K.M. Alexander's Blog, page 63

Friday Link Pack 09/18/2015

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, it’s back! It’s time for the Friday Link Pack. Some of these links I’ve mentioned on Twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do! Do you have a link I should feature in the upcoming link pack? Click here to email me and let me know! (Include a website so I can link to you as well.) Let’s get to it…

RED LITTEN WORLD:

[Note: As we draw closer and closer to the October 6th release date I will have new Red Litten World news every week, fitting we give it its own category.]

Read A Free Sample Chapter Of Red Litten World Today

You can read an excerpt from my next novel for free over on its official site. I hope you enjoy it, help spread the word and please tell your friends!

Red Litten World Is Available For Preorder

Preorders are open! You can order the eBook of Red Litten World and have it delivered to your reader the morning of October 6th. Simple and efficient. (There ares a few platforms that don’t allow for preordering, for those Red Litten World will still arrive October 6th, but you’ll have to purchase it the old fashioned way.)

WRITING:

The Most Banned And Challenged Books Of 2014

File under books you should read. Some of these are surprising, some aren’t. Some have been there a while. (It’s no secret I am a huge fan of #6, as a matter of fact, I just got the recent trade of Saga in the mail a few days ago! Yay!)

H. P. Lovecraft & H. R. Giger: How Their Dreams Became Our Nightmares

A great guest post by John A. DeLaughter over on Lovecraft eZine focusing on Lovecraft and Giger and how the visions of these two quiet and nondescript men entered the collective consciousness and pop culture.

5 Lessons Learned From Writing 10 Fiction Books

Mystery author Joanna Penn can easily be called an industry veteran, and with the release of her latest book, Deviance, she has offered to share advice she’s learned after writing ten novels. It’s good stuff, and worth a read. Also, if you’re a mystery fan grab one of her books.

China Miéville’s 6 Favorite Books

My favorite weird fiction author shares his top six books. As you’d expect they’re not mainstream darlings, a really unique selection. (Miéville has a new collection of short stories out as well, I just started Three Moments of an Explosion and I’m really enjoying it.)

Crunch Time: The Realities Of Indie Publishing

What does it take to launch a book as an indie publisher? Quite a bit actually and doing it right takes a lot of effort. In this post, I go into details on my book launching process and even include my list for the launch of Red Litten World.

ART:

A Lovelorn Theft

My amazing wife and partner, Kari-Lise, latest series is now on view at Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco and it’s amazing. (There’s only a handful of pieces left so if something catches your eye make sure you contact Kim at Modern Eden.) We went down to SF last weekend for the opening. It was great meeting everyone, big thank-you to those who came out and said “hello!”

New Cubist Tattoos By Peter Aurisch

I love it when tattoos break the conventional idea of what a tattoo should be, instead of another pretend sailor icon the owner chooses something fresh and unique that stands out. This work from Peter Aurisch fits that latter group.

RANDOM:

What The Hell Are These?? (WARNING: Not For The Faint Of Heart)

You’ll never guess what these weird looking appendages belong to. I’m not going to spoil the surprise, but yeah… creepy and disturbing. Nature is wacky. [Thanks to my editor, Lola Landekic for sharing this with me. I think.]

Don’t Ignore The Background [Video]

One of my absolute favorite YouTube shows, Nerdwriter, explores the visual stories told in the background of one of my absolute favorite movies, Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men. There are a lot of great lessons about subtle storytelling and worldbuilding here, stuff I use myself when I write my books. This video is very much worth your eight minutes.

Iconic Book Covers Come To Life In Beautiful, Subtle GIFs

Classic book covers animated. The result is as the title suggests often beautiful. Would be cool to see this sort of thing become “a thing” it’s a fun way to draw attention to books. That said, if you’re an author and you want to do something similar for your own book, consider contacting Albinson Design, their work is fantastic. (They do book trailers as well.)

A Mysterious Package

So far this has been my most popular blog post of the year. Last Tuesday, I got a strange  and creepy little parcel in the mail. Inside… well, wouldn’t want to spoil the fun, but in this blog post, I document what I found.

WEIRD WIKIPEDIA:

Shadow Person

“A shadow person (also known as a shadow figure, shadow being or black mass) is the perception of a patch of shadow as a living, humanoid figure, particularly as interpreted by believers in the paranormal or supernatural as the presence of a spirit or other entity. Many methamphetamine addicts report hallucinations of “shadow people”, as a result of sleep deprivation.”

[FUN & RANDOM FACT: The umbra species from my Lovecraftian urban fantasy series, The Bell Forging Cycle, is partially inspired by shadow people.]

