Sean T. Poindexter's Blog, page 7
December 3, 2011
Book Review: Chuggie and the Desecration of Stagwater - by Brent Michael Kelley
Quick review - Highly original, well written, intriguing, and above all, fun to read!
Summary from Amazon: In the first installment of Mischief Mayhem Want and Woe, Brent Michael Kelley unleashes the horrors of Desecration on Stagwater.
Norchug Mot Losiat, Chuggie to his friends, is Brother Drought. When, in his rambling, he stumbles upon the remote city of Stagwater, he finds love, temptation, and treachery. He fights against men, demons, and his own nature to battle the sinister forces threatening the city.
But Chuggie? All he wants is a boat.
Paperback: 338 pages
Publisher: Omnium Gatherum Media (November 29, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0615571042
ISBN-13: 978-0615571041
I'm going to admit that, based on the cover alone, I probably wouldn't have bought this book
. Not that the cover is bad, it's actually quite charming. But looking at it gives me the impression of a YA novel, with the crayon-like colors and the pumpkin-headed things approaching the horn-headed protagonist who appears to be chained to a tree. But the book was recommended so I gave it a go...and I am very glad that I did.
I don't know if Kelley does this, but when I write a book sometimes I imagine a particular actor, celebrity or even a friend as a character when I'm writing them. It just makes it play out in my head better. I also do this when I'm reading a book. So, I can't say for sure who Kelly had in mind when he was writing Norchug (Chuggie) but I can tell you who I imagined: Tom Waits. Except with horns. And it worked perfectly for me.
Despite being as old as the world itself, Chuggie is a pretty simple fellow. Unfortunately, he lives in a world full of ulterior motives. Chuggie's motivation is simple: he just wants to live a simple life...whatever that means for a living embodiment of a force of destruction. Stuff keeps getting in the way, like a town run by three evil bastards: Stagwater. Though Chuggie's plans there are rather simple (he wants a boat...he's already got the anchor) all the power players there have other plans for him. Some want him dead, some want to recruit him, a couple want to marry him. Chuggie doesn't want any part in this, but he gets pulled in against his better judgement.
Chuggie is an entertaining character, kind of an O, Malandro rogue. He's as old as the world itself, but still seems to fit into it somehow. As the avatar of drought, Chuggie is always thirsty and, if he wishes, can drain the liquid out of everything. He's not particularly comfortable with this ability, so he doesn't enjoy using it. Still, it's always there in the background, haunting him. He learned a while back that being drunk quiets the voice, so he made that permanent--which apparently he also has the power to do. Chuggie is therefore drunk at almost all points in the book. As such, people tend to assume he's just a common drifter, and he likes it that way. Unfortunately, those in the know see him for what he really is, or at least can tell he's more than that.
The story is compelling: Chuggie tries to enter Stagwater to buy a boat for a trip to a warmer place. All he has is a bag of junk, the clothes on his back, and an anchor (in the shape of a lady) at the end of a chain he wraps around his body. Chuggie uses the anchor as a flailing weapon at several points in the book, which is hilarious because getting hit with an anchor WOULD HURT SO MUCH! If you're like me, you'll laugh out loud the first time he tosses the anchor into someone. Anyway, Stagwater lets him know he isn't welcome and tries to send him north, even using magic to try and compel him to go there. They definitely don't want him going south, or entering the town. So, Chuggie goes south just to piss them off. That's where he meets a woman living in the forest, a witch seemingly imprisoned by a magical spell, but attended by an army of animated scarecrows (no, they don't sing). Chuggie, who has been alone most of his life, falls in love with the witch and is motivated to free her. She sends him back to Stagwater to look for an item that can save her. And that's where things start to get complicated.
The most entertaining part of the book are Chuggie's dialog, both internal and external. Chuggie is creative with his profanity, using terms like "slime tits!" and "goat rammin frog dicks!" Chuggie's biggest flaw is that, despite his age, he's relatively naive and trusting. Despite living in a world full of people who don't care about anything but their own agenda, Chuggie takes people at their word a lot and that's what leads him to almost getting killed a lot. But it's understandable that he'd be that way. Chuggie is a simple creature: a force of nature, more or less. The world is far more complicated, and Chuggie's outsiderness makes him ill equipped to operate in it with the same level of guile as those around him. He gets along best with other characters with similar, simple motivations; two city guards who only care about their families, a child who just wants a home, and a conjurer who just wants to practice her art. I enjoyed watching Chuggie maneuver through whatever they threw at him, always on the very edge of losing everything. It was very endearing.
