Chris Dietzel's Blog, page 7
December 26, 2014
Happy Holidays! And wishing you a great New Year
I wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. No matter what you’re doing for your celebrations, I hope it’s what makes you most at peace. But as the New Year approaches, I also want to share a personal story with you all in hopes that it might inspire someone else.
About ten years ago, I decided to begin putting all of my time and energy into working toward my dream of being a writer. Rather than simply fantasizing about writing novels, I would start doing it. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. There have been a lot of ups and downs over the past decade, but every day I know I’m doing what I enjoy the most. And at the end of each day, I feel fulfilled and content.
So my message for everyone: Are you doing what makes you happy? Are you pursuing your dreams even if they seem foolhardy and unrealistic like mine did to me? I hope you are. But if you aren’t, trust me when I say that the people I know in life who are working toward their dreams, even if they are in the beginning stages and don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel, are the happiest people I know. As a New Year approaches, consider putting time aside to begin working toward whatever fantastic goal you’ve always kept secret. Life is much too short to spend your days doing things you think you should be doing rather than the things that make you most fulfilled.
Have a great holiday season, everyone. And a happy New Year.
About ten years ago, I decided to begin putting all of my time and energy into working toward my dream of being a writer. Rather than simply fantasizing about writing novels, I would start doing it. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. There have been a lot of ups and downs over the past decade, but every day I know I’m doing what I enjoy the most. And at the end of each day, I feel fulfilled and content.
So my message for everyone: Are you doing what makes you happy? Are you pursuing your dreams even if they seem foolhardy and unrealistic like mine did to me? I hope you are. But if you aren’t, trust me when I say that the people I know in life who are working toward their dreams, even if they are in the beginning stages and don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel, are the happiest people I know. As a New Year approaches, consider putting time aside to begin working toward whatever fantastic goal you’ve always kept secret. Life is much too short to spend your days doing things you think you should be doing rather than the things that make you most fulfilled.
Have a great holiday season, everyone. And a happy New Year.
December 18, 2014
Author Spotlight - Terry Reid
I’m always telling fellow indie authors that they shouldn’t make everything about themselves, that the more they support other people the more they’ll notice other people willing to support them. Terry Reid is the epitome of that rule. Terry is one of those writers who goes out of her way to support other authors. Because of that, it’s my honor to spotlight her.
A little more about Terry: She has been writing for years and years, but only recently published her first book. She lives in the soggy south west corner of Scotland. And in addition to writing, Reid enjoys painting and running.
A little more about Reid’s books: Did you like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'? If so, you’ll love Reid’s ‘Stars and Satellites’ series of books, which are a cross between science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal. While they may center around angels and demons, they aren't religious. Instead, they’re filled with the same kind of adventure and humor that made Buffy so popular.
Visit Terry's blog for a chance to win a copy of 'Crashing Down to Earth'!
A little more about Terry: She has been writing for years and years, but only recently published her first book. She lives in the soggy south west corner of Scotland. And in addition to writing, Reid enjoys painting and running.
A little more about Reid’s books: Did you like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'? If so, you’ll love Reid’s ‘Stars and Satellites’ series of books, which are a cross between science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal. While they may center around angels and demons, they aren't religious. Instead, they’re filled with the same kind of adventure and humor that made Buffy so popular.
Visit Terry's blog for a chance to win a copy of 'Crashing Down to Earth'!
December 2, 2014
'The Theta Timeline' is now available!
Now available: THE THETA TIMELINE
I hope you all like it. While it's still dystopian, it's nothing at all like my Great De-evolution books. If you read it, I'd love to hear what you think.
Leaders who rely on war and fear. The men and women who refuse to accept a tyrannical government. And an unreliable means of time travel in which most people don’t survive. Welcome to the nightmarish future of The Theta Timeline, where '1984' meets 'Slaughterhouse-Five.'
Freedom was not stolen overnight, but gradually chipped away through a campaign of war and terror. People were told new laws and restrictions were for their own good. But the reality was a monstrous regime bent on controlling its subjects. Now, there is only one way to stop the Tyranny: go back in time and prevent it from ever starting.
Pick up your copy today at Amazon, Smashwords, Itunes, or any other place books are sold!
I hope you all like it. While it's still dystopian, it's nothing at all like my Great De-evolution books. If you read it, I'd love to hear what you think.
Leaders who rely on war and fear. The men and women who refuse to accept a tyrannical government. And an unreliable means of time travel in which most people don’t survive. Welcome to the nightmarish future of The Theta Timeline, where '1984' meets 'Slaughterhouse-Five.'
Freedom was not stolen overnight, but gradually chipped away through a campaign of war and terror. People were told new laws and restrictions were for their own good. But the reality was a monstrous regime bent on controlling its subjects. Now, there is only one way to stop the Tyranny: go back in time and prevent it from ever starting.
