Jon Mac's Blog, page 6
June 17, 2011
The Great Indy Summer Read Giveaway
Guess what? It's time for The Great Indy Summer Read Giveaway!! Katja at www.coffeemugged.net is hosting this cool event where you could get some free books.Of course, one of those books just happens to be of the Mythik variety ;)
You can also check out the books at Goodreads.
There will be a LOT of winners, which will be chosen randomly. Find out how you can increase your chances of winning by reading the instructions page.
1st winner will receive 10 different books2nd & 3rd winners will receive 5 different books 4th & 5th winners will receive 3 different books 6th – 10th winners will receive 2 different books
So have fun and good luck!
June 15, 2011
Weird Wednesday - The Flying Wombat
Welcome to Weird Wednesday. Today we feature what I think is one of the most surprising pre-war cars of all time: The 1938 Phantom Corsair. If there was ever a real-life Pulp Hero-mobile, this is it.Nicknamed The Flying Wombat due to the part it played in a 1938 movie, you can bet I'll be having some pulp adventure character flying down a moonlit midnight road in this baby.
I debated whether it was actually weird enough to be featured in a Weird Wednesday. But imagine how wild it would have seemed to other motorists who pulled up next to the Flying Wombat in 1938! Designed by Rust Heinz, an heir to the famous ketchup fortune, and Maurice Schwartz, the Phantom Corsair was supposed to be the Motor Car of Tomorrow.
It had such futuristic features as air-conditioning, push-button doors, electric 4-speed automatic transmission, front-wheel drive, tinted non-glare windshield, aircraft-style instrument panel with over 20 dials and switches, a radio with dual speakers, and a 4.7 liter V8 engine. And it could comfortably seat a hero and five sidekicks while racing along at 115 mph with no wind noise.
But sadly, it was not to be. Rust Heinz died shortly after the first car was completed, and plans to put the design into production were dropped. We can only wonder how history might have been changed if the Flying Wombat had been able to compete with the likes of Cadillac, Nash and Studebaker.
For some really cool eye candy, check out these amazing pics of the Flying Wombat.
Today you can find the one and only Phantom Corsair in the biggest little city in the world, at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada.
June 14, 2011
The eBook Revolution and the New Writer - Part 2
If you've already read Part-1, welcome back. If not, don't worry. I'm sure you'll figure out what's going on. On second thought, this is a bit of a tangent before I bring it all together, so maybe read Part-1 first after all.
Part-2
Here's a short tale, beginning with a quote from Peter Egan:
I liked some of the columns so much I would cut them out and put them on my fridge. One of my favorites was when Peter told the story of what happened when he and his friends were testing some cars at the local race track. It's been a while, so my apologies to Mr. Egan if I get the details wrong.
Some guy rolled up in a 300ZX or maybe it was a 944 (I told you it was a while ago.) The guy started chatting with them about cars and racing etc. Then he said something to the effect of "Ya know, I've always wanted to go racing..." Which of course, pushed the wrong button for Peter's friend (sorry, nameless friend, Google wasn't much help this time.) Peter's friend had probably heard some version of this a thousand times. One thousand and one was apparently one too many. He said to the guy: "No you haven't. You haven't always wanted to race." The point being, if this guy had "always wanted to go racing," he would have. But he didn't.
Instead, this guy chose to do other things with his time, money and effort. Which is perfectly fine, of course. But he enjoyed believing that someday he would choose differently and actually go racing.
The rest of the column was about how we all have things we might like to say we've always wanted to do. But truthfully, we really didn't always want to do them. Instead, they were just things we'd idly think about once in a while. And usually that thought would involve the word "someday." But you can't put "someday" in your iCal, can you?
I'm sure many philosophers or self-help gurus have already covered this ground, but it seems to me that people eventually end up just where they really want to be, whether they want to admit it or not. So Peter told about things he'd thought he'd always wanted to do and the things he actually did. Some things, like skydiving, were just occasional thoughts he would have, but other things, like racing and writing, were passions. You see, life can interfere with the best laid plans, but where passions are concerned, you find a way.
It may involve sacrifice and setting priorities. It might even take a long time. I'm sure when Peter's friends were going out to dinner, driving brand new cars, and buying new houses, he was perfectly happy with the beat up old station wagon that doubled as a tow car and spending all his disposable income on used tires and other parts for his race car. Instead of having stuff, Peter chose to do his passion. I'd think he'd say it turned out pretty well. By the time he wrote that article, he was living his dream, testing cars on a race track and getting paid to write about it. Something he probably would have gladly done for free. He's continued to live that dream in the decades since then.
But, it's not as if he just magically woke up one morning and found he was working for Road & Track and suddenly living his dream. He'd been living that dream all along, even when subsisting on PB&J while sleeping in the back of his station wagon on race weekend, before he "made it big." And it was all because he believed doing beats having.