Despite it's kind of playfulness, the book has an undercurrent of darkness and horror. There are evil, unspeakable, disgusting things lurking in the woods north of the city. Terrible things happen in the city, too. Evil and destruction is present in all forms, from undead abominations, greed, lust, envy and revenge. Ironically, Chuggie is the only power player in the field who doesn't want to destroy anything.
I highly recommend this book to fans of fantasy or horror. The world is compellingly built, giving just enough details about thing and place outside the immediate sphere of the narrative to make you want to hear more. The characters are attractive and deep. The writing is good. On the downside, there were a couple of parts where POV was murky, but it doesn't throw you out of the story. Chuggie, in particular, is one of the most endearing characters I've met since Tyrion Lannister from the A Song of Ice and Fire
series. I couldn't get enough of him. And I think you'll enjoy him too.
Praise Tiamat,
StP
Summary from Amazon: In the first installment of Mischief Mayhem Want and Woe, Brent Michael Kelley unleashes the horrors of Desecration on Stagwater.Norchug Mot Losiat, Chuggie to his friends, is Brother Drought. When, in his rambling, he stumbles upon the remote city of Stagwater, he finds love, temptation, and treachery. He fights against men, demons, and his own nature to battle the sinister forces threatening the city.
But Chuggie? All he wants is a boat.
Paperback: 338 pages
Publisher: Omnium Gatherum Media (November 29, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0615571042
ISBN-13: 978-0615571041
I'm going to admit that, based on the cover alone, I probably wouldn't have bought this book
. Not that the cover is bad, it's actually quite charming. But looking at it gives me the impression of a YA novel, with the crayon-like colors and the pumpkin-headed things approaching the horn-headed protagonist who appears to be chained to a tree. But the book was recommended so I gave it a go...and I am very glad that I did.I don't know if Kelley does this, but when I write a book sometimes I imagine a particular actor, celebrity or even a friend as a character when I'm writing them. It just makes it play out in my head better. I also do this when I'm reading a book. So, I can't say for sure who Kelly had in mind when he was writing Norchug (Chuggie) but I can tell you who I imagined: Tom Waits. Except with horns. And it worked perfectly for me.
Despite being as old as the world itself, Chuggie is a pretty simple fellow. Unfortunately, he lives in a world full of ulterior motives. Chuggie's motivation is simple: he just wants to live a simple life...whatever that means for a living embodiment of a force of destruction. Stuff keeps getting in the way, like a town run by three evil bastards: Stagwater. Though Chuggie's plans there are rather simple (he wants a boat...he's already got the anchor) all the power players there have other plans for him. Some want him dead, some want to recruit him, a couple want to marry him. Chuggie doesn't want any part in this, but he gets pulled in against his better judgement.
Chuggie is an entertaining character, kind of an O, Malandro rogue. He's as old as the world itself, but still seems to fit into it somehow. As the avatar of drought, Chuggie is always thirsty and, if he wishes, can drain the liquid out of everything. He's not particularly comfortable with this ability, so he doesn't enjoy using it. Still, it's always there in the background, haunting him. He learned a while back that being drunk quiets the voice, so he made that permanent--which apparently he also has the power to do. Chuggie is therefore drunk at almost all points in the book. As such, people tend to assume he's just a common drifter, and he likes it that way. Unfortunately, those in the know see him for what he really is, or at least can tell he's more than that.
The story is compelling: Chuggie tries to enter Stagwater to buy a boat for a trip to a warmer place. All he has is a bag of junk, the clothes on his back, and an anchor (in the shape of a lady) at the end of a chain he wraps around his body. Chuggie uses the anchor as a flailing weapon at several points in the book, which is hilarious because getting hit with an anchor WOULD HURT SO MUCH! If you're like me, you'll laugh out loud the first time he tosses the anchor into someone. Anyway, Stagwater lets him know he isn't welcome and tries to send him north, even using magic to try and compel him to go there. They definitely don't want him going south, or entering the town. So, Chuggie goes south just to piss them off. That's where he meets a woman living in the forest, a witch seemingly imprisoned by a magical spell, but attended by an army of animated scarecrows (no, they don't sing). Chuggie, who has been alone most of his life, falls in love with the witch and is motivated to free her. She sends him back to Stagwater to look for an item that can save her. And that's where things start to get complicated.
