Austin Briggs's Blog, page 41
December 3, 2012
Hidden Treasure
“You have to do something!”
“I . . . suggest you say goodbye . . . Your father is too ill . . .”
Turning to the elderly man, sprawled on the bed, she dropped to her knees, ignoring the snickering cousins.
“I love you, father.” She gripped his hand.
“I . . . I left the money in the . . .” He gasped.
And his breathing stopped.
Olivia Wright.
Hidden Treasure is a post from: Adventure and Learning
The Explosion
It was a cold winter’s day. Something said don’t go to work. I called in sick returning to bed. At 7:00 am, there was a gas explosion. By 7:15 the news media reported the neighbors living with me. Now a house was gone. The owners, renters, and the neighbors lives had been changed forever.
The Explosion is a post from: Adventure and Learning
Penance
He told the cowering pair: “For stealing from The Tree of Life, I shall forever hide from you the Secret of Flight. In slumbers you will remember the joy of flying and also the fear of your fall. When awake, you will remain lower than my other angels. Now, you must walk from this garden.”
Penance is a post from: Adventure and Learning
Relative Agents
His heart wretched.
His face expressionless, emotionless,
slowly sliding forward
the rifle bolt handle,
left hand gripping the forestock,
right index on the trigger.
taking aim.
A single precise shot rang out.
‘jake and hank, the brothers elite’
one of them had to go.
the unit had told them so.
suicide was jake’s only option.
Relative Agents is a post from: Adventure and Learning
December 1, 2012
November 2012 Winners
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Every month, I promise myself to resist listing all the stories I “especially” liked 
This month I’m not going to keep this promise, again. I’ve loved so many that I just can’t resist mentioning the ones I’ve short-listed for victory.
Recall, November was all about Fantasy, any fantasy at all.
Here goes the short list:
1. The Emperor of Time by R.J. Saxon.
2. Changing Magic by Carole Fowkes.
3. Trouble with the Imps by Michael Coady.
4. The Gilded Cage by Betsy A. Riley.
5. True Face by Elizabeth John.
6. The Sylph by Michael Coady.
7. The Choice by Yvonne Hertzberger.
8. Often Passed but Never Ventured by Morgen Bailey.
9. Icy Misadventure by Richard Lawrence.
10. Caged Fantasy by Deborah Lean.
11. The Gatekeeper by John Moon.
12. Behind the Eyes by Thomas Giles.
I’ve limited my list to a dozen, but of course I’ve carefully considered each story, rereading them over and over again.
Please don’t be sad if your story didn’t make it to the 12 above… each month, the competition seems to get tougher as the quality of the stories goes up. It breaks my heart not to award some powerful stories you folks sent.
Anyway, time for the drum roll.
I can afford a few more prizes this month, so I’m awarding 3 stories that are, in my mind, exceptional:
1st Prize ($55): The Choice by Yvonne Hertzberger.
2nd Prize ($30): True Face by Elizabeth John.
3rd Prize ($30): The Sylph by Michael Coady.
Congratulations to the winners! As always, I’ll contact you guys by email and will send your winnings via PayPal.
My hat is off before the other wonderful stories posted in November.
I love them all. I wish I can award them all, too!
—
Now, on to December.
Let’s switch gears this month into something completely different.
The Secret
Write a 55-word story based on a secret of your choice.
November 2012 Winners is a post from: Adventure and Learning
November 30, 2012
Other Reasons
She peeked out from under the covers when the door opened.
“Were they here again?” he asked.
She nodded.
“What’d they want this time?”
She pointed her tiny finger at her father.
“Really,” he said. “You tell them to come see me next time, OK sweetie?”
Mama always thought he’d left her for another woman.
O.D. Trebor.
Other Reasons is a post from: Adventure and Learning
Buzz
“There’s no point arguing, she’s the Queen and what she says goes.”
“Even when what she says is crazy? I don’t mind working my wings off for her and her thousands of babies but this insanity has to stop.”
“Trust me, if she says wingless monsters stole the honey, it’s just easier to collect more.”
Buzz is a post from: Adventure and Learning
November 29, 2012
Am I Dreaming
Was it a dream? Did she really say that to me? I have no sense of humor and I really do not know why she would say that kind of thing and then smile and laugh at me at the same time. “I love you” is such an overused word. Please let her mean it . . .
Am I Dreaming is a post from: Adventure and Learning
November 25, 2012
Authors: 5 Laws of Becoming Relatable on Social Media (without getting a drink thrown into your face)
First, let me ask you a question.
What do people use the social media for?
Most do it to get a break during their hectic lives, don’t you think? They kick back with a coffee and have a chat. They gossip. They share a silly joke or an interesting picture. They talk about this political party, or that hurricane.
