Mark R. Hunter's Blog, page 64
November 13, 2016
A pressing release for the book signing
Here's a look at the press release I sent out for next Wednesday's author appearance; feel free to send it to your own newspaper, radio station, or TV station, and by your own I mean if you own it, I'm free for interviews. If you own several, I'm free for syndication. And if you run a blog that features writers, I'm just free. The books aren't free ... but they're cheap, just like me.
A husband and wife writing team are coming to the Noble County Public Library’s main branch in Albion this November, to help introduce their newest book.
Mark R. Hunter and Emily Hunter will be at the library in Albion Wednesday, November 16, from 3-7 p.m. They spent almost two years roaming Indiana to produce Hoosier Hysterical: How the West Became the Midwest Without Moving at All. Written to celebrate Indiana’s bicentennial, the tongue-in-cheek book pokes fun at Hoosier History and trivia.
Although Mark did most of the writing and got his name on the cover, he insists his wife did most of the work: Emily designed the cover, formatted and edited the book, traveled around the state with him on research missions, then edited and added photos they took along the way.
Despite all the research, the Hunters say the book is mainly for fun or, as they put it in the forward, “So sit back and learn something fun about history. When you’re done, read this book.”
The pair previously collaborated on two local history books: Images of America: Albion and Noble County, and Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights: A Century or So With the Albion Fire Department. They also put together a collection of Mark’s humor columns, Slightly Off the Mark. Mark is also a humor columnist and the author of three novels: Storm Chaser, The Notorious Ian Grant, and The No-Campfire Girls, as well as the story collection Storm Chaser Shorts. All of their printed works will be available at the appearance.
Hoosier Hysterical and all the Hunters’ books can be found at http://markrhunter.com/, and on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Mark-R-Hunter/e....
Mark R Hunter can be reached by e-mail at markrichardhunter@gmail.com.
He can also be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter/, and on Twitter at @MarkRHunter
A husband and wife writing team are coming to the Noble County Public Library’s main branch in Albion this November, to help introduce their newest book.
Mark R. Hunter and Emily Hunter will be at the library in Albion Wednesday, November 16, from 3-7 p.m. They spent almost two years roaming Indiana to produce Hoosier Hysterical: How the West Became the Midwest Without Moving at All. Written to celebrate Indiana’s bicentennial, the tongue-in-cheek book pokes fun at Hoosier History and trivia.
Although Mark did most of the writing and got his name on the cover, he insists his wife did most of the work: Emily designed the cover, formatted and edited the book, traveled around the state with him on research missions, then edited and added photos they took along the way.
Despite all the research, the Hunters say the book is mainly for fun or, as they put it in the forward, “So sit back and learn something fun about history. When you’re done, read this book.”
The pair previously collaborated on two local history books: Images of America: Albion and Noble County, and Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights: A Century or So With the Albion Fire Department. They also put together a collection of Mark’s humor columns, Slightly Off the Mark. Mark is also a humor columnist and the author of three novels: Storm Chaser, The Notorious Ian Grant, and The No-Campfire Girls, as well as the story collection Storm Chaser Shorts. All of their printed works will be available at the appearance.
Hoosier Hysterical and all the Hunters’ books can be found at http://markrhunter.com/, and on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Mark-R-Hunter/e....
Mark R Hunter can be reached by e-mail at markrichardhunter@gmail.com.
He can also be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter/, and on Twitter at @MarkRHunter
November 12, 2016
Newsletter Live Tomorrow
Tomorrow afternoon we’re going to send out our very first newsletter, which will be way better than the last one. It’s got that major announcement I mentioned, a little humor, a mention of the upcoming author appearance (a second one’s pending, too), and—as promised—a cute dog photo.
So just hop on over to www.markrhunter.com and go to the bottom of the main page, type in your e-mail address (which will absolutely not be shared), and hit subscribe! Well, and then you’ll have a confirmation e-mail. Some people who filled out the signup sheet for the newsletter months ago are just now getting that, because I got lazy … I sure hope they remember who I am.
