Heath Stallcup's Blog, page 14

A Clean Mouth

The audible version of my first release has hit a serious delay.  Apparently the Producer was simply too busy.  Or perhaps I simply chose wrong.  I can’t say for sure.  After numerous delays in production, the deadline was reached and passed and when I called him on it, he backed out of the project.  I’m seriously hoping that I can convince the narrator for Whispers to pick up the project as he is a much more professional producer…but that’s another story.

Of the few chapters that were posted for my review, my ears caught something I hadn’t really noticed before.  It had been brought to my attention by a few readers, but I always dismissed it as ‘adding realism’ to the military characters.  That something was the prolific use of profanity.  When I first wrote ROP, I never intended for it to actually be published.  It was a pet project meant only for my wife to read and to see if I could actually COMPLETE a writing project.  I based many of the military characters on people I had known in my past.  I tried to write their dialog based on how those guys actually spoke.  I guess that’s why I found it so humorous when one reviewer tore me to shreds because I had ‘the stereotypical huge black guy’…um…excuse me?  He was based on a REAL person.

Yet again, I digress.  So easily sidetracked without my coffee.  My point was, until I heard somebody else read the story back to me, I hadn’t realized just how prolific the profanity truly was.  Oh, an occasional F bomb during times of duress or emotional distress is understandable.  Or to truly emphasize a characters anger, but…ALL the time?  No, this wasn’t going to work.  So, I took a break shortly after beginning the draft for MS5 and began re-editing the profanity from the first four.

Honestly, sometimes it just doesn’t work.  When a guy that I knew tries to say ‘darn’ when it would have been a STRING of expletives?  But, these are characters, not the people they are based loosely off of.  Will it make the stories ‘readable’ for kids?  NO.  Situations happen in Phoenix that still just aren’t appropriate for kids IMHO.  Think Senator Franklin and the redhead in New Orleans.  Some kids, that scene wouldn’t phaze a bit.  Others?  I wouldn’t want to expose to anything like it.

So, that’s it.  Cleaning up the operators mouths a bit, fixing a few minor errors that I saw and then getting it ready for Aaron to read to see if the project is something he can take on.  Should make for a lot better listen when it does come out on audio.

A Review That I Had to Share

I’ve seen other authors share their reviews.  Honestly, I couldn’t understand why.  I remember thinking as I read them, “Gee, do they so seldom get a 5 star review?” or maybe, “Was this review a certain milestone for them?”

If you’ve read my previous posts, then you know how important reviews are for writers.  We live and die by them.  Numbers matter.  Whether you work in an office and have to get quarterly reports out in time or if you work on an assembly line and have a production quota, numbers matter.  As a writer…so much weight is put into reviews that…well, it isn’t worth rehashing here.  Just trust me when I say, they MATTER.

So, what made this particular review so noteworthy?  What made me keep going back and re-reading this review?  I’ve received numerous 5 star reviews in the past.  I’ve received more than my share of 4 star reviews.  I’ve even received a 3 star review.  Heck…I even got blasted by one guy who handed down a 2 star review.  And the ONLY reason he offered up 2 stars instead of 1 was because the story had solid editing.  Of course, of all of his nitpicking, he only had one valid gripe…but is it worth going online and arguing with someone and proving them wrong?  Will it change their mind?  Will it cause them to suddenly admit they were wrong and raise their rating?  No, of course not.  Pappy always said, never argue with an idiot.  They’ll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.  Besides, reviews are OTHER PEOPLE’S OPINIONS.  You can’t blame someone for having a different opinion or for not liking what you offered.

So, back to the point of this blog entry.  What was it about this one particular review that had me going back to it time and again, re-reading it and smiling each time I read it?  I’ll let you decide.

Whispers – A true masterpiece!