Pick up your copy today at Amazon, Smashwords, Itunes, or any other place books are sold!
November 21, 2014
Author Spotlight - Roderick Vincent
Roderick Vincent is an author I met on GoodReads a while back. In addition to being a fan of dystopian fiction, he runs a great discussion group here called ‘Fiction Threads.’
More recently, he wrote a dystopian novel of his own, The Cause. Due to be published on Nov 28, The Cause takes place in the near future and focuses on the second American Revolution. It is book 1 in what will become the Minuteman Series.
Interesting Fact: He spent a good part of his childhood and young-adult years living on the island of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands.
A little more about The Cause: The year is 2022. America is on the verge of economic and social collapse. The government has made individual freedom its enemy. A hacker enters a black-ops training camp where he discovers the leaders are revolutionaries seeking to return the U.S. back to its Constitutional roots. Soon the camp fractures. Who is traitor? Who is patriot? And what happens when martial law meets revolution?
The Cause is available for pre-order at Amazon.
More recently, he wrote a dystopian novel of his own, The Cause. Due to be published on Nov 28, The Cause takes place in the near future and focuses on the second American Revolution. It is book 1 in what will become the Minuteman Series.
Interesting Fact: He spent a good part of his childhood and young-adult years living on the island of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands.
A little more about The Cause: The year is 2022. America is on the verge of economic and social collapse. The government has made individual freedom its enemy. A hacker enters a black-ops training camp where he discovers the leaders are revolutionaries seeking to return the U.S. back to its Constitutional roots. Soon the camp fractures. Who is traitor? Who is patriot? And what happens when martial law meets revolution?
The Cause is available for pre-order at Amazon.
November 6, 2014
Self Publishing Lessons Learned
One of the first blog entries I ever wrote was about how publishing novels is more difficult than fighting mixed martial arts (MMA) in a cage. Almost two years have passed since that blog post and I’ve learned a heck of a lot about the world of indie publishing.
1. When writers start out, they have a vision that some massively popular national book critic will review their novel and propel it to bestseller status. I know because I had that same fantasy. But that book critic doesn’t give a damn about your indie book or mine or anyone else’s. The indie book revolution was propelled by people who were willing to feature and review indie books, and those same people are the driving force behind each indie author’s success.
2. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a good book discussion come to a screeching halt after an indie author jumped in to talk about his or her own book. The desperate need to let people know about the book you’ve worked so hard on can certainly be enticing, but what I’ve found is that a good book, with a good cover, is what’s really important. Readers like to read good books. That’s obvious. But readers also like to tell their friends about the good books they’ve read. It might take a while, but if your book is too good to put down, someone will read it and tell their friends to do the same. It’s a lot less likely that a reader will give your book a chance, though, if all you ever do is talk about yourself and your novels.
3. Whether it’s kid magicians or zombies, there will always be a hot genre. But rather than trying to get in on the trend, write to what you actually care about. Readers are smart people; they can tell if you care about your characters and your story. Even if you’re writing about elderly werewolves while everyone else is writing about teenage vampires, if you’re passionate about what you’re writing, readers will pick up on it. I’m so glad I stuck with telling the types of stories I would like to read myself. My books aren’t for everyone, but if I wrote a story to make everyone else happy, I’d be pretty miserable myself.
The past two years have been incredible. And while I’m sure I’ll have even more lessons learned in another two years, I wouldn’t change a single thing.
Happy reading and writing, everyone.
Originally published on TheNextBestBookBlog.blogspot.com
1. When writers start out, they have a vision that some massively popular national book critic will review their novel and propel it to bestseller status. I know because I had that same fantasy. But that book critic doesn’t give a damn about your indie book or mine or anyone else’s. The indie book revolution was propelled by people who were willing to feature and review indie books, and those same people are the driving force behind each indie author’s success.
2. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a good book discussion come to a screeching halt after an indie author jumped in to talk about his or her own book. The desperate need to let people know about the book you’ve worked so hard on can certainly be enticing, but what I’ve found is that a good book, with a good cover, is what’s really important. Readers like to read good books. That’s obvious. But readers also like to tell their friends about the good books they’ve read. It might take a while, but if your book is too good to put down, someone will read it and tell their friends to do the same. It’s a lot less likely that a reader will give your book a chance, though, if all you ever do is talk about yourself and your novels.
3. Whether it’s kid magicians or zombies, there will always be a hot genre. But rather than trying to get in on the trend, write to what you actually care about. Readers are smart people; they can tell if you care about your characters and your story. Even if you’re writing about elderly werewolves while everyone else is writing about teenage vampires, if you’re passionate about what you’re writing, readers will pick up on it. I’m so glad I stuck with telling the types of stories I would like to read myself. My books aren’t for everyone, but if I wrote a story to make everyone else happy, I’d be pretty miserable myself.