I’m still floundering my way through this whole self-promotion thing. Eventually the newsletter might also be linked on Facebook or my blog, but I’ve found a lot of people just aren’t seeing things on social media … there’s just too much stuff flying by us, these days.
So just hop on over to www.markrhunter.com and go to the bottom of the main page, type in your e-mail address (which will absolutely not be shared), and hit subscribe! Well, and then you’ll have a confirmation e-mail. Some people who filled out the signup sheet for the newsletter months ago are just now getting that, because I got lazy … I sure hope they remember who I am.
I’m still floundering my way through this whole self-promotion thing. Eventually the newsletter might also be linked on Facebook or my blog, but I’ve found a lot of people just aren’t seeing things on social media … there’s just too much stuff flying by us, these days.
November 10, 2016
Will Poe's Raven Be At Our Author Appearance?
Two years ago the Noble County Public Library hosted me for a book signing at their Albion branch. We were prepared for everything but the weather, which dumped an ice storm on us that day. People should not leave their houses during an ice storm, not even for books (although I did sell a few).
The nice people at the library said they’d make it up to me by hosting another author appearance, but I never got around to scheduling one—until now. The date we picked this time was November 16, before the holidays start in earnest but hopefully after everyone’s recovered from the election. And, most importantly, it would be well before our really crappy weather usually sets in, so we’d avoid another icy interruption.
Or at least that’s what I thought, until I checked the date of that previous signing two years ago: November 17.
I don’t think one day is going to make that much of a difference, so … fingers crossed.
Just the same, we hope to see everyone at the library on Wednesday, November 16, from 3-7 p.m. We’ll sign and sell books, answer questions or comments (as long as they’re not about the election), and smile. Keep us company!
Remember, every time a writer gets lonely in public, the ghost of Edger Allen Poe’s ghost haunts a raven. Save a raven’s sanity.
The nice people at the library said they’d make it up to me by hosting another author appearance, but I never got around to scheduling one—until now. The date we picked this time was November 16, before the holidays start in earnest but hopefully after everyone’s recovered from the election. And, most importantly, it would be well before our really crappy weather usually sets in, so we’d avoid another icy interruption.
Or at least that’s what I thought, until I checked the date of that previous signing two years ago: November 17.
I don’t think one day is going to make that much of a difference, so … fingers crossed.
Just the same, we hope to see everyone at the library on Wednesday, November 16, from 3-7 p.m. We’ll sign and sell books, answer questions or comments (as long as they’re not about the election), and smile. Keep us company!
Remember, every time a writer gets lonely in public, the ghost of Edger Allen Poe’s ghost haunts a raven. Save a raven’s sanity.
November 7, 2016
Who’s Going to Win the Election, and Why It Will Screw Up My Book Sales
I scheduled a book signing for November 16th under the theory that by then Election Day madness would be all over but the shouting. What didn’t occur to me was that promoting the appearance might be drown out by that very same election hoopla. In all the fuss, and with so many of the smart people who read books avoiding social media (told you they were smart), will anyone even know about it? The author appearance, not the election.
It could be a very lonely four hours (at the library in Albion, 3-7 p.m.). But I persevere, because surely people want to give books as gifts—they’re so much more entertainment than “Don’t blame me, I voted for neither of them” bumper stickers.
Ah, but I promised to tell you who’s going to win the election. Easy: Once the cemetery votes are in, Hillary Clinton will handily win the Electoral College in what will be termed a blowout. She’ll squeak by in the popular vote in what will be termed a mandate, with a few states being too close to call but most of those going to her in the end. Most networks will call it by around 10 p.m. Florida will be called by around December.
This is not a political opinion, by the way: Just a prediction. While I have a great personal dislike for Clinton, I also have a great personal dislike for Trump, so at the moment (it’s late Sunday as I write this), I’m mostly just numb. Those of you who like her politics, be comforted by this: Some of our better political leaders were unsavory people, in one way or another.
