Michael Edelson's Blog: Michael Edelson's Blog
October 12, 2017
Theft of Fire is out!
Theft of Fire is finally out on Amazon and other online retailers. Check it out!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1975940873/
The Kindle version hasn't been merged yet. If you prefer to read it that way, you can find it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076CRPJGX/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1975940873/
The Kindle version hasn't been merged yet. If you prefer to read it that way, you can find it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076CRPJGX/
August 29, 2017
New book: Theft of Fire
My latest novel, Theft of Fire, is going to be released within a week or two. I designed it as the first of a series, though whether any more are written depends on how well the first one does. Here is the text from the back cover:
“Now I am become Death, destroyer of worlds.”
Dr. Grace Llewellyn quotes Oppenheimer as her creation takes its first breath. Moments later, a US military strike team hits her laboratory in suburban Maryland.
Markus Stebbings is hiding terminal brain cancer, hoping to remain alive and a part of Delta long enough to die for something that matters. The mission to destroy a domestic terrorist cell in possession of a nuclear bomb sounds like the opportunity he is looking for, until he realizes that his targets are not terrorists, and that what they have is something infinitely more dangerous than a bomb.
On the run with Grace and the device she calls Prometheus, Markus finds himself pitted against the full might of US intelligence and military forces as they mount the biggest manhunt ever conducted on American soil. He quickly learns that Prometheus represents a technological advancement so profound that it can alter the course of history. What he doesn’t know is that there is another such device already in play, and that he, Grace and Prometheus are all that stand between it and the end of human civilization as we know it.
“Now I am become Death, destroyer of worlds.”
Dr. Grace Llewellyn quotes Oppenheimer as her creation takes its first breath. Moments later, a US military strike team hits her laboratory in suburban Maryland.
Markus Stebbings is hiding terminal brain cancer, hoping to remain alive and a part of Delta long enough to die for something that matters. The mission to destroy a domestic terrorist cell in possession of a nuclear bomb sounds like the opportunity he is looking for, until he realizes that his targets are not terrorists, and that what they have is something infinitely more dangerous than a bomb.
On the run with Grace and the device she calls Prometheus, Markus finds himself pitted against the full might of US intelligence and military forces as they mount the biggest manhunt ever conducted on American soil. He quickly learns that Prometheus represents a technological advancement so profound that it can alter the course of history. What he doesn’t know is that there is another such device already in play, and that he, Grace and Prometheus are all that stand between it and the end of human civilization as we know it.
February 18, 2016
Desperate Times Call For...
...desperate measures!
Independent authors face many challenges, chief among them, of course, is marketing/promotion. When an indie author releases a new book, his or her social media network mobilizes to gobble up copies. In my case, it's more like slurp up copies, but I have to be happy with what I have, because many of us have a lot less. After that initial surge, the hard times begin. Word of mouth can help, but that takes time and momentum. Amazon advertising is very effective, but often costs more than you make in sales, at least for me. And by often I mean always.
So what's a desperate writer to do? Sell his soul! Any takers? Aside from that, I've decided to leverage some of my old YouTube HEMA videos. HEMA stands for Historical European Martial Arts. The Talhoffer Society is a glimpse into a highly fictionalized version of that world, one much more dramatic, thrilling and interesting than the real thing (but not as much as you might imagine...some pretty interesting things go on in HEMA, things I'm not at liberty to discuss, even with some of my friends). So why not use those videos to promote The Talhoffer Society! It's kind of like selling your soul, right?
This is my first clumsy attempt to turn my old YouTube videos into an advertising outlet. Comments/thoughts/feedback would be appreciated!
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNEBpu8eDsU
Independent authors face many challenges, chief among them, of course, is marketing/promotion. When an indie author releases a new book, his or her social media network mobilizes to gobble up copies. In my case, it's more like slurp up copies, but I have to be happy with what I have, because many of us have a lot less. After that initial surge, the hard times begin. Word of mouth can help, but that takes time and momentum. Amazon advertising is very effective, but often costs more than you make in sales, at least for me. And by often I mean always.
So what's a desperate writer to do? Sell his soul! Any takers? Aside from that, I've decided to leverage some of my old YouTube HEMA videos. HEMA stands for Historical European Martial Arts. The Talhoffer Society is a glimpse into a highly fictionalized version of that world, one much more dramatic, thrilling and interesting than the real thing (but not as much as you might imagine...some pretty interesting things go on in HEMA, things I'm not at liberty to discuss, even with some of my friends). So why not use those videos to promote The Talhoffer Society! It's kind of like selling your soul, right?
This is my first clumsy attempt to turn my old YouTube videos into an advertising outlet. Comments/thoughts/feedback would be appreciated!