The most entertaining part of the book are Chuggie's dialog, both internal and external. Chuggie is creative with his profanity, using terms like "slime tits!" and "goat rammin frog dicks!" Chuggie's biggest flaw is that, despite his age, he's relatively naive and trusting. Despite living in a world full of people who don't care about anything but their own agenda, Chuggie takes people at their word a lot and that's what leads him to almost getting killed a lot. But it's understandable that he'd be that way. Chuggie is a simple creature: a force of nature, more or less. The world is far more complicated, and Chuggie's outsiderness makes him ill equipped to operate in it with the same level of guile as those around him. He gets along best with other characters with similar, simple motivations; two city guards who only care about their families, a child who just wants a home, and a conjurer who just wants to practice her art. I enjoyed watching Chuggie maneuver through whatever they threw at him, always on the very edge of losing everything. It was very endearing.
Despite it's kind of playfulness, the book has an undercurrent of darkness and horror. There are evil, unspeakable, disgusting things lurking in the woods north of the city. Terrible things happen in the city, too. Evil and destruction is present in all forms, from undead abominations, greed, lust, envy and revenge. Ironically, Chuggie is the only power player in the field who doesn't want to destroy anything.
I highly recommend this book to fans of fantasy or horror. The world is compellingly built, giving just enough details about thing and place outside the immediate sphere of the narrative to make you want to hear more. The characters are attractive and deep. The writing is good. On the downside, there were a couple of parts where POV was murky, but it doesn't throw you out of the story. Chuggie, in particular, is one of the most endearing characters I've met since Tyrion Lannister from the A Song of Ice and Fire
series. I couldn't get enough of him. And I think you'll enjoy him too. Praise Tiamat,
StP
November 22, 2011
Cover Art for The Shadow of Tiamat
The cover art for The Shadow of Tiamat is completed! It's a fine piece of work by Jeannie Ruesch, who has done several covers for the 'Moon. I had asked for her to do my cover after being impressed with her work on Ciara Knight's The Curse of Gremdon and Agnes Jaynes's The Problem with Power. The choice was ultimately up to the folks at the 'Moon, but I knew even if I didn't get Jeannie I'd get a great cover because they have a lot of really great cover artists. Many of you have already seen this, but for those of you who haven't--or just like looking at it over and over like I do--here it is in all it's glory:
As you can see, Jeannie has incorporated the symbol of Tiamat that I created, though she's made it much nicer and smoother than my earlier, ham-fisted fumblings.
I am VERY excited about this. I think it's a beautiful cover, and it captures the mixture of ancient world mysticism and deep, Ozark forests that are so prominent in my book. I'm happy with my cover, and am looking forward to seeing it on the book. I hope you all are, too!
Note: cover art is the property of Crescent Moon Press Inc. and may not be used without their permission. The "symbol of Tiamat" is property of Sean T. Poindexter and cannot be used without permission of the owner.
Praise Tiamat,
StP
As you can see, Jeannie has incorporated the symbol of Tiamat that I created, though she's made it much nicer and smoother than my earlier, ham-fisted fumblings.
I am VERY excited about this. I think it's a beautiful cover, and it captures the mixture of ancient world mysticism and deep, Ozark forests that are so prominent in my book. I'm happy with my cover, and am looking forward to seeing it on the book. I hope you all are, too!
Note: cover art is the property of Crescent Moon Press Inc. and may not be used without their permission. The "symbol of Tiamat" is property of Sean T. Poindexter and cannot be used without permission of the owner.
Praise Tiamat,
StP
November 10, 2011
formspring.me
Ask me questions about movies, music, and books http://www.formspring.me/SeanPoindexterPraise Tiamat,
StP
StP
November 4, 2011
Why I Don't Do #NaNoWriMo
A lot of writers do this. Or try to. And good for them. But it's not my thing. I've never actually tried it. It isn't that I can't write a book in a month...I can. It usually takes a little longer than that, but it's been done. My first book took about two and a half months to write...and I started it right around the middle of November, 2008. I had no intention of having it done by the end of the month, though. Since then, I've been constantly working on one project or another, and whenever November rolls around, I'm usually in the middle of one thing or another. But there are a few reasons why I can't do NaNoWriMo. I'm not putting down anyone who does, I think it's a neat idea. But here are some reasons why I can't/don't/won't.