And we now live in a country where anyone, of any race or gender, could be elected president, so there’s that. Race or gender is a poor reason to vote for someone, but it’s also a poor reason to vote against someone.
It could be a very lonely four hours (at the library in Albion, 3-7 p.m.). But I persevere, because surely people want to give books as gifts—they’re so much more entertainment than “Don’t blame me, I voted for neither of them” bumper stickers.
Ah, but I promised to tell you who’s going to win the election. Easy: Once the cemetery votes are in, Hillary Clinton will handily win the Electoral College in what will be termed a blowout. She’ll squeak by in the popular vote in what will be termed a mandate, with a few states being too close to call but most of those going to her in the end. Most networks will call it by around 10 p.m. Florida will be called by around December.
This is not a political opinion, by the way: Just a prediction. While I have a great personal dislike for Clinton, I also have a great personal dislike for Trump, so at the moment (it’s late Sunday as I write this), I’m mostly just numb. Those of you who like her politics, be comforted by this: Some of our better political leaders were unsavory people, in one way or another.
And we now live in a country where anyone, of any race or gender, could be elected president, so there’s that. Race or gender is a poor reason to vote for someone, but it’s also a poor reason to vote against someone.
October 29, 2016
I babble when I anthologize
I’m working on a short story for an anthology planned for January, because I don’t have enough to do. So far I’m having a lot of fun with it—unlike my book-length works, I didn’t outline this, so it veered off to strange places.
Part of the fun for me is that I’m connecting the story to another literary effort of mine, at least a little. The big announcement for that will come out in my first newsletter, as soon as I get a few more subscribers. (You can subscribe at www.markrhunter.com.) If it hasn’t come out by the time of our author appearance on November 16th (at the library in Albion), you can just show up and pry it out of me—I’m a notorious blabbermouth in person.
(Well, Emily says I babble when I’m nervous.)
(She also says I parenthesis too much.)
Part of the fun for me is that I’m connecting the story to another literary effort of mine, at least a little. The big announcement for that will come out in my first newsletter, as soon as I get a few more subscribers. (You can subscribe at www.markrhunter.com.) If it hasn’t come out by the time of our author appearance on November 16th (at the library in Albion), you can just show up and pry it out of me—I’m a notorious blabbermouth in person.
(Well, Emily says I babble when I’m nervous.)
(She also says I parenthesis too much.)
October 28, 2016
Some days you're the fire, and some days you're the hose
Over the last 24 hours: I can’t get my blogger text to change color, someone else’s book ended up on my Amazon Author’s Page, the link is broken to two books on our website, the chiropractor used my back as a trampoline, and the election is still on.
Ah, well. As they say in the fire service, some days you’re the dog, and some days you’re the hydrant.
Ah, well. As they say in the fire service, some days you’re the dog, and some days you’re the hydrant.
October 27, 2016
The Cubs Goat Gets Its Goat Got
In 1906, the Chicago Cubs won 116 games, a Major League baseball record. They lost the World Series to the Chicago White Sox but then won the next two, becoming the first team to appear in three consecutive World Series.
Their last big win came in 1908. It was all uphill from there.
71 years ago, in 1945, they got into the World Series for the last time. During game four Wrigley Field officials ejected Cubs fan Billy Sianis, who had two box seat tickets: One for him and one for his goat. Apparently one of them stank. When he was thrown out Sianis declared, “The Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more”.
And they didn’t.
And that, kids, is why the Cubs being in the World Series is such a big deal. You want to make history, but you don’t want to make it the way they did in the last century.
The Cleveland Indians haven’t won the Series themselves since 1948, but the Cubs have them beat by twice as much. I have to root for the most underdoggie of underdogs. Incidentally, my wife works in Steuben County, Indiana, which is exactly halfway between Chicago and Cleveland. Apparently for decades, late at night in Pokagon State Park, you could hear the sound of baseball fans’ dreams shattering.
So, how long has it been for the Cubs?
The last time the Cubs won the World Series was also the year Ford rolled out the first Model T. It was the year of the first commercial radio transmission.
