Jason T. Graves's Blog: A Grave(s) Reflection
November 30, 2014
Slaying the Dragon
Last year marked the first time I attempted the wild 30-day ride of cold-launch, from-scratch novel writing known as National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo, and I came out the other end with a 38,000 lump of words that I absolutely abandoned five days before the deadline. I had grown sick of the story and could write no more of the NaNo recommended, muse-liberating sex scenes. I shelved the manuscript for weeks, swearing I'd never touch it again. Only I did, ultimately turning it into the 98,500 word novel The Alewife: Curse of Obsession that was picked up by Second Wind Publishing earlier this year.
This year, I went into November with a better plan and a story that has been percolating for a while, but never put to paper, as it were. This year's NaNo story is a maturation of my novella On The Bridge: The Complete Gretchen Thyrd Novella, adding on to the story begun in the novella. This year's book was a joy to write and was nearly effortless most days, although the Thanksgiving holiday kind of slowed me down, particularly the 'Friends' TurkeyDay marathon on late-night cable TV (ah, the hazards of rental houses) right smack in the middle of prime writing hours. But, I survived, and while there is still much to write and much to clean and much to be sent to the editor, et cetera, I nevertheless reached the goal of 50,000 words today...I slew my dragon!
And coming in December, Mars Rising, book three of the Noctivagas Chronicle:
This year, I went into November with a better plan and a story that has been percolating for a while, but never put to paper, as it were. This year's NaNo story is a maturation of my novella On The Bridge: The Complete Gretchen Thyrd Novella, adding on to the story begun in the novella. This year's book was a joy to write and was nearly effortless most days, although the Thanksgiving holiday kind of slowed me down, particularly the 'Friends' TurkeyDay marathon on late-night cable TV (ah, the hazards of rental houses) right smack in the middle of prime writing hours. But, I survived, and while there is still much to write and much to clean and much to be sent to the editor, et cetera, I nevertheless reached the goal of 50,000 words today...I slew my dragon!
And coming in December, Mars Rising, book three of the Noctivagas Chronicle:
July 17, 2014
Write Like Stephen King...
...but make sure you market to that demographic, too.
Let me be frank for a moment. After writing and Indie publishing Blood Roses, Morning Stars, and On The Bridge: The Complete Gretchen Thyrd Novella, I have developed a genre reputation for writing teen-girl-centric Young Adult fiction. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm proud of those books and their messages.
However, I have other ideas and other characters in my mind, and for NaNoWriMo, I sat down to write a different genre of book...an adult book with horror elements. Indeed, it was an homage to Stephen King from the get-go and I thought of it as a book that would appeal to men more than my earlier offerings. I still think that, although few men have read it...that I'm aware of anyway.
The fact is that mechanically and plotwise, this is the best book I've written to date, and yet it bears the lowest aggregate rating on Goodreads and Amazon. Why? Genre, I suspect.
The Alewife: Curse of Obsession is a mystery-thriller-horror novel. Here there be monsters. So if monsters (or sex) aren't your thing, please steer clear and go read Blood Roses.
Cheers!
Let me be frank for a moment. After writing and Indie publishing Blood Roses, Morning Stars, and On The Bridge: The Complete Gretchen Thyrd Novella, I have developed a genre reputation for writing teen-girl-centric Young Adult fiction. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm proud of those books and their messages.
However, I have other ideas and other characters in my mind, and for NaNoWriMo, I sat down to write a different genre of book...an adult book with horror elements. Indeed, it was an homage to Stephen King from the get-go and I thought of it as a book that would appeal to men more than my earlier offerings. I still think that, although few men have read it...that I'm aware of anyway.
The fact is that mechanically and plotwise, this is the best book I've written to date, and yet it bears the lowest aggregate rating on Goodreads and Amazon. Why? Genre, I suspect.
The Alewife: Curse of Obsession is a mystery-thriller-horror novel. Here there be monsters. So if monsters (or sex) aren't your thing, please steer clear and go read Blood Roses.
Cheers!
July 1, 2014
I gave away my wife...
Okay, not my real wife. But I did give away five copies of my latest novel, The Alewife: Curse of Obsession, a contemporary urban fantasy in the vein of Stephen King and Dean Koontz...which means regular folks being subjected to plot twists, weird characters, and some horror elements.Congrats to the winners: Kimberly Y., Felicia T., Christina T., Rita W., and MaryJo T.!
Happy, horrific reading :)
March 8, 2014
The Alewife WIP teaser...
