Mark R. Hunter's Blog, page 81
October 27, 2015
The Walking Dead are killing me
I have a really stressful full time job, but it’s the TV show The Walking Dead that’s going to send me into therapy.
Usually I choose escapism and/or humor for my entertainment, but every now and then something really dark captures my interest (coughFargocough). Humor happens on The Walking Dead, but as with anything else on that show it’s usually a shock.
I don’t like getting invested in a character, knowing he/she has a better than even chance of not making it through the current season. I don’t like extreme gore. Heck, I’m not even a zombie fan. Yet there I am, week after week, cringing and yelling at the TV and unable to look away.
They really did me in last episode. (I predict he/she’s gone. Face the bitter truth, DeadFans, we lost another favorite.)
It’s all about character. As a writer I love creating new characters, and as a fan I love good writing and great characters. (Much as I love Daryl and Michonne, Glenn’s my favorite.) So I keep watching, and I keep screaming “Why? Why?!”, and next week I’ll come right back for more.
As with any addiction, the stress is taking years off my life.
Usually I choose escapism and/or humor for my entertainment, but every now and then something really dark captures my interest (coughFargocough). Humor happens on The Walking Dead, but as with anything else on that show it’s usually a shock.
I don’t like getting invested in a character, knowing he/she has a better than even chance of not making it through the current season. I don’t like extreme gore. Heck, I’m not even a zombie fan. Yet there I am, week after week, cringing and yelling at the TV and unable to look away.
They really did me in last episode. (I predict he/she’s gone. Face the bitter truth, DeadFans, we lost another favorite.)
It’s all about character. As a writer I love creating new characters, and as a fan I love good writing and great characters. (Much as I love Daryl and Michonne, Glenn’s my favorite.) So I keep watching, and I keep screaming “Why? Why?!”, and next week I’ll come right back for more.
As with any addiction, the stress is taking years off my life.
October 24, 2015
Cold, Colors, and Candy
As published first in the Kendallville Mall:
http://www.4countymall.com/mark-hunte...
Slightly Off the Mark
Unless you’re one of those people of questionable sanity who likes cold weather, October has little to offer Hoosiers except autumn colors and Halloween.
But by Halloween the leaves have usually fallen and the days are short. This gives me a feeling of bleakness and dread that … come to think of it, bleakness and dread are very Halloweenie.
But no matter how you feel about the weather (it stinks), Halloween is the beginning of snack season. Through Thanksgiving and Christmas and on to Valentine’s Day, we get to pack on a nice layer of fat against the cold.
It doesn’t really help. But what the heck, any excuse for chocolate.
As with most things, Halloween is more fun to kids. These days I’m expected to turn on my porch light and give candy to other people. I’d rather hide in the dark and let the dog scare off anyone who approaches. There’s a cocoa shortage, people—chocolate charity begins at home.
But when I was younger, it was one of the highlights of the year. In elementary school we’d spend October making decorations of ghosts, witches, and of course pumpkins with scary faces.
I wonder if that’s allowed, these days? They’ve probably banned that kind of stuff from public schools, along with cardboard pilgrims and anything Christmas. I liked the pilgrims, although even then I knew they’d be toast without Squanto and his corn crop (not that they had any toast).
Where was I? Oh yeah—candy. My family didn’t exactly hand out candy like candy … back then treats were, well, a treat. But on one glorious night we could collect enough candy to keep us going until Thanksgiving.
It wasn’t seen as a dangerous holiday, at the time. (This would be in the 70s. No, wait. Let’s change that to the 80s. Yeah, the 80s.) On the contrary, this was the night when it was quite literally okay to take candy from strangers.
Our dad would load us into the back of his El Camino for a trip to the store, which had highly flammable costumes and masks that rendered us mostly blind, then—
Oh, the El Camino? Well, it’s kind of a half car, half pickup truck. We didn’t worry about belting into the too-small front, because there were no seat belts.
Anyway, we waited until it got pitch dark and then hit the streets, methodically knocking on every door. Sometimes we’d get apples, which was not exactly a jump for joy moment. Packaged candy was okay, but the really nice people would make things from scratch, like those wonderful popcorn balls or caramel apples—which beat plain apples hands down.
