Marc Johnson's Blog, page 4

The Plan for 2018

So 2018 is looking to be a busy year. I plan on releasing the 4th book in my The Passage of Hellsfire series, Eternal Darkness. But I also plan to do a couple of other things.

I’m going to try to sell my books in person. A couple of years ago, I went to a local sci-fi/fantasy con, Convolution and had a table. It was a simple table and a small con.

I honestly had no idea what to expect. I was alone with no experience in conventions on the selling side of things. I think I did well all things considering. This year I decided to do it again but at bigger ones. I even bought myself a banner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The three things I plan to go to are:

Bay Area Book Festival

Baycon

Worldcon

I remember thinking that I wanted to go to Worldcon to network. I’m pretty bad at networking. Instead of going to a convention to try and strike up conversations with strangers in the most awkward way, I thought, why not have them come to me? And I could sell a few books and make a couple of bucks at the same time. However, I’m still not sure if my booth got accepted yet. I hope it does. As I’d love to see what Worldcon is like and meet some of the podcasters I listen to and the writers I’ve read. Then again, it is expensive at $400. Will I even make my money back? I’m not sure.

Although I had just planned to go to Worldcon this year, I stumbled upon a rather sizable book fair also in my neck of the woods. There’s a lot of things that happen in the Bay Area. I had never heard of it before but from the pictures and videos I watched, it looked rather large. It’s in Berkeley, and Berkeley does love its books.

While the book fair isn’t genre specific and costs the same was Worldcon, because of all the book lovers there, I thought why not? I had asked people if they’ve been to it before and even though it is surprisingly big, no one I know has gone to it. Part of me wishes that I had just checked it out this year as a consumer, the other part of me was like fork it! The fork it side won.

Oddly enough, Baycon is the cheaper of the three. I’m actually splitting a table with someone so that defrayed the cost. It’s a pretty big fantasy/sci-fi convention from what I know, but it does have the problem of being during Memorial Day weekend. There are surprisingly a lot of conventions in the area that weekend.

Between convention fees and banners, I’ve already spent about $1000, or I will assuming they accept my application. There’s also books I have to buy. So this is a lot of money for a small, indie author that no one’s ever heard of.

I still have no idea whether or not I’ll make my money back at either or all of the conventions. But I’ll be sure to let you know how each of them goes. It’ll be experience either way.

Marc Johnson

The Living Remnants is Now Available as an Audiobook

My horror, short story, The Living Remnants, can now be heard on Audible or on iTunes. If you give it a listen, please think about leaving a review.

See you next year!

Esmeralda, one of the human survivors of an apocalyptic war, now lives a precarious life as a servant to a family of zombies. She knows she’s better off than many other humans, who are imprisoned in breeding camps and slaughtered for food. Her masters treat her well, and their young daughter reminds Esme of her own little girl, killed during the war. But Esme can’t forget everything she’s lost—or the knowledge that her masters could turn on her at any moment.

When rebels interrupt the zombies’ supply of human food, Esme’s position becomes even more dangerous. And this time, the price of survival may be more than she is prepared to pay.

Top 5 Things Wrong With Star Trek Discovery

If you’ve read any of my posts, you know that I’m a big Star Trek fan. With Star Trek Discovery (STD), reaching its mid-season finale break, I thought now would be a good time to write about it.

1. IT’S A PREQUEL

Now, prequels CAN be good, generally speaking, they’re bad. The major problem with them is we know too much about what’s going to happen and it takes away from the drama. Not to mention that the original source material is simply better.

In STD, it being a prequel isn’t bad. I’ll never understand why they don’t want to make anything post Voyager (VOY) though. But this is the THIRD prequel, and like the JJVerse, it doesn’t bring anything new.

Enterprise (ENT) is a vastly underrated show, but it too, was also a prequel. That worked because it took place about a century before the Star Trek we all knew and love. Even though we knew where it was going–the formation of the Federation–the how they would get there was still interesting. In ENT, we got to see what was basically a lone ship in a dangerous universe where that made plenty of mistakes. They learned from those mistakes and that’s where things like the Prime Directive came from. Not only that but a lot of the time they were vastly outgunned.



So far STD has done nothing new or exciting. And since it takes place in a time period where Spock and Kirk are alive, it makes me wonder why we’re not seeing that awesome crew?

2. WAR!!!

Deep Space Nine (DS9) is the best Star Trek show and one of the best sci-fi shows period. There’s so many things it did great, but the one for this topic is the war between the Dominion and the Federation. Before that war there was even a war between the Federation and the Klingons and even one against the Maquis. The wars in DS9 far surpass anything STD has done. Why is that?