The past two years have been incredible. And while I’m sure I’ll have even more lessons learned in another two years, I wouldn’t change a single thing.
Happy reading and writing, everyone.
Originally published on TheNextBestBookBlog.blogspot.com
October 18, 2014
Cover Reveal - The Theta Timeline
I'm very excited to share the cover of my next novel with everyone. I hope you love it as much as I do.
Leaders who rely on war and fear. The men and women who refuse to accept a tyrannical government. And an unreliable means of time travel in which most people don’t survive. Welcome to the nightmarish future of The Theta Timeline.
It's completely different than the covers for my Great De-evolution books so it'll be clear this is a departure from what I've written in the past. The Theta Timeline is also dystopian, but a completely different kind.
Everyone who signed up for my mailing list got an early preview of this cover a month ago. Have you signed up yet?
Leaders who rely on war and fear. The men and women who refuse to accept a tyrannical government. And an unreliable means of time travel in which most people don’t survive. Welcome to the nightmarish future of The Theta Timeline.
It's completely different than the covers for my Great De-evolution books so it'll be clear this is a departure from what I've written in the past. The Theta Timeline is also dystopian, but a completely different kind.
Everyone who signed up for my mailing list got an early preview of this cover a month ago. Have you signed up yet?
October 12, 2014
Author Spotlight - Eliza Green
Eliza Green is an author I’ve known almost as long as I’ve been publishing novels. Shortly after the release of my first book, I saw a post by her on a book forum and was impressed that she was one of the indie authors I knew who realized the importance of professionally designed covers and professionally edited manuscripts. If you want to be taken seriously as a writer you have to take your books seriously, and Eliza does just that. Since first befriending her, I’ve picked up a lot of tips and tricks from her. And just as our writing paths were aligned at the beginning, so are they now: Eliza just released the third book in her science fiction trilogy.
A little more about her: A Dublin born writer, Eliza had a variety of jobs she didn’t enjoy until she put pen to paper in 2009 and fell in love with the entire writing process. She writes down-to-earth science fiction, which stems from a lifelong obsession with sci-fi stories. Her writing is focused on the not-so-distant future, gaining a glimpse of what life could be like if we continue to carry on as we are.
A little more about her Exilon 5 Trilogy: Overcrowding and pollution on Earth force humans to search for another planet to live on. But the other planet, Exilon 5, is already occupied. Who will lay claim to the new world? The Exilon 5 Trilogy begins with Becoming Human: Two worlds. Two species. One terrifying secret.
If you’ve read the first two books in the Exilon 5 Trilogy, make sure you read Crimson Dawn, which just came out. If you haven’t read one of Eliza’s books yet, check out Becoming Human.
Website/Blog: www.elizagreenbooks.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
A little more about her: A Dublin born writer, Eliza had a variety of jobs she didn’t enjoy until she put pen to paper in 2009 and fell in love with the entire writing process. She writes down-to-earth science fiction, which stems from a lifelong obsession with sci-fi stories. Her writing is focused on the not-so-distant future, gaining a glimpse of what life could be like if we continue to carry on as we are.
A little more about her Exilon 5 Trilogy: Overcrowding and pollution on Earth force humans to search for another planet to live on. But the other planet, Exilon 5, is already occupied. Who will lay claim to the new world? The Exilon 5 Trilogy begins with Becoming Human: Two worlds. Two species. One terrifying secret.
If you’ve read the first two books in the Exilon 5 Trilogy, make sure you read Crimson Dawn, which just came out. If you haven’t read one of Eliza’s books yet, check out Becoming Human.
Website/Blog: www.elizagreenbooks.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
October 6, 2014
You can never edit too much
First drafts are always awful. Always. In 'Bird By Bird,' Anne Lamott has an entire chapter dedicated to how crappy initial drafts are. In “On Writing,” Stephen King gives the reader a glimpse at what one of his first drafts looks like so they can see how far it is from the finished product. To drive the point home, Ernest Hemingway once said, “The first draft of anything is shit.”
The only way to go from that terrible first draft to books like “Misery” or “The Old Man And The Sea,” is to revise. Then revise some more. Then revise again. Maybe two or three more times. And then you have a great book. The process doesn’t change for new writers or established authors, indie authors or New York Times Bestselling authors. It’s what unites every writer.
Think of the books you adore. They were probably edited for a very long time. Think of the books you wish were better. They probably weren’t edited enough. If you’re a reader and you love a certain writer’s work, whether it’s King or Hemingway or someone else, remember that they are doing the majority of their work after the first draft is finished. And if you’re an author or want to be an author, remember that another revision of the entire book can never hurt.
And now, it’s time for me to start revising my next book (for what feels like the hundredth time!).