The only glitch I remember is when we reached the home of a deaf old fellow who had no idea it was Halloween. He was probably the guy who later invented the idea of only trick or treating at homes with porch lights on. Or, maybe he was hoarding his chocolate.
Just as our parents passed out the last of their candy, we got home with more candy. It was important to eat the homemade stuff, like caramel apples and popcorn balls, first. If you weren’t too much of a glutton, you could string the rest along for weeks.
The times were so much less dangerous.
Now, some of you might be horrified by this. Some might smile at the exaggeration, then be horrified to discover it wasn’t an exaggeration: That’s the way it happened for some of us in the small towns of the mid-70s—I mean, 80s. This was a time when, if we did something stupid like walk in the middle of the street, our parents would get three phone calls and be standing at the front door by the time we made it home. When everyone knows everyone else, it’s not as dangerous as it sounds on paper.
We did know about the dangers, as shown in the very first short story I ever had published, in the late … 80s. It was about a hungry vampire who drinks his own blood after biting down on a razor blade inside a Halloween apple. If anyone still has that old copy of the Central Noble High School Cat Tracks, you’ll find the story to be very, very bad.
Just the same, the worst thing we ever experienced was a tummy ache.
http://www.4countymall.com/mark-hunte...
Slightly Off the Mark
Unless you’re one of those people of questionable sanity who likes cold weather, October has little to offer Hoosiers except autumn colors and Halloween.
But by Halloween the leaves have usually fallen and the days are short. This gives me a feeling of bleakness and dread that … come to think of it, bleakness and dread are very Halloweenie.
But no matter how you feel about the weather (it stinks), Halloween is the beginning of snack season. Through Thanksgiving and Christmas and on to Valentine’s Day, we get to pack on a nice layer of fat against the cold.
It doesn’t really help. But what the heck, any excuse for chocolate.
As with most things, Halloween is more fun to kids. These days I’m expected to turn on my porch light and give candy to other people. I’d rather hide in the dark and let the dog scare off anyone who approaches. There’s a cocoa shortage, people—chocolate charity begins at home.
But when I was younger, it was one of the highlights of the year. In elementary school we’d spend October making decorations of ghosts, witches, and of course pumpkins with scary faces.
I wonder if that’s allowed, these days? They’ve probably banned that kind of stuff from public schools, along with cardboard pilgrims and anything Christmas. I liked the pilgrims, although even then I knew they’d be toast without Squanto and his corn crop (not that they had any toast).
Where was I? Oh yeah—candy. My family didn’t exactly hand out candy like candy … back then treats were, well, a treat. But on one glorious night we could collect enough candy to keep us going until Thanksgiving.
It wasn’t seen as a dangerous holiday, at the time. (This would be in the 70s. No, wait. Let’s change that to the 80s. Yeah, the 80s.) On the contrary, this was the night when it was quite literally okay to take candy from strangers.
Our dad would load us into the back of his El Camino for a trip to the store, which had highly flammable costumes and masks that rendered us mostly blind, then—
Oh, the El Camino? Well, it’s kind of a half car, half pickup truck. We didn’t worry about belting into the too-small front, because there were no seat belts.
Anyway, we waited until it got pitch dark and then hit the streets, methodically knocking on every door. Sometimes we’d get apples, which was not exactly a jump for joy moment. Packaged candy was okay, but the really nice people would make things from scratch, like those wonderful popcorn balls or caramel apples—which beat plain apples hands down.
The only glitch I remember is when we reached the home of a deaf old fellow who had no idea it was Halloween. He was probably the guy who later invented the idea of only trick or treating at homes with porch lights on. Or, maybe he was hoarding his chocolate.
Just as our parents passed out the last of their candy, we got home with more candy. It was important to eat the homemade stuff, like caramel apples and popcorn balls, first. If you weren’t too much of a glutton, you could string the rest along for weeks.
The times were so much less dangerous.
Now, some of you might be horrified by this. Some might smile at the exaggeration, then be horrified to discover it wasn’t an exaggeration: That’s the way it happened for some of us in the small towns of the mid-70s—I mean, 80s. This was a time when, if we did something stupid like walk in the middle of the street, our parents would get three phone calls and be standing at the front door by the time we made it home. When everyone knows everyone else, it’s not as dangerous as it sounds on paper.
