J.C. Michael's Blog, page 4
June 16, 2013
And the winners are...
Clive Barker and Robert McCammon, recipients of Lifetime Achievement awards at this years Horror Writers Association Awards.
Now I'm sure both are deserving winners, but I must admit McCammon wouldn't feature on my own list. That's mainly because I've never read anything by him, which is a little strange considering the amount of horror I've read over the years.
Barker on the other hand would be a dead cert on my list for achievement in the field of horror writing, just behind King and just ahead of Herbert. I remember reading The Great and Secret Show and Weaveworld years ago and they took my breath away, the imagination displayed going so much further than many of the paperbacks I was racing my way through at the time (The Crabs for example). I'd also recommend Galilee and Coldheart Canyon which I read a few years later.
Of course Barker's influence also extends into movies, and has seen the creation of iconic figures within the pantheon of horror. The Hellraiser movies, with the unforgettable Cenobites and Pinhead, are rightly viewed as classics of the genre, as is Candyman. Fair enough, Nightbreed didn't hit the same heights, but you can't get it right every time. Pinhead and The Candyman are so iconic even none horror fans recognise the names, and quotes from the Hellraiser movies have been sampled across many musical genres, particularly hardcore and gabba. Thinking about Stephen King characters have any of his come to close to general public recognition? Pennywise perhaps?
It wouldn't be right to say Barker deserved the award and McCammon didn't, the judges know more about this stuff than I, and if it wasn't for McCammon there likely wouldn't be any Stoker Awards, so I say well done to the pair of them. It's simply that, to me, Barker has been highly influential. He's had such sights to show us.
Now I'm sure both are deserving winners, but I must admit McCammon wouldn't feature on my own list. That's mainly because I've never read anything by him, which is a little strange considering the amount of horror I've read over the years.
Barker on the other hand would be a dead cert on my list for achievement in the field of horror writing, just behind King and just ahead of Herbert. I remember reading The Great and Secret Show and Weaveworld years ago and they took my breath away, the imagination displayed going so much further than many of the paperbacks I was racing my way through at the time (The Crabs for example). I'd also recommend Galilee and Coldheart Canyon which I read a few years later.
Of course Barker's influence also extends into movies, and has seen the creation of iconic figures within the pantheon of horror. The Hellraiser movies, with the unforgettable Cenobites and Pinhead, are rightly viewed as classics of the genre, as is Candyman. Fair enough, Nightbreed didn't hit the same heights, but you can't get it right every time. Pinhead and The Candyman are so iconic even none horror fans recognise the names, and quotes from the Hellraiser movies have been sampled across many musical genres, particularly hardcore and gabba. Thinking about Stephen King characters have any of his come to close to general public recognition? Pennywise perhaps?
It wouldn't be right to say Barker deserved the award and McCammon didn't, the judges know more about this stuff than I, and if it wasn't for McCammon there likely wouldn't be any Stoker Awards, so I say well done to the pair of them. It's simply that, to me, Barker has been highly influential. He's had such sights to show us.
June 13, 2013
June 7, 2013
Mountain Home
Published on the 31st of May by Books of the Dead Press Bracken MacLeod's Mountain Home has earned nine reviews, with eight of those giving it five stars, and even the rogue element awarding it a respectable four.It's a book that makes a real impact, with the horror coming very much from the world we all inhabit, rather than the more fantastical realms of creatures such as demons and vampires. A sub-genre which Bracken refers to as "secular horror".
As a fellow Books of the Dead Press author I wish Bracken every success and, after reading Mountain Home myself, can't wait for his next novel.
Bracken also conducted an interview with Books of the Dead press recently, which gives us a great insight into both the man, and his work. Just click the button below to find out more.Bracken MacLeod Interview
500 Unique Visitors
In just over a fortnight www.discoredia.weebly.com has had 500 unique visitors. Thanks to everyone who has checked out the site. More content will be added soon.
James
May 31, 2013
It's All In The Editing
There's no doubt quite a bit of editing to be done on Discoredia before it hits the shelves, and it's also important to project the right image here on the web. A site full of typos and appalling grammar isn't going to help convince people to read your novel.I was therefore fortunate to be contacted recently by Weston Kincade, a fellow author, and editor, who pointed out a few slips here on the site. Thanks Weston!
With regards to his own work Weston has just revealed the cover for his forthcoming novel, Salvation. You can read about the process behind the creation of the cover here - http://www.authorwakincade.blogspot.com - as well as find out more about Weston, and his work.