Well, DS9 built up the Dominion, both as a mystery and a threat. It isn’t until the final episode of season five that they actually went to war. Before that, there was a cold war between their counterpart as the Dominion manipulated things. More importantly, you got to understand the Dominion and their motives. There were even times when the Federation and the Dominion worked together for the greater good. They didn’t just dump everything and start off with a war in a pilot.

STD starts off their show with the Klingon/Federation war for the most cockamamie of reasons. We don’t care about the characters, the reasons aren’t clear, and we don’t know or understand the world. Because in DS9 we got to see the build up to the inevitable war, we got to see how humans could change under such stressful conditions.



3. IT’S DARK

Because there’s a war, that automatically makes STD dark, which is the tone they’re going for. Unfortunately, they seem to have forgotten what makes Star Trek, Star Trek. The reason the dark tone in DS9 worked was because it was contrasted against the optimistic nature of the Star Trek universe. Everything might have seen fine in Federation or as some like to call paradise, but even they weren’t without problems.

People wanted to leave the Federation, they had to deal with the merging of three technologies on the station, they have to occupy another people and deal with their religions beliefs, all sorts of different races lived on the station, the former occupiers wanted their station back, they were on the front of line of a new exploration, and all of that was on top of dealing with the Dominion.

Even though there were a lot of serious issues on the show, DS9 still had their light moments like playing baseball or going on a scavenger hunt. Although tough decisions such as saving the life of one’s enemy, making a planet uninhabitable, or dragging a people into a war, clashed against the morals and ideals of the Federation, they still struggled with those choices. None of that in STD.



4. NO CHARACTERS

I may have listed this as number four, but this may be the biggest problem with STD. We haven’t really gotten to know anybody. Because the two hour movie pilot jumped ahead in time, that felt like it’s own separate thing. Because characters like Michelle Yeoh and the security chief died, we don’t really get to know them either. They introduced that guy who was a prisoner so we’ve spent little time with him too along with Mudd.

My point is the story and characters feel trundicated. We have spent the most time with Michael, but even then I still feel as if I don’t know her. I can’t tell it’s because of the bad writing or acting. She’s a human raised by Vulcans, Spock’s adopted brother, and is responsible for the war. That’s a lot going on for her but I still feel as if I don’t know her. Saru probably has the most potential because of his fear genes, but they don’t seem to want to explore that or how the war has changed him. I like Cadet Tilly but I’m still not sure why a cadet is on board nor why Michael is so cold to her. A character like Tilly should warm up Michael or have Michael become like a mentor to her. The best character is Stamets. He has an arc and different sides to him besides being a jackass.

There’s also the problem of the lack of characters when it comes to the ship and the world in general. It doesn’t feel like Star Fleet or the Federation, STD feels more like a place where weird shit happens as opposed to a science ship, with a war going on, Discovery should be doing more missions with other people or at least interacting with them. Instead she feels like her own even though she’s not.

5. CHANGES FOR CHANGES SAKE

Because it’s 2017, the show is made with a 2017 audience and tech in mind. However, since it’s a prequel, the advances in technology are completely out of place like magical drives that take the ship anywhere and holographic communication. But my biggest problem are the Klingons. Why did they feel the need to change them? Back when the TOS movies aired, they updated the Klingons makeup so they could actually look more like aliens and less like blackface. That worked. People today recognize those Klingons plus the actors can give facial expressions and move. Can’t do that here. Improving some things are fine especially when it comes to makeup. But changing things because it’s convenient to the plot is just lazy.

I’m sure that this entire show takes place in the JJVerse. Maybe that’ll be “twist” at the end of the season. Maybe Discovery is Lost in Space but in Star Trek’s multiverse.

I actually hope that once they’re done with the war, that they can get back to things like exploration, science, and morality. This has the potential to be a good show if they start doing their own thing. When they do the five seconds of science, technobabble talk, I do enjoy the show. Those are the rare moments that it actually feels like Star Trek.

Marc Johnson

Eternal Darkness Cover Reveal

Coming in 2018…

Reawakening (The Passage of Hellsfire, Book 3) is Now Available as an Audiobook

As the title says, Reawakening is now up as an audiobook. You can listen to it on Audible or iTunes. I would appreciate it if you listened to it and gave a review. Because it’ll help decide on whether book 4, Eternal Darkness, comes out in audio too.

 

Saying Goodbye to My Editor

Last month, as I got closer to completing my fourth book, Eternal Darkness, I reached out to my editor. She gave me a bit of sad news saying that she doesn’t edit anymore since she makes enough money from her writing now. To that I say, good for her! However, it has left me in a bit of a bind since I’m close to needing an editor. But instead of talking about my search for an editor, which I might do in a later post, I’d like to talk about my (former) editor.