1. My birthday is in November. So, there is that. One of my best friend's also has a birthday in November, and it's been kind of a tradition of ours that we have a joint birthday party for both of us at the same time. So that takes some planning. And we usually have it at my house, and my friends are almost all insane.
2. Seasonal Affective Disorder, I has it. And I live in Joplin, Missouri. You know what the weather is like here in November? Last Tuesday it was 71 degrees. Yesterday it was like 45. Today it's supposed to snow or rain or some shit. Next Wednesday it's going to rain but also be in the mid-80s. The following Monday we're getting an F2 tornado. By Thanksgiving the city will either be covered in ice or sweltering under a heat advisory. And that's assuming we don't get locust. Which we will. You know what this does to people whose mood and general health is tied to fluctuating weather? You will. You. Will.
3. I'm too scatterbrained to work on one project at a time. I have to have at least two things going at once, maybe more. Generally, I'm writing one book while editing another, reading a third and playing my way through something on my Xbox...usually another run through Fallout: New Vegas. How many times can I beat this game, you ask? I don't know, how many times can I swear I'm going to side with the Legion this time and use exclusively melee weapons and dynamite for the whole game but then get attacked by pangs of conscience when Ceasar or Mr. House ask me to blow up the Brotherhood of Steel bunker and succumb to the temptation of the 25mm grenade machinegun? A lot, that's how many. But I'm confident that this November, with the rapidly fluctuating weather and my yearly bodily tolerance to the prozac increase will lead to a dark enough mood that I'll side with the evil bastards and hand the entire Mojave over to the gorram slavers in football pads. If you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, you should be very proud of yourself.
C'mon! He's begging me to kill him!
image source
4. Dexter. Homeland. The Walking Dead. And right now I'm reading City of Ruin
by Mark Charon Newton. And I've been asked to read a book to do a blurb. So, that's all going to happen.
5. Thanksgiving. Holy shit, people...Thanksgiving is in November. This is why I know for sure that NaNoWriMo was invented by single guys. I could believe a married guy, even a few oblivious dads, would think November, the month in which Thanksgiving, the most clusterfuckish Holiday until Christmas (which is a month later) would be a perfect time to crank out a fracking novel. Or maybe it was designed by people in countries other than the United States, where we routinely subject our moms, wives, daughter and sisters to the puritanical death-gauntlet that is Thanksgiving dinner. The planning, the baking, the cooking, the shouting, the dropping stuff, the making me run to the store for marshmellow cream or ice, the shouting, the burning your hand on the crock pot and having to look for the aloe vera you put away in August because you figured you weren't going to get burned again anytime soon, the shouting, the hunting stories, the shouting...All this takes a couple of days to organize and several more to recover from, during which I doubt much writing gets done. If you're a mom and you manage to write during and after Thanksgiving, I am in AWE of you. Seriously, I'm not kidding. You're the most amazing people in the world. I'm not being sarcastic about that at all. Nonetheless, I doubt it's something many ladies would voluntarily subject themselves to. Likewise, I need to be available during this time, to lift stuff that needs lifting, peel things that need peeling, open things that need opening, kill spiders that need killing, hold who needs holding, pick up bags of ice that need picking up...when such requests are made, I don't think my marriage could survive me hollaring back, "Can't, I'm writing a fight between an M1036 TOW and a minotaur!"
You know when would have been a better month to have NaNoWriMo? March. Because nothing happens in March...except my wedding anniversary. Which, if you're me, is extremely important. In fact, we actually planned out wedding in March specifically because there was rarely anything else going on during that time. So, if you're not me it's a great time to write a book. Unless you live in Joplin...where we're due for a plague of fire toads and some minor flooding. OF BLOOD!
Anyway, now you know what's up with that and why I'm not doing it. Good luck to those of you who do! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go ice my driveway. Better to have it and not need it....