As for Salvation, the second book in the Altered Realities series, here's the blurb ...
After surviving against Father Caesar Leodenin, PASTOR's trained shifter, and Lord Alain and his army of vampires, Madelin Boatweit and her friends seek shelter on a world where El Paso, Texas, is in ruins. Its skyscrapers are skeletons of their former selves. However, this small contingent of rebels haven’t fled far enough.
Roger Talbut, a Cajun gambler from New Orleans, survives their previous encounters with the help of Juno Paria, a rebel vampire from the royal Traditorian line, but has become what they are struggling against. As the Cajun fights his blood addiction, they are separated while shifting to another world.
Computer programmer Jedd Altran and Daniel Robertson, an ex-mercenary in search of redemption, manage to survive the collapse of an entire skyscraper, but are forced to follow the one man they are trying to escape, the false father Leodenin. This path leads to an oddly evolved culture where they violate the natural law of the land, face torture and execution, and begin to question everything they know to be true.
Set on saving those they left behind, Madelin must create a temporary home in an unusual winter wonderland then find her godfather and Daniel, for eventually the fight must be brought to the doorstep of PASTOR Agency, the black-ops department responsible for murdering countless people in the pursuit to control parallel worlds. Hundreds of children remain captive—lab rats to be studied and potential soldiers. Such atrocities cannot continue. At some point even the mouse must turn and fight.
Still striving for redemption and to find a balance, Madelin and her friends may just stumble onto their own salvation.
May 25, 2013
Discoredia signed
I'm pleased to announce that Books of the Dead Press has signed Discoredia. To say I'm thrilled is an understatement but it's also a little daunting. If writing a novel is stage 1, and finding a publisher stage 2, there's still the massive stage 3 of promoting that novel amongst thousands of others.
Thankfully, I've got the support of not only my publisher but also a group of other recently signed authors whose profiles, along with a little about their own forthcoming releases, will be on the site soon.
Thankfully, I've got the support of not only my publisher but also a group of other recently signed authors whose profiles, along with a little about their own forthcoming releases, will be on the site soon.
May 22, 2013
Space Games
Although my own novel has a way to go before publication, Dean Lombardo's Space Games was recently released by Kristell Ink publishing. Dean was one of the first people to back Discoredia on Authonomy, and his help and advice since have been invaluable. If a mix of satire and sci-fi, thriller and horror, sounds your kind of thing then why not click the link below and take a look.
http://www.amazon.com/Space-Games-Dean-Lombardo/dp/1909374148
J. C. Michael
http://www.amazon.com/Space-Games-Dean-Lombardo/dp/1909374148
J. C. Michael
Well done Julie!
Alongside Dean Lombardo, author of Space Games, Julie Hutchings is another writer I met on Authonomy.
Well, Julie has now signed a deal to have her vampire novel, Running Home, published by Books of the Dead Press, the formal announcement coming out on the B of the D P blog just a few hours ago.
Well done Julie!
Well, Julie has now signed a deal to have her vampire novel, Running Home, published by Books of the Dead Press, the formal announcement coming out on the B of the D P blog just a few hours ago.
Well done Julie!
A History Lesson
My wife's now a qualified teacher but, back in 2006, she was still waiting for that ring on her finger, and still studying for her degree in Performing Arts. The creativity she needed for this was rubbing off on me and, as I sat there complaining about various films, TV shows, and books, and how they could be better, she'd frequently say that if I could do better, I should shut up and do it.
Needless to say, I did nothing, until, for Christmas, she bought me a journal, and challenged me to write her a story. Now a lot of people would have written a little piece, shared it, shared a smile, and moved on. Not me. I planned characters, plot points, and timelines. I wrote bits and pieces based on ideas I'd held in my mind for years, and tried to find a way to make these fragments a viable whole. I carried the journal around with me like a kid with a favourite teddy. Ten months later the first draft of Discoredia, at 90,000+ words, was complete. For someone with no experience of this type of thing I was quite proud of myself.
My "masterpiece" was first read, by my better half, of course, whilst on holiday in Mexico and, while praising the plot, my grammar and punctuation was slated. So much so that after the first read through she declared that she had no option but to edit it, so as to make it readable, and also show me how to write technically, as well as imaginatively.
By the time the first edit was complete we were into 2008, and, just for fun, we had a copy printed through Lulu. Receiving that first book in my hand was an amazing feeling, and in a rush of positivity I clicked the "make available to the public" button and waited for the millions, and movie deals, to roll in.
