Dan Harris's Blog, page 9
May 26, 2013
So I’m Not Writing Much at the Moment
In case you were wondering. I do have a complete outline of my next book, the third in The Unity Sequence, and I’ve drafted the first four chapters. But a combination of the tendinitis in my left wrist flaring up a few weeks back, and the fact that Mrs. Dan and I preparing to relocate from Brazil to the US at the start of July–with all of the visa getting, flight planning, and shipping organising that this entails–has meant I haven’t put any words to digital paper in the last few weeks.
Not pictured: Me grimacing.
But never fear. I’m still confident I can get a first draft done by about October, and edits complete ready for publication before the end of the year. That’ll keep me on the two-books-a-year plan which should make me rich and famous by about 2024.
It’s good to have attainable goals.
May 23, 2013
Links Ahoy! Time Lords, Green Lanterns, Super-Humans and Superman
Over at The Wertzone there’s a stunningly in-depth history of The Time Lords, which is a fascinating read for anyone even remotely interested in Doctor Who. (I’ve never followed the show myself, shamefully. I’m just waiting for it to end so I can watch all the DVDs in one go.)
io9 have a funny article on why the Green Lanterns are the worst.
“For almost the entirety of the Green Lantern Corps existence, they have had one weakness — the color yellow. There was an impurity in the giant Green Lantern that powers their rings, so any time the Lanterns tried to manipulate or fight anything colored yellow, they’d be weakened or possibly even completely ineffective.”
Nice one.
While we’re there, check out this piece on augmented human intelligence.
“The real objective of IA is to create super-Einsteins, persons qualitatively smarter than any human being that has ever lived. There will be a number of steps on the way there. The first step will be to create a direct neural link to information. Think of it as a “telepathic Google.”
And there’s a NEW MAN OF STEEL TRAILER OH MY GOD I NEED TO CALM DOWN.
KNEEL BEFORE ZOD! He’d better say that in the movie at some point.
(I also can’t get used to Michael Shannon as General Zod, seeing as me and Mrs. Dan are currently watching Season 3 of Boardwalk Empire where he plays the tightly-buttoned ex-prohibition officer whose life has fallen apart. Check it out.)
Finally, Tor.com asks ‘Is There A New New Wave of Science Fiction, And Do We Need One Anyway?’.
Happy reading.
May 15, 2013
Sun Goes Mental, No One Really Knows Why
Late Sunday night, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the first ‘X-class’–i.e. really powerful–solar flare of 2013. Which was cool, and they’d been expecting it, so no biggie.
But then there were another two. In the next 23 hours. From the same spot on the Sun. Should we be scared? Has our reliable old star entered some kind of monsoon season that comes every 10,000 years, auguring the apocalypse and end of all humanity?
Seems not. Although “An X-class flare in our direction, combined with a colossal, interplanetary CME (coronal mass ejection), could have serious consequences here on Earth.“
And “X-class flares and their associated coronal mass ejections can lead to mindblowing northern lights at very non-northern latitudes… [and] can also trigger massive geomagnetic storms, jam satellites, ground airplanes, and precipitate global radio blackouts.“
Space, eh? It’s like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.
May 13, 2013
Let's Get Visible: How To Get Noticed And Sell More Books
Reblogged from David Gaughran:
As you might have guessed by the new lick of paint, Let's Get Visible is out! Grab your copy at:
Amazon | Apple | Barnes & Noble |
Kobo | Smashwords | $4.99
Here's the blurb:
Take your sales to the next level! The author of the award-winning, bestselling Let's Get Digital is back with an advanced guide for more experienced self-publishers.
I'm on David's mailing list, and bought and read my copy the day the release email hit my inbox. If you're an indie author, there's great information and advice here. Worth buying.
May 7, 2013
The History and Future of Cities
Just a quick one: there’s a great article on io9 about how cities began, and where they’re going. Really interesting stuff.
“Now that the majority of humans live in cities, we’re going to be confronting a new set of problems in urban life. For one thing, natural disasters in cities can cause much greater numbers of fatalities than in sparse, rural communities. So the cities of tomorrow will need to be robust against many kinds of disaster, from earthquakes and floods, to radiation bombardment. It’s possible that many cities will built partly under ground, and partly under water. They might even be built inside a single building surrounded by farms. Not only will such structures allow us to conserve space, but layers of earth and water are excellent protection against radiation.”
May 4, 2013
The Author Exploitation Business
Reblogged from David Gaughran:
Writing is a glamorous occupation - at least from the outside. Popular depictions of our profession tend to leave out all the other stuff that comes with the territory: carpal tunnel syndrome, liver failure, penury, and madness.
Okay, okay, I jest. I love being a writer. Sharing stories with the world and getting paid for it is bloody brilliant. It's a dream job, and like any profession with a horde of neophytes seeking to break in, there are plenty of sharks waiting to chew them to bits.
Every aspiring author needs to read this. Know the truth. Don't risk being scammed.
May 2, 2013
Author Interview - Dan Harris : Part 3
Reblogged from Tim Flanagan - Author:
Within the Indie Author Hub, you can learn about other authors, their thoughts and opinions, what makes them tick and how their writing process works for them.
All this week I will be releasing segments of an interview I conducted with fellow author, Dan Harris, an inspirational Sci-Fi writer. Have a look at his profile and books here.
Part 3 : Promotion and Motivation…
And finally--part three! Many thanks to Tim for hosting me. It was great fun.
May 1, 2013
Author Interview - Dan Harris : Part 2
Reblogged from Tim Flanagan - Author:
Within the Indie Author Hub, you can learn about other authors, their thoughts and opinions, what makes them tick and how their writing process works for them.
All this week I will be releasing segments of an interview I conducted with fellow author, Dan Harris, an inspirational Sci-Fi writer. Have a look at his profile and books here.
Part 2 : The Publishing Process…
You can now read part two of my interview over at Tim Flanagan's blog, in which we talk about the publishing industry.
April 29, 2013
Author Interview - Dan Harris : Part 1
Reblogged from Tim Flanagan - Author:
Within the Indie Author Hub, you can learn about other authors, their thoughts and opinions, what makes them tick and how their writing process works for them.
All this week I will be releasing segments of an interview I conducted with fellow author, Dan Harris, an inspirational Sci-Fi writer. Have a look at his profile and books here.
Part 1 : Dan's Writing Process…
Last week I was interviewed by Tim Flanagan, a fellow SF author and an indie publishing enthusiast. Tim likes to share the stories of other indie authors on his very popular blog, and I was delighted to be featured. Check out this installment for my thoughts on the writing process. Parts two and three will be out later this week.