We did know about the dangers, as shown in the very first short story I ever had published, in the late … 80s. It was about a hungry vampire who drinks his own blood after biting down on a razor blade inside a Halloween apple. If anyone still has that old copy of the Central Noble High School Cat Tracks, you’ll find the story to be very, very bad.
Just the same, the worst thing we ever experienced was a tummy ache.
October 20, 2015
Genre Hopping
That gray period between the alarm going off and actually climbing out of bed can be used for something better than cursing the climbing out of bed part. Last night I woke up with a half-formed idea, possibly helped along by sinus drugs.
By the time I got up a the idea had solidified, right down to some characters and lines, for a new novel—a fantasy parody, kind of an anti-Harry Potter. (I mean in an anti-hero kind of a way; we’re very pro-Harry Potter in our house.)
Despite my history with humor, I’ve never written a full parody before—nor have I ever written a fantasy, so there I go genre hopping again. That’s the least of my problems, considering I get ten or twelve good story ideas for every story I actually get time to write. I also recently came up with an idea for a new book in the Storm Chaser series, although whether that ever gets written depends on sales of The Notorious Ian Grant.
Someday, one of my books will hit with a larger audience (I hope). When that happens, it might be a signal to stick with that one genre for a while, and build an audience. Meanwhile, all I really need for Christmas (other than book sales) is more time to write. Does anyone have a favorite, out of what I’ve published so far?
By the time I got up a the idea had solidified, right down to some characters and lines, for a new novel—a fantasy parody, kind of an anti-Harry Potter. (I mean in an anti-hero kind of a way; we’re very pro-Harry Potter in our house.)
Despite my history with humor, I’ve never written a full parody before—nor have I ever written a fantasy, so there I go genre hopping again. That’s the least of my problems, considering I get ten or twelve good story ideas for every story I actually get time to write. I also recently came up with an idea for a new book in the Storm Chaser series, although whether that ever gets written depends on sales of The Notorious Ian Grant.
Someday, one of my books will hit with a larger audience (I hope). When that happens, it might be a signal to stick with that one genre for a while, and build an audience. Meanwhile, all I really need for Christmas (other than book sales) is more time to write. Does anyone have a favorite, out of what I’ve published so far?
October 17, 2015
It’s still Fire Prevention Month. No, really.
For the first time since I can remember, I didn’t get an article in this year for Fire Prevention Week. But since there’ve been attempts to expand fire prevention into a whole month, I thought I’d repost this piece from 2013:
http://markrhunter.blogspot.com/2013/...
There, I feel better. And here’s some slightly more seriously fire safety information from a much more serious source:
http://www.nfpa.org/safety-informatio...
(Oh, and don't forget that proceeds from the sale of our book Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights go to the Albion Fire Department's equipment and training fund.)
http://markrhunter.blogspot.com/2013/...
There, I feel better. And here’s some slightly more seriously fire safety information from a much more serious source:
http://www.nfpa.org/safety-informatio...
(Oh, and don't forget that proceeds from the sale of our book Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights go to the Albion Fire Department's equipment and training fund.)
October 15, 2015
Pink Moon Rising
A few weeks back, as I drove down the road with my wife, a silver SUV approached us from the opposite direction. At least, I’m pretty sure it was a silver SUV—my full attention was drawn to the ass in the passenger seat.
No, it wasn’t a politician: It was more literally an ass, as in a posterior pressed against the windshield to moon oncoming drivers. It could very well have been their better half, and maybe even their better looking half, no butts about it.
You might think their sense of humor was scraping the bottom, but that breezy fanny didn’t ruffle my rear. I figure it was a harmless prank, the kind that doesn’t hurt anything or anybody unless somebody’s startled enough to drive off the road.
Still, if I was a passing police office I would have stopped the SUV, if only for the chance to tell the driver: “I suspect your passenger wasn’t wearing his seat belt.”
That’s my tail for the day … I hope it doesn’t put your schedule behind.
No, it wasn’t a politician: It was more literally an ass, as in a posterior pressed against the windshield to moon oncoming drivers. It could very well have been their better half, and maybe even their better looking half, no butts about it.
