R.K. MacPherson's Blog, page 4
October 25, 2013
Excerpt from The Adversary!
Erin M. Evans is a friend and (don’t tell her) an inspiration. To many readers (and some writers), shared world fiction, such as theForgotten Realmsnovels, are game sessions recorded on paper. That isn’t true, and it absolutely doesn’t apply to Erin’s work. She tells terrific stories about wonderfully realized characters.
They’re great reads.
Erin just releasedan excerpt from The Adversary,the third book in The Sundering trilogy, which comes out this December.
Devil may care indeed!
I encourage e...
October 15, 2013
Cracking the Whip
Assassinssits with Marti, of the Editing McKennas, and I must get cracking onStormcaller #3. NaNoWriMo is in just a few weeks and I need to plot out this thing that’s gestated in my brain for the past year.
As I get corrections back from the editor, I experience a curious admixture of relief and self-loathing. I’m always glad to spot problems before the public does, but I always want to flagellate myself with barbed wire for making the goof in the first place. My inner critic probably ties wit...
October 7, 2013
Seek Help
Writing is a solitary exercise for most authors. Publishing, however, is not. Even indie authors shouldn’t work in a vacuum. For one thing, there’s all that dust and lint your vacuum picks up. Very unsanitary. For another, restricted airflow.
No, your best bet is to work with other people.
You’ll accrue a beta crew, whom you should remember to love and cherish. You’ll form friendships with other authors, for whom you should cheer. Still, you should always try to have an outside eye look at your...
October 3, 2013
The Sleeper Must Awaken
Hi! I’m Troy McClure. You might remember me from–wait, I’m not him.
Do over!
Hi! I’m R. K. MacPherson! You might remember me from when I actually wrote crap down in this blog! I have good news, bad news, and news news.
Good news! I’m still writing. I’m sending Assassins off this weekend to a very sharp lady who is going to make me sound much smarter than I am. I knew this year would be busy, but I didn’t think it would ebb and flow quite so much. I’m pretty pleased with the book. I like where it...
August 8, 2013
Research: A Novel Idea!
Zooming along the Japanese countryside.
Last weekend, I traveled west to Matsue and Izumo to conduct research forSeraphandApotheosis. Okay, it was also a great excuse to do a bit of travel in my limited time in Japan. I rode the bus, which only took about four hours. We made several rest stops, I got a meal out of a vending machine (tasted good, too), and I watched half ofElfen Lied(creeeeeeepy).
Izumo is very much a tourist/pilgrimage town. Most other activities are farming- or fishing-based....
August 3, 2013
A Trip to Izumo! Exciting
My destinations for this trip, all plotted out! Each star is a shrine or important site.
I’m leaving on my second major research trip in Japan, but this one’s much bigger than my trip to Kobe. I’m traveling west, to Matsue and Izumo, in Shimane Prefecture, which host some of the oldest, and most important, shrines in all of Japan. WhileStormcaller #3takes place in and around Kobe,Stormcaller #4 will mostly take place here.
The mythology for this region is fascinating. So few cultures can pick a...
July 29, 2013
Redefining Success
I engaged in an amusing little chat with Jack William Bell on Twitter today, during which I lamented that Snooki sells more books than I do. Then, just to really rub salt in my ego’s wounds, I ventured over and checked out her books on Amazon. To my shock,Stormcallerenjoys a much higher sales rank than any of her titles.
Now, before you dismiss this post as the ramblings of an egomaniac, let me finish.
Not that she needed the money, but Snooki got paid a hell of a lot more for her books than I...
July 20, 2013
The Single Largest Cause of Writer's Block--Might Not Be What You Believe
Reblogged from Kristen Lamb's Blog:
Today, I'd like to talk about the single greatest reason for writer's block (aside from laziness and fear, but we can chat about those another time). I spent years as an editor, and I believe I'm a pretty good one. I've taken stories that were train wrecks and helped the author create a best-seller. Just ask Piper Bayard about Firelands…
This excellent post talks about something most writers dread, but identifies a particularly re...
July 14, 2013
Assassins, Charity, and Betas
One doesn’t normally associate cold-blooded killers with charitable giving, but that’s just what happened with my current novel. It’s currently Day 23 of the Clarion West Write-a-thon and I just finished the initial reworking on the manuscript and sent it out to some of my beta readers!
The revised cover for Assassins. I experimented with different font outlines and such, but decided to keep it simple. That principle rarely leads me astray…
Of course, since I’m still in the midst of the Write-a...
July 10, 2013
Authors : how to get the right reviews
Reblogged from Rachel Abbott - Writer:
Reviews - the good, the bad and the scams!
I recently wrote a guest post called Indie Authors—Getting Those All-Important Reviews forMystery Writing is Murder. Reviews are important for both readersand authors, but it is so very important that they are genuine - which is why I devoted a whole post to how to get those all important…
Particularly for those authors tied into Amazon.com, reviews are important for sales. The more rev...