H.P. LOVECRAFT STORY OF THE WEEK:

The Very Old Folk

Found in a 1927 letter addressed to Donald Wandrei, this story is: the roman legion meets The Hills Have Eyes with a dash of Dallas.

GIF OF THE WEEK:

Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: alfonso cuarón, banned books, children of men, China Miéville, donald trump, h.p. lovecraft, h.r. giger, indie publishing, kari-lise alexander, nerdwriter, peter aurisch, red litten world, shadow people, tattoos, the bell forging cycle, writing

Crunch Time: The Realities Of Indie Publishing

This is not a pity post. I say that because I know some folks will read emotion into blog posts like this and I’m not looking to garner sympathy. My intention is to share my own experiences and inform people about the work it takes to launch an indie title. It’s no secret that indie publishing is hard work. It requires a lot of time and intense dedication, the cliche “blood, sweat, and tears” applies. I want to help in that regard, I want to let you know what the book-launching part of indie publishing entails so when you face your own launch you are better equipped.

First, a little bit of background. For those unaware, I work two full-time jobs. There’s my day job (UX designer) which I have been doing for a long time and I love. It helps support my second job… which is being this writer here, the guy who writes books, blogs blog posts, tweets tweets, etc. It’s another job that I absolutely adore. Both are incredibly fulfilling, and every day they take me down different paths creatively. I have mentioned before that I chose indie publishing because I didn’t want to give up control. I wanted to be responsible for my books from start to finish from the moment a reader hears about it on the web, to the moment they crack open the paperback. I wanted to curate the reader’s experience by making the story of The Bell Forging Cycle to be as cohesive as possible. To achieve that I felt I needed nuanced control over everything. I wanted to have control over the design of my web presence, the covers of my books, even the interiors of the paperbacks. Many of those elements are involved in a book launch, and as the series has grown, so has each consecutive launch.

It’s easy to write, but in reality it’s tough. It makes for a lot of work. September for me has become crunch time. Right now, here’s my typical day: I wake up around 7:30 a.m., pour coffee down my throat, run to work, spend eight to nine hours at my day job, run home, eat a quick dinner with Kari-Lise, and then it’s into my office where I work until at least 12:00 a.m. (recently it’s been closer to 1 or 2:00 a.m.). Then when the day ends, I crash out. The following morning, I am back at it. While I enjoy the work, it has made most of September a weird routine of cycles. I also haven’t done much writing (or reading for that matter). Life right now is the launch.

To put it in perspective, here’s my list of things that I need to get done before Red Litten World’s launch. Some of these take more time than others, some less, but I feel each of them are an important part in making the launch of Book III as successful as it can be.

Finalize edits & copy edits (Yay!)
Finalize paperback interior (I think I’m real close)
Finalize paperback cover (Again, real close)
Finalize ebook interior (Close, if not done)
Finalize ebook cover (Aww yiss)
Deal with Nook layout (Yeah, it gets its own line item)
Finalize bookmarks
Finalize stickers
Product photos
Finalize buttons ( Yay, done! )
Prep redlittenworld.com for launch
Prep bellforgingcycle.com for launch
Prep kmalexander.com for launch
Prep updates for store.kmalexander.com
Prep [REDACTED] (Got to keep some things secret)
Finalize [REDACTED]
Work on [REDACTED]
Prep launch blog posts (I usually write posts in advance)
Prep advertising (For the sake of brevity I am listing this as one line item, on my real list it’s four or five due to the various ad networks and their various requirements)
Finalize new contests
Set up Goodreads page (Done! Add RLW to your To-Read list )

It’s a formidable list, an it’s just the start, my to-do list continues to grow and deadlines approach. There’s a misconception out there (one I have spoken about before) that indie publishing is easy and cheap. But it’s not. To do it right takes time, money, and will. All those things have a cost. Not everyone wants to spend the effort, and that’s okay. Thankfully there are other alternatives for people who aren’t as insane as folks like me. (Traditional publishing, while stressful in its own way, removes a lot of this labor.)

As I said at the start, I’m not looking for sympathy. I love this. I love the thrill. I love being able to insert little secrets and details, not just in the books themselves, but throughout the experience as a whole. For me, it’s a rush. I’m lucky I have an understanding partner and I’m blessed (#Blessed) that I am able to carve out time to do all of this. (Usually this comes at the expense of time-sinks like games, movies, and television. Try cutting back yourself, you’ll be amazing at how much time you have.) I share this because I like transparency, I enjoy telling of my journey to publication. It’s why I started this blog in the first place. I hope my experiences can help others learn and grow in their own lives. I also hope others are able to understand what it takes to “do it right” as it were. I think some of the usual shade thrown at indie publishing comes because there is a group who dive into the deep end and don’t fully understand the work involved with launching a quality product. Our collective reputation grows the better we all strive to become.