The Alewife
Doug’s arms sliced through the water in powerful strokes, pulling him inexorably to his target. Old Soaker Island was only a deserted strip of rock, but today he would own it. He surged up through the surface and shook the Atlantic from his eyes. The smudge of island lay dead ahead—his bearing was right on.
Splashing drew his attention over his left shoulder. Thirty yards away, Brian was a machine, cleaving through the gray water. Mighty…but off target as usual, Doug thought and smirked. At this rate, Brian would miss Old Soaker by fifty yards or more. Without lane markings, Brian always had a hard time swimming a straight line.
“Swim with me.”
The excerpt continues on my Q&A group...
Excerpt Copyright © 2014 Jason T. Graves, all rights reserved.
Doug’s arms sliced through the water in powerful strokes, pulling him inexorably to his target. Old Soaker Island was only a deserted strip of rock, but today he would own it. He surged up through the surface and shook the Atlantic from his eyes. The smudge of island lay dead ahead—his bearing was right on.
Splashing drew his attention over his left shoulder. Thirty yards away, Brian was a machine, cleaving through the gray water. Mighty…but off target as usual, Doug thought and smirked. At this rate, Brian would miss Old Soaker by fifty yards or more. Without lane markings, Brian always had a hard time swimming a straight line.
“Swim with me.”
The excerpt continues on my Q&A group...
November 29, 2013
Blood Roses Redux
As I noted in the acknowledgements in Morning Stars:
Many people read Blood Roses over the last year and wrote thoughtful reviews. In light of a few of their comments, and of my own maturation as a writer over the last year, I made some subtle changes and additions to the story and will soon be offering it out again as a free e-book via the Read It & Reap program from the Shut Up and Read group on December 1st, and via Read 4 Review on the Never Too Old For YA/NA Books group on December 5th.
Interested? Follow the links and sign up...
"Stories, at some point, grow larger than their author. They take on a new life in the minds and hearts of others, and sometimes require care and feeding beyond the scope and ability of the humble scribe who scratches the words."
Many people read Blood Roses over the last year and wrote thoughtful reviews. In light of a few of their comments, and of my own maturation as a writer over the last year, I made some subtle changes and additions to the story and will soon be offering it out again as a free e-book via the Read It & Reap program from the Shut Up and Read group on December 1st, and via Read 4 Review on the Never Too Old For YA/NA Books group on December 5th.
Interested? Follow the links and sign up...
September 28, 2013
What We Do in the Small, Dark Hours...
Authors are lonely people.
I rule several crowded worlds inside my head.
I have a satisfying social life outside my head.
And yet -- like one of the characters in my novella -- even though I am a denizen of both worlds, I truly belong to neither. The juxtaposition of these disparate experiences happens for me on a daily basis; for you, only in my books.
In the small, dark hours, I delve into worlds -- the fantastical worlds -- and wrestle with my wily subconscious and the ineffable thing that is creativity, and pull back to the here the harvest of my night's labor. Some days, this harvest comes willingly; other days, there is blood. But bring it I must -- the voices will not stop.
I try, as best I am able, to show these worlds to you, the reader.
I often fail.
It is a lonely existence being half here and half there. A citizen of the worlds, but not truly at home anywhere.
I rule several crowded worlds inside my head.
I have a satisfying social life outside my head.
And yet -- like one of the characters in my novella -- even though I am a denizen of both worlds, I truly belong to neither. The juxtaposition of these disparate experiences happens for me on a daily basis; for you, only in my books.
In the small, dark hours, I delve into worlds -- the fantastical worlds -- and wrestle with my wily subconscious and the ineffable thing that is creativity, and pull back to the here the harvest of my night's labor. Some days, this harvest comes willingly; other days, there is blood. But bring it I must -- the voices will not stop.
I try, as best I am able, to show these worlds to you, the reader.
I often fail.
It is a lonely existence being half here and half there. A citizen of the worlds, but not truly at home anywhere.
August 5, 2013
Morning Stars giveaway!
The Eagerly Awaited Sequel to Blood Roses will be released in less than one month! To celebrate, I am giving away copies in the month before release to two lucky people in either the US, Canada, UK, or Australia.Here's the LINK:
June 14, 2013
Shiny Things, or What My First Real-life Media Interview Was Like
One of the greatest joys that I have as a writer is connecting with people and having my work connect with readers. The difficulty in this process is the same as we find in a chemical reaction or a dating hot-spot, namely that the two components need to collide in the correct configuration at the correct speed in order to interact. For molecules in biological sensibilities there are enzymes, while dating zones usually dispense enough liquid courage (booze) to float a canoe (thus lowering everyone's inhibitions), but what about the lonely writer who has a story to tell in a busy world filled with other indies and with big-name authors?