So the moral of this little tale, and how it relates to ePublishing and the New Writer, is this:
If somebody (such as imaginary Bart from Part-1 - see, go read Part-1 if you haven't) has written a book and published it on Amazon & Smashwords, etc., that's only the beginning, not the end result. Bart is already beyond the "someday" phase, which is great. But he needs to keep going. If his passion is writing, then he needs to just do it and not worry about sales and how many followers his Facebook and Twitter accounts have. What he does need to do is write more books and have an idea what he will be writing next month and next year. Writing and finishing a book is a great accomplishment. I am sincere when I say "Congratulations." I am sarcastic when I say "Now go celebrate it with a million other people in exactly the same boat as you."
Note: I am not saying "Build it and they will come." I'm not saying marketing isn't important. But look at the big picture. Don't get caught up in the hype of this new thing called ePublishing. If writing is your passion, then make it your career. You're not going to be able to quit your day job overnight. But have a plan. Literally make a business plan. Google it. Figure out where you want your writing career to be in a year, three years, five years, ten years from now. If you want to have the success of a pro, then act like a pro and be a pro. Set your goals, then make a map of how you want to get there one step at a time.
None of the ePublishing success stories happened over night or in one month. They all required a lot of hard work, time, and effort. You might have to sacrifice some things. Maybe you have to get up an hour or two earlier to find the time to write. Maybe you will need to pass on that new TV and invest in better cover art or editing for your next book. Doing beats having.
The New Writer is the same as the Old Writer, except now we have more options, and more control. With this new power comes new responsibility. Instead of getting caught up in who has what sales, take charge of your own writing. Make it as good as you can. The New Writer is their own CEO and the head of their own marketing and art departments. Delegate to others if you have the budget, but remember it's all up to you, so you better be prepared.
So I would say to Bart, don't worry about whether you sell 10 books in a month or a hundred. You will do fine if you think long term. If this is your passion, then you're here to stay. You're doing your dream. If you keep doing that, then success will come.
But, what do I know -- it's taken me 30 years just to get three short stories independently published ;)
Part-2
Here's a short tale, beginning with a quote from Peter Egan:
"In any contest between the two, doing beats having every time."I've been a gearhead for almost as long as I've been making up stories. In my misspent youth, I used to devour every issue of Road & Track. The first thing I would read in every issue was the column by Peter Egan, called Side Glances . The columns easily equaled (and many times even surpassed) the thrilling racing reports, luscious Lamborghini photos, and retrospectives on such classics as the '38 Phantom Corsair. Side Glances often had humorous stories about old sports cars (usually British) combined with little nuggets of wisdom about life. It always related to cars in some way, but you never knew exactly where it would end up. A side glance as you travel down the road of life, I guess.
I liked some of the columns so much I would cut them out and put them on my fridge. One of my favorites was when Peter told the story of what happened when he and his friends were testing some cars at the local race track. It's been a while, so my apologies to Mr. Egan if I get the details wrong.
Some guy rolled up in a 300ZX or maybe it was a 944 (I told you it was a while ago.) The guy started chatting with them about cars and racing etc. Then he said something to the effect of "Ya know, I've always wanted to go racing..." Which of course, pushed the wrong button for Peter's friend (sorry, nameless friend, Google wasn't much help this time.) Peter's friend had probably heard some version of this a thousand times. One thousand and one was apparently one too many. He said to the guy: "No you haven't. You haven't always wanted to race." The point being, if this guy had "always wanted to go racing," he would have. But he didn't.
Instead, this guy chose to do other things with his time, money and effort. Which is perfectly fine, of course. But he enjoyed believing that someday he would choose differently and actually go racing.
The rest of the column was about how we all have things we might like to say we've always wanted to do. But truthfully, we really didn't always want to do them. Instead, they were just things we'd idly think about once in a while. And usually that thought would involve the word "someday." But you can't put "someday" in your iCal, can you?
I'm sure many philosophers or self-help gurus have already covered this ground, but it seems to me that people eventually end up just where they really want to be, whether they want to admit it or not. So Peter told about things he'd thought he'd always wanted to do and the things he actually did. Some things, like skydiving, were just occasional thoughts he would have, but other things, like racing and writing, were passions. You see, life can interfere with the best laid plans, but where passions are concerned, you find a way.
It may involve sacrifice and setting priorities. It might even take a long time. I'm sure when Peter's friends were going out to dinner, driving brand new cars, and buying new houses, he was perfectly happy with the beat up old station wagon that doubled as a tow car and spending all his disposable income on used tires and other parts for his race car. Instead of having stuff, Peter chose to do his passion. I'd think he'd say it turned out pretty well. By the time he wrote that article, he was living his dream, testing cars on a race track and getting paid to write about it. Something he probably would have gladly done for free. He's continued to live that dream in the decades since then.
