Lester Picker's Blog, page 4
April 15, 2013
You Are Being Replaced By a Robot!
It’s scary, alright. I’m on a flight to Denver and I just finished reading an article in the May, 2012 issue of Wired Magazine titled “The Rise of the Robot Reporter.” In it, writer Steven Levy describes the work of a Chicago company called Narrative Science.
It turns out that Narrative Science has developed a series of computer programs that allow it to mine data from The Web and translate it into very good prose. So good are their algorithms that financial companies are paying them to interpret complex graphs and data sets into readable paragraphs that even lay people can understand. To quote my granddaughter: “OMG!”
So far these bots specialize in sports and financial reporting, in part because they lend themselves to formulaic narrative. But the folks at Narrative Science are developing ever more complex algorithms that they foresee will tackle ever more narrative forms of journalism.
Has it come to this, now? Are we at the dawn of the Age of Our Scariness? Writing venues are disappearing all around us. Pay rates are plummeting at the surviving pubs. Web writing sucks big time. And now, we are on the verge of being replaced by writerbots.
Stay tuned, fellow writers. It could be a bumpy ride.
March 9, 2013
The Dagger of Isis Coming in Audio
March promises to be an exciting month for us. As of this past Saturday, we have begun the narration for The Dagger of Isis, the second novel in The First Dynasty Series,.
The kickoff novel in the series, The First Pharaoh, has been available in audio format for about two months now. It is being sold on Audible.com and on Amazon.com. Reviews have been quite good, in large part due to the captivating narration by Adam Hanin. You can hear a sample of his narration before you order.
The Book
The Dagger of Isis, already available in softcover and e-book, describes the life of Meryt-Neith, the first King of a united Egypt. In those early Dynasties, the word Pharaoh had not yet come into use. Pharaoh means the “big house,” a reference to the huge palaces that later Dynasties built.
Meryt-Neith served as Regent for her son until he came of age. That 17-year rule was one of the most incredible periods in Egyptian history. She was so revered, her tomb was built on one of the holiest spots in ancient Egypt. However, as I bring to life in the novel, her rule was not without its challenges. She suffered self-doubt that made her stronger. She experienced tragic loss, and enduring love. She felt the stinging wounds of betrayal, yet she was strong enough to save her country from invaders. I’m looking forward to Adam bringing the story to life.
The Process
For those of you who are interested in the process, we start with my sending notes to Adam with how I feel the names of the characters and towns should be pronounced, along with my thoughts on the personalities of the characters. If there are questions, Adam will ask me to clarify.
With my book before him, Adam secludes himself in his home professional recording studio and begins narrating. The rules of Audible require that he sends me the first 15 minutes for approval. Once that is done, Adam proceeds to narrate the entire first chapter. Our arrangement calls for Adam to send me each chapter as it is completed so we can catch mishaps before they are repeated.
Once I listen to the chapter, I send Adam a note with comments. If corrections are needed, he makes them and sends me the revised chapter for final approval. We continue until the entire book is done.
Marketing
Once the book is posted on Audible and Amazon, the process of marketing begins. I see it as an opportunity to let my readers know about its availability. But it’s also a good time to remind my readers of how important it is for them to post their review of the book or audio just as soon as they are done.
Some bloggers who know and enjoy my writing get in touch and soon I may be interviewed or be asked to write a guest blog. In any case these marketing efforts are fun and a chance to connect with my very passionate readers.
… And You
In today’s fast-pace world, readers want to hear how others liked the work, so they can judge whether it might work for them. That’s where you come in and for each of you who has taken the time to post a review I am so very grateful. Thank you!
Publishing today is really more of a true partnership between authors and readers. Feedback is important, and also instantaneous. The more detailed the review, the better readers can judge whether that work is really for them.
I will keep you posted on how the audio progresses. In the meantime I am hard at work writing the final volume in The First Dynasty Series, and man, is it fast-paced and full of drama, conflict, and other good stuff. Stay tuned!
March 7, 2013
Interviewed on Hot New Website
There’s a hot new website out there on the Internet frontier. Momma Says Read is a site devoted to getting people of all ages to read, write and review books of all genres.
At it’s launch, I was asked by Momma herself if I would agree to be interviewed for her site. I agreed, not knowing just how thorough and delving she would be. In the interview we cover topics such as where I get the ideas for my novels, who inspired me, how writing effects my life, research, even my experiences living with a Bedouin tribe in Egypt. If you are interested in writing or a writer’s life, I think you’ll enjoy this penetrating interview.
The Real Reason I Write
I was asked an incredible question recently by the founder of the hot new readers’ website Momma Says Read. On the face of it the question was simple: What is the Real Reason You Write?
Whoa! Wait a minute. Not so simple, is it? She wants to know the “real” reason, not some spewing of platitudes. The truth is that I had to take a good deal of time out of my evening to sit and think this through.