The best part about all of this: it’s all totally worth it. Whenever I hear from a reader, talk with a fan, meet someone at a convention, or see a new review, all the effort fades away. I tell stories to entertain, to enrich, to challenge, and to thrill. If I can do any of those for even one person, I’m a pretty happy writer.

Now, back to it, Lovat awaits and the launch is near.

Filed under: publishing, red litten world Tagged: book launch, crunch time, hard work, indie publishing, perseverance, routine, the bell forging cycle

Read A Free Sample Chapter Of Red Litten World Today

We’re three weeks away from launch, but for those of you who can’t wait, you can get an early glimpse of Red Litten World by checking out the sample chapter available now! Read it for free at:

redlittenworld.com

Like what you read? You can preorder Red Litten World today and have it delivered to your eReader in the early hours of October 6th!

There are all sorts of exciting things coming. The newest swag is on its way (can’t wait to show you). And I’m planning a few contests as well. Plus, I might just have an early glimpse at the paperback for you all. (Make sure you follow me on Twitter so you can see when I am broadcasting via Periscope.) All of this is building towards the release of Red Litten World, coming to eBook and paperback Tuesday, October 6th!

It’s time to go back to Lovat.

Filed under: red litten world, The Bell Forging Cycle Tagged: eBook, Paperback, reading, Sample

A Lovelorn Theft

This weekend Kari-Lise and I are heading down to sunny San Francisco to attend the opening of her latest series: A Lovelorn Theft, at Modern Eden Gallery. The show opens on Saturday, September 12th, and we’ll both be there. If you live in the area come on by and say hello. The opening reception is from 6pm–9pm. The exhibition will be on display through October 3, 2015, and it is both free and open to the public.

Kari-Lise Alexander’s “The Bathing Silver Swan” in the studio

I absolutely love this series. A Lovelorn Theft was inspired by the swan maidens and selkies of Nordic folklore. Each piece places the viewer in the intimate role of a lovelorn voyeur, who spies these beautiful creatures for the first time. The work itself is stunning combining the styles of the Pre-Raphaelite movement with new contemporary and pop surrealism. It’s been fascinating to watch Kari-Lise develop this series over the last year, I’m so excited the public is now getting a chance to see them together. In my opinion, it’s her best work yet.

Like her last show, Inflorescence, this series has also been garnering a lot of great press all over the internet. Kari-Lise was once again featured on High Fructose, and This Isn’t Happiness. For those interested, she was also interviewed by Modern Eden, she talks about her work, her inspirations, and you can see a picture of our two bunnies cuddling.

You can see the full show on Modern Eden’s website after it opens, or email Kim at Modern Eden and request a collectors preview. The links above also has a majority of the work. I’ve posted a few of my favorites below. Which is your favorite?

Kari-Lise Alexander —”Stealing Softly Forth” 2015, Oil on Panel
Kari-Lise Alexander —”The Reveal” 2015, Oil on Panel
Kari-Lise Alexander —”Lady of the River” 2015, Oil on Panel
Kari-Lise Alexander —”Waterborne” 2015, Oil on Panel

 

Filed under: Art, Kari-Lise Alexander Tagged: a lovelorn theft, modern eden gallery, new contemporary, oil painting, painting, Pop Surrealism, pre-raphaelite

More Red Litten World eBook Preorder Channels Open

We’re drawing closer and closer to the launch of Red Litten World on October 6th, 2015—less than a month!—and as of today there are more ways for you to preorder the eBook and have it arrive on your reader on launch day.

Currently Available for Preorder

Here’re the current channels where Red Litten World can be preordered.

Red Litten World on Amazon


Red Litten World on Kobo
Red Litten World on iBooks


Currently Live but not Available for Preorder

These are the locations where you can look at Red Litten World but not actually preorder it. I guess you can like look at it longingly or something. I do wish there was a way to do it through my store, but as of now there are no options for preorders. You can order a sweet Bell Caravans patch, though!

Red Litten World on Google
Red Litten World on My Store


Unavailable Because Reasons

Nook

Yeah, there’s no link for Nook. Which is a bummer because I know I have a bunch of readers who use the Nook platform. (Sales-wise, it’s my second highest channel.) I apologize to my fans who read on Nook. This is in Barnes & Nobles court and based on their unchanging backend this probably won’t be resolved anytime soon. That said, Red Litten World will still arrive for Nook readers on October 6th, it just won’t be all magical and auto-delivered.