That was only five years after the Wright brothers took to the air for the first time. In 1908, Cellophane was developed. It would be five more years before the zipper was invented.
No one had ever heard of the Titanic, which wouldn’t sink for another four years. Arizona wasn’t a state, not to mention Hawaii or Alaska. No one had ever heard of Wheaties, Wonder Bread, traffic lights, or bubble gum.
The guy who played the first Doctor Who was born in 1908. That’s the longest running science fiction TV show in history, although TV hadn’t been invented yet. In 1945, the last time the Cubs went to the World Series, Doctor Who wasn’t even a gleam in anyone’s eye.
In 1945 the microwave oven, Slinky, and Tupperware were invented—the first modern, room-sized computer wouldn’t come around for another year. 1945 was full of history, as the Allies won World War II and the atomic age began.
The last time the Cubs went to the series, we did not yet have the bikini, disposable diapers, kitty litter, Velcro, or the TV remote control. Al Gore had not yet invented the internet, which is fine because there was no personal computer, microprocessor, or RAM.
I found all this on Google. They didn’t have Google. They didn’t even have the milk carton.
So yeah, it’s a big deal. How big of a deal we’ll find out in a few days, but be warned, Cubs fans: So far as I know, the goat never forgave them.
Their last big win came in 1908. It was all uphill from there.
71 years ago, in 1945, they got into the World Series for the last time. During game four Wrigley Field officials ejected Cubs fan Billy Sianis, who had two box seat tickets: One for him and one for his goat. Apparently one of them stank. When he was thrown out Sianis declared, “The Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more”.
And they didn’t.
And that, kids, is why the Cubs being in the World Series is such a big deal. You want to make history, but you don’t want to make it the way they did in the last century.
The Cleveland Indians haven’t won the Series themselves since 1948, but the Cubs have them beat by twice as much. I have to root for the most underdoggie of underdogs. Incidentally, my wife works in Steuben County, Indiana, which is exactly halfway between Chicago and Cleveland. Apparently for decades, late at night in Pokagon State Park, you could hear the sound of baseball fans’ dreams shattering.
So, how long has it been for the Cubs?
The last time the Cubs won the World Series was also the year Ford rolled out the first Model T. It was the year of the first commercial radio transmission.
That was only five years after the Wright brothers took to the air for the first time. In 1908, Cellophane was developed. It would be five more years before the zipper was invented.
No one had ever heard of the Titanic, which wouldn’t sink for another four years. Arizona wasn’t a state, not to mention Hawaii or Alaska. No one had ever heard of Wheaties, Wonder Bread, traffic lights, or bubble gum.
The guy who played the first Doctor Who was born in 1908. That’s the longest running science fiction TV show in history, although TV hadn’t been invented yet. In 1945, the last time the Cubs went to the World Series, Doctor Who wasn’t even a gleam in anyone’s eye.
In 1945 the microwave oven, Slinky, and Tupperware were invented—the first modern, room-sized computer wouldn’t come around for another year. 1945 was full of history, as the Allies won World War II and the atomic age began.
The last time the Cubs went to the series, we did not yet have the bikini, disposable diapers, kitty litter, Velcro, or the TV remote control. Al Gore had not yet invented the internet, which is fine because there was no personal computer, microprocessor, or RAM.
I found all this on Google. They didn’t have Google. They didn’t even have the milk carton.
So yeah, it’s a big deal. How big of a deal we’ll find out in a few days, but be warned, Cubs fans: So far as I know, the goat never forgave them.
October 26, 2016
Author Appearance Coming Up
We just got confirmed for an author appearance at the Noble County Public Library’s main branch, in Albion. Emily and I both plan to be there (with bunches of books), from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday, November 16. More detail will follow, but mark your calendars … or, Mark and Emily your calendars … whatever makes you remember it.
October 24, 2016
An Agent of Progress
As you all know from my incessant harping about it, I have some major publishing news to announce first on my newsletter—as soon as I have ten new people sign up for the newsletter, which hasn’t been active much up until now. (The signup is over at www.markrhunter.com.) We’re about halfway there.