PS: Make sure you sign up for my newsletter if you haven’t already. Last week, I sent out a sneak peak of the cover for my next book but only people who were signed up for my newsletter got to see it! And there are more goodies where that came from. : )
The only way to go from that terrible first draft to books like “Misery” or “The Old Man And The Sea,” is to revise. Then revise some more. Then revise again. Maybe two or three more times. And then you have a great book. The process doesn’t change for new writers or established authors, indie authors or New York Times Bestselling authors. It’s what unites every writer.
Think of the books you adore. They were probably edited for a very long time. Think of the books you wish were better. They probably weren’t edited enough. If you’re a reader and you love a certain writer’s work, whether it’s King or Hemingway or someone else, remember that they are doing the majority of their work after the first draft is finished. And if you’re an author or want to be an author, remember that another revision of the entire book can never hurt.
And now, it’s time for me to start revising my next book (for what feels like the hundredth time!).
PS: Make sure you sign up for my newsletter if you haven’t already. Last week, I sent out a sneak peak of the cover for my next book but only people who were signed up for my newsletter got to see it! And there are more goodies where that came from. : )
September 17, 2014
Mailing List!
Many authors have begun to utilize mailing lists in which they send periodic updates, free short stories, and other goodies to anyone who signs up. Why are they doing this? Mailing lists offer a variety of benefits.
1. Connecting with fans – Authors already have personal websites and blogs, but those venues rely on fans remembering to check a website for updates. With mailing lists, the goodies come to them!
2. Reward loyal readers – Many authors use their mailing list as a way to give out freebies, ranging from short stories related to a full-length book they’ve published, or even entire copies of one of their earlier books. These things are a thank you from the writer to the reader for taking an interest in their work.
3. Give hardcore fans more of what they like – Not every reader wants to hear detailed specifics of a book that hasn’t been released yet. Mailing lists give authors a way to find those fans who like news that goes above and beyond what might be posted on a blog site or book forum.
Some mailing lists can quickly become annoying, though, either because they send emails too often, only promote the author’s books, or include spam. With my mailing list, I only plan to send an email once a month, instead of promoting my books I’ll be offering some freebies and some neat updates, and you’ll never get spam.
If you’ve read one of my books and loved it, sign up for my mailing list today at: my website
1. Connecting with fans – Authors already have personal websites and blogs, but those venues rely on fans remembering to check a website for updates. With mailing lists, the goodies come to them!
2. Reward loyal readers – Many authors use their mailing list as a way to give out freebies, ranging from short stories related to a full-length book they’ve published, or even entire copies of one of their earlier books. These things are a thank you from the writer to the reader for taking an interest in their work.
3. Give hardcore fans more of what they like – Not every reader wants to hear detailed specifics of a book that hasn’t been released yet. Mailing lists give authors a way to find those fans who like news that goes above and beyond what might be posted on a blog site or book forum.
Some mailing lists can quickly become annoying, though, either because they send emails too often, only promote the author’s books, or include spam. With my mailing list, I only plan to send an email once a month, instead of promoting my books I’ll be offering some freebies and some neat updates, and you’ll never get spam.
If you’ve read one of my books and loved it, sign up for my mailing list today at: my website
August 27, 2014
The end of one world, the beginning of another
When I first set out to start writing about the end of the world, I had an exact vision of the story I wanted to tell: the last normal human, forced to care for the plagued masses. As I started writing The Man Who Watched The World End, the story quickly morphed into an old man taking care of his brother in an abandoned neighborhood. But the world of the Great De-evolution was born. From there, I wrote a completely different type of story that took place in the same world of mankind’s slow and quiet decline. A Different Alchemy gave a fuller view to the world I had created. It’s only fitting that now, in my third and final Great De-evolution book, The Hauntings of Playing God, that I end the ‘quiet apocalypse’ by telling the story I first envisioned: the story of the last human, alone, overwhelmed with the task of caring for the afflicted masses. I can’t think of a better way to conclude my take on the end of mankind.
While I’m done writing about the Great De-evolution, it’s not cause for me to be sad. It’s the end of one thing, but the beginning of another. I’m already deep into a series of books that take place in a completely different type of dystopian world. I’m not sure what worlds I’ll create after that, but whatever does come next, I hope readers of my previous books enjoy them. There is no time to be sad at the departure of one world because there are always new worlds to create and new stories to fill them with. So while The Hauntings of Playing God is the end of one part of my writing life, another will soon begin. The journey always continues.
While I’m done writing about the Great De-evolution, it’s not cause for me to be sad. It’s the end of one thing, but the beginning of another. I’m already deep into a series of books that take place in a completely different type of dystopian world. I’m not sure what worlds I’ll create after that, but whatever does come next, I hope readers of my previous books enjoy them. There is no time to be sad at the departure of one world because there are always new worlds to create and new stories to fill them with. So while The Hauntings of Playing God is the end of one part of my writing life, another will soon begin. The journey always continues.