You might think their sense of humor was scraping the bottom, but that breezy fanny didn’t ruffle my rear. I figure it was a harmless prank, the kind that doesn’t hurt anything or anybody unless somebody’s startled enough to drive off the road.
Still, if I was a passing police office I would have stopped the SUV, if only for the chance to tell the driver: “I suspect your passenger wasn’t wearing his seat belt.”
That’s my tail for the day … I hope it doesn’t put your schedule behind.
October 9, 2015
Six Authors, Waiting on a Rock
NASA has confirmed a 1.5 mile wide asteroid will close in on Earth this weekend, so tomorrow might be your last chance to come to see your favorite local authors at appearances in Kendallville and Auburn.
By “close” they mean 15 million miles, which by astronomical standards is like tossing a rock in New York and having someone in Los Angeles hear it whistle by their ear. But just in case, you should buy a book and get some calories in case the world’s infrastructure comes down. We’ll be in coffee shop/bookstores, so there you go.
So if it’s not too far from your bunker we’ll see you from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Joanna’s Dealicious Treats, at 201 S. Main Street in Kendallville. Later you’ll need more coffee, so come on over from 3-7 p.m. to the Cupbearer Café, at 138 East 7th Street in Auburn. Remember, six authors—no waiting!
Remember also, that every time you don’t go to a book signing, the presidential election season gets just a little longer …
Don’t let that be your fault.
By “close” they mean 15 million miles, which by astronomical standards is like tossing a rock in New York and having someone in Los Angeles hear it whistle by their ear. But just in case, you should buy a book and get some calories in case the world’s infrastructure comes down. We’ll be in coffee shop/bookstores, so there you go.
So if it’s not too far from your bunker we’ll see you from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Joanna’s Dealicious Treats, at 201 S. Main Street in Kendallville. Later you’ll need more coffee, so come on over from 3-7 p.m. to the Cupbearer Café, at 138 East 7th Street in Auburn. Remember, six authors—no waiting!
Remember also, that every time you don’t go to a book signing, the presidential election season gets just a little longer …
Don’t let that be your fault.
October 8, 2015
Six Authors, Two Appearances, One Day
I usually post press releases for upcoming author events, so everyone can see how dull my press releases are. This one was sent out last week, so I hope you’ve seen it—it’s very different from our previous book signings in two ways:
First, it’s our first gathering of multiple authors (unless you county Emily and me as two authors, which you should). Six—count ‘em, six—authors will be at one of the two gatherings Saturday.
Which brings us to the second way: Being gluttons for punishment, we’re doing two separate author appearances in one day. All the details are below, and I hope you can make at least one of them. Maybe both, it would be like having … author groupies.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Six local authors will have a busy day, organizing for two book signings in two cities Saturday, October 10th. The authors will have plenty of opportunities for caffeine to keep them going, though: Both appearances are at coffee shops.
The first, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., will be at Joanna’s Dealicious Treats, a book store, coffee shop, and restaurant at 201 S. Main Street in Kendallville. After just an hour’s pause the second will be at the Cupbearer Café in Auburn, at 138 East 7th Street, from 3-7 p.m.
All the authors will have copies of their books for sale, and will be happy to sign them and discuss their writing with visitors. Authors include:
Dawn Crandall is a graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education, and a former bookseller at Barnes & Noble. Her books are published by Whitaker House, a leading publisher of Christian living and leadership books, as well as Inspirational Fiction. Dawn's debut novel, The Hesitant Heiress, is the 2015 winner of the Hearts Through History Romancing the Novel RWA reader’s choice award, the WISRWA Write Touch Reader’s choice award and the RWA Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, all in the inspirational categories. The Hesitant Heiress was also a finalist in the 2015 Carol Awards—the American Christian Fiction Writer’s recognition for the best Christian fiction published by traditional publishing houses in the previous calendar year. Her second novel, The Bound Heart, is the 2015 winner of the Clash of the Titles Laurel Award. Her website is http://dawncrandall.blogspot.com.
Nick Hayden is the author of the fantasy novels Trouble on the Horizon and The Remnant of Dreams. He has penned a number of short story collections, including Dreams & Visions, and the novella The Isle of Gold. He co-hosts a story-telling podcast, "Derailed Trains of Thought," about once a month, and also helps run the Children of the Wells web serial.
