H.B. Berlow's Blog, page 24

And the countdown begins in earnest!

Today marks 6 weeks until the release of Lost in the Plains, the Ark City Confidential Chronicles, Book Three. In just a scant 4 weeks, we will have a cover reveal.

As the main part of the story involves an escaped German POW heading to Ark City, presumably to commit an act of sabotage, I was fortunate to visit the remnants of one of 16 actual POW camps here in Kansas during the Second World War. Camp Concordia POW Camp is staffed by volunteers and accepts donations. They sit a few miles north of Concordia, Kansas. Paul Rimovsky was my guide when I visited last year. There truly is so much history that we are unaware of.

I have spoken to many native Kansas who were not aware of its existence and its importance in the war effort. While there was never an escape from this prison camp, I’m certain those who take care of this historical treasure will indulge the literary necessity of fabricating one.

Stay tuned for excerpts in forthcoming weeks.

In the meantime, to get caught up, you might consider purchasing Ark City Confidential and Secrets of the Righteous.

Character Photos – Lost in the Plains

I have put together a book trailer for all of my novels thus far. Nothing fancy or elaborate. My own photos (either from archives or taken by me) to avoid copyright infringement. A wonderful website for royalty-free music. A script. And Windows Movie Maker. They have all gotten the point across.

But last year I added something different. For the second book of the Ark City Confidential Chronicles, Secrets of the Righteous, I created a character representation video. I did not own the rights to those photos but they were chosen to provide potential readers with a visual idea of who the primary characters were.

I tried it again. Book Three, Lost in the Plains, scheduled for release on September 16, 2019, now has a character representation video. A book trailer is still planned for release on September 9, 2019

It is my hope these videos will spark additional interest for the series as a whole. I hope you enjoy.

Book One, Ark City Confidential, is available on Amazon.

The Big Announcement

I am pleased to announce that Lost In The Plains, the Ark City Confidential Chronicles – Book Three, is scheduled for release through The Wild Rose Press on September 16, 2019.

Throughout the next 7+ weeks be on the lookout for: the cover release; the representative character photos video; excerpts; and the book trailer.

In the meantime, here is the official blurb:

It’s 1943 and World War II rages on overseas. However, for Baron Witherspoon, beat cop, his sole concern is keeping his city safe. Yet that seems impossible when two FBI agents show up, claim a German POW soldier has escaped and is on his way to Arkansas City, Kansas.

The threat is no longer “over there”. And the stakes rise when the agents accuse one of their own as an accomplice. Now everyone Baron encounters, even old acquaintances, could be a Nazi sympathizer. It will take a lot of digging to get to the truth.

Book one in the series, Ark City Confidential, and Book Two, Secrets of the Righteous, are both currently available on Amazon.

Thank you for your continued support.

Does genre dictate writing style?

I started getting more serious about fiction writing when I completed my first NaNoWriMo. Knowing what was involved, I wrote a brief outline but allowed myself free reign with the story. It was contemporary crime fiction so nothing elaborate was involved in terms of research. It was the first novel for me to be published by a small press. Because of the nature of the writing, I developed primarily as a pantser.

Several more NanOWriMos, another book published by the same press, same writing style. It was always a brief outline, some character bios, and a general notion as to how the story would go but not necessarily where it would wind up. And I was okay with that.

Flash forward to 2016. In my efforts to find something “new” to work on I developed all the stories my wife’s uncle told me about Arkansas City, KS, colloquially known as Ark City. Tales of underground tunnels and the epithet of “Little Chicago” fascinated me. There was a certain deal of research to be done in terms of images, places, logistics. I had an outline of the story. I had character bios, all as before. Even in this case, the wrap up of the story simply came to me one day. So, for the most part I was still a pantser.

However, after Ark City Confidential was published, I determined to develop it into a series. Now, the time period is moving forward. There are references to real life historical figures. NOW there is MORE research. There is still a minor element of surprise for me as a writer but less of the “writing by the seat of my pants” attitude.

So, after Secrets of the Righteous, I moved on toward World War II. I had determined there had been POW camps in Kansas. I visited the remnants of one, an entire day trip devoted to research. I knew where the story was going, much like the escaped prisoner and his secret mission of sabotage. It was a methodical movement in terms of story.

