my heart will still be fascinated by swooping fighters, flashing lasers, and big explosions. I think I'm going to go watch that Endor clip one more time.

Obligatory "It's been too long" Post

Obvious title is obvious. Well now that's out of the way, let's get to the actual blogging.

I just finished The Briar King by Greg Keyes last night, and I haven't been this disappointed or bored with a book in a long time. But there's something to be said for sticking with less-than-stellar books, especially if you're a writer. Sometimes I think it's just as valuable to learn what not to do.

(Before I begin, I want to say that Keyes is probably a fine writer. I haven't read any of his other books, but considering his bibliography I'm betting he has skills. The Briar King just wasn't too my liking. But this isn't a knee-jerk reaction and I'll explain why)

First of all Keyes does a great job of worldbuilding in this novel. The depth he put into developing the different countries, peoples, dialects (especially dialects) is pretty remarkable. There were two problems that ended up squandering all of this worldbuilding potential though. One: the map included in my mass market paperback was so damn tiny I couldn't read any of the words, so I had no idea where any of the places were in relation to each other. Two: nothing really interesting happens to capitalize on all this awesome development.

I get that The Briar King is part of a series so not everything is going to be resolved at the end, but there's a limit to how much slack I'm willing to cut it. Almost nothing gets explained and the characters barely grow (and that is definitely me being generous). The chivalrous knight continues to be a noble knight. The monk trying to unravel an ancient conspiracy is still in the dark. The grumpy old guy is slightly less grumpy, but still about the same. Every character feels like they were taken from a barrel of stock epic fantasy characters. And the love interest for the grumpy old guy–she kind of just gets thrown in there and next thing I know they're confessing their love to each other with barely any set up or even mention of her.

It's strange, the book is filled with action and bloody, gruesome fights, but I can't remember a time where so much action left me so bored. I couldn't care about the characters, their motivations were shallow and one dimensional, and the world-ending threat was still as vague as ever by the end. I was happy to put the book down and move on.

For me The Briar King is a great reminder that even if you're writing a series, you still have to give your readers something. Star Wars: A New Hope was written more as a stand-alone so things wrap up nicely, but even Empire Strikes Back, which was clearly designed with a sequel in mind, resolves enough plot lines to give the audience some sense of resolution despite creating even bigger questions: will Luke take Vader up on his offer later on? Will Han get unfrozen and rescued from Jabba the Hutt? What will happen to the Rebels after they got their asses handed to them down on Hoth?

The Briar King ends with all questions, and one particularly damning one: why should I care? As a writer you have to constantly ask yourself: what are the stakes here for each character? Why should the reader care if the princess gets rescued or not? Why is it so necessary to stop the bad guy from taking over the kingdom? If the writer has done their job properly the reader will know why the bad buy needs to be stopped from taking over the kingdom–because he'll outlaw dancing in the kingdom and the people need dancing to appease the rain gods, of course.

So sadly I'll end The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone with this question and answer: do I care enough to keep reading? No, I don't.

20,001 A Steampunk Odyssey Now Available!

This post is a few days late, but who cares because the 20,001 A Steampunk Odyssey by Kindling Press is now available! It features ten steampunk stories including my sci-fi/steampunk story "Strike Breakers."

Here's a little blurb for "Strike Breakers" to get you interested:

There's no work in Brentry Tor. The Wilder and Grimes Railway Company knows it and uses that fact to bring in droves of desperate men to work on the first ever transcontinental steam railway. But when the pay stops coming and the excuses pile up, the workers have no choice but to go on strike. Now it's only a matter of time before Wilder and Grimes sends in strike breakers.

20,001 A Steampunk Odyssey is available on Amazon and Smashwords. Go check it out, and if any of you are interested in review copies, let me know!