Hayden describes himself as a mild-mannered bookkeeper by day, a mild-mannered (albeit tortured) writer by night, a writing teacher three times a week, a youth leader on weekends, and a podcaster every month or so. He has a wife and two kids, who do a fine job of putting up with him. You can find out more about Nick at his website, www.worksofnick.com, his podcast, his blog, or on his Facebook page. His books include the fantasy The Unremarkable Squire, a flash fiction collection, Another World, and the fantasy Bron & Calea Volume 1, with Laura Fischer
Mark and Emily Hunter of Albion have a match made in literature: They met on a writing website.
Mark R. Hunter is an emergency dispatcher for the Noble County Sheriff Department and a volunteer for the Albion Fire Department, and served two terms on the Albion Town Council. His humor column, “Slightly Off the Mark”, ran for twenty-five years in local newspapers. His books include the romantic comedies Storm Chaser and The Notorious Ian Grant, and a related story collection, Storm Chaser Shorts.
Emily Hunter graduated from Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne University with a degree in English with writing concentration, and is indulging her love of horses by working at the Pokagon State Park saddle barn. In addition to their collaboration on the book Images of America: Albion and Noble County, Emily did editing, setup, and cover design for their other history book, Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights: A Century Or So With the Albion Fire Department. She did similar work for the humor collection of Slightly Off the Mark, and the young adult adventure novel The No-Campfire Girls. More information about their writing can be found at www.markrhunter.com.
Nathan Marchand is from northeastern Indiana. Homeschooled from an early age, he discovered his talent for writing in sixth grade English, and has loved speculative fiction since his dad introduced him to the original Star Trek at age three. He attended Taylor University Fort Wayne, earning a B.A. in professional writing. Nathan worked as a reporter in a small town, a feature writer for www.Examiner.com, and as a freelance writer, among other things. His first novel, Pandora’s Box, was published in 2010 by Absolute XPress. He’s also the co-creator of the ongoing fantasy serial, Children of the Wells (www.ChildrenoftheWells.com), and the host of his own YouTube show, “But I Digress….” When not writing, he enjoys other creative endeavors like photography, acting, ballroom dancing, and occasionally saving the world. His website is www.NathanJSMarchand.com.
Nathan’s books include Pandora’s Box (military SF); Destroyer (giant monster/SF, with Natasha Hayden and Timothy Deal; The Day After (short story anthology); Children of the Wells: Jaysynn, Vol.1 (post-apocalyptic fantasy, with John Bahler and Timothy Deal); Ninjas and Talking Tress (fantasy/comedy, Book 1 of The (Mis)Adventures of George Francis); 42: Discovering Faith Through Fandom (devotional, with Eric Anderson)
R. A. Slone writes Young Adult & New Adult Horror/Paranormal. Her love for telling stories goes way back: She remembers taking pieces of paper, cutting them into squares, and stapling them together to form small books. When she was a teenager, her parents bought her a Smith Corona typewriter for Christmas, and she would stay up late at night writing about horses galloping into the sunset. Later, after she grew up and had some life experience, she tried her hand at writing again. This time she started with short stories and eventually worked her way into writing full-length novels, and now writes short stories for the Kendallville Mall under Rita Robbins. She lives in northeast Indiana with her husband and cats. Her website is www.raslone.com.
R.A. Slone’s work includes Ghost in the Blue Dress – Young Adult Horror.
First, it’s our first gathering of multiple authors (unless you county Emily and me as two authors, which you should). Six—count ‘em, six—authors will be at one of the two gatherings Saturday.
Which brings us to the second way: Being gluttons for punishment, we’re doing two separate author appearances in one day. All the details are below, and I hope you can make at least one of them. Maybe both, it would be like having … author groupies.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Six local authors will have a busy day, organizing for two book signings in two cities Saturday, October 10th. The authors will have plenty of opportunities for caffeine to keep them going, though: Both appearances are at coffee shops.
The first, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., will be at Joanna’s Dealicious Treats, a book store, coffee shop, and restaurant at 201 S. Main Street in Kendallville. After just an hour’s pause the second will be at the Cupbearer Café in Auburn, at 138 East 7th Street, from 3-7 p.m.