We await a release date for that book. Book Four is being written; Book Five has been outlined. And then…

A new series, post war, taking place in Wichita. I have already spent two full days in the research wing of the

Advanced Learning Library in Wichita. All this for a new series not even planned until 2022. The precision of writing has taken over the pantser mentality. The need for historical accuracy has dictated a definitive approach. I’m sure the direction of the story may alter at some point. After all, we do still account for the organic nature of creativity.

But certainly, I have found, for me, the switch to this genre has altered the style of my writing. How do you work within your genre?

Some viewing ideas for the 4th

When you think of the 4th of July, certain images come to mind. Fireworks. American flags. Hamburgers and hot dogs. Family cookouts. Patriotism. Some folks will watch (or binge watch) movies and t.v. shows. Here are just a few subjective suggestions for a bit of Americana.

The American Western has long been a staple of cinema and t.v. While there are many to choose from, why not go back to How The West Was Won? This epic tale follows a family as they trek westward to build a life for themselves. Two sisters go down different paths and their children and their stories show the pioneer spirit of our country. It was such an epic film that it required no less than three directors.

Of course, our freedoms were often acquired through battle, fighting against those who would try to impose their will and evil ideals upon us. For me, Saving Private Ryan hits all cylinders. The soldiers are primarily enlisted men, not career soldiers, all bonding over their desire to get through the war alive. While they do not all agree on their mission, it takes a noble sacrifice so that one man can continue on his family’s legacy.

The most uniquely American music is Jazz. There haven’t been as many good movies about the genre but the one that stands out the most is Bird with a Cannes Best Actor performance by Forest Whitaker. Perhaps many of Charlie Parker’s issues were brought on by himself. But his struggles to stay true to the music is what has made him a legend.

Finally, the movie that brings a tear to my eye with its closing line (“Hey, Dad, you wanna have a catch?”) — Field of Dreams. There is a purity and goodness about this movie, something that feels so honest about coming to terms with the past, both personal and collective. James Earl Jones’ speech is the most magical piece of writing I have heard in a script.

So, what will YOU be watching today?

I’m doing too much/I’m not doing enough

Anyone who practices any kind of artistic discipline will ask themselves both of those questions at some point in time. I have heard numerous times from writers that they are not doing enough social media, not doing enough to build their platform, and just don’t have enough time. By contrast, I’ve encountered those who are asking (themselves and others) what they should be doing other than writing and editing and looking for an agent.

I’ll come back from a writer’s conference and make all these incredible plans to start tweeting daily, post on Instagram two to three times per week, create a blog post every other day. And then, Life (with a capital L) comes to confront me like the ice bucket challenge. I look at the states for my website and see I’ve gotten three hits in the last month and realize I haven’t updated the photos or seen any new blog posts.

Blog posts! Yeah, like this. Like the every other day promise I made to myself. Then I get depressed realizing this platform is built on balsa wood and could come apart in a gentle snap at any moment. Sure, I’m on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and even Tumblr. And you could probably recommend a few more as well, some I’ve heard of and others brand new to me. But then I’ll ask you how I can possibly keep up with them AND finalize the editing for the third book in my Ark City Confidential Chronicles series after Ark City Confidential and Secrets of the Righteous?

You figure out ways to maintain. That’s all we as independent writers can do. We aren’t with big publishing house. We don’t have instantaneous name recognition. We do more than write for a living and have a whole bunch of other responsibilities. You can either panic that you’re not doing enough, stress out that you’re doing too much social media and not enough actual writing, or you can just be.

For me, I’m already a success. I have books that I write for sale on Amazon that a generous publisher felt worthy enough to be published. I’ve gotten reviews. I’ve sold books. My definition of success is on a more personal level. Sure, I wish I had instantaneous name recognition. I wish I made my sole living being a writer. I suppose doing more of the social media thing and sacrificing more time so I can write constantly would get me there. But to what end? What would I actually lose by what I could gain?

So, here’s a blog post today. It’s attached to Twitter and Tumblr and even Linkedin. Will there be another post in two days? Probably not. I’m expecting a shelving unit that I ordered to arrive and I’ll need to put it together to get a bunch of books off my office floor. There will probably be some Facebook activity and maybe a picture on Instagram.

Too much, too little? I’ll leave that for others to decide. I’ve got to prep my lunches for work.

Be virutous

Patience, they say, is a virtue.

I had gone through a period of creative uncertainty. Less than writer’s block but more than just writing bad stuff. I wasn’t writing anything. Then I came across NaNoWriMo and gave it a try. This was 2007. That initial effort, “Swansong”, was a hard-boiled neo-noir published by AWOC Publishing in 2012. (It is now out of print.)