But, it's not as if he just magically woke up one morning and found he was working for Road & Track and suddenly living his dream. He'd been living that dream all along, even when subsisting on PB&J while sleeping in the back of his station wagon on race weekend, before he "made it big." And it was all because he believed doing beats having.
So the moral of this little tale, and how it relates to ePublishing and the New Writer, is this:
If somebody (such as imaginary Bart from Part-1 - see, go read Part-1 if you haven't) has written a book and published it on Amazon & Smashwords, etc., that's only the beginning, not the end result. Bart is already beyond the "someday" phase, which is great. But he needs to keep going. If his passion is writing, then he needs to just do it and not worry about sales and how many followers his Facebook and Twitter accounts have. What he does need to do is write more books and have an idea what he will be writing next month and next year. Writing and finishing a book is a great accomplishment. I am sincere when I say "Congratulations." I am sarcastic when I say "Now go celebrate it with a million other people in exactly the same boat as you."
Note: I am not saying "Build it and they will come." I'm not saying marketing isn't important. But look at the big picture. Don't get caught up in the hype of this new thing called ePublishing. If writing is your passion, then make it your career. You're not going to be able to quit your day job overnight. But have a plan. Literally make a business plan. Google it. Figure out where you want your writing career to be in a year, three years, five years, ten years from now. If you want to have the success of a pro, then act like a pro and be a pro. Set your goals, then make a map of how you want to get there one step at a time.
None of the ePublishing success stories happened over night or in one month. They all required a lot of hard work, time, and effort. You might have to sacrifice some things. Maybe you have to get up an hour or two earlier to find the time to write. Maybe you will need to pass on that new TV and invest in better cover art or editing for your next book. Doing beats having.
The New Writer is the same as the Old Writer, except now we have more options, and more control. With this new power comes new responsibility. Instead of getting caught up in who has what sales, take charge of your own writing. Make it as good as you can. The New Writer is their own CEO and the head of their own marketing and art departments. Delegate to others if you have the budget, but remember it's all up to you, so you better be prepared.
So I would say to Bart, don't worry about whether you sell 10 books in a month or a hundred. You will do fine if you think long term. If this is your passion, then you're here to stay. You're doing your dream. If you keep doing that, then success will come.
But, what do I know -- it's taken me 30 years just to get three short stories independently published ;)
June 13, 2011
The eBook Revolution and the New Writer - Part 1
And now an unsolicited Mythik editorial:
Let's dig deep into the ole' Mythik mailbag and see what we can find. Okay, here is a good letter. It's from Bart in Nacogdoches, Texas. Bart writes:
Nothing. There ya go.
All right, I have to admit there is no Mythik mailbag, and nobody is sending letters (how very 20th century) to Mr. Mythik. But if they did, I would give them the same answer as I did to imaginary Bart.
I know what you're thinking. What do I know about this stuff, right? Why should I be talking about this? The reason I bring this up at all is because I've noticed a lot of things flying around the invisible airwaves of the internet about the eBook Revolution, and what I am terming the "New Writer" (which will soon become like "New Media" i.e. not "new" at all after a while.) There's tons of speculation and advice about ePublishing and even a few facts here and there. One fact you may have noticed is all those people who are suddenly toting around these anorexic Tricorder-like devices called Kindles, Nooks, iPads etc. And, much like cell phones in the late '90s, I don't think they are going away any time soon. As a speculative fiction writer, I love to, um, speculate on the real-life trends of our world of the future. So I give you my (no doubt, unasked for) 2 cents of opinion of ePublishing in two easy parts:
Part-1I will assume imaginary Bart isn't involved in some sort of eBook Get Rich Quick Scam. It goes without saying that people who use software to automatically self-publish thousands of spam and plagiarized books are bad apples that just irritate readers and add noise to the electronic bookshelves, making it hard to find the good stuff. This is why I prefer the term independent rather than self-published. I know, a label shouldn't matter, but here's why I make the distinction: Any yahoo with a computer can self-publish an eBook. Even if they aren't actually scamming or spamming, there's no guarantee they aren't just uploading random words. I've hit the "send sample" button and received a book with 20 blank pages (well not totally blank - some of them had a few dashes on them. Modern art, perhaps, or maybe a secret code, but it definitely didn't entice me to spend $2.99 to find out how it ended.)