Eight years ago, I searched for an editor for Catalyst. In some ways, it was easier finding an editor then than it is now. I have to admit, I was a terrible writer, or an inexperienced one if I’m feeling kind to myself. There were so many things I didn’t know back then. Because my draft for CAT was so bad, I got rejected by a lot of editors. They told me I needed to work on my craft first. I know that I needed to, but honestly, I didn’t know how to. Unlike most professions, I believe writing is something you learn by doing rather than going to school. But where do you start? I could only get so much experience from books and classes.

In any case, I did narrow it down and eventually chose, Lauren. She taught me a great many things, and my writing is stronger for it. While she was expensive, she was entirely worth it. For me, it was like having my own personal mentor and going to school where I was the only student. Over the years, because of her, I’m now a better writer for it. My drafts are cleaner and I’m able to see and understand things a lot more when it comes to story and characters. I’m not perfect nor the best, but I am better. And all I’ve ever strived for is to be better–in writing and in life.

I just wanted to say thank you and goodbye Lauren for all that you’ve taught me. I will always carry those lessons with me and will never forget them or you.

Marc Johnson

How to Write the “Other”

Writing the “other” is something that’s not talked about that often. As someone who’s a Person of Color (PoC), I feel qualified to talk about it. Disclaimer: I don’t speak for all PoC.

People are afraid to write the “other” mainly due to the fact that they don’t have experience with it. Even if you don’t, you shouldn’t be scared to write about it. We live in the Information Age. You can easily Google a subject you don’t know about. Not only that, you can reach out to people who do have experience with it and talk to them. You can learn from them and get a sense of what they’ve been through and how they feel if you keep an open mind.

Even if you don’t have access to that information you shouldn’t let that stop you from writing about the “other”. If I remember correctly, a long time ago I read an article about Dwayne McDuffie and others. What I took from it the most was that back in the 70s and 80s there were very few non-white superhero characters specifically black and Asian. Those eventual comic creators grew up reading Luke Cage and Shang-Chi as that’s all that were around back then. A lot of those comics were written by white men. By today’s standards, those comics were incredibly racist. By those period standards they were also racist just not to white people. Actors and directors said similar things about movies they grew up watching.

Nevertheless, all those people were inspired by those things they watched and read growing up because despite how racist or sexist it was, they got to see themselves portrayed in their favorite medium. They all came to the realization that they had to do a fairer and better representation of their people. They knew they could do it in telling their own people’s story rather than some white man.

So even though the origins of what they watched or read wasn’t necessarily created for them or nothing more than a money grab into capturing another market, it still worked just not in a way that was foreseen by those in charge. It’s extremely unlikely that with all the access to information today that you’ll inspire people to do what McDuffie and others did, but you never know.

Just because you choose to write the “other” doesn’t mean you should write them in a favorable light. We’re not all good people. You don’t want to write the Magical Negro. However, when every PoC is written or shown in a negative light you should write them in a positive light. It’s to counterbalance the pendulum, which has to swing heavily the other way for balance. And eventually it goes back and forth until it settles in a fair and balanced way. That will take awhile though.

People complain about diversity today when it’s shown in movies and TV. See Wonder Woman and Doctor Who. Spider-Man: Homecoming recently came out and before then people whined about all the PoC in the casting. And they whined about it after. I loved the casting, but not the movie. As a side note, they went way too out of the way to not be like Raimi’s movies, I didn’t want to see Spidey in an Iron Man suit, and Iron Man’s presence was way bigger than Uncle Ben’s who didn’t get mentioned once. One of the reasons, I loved the casting is because that’s how major cities are these days.

I’ve lived in California most of my life and it’s very diverse. All coastal states in United States are far more diverse than those in the middle. But the diversity is slowly creeping its way to the middle. What I liked about Homecoming’s casting is that they didn’t go out of their way to reference it. It just was. And that’s how it is in real life. If you don’t live in or near a major city, you’ll notice it when you’re on vacation. But of course, everyone is visiting that place. Just explore the city a little bit and you’ll see it. One of the reasons I love the Fast and Furious movies is that it’s the same way.

I hate it when there’s a cast of mostly white males, one black character, one or two females, and maybe one brown character. Stuff like that makes the minorities stand out. It also doesn’t help that those PoC characters are either one dimensional or stuck in a stereotypical role. They’re not people. They’re caricatures.

Don’t be afraid to write the “other.” I’m not a woman. Hell, I don’t even have a woman. But a lot of my stories have women in them especially my non-Hellsfire stories. Since I sometimes struggle with things, I hired a woman editor to help me. And I’ve learned a lot from her just by listening to her point of view. Don’t be afraid to ask for help either. You don’t need to do this on your own.

