Brian Patrick McKinley's Blog, page 11
June 25, 2014
There’s No Such Thing As A Famous Author Anymore
This is a good point. Steven King aside, nobody really pays much attention to the writers…
Originally posted on Vampire Syndrome Blog:
Sorry, Virginia, even Santa Claus agrees there’s no such thing as a “famous author” anymore.
And this may be a good thing.
We live in a culture which doles out celebrity to “quack dynasties” of families who are famous just for being famous. You know who they are, whether you want to or not.
No surprise that in such a “culture”, the authors, the dreamers, the creators are receding into the shadows of marginalization. Even if their creation enchants an entire nation.
Look no further than this magazine.
“Photos”
“Interviews”
“Diaries”
“Stories”
With all of that content, what could possibly be missing?
The author.
The person who created this saga in the first place. The person without whom the movie (and the tie-in magazines) would not even exist.
There was only one mention of “Suzanne Collins” or “novel” in the entire magazine.
In a small piece on the bottom of…
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June 24, 2014
Concept Is Not Story!
“I’ve got a great idea for you,” someone inevitably says to you when they find out you’re a writer. Their eyes gleaming with mischievous pride as they fight to contain their smile, they slowly spell out either a painfully clichéd idea that you’ve seen listed on Hackneyed Premises to Avoid At All Costs or else is something so far-fetched and desperately “original” that you have no idea how to begin telling them why it would never work. Of course, they couldn’t be bothered to take this brilliant idea and do anything with it, but they’re positive that they’ve just given you the answer to all your prayers. Because, naturally, being a writer is all about taking other peoples’ ideas and spinning that straw into gold, right?
ISN’T THAT JUST THE COOLEST IDEA EVER???
What makes me laugh/cry about this kind of situation is what a profound lack of understanding it shows about what writing is and what writers do. It assumes that I, the writer, am nothing more than a clever typing monkey who has been waiting his whole life to hear the right idea. Because that’s what it’s all about, right? Once you’ve got that great idea, your book will just about write itself! These are the people who probably don’t even want to be writers and will likely never be writers. They got that one stupendous idea in their heads and figured they’d peddle it around to someone who could use it. The problem is that it’s their idea and I don’t care about their idea. I care about my ideas! Trust me, I have more than enough ideas to keep me busy for the rest of my life, so either take that idea of yours and write it yourself or let it go.
What about all you aspiring writers out there? Do you have that big idea that you jealously guard and only tell other writers after they’ve sworn a blood oath upon the soul of their first-born not to steal or repeat it? I’ve got some news for you:
Nobody wants your damn idea, either.
Ideas are rampant in the writing business and concepts come free in cereal boxes. Literally everyone on this Earth has probably had at least one idea for what would make a good book and no one else cares until someone puts it down on paper. That’s what matters, friends. Until it’s on the page in your own words, that story is nothing but a daydream.
There is a crucial difference between a concept and a story, one which a surprising number of aspiring writers don’t recognize. A concept is a pitch, a premise, a logline, a marketing device. A character wakes to find himself on a strange alien planet. At the end, however, we realize that he’s actually a dog living in the suburbs!! This is what passes for a story idea to many would-be writers, but it’s a concept. A concept is the seed from which a story grows. This only happens when you begin to examine a concept closely and ask questions: who is the main character? What does he want? Who or what is keeping him from what he wants? What obstacles does he have to overcome? Why should the reader give a shit?
Seriously, a DOG! It’s brilliant!
That last one is an especially important question. If the whole point of your “story” is to set up some lame gag or clever twist, then just don’t. It’s probably been done before and done better. A real concept is a starting point: What if? What if cancer was actually an alien life-form? What if a boy and a girl from rival families fell in love? What if dinosaurs never died off? What if a bunch of teenagers drove around the country in a van solving mysteries? What if the Roman Empire never fell? What if a vampire got a glow-stick stuck up its ass? These are all interesting concepts, but left un-examined, that’s all they are. They imply potential for a story, but they aren’t a story. The story begins to happen when someone takes that concept and says: “Okay, this is what happens…”
Okay, what about a dog from the Roman Empire who falls in love with a rival turtle from a world where Dinosaurs never died off?
Concepts are wonderful, but my advice to anyone out there who is hoarding some concept for fear of it being stolen is: stop worrying. In fact, you should tell your concept to as many people as you can and listen to their reactions. What questions do they ask about it? What are the aspects they want to know more about? What about it are they skeptical of? This is your free focus-group! Take your concept out of your head and explore it, outline it, define the characters, create a beginning, middle, and an end—then you’ve got a story!
It’s my belief that great writers can take any concept—that they care about—and make a story out of it. Several great writers can take the same concept and create several stories out of it, each one unique and each one their own.