I like the term independent, as used in independent film, because it just means it is produced outside of the Hollywood major studio system. It does not mean unprofessional. It doesn't necessarily always mean low budget either, although it usually is when compared to the average Hollywood movie. In the ePublishing world, I define independent as outside the much maligned big publishing system. It can be a first-time author on a shoe-string budget (or no budget,) or it could be an established writer with dozens of backlist books. I'll get into this a bit more in a future post, but here's my definition of an Indy Author:
So, let's also assume that Bart's book is not plagued (ha, get it?) by wordssmashedtogether wit-h occ-asion-al hyp-hens in the wrong places or wŦŒird charaĦ■◗cters and all the other things (misspellings, atrocious grammar, etc.) hard working readers rightly complain about. Let's also assume that the book does have a potential audience somewhere out there. That brings us to Part-2.
Which will be continued next time :)
Let's dig deep into the ole' Mythik mailbag and see what we can find. Okay, here is a good letter. It's from Bart in Nacogdoches, Texas. Bart writes:
Dear Mr. Mythik,
I'm an Indy Author and I just published my first novel on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and a bunch of other places. It's been over a month, and I am still not on the best-seller lists. What am I doing wrong? Please help!
Bart -- Distressed in NacogdochesFirst of all, Bart, enough with the "mister" stuff. We're pretty casual around here. Second, how should I know? You've been doing this longer than me. Third, you're in luck, because I do actually have a very simple answer to your question. Ready? Pay attention, because it goes by quick. You want to know what you are doing wrong? Okay, here's the answer:
Nothing. There ya go.
All right, I have to admit there is no Mythik mailbag, and nobody is sending letters (how very 20th century) to Mr. Mythik. But if they did, I would give them the same answer as I did to imaginary Bart.
I know what you're thinking. What do I know about this stuff, right? Why should I be talking about this? The reason I bring this up at all is because I've noticed a lot of things flying around the invisible airwaves of the internet about the eBook Revolution, and what I am terming the "New Writer" (which will soon become like "New Media" i.e. not "new" at all after a while.) There's tons of speculation and advice about ePublishing and even a few facts here and there. One fact you may have noticed is all those people who are suddenly toting around these anorexic Tricorder-like devices called Kindles, Nooks, iPads etc. And, much like cell phones in the late '90s, I don't think they are going away any time soon. As a speculative fiction writer, I love to, um, speculate on the real-life trends of our world of the future. So I give you my (no doubt, unasked for) 2 cents of opinion of ePublishing in two easy parts:
Part-1I will assume imaginary Bart isn't involved in some sort of eBook Get Rich Quick Scam. It goes without saying that people who use software to automatically self-publish thousands of spam and plagiarized books are bad apples that just irritate readers and add noise to the electronic bookshelves, making it hard to find the good stuff. This is why I prefer the term independent rather than self-published. I know, a label shouldn't matter, but here's why I make the distinction: Any yahoo with a computer can self-publish an eBook. Even if they aren't actually scamming or spamming, there's no guarantee they aren't just uploading random words. I've hit the "send sample" button and received a book with 20 blank pages (well not totally blank - some of them had a few dashes on them. Modern art, perhaps, or maybe a secret code, but it definitely didn't entice me to spend $2.99 to find out how it ended.)
I like the term independent, as used in independent film, because it just means it is produced outside of the Hollywood major studio system. It does not mean unprofessional. It doesn't necessarily always mean low budget either, although it usually is when compared to the average Hollywood movie. In the ePublishing world, I define independent as outside the much maligned big publishing system. It can be a first-time author on a shoe-string budget (or no budget,) or it could be an established writer with dozens of backlist books. I'll get into this a bit more in a future post, but here's my definition of an Indy Author:
"Someone who does all the things a "traditional" publisher would, only on a smaller scale. (And theoretically, faster, cheaper, and hopefully better. Not better because of some magical "Indy Spirit," but potentially better because of an attention to detail that should be possible when the artist has all the control and is willing to shoulder all of the responsibility.) They may do the artwork, editing, formatting, marketing etc. on their own, or hire professionals to do these tasks. The end result is professional and should be as good or better than traditional publishing companies. The reader should be unable to distinguish Indy from traditional based on format and presentation."Notice, there is nothing in the definition about quality of story content. Hey Bart, your historical comedy-romance about the Black Plague may outsell J.K. Rowling and Stephen King combined, who knows. That's for the reader to decide. But if you get a 1-star review, then just deal with it. As long as what the reviewer complained about was lifeless characters, dull setting, and boring plot, you will be fine. If writing is your passion, you'll either adapt and make the necessary adjustments or decide that Black Plague comedy isn't that particular reviewer's cup of tea. Critics disagree all the time. Art is subjective, especially when people spend their hard earned money on it. But if the critics complain that your book is equivalent to a bad YouTube video shot on a cell phone in a dark room with unintelligible audio, you're in trouble.