Because I’m comfortable with how things are progressing on new projects, I thought I could take some time and go the traditional route with some other works. With my YA mystery Red Is For Ick and my SF novel, Beowulf: In Harm’s Way, I decided to take up the slow, laborious, and often fruitless process of searching for a literary agent.
The good news is that most agents are okay with an author submitting to more than one of them at a time, which speeds up the process. (But only a little, because I take the time to research agents in my search for the right match.) The bad news is that at any one time, there are about two billion agentless authors for every agent who’s looking for a new client. Maybe three billion.
Anyway, once I exhaust all the agents who might make for a good partnership, I planned to go direct to those traditional publishers that accept unagented submissions. Then I would consider independent publishing. Thinking that far ahead shows that my confidence in the traditional publishing process has eroded over the years.
The steps of publishing are measured in weeks—best case scenario. More likely months. Once an author sells a completed manuscript, it’s still often years before it comes out in print. So earlier this week I sent out some queries, along with outlines and sample pages, then moved on to other writing work. No sense waiting by the virtual mailbox.
Within less than 24 hours I got a request for a full manuscript.
I told you that whole story just to show how rare this is. It’s also by no means a guarantee of representation. I’ve received requests for fulls before: Only once did it lead to me getting an agent, years ago, and that didn’t work out. Statistically speaking, I might be no more likely to sign with this agent than the Cubs are to get into the World Series.
But stranger things have happened.
Because I’m comfortable with how things are progressing on new projects, I thought I could take some time and go the traditional route with some other works. With my YA mystery Red Is For Ick and my SF novel, Beowulf: In Harm’s Way, I decided to take up the slow, laborious, and often fruitless process of searching for a literary agent.
The good news is that most agents are okay with an author submitting to more than one of them at a time, which speeds up the process. (But only a little, because I take the time to research agents in my search for the right match.) The bad news is that at any one time, there are about two billion agentless authors for every agent who’s looking for a new client. Maybe three billion.
Anyway, once I exhaust all the agents who might make for a good partnership, I planned to go direct to those traditional publishers that accept unagented submissions. Then I would consider independent publishing. Thinking that far ahead shows that my confidence in the traditional publishing process has eroded over the years.
The steps of publishing are measured in weeks—best case scenario. More likely months. Once an author sells a completed manuscript, it’s still often years before it comes out in print. So earlier this week I sent out some queries, along with outlines and sample pages, then moved on to other writing work. No sense waiting by the virtual mailbox.
Within less than 24 hours I got a request for a full manuscript.
I told you that whole story just to show how rare this is. It’s also by no means a guarantee of representation. I’ve received requests for fulls before: Only once did it lead to me getting an agent, years ago, and that didn’t work out. Statistically speaking, I might be no more likely to sign with this agent than the Cubs are to get into the World Series.
But stranger things have happened.
October 22, 2016
TV reviews: The Good Place/Timeless
My wife and I budget our television, since we have so many demands on our time such as writing, doctor appointments, playing with the dog and, oh yeah, working for a living.
As a result, we don’t take on too many new TV shows, even if they sound interesting, Generally we only start a new one if one we already watched gets canceled, as happens all too often. So far this year we’ve only checked out two new shows:
The Good Place. I will watch anything with Kristen Bell in it, even if she’s a singing cartoon character (which she was—wonderfully). I’m also a big fan of Ted Danson, so a show joining the two was worth checking out. Turns out it was worth checking out the worth checking out.
Bell is Eleanor, who finds herself in a—well, good place—after dying. The only problem is, something is horribly wrong—and it’s her. Eleanor is just a nasty person, who’s well aware she doesn’t deserve to be in paradise. She soon realizes that mistake is throwing her surroundings into chaos, so she sets out to improve herself, aided by her mistakenly assigned soul mate, Chidi (William Jackson Harper).