I attended the KWA conference, then a couple of their meetings, and wound up as president from 2012-2013. I put together the last conference they had (thus far).

In 2012, I attended my first OWFI conference, met people, kept coming back, and was invited to join Rose Rock wRiters.

I pitched my historical crime fiction novel, Ark City Confidential to The Wild rose Press in 2016; it was published in 2017. The second book in the series, Secrets of the Righteous was released in 2018. The third book will be out this fall.

In 2006, I attended the Kansas Authors Club conference. In 2018, I was asked to be a judge in their wirting contest. In 2019, I will be a speaker at their conference.

All I have done along the way, those 12 years, is continue to write and develop my craft; meet new people, writers of all ages and experience and genres; listened intently and spoke when asked; and encouraged others who heartily embrace this discipline.

New York Times bestseller list? Movie deal? Contract with one of the big publishing houses? Maybe. Perhaps. For now I’ am going to continue to be…virtuous!

I’m not a poet!

The aforementioned declaration is being made for two reasons. First, I have primarily focused on writing fiction since 2007 and have not written anything substantial worthwhile in terms of poems. This is counter to the period from 1990 to 1995 when I was in Boston immersed in a scene of intensive creativity and production.

But the second reason is that my work back then was based on metrics, rhythm, sound quality, and a deep study of the classic forms. Prosody is a lost concept. The styles today focus largely on imagery and personal expression. While I am not against that (and never was), the notion of rhythm and the sound of a poem seems to have taken a back seat to a kind of free flowing expression.

In 2018, I was a judge in the Kansas Authors Club’s writing contest. My category: Classical Poetry. I was amazed to read traditional sonnets, curtal sonnets, and forms that I had not heard of but was impressed by. It reminded me briefly there are poets who still believe in and accept forms as a standard for writing.

Granted, some of my work from nearly thirty years ago uses mythological references that may not be readily accessible to most readers. Nevertheless, I focused on word choices in order to create something delectable for the ear. There were just as many times I employed jazz rhythms to create movement within the piece. Occasionally, I wrote experimental pieces based on Dada or Surrealism or creating pictures on the page with the word placement.

Carmina in Latin means “song” and is the basis of the word “charm.” Songs, to the earliest writers, had the power to cast spells. Song lyrics were mystical. I embrace the work of the past and recognize I am out of step with the current trends in poetry. This is the reason I do not pursue it as much. But the magic of words is still firmly within me, their magical powers still resonate. And, yes, I’m still a poet.

The Big Announcement

I am pleased to announce that I have just signed a contract for Lost In The Plains, Book Three in the Ark City Confidential Chronicles with my publisherThe Wild Rose Press.

Following the original Ark City Confidential and Book Two, Secrets of The Righteous, Book Three continues the narrative of Baron Witherspoon, the facially disfigured WWI veteran who is a beat cop in Arkansas City, Kansas. Taking place in 1943, the story involves an escaped German POW and a FBI investigation indicating a possible act of sabotage in the small Kansas town.

There was far more research in this historical crime fiction than the previous two. I hope it shows. Stay tuned for further updates here, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

Writers write!

Ok, so it’s a little over a week before Thanksgiving, when all the madness begins. You, however, may call them the holidays. For me, it’s the start of a long chain: Thanksgiving; sister-in-law’s birthday; Hanukkah; Christmas; New Year’s Eve; brother-in-law’s birthday; the NFL playoffs (yes, I still watch); and my wife’s birthday. Basically three months of a lot of cooking, shopping, get-togethers, and unmitigated stress.

On top of that, I yearly fight off Seasonal Affective Disorder, doing everything in my power to stay upbeat and positive even though this time of year utterly saps my energy and could, if unchecked, cause me to stay in a lull mentally and emotionally until the spring thaw.

There is only one saving grace, one thing that gets me through: writing. Sure, there’s a lot going on (which is more than just “being busy”) and there’s a lot to keep track of. But, if you focus on taking care of yourself, you will have all the time in the world.

As such, whenever I have any moments, I will: write a blog post; start the editing on the third book of my historical crime fiction series; fine tune my entries for a writing contest; outline future works; read. The Art of Creativity is stimulating. It has recuperative powers. Therefore, I can (and will) maintain my sanity and good spirits.

Writers write. They don’t sit around and get caught up in “everything else” and completely put their work aside. So remember that, to all the writers out there who feel pressured or bogged down by the “holiday season” — Writers write!