In the end I discarded spoons full of pablum responses and instead dug deep into my “real” motivations for writing. If you are a writer, an aspiring writer, or an avid reader, I hope you will find my answer to that penetrating question interesting. I’d love to hear your comments.
You’ll find my essay here
February 23, 2013
Living Historical Fiction
I cannot imagine any historical fiction author not having been asked by an enthusiastic reader “But, how did you gather all that information?” If you’ve written- or read- historical fiction, I can see your head nodding.
Of course there are the standard answers that we all give, each of them true to one degree or another. First and foremost we read… a lot. One of the joys of writing a historical novel is understanding that a different point of view, new findings, or a unique approach to the storytelling can make even a well-known historical event seem fresh and inviting.
Then today there is the Internet, a literal treasure trove of information, some of it even accurate. We spend countless hours trolling for basic information, then drilling deeper and deeper to answer our own questions and to uncover details that will add depth for our readers.
Our reading and Internet research eventually surfaces a bevy of experts in our fields to whom we can write, email and interview. I love this part especially, because suddenly there is a human face, or at least a voice or electronic message, who we can call on for help. These unsung heroes, who get a scant mention in our Acknowledgements, are often our greatest assets.
But there is one other aspect of research for our historical novels that I think is too little mentioned and definitely too little used by historical fiction authors. That is actually visiting the lands, buildings and places where the history we describe takes place. Yes, things will have changed since the period about which we have chosen to write. But in my mind at least, there is no substitute for helping the reader actually feel a sense of place.
To transport our readers to that time and place we need to smell the forests ourselves, touch the soil, feel the desert heat on our skin, see the immensity of the cathedral and hear our own footsteps echo as we walk the labyrinthine hallways of the castle.
In my novels about the rise to power of Egypt’s first pharaoh (Narmer), his great-granddaughter (Meryt-Neith) who was the first woman king, and the last king of the First Dynasty (Qa’a), I felt I needed to experience Egypt personally. I was fortunate that I was able to visit Egypt several times. But I needed to get out of Cairo, beyond the tourist spots, and into the Egypt of the past.
One thing I did was visit archaeological dig sites to get a sense from the archaeologists themselves of the grandeur of ancient times. I found those visits tremendously helpful and made the acquaintance of Egyptologists who provided me with juiy details for my writing. But there was something far more basic that I was still missing.
Egypt is 96% desert, with a narrow ribbon of green flowing south to north, a water course we know as the mighty Nile River. If there is anything that defines Egyptian civilization, it is the contrast between the nourishing Mother Nile and the unforgiving Eastern and Western deserts.
So I contacted a sociology professor who had written a book about the Bedouins of Egypt and within months I was back in Egypt, living with a Bedouin tribe. That experience more than any other, taught me about what it meant to survive in Egypt circa 3,100 B.C.
I also spent countless hours on the banks of the Nile watching fisherman cast their nets at dawn or drop their baited lines from their boats. It was not a big stretch from there to imagine an ancient fisherman doing the same from his reed boat and pulling in one of the Nile’s famous giant catfish.
So there you have it. I’m a great believer in on-site research. Without it I think a novel suffers from platitudes, flat descriptions and factual errors. With it, a novelist adds descriptive elements that allow a reader to experience the sensory delights of time and place.
January 9, 2013
Author Interview With Jack Durish
The Internet is such a wonderful tool for authors. Naturally we think of its utility for research. But it is also wonderful for networking.
[image error]
Thanks to the Internet I recently met fellow author Jack Durish, a veteran who has penned a historical novel that I would have never chosen to read, but that I am so happy I did. In Rebels on the Mountain, Jack weaves a tale of the Cuban Revolution, a topic I sadly knew little about. He introduces us to the real life Fidel Castro and his rag-tag Fidelista fighters, to Batista, Che Guevara and even to Ernest Hemingway! When I was done I needed to know more about Jack and his book.
1. What is the one book of yours you want us to read?
Rebels on the Mountain available in all ebook formats on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes.
[image error]
2. Give us a one sentence synopsis.
Nick Andrews, a U.S. Army spy assigned to unwrap the mystery of diplomatic failures in Cuba, avoids being entrapped in Castro’s Revolution until he is forced to bury his friends and fight.
3. Pick a few characters from your book and tell us who you would like to see portray them in a movie?
Fictional Characters:
Nick Andrews: A U.S. Army Ranger and Korean War Veteran who has made a career of reconnaissance patrols behind the Iron Curtain – possibly portrayed by Stephen Amell
Lucia Comas: An American-educated, island-born mulata, daughter of the second wife of don Carlos Comas, a Cuba sugar plantation owner, and love interest of Nick Andrews – possibly portrayed by Christina Milian
Emma Regan: An American socialite whose husband, a retired pediatrician operates a free clinic on the sugar plantation she inherited, and sister to the don Carlos Comas’ second wife Sigourney Weaver
Real Characters
Fidel Castro: The charismatic leader of the revolution that overthrew the Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista – possibly portrayed by Jsu Garcia
Che Guevara: The Argentinian doctor who became one of Castro’s most notorious lieutenants and his executioner following Fidel’s rise to power – possibly portrayed by Guillermo Diaz
Ernest Hemingway: Nobel Prize winning author and Havana resident who mingled freely in the halls of power in Havana and purportedly supported Castro’s revolution – possibly portrayed by William Hurt