Danson plays Michael, who’s an angel, or something, assigned as architect of this little heaven of three hundred or so perfect people. It’s Michael’s first creation, and when things start going wrong he’s puzzled, then panicked. Turns out nobody can play panicked like Ted Danson, just as nobody can play nasty like Kirsten Bell.
I wasn’t sure how they’d manage to continue this concept, but after several episodes it’s getting better and better as we look into the past of all these perfect inhabitants, and realize none is so perfect, after all. In fact, I’m enjoying it so much I’m convinced it will soon be canceled. That’s been the fat of every star-centered show we’ve liked in recent years (for instance, Michael J. Fox and Robin Williams/Sarah Michelle Geller.)
Timeless. I’ve said before that I love a good time travel story. We’ve only seen a few episodes of this one, but they put a great twist in as the characters seek to prevent history from being irrevocably changed—and fail.
Temporarily, I assume. The story concerns a terrorist—or is he?—who steals a time machine and sets off to change the past. Naturally Homeland Security gets involved, assigning an historian, a soldier, and a scientist to go back and stop the bad guy. Abigail Spencer is great as the driven historian, who has exactly the same reaction I would to looking up and seeing the Hindenburg fly overhead.
The story’s fun, if heavy on the plot holes. I think when you’re talking time travel you have to dedicate yourself to the suspension of belief, or you’re stuck with the “why don’t they just send a different team back an hour earlier?” problem. It’s also just a bit too much on the serious side, but this show has Supernatural pedigree, so maybe that will change.
Overall I like the cast and setup, and the effects are good enough for a TV show, so we’ll see. After all, shows don’t get canceled before they have a chance to find their footing. Do they?
As a result, we don’t take on too many new TV shows, even if they sound interesting, Generally we only start a new one if one we already watched gets canceled, as happens all too often. So far this year we’ve only checked out two new shows:
The Good Place. I will watch anything with Kristen Bell in it, even if she’s a singing cartoon character (which she was—wonderfully). I’m also a big fan of Ted Danson, so a show joining the two was worth checking out. Turns out it was worth checking out the worth checking out.
Bell is Eleanor, who finds herself in a—well, good place—after dying. The only problem is, something is horribly wrong—and it’s her. Eleanor is just a nasty person, who’s well aware she doesn’t deserve to be in paradise. She soon realizes that mistake is throwing her surroundings into chaos, so she sets out to improve herself, aided by her mistakenly assigned soul mate, Chidi (William Jackson Harper).
Danson plays Michael, who’s an angel, or something, assigned as architect of this little heaven of three hundred or so perfect people. It’s Michael’s first creation, and when things start going wrong he’s puzzled, then panicked. Turns out nobody can play panicked like Ted Danson, just as nobody can play nasty like Kirsten Bell.
I wasn’t sure how they’d manage to continue this concept, but after several episodes it’s getting better and better as we look into the past of all these perfect inhabitants, and realize none is so perfect, after all. In fact, I’m enjoying it so much I’m convinced it will soon be canceled. That’s been the fat of every star-centered show we’ve liked in recent years (for instance, Michael J. Fox and Robin Williams/Sarah Michelle Geller.)
Timeless. I’ve said before that I love a good time travel story. We’ve only seen a few episodes of this one, but they put a great twist in as the characters seek to prevent history from being irrevocably changed—and fail.
Temporarily, I assume. The story concerns a terrorist—or is he?—who steals a time machine and sets off to change the past. Naturally Homeland Security gets involved, assigning an historian, a soldier, and a scientist to go back and stop the bad guy. Abigail Spencer is great as the driven historian, who has exactly the same reaction I would to looking up and seeing the Hindenburg fly overhead.
The story’s fun, if heavy on the plot holes. I think when you’re talking time travel you have to dedicate yourself to the suspension of belief, or you’re stuck with the “why don’t they just send a different team back an hour earlier?” problem. It’s also just a bit too much on the serious side, but this show has Supernatural pedigree, so maybe that will change.
Overall I like the cast and setup, and the effects are good enough for a TV show, so we’ll see. After all, shows don’t get canceled before they have a chance to find their footing. Do they?
