Chris A. Jackson's Blog, page 4

Open-Heart Surgery with a Chainsaw: Deep Edits

This was the title of a panel I participated in at Balticon and, let me tell you, truer words were never spoken. Cutting deep into your manuscript is like cutting into your own flesh. Most editing is like scratches or paper cuts, but deep edits—thousands of words—are much, much more painful.

I’ve had to do truly deep edits twice now. The first time was for Scimitar Moon. The original manuscript weighed in at 165,000 words. I, of course, thought it was fine that way. However, its acceptance by...

Con Panels: What Are They All About?

My convention season has started, and I’ve been busy prepping for the panels I’ll be participating in. You con newbies might be wondering “What in the Nine Hells is a panel, and what kind of prep work is required?” Let me elaborate.

The cons I attend are multi-faceted—books, gaming, media, cosplay—a little bit of everything, though each con has its own particular emphasis. One thing most have in common is a literary/writing track. The guest of honor is often a big-name writer. At Balticon thi...

Book Giveaway: Win a Signed Copy of Weapon of Blood

Time for another book giveaway on Goodreads. This time it’s Weapon of Blood, Book 2 of the Weapon of Flesh trilogy. Click on the link below to enter to win one of two signed copies. The contest runs until May 12, 2014, at which time two winners will be randomly chosen by Goodreads, and I’ll send the books out! Entering puts you under no obligation, and you are not put on a mailing list (although, if you want to be on my mailing list, subscribe by entering your email address in the box to...

Science Fiction: Writing the Future

Look at the world around you—cell phones, submarines, space travel, computers—and consider how much of it was foretold by science fiction stories. How about the remarkable resemblance between Captain Kirk’s communicator and modern-day cell phones? It makes you wonder how much of our modern technology derived from the imagination of authors as much as scientists. The great thing is that science fiction authors are still influencing the future.

Not surprisingly, science fiction appeals to sc...

Sensory Fiction: An Excuse for Poor Writing?

Would you wear a vest that physically manipulated your emotions in order to enjoy a book?

That’s the idea behind a vest developed to allow a reader to experience the physiological emotions—heart rate, body temperature, chest tightness—of the protagonist. Now, this device isn’t going to be available at your local bookstore any time soon. It’s the product of what sounds like a fascinating class at MIT, Science Fiction to Science Fabrication (more on this in a future blog).

Basically, you wear...

Happy New Year! Let’s Celebrate a Great Cover for Weapon of Vengeance

We know we’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again: We love Noah Stacey, our book cover artist. Though Weapon of Vengeance, Book 3 of our Weapon of Flesh trilogy, won’t be out for a few more months, we just had to give you a sneak peek of the cover. The Weapon covers have provoked strong and conflicting emotions in viewers. At conventions, people have done almost comical double-takes, come over to the table to get a better look, and end up buying the book. Just what a good cover is supp...

How Do You Organize Your Books?

Organizing a home library seems to be as personal a decision as actually choosing books, wines, mates, etc. National Public Radio has an article on this topic, and it’s interesting to read about how some people go about it. Their methods range from the Dewey Decimal system to color (color…really?). We have different methods. Chris is haphazard—a book comes out, a book goes in. Wherever there’s room, that’s where the book goes. Granted, we can’t carry many books on the boat, so we can pret...

This sandbox isn’t big enough for the both of us!

Word to all you writers out there who “Really want to jump onto the RPG bandwagon”: It’s not as easy as it looks.

While my experiences writing for RPG publishers (let me clarify that I write fiction, not game design) have been very positive, it has also been a real learning experience, and quite often a challenge. The first rule, Don’t Break The Toys, seems, at first, not that hard to follow. Okay, I can’t destroy cities, sink continents, or kill heads of state or your iconic characters. E...

Zellohar Goodreads Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to the winners of my latest Goodreads book giveaway! I’ll be sending signed copies of Zellohar, Book 1 of the Cornerstone Trilogy, to Daniel M. of Truro, Nova Scotia and Veronica J. of Baulkham Hills, Australia.

Weapon of Flesh Goodreads Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to the winners of my latest Goodreads book giveaway! I’ll be sending signed copies of Weapon of Flesh to Elizabeth L. of Victoria, British Columbia and Dawn L. of Resaca, Georgia.

Also, don’t forget to enter my new Goodreads book giveaway, two signed copies of Zellohar, the first book in the Cornerstones Trilogy.