So, let's also assume that Bart's book is not plagued (ha, get it?) by wordssmashedtogether wit-h occ-asion-al hyp-hens in the wrong places or wŦŒird charaĦ■◗cters and all the other things (misspellings, atrocious grammar, etc.) hard working readers rightly complain about. Let's also assume that the book does have a potential audience somewhere out there. That brings us to Part-2.
Which will be continued next time :)
June 8, 2011
Weird Wednesday - The Lenticular Reentry Vehicle
Imagine that you wake up one early morning in the 1970's. You walk into your kitchen, which is filled with avocado green & mustard yellow appliances. Your space-age Mr. Coffee machine has already percolated a nice cup of joe. You take a sip and set the cup down on the bright orange countertop. You smile and look forward to the adventure of the coming day. For you are an astronaut in the Space Bomber Force, and today's the day you will ride a flying saucer to outer space.This was the scenario dreamed up by cold war planners in the 1960's. The US Air Force was considering the use of a top secret orbital weapons system way before Star Wars was even a glimmer in George Lucas' eye. The command post for this "Minuteman in space" concept was the Lenticular Reentry Vehicle, also known as the Manned Bombardment and Control Vehicle.
This little known piece of spacecraft history was kept secret for decades. Details are sketchy, since only bits and pieces of this project have been declassified. The LRV had a crew of four and probably would have used the Apollo Saturn V to boost it into orbit. Then it would park in the vicinity of several weapons platforms, each containing clusters of thermonuclear missiles. The job of the LRV crew was to scrub off alien "Moscow or Bust" graffiti, check for meteor holes, top off the fuel, and otherwise make sure the ultimate doomsday machine was in perfect, shiny working order. And, of course, they had to be ready to push the big red LAUNCH button if the wrong people decided to go all Dr. Strangelove. Then after six weeks, they'd hand off the keys to armageddon to the next shift, and return to earth in their saucer.
Who knows, if a few quantum variables had gone a bit differently, we might have had Air Force flying saucers going back and forth to a nuclear sword of Daedalus hanging over planet earth. The storylines we could have with that are endless. You could have an alien wander by and mess with the minds of the crew. Or maybe one of them goes crazy after too many weeks of never-ending games of Yahtzee. Or maybe there's a Crimson Tide
scenario where a solar storm interrupts a message that says "This is a t___. Get ready to L___." Then our hapless crew needs to decide if they are supposed to start a nuclear war, end it, or just have lunch.One real-life possibility is that the LRV actually reached the prototype stage, and could account for some "UFO" sightings. There are even claims that debris from a crashed LRV was found in Australia. Maybe the LRV actually made it off the drawing board and routinely makes trips to the secret base on the dark side of the moon. Only the janitor at Area-51 knows for sure.
With the imminent retirement of the Space Shuttle, maybe we should revive the flying saucer that almost was, and bring back the LRV. Only without the potential nuclear winter part.
Here's to the LRV. It may have a boring name, but it sure looks cool. What other weird things do you think will be eventually declassified?
June 6, 2011
Fun And Games Monday
Well, it's time for Fun And Games Monday!
Unfortunately, the computer I do my blogging on is part of a machine room that has undergone a quantum fusion meltdown. So, I am posting this with my phone. I'll try to do a proper post when things return to normal.
For now, though, let's have some Fun & Games!
My entry in this blogfest is about baseball. Baseball?? Yep, I know, it doesn't sound exciting, and it's not high tech and has nothing to do with science fiction or writing.
Let's go back in time to a summer of my youth. One day, friends and relatives all congregated at a local park. Everbody was laughing and joking and having fun. Somebody had an idea to play baseball. I don't think I had ever played before. But that didn't matter. It was amazing. Standing on the green grass under an incredible blue July sky, the sun seemed to smile on everybody. We all played hard, but the important thing was the "play." The important thing was to have fun. You know, it wasn't the end of the world if you dropped a fly ball or threw to the wrong base. What mattered was being part of the team and actually having fun.
No other sports experiences were quite as fun as that day. I'm all for healthy competition, but I think sometimes the fun & games part is forgotten in sports. But on that one perfect summer day, friends and family all joined together to play a game the way it was meant to be played.
Hmm, maybe I could work that into some kind of time travel story ;)
Well hopefully this post from my phone will work. Happy Fun & Games Monday!
Unfortunately, the computer I do my blogging on is part of a machine room that has undergone a quantum fusion meltdown. So, I am posting this with my phone. I'll try to do a proper post when things return to normal.
For now, though, let's have some Fun & Games!
My entry in this blogfest is about baseball. Baseball?? Yep, I know, it doesn't sound exciting, and it's not high tech and has nothing to do with science fiction or writing.
