Christopher B. Wright's Blog, page 34

Issue 19: That Which Does Not Dream

Story: Christopher Wright
Cover: Pascalle Lepas
Logo: Garth Graham

Great Review of Pay Me, Bug! at The Review Hart

The Review Hart is an indie book review blog. I'd submitted Pay Me, Bug! for a review a while back, and I've been a bit nervous about it ever since: The Review Hart, you see, is a site that doesn't pull punches. It's not a mean-spirited site by any means, but if the reviewers (Shen Hart and Michael Keenan) don't like what they're reading they'll tell you exactly what they don't like and why they don't like it.

Today The Review Hart reviewed Pay Me, Bug!:

This is a book for people who enjoy ligh...

Patreon: Because November Isn't Busy Enough

Things I did yesterday:


Test software
Add to my wordcount for NaNoWriMo
Start writing Issue 19 of Curveball
Record a promo video for and launch a Patreon campaign

Why would I even think of doing this in November, you ask? Because when I make poor decisions, I make them enthusiastically.

I've actually been planning a Patreon campaign for quite some time, but there have always been things that got in the way. First, there was a lot about Patreon I really didn't understand, and I wasn't sure if the id...

A Game of Secrets: Part Four

Unknown, Tropical Climate

David Bernard wakes up remembering his last rational thought the night before: don’t sleep here, it isn’t safe. Everything after that is a blur, vague images obscured by ever-thickening layers of pain and exhaustion. He’s lying on a mattress with clean sheets. The low hum of an air conditioner kicks in and cool air washes over his face. The constant, faint sound of tropical birds calling to each other can be heard just beyond the bedroom’s window.

I guess I didn’t take...

A Game of Secrets: Part Three

“Again,” Red Shift says.

Jenny grits her teeth, narrows her eyes, and swings at him with all her strength.

She isn’t trying for finesse, and Red Shift isn’t trying to dodge. He’s moving just enough to keep his force field active, but he takes the blow square in the chest. The force of the impact staggers him, but he recovers quickly.

“Again.”

“Why?” She tries to conceal the frustration in her voice, but she knows it isn’t working. She doesn’t understand why he’s making her do this. She’s much str...

A Game of Secrets: Part Two

Martin Forrest knows his brother-in-law is waiting for him in his room before he even walks into the lobby: the Senator’s car is parked on the street, a conspicuous armored black sedan with government plates. He forces himself not to roll his eyes as he nods to one of the Secret Service agents standing by the door—he’s met enough of them to recognize their faces, even if they aren’t forthcoming with their names. The agent doesn’t reply, of course, but he has no doubt that his arrival is being...

A Game of Secrets: Part One

Farraday City, Downtown

When it was still a thriving beach resort the Farraday City skyline was the beach: the largest buildings were the hotels, forming a wall of concrete and glass between land and sea. They were lighthouses in reverse, guiding travelers from the lands further in to the great waters beyond.

The old skyline remains, abandoned and weathered, long since fallen into disrepair. What had once been the reason for the city’s prosperity is now left to rot, or collapse, or perhaps to o...

Issue 18: A Game of Secrets

Story: Christopher Wright
Cover: Pascalle Lepas
Logo: Garth Graham

The Ghosts of NaNoWriMos Past

NaNoWriMo is coming, and once again I am on board. I've been doing it since 2003, and while I was sorely tempted to give it a pass this year (because I have a lot on my plate) I realized, as the time grew nearer, that I just couldn't.

Why couldn't I? Because it's part of my workflow.

November is the month where I try to work through a story to see how it goes. I mean, I don't do this exclusively in November—I write all year round, and sometimes I just start writing something to see what I think...

An Apology to Self-Publishers: #HaleNo, #bloggerblackout, and Sloppy Comparisons

About a week ago an author named Kathleen Hale wrote an article in the Guardian about how she reacted to a bad review by an anonymous book reviewer by trying to track down the reviewer in real life. It was stalking, plain and simple: there’s no other way to describe it, and there’s no reason it should be described any other way.

In her article, she sort-of sheepishly admits to “going too far” but she also doesn’t really accept any responsibility for what she did. She writes it off as simply ge...