All the authors will have copies of their books for sale, and will be happy to sign them and discuss their writing with visitors. Authors include:
Dawn Crandall is a graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education, and a former bookseller at Barnes & Noble. Her books are published by Whitaker House, a leading publisher of Christian living and leadership books, as well as Inspirational Fiction. Dawn's debut novel, The Hesitant Heiress, is the 2015 winner of the Hearts Through History Romancing the Novel RWA reader’s choice award, the WISRWA Write Touch Reader’s choice award and the RWA Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, all in the inspirational categories. The Hesitant Heiress was also a finalist in the 2015 Carol Awards—the American Christian Fiction Writer’s recognition for the best Christian fiction published by traditional publishing houses in the previous calendar year. Her second novel, The Bound Heart, is the 2015 winner of the Clash of the Titles Laurel Award. Her website is http://dawncrandall.blogspot.com.
Nick Hayden is the author of the fantasy novels Trouble on the Horizon and The Remnant of Dreams. He has penned a number of short story collections, including Dreams & Visions, and the novella The Isle of Gold. He co-hosts a story-telling podcast, "Derailed Trains of Thought," about once a month, and also helps run the Children of the Wells web serial.
Hayden describes himself as a mild-mannered bookkeeper by day, a mild-mannered (albeit tortured) writer by night, a writing teacher three times a week, a youth leader on weekends, and a podcaster every month or so. He has a wife and two kids, who do a fine job of putting up with him. You can find out more about Nick at his website, www.worksofnick.com, his podcast, his blog, or on his Facebook page. His books include the fantasy The Unremarkable Squire, a flash fiction collection, Another World, and the fantasy Bron & Calea Volume 1, with Laura Fischer
Mark and Emily Hunter of Albion have a match made in literature: They met on a writing website.
Mark R. Hunter is an emergency dispatcher for the Noble County Sheriff Department and a volunteer for the Albion Fire Department, and served two terms on the Albion Town Council. His humor column, “Slightly Off the Mark”, ran for twenty-five years in local newspapers. His books include the romantic comedies Storm Chaser and The Notorious Ian Grant, and a related story collection, Storm Chaser Shorts.
Emily Hunter graduated from Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne University with a degree in English with writing concentration, and is indulging her love of horses by working at the Pokagon State Park saddle barn. In addition to their collaboration on the book Images of America: Albion and Noble County, Emily did editing, setup, and cover design for their other history book, Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights: A Century Or So With the Albion Fire Department. She did similar work for the humor collection of Slightly Off the Mark, and the young adult adventure novel The No-Campfire Girls. More information about their writing can be found at www.markrhunter.com.
Nathan Marchand is from northeastern Indiana. Homeschooled from an early age, he discovered his talent for writing in sixth grade English, and has loved speculative fiction since his dad introduced him to the original Star Trek at age three. He attended Taylor University Fort Wayne, earning a B.A. in professional writing. Nathan worked as a reporter in a small town, a feature writer for www.Examiner.com, and as a freelance writer, among other things. His first novel, Pandora’s Box, was published in 2010 by Absolute XPress. He’s also the co-creator of the ongoing fantasy serial, Children of the Wells (www.ChildrenoftheWells.com), and the host of his own YouTube show, “But I Digress….” When not writing, he enjoys other creative endeavors like photography, acting, ballroom dancing, and occasionally saving the world. His website is www.NathanJSMarchand.com.
Nathan’s books include Pandora’s Box (military SF); Destroyer (giant monster/SF, with Natasha Hayden and Timothy Deal; The Day After (short story anthology); Children of the Wells: Jaysynn, Vol.1 (post-apocalyptic fantasy, with John Bahler and Timothy Deal); Ninjas and Talking Tress (fantasy/comedy, Book 1 of The (Mis)Adventures of George Francis); 42: Discovering Faith Through Fandom (devotional, with Eric Anderson)
R. A. Slone writes Young Adult & New Adult Horror/Paranormal. Her love for telling stories goes way back: She remembers taking pieces of paper, cutting them into squares, and stapling them together to form small books. When she was a teenager, her parents bought her a Smith Corona typewriter for Christmas, and she would stay up late at night writing about horses galloping into the sunset. Later, after she grew up and had some life experience, she tried her hand at writing again. This time she started with short stories and eventually worked her way into writing full-length novels, and now writes short stories for the Kendallville Mall under Rita Robbins. She lives in northeast Indiana with her husband and cats. Her website is www.raslone.com.