"Angus, what do your cow-eyes see?"
image source
"Come at me, bro!"
image source
^^ 'MERICA! ^^
Praise Tiamat,
StP
1. My birthday is in November. So, there is that. One of my best friend's also has a birthday in November, and it's been kind of a tradition of ours that we have a joint birthday party for both of us at the same time. So that takes some planning. And we usually have it at my house, and my friends are almost all insane.
2. Seasonal Affective Disorder, I has it. And I live in Joplin, Missouri. You know what the weather is like here in November? Last Tuesday it was 71 degrees. Yesterday it was like 45. Today it's supposed to snow or rain or some shit. Next Wednesday it's going to rain but also be in the mid-80s. The following Monday we're getting an F2 tornado. By Thanksgiving the city will either be covered in ice or sweltering under a heat advisory. And that's assuming we don't get locust. Which we will. You know what this does to people whose mood and general health is tied to fluctuating weather? You will. You. Will.
3. I'm too scatterbrained to work on one project at a time. I have to have at least two things going at once, maybe more. Generally, I'm writing one book while editing another, reading a third and playing my way through something on my Xbox...usually another run through Fallout: New Vegas. How many times can I beat this game, you ask? I don't know, how many times can I swear I'm going to side with the Legion this time and use exclusively melee weapons and dynamite for the whole game but then get attacked by pangs of conscience when Ceasar or Mr. House ask me to blow up the Brotherhood of Steel bunker and succumb to the temptation of the 25mm grenade machinegun? A lot, that's how many. But I'm confident that this November, with the rapidly fluctuating weather and my yearly bodily tolerance to the prozac increase will lead to a dark enough mood that I'll side with the evil bastards and hand the entire Mojave over to the gorram slavers in football pads. If you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, you should be very proud of yourself.
C'mon! He's begging me to kill him!
image source
4. Dexter. Homeland. The Walking Dead. And right now I'm reading City of Ruin
by Mark Charon Newton. And I've been asked to read a book to do a blurb. So, that's all going to happen.5. Thanksgiving. Holy shit, people...Thanksgiving is in November. This is why I know for sure that NaNoWriMo was invented by single guys. I could believe a married guy, even a few oblivious dads, would think November, the month in which Thanksgiving, the most clusterfuckish Holiday until Christmas (which is a month later) would be a perfect time to crank out a fracking novel. Or maybe it was designed by people in countries other than the United States, where we routinely subject our moms, wives, daughter and sisters to the puritanical death-gauntlet that is Thanksgiving dinner. The planning, the baking, the cooking, the shouting, the dropping stuff, the making me run to the store for marshmellow cream or ice, the shouting, the burning your hand on the crock pot and having to look for the aloe vera you put away in August because you figured you weren't going to get burned again anytime soon, the shouting, the hunting stories, the shouting...All this takes a couple of days to organize and several more to recover from, during which I doubt much writing gets done. If you're a mom and you manage to write during and after Thanksgiving, I am in AWE of you. Seriously, I'm not kidding. You're the most amazing people in the world. I'm not being sarcastic about that at all. Nonetheless, I doubt it's something many ladies would voluntarily subject themselves to. Likewise, I need to be available during this time, to lift stuff that needs lifting, peel things that need peeling, open things that need opening, kill spiders that need killing, hold who needs holding, pick up bags of ice that need picking up...when such requests are made, I don't think my marriage could survive me hollaring back, "Can't, I'm writing a fight between an M1036 TOW and a minotaur!"
You know when would have been a better month to have NaNoWriMo? March. Because nothing happens in March...except my wedding anniversary. Which, if you're me, is extremely important. In fact, we actually planned out wedding in March specifically because there was rarely anything else going on during that time. So, if you're not me it's a great time to write a book. Unless you live in Joplin...where we're due for a plague of fire toads and some minor flooding. OF BLOOD!
Anyway, now you know what's up with that and why I'm not doing it. Good luck to those of you who do! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go ice my driveway. Better to have it and not need it....
"Angus, what do your cow-eyes see?"
image source
"Come at me, bro!"
image source
^^ 'MERICA! ^^
Praise Tiamat,
StP
November 1, 2011
October 29, 2011
Every Day is Halloween
Sorry I haven't blogged much lately. I've been busy HAVING A BOOK PUBLISHED. Yeah, it's like that. Actually, I've been writing pretty furiously. And now I've got the first e-galleys of the book to look over for misprints or any last second corrections I need to make. I should be done with that within the week (because I don't really do anything else except play Xbox and pass out from migraines) and then after that we'll be sitting pretty for a Holiday Season release! YAAAAAY!!!!