Let's go back in time to a summer of my youth. One day, friends and relatives all congregated at a local park. Everbody was laughing and joking and having fun. Somebody had an idea to play baseball. I don't think I had ever played before. But that didn't matter. It was amazing. Standing on the green grass under an incredible blue July sky, the sun seemed to smile on everybody. We all played hard, but the important thing was the "play." The important thing was to have fun. You know, it wasn't the end of the world if you dropped a fly ball or threw to the wrong base. What mattered was being part of the team and actually having fun.
No other sports experiences were quite as fun as that day. I'm all for healthy competition, but I think sometimes the fun & games part is forgotten in sports. But on that one perfect summer day, friends and family all joined together to play a game the way it was meant to be played.
Hmm, maybe I could work that into some kind of time travel story ;)
Well hopefully this post from my phone will work. Happy Fun & Games Monday!
June 1, 2011
Mythik Imagination #1 - Three Pulp Sci-Fi Short Stories On Sale Now
Wahoo, Mythik Imagination #1, the first in a (hopefully) long series of Pulp Sci-Fi Short Stories is now on sale at Amazon and Smashwords :)
It will also be available at Barnes & Noble soon, as well as a few other places.
But you, dear readers, shall be rewarded for having eyes on this screen. Umm, at least hopefully it can be seen as a reward... Anyway, just for being a cool Mythik Blog Reader, you can get MI#1 for free! Just check out the Free Stuff page for details. You don't even have to do anything for it. Really.
If ya wanna see the blurb and whatnot, check out the Press Release page. And for an up-to-date look at what else is coming down the ole' Mythik freeway, take a look at the Books page.
I have to say, it has been a heck of an interesting (and totally fun) experience. Those of you who have already been through the process know it's not just a simple matter of writing something and then hitting the upload button. I've definitely had to learn a lot of new things in the past few months. One very cool thing about the internet is that you can almost become an instant expert in a new field of study (although I use the term "expert" very loosely, and "instant" is an exaggeration.) But you know what I mean.
We're not quite to the point where we can become a Kung Fu master overnight or learn how to fly a helicopter in a few seconds like in The Matrix
. But, by visiting the right web sites, you can learn a heck of a lot about independently publishing an Ebook. I've had a lot of help from people who have been successful at this sort of thing and very graciously willing to share their experiences with the rest of the world. So I'll be having an upcoming post with some thank-you's to those kind folk. For those of you who might be considering a dip in the indy epub world, I'll also try to give back a bit by sharing my experiences, workflow, and tips and tricks. Ha, not that I'm an expert, but I can at least point out some stuff that seemed to make things easier, and things that were mistakes ;)
Since I started this blog (which I think is about 6 years ago in "internet years" - kind of like "dog years" but goes by even faster,) I've had the notion that the line between reader and author is very blurry. I still think that's true. After all, it seems that everybody has a blog about something, which makes everybody an author of some sort. So I'm thinking the Mythik Blog audience is:
Readers of my books (ha ha, well hopefully)People with curiosity about the blog postsOther writersWhat I think has the most potential for coolness about all this is the possible interaction between all three types. Readers can suggest new things and also get a peek at the behind the scenes writing world. Writers can chime in with their observations. The curiosity seekers can demand that Weird Wednesday not be postponed again. ;) It could turn into an alchemical mix that becomes magic. Ha ha.
Finally, I have a funny story. When I was (ahem) somewhat younger, I was in a race with Isaac Asimov. You see, I had read somewhere that he sold his first story when he was 21. (Ha, I just looked it up. It appears he was only 19 when he made his first sale. I lost the race before I started and didn't even know it.) So my ambition was to sell my first story before I was 21. Well that came and went. Heh, it's been a few years since then - okay a lot of years since then, but check this out: As I was publishing to Kindle, I noticed that someone had made a purchase from the UK store. So I took a look, and for a fleeting instant, my little book was in the UK Science Fiction/Short Stories top 100. Here's a pic:
Yep, #94 just ahead of Phillip K. Dick and Isaac Asimov.
Thank you, unknown UK Amazon customer :)
Well, MI#1 is out there, as good as I can possibly make it. Hopefully, it won't be too embarrassing. When Terry Gilliam first screened The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, he said "Remember, keep your expectations low." He can get away with that - heck, he's Terry Gilliam. If I say that, people will think, Sure, I'll keep them so low I won't even bother to look.
But I will just say that if you do give Mythik Imagination #1 a try and don't like it, well hopefully it will get better and you'll like the next one ;)
Thanks for reading!Jon
It will also be available at Barnes & Noble soon, as well as a few other places.
But you, dear readers, shall be rewarded for having eyes on this screen. Umm, at least hopefully it can be seen as a reward... Anyway, just for being a cool Mythik Blog Reader, you can get MI#1 for free! Just check out the Free Stuff page for details. You don't even have to do anything for it. Really.