R.A. Slone’s work includes Ghost in the Blue Dress – Young Adult Horror.
October 7, 2015
A School of Authors, Fishing for Readers
What is a group of writers gathered together called? A herd? A gaggle? If they write mysteries, a murder of writers?
I would suggest: An ink of authors. Or, possibly, a paper of pundits.
https://www.facebook.com/events/44139...
I would suggest: An ink of authors. Or, possibly, a paper of pundits.
https://www.facebook.com/events/44139...
October 5, 2015
Hoosier Hysterical
Despite all the book signing and promotion work, I’m close to finishing the first draft of my newest WIP, a humor book about Indiana history. (My space opera story is “cooling”, so I can run through the next draft with a more objective eye.) I figure there will be lots of Hoosier books published for the bicentennial, but maybe not a lot of humor books.
My book, which still doesn’t have a real working title, is divided up in two ways: by time periods and subjects. There will be sections on pre-state history, becoming a state, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War, for example. Some subjects include weather, state symbols, famous Hoosiers, transportation, sports, crime, and so on.
It’ll be funny. I promise.
What do you think? What other subjects related to the Hoosier state and its history should be covered in the book? Preferably something I can make fun of, but what the heck—I’ve already covered the Klan and serial killers.
By the way, if you come to our appearances Saturday feel free to ask questions about our writing projects, past and present. I had a great conversation last Saturday about Albion history, with one of the town’s old timers.
My book, which still doesn’t have a real working title, is divided up in two ways: by time periods and subjects. There will be sections on pre-state history, becoming a state, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War, for example. Some subjects include weather, state symbols, famous Hoosiers, transportation, sports, crime, and so on.
It’ll be funny. I promise.
What do you think? What other subjects related to the Hoosier state and its history should be covered in the book? Preferably something I can make fun of, but what the heck—I’ve already covered the Klan and serial killers.
By the way, if you come to our appearances Saturday feel free to ask questions about our writing projects, past and present. I had a great conversation last Saturday about Albion history, with one of the town’s old timers.
October 4, 2015
It Was a Great Day … For a Book Signing … Indoors
Many thanks to Dan and Lori Gagen for hosting us at the Noble Art Gallery yesterday. Emily was able to make it despite her cold, and although it was cool and wet outside, we were nice and toasty warm inside and got to sign books and speak to several great people.
Images of America: Albion and Noble County will be available to sale there, as it also is at Albion Village Foods, Black Pine Animal Sanctuary, Doc’s Hardware, and the Noble County Historical Society (which runs the Old Jail Museum). But you can get all our books at the gallery! They’ve got their own book table amongst the art.
Now, to spend the next week harassing (ahem, asking) everyone to visit us—all of us, six authors—at two author appearances Saturday, October 10, in Kendallville and Auburn. The Facebook events page has the details:
https://www.facebook.com/events/44139...
Those are our last book signings scheduled before spring—with one possible exception that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
But remember, Christmas shopping season is coming … and when you don’t buy enough books, Santa gets overworked and ends up needing bypass surgery. Keep poor St. Nick off the operating table.
Images of America: Albion and Noble County will be available to sale there, as it also is at Albion Village Foods, Black Pine Animal Sanctuary, Doc’s Hardware, and the Noble County Historical Society (which runs the Old Jail Museum). But you can get all our books at the gallery! They’ve got their own book table amongst the art.
Now, to spend the next week harassing (ahem, asking) everyone to visit us—all of us, six authors—at two author appearances Saturday, October 10, in Kendallville and Auburn. The Facebook events page has the details:
https://www.facebook.com/events/44139...
Those are our last book signings scheduled before spring—with one possible exception that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
But remember, Christmas shopping season is coming … and when you don’t buy enough books, Santa gets overworked and ends up needing bypass surgery. Keep poor St. Nick off the operating table.