Before I begin, I just want to say that no matter how hard I try to write a deserving review for Heath Stallcup’s “Whispers”, I fear there is no way I am going to be able to do it justice. Read the book and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

Descriptive writing can be quite the challenge for authors, so I’ve been told. Too much description – too little description; there’s a fine line between the two. Heath Stallcup has without a doubt found his “comfort zone”. In my opinion his descriptions are dead on, creating the perfect imagery for me, the reader, to envision the characters and their surroundings. Speaking of character’s – there are several main character’s, each one is well developed with a personality and voice distinctive to them. As Heath tells his story, switching between the characters is clearly defined. I never found myself confused by the story line or the character’s roles. The dialog between character’s is genuine and flow’s effortlessly.

Without saying too much, told in the prologue, “Whispers” unfolds far back in Western times. The tragic events surrounding Sheriff James “Two Guns” Tolbert and the love of his life Mary O’Dell drew me in and I was hooked, compelled to continue reading. Chapter one sets the scene in present day as local law enforcement personnel, faced with a string of grisly murders, work diligently to solve the crimes. Though I am not educated in the legal field I found Heath’s portrayal of legal behavior and the interactions between these characters believable; true to life.

I strongly recommend “Whispers”. It is so suspenseful it will keep you anxiously turning the pages wanting more, desperately needing to find out what happens next. I had difficulty putting the book down.

Treat yourself, read “Whispers”, you will not regret it, I promise.

Is this review really any different than what others have said?  Is it simply a compilation of what others have written, just strung together?  I don’t think so.  I think she nailed the hammer right on the thumb…well, okay, you know what I mean.  I’ve said all along that this was one of my favorite stories to date.  I still think this is one of my best works.  Although I’ve questioned the quality of what I do, it’s reviews like this that make me think it’s all worth it.

Zombie Anothology Worth Reading

Here’s a zombie anthology worth checking out.  With authors like Mark Tufo and Armand Rosamilia, you know this anthology is going to be a knockout.

Nine different authors come together to deliver an anthology you won’t soon forget.

http://www.amazon.com/Still-Dying-2-Days-ebook/dp/B00H4HHALO/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1386337747&sr=8-10&keywords=still+dying+2

A Box Set To Remember

My buddy James Cook has boxed up the first three books of his Surviving the Dead series just for you and in time to make a really great Christmas gift.

Don’t miss out on this holiday special!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H0IQ87Y

Over 550 Entered, Two Winners!

I’ll admit, I made a mistake in setting up the giveaway.  I thought it was supposed to end tonight at midnight.  It ended last night and I received word from Goodreads that they had already randomly selected the winners.

Over 550 people had entered the giveaway and two lucky ladies, one from KY and one from TN were the winners.  Goodreads stated that I had 4-6 weeks to arrange delivery, but to me, that just isn’t right.  If you win something, you want it right away.  I made sure both went out first thing today.

I doubt seriously that either follow my blog, but if they happen to stumble across this, be sure to check the book when you receive it.  There may be a bumper sticker shoved in between the pages.

I don’t want to give out any information on either winner, but allow me to say, “Congratulations Hannah and Shirley!” I sincerely hope you enjoy the book and if you do, please, tell your friends!

Think Nobody Ever Wins? Guess AGAIN!

Still haven’t entered to win an autographed copy of Whispers?  Think ‘nobody ever wins those things’?  Guess again!  I entered for a copy of Phantom, Ted Bells latest Alex Hawk novel and guess what came in my Gmail?

“Congratulations Heath!

You are one of our First Reads lucky winners! You will soon receive a free copy of Phantom (Alexander Hawke, #7) in the mail. Please allow a few weeks for shipping.”

And trust me, I don’t have NEAR the fan base that Ted Bell has!  So what are you waiting for?  Time is running out!  There’s only a few short days left to mash the hyperlink and ENTER TO WIN!

Good luck!!

The Countdown Has Begun

As of right now, there’s still officially a week left for you to enter for your free autographed copy of Whispers at Goodreads.  It doesn’t cost you anything but a wee bit of time.  So what are you waiting for?  Tell your family, your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers!