Just imagine the story Gary Busey could create with that dog!
Stephen King isn’t successful because his ideas for novels are hundreds of times more original than other writers’, he’s successful because he fleshes his concepts out with rich, memorable characters and vividly-drawn places that engage and reader and make them give a shit! Stephenie Meyer isn’t successful because Twilight was an original concept or even because it was particularly well-written; Meyer used a familiar framework to tell a story about characters that she obviously loved. Somehow, it showed through everything else, because readers across the world identified with those characters. She got her readers to give a shit. The secret to successful writing isn’t great concepts (although those help); it’s taking a concept and exploring it in a way that is uniquely yours. It’s making the reader care about what happens to your imaginary people and their imaginary world. And it’s something that no one else can give you.
June 20, 2014
“So You Want to Be a Writer?”
You want to be a writer? Then write! But once you’ve written something, be prepared to promote the hell out of it! Here’s a bunch of us Jersey writers sharing our knowledge and experience with the public while also getting the word out about our books. 
This time we were at the Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library in Sewell, NJ and being hosted by the South Jersey Writers. They put out a lovely spread of food, which made me like them immediately. There was cake, fruit, cookies, drinks, more cake, and even some vegetables (I think).
You thought this was going to be a picture of the food table, didn’t you?
Melissa Teta of Melissa Teta Photography took a bunch of wonderful pictures again, so I’m going to post a representative selection of them and make snarky comments in the captions.
There’s just no reason not to have this photo in every blog post.
Jennifer Eaton is a successful writer of speculative fiction, fantasy, and romance. She told a great story about how writing a romance novel and working with a romance editor wound up making her fantasy and science fiction better. You can find her on the internet at http://www.jennifermeaton.com and on Twitter @Jennifermeaton.
Trust me, she smiled and laughed a lot.
Some of Jennifer’s books
Our lovely host was Laura Kaighn who specializes in Native American storytelling and is part of the South Jersey Authors Group. She has a book out called Earth Child. She kept the event flowing despite having a bunch of rambling authors to deal with. 
Laura’s books
We also had the always-delightful Jane Mayer who collected her grandmother’s photographs into a charming book called Grandmother Mayer. Quite an accomplishment without a publisher or any kind of outside help!
How could you not want to buy a copy?
Jane’s book
Of course, no panel discussion would have been complete without Kristin Battestella! Her Vampire Family and Fate and Fangs series can be found on Amazon and she can be found writing interesting articles for HorrorAddicts.net and on her own site vampfam.blogspot.com!
Pictured here in a rarely-seen red top!
Kristin’s books
We were also joined by the delightful John L. Leone, author of a wonderful series of children’s books based on the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes (and puns, lots of puns) called Sharklock Bones. Just from the description alone, I want to read them!
John’s books
And then, inevitably, there was this guy:
Please buy my book so I can eat tonight!
Brian’s books
Ancient Blood is now only available on Audiobook or at one of these panels! http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Ancient-Blood-A-Novel-of-the-Hegemony-Audiobook/B00ICNQITY/
Fresh Blood, however, is still available for both paperback and Kindle and all proceeds support the National Hemophilia Foundation. http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Blood-Vampire-Writers-Support-ebook/dp/B00FYEJDPA/
Local Author Sondra Dankel joined us for group photo
June 13, 2014
A Problem with Christians
Very cool article. Even though my vampires are religiously “de-fanged”, you can’t forget where you come from.
Originally posted on The Vampirologist:
Anne Rice recently recommended a book on her Facebook page, which elicited some interesting responses from her followers.
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Local Authors Take Hostages!
WOODBURY, NJ – A crazed group of local authors took patrons hostage a few weeks ago and forced them to participate in a discussion of the publishing industry. This article should have been written and posted a day or two afterward, but was delayed due to a combination of illness, loss of internet connections, other interruptions, and general procrastination and laziness. All the hostages were released unharmed, however the authors escaped capture.
In completely unrelated news, here are some pics from a recent author panel I took part in at a library!
Jordanna East, Brian Patrick McKinley, Jane Mayer, Kristin Battestella, and Terri Brisbin
There are lots of reasons for authors to participate in these kinds of panels, but probably the most obvious is exposure. People who enjoy reading tend to come to these kind of panels, along with aspiring authors, and both are people who want to learn about your books! As a bonus, you get to listen to your fellow authors answer questions and discuss their experiences. It’s amazing what you can learn while sitting up at the important table and looking like a big-shot celebrity. Also, there are cookies sometimes. Free cookies.
In other words, if you get a chance to be involved in a panel discussion, do it. I got my chance through an awesome group called the New Jersey Authors Network (http://www.njauthorsnetwork.com). NJAN is a free, cooperative network of local authors that works together to set up readings, panel discussions, and other events at libraries, writing groups, and other social organizations. I highly recommend you find out if your state has something similar and, if not, consider starting one!