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNEBpu8eDsU
January 17, 2016
The Talhoffer Society
The Talhoffer Society is now available on Amazon!
Book description:
As a champion longsword fencer, Jack Fischer receives many invitations to tournaments, but none like this: few details, no return address and thousands of dollars in cash that is his to keep whether he accepts or not. He wants nothing to do with it until a multi-national task force recruits him to help bring down the organizers, a society of modern duelists who fight to the death while wealthy patrons watch and place bets.
Surrounded by opulence, glamour and the respect of powerful benefactors, Jack finds himself fighting the desire to prove himself in combat and vindicate his life’s work. His loyalties are further strained when he meets Frederica, a woman whose skill with a sword rivals his own. Struggling with a disease that is ravaging her body, she has come to the tournament to win the means to pay for her treatment or to die trying.
But underneath the pomp, the lofty ideals and promised wealth, neither the tournament nor its organizers are what they seem, and Jack is forced to face an impossible choice between love, self preservation and honor in a place where the only truth worth finding may lie in a pool of his own blood.
Book description:
As a champion longsword fencer, Jack Fischer receives many invitations to tournaments, but none like this: few details, no return address and thousands of dollars in cash that is his to keep whether he accepts or not. He wants nothing to do with it until a multi-national task force recruits him to help bring down the organizers, a society of modern duelists who fight to the death while wealthy patrons watch and place bets.
Surrounded by opulence, glamour and the respect of powerful benefactors, Jack finds himself fighting the desire to prove himself in combat and vindicate his life’s work. His loyalties are further strained when he meets Frederica, a woman whose skill with a sword rivals his own. Struggling with a disease that is ravaging her body, she has come to the tournament to win the means to pay for her treatment or to die trying.
But underneath the pomp, the lofty ideals and promised wealth, neither the tournament nor its organizers are what they seem, and Jack is forced to face an impossible choice between love, self preservation and honor in a place where the only truth worth finding may lie in a pool of his own blood.
January 12, 2016
This character in your book, that's you, right?
There is one book related question that I dread more than others, and it only comes from readers who know me personally, either in the real world or through social media.
"This character in your book, that's you, right?"
I don't blame people for asking. They have some very good reasons to wonder, as my protagonists tend to have a lot in common with me. Almost all are from New York, as am I. Most have unimpressive military backgrounds, just like me. One even teaches historical fencing in the same city I do. They sometimes say the sort of things I would say, and sometimes do the sort of things people imagine I would do.
None of these things are a coincidence. My characters are from New York because I know what it's like to grow up there. I know what it's like to be from New York, so I can write about it in a way that would ring true. I don't know what it's like to be from Texas, or Maine, or California. So if I tried to write about someone from one of those places, a great many readers would feel put off by the lack of authenticity. More importantly (at least to me), I would feel weird doing it.
My characters say the sort of things I'd say because I'm the one writing the books. They have elements from my life in their background because I can write about the emotional impact of those events from my own experiences. But most of what I put into them is pure fiction, borrowed from people I have known, books I have read and sometimes just things that pop into my head. All of these combine to make what I hope are compelling and believable characters.
To answer the question, no. My characters aren't me. A typical protagonist is 90% fiction and 10% me, sometimes more, sometimes less. Writing fictional stories is, in essence, lying. And the best lies have elements of truth woven into them. The more truth, the more believable the lie is.
Not every writer does this, and many are great at telling lies with little basis in reality. I’m just not one of them.
"This character in your book, that's you, right?"
I don't blame people for asking. They have some very good reasons to wonder, as my protagonists tend to have a lot in common with me. Almost all are from New York, as am I. Most have unimpressive military backgrounds, just like me. One even teaches historical fencing in the same city I do. They sometimes say the sort of things I would say, and sometimes do the sort of things people imagine I would do.
None of these things are a coincidence. My characters are from New York because I know what it's like to grow up there. I know what it's like to be from New York, so I can write about it in a way that would ring true. I don't know what it's like to be from Texas, or Maine, or California. So if I tried to write about someone from one of those places, a great many readers would feel put off by the lack of authenticity. More importantly (at least to me), I would feel weird doing it.
My characters say the sort of things I'd say because I'm the one writing the books. They have elements from my life in their background because I can write about the emotional impact of those events from my own experiences. But most of what I put into them is pure fiction, borrowed from people I have known, books I have read and sometimes just things that pop into my head. All of these combine to make what I hope are compelling and believable characters.
To answer the question, no. My characters aren't me. A typical protagonist is 90% fiction and 10% me, sometimes more, sometimes less. Writing fictional stories is, in essence, lying. And the best lies have elements of truth woven into them. The more truth, the more believable the lie is.
Not every writer does this, and many are great at telling lies with little basis in reality. I’m just not one of them.