If ya wanna see the blurb and whatnot, check out the Press Release page. And for an up-to-date look at what else is coming down the ole' Mythik freeway, take a look at the Books page.
I have to say, it has been a heck of an interesting (and totally fun) experience. Those of you who have already been through the process know it's not just a simple matter of writing something and then hitting the upload button. I've definitely had to learn a lot of new things in the past few months. One very cool thing about the internet is that you can almost become an instant expert in a new field of study (although I use the term "expert" very loosely, and "instant" is an exaggeration.) But you know what I mean.
We're not quite to the point where we can become a Kung Fu master overnight or learn how to fly a helicopter in a few seconds like in The Matrix
. But, by visiting the right web sites, you can learn a heck of a lot about independently publishing an Ebook. I've had a lot of help from people who have been successful at this sort of thing and very graciously willing to share their experiences with the rest of the world. So I'll be having an upcoming post with some thank-you's to those kind folk. For those of you who might be considering a dip in the indy epub world, I'll also try to give back a bit by sharing my experiences, workflow, and tips and tricks. Ha, not that I'm an expert, but I can at least point out some stuff that seemed to make things easier, and things that were mistakes ;)Since I started this blog (which I think is about 6 years ago in "internet years" - kind of like "dog years" but goes by even faster,) I've had the notion that the line between reader and author is very blurry. I still think that's true. After all, it seems that everybody has a blog about something, which makes everybody an author of some sort. So I'm thinking the Mythik Blog audience is:
Readers of my books (ha ha, well hopefully)People with curiosity about the blog postsOther writersWhat I think has the most potential for coolness about all this is the possible interaction between all three types. Readers can suggest new things and also get a peek at the behind the scenes writing world. Writers can chime in with their observations. The curiosity seekers can demand that Weird Wednesday not be postponed again. ;) It could turn into an alchemical mix that becomes magic. Ha ha.
Finally, I have a funny story. When I was (ahem) somewhat younger, I was in a race with Isaac Asimov. You see, I had read somewhere that he sold his first story when he was 21. (Ha, I just looked it up. It appears he was only 19 when he made his first sale. I lost the race before I started and didn't even know it.) So my ambition was to sell my first story before I was 21. Well that came and went. Heh, it's been a few years since then - okay a lot of years since then, but check this out: As I was publishing to Kindle, I noticed that someone had made a purchase from the UK store. So I took a look, and for a fleeting instant, my little book was in the UK Science Fiction/Short Stories top 100. Here's a pic:
Yep, #94 just ahead of Phillip K. Dick and Isaac Asimov.
Thank you, unknown UK Amazon customer :)
Well, MI#1 is out there, as good as I can possibly make it. Hopefully, it won't be too embarrassing. When Terry Gilliam first screened The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, he said "Remember, keep your expectations low." He can get away with that - heck, he's Terry Gilliam. If I say that, people will think, Sure, I'll keep them so low I won't even bother to look.
But I will just say that if you do give Mythik Imagination #1 a try and don't like it, well hopefully it will get better and you'll like the next one ;)
Thanks for reading!Jon
May 28, 2011
Free is a pretty good price for SF&F Ebooks
Don't ask me how I got sucked into an Internet wormhole, but while looking up stuff about press releases and marketing, etc. etc. blah blah blah, I somehow stumbled across the Baen Free Library.
There is some really cool stuff there. I remember reading Inherit The Stars by James P. Hogan when I was a kid. I always thought the cover with the skeleton in a space suit was very creepy and way cool.
Now it's been, um, a reallllly long time since I originally read it, but I do remember that I liked it, and it was the first book of a series. I'll definitely be putting it on my TBR list. I think it's pretty amazing that it is a free Ebook. The Baen Free Library books come in all the usual formats, so you are pretty much good to go with any kind of device you have, or you can just read it on-line. Of course there is also nothing stopping you from making a donation or buying the non-free versions.
A lot of great writers have free books there, including Lois McMaster Bujold, Mercedes Lackey, Keith Laumer, Elizabeth Moon, Harry Turtledove, and a bunch of others -- Yes, I too, would hate to be lumped in to the "bunch of others" category, but this is just a heads up, not a directory. Check them all out for yourself :)
I better get back to "work." Hmm, maybe I should be a copycat and have something free on June 1st...
(That's a hint. And a subliminal plug. June 1st. There, I did it again.)
There is some really cool stuff there. I remember reading Inherit The Stars by James P. Hogan when I was a kid. I always thought the cover with the skeleton in a space suit was very creepy and way cool.Now it's been, um, a reallllly long time since I originally read it, but I do remember that I liked it, and it was the first book of a series. I'll definitely be putting it on my TBR list. I think it's pretty amazing that it is a free Ebook. The Baen Free Library books come in all the usual formats, so you are pretty much good to go with any kind of device you have, or you can just read it on-line. Of course there is also nothing stopping you from making a donation or buying the non-free versions.