Pictured: Big shot celebrity
Here are some of the other fabulous authors that spoke at the panel:
Award-winning, USA Today best-selling author Terri Brisbin is a mom, a wife and a dental hygienist and has sold more than 1.8 million copies of her historical and paranormal romance novels and novellas in more than 25 countries and 20 languages around the world. Her current and upcoming romances will be published by Harlequin Historicals and New American Library (NAL) through 2016. Terri’s also re-released her earlier works, too. Visit www.terribrisbin.com for more info about Terri, her works and upcoming events.
The lovely and omnipresent Kristin Battestella was our host. A fellow vampire author, she writes a series called The Vampire Family and has more websites, blogs, and groups than I can list here! Give her sites a look, you’re sure to find something interesting.
http://jsnouff.com/kristin
kristin724.livejournal.com
vampfam.blogspot.com
Jordanna East readily confesses that she started writing a novel one day when she was broke and unemployed. Her cable had been turned off. SHE WAS BORED. Longing to use her minors in Psychology and Criminology, she ventured outside the box; she plopped down on her bed and started writing…and she hasn’t stopped. Though, now she has cable and pens her Psychological Thrillers at an actual desk. Jordanna is a member of the New Jersey Authors Network and the South Jersey Writers Group. As you may have guessed, she currently lives in South Jersey, with her husband and their two cats, both named after food.
http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Paint-Book-One-ebook/dp/B00JCZLQVQ/
Jane Mayer self-published a beautiful and heart-warming book of her grandmother’s photos complete with stories and anecdotes for each. A highly personal book, but a wonderful story: http://www.amazon.com/Grandmother-Mayer-Jane/dp/1494242419/
And, of course, there were a couple of copies of a rare vampire novel that just went officially out of print:
I’ll be doing another one of these panels on Tuesday 6/17/14 in Sewell, NJ at another library and shall report back again!
June 9, 2014
Kbatz: Christopher Lee Delights!
Originally posted on horroraddicts.net:
Christopher DeLEEful Films!
By Kristin Battestella
How does one choose the best or most beloved pictures from Sir Christopher Lee’s extensive film repertoire? Short answer: you can’t. Long answer: I’m going to try a batch of my horror favorites here!
Horror of Dracula – Well, well. Director Terence Fisher is here again for the one that started it all! Even with little dialogue, Lee is tall and imposing, his stature and glare deadly and delightful. Appearing a half hour into the film, top billed Peter Cushing as Van Helsing is also simply badass. There are unique changes to the tale from Hammer writer Jimmy Sangster (Horror of Frankenstein) of course, with library scholar Harker engaged to Lucy and more character switcharoos. Dracula is also decidedly styled as an English gentleman yet the story never leaves Central Europe. This also doesn’t look 1958 as we expect from the Leave…
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May 26, 2014
Upcoming Books #3
Originally posted on The Vampirologist:
For those unfamiliar with this segment, I trawl through Amazon—Amazon.co.uk, mainly—for forthcoming non-fiction vampire books and share my thoughts on what they might be like.
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May 25, 2014
Dark Features Magazine is seeking Urban Fantasy Short Stories
Originally posted on hchimo:
Please feel free to share!
http://www.darkfuturesfiction.net/announcing-phase-2-magazines-first-themed-issue-urban-fantasy/
May 21, 2014
Ancient Blood Casting
So lots of readers ask me about who I would “cast” to fill the roles of my novel Ancient Blood: A Novel of the Hegemony.
Okay, so it’s more like a couple of readers have asked.
All right, it was a guy I know this one time and he might have just been humoring me, but here it is!
My awesomely cool blog post showcasing my fantastic casting abilities which is absolutely not a filler post just to put out a post this week! Promise.
Avery Doyle (Henry Thomas)
The narrator and protagonist, Avery is a geeky everyman caught in a brutal world he doesn’t understand.
Caroline Ludlow (Christina Ricci)
My female protagonist. Caroline is Avery’s Creator and guide through the twisted world of The Hegemony. She is intelligent, politically-savvy, and occasionally manipulative.
Sebastian Blackwood (Gerard Butler)
Caroline’s Creator and former love, Sebastian was once a decent and humane Vampyr. A physical and mental condition called Feralism has brought out the beast in the man and triggered a descent into darkness.
Iago de’Medici (Alan Rickman or Jeremy Irons)
Iago is the Judicus (or Chairman) of the Hegemon Council, but his power in recent years has been slipping. Once a master manipulator and back-stabber extraordinaire, he has become a shadow of the man he once was … or so he would have everyone believe…
Julia Agrippina (Eva Green)
The sister of Caligula, wife of Claudius, and mother of Nero, Julia Agrippina is the grande dame of The Hegemony. Vampyr, sorceress, and former Judicus, this two-thousand year-old creature barely remembers what it was to be human.