Some of them even flirt.
Then you, an author, come on the social media stage. And what do you do?
You tweet about your book. You post the most awesome bits of your text on Facebook. You G+ that smashing 5-star review you book got the other day. You automate your “buy my book” link with that clever piece of software (the one that Twitter hasn’t banned yet).
Then, a few weeks into your “social media strategy”, you realize that no one cares.
No one gives a damn.
Your 5-star reviews create no buying frenzy. Your best excerpts don’t go viral. Your buying links remain un-clicked. Even your video trailer doesn’t cause a stir.
Why would that be?
Many reasons could be at work. A common cause is that folks simply don’t find your stuff relevant to their lives. They can’t relate to it.
In this post, we’ll talk about one way to address that:
Becoming relatable.
I don’t mean the fake relatability of spammy Facebook pages. Junk like “Five minutes extra sleep in the mornings can make your day! Click Like if you agree!” is junk no matter which way you slice it.
You can build a loyal audience by becoming their perfect coffee time companion; and that means ditching the endless automated promotional posts cycle and learning to relate to others, instead.
Here are 5 ways to become relatable:
1. Show Your Face.
If you go for coffee with someone (and it’s not Halloween) then you’re going to be a bit miffed if they turn up wearing a Klingon mask.
The same is true online; people know there’s a face behind the avatar of a cute monster, or behind a book cover, and they’d rather see that. We talk to people, not book covers in real life.
People who talk to book covers tend to find themselves in a room with nice rubber walls. And people like that don’t buy books.
You could up the ante using a welcome video. Check out Rick Riordan’s video on YouTube and see all the positive commentary from his readers. It feels much more like a coffee moment, doesn’t it?
Unless there’s a marketing hook in remaining anonymous, it’s better to show your face. Leave the Klingons on the starboard bow until Halloween. Click here if you’re missing the reference
2. Um, talk.
Your friend shows up in the coffee shop for a chat. He’s wearing a sign that says, “Buy my book!” Every time you speak to him, he points at that sign.
Would you even finish your coffee with this guy, or would you head for the hills? You wanted a conversation; he wanted you to buy his book. That’s no fun, right?
Find people’s conversations on Twitter (that’s what the @ tag is for) and join them. Share interesting pieces and make people laugh. Then mention your book occasionally and folks will start making steps in the right direction. They’ll want to buy from you, if they like you.
Instead of posting links to the 5-star reviews of your book, talk about your characters and offer insights into their lives. Better still, ask your audience what they’d like to see happen to those characters in your next book. Now you’re talking!
Scott Oden does it like a master on his Facebook page.
3. Showcase Others.
You can make someone’s day by introducing them to a person they’d get on with over coffee.
The same is true on social media. Don’t hog the spotlight: your readers can (and will) engage with more than one author. Showcase the great work of others, and your audience will be grateful.
If you’re feeling up for something more daring, showcase your readers. People love to hear about how great they are from others. Check out what Peter James has done on his website for ideas.
4. Engage the Senses.
Sitting in a coffee shop is more than just a chat and a drink.
It’s about the smell of the coffee and the pastries. It’s about the people watching. It’s about the chance to overhear remarks from angry young lovers or harassed businessmen. In short, it’s a multi-sensory experience.
Text is all well and good in social media, but you can move beyond that. A great place to start is Pinterest. See how Tahir Shah creates a bigger picture with his board sharing sights, smells, tastes and more. Also note that, once again, this isn’t just a “buy my book” piece but a place to interact.
5. Show your Generous Spirit.
In a physical coffee shop this is easy: buy me a coffee. 
Online this is a little harder to do, and you’ll need to be a generous person at heart to make a real success of this. That means treating your social media contacts as people, and not just prospective buyers.
Just like in real life, stay away from gossiping about your competition (unless you have something nice to say). Keep your online ranting to a minimum. When you receive a low-star review, learn from it, rather than go supernova on the giver.
Give away the occasional copy of your book when someone asks for it for charitable purposes or reviews. It’s also a nice idea to stay away from DRM, though I’ll admit the Amazon store makes that harder than it ought to be.
If you’ve enjoyed this piece, why not grab a cup of coffee and check out this book: “How to Build a Powerful Writer’s Platform in 90 days”?
Authors: 5 Laws of Becoming Relatable on Social Media (without getting a drink thrown into your face) is a post from: Adventure and Learning
November 23, 2012
The Gatekeeper
His moustache curled down past his chin, wispy and white.
From its center a funny voice emerged when he spoke like fighting weasels tumbling in a field of crickets; a crazy sound that seemed to come from all directions to converge alarmingly in unexpected corners of the mind.
“Proceed. If your heart is true.”
John Moon.
The Gatekeeper is a post from: Adventure and Learning