Marc Johnson

All About the Benjamins

Over the years, I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts and read a few blogs that writers do. What’s fascinating is that in a way, I’ve been on their journey with them. I’ve watched their careers grow and seen them become full time writers, which is a dream for most writers. Yet when they’ve become full time writers, something changes. Writing is no longer about putting out the best story they want to tell. Writing becomes a commodity and is all about the money.

I’m all right if people make money. We all need it to live. But I feel like a lot of these writers lose something when writing becomes not only a job but a business to them. I also think they’re wrong in talking about it as a business. Writing’s more of an investment.

When you write, you invest in a fan base. You should (I hope) try to put out the best product available. And say you write a few books and never write again. Theoretically, you can make money for the rest of your life off it much like a stock, bond, or fund. You don’t have to do anything with your works and you’ll still make money. A business requires so much more energy and time. Publishing is a business. There’s schedules, marketing, outsourcing, etc. to take into account. And while you can equate writing with manufacturing, it’s far more creative than that.

I’m a bit saddened that most of those writers rarely talk about writing anymore, how to interact with fans, what to do at conventions, editing, hiring the right editor, copywriting, audiobooks, etc. Everything they speak about seems to be about money. The very small parts of when they talk about writing also pertains to money usually along the lines of “if I break this book down into two parts and end with a cliffhanger but not resolve anything, it’ll sell more!”

I get it. I really do. We all want to do something we enjoy and love and be able to live off it. But I feel as if the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction. And I don’t feel like they continue to work on their craft, which I feel is the most important thing. How could they? They spend all their time and energy into trying to make money, and if they’re successful at it, they no longer feel the need to get better. It’s good enough. They’ve got fans and they have other books to put out or talks to give.

Over the years, I’ve read a few of these books–some traditionally published, some indie, some big names, some not so much. The majority of those books I read had a lot of promise and I did enjoy quite a few of them. I read either their next book in the series or the next thing they published, and more often than not, I was sorely disappointed in those following books.

While I thought their first books had things I enjoyed, they were by no means perfect. They still had issues. What I expected from the subsequent books was either fixing those problems or growth. Sadly, I would say most of the books I read showed neither, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s indie or trad. I never read anything from most of those authors again.

I’m not against people making money by any means. In fact, I like money. I use it a lot. It’s just not my driving force behind why I write. When it comes to money, I tend to think of this:



and more recently this:



There should be a balance between the two. You just have to find it.



Marc Johnson

Changing

I’ve feel like I’ve reached a turning point in my life. I’ve had a few of these and I think I’ve reached another one. Life is funny. People that meet me know me now or have met me in the past few years think of me differently than people that have known me since I was a kid or a teenager. It’s a little bit jarring.

People say I’m one of the most chilled, laid back guys. Girls say I’m a pretty sweet and nice guy. I guess it’s true, but since I’ve lived with me and been inside my thoughts for my entire life, I know I haven’t always been that way.

For most of my life, I was an angry, emotional person. I spent a lot of time trying to rein in my emotions. I reached a point where I was able to access my emotional switch and turn it off. At least, that’s the way I see it in my head. It is, however, a hard switch to turn back on.

I feel more at peace with myself than I’ve ever felt in my entire life. Yet, it’s not all good. I also feel empty and devoid of emotions at times. But I would prefer feeling this way than being overloaded with emotion.

When I run into people that knew me when I was younger or hang out with them, it’s a bit weird. We each view each other as we were from back in the day. Of course, we’re different now. For myself, I’m more confident, calm, and emotionally centered. My friends are happily married and parents now. I now understand why parents will always view their child as they originally see them. Must be hard wired to the human brain.

Yet even though I feel like I’m a different person now, the core of me will always be the same. I will always have the same values and beliefs. I think for the core to change a great tragedy or catastrophe must happen to you, or you must do something that will shake your very core. I know I’ve both done something I’ve terribly regret and have had things done to me. Those things changed my outlook on life.

And as reflective as I’ve become of late, there’s also a reason why I’ve been drawn to these characters over my entire life.

Sure, I lack their power and money, but I do have their drive, ideals, honor, ego, and beliefs. I’m curious as to where I’ll be next in a few years. Those characters did all go back to being a villain.

Marc Johnson

Ghosting is Now Available as an Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My novella, Ghosting, is now up as an audio book through Audible, Amazon, or iTunes. My narrator did an excellent job so please give it a listen. And if you like it, please leave a review.

Ghosting is also the first book in a shared universe that I plan to build. My own little 616, if you will. After I’m done with the 4th book in my The Passage of Hellsfire series, Eternal Darkness, I plan to write another book in the same universe. Maybe one day I’ll bring it all together like The Avengers movie, but it’s going to take some time. Think of it more like George RR Martin’s forgotten series, Wild Cards, or the way all of Stephen King’s works have a connection to his The Dark Tower.