Geoffrey Plantagenet (Simon Woods)
Another ancient schemer from history, Geoffrey is the younger brother of Richard the Lionheart of England and is generally considered the least-trusted member of the council–quite an accomplishment in such sordid company! Slick, proper, and cold-as-liquid-nitrogen, Geoffrey owes no allegiance to no one and always backs the winning side.
Draco (Hugo Weaving or Madds Mikkelsen)
If Geoffrey is the least-trusted bastard in a council full of bastards, then Draco is the most feared monster in a Hegemony of monsters. Severe, traditional, and cruel beyond belief, he is a terrifying warrior and tyrannical despot.
Jean-Paul Valmont (James MacAvoy or Jared Leto)
Valmont is the Creation of Julia Agrippina and the sexiest, dirtiest, most deliciously evil son of a bitch you are ever likely to meet between the covers of a novel. Ladies, be warned.
Jade Tiger (Zyang Ziya)
The most mysterious of the Hegemons, Jade Tiger represents the Jiang-shi of Asia. These legendary vampires are an entirely different species from the Vampyr and display entirely different traits. Vain and pleasure-seeking, Jade Tiger’s true motives and strategy are impossible to guess.
And there you have it! Surprised by any of my choices? Did this make you any more interested to read my book? (hint, hint) Sound off in the comments below!
May 13, 2014
Dhampirs and Me: Guest Post by Shirlee Lewis
Dhampir Secrets was written as a “non-fiction novel” giving life to a fictional character, Tony Mureaux, based on the research of the dhampir. During my research, I learned a dhampir derived from a male vampire and a female human according to Balkin folklore.
Dhampir powers are similar to a vampire, but are adept at detecting and killing vampires. They have a high sex drive, but only for their mate or with a woman they are attracted to in life. Unlike their father’s, Dhampirs can appear in sunlight without getting burned. They are very protective of their family and their loved ones. Dhampir’s mature slower than normal humans and can pass as a normal human. Animals and vampires give off a certain scent causing animals to avoid dhampirs, but draws vampires toward them. Dhampirs have an allergy to garlic which gives them nausea or a rash. Dhampirs can eat human food, in small quantities, but their main source of food is blood. They have small fangs which they drink blood with, but they cannot turn anyone into a vampire. They carry a canteen of blood to drink when they get thirsty.
The most intriguing concept of the Dhampir was the fact they are exactly like a vampire with the exception of being normal on the inside. Their skin is thick and hard and they are very human on the inside. They don’t bruise easily and only bleed from the most serious of injuries.
Dhampir Secrets introduces Tony Mureaux as a standoffish guy falling in love with Jessica Pearl. I applied Tony’s character as humanly normal with the exception of hard skin, drinks blood from a flask and has a high sex drive. Tony has a tendency to over drink with his father, therefore giving him a blood hangover. Tony does not have any fangs in my book. Tony is very protective of Jessica. Tony goes to Canada to get his affairs squared away to move to Mayville when the unthinkable happens to Jessica. She is brutally beaten and raped by the burglar that has been causing havoc in Mayville. Tony feels guilty for leaving Jessica unprotected and does what he can to make up for this feeling.
Dhampir Love brings Tony and Jessica together for a marriage and a honeymoon in Italy where Tony ends up kidnapped. Jessica ventures out to find him on her own. A vampire clan is introduced because a dhampir has disobeyed his maker and must be punished. Dhampir laws are sacred to vampires and all dhampirs must know the law. Victor, Tony’s father, and Tony attend a meeting where Tony learns how the law applies to him.
Dhampir Ever After is currently being written.
I loved writing “The Dhampir Saga”. Tony’s character came to life to be the complete opposite of what I had experienced in my life. I went through physical, mental and verbal abuse. Tony’s character is loving, kind, passionate and sensitive. The things I missed the most in my life and one day I hope to find. Tony’s character was easy to write because I focused on everything I was missing in mine.
Dhampir Secrets: Kindle and Novel: http://www.amazon.com/Dhampir-Secrets-Shirlee-Lewis-ebook/dp/B00J6Z3070/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399869026&sr=8-2&keywords=dhampir
Dhampir Love: Kindle and Novel: http://www.amazon.com/Dhampir-Love-Secrets-Shirlee-Lewis-ebook/dp/B00JPSS8Q6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399869149&sr=8-1&keywords=dhampir+love
Facebook Fan page: https://www.facebook.com/dhampirssecrets?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorShirlee
Blog Spot: http://dhampirsecrets.blogspot.com/
