E.D. Martin's Blog, page 23

Weekend Writing Warrior 5/8/16 #8Sunday

For May I’m pulling from me short story collection, The Futility of Loving a Soldier.

It’s eleven stories about veterans and their relationships with family and friends.

Today’s excerpt comes from the second of five related stories, “A Family Tradition.” This one is about Maarten, a man who served during WWII and has spent his life battling his father’s legacy, as conveyed by his single mother, Ophélie. It continues where last week’s excerpt left off.

* * * * * * *

Growing up without a father around, with a mother who made sure he knew what kind of man his father was, Maarten had had no choice but to excel at everything, and so enlisting had been the obvious step after high school: a chance to prove to his mother, his father, and himself that he was strong, that he cared about more than himself. What better cause than one’s country?

His time in the Algerian desert wasn’t what he’d expected. He’d wanted to be in the infantry, just like his father, but he’d ended up as a mechanic, fixing broken-down jeeps and supply trucks. It had kept him from the front, but to his surprise he didn’t mind; in fact, he liked it. It was a relief not to have people depending on him, life or death hinging on his trigger finger.

Ophélie hadn’t understood, of course—not after the lies Joos had told her—and so Maarten had lied too – no, he’d exaggerated. Other men’s exploits became his, and they stayed his when he returned home and married Catherine, they continued in the bedtime stories he told his sons, and they stretched into the future, in his hopes that his boys could make them real.

So far, he hadn’t been disappointed. His sons John and Ted had what it took to be soldiers some day, and Artie… well, Artie tried.

* * * * * * *

And now for the stuff you should do!

Read more about Maarten’s and Artie’s struggles by picking up a copy of The Futility of Loving a Soldier .
Post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.
If you’re a writer, sign up to be a Friday Five author, which gets you and your latest work featured on my blog.
And then sign up for my mailing list to get a FREE ebook short story, “A Place to Die,” about a guy in hospice who’s in denial about his illness.

Friday Five: Marlin Desault

Today’s Friday Five focus is Marlin Desault, author of science fiction novels.

Marlin studied German and German literature at Georgetown University and served with US Air Force intelligence services in Europe. He return to the US and enrolled in the University of Wyoming engineering program. His coursework included advanced physics and mathematics. He received his master’s degree and accepted an invitation to teach German and electrical engineering at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He left the Air Force for a management career in aerospace and high tech. Currently, he resides in southern California, where he writes novels when not indulging his passions for sailing, skiing, and reading.

In Shroud of Eden, Starship captain Scott Drumond finds a tunnel through a space-time barrier. Beyond the barrier he finds a colony of humans who hold the secret he needs to depose a tyrant on Earth and defeat aliens swarming out of the cosmos.

* * * * * * * * * * *

1. Where do your inspiration and ideas for your stories come from?

I read science articles and often ask myself what if and where to from here questions. I think: Quo Vadis? which in my mind means ‘to where from here?’

2. What genre do you currently read most and why?

I read mostly science fiction, but I also read quite a bit of high adventure such as works by Clive Cussler and Lee Child. I’ve read most of the classic adventures of Jack London, Ernest Hemminway and John Steinbeck.

3. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever researched for your works or biggest/most out-of-the-ordinary thing you’ve done while researching?

Probably the most unusual thing I researched was time travel into the past. Time travel into the future, aside from the technical issues, doesn’t seem to pose a logical problem. Time travel into the past confronts the grandfather paradox making the concept illogical. In my story, Shroud of Eden, I had to present the reader with a logical explanation for how my characters traveled into the past and avoided the paradox.

4. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had and why? What was the best thing about that job and why?

By farmy worst job was working odd hours of the day and night during my work gathering intelligence during the cold war. The best thing about the job, if you can say there was a best thing, was discovering the curious activities of other countries.

5. What do you want your tombstone to say?

He made me think of the possible beyond the impossible.

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Shroud of Eden is currently available at Amazon.

Become a Friday Five author or read previous author interviews.

Media Monday: More steampunk assassins with Celine Jeanjean

The book: The Black Orchid by Celine Jeanjean

The music: “We Know Where You Go” by Blue October

Last summer, I reviewed the first book in this series, The Viper and the Urchin (now titled The Bloodless Assassin), about an assassin who teams up with a street urchin to solve a string of copycat murders. This book pairs the two of them again, although this time they’re now working for the city-state ruler, the Marchioness – and completely bored out of their minds. The action picks up when the team is pulled in to investigate a murder in a rough part of town. They stumble on a big conspiracy where no one can be trusted, as the body count mounts.

Like the first book, this one was great in that I didn’t really predict the ending. The author is great at misdirection; like the characters, you’re not sure who the good guys or bad guys are, as everyone has motives that aren’t completely revealed until the end.