Anyway, when I'm not writing or forgetting where I put stuff, I occasionally go to do things with friends. Last night I went to a Halloween party at Val's place. I've got another party to go to tonight but I may have to cancel because I'm already feeling a migraine coming on--Sorry, Dave and Nina! I will most definitely try to make it though, if only for a little while.
Anyhoo, here are some pictures of the party, starting with my Halloween costume.
Awesome, eh? Okay, no...that isn't me. That's my character from Fallout: New Vegas. Still, he looks pretty bad ass there. I'm actually disappointed because I didn't get to do the costume I wanted because I'm lazy and annoying. I'll do it next year, though.
Here is what I actually wore:
Yeah, that's Green Man from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Well, not the Green Man, my friend Jake as Green Man. My costume was a rather slapdash affair. I spent 10 bucks on that skull mask. The rest of it is just stuff I actually wear. Because I'm that cool.
So here is me, dressed as what I was, and Val, dressed as an existentialist French girl named Fifi. We titled this one, Fifi Flirts with Death. I know they say a pictures says a thousand words, but if that's true then it must take well over a thousand to convey just how emotionally disturbing Val's costume was...not just on us, but on him. You can't really tell from this photo but those are purple leopard-print tights that his sister is never going to be able to wear again.
Speaking of Val's sister, here is the lovely miss Jacquelyn dressed as a bee! And me, dressed as a creepy old guy standing next to a teenager in a skull mask. Shut up.
This is Jason as...um...you know what? I actually think it's better if I don't try to explain this one.
And then here are some other party goers in their lovely costumes.
There were more pictures taken later, by other people. But I didn't get that many. Amanda didn't show up to the party until late, and by then I was too drunk to hold a camera but I know some other people took pictures and they'll post them and I'll share. Amanda's costume was adorable, though. So, as soon as someone gets me a picture of it I'll post it on here.
Hope everyone has a great Halloween!Praise Tiamat,
StP
Anyway, when I'm not writing or forgetting where I put stuff, I occasionally go to do things with friends. Last night I went to a Halloween party at Val's place. I've got another party to go to tonight but I may have to cancel because I'm already feeling a migraine coming on--Sorry, Dave and Nina! I will most definitely try to make it though, if only for a little while.
Anyhoo, here are some pictures of the party, starting with my Halloween costume.
Awesome, eh? Okay, no...that isn't me. That's my character from Fallout: New Vegas. Still, he looks pretty bad ass there. I'm actually disappointed because I didn't get to do the costume I wanted because I'm lazy and annoying. I'll do it next year, though.
Here is what I actually wore:
Yeah, that's Green Man from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Well, not the Green Man, my friend Jake as Green Man. My costume was a rather slapdash affair. I spent 10 bucks on that skull mask. The rest of it is just stuff I actually wear. Because I'm that cool.
So here is me, dressed as what I was, and Val, dressed as an existentialist French girl named Fifi. We titled this one, Fifi Flirts with Death. I know they say a pictures says a thousand words, but if that's true then it must take well over a thousand to convey just how emotionally disturbing Val's costume was...not just on us, but on him. You can't really tell from this photo but those are purple leopard-print tights that his sister is never going to be able to wear again.
Speaking of Val's sister, here is the lovely miss Jacquelyn dressed as a bee! And me, dressed as a creepy old guy standing next to a teenager in a skull mask. Shut up.
This is Jason as...um...you know what? I actually think it's better if I don't try to explain this one.
And then here are some other party goers in their lovely costumes.
There were more pictures taken later, by other people. But I didn't get that many. Amanda didn't show up to the party until late, and by then I was too drunk to hold a camera but I know some other people took pictures and they'll post them and I'll share. Amanda's costume was adorable, though. So, as soon as someone gets me a picture of it I'll post it on here.
Hope everyone has a great Halloween!Praise Tiamat,
StP
October 14, 2011
Dubious Wit of Questionable Value
This is stuff I've made or done, just to be annoying. Enjoy.