Oh…yeah.  I didn’t think of that.  Yeah, the more people that enter, the lower the odds are of winning, but there’s actually going to be TWO copies given away.  There!  I just doubled your chances of winning.  So go on, tell everybody.  Help me to spread the word about this one.  So far, it’s been my favorite, both to write and to try to promote.  There was just ‘something’ about this one.  I hope that you think so too.

So scroll down on this post, look for the Goodreads ad and press the ‘enter to win’ hyperlink and get yourself in the running!  Time is running out!

Only Two Weeks Left To…

Only two weeks left to enter to win your autographed copy of Whispers!

Look around the blog here for the Goodreads ad and click the ‘enter to win’.  No obligations, only a hope that once you’ve read it, you’ll leave some kind of review…good, bad or indifferent.  And you don’t even have to do that.  It’s just a suggestion.  A request really.  A small one.

What are you waiting for?  Go!  Tell people!  Time is running out!

**Disclaimer: This post is intended for the use of  the  individual

addressee(s)  named  above  and  may  contain information that is

confidential,  privileged  or  unsuitable  for  overly  sensitive

persons  with  low  self-esteem, no sense of humor or irrational

religious beliefs. If you are not  the  intended  recipient,  any

dissemination,  distribution  or  copying  of  this  post is not

authorized (either explicitly or implicitly) and  constitutes  an

irritating  social  faux  pas. Unless the word absquatulation has

been used in its correct context somewhere  other  than  in  this

warning, it does not have any legal or grammatical use and may be

ignored. No animals were  harmed  in  the  transmission  of  this

email,  although  the  yorkshire  terrier  next door is living on

borrowed time, let me tell you. Those of you with an overwhelming

fear  of  the unknown will be gratified to learn that there is no

hidden message revealed by reading  this  warning  backwards,  so

just ignore that Alert Notice from Microsoft: However, by pouring

a complete circle of salt around yourself and your  computer  you

can  ensure  that  no harm befalls you and your pets. If you have

received this email in error, please  add  some  nutmeg  and  egg

whites  and place it in a warm oven for 40 minutes. Whisk briefly

and let it stand for 2 hours before icing. Your mileage may vary.**

ANOTHER Boxed Set For Your Reading Pleasure

 

Yes, I know I just told you about an amazing deal with the previous boxed set, but hey, it’s winter.  People are going to be spending a lot more time indoors, hopefully reading MY books and wishing that they had MORE really awesome stuff to peruse through.

Well, as if being exposed to the authors in the previous boxed set weren’t enough, how about a THIRTEEN book set, with none other than yours truly packed right in the middle?  Thirteen (yes, you’re reading this right) one off, stand alone novels all packed into one e-box to expose you to the inner workings of these sick and twisted…er, I mean, marvelously talented writers!

So what are you waiting for?  If you want to sink your fangs…er, teeth into a great HORROR collection, click the link below and order it!

http://www.amazon.com/Grim-Winter-Box-Bennie-Newsome-ebook/dp/B00GF5SJPM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383521181&sr=8-1&keywords=Grim+Winter+box+set

Want to Win an Autographed Copy of Whispers?

This post will be short and sweet.  If you’d like a chance to win one of two autographed copies of Whispers, signed, sealed and delivered to you, simply look to your right and scroll down a little.  If you’re reading this on a mobile device, good luck.  I have no idea how it might populate on your screen.  But if you’re on a computer, you’ll see a small ‘Goodreads Book Giveaway’ offer next to the cover of Whispers.  Right underneath that is the hyperlink you click that will take you to the Goodreads website where you can enter to win!

It’s really that simple.

Why give away a paperback free of charge?  The hope is to generate interest and possibly drum up a few reviews.  Remember my previous post about ‘live and die’ by reviews?  Yeah…they’re that important.  So why are you still reading this?  Scroll down, click the hyperlink and ENTER TO WIN.

Tell your friends to enter, too.  The more the merrier.  Let’s spread the word and see if we can’t put this one out there.

Oh yeah…one teensy-tiny little caveat.  You have to a U.S. resident to win.  Sorry.