Also like the first book, I loved the diverse cast of characters thrown in so nonchalantly. In addition to the rainbow of skin tones, the Marchioness has a female consort that no one bats an eye at. I’d love to see more books follow this path of mirroring the diversity found in the real world.

It also touches on class issues: are certain people expendable based on their role (or lack of) in society? What happens when classes mingle – is it okay socially? Will both sides be able to accept each other, or will there always be the urge to change one of them? How fluid is class, and what happens when you move into a new one?

The Black Orchid focused as well on relationships: the one between assassin Longinus and street urchin Rory, between Rory and a nobleman working in the Marchioness’s guard, and between the Marchioness and her longtime consort.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a good balance of fluffy escapism and social commentary. I’m looking to see what we get in book 3.

The music to accompany the book is a new song by one of my favorite bands, Blue October. The album just came out a couple weeks ago so there’s no audio floating around YouTube yet, so I leave you a link to the song on Amazon. This particular song ties in with the relationships between the characters.

Weekend Writing Warrior 5/1/16 #8Sunday

This month I’ve shifting gears, away from my short story “The Stand,” which will hopefully be out as soon as my semester is over in a couple weeks, to my short story collection, The Futility of Loving a Soldier.

It’s eleven stories about veterans and their relationships with family and friends.

Today’s excerpt comes from the second of five related stories, “A Family Tradition.” This one is about Maarten, a man who served during WWII. It’s the opening lines.

* * * * * * *

Maarten glanced at his rearview mirror. Three blond heads greeted him, lolled back against the seat. The weekend scouting trip, full of canoeing and hiking and camaraderie, had worn the boys out. It was worth it though; John had placed first in archery, Ted first in soap carving, and Artie… well, Artie had tried. Maarten’s youngest son hadn’t meant to wander off on Saturday’s hike, or to drop his paddle in the lake. Twice.

While Artie’s older brothers excelled as Boy Scouts, he struggled to be even mediocre.

Maarten sighed. He didn’t quite know how to relate to his youngest boy, so different from himself.

* * * * * * *

Lots of calls-to-action today!

Read more about Maarten’s and Artie’s struggles by picking up a copy of The Futility of Loving a Soldier .
Post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.
If you’re a writer, sign up to be a Friday Five author, which gets you and your latest work featured on my blog.
And then sign up for my mailing list to get a FREE ebook short story, “A Place to Die,” about a guy in hospice who’s in denial about his illness.

Weekend Writing Warrior 4/24/16 #8Sunday

This month’s excerpts are from the next stand-alone short story I plan to release, “The Stand,” about an American guy’s up-and-down relationship with a mildly crazy French girl. I hope to have it ready to go in the next couple weeks.

In this week’s scene, Daniel is looking back at his relationship with Mireille.

* * * * * * *

Mireille denied everything—her looks, her brains, her talents—while claiming all her faults.

“Daniel,” she whispered to him one February night after poking him awake, “I don’t think I am real. How do I know if I even exist?”

He rolled over, blinked his eyes open. “Mireille?”

At this point she was at his apartment several nights a week, although often for only a few hours; she crawled into bed with him after he was asleep, and often left before he was awake. Sometimes he’d wake to find her curled into a ball beside him, her features so relaxed and beautiful that he’d spend an hour just watching her in the mottled sunlight streaming in from the unshuttered bedroom window, loathe to disturb her, and they’d both end up late for work.

And other times, like that night, she’d slide in next to him and wake him up, to talk about whatever was keeping her from sleeping at her own place, and after he’d calmed her down, reassured her, answered her questions, she’d slip out again. He was never sure which he’d get with Mireille.

* * * * * * * * * *

Post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.

If you’re a writer, sign up to be a Friday Five author, which gets you and your latest work featured on my blog.

And then sign up for my mailing list to get a FREE ebook short story, “A Place to Die,” about a guy in hospice who’s in denial about his illness.

Friday Five: K.M. Hodge

Today’s Friday Five focus is K.M. Hodge, author of women’s fiction, thriller and suspense, and crime novellas and novels.

K.M. Hodge grew up in Detroit, where she spent most of her free time weaving wild tales to spook her friends and family. These days, she lives in Texas with her husband and two energetic boys, and once again enjoys writing tales of suspense and intrigue that keep her readers up all night. Her stories, which focus on women’s issues, friendship, addiction, regrets and second chances, will stay with you long after you finish them. She also co-writes her Book Cellar Mystery Series with author and good friend Melissa Storm.