Praise Tiamat,
StP
Praise Tiamat,
StP
October 4, 2011
Say Something Mean Really Loudly: The Agenda of "The Write Agenda"
Any of my writer friends and followers, if you haven't had a chance, check out Writer Beware™ Blogs!: The Agenda of "The Write Agenda"
There are a lot of decisions writers have to make. At the end of it, we're basically on our own. Sure, we have writers groups, beta readers, fans and editors...but what we do, our actual work, writing, we do it alone. And so we develop a sense of self-sufficiency and, dare I say it, stubbornness. I know this is true for me. But it's important to remember that just because we're capable of writing a book, story or poem doesn't mean we're smart enough to notice when we're being taken advantage of. Please trust me when I tell you that this is something I know a LOT about.
Just be careful. Do your homework.
Writer Beware is a blog by publishing professionals dedicated to protecting writers from unscrupulous people who would take advantage of your dreams for a buck. And believe me, there are a LOT of them out there. Note that this is just a resource. They don't expect you to take their word as gospel, Writer Beware is just providing you with information so you can make a decision.
The Write Agenda purports to be the same thing, but actually has one goal and one goal only: attacking Writer Beware and the people who support it. They claim they are supported largely by writers who have paid to have their books published--which I am NOT putting down: if you decide, as an author, that you wish to pay to have your book published that's your choice and I wish you luck. But, I wonder how many of these self-published authors realize that they are on a list claiming to support this group.
The Write Agenda savagely attacks anyone who criticizes them--I expect to land on their boycott list, maybe even get a page of my own on theirs like my friend P.N. Elrod. Outrageously, they brag about hosting book burnings for targeted critic authors. BOOK BURNINGS?!? Are you guys for fucking real? Do you have any idea how that makes you look?
Hmm...I guess not...incidentally, those pictures are shopped--poorly. I doubt the guys holding those signs have any idea they've been used this way and, judging by the looks of them, wouldn't be too happy about it if they did. The Write Agenda's Facebook Page has fewer LIKES on Facebook than a Wikipedia page about White Power hate group Stormfront. Get a new publicist, guys. Aside from shopped death wishes, book burnings and boycotts and harassments, they post one-star reviews on critics books, while seemingly admitting that they haven't read them, only that they've been told by someone else that these writers must be punished. They do this anonymously, or in at least one case that I personally observed, by using the name of another author:
Write Agenda toadie posing as author Karen Blocker (sic) on WB blog
The REAL (and correctly spelled) Karen Blocher responds.
This is cult-like, almost criminal behavior.
In contrast, Writer Beware is open about the published authors who run the site. A couple of years ago on the Writer Beware message boards, I had a disagreement with several members there. I was wrong, and a little less than cordial about it. It isn't something I'd like to go into any deeper, but suffice to say that I admitted my error and apologized to the people involved. My reprisal for this transgression against them? Nothing. I wasn't added to any boycott lists, I didn't get any hate mail, no anonymous threats on my wall or anything. I will be sure to let everyone know if The Write Agenda handles things differently after posting this blog.
So yeah, I may be making some enemies with this. But as the man (Desmond Tutu) says, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." A little dramatic for this, I think...but still, the point is there: sometimes you have to pick a side. And I'm picking one. For the other side, if you think I can be intimidated or coerced into shutting up, I've just got one thing to say: come at me, bro!
For no reason, here is Teddy Roosevelt fighting a Sasquatch
Praise Tiamat,
StP
September 27, 2011
Crescent Moon Press Online
Visit the homepage of my publisher and sign up for the newsletter for updates on latest releases, awards, and convention visits! Also, check out my profile page and share it!
And spread the word: three Crescent Moon Press authors are finalists for Eppie Awards:
Piper's Fury--Paranormal---by Rachel Firasek
Knightfall--Fantasy Romance---by Berinn Rae
Thief of Hope--Fantasy---by Cindy Young-Turner
Praise Tiamat,
StP
And spread the word: three Crescent Moon Press authors are finalists for Eppie Awards:
Piper's Fury--Paranormal---by Rachel Firasek
Knightfall--Fantasy Romance---by Berinn Rae
Thief of Hope--Fantasy---by Cindy Young-Turner
Praise Tiamat,
StP