4. Tell us about the story, but please don’t reveal too much.
Nick Andrews uses the cover of a pleasure trip with friends, the Regans – a retired doctor and his socialite wife who own an estate in Cuba – to infiltrate the island from its halls of power in Havana to the rebel camp in the mountains at the eastern end of the island. Unexpectedly, he rekindles a childhood crush with the island-born niece of the Regans, and makes friends with a loyal Fidelista rebel. Romance, rum, rumba, and revolution layer themselves into a tale of intrigue, action, and suspense.
5. What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?
I was slated to pilot a vessel from Galveston Bay to the Chesapeake, with a stop in Havana, when I was a young sailor, but the trip was canceled due to several factors including the fall of the Batista government in Cuba. I suppose that I never let go of the disappointment of missing that adventure. Thus, I followed events in Cuba closely and studied the history of the island and its people during the intervening fifty years. I spent another two years cataloging and studying my research, and another year and a half to write and edit the manuscript.
6. What other books have you written?
Dream Pirates – Fiction for young readers with impaired reading skills and new English speakers WordPerfect: Creative Applications – Technical manual Infantry School: A Soldier’s Journal – Personal memoir Vietnam: A Soldier’s Journal – Personal memoir Trifles: Literary Dessert – A collection of short stories to be published soon
7. Which authors inspired you, your style?
Many including… Ernest Hemingway: Voice Mark Twain: Irony Charles Dickens: Memorable characters
8. Where can we learn more about you and your books (and how to follow you on social media)?
9. Is there anything else you would like us to know?
I am currently working on my second novel featuring Nick Andrews as a young soldier in the Korean War. Also, I have been posting to my blog a series of articles built from my research into Cuba with special emphasis on the love-hate relationship between the island and the United States. Most expect a change in US-Cuban relations when Fidel Castro dies, and Americans will begin looking forward to visiting this Caribbean paradise, which has been off limits for so many years.
January 6, 2013
It's Started
With the publication of Books I and II of The First Dynasty Series, I simultaneously began planning for the third and final Book in the series.
Since if I told you what the third book is about I would have to send Apep priest assassins to kill you, suffice it to say that this tale will take the Series to new heights (at least that’s my plan).
I have developed an outline and fleshed it out, although I typically continue to add to it as I write. Next, I started on my character descriptions, which are critically important to me. That’s where I add distinctive personality traits, quirks, behaviors and the like. Finally, last week I started in on Chapter 1… and came to a grinding halt! I needed to add a new character. What would his name be? Will he reappear later and so need more fleshing out? Do I need to take out the trash right this minute honey? As they say, life gets in the way sometimes. Stay tuned for more.
Ancient Egypt Sex Tapes?
Well, not exactly tapes, but the first millennium equivalent- papyrus scrolls. Turns out that archaeologists have recently found a papyrus, written by a priest, describing ritual sex. So?
Sex was considered a normal and healthy part of ancient Egyptian life. The recent find was, in fact, from late in Egyptian history, about 1,900 years ago. Texts that describe or counsel healthy sexual relations were common a thousand years before that. Ancient Egyptians differed from their surrounding cultures in many ways, including affording women many basic rights- such as the right to sue in court, to own businesses, to inherit and disburse property, to divorce- that most Middle Eastern countries do not allow even today (including, ironically enough, Egypt). Women were expected to enjoy sex and to experience orgasm. In my novels in The First Dynasty Series women’s sexual rights play an important role.
Attention Book Review Groups!
I am available for author interviews and discussions via Skype. These lively discussions typically cover topics such as the content of the book, background research, latest research findings, general questions about writing, my travels as an award-winning photographer, and even some surprising questions!
To book a time, please contact me at lespicker@gmail.com
Les' Latest Novel Now Out!
It has been a while since I first wrote it, but my general fiction novel, Sargent Mountain is now available through Amazon.
The book could also neatly fit into the genre of women’s fiction. It concerns Rose, a middle-aged mother of grown children and step-children, who we meet on the second anniversary of her husband’s death. She is hiking up Sargent Mountain in Maine’s gorgeous Acadia National Park, an activity that her husband and their blended family climbed together every year.
While on the mountain a chance meeting occurs that will shape Rose’s life. She meets a stranger and they instantly bond, despite their many differences.
As a result of that meeting, Rose learns that her husband had an affair. As she digs deeper into the mystery, she finds that it was no casual affair. Her husband, John, had been unfaithful for fully half their twenty year marriage. Rose is devastated.
Yet, Rose courageously tears away the layers of the mystery to ease her sense of betrayal. What she finds, instead, are new meanings of love, family and friendship.