We make shiny objects, hoping that you - the reader - will stop or slow down long enough to take a look. This blog post is a perfect example (I mean, just look at that perfect title!), along with sparklingly fresh website(s), pithy and entertaining book reviews, compelling author pages, and erudite, humorous Tweets. Every so often, though, if we are lucky, someone gives us an unanticipated shiny thing boost... a favorable review, an retweet, a kind word, or an offer to publicize us on a blog. Or, rare as hen's teeth for indies, an interview with a traditional media outlet.
I got my first taste of that this week when I was interviewed by a local newspaper about my books and myself. The interviewer was kind and asked great questions. She spent about half an hour listening, clarifying, and shaping her inquiry. It was a fun process, and next Tuesday, there will be a genuine newspaper article printed about Blood Roses and me. It's a milestone and I'm thrilled.
We make shiny objects, hoping that you - the reader - will stop or slow down long enough to take a look. This blog post is a perfect example (I mean, just look at that perfect title!), along with sparklingly fresh website(s), pithy and entertaining book reviews, compelling author pages, and erudite, humorous Tweets. Every so often, though, if we are lucky, someone gives us an unanticipated shiny thing boost... a favorable review, an retweet, a kind word, or an offer to publicize us on a blog. Or, rare as hen's teeth for indies, an interview with a traditional media outlet.
I got my first taste of that this week when I was interviewed by a local newspaper about my books and myself. The interviewer was kind and asked great questions. She spent about half an hour listening, clarifying, and shaping her inquiry. It was a fun process, and next Tuesday, there will be a genuine newspaper article printed about Blood Roses and me. It's a milestone and I'm thrilled.
June 8, 2013
Failcess or Succure or What Goes Up Invariably Does Not Stay There Forever (Forever Being A Relative Term)
On May18th (yes, I missed it), my e-book author rank dropped to its lowest point... ever, and, in the weeks since, I have continued to explore new depths of e-book non-sellinghood. At its pinnacle, my author rank was #20,954 (the smaller the number the better, like #1 being the best, ya know?) on December 9th, 2012, while now I am enjoying a bask in brackish Stagnationville at #192,524.
I know, I know, you ask, "What about those poor people at #1,000,000 or, gosh forbid... #2,000,000! What about those unlucky souls?", but I still nod my head slowly and consider that I was once so close to, and yet so far from, the Sun That Is An Amazon Bestseller List that I required Teflon sunscreen to defend against the glare and binoculars to make out the fine print... I was once close enough to smell it, but not close enough to taste it! What? Yes, yes, your question about those people at #2,000,000 who dusted off a notebook of middle school poetry and slapped it up on Amazon with the dewy-eyed expectation of becoming the next overnight Maya Angelou, but their mothers were the only people who bought their book and so their author rank sank faster than Jimmy Hoffa's cement galoshes into the murky waters of Lake Superior on his ill-fated trip to find the Edmund Fitzgerald and settle all his gambling debts in one grand swoop...?
Are you insinuating that I will end up there--someday--clutching a tatty copy of Blood Roses and a bottle of Wild Rose, drowning my sorrows as my author rank ticks up/down like some psychotic, backwards odometer of success or lack thereof? Well, perhaps... but at least I can laugh, no matter which way I'm going, and hopefully, so can you :)
I know, I know, you ask, "What about those poor people at #1,000,000 or, gosh forbid... #2,000,000! What about those unlucky souls?", but I still nod my head slowly and consider that I was once so close to, and yet so far from, the Sun That Is An Amazon Bestseller List that I required Teflon sunscreen to defend against the glare and binoculars to make out the fine print... I was once close enough to smell it, but not close enough to taste it! What? Yes, yes, your question about those people at #2,000,000 who dusted off a notebook of middle school poetry and slapped it up on Amazon with the dewy-eyed expectation of becoming the next overnight Maya Angelou, but their mothers were the only people who bought their book and so their author rank sank faster than Jimmy Hoffa's cement galoshes into the murky waters of Lake Superior on his ill-fated trip to find the Edmund Fitzgerald and settle all his gambling debts in one grand swoop...?
Are you insinuating that I will end up there--someday--clutching a tatty copy of Blood Roses and a bottle of Wild Rose, drowning my sorrows as my author rank ticks up/down like some psychotic, backwards odometer of success or lack thereof? Well, perhaps... but at least I can laugh, no matter which way I'm going, and hopefully, so can you :)