In her latest novel, book #1 of the Syndicate-Born Trilogy Red on the Run, agent Bailey and his partner uncover evidence against a major crime ring and is placed in the witness protection program. In what becomes the most dangerous investigation of his career, Alex must ask himself how far he is willing to go to stop the Syndicate and keep his partner safe?

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1. What was your attitude towards reading when you were a kid?

I was slow to get into reading. It took me a long time to learn how to read and it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It wasn’t until I was nine on a road trip from Ohio to Maine that I discovered the joy of reading. After that I couldn’t stop.

2. Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than others? How do you deal with this?

I have a hard time writing action sequences. I have been working on making them more present. Editors are paramount for helping writers to over come whatever challenges they might be working on.

3. What are three things on your bucket list?

1) Go to Ireland

2) See my book in a brick and mortar store

3) Get a van. LOL

4. What’s your current writing project and what are your writing plans for the near future?

I am currently working on editing the three books in my Syndicate-Born Trilogy and am outlining book #2 of my Book Cellar Mystery Series. After my two series are finished I will be working on a letter writing novel and a cop serial.

5. What author has influenced your writing style/subject the most and why?

When I was younger I would read Nancy Drew. I then graduated on to Agatha Christie, John Saul and Robin Cook. I would pride myself on solving the mysteries as early as possible. It became almost a game for me. It should come as no surprise then that I chose to write the mystery and suspense genre. I will read almost any kind of genre, but my heart will always remain with my first love of mysteries.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Red on the Run is currently available on Amazon.

Become a Friday Five author or read previous author interviews.

Marketing for Writers and Readers

At this week’s meeting for my local writing group, I presented on the topic of marketing for writers with a focus on readers. Here are my notes.

RARE – respect, authenticity, reciprocity, expertise – FROM THE READERS’ PERSPECTIVE

Why focus on marketing:

Short-range – sell books
Mid-range – get reviews
Long-range – build a fanbase to sell more books

Who to market to:

Family and friends

Pros: feel happy/obligated to buy your stuff
Cons: Amazon cracking down on reviews by people you know, not as believable because people think they’ll be positive no matter what


Other writers – very common

Pros: often reciprocity with reviews, sales, and promos
Cons: hard to jump from writers to readers with content, reciprocity expected even if you don’t like what they write/different genre


READERS!!

Pros: readers want to read good books
Cons: hard to find, already bombarded by tons of ads/spam

Where to market:

In person

Direct sales to family and friends
Book fairs and readings


Online

Social media

Followers – real vs numbers
Comments on other blogs (indirectly only)
Targeted ads
Who’s seeing these posts?


Website
Newsletters/mailing lists

Your own
Group’s

When to market:

Daily – buzz about your books on social media

20% formula (only 20% of posts about your books)
5-3-2 formula (5 should be content from others, 3 should be content from you, 2 should be personal status updates)


Pre-launch

Snippets
Cover reveal
Pre-orders


Sale

Acceptable to buzz more frequently

What to market:

Your books

Snippets/excerpts
Random facts/research relating to your books
Links to purchase


Yourself

Blog posts
Social media posts that show your personality


Other people’s stuff

Reciprocity principle
Set your own personal guidelines for what you’ll share

How to market:

Social media

Twitter – quick status updates, links
Facebook – longer posts
Pinterest – images related to your works
Other sites – Google+, Tsu, etc – who’s there??


Website

Central place to send people to
Include link in signatures and blog comments
Provide meaningful content for your target audience


Ads

Newsletters/mailing lists

BookBub, Ereader News Today, etc – how big is their reach vs price


Facebook

Who are you targeting?
Impressions vs sales


Goodreads, Amazon

Expensive
Check conversion rates


Giveaways

Rafflecopter

Multi-author vs one author
Cost of prizes related to how many people enter


Goodreads giveaway – lots add to TBR, but few reviews


Mailing list

Frequency

set number vs something to share
too often = annoying, too infrequently = forget who you are


Mailchimp


Book fairs

Very low RTI – cost vs books sold; publicity?
Iowa City Book Festival, Midwest Writing Center events


Swag

Bookmarks
Business cards
Trinkets/widgets related to your book


Free books

Pros – new readers, possibly more reviews, push you up in rankings for later
Cons – too many free books to read, don’t see a bump later, only one book out
Most common with series book #1, short stories

Branding

Consistent look

Same picture for everything
Same bio
Similar color schemes/layouts on covers and across online


Tagline

“Writing stories of love and betrayal, sacrifice and redemption”
“Adventure romance”


Similar genres/themes

Pen name

Role of reader

“Don’t be a dick.” – Will Wheaton
How is your content benefiting them?