Fast forward four years and Discoredia still languished on Lulu. To say sales were few and far between would be an understatement. I'd written a sequel but a new job was giving me less time to write, and, with the birth of our son in 2011, I had even less spare time.
Having said that, becoming a father gave me a fresh impetus to try to do more with my life than just plod through the 9-5. And Discoredia seemed to be an untapped resource, an asset that deserved more attention than I'd given it after self-publishing. More in hope than expectation, I put the first few chapters on Authonomy, and an obsession began.
Authonomy has a lot of plus points. You meet some interesting people, and, approached in the right way you can learn a hell of a lot, I know I did. But, if you want to hit that desk, it takes a lot of time and effort. At one point I was reviewing half a dozen openings, 3 or 4 chapters of each book, a day. Every day. And I still owe a lot of reads now (you're all on a list, and I will get back to it).
Come October I hit the top spot and held it for most of the month before slipping back to 3rd. Fittingly, on Halloween, I received an Authonomy medal, and qualified for a Harper Collins review. I knew that Discoredia was now a vastly improved piece of work, but it was still a pleasant surprise when a positive review came through. It wasn't accompanied by a mega-contract with HC but still, my confidence was lifted, and I decided to abandon the self-publishing model, for a time at least, and start submitting to agents and publishers.
It's now May 2013, a seven year journey so far. It's a long time, but suddenly the pace has picked up. This week alone I've set up the website, started the blog, and set up a couple of basic designs on cafepress giving the public the chance to buy Discoredia merchandise.
Hang on though. A website? Merchandise? For a book that isn't even available? Well there's a reason for that, but this post is about the past, the story so far, and the reason for this weeks burst of activity belongs in the future. All will be revealed soon.
Needless to say, I did nothing, until, for Christmas, she bought me a journal, and challenged me to write her a story. Now a lot of people would have written a little piece, shared it, shared a smile, and moved on. Not me. I planned characters, plot points, and timelines. I wrote bits and pieces based on ideas I'd held in my mind for years, and tried to find a way to make these fragments a viable whole. I carried the journal around with me like a kid with a favourite teddy. Ten months later the first draft of Discoredia, at 90,000+ words, was complete. For someone with no experience of this type of thing I was quite proud of myself.
My "masterpiece" was first read, by my better half, of course, whilst on holiday in Mexico and, while praising the plot, my grammar and punctuation was slated. So much so that after the first read through she declared that she had no option but to edit it, so as to make it readable, and also show me how to write technically, as well as imaginatively.
By the time the first edit was complete we were into 2008, and, just for fun, we had a copy printed through Lulu. Receiving that first book in my hand was an amazing feeling, and in a rush of positivity I clicked the "make available to the public" button and waited for the millions, and movie deals, to roll in.
Fast forward four years and Discoredia still languished on Lulu. To say sales were few and far between would be an understatement. I'd written a sequel but a new job was giving me less time to write, and, with the birth of our son in 2011, I had even less spare time.
Having said that, becoming a father gave me a fresh impetus to try to do more with my life than just plod through the 9-5. And Discoredia seemed to be an untapped resource, an asset that deserved more attention than I'd given it after self-publishing. More in hope than expectation, I put the first few chapters on Authonomy, and an obsession began.
Authonomy has a lot of plus points. You meet some interesting people, and, approached in the right way you can learn a hell of a lot, I know I did. But, if you want to hit that desk, it takes a lot of time and effort. At one point I was reviewing half a dozen openings, 3 or 4 chapters of each book, a day. Every day. And I still owe a lot of reads now (you're all on a list, and I will get back to it).
Come October I hit the top spot and held it for most of the month before slipping back to 3rd. Fittingly, on Halloween, I received an Authonomy medal, and qualified for a Harper Collins review. I knew that Discoredia was now a vastly improved piece of work, but it was still a pleasant surprise when a positive review came through. It wasn't accompanied by a mega-contract with HC but still, my confidence was lifted, and I decided to abandon the self-publishing model, for a time at least, and start submitting to agents and publishers.
It's now May 2013, a seven year journey so far. It's a long time, but suddenly the pace has picked up. This week alone I've set up the website, started the blog, and set up a couple of basic designs on cafepress giving the public the chance to buy Discoredia merchandise.
Hang on though. A website? Merchandise? For a book that isn't even available? Well there's a reason for that, but this post is about the past, the story so far, and the reason for this weeks burst of activity belongs in the future. All will be revealed soon.
