R.K. MacPherson's Blog, page 5
July 7, 2013
Research IS the Fun Part
This is the Katayama Shrine in Osaka. I visited it today because I need a stronger grasp of Shinto shrines and practices as I work onStormcaller3 and 4. Part of the joy of being a writer is the research, and I mean that sincerely. I love learning new things and writersshould get to know something pretty well before they write it. So, as one of the major characters for the next two books has a lot to do with Shinto, I thought I’d take some time today to learn something new, as well as share a...
July 4, 2013
Ending’s Game
As I sit here writing these words, belly full of pineapple, I realized that I’m almost done with the first draft forAssassins. Stormcaller’s second book is about to get its ass done!
Holy. Crap.
Of course, that just means it’s time for my first round of revisions before I send it into the wild, or wherever it is that I’ll find beta readers. *cough*email me if you want to be a beta reader*cough*
Pardon me. All this humidity and infernal swampiness have left my throat a little itchy.
As I finished...
June 25, 2013
Inscriptions!
Tiny little announcement. Nothing hyperspace bypass-related. I signed up for Authograph today, and addedAntigone’s Fall, Stormcaller,andFire and Ice to the list, so people with the Kindle ebooks can request an inscription and autograph with ease!
I’ve always enjoyed inscriptions from authors. I have a copy of the annotatedDragonlance Chronicles, with notes from both Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman that I like to look at from time to time. I have a copy ofOutbound Flight signed by Tim Zahn (Bor...
June 22, 2013
Support the Clarion West Write-a-thon!
Has it already been a year? Zounds. Where did the time go?
I joined the Clarion West Write-a-thon again this year to help raise funds for this important avenue for training new writers. Writing remains one of the professions or avocations that requires a tremendous amount of time and mentorship. I wouldn’t be where I was today without the help and support of people like David Noonan, Bridget and Marti McKenna, or Kat Richardson, all of whom took time to educate me and foster my tiny, almost at...
June 7, 2013
Assassins Revealed
Revisions and writes proceed along forStormcaller#2, which I’ve currently titledAssassins. As the story develops, however, I’m toying with changing it toHunted or something along those lines. Beta readers should expect a question along those lines.
I’m excited about this story because it dives deeper into the eldritch world and explores the deeper mysteries. My favorite homeless lightning-hurler goes up against a lot of people. It’s almost Isaura against the world, but she’s got bigger problem...
May 23, 2013
Stormcaller Giveaway!
This weekend (05/24/13-05/26/13), the Kindle edition ofStormcalleris available for FREE! I’m not one of those “Buy my book now!” social media types, so I apologize if there’s a tad more markety stuff from me this weekend. I promise to return to not talking about my books on Facebook, Twitter, or G+ on Monday.
Speaking of books, work onStormcaller #2continues. After reviewing the first draft, I looked at what it still needed, then revised the outline to inject the missing ingredients into the s...
April 22, 2013
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions….
I have eight books in my head right now. I want to get through them, preferably before the heat death of the universe or before we stop using the written word. Or typed word.
Whatever. Before telepathy and shit.
I’ve decided to kill two of the books. Some people will not be happy with what comes next…
The Praetorian Agenda, which has half a first draft, didn’t survive the purge. Part of it comes from the fact that espionage writing is rather demanding and I do not have the focus available to me...
April 17, 2013
Tell a Story Day: Part 9
Kat Richardson asked if I’d be interested in participating in a communal storytelling gig organized by M. Todd Gallowglass, of Genre Undergroundfame. Because I do not have nearly enough too much to do, I readily agreed. This blog-hopping tale is definitely a red-pill-down-the-rabbit-hole sort of story, but it’s fun, so be sure to start from the beginning…
♦
Part 9
The elf dashed between androids, most of whom paid no attention to him. While venturing into the mechanized halls and conveyer belt a...
April 10, 2013
Let Them Eat Cake---The Slow Death of The Old Paradigm Author
Reblogged from Kristen Lamb's Blog:
Three days ago, TheNew York Times published a rather doomsday on-line article written by Scott Turow (current head of the Authors Guild), titledThe Slow Death of the American Author. I must admit this is a great title, guaranteed to scare the pants off the best of us. In fact, I received so many frightened e-mails from writers who wanted me to address this article, that I'd be remiss if I didn't offer my analysis of Turow's assertions.
February 28, 2013
KDP Select – An Analysis
When I published Antigone’s Fall, I basically blasted an email to everyone I didn’t consider a mortal enemy, published the same thing on Facebook and Twitter, and then sat back, waiting for fame and fortune to come knocking.
Incidentally, Fame and Fortune, you two are soooo late.
Sales were…modest, Barnes and Noble’s numbers even more so. Basically, my friends and family supported my efforts, but that was about the extent of the book’s reach.
For Stormcaller, I made a more deliberate attempt to...