A lot of great writers have free books there, including Lois McMaster Bujold, Mercedes Lackey, Keith Laumer, Elizabeth Moon, Harry Turtledove, and a bunch of others -- Yes, I too, would hate to be lumped in to the "bunch of others" category, but this is just a heads up, not a directory. Check them all out for yourself :)
I better get back to "work." Hmm, maybe I should be a copycat and have something free on June 1st...
(That's a hint. And a subliminal plug. June 1st. There, I did it again.)
May 26, 2011
Weird Thursday - Here Come The Anomalocaridids
Today's weirdness is a make-good. Due to an increased workload in the CDJ (cool day job) and final preparations for the June 1st release of Mythik Imagination #1, ye ole' Mythik Blog has taken a back seat. But never fear, weirdness junkies, for we have a special Thursday edition of Weird Wednesday.
Behold, the Anomalocaridid! It would certainly seem to fit the part of a devious alien mother-ship occupant intent on summer blockbuster box-office domination. Actually, it is believed to be the world's largest predator in the late Cambrian and early Ordovician periods, about 472 - 542 million years ago.
The fearsome looking Anomalocaridid might have been up to 6 feet long and was at the very top of the food chain until more advanced creatures such as the way cool Sea Scorpion knocked it into oblivion.
But maybe it didn't quite happen that way. Maybe the Anomalocardids evolved and decided they needed a change of scenery from their muddy ocean floor abode. Possibly tired of dining on starfish, mollusks and the occasional crustacean, maybe they decided on the stars as their destination. After waving goodbye those silly Sea Scorpions and their ilk, could our wily Anomalocardids have tested out their newly invented hyper-drive? And now, after all these years, maybe they've come back to check out the old neighborhood and perhaps experiment on a few cows and express their artistic abilities in wheat fields.
Or not.
So the next time you are feasting on some succulent shrimp, just remember: 500 million years ago, the roles could have been reversed.
Behold, the Anomalocaridid! It would certainly seem to fit the part of a devious alien mother-ship occupant intent on summer blockbuster box-office domination. Actually, it is believed to be the world's largest predator in the late Cambrian and early Ordovician periods, about 472 - 542 million years ago.The fearsome looking Anomalocaridid might have been up to 6 feet long and was at the very top of the food chain until more advanced creatures such as the way cool Sea Scorpion knocked it into oblivion.
But maybe it didn't quite happen that way. Maybe the Anomalocardids evolved and decided they needed a change of scenery from their muddy ocean floor abode. Possibly tired of dining on starfish, mollusks and the occasional crustacean, maybe they decided on the stars as their destination. After waving goodbye those silly Sea Scorpions and their ilk, could our wily Anomalocardids have tested out their newly invented hyper-drive? And now, after all these years, maybe they've come back to check out the old neighborhood and perhaps experiment on a few cows and express their artistic abilities in wheat fields.
Or not.
So the next time you are feasting on some succulent shrimp, just remember: 500 million years ago, the roles could have been reversed.
May 18, 2011
Weird Wednesday - The Voynich Manuscript
Elvish script?Happy Weirdsday! Today's tidbit of weirdness is the controversial and extremely mysterious Voynich Manuscript. Take a look for yourself at the Yale University Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library and see if you can decipher it.While the true origins (and purpose) of the book are unknown, it is believed to have been written in the 15th or 16th century. It is divided into six parts, including a botanical section, astral charts, bizarre interconnecting tubes & miniature women, pharmaceutical drawings, and of course cryptic (and so far undeciphered) text.
Suspected authors include Roger Bacon and John Dee, a couple of chaps fully capable of mysterious weirdness. The book bopped all around Europe for hundreds of years, and there are large gaps in its history. It has been owned by an alchemist, the Jesuits, and Ethel Lillian Voynich (author of The Gadfly and daughter of George Boole, the inventor of Boolean Logic, without which you would not have the computer you are looking at right now,) before finally ending up at Yale University.
Multiple universes connected by wormholes?Theories:A navy cryptogropher believes it was written by more than one person. Other theorists believe it is a hoax, filled with meaningless gibberish. Yet another school of thought believes it is far too sophisticated to be just a simple 15th century hoax.
Another idea is that the real information is contained in microscopic markings in the letters themselves. Or maybe it is really an invented alphabet for a known language.
And what about all those crazy pictures and the little women?
Maybe it is a step by step guide for the construction of a hyper-dimensional star gate.
So come on and figure that thing out. I want to know what the heck it is!