Entertainment
Information
Free stuff
Not annoying


Engagement

Social media – conversation
Ask them what they want – survey/poll
#QOTD

Resources

https://janefriedman.com
http://annerallen.com
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com
http://www.indiesunlimited.com
http://www.thecreativepenn.com
http://www.thepassivevoice.com/
http://kriswrites.com

Weekend Writing Warrior 4/17/16 #8Sunday

This month’s excerpts are from the next stand-alone short story I plan to release (still working on the title). I don’t have a blurb yet either, but it’s about an American guy’s up-and-down relationship with a French girl.

In this week’s scene, Daniel has arrived at the airport, leaving France to head back to America.

* * * * * * *

The train’s next stop is the airport. Daniel has made a full circle; he arrived in Paris alone, and he’ll leave from the same place alone once again. He tries to focus on the sterile architecture of the building, with its white walls and postmodern arches and walkways. The gray skies over the tarmac threaten rain as he waits in line for security. Again, he’s struck by the crazy urge to go back to Avignon, to find Mireille and tell her- Tell her what, exactly? She’s heard his apologies, and if they didn’t change her mind the first time, the tenth time, the fiftieth time, why would this time be any different?

He slips off his shoes, unbuckles his belt, and drops his backpack onto the conveyor belt. As the line inches closer to the body scanners, that urge grows stronger, but he ignores it as he places his hands above his head, then collects his belongings from the plastic bins.

Outside, the skies have opened up.

* * * * * * * * * *

Post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.

If you’re a writer, sign up to be a Friday Five author, which gets you and your latest work featured on my blog.

And then sign up for my mailing list to get a FREE ebook short story, “A Place to Die,” about a guy in hospice who’s in denial about his illness.

Weekend Writing Warrior 4/10/16 #8Sunday

This month’s excerpts are from the next stand-alone short story I plan to release (still working on the title). I don’t have a blurb yet either, but it’s about an American guy’s up-and-down relationship with a French girl.

In this week’s scene, continuing from where we left off last week, it’s Daniel’s first morning in France. Mireille told him she’d meet him in the morning to walk him to orientation. She just woke him up.

* * * * * * * * * *

“And you are running late. Don’t think I don’t know that I woke you.”

“I—” he managed to choke out.

“That is okay. I knew you would be asleep, so I came early. It all balances out.”

Daniel glanced at his watch, which read 6:32, and asked, “What time is orientation?”

“It starts at 9:00,” she said as she smiled at him and patted his cheek. “That allows us plenty of time for breakfast.”

She turned and walked down the hallway, leaving Daniel to close his hanging-open mouth and lock the door before catching up to her.

* * * * * * * * * *

Post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.

If you’re a writer, sign up to be a Friday Five author, which gets you and your latest work featured on my blog.

And then sign up for my mailing list to get a FREE ebook short story, “A Place to Die,” about a guy in hospice who’s in denial about his illness.

Spring 2016 goal review

It’s that time already – another look at how I’m failing to meet all the goals I set for myself for the year and a bunch of lame excuses for why I’m not doing well on the writing front.

1. Write at least 30 minutes a day.

I wrote for at least 30 minutes for about half the days in January, none of the days in February, and a handful in March. Excuse: grad school – papers, internship, and TAing 2 sections of a class.

2. Finish something every month.

I finished “A Place to Die” in early January. Since then, nothing. See excuse from above. I’m close on several things, which I hope to finish soon.

3. Publish at least 4 of those finished things.

I published “A Place to Die.” It’s available for $.99 at Amazon or free if you join my mailing list. In addition to being probably my favorite story I’ve written, it’s getting great reviews. I’m going to try to have another short story, “Spice Pirates,” out in the next week or so – just in time for a big sale of my novel Yours to Keep or Throw Aside (formerly The Lone Wolf).

4. Continue the focus on increased marketing.

I’ve been trying to blog more often and post more frequently on Facebook and Twitter. So far, my engagement has gone up but not sales. I tried a lot of stuff last year that didn’t work, so I’m taking a more cautious (ie, free) approach this year.

5. Read 100 books.

I’ve read 26 books so far this year, which Goodreads tells me is “on track.”

Sandworm infestation I found while biking through my neighborhood

6. Continue the focus on being healthy.

Now that the weather’s warming up, I’ve been riding my bike more, including taking it to campus with me. I’ve also been trying out a bunch of Asian recipes focusing mostly on vegetables, which I’ll claim are healthier.

Overall

Overall, I’m not that far behind (yet). I only have about 5 weeks left of school and my internship. My summer is shaping up to be pretty low-key – several research projects, maybe a few weeks teaching summer school – and lots of free time. Of course, I tend to waste my free time, so I’ll have to make an effort to focus on writing. Guess we’ll see how I’ll do at my next check-in in July.

If you’ve set goals for yourself, how’re they going so far this year?