So those are the open channels. It’s thrilling to see everyone’s excitement. Thank you all for your emails and notes of encouragement. I’m looking forward to taking you back to Lovat. In the meantime, make sure you add Red Litten World to your to-read list on Goodreads. And, if you haven’t, please go and leave an honest review for the previous books in the series: The Stars Were Right and Old Broken Road. Reviews really help me and your fellow readers out. Thanks!

Filed under: red litten world, The Bell Forging Cycle Tagged: android, Apple, eBook, GooglePlay, iBooks, kindle, Kobo, nook, preorder

Friday Link Pack 09/04/2015

Hellllloooo Friday! It’s time for the Friday Link Pack. Some of these links I’ve mentioned on Twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do! Do you have a link I should feature in the upcoming link pack? Click here to email me and let me know! (Include a website so I can link to you as well.) Let’s get to it…

WRITING:

Letting Go

I absolutely loved this post from Hugh Howey about the death of characters we love, the impact on readers, and how death is often cheapened by return after return after return. I’ve always struggled with media that treats death like that. (Looking at you comic books.)

How Podium Publishing Discovered The Martian Before Hollywood

A lot of folks aren’t aware that The Martian (soon to be a major motion picture) was initially an independently published novel. This article from Becky Robertson looks into the sci-fi novels rise though its audio book and a well-timed deal. [Thanks to Lola for sharing this with me.]

3 Million Judgements Of Books By Their Covers

Judgey allows users to judge books by only their covers and then compares those judgments to the Goodreads score. (It’s fun. Try it.) Anyway, this article reveals some interesting data collected after 3 million judgments. [Thanks to Ben for submitting this.]

Omby for iOS

Take one part Moby Dick, and one part word jumble and you have an addicting little puzzle game for iOS. Omby takes the entire text of Melville’s classic and turns it into a fun puzzler. It’s a lot more challenging than I expected. [Thanks to Steve for this submission]

On October 6th, It’s Time To Return To Lovat

Yesterday I announced the release date for my next novel, Red Litten World. I also released a sample chapter, which you can read here, and you can already preorder it on Amazon. Really looking forward to getting this out in the hands of my readers. I think you’ll love it.

ART:

Kari-Lise Alexander Paints Nordic Beauties In “A Lovelorn Theft”

Kari-Lise’s latest solo show opens next weekend at Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco. The show runs September 12th through October 3rd. (We’ll, be there opening night. If you live in the area come on by and say hello.) In this post, High Fructose highlights many of the pieces from the upcoming show. After watching this series develop over the last six months, I’m excited to see it out in the wild. I’m really proud of her. I’m sure you’ll agree, this recent series is absolutely gorgeous.

What If Edward Gorey Illustrated Lovecraft?

John Kenn Mortensen is a Danish illustrator and children’s television producer whose illustrative style is reminiscent of Edward Gorey. Lovecraft eZine editor-in-chief Mike Davis looks at some of Mortensen’s more Lovecraftian illustrations.

Japanese Artist Places A Modern Spin On Old Woodblock Prints

I thought these animated gifs were pretty charming. Artist Segawa thirty-seven takes old woodblock prints and with the use of technology adds a bit of animation. They’re fun. You can see more work here.

RANDOM:

HD Civil War Maps

I am an enormous fan of Ken Burns. (Seriously. Ask Kari-Lise. It’s a problem.) Recently PBS has released an HD version of his The Civil War documentary series. (If you haven’t seen it, watch it, it’s incredible. I’ve watched it at least ten times.) Included with the HD update was an update to the wonderful maps used through the series, some of which you can view here.

What This Cruel War Was Over

I’ve been reflecting and researching the American Civil War a lot over the last few months. I thought this write-up from The Atlantic explaining the Confederate cause with their own words was poignant. Next time someone tries to tell you the war wasn’t about slavery, send them this.

Japan Just Created A Google Street View For Cats

Yep. Japan. Yep. Cats. I mean, are we really surprised anymore? [Thanks to Kayetlin for sending this my way.]

12 Lost American Slangisms From The 1800s

I’m not going to tell you a thumper and I hope this post isn’t too high for anyone’s nut, but the bottom fact is these old slang terms are some pumpkins. Heck, you could say the whole post is a lally-cooler.

WEIRD WIKIPEDIA:

Sedlec Ossuary

“The Sedlec Ossuary (Czech: Kostnice v Sedlci) is a small Roman Catholic chapel, located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints (Czech: Hřbitovní kostel Všech Svatých) in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutná Hora in the Czech Republic. It is one of twelve World Heritage Sites in the Czech Republic. The ossuary is estimated to contain the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, whose bones have in many cases been artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel. The ossuary is among the most visited tourist attractions of the Czech Republic, attracting over 200,000 visitors annually.”

H.P. LOVECRAFT STORY OF THE WEEK:

The Music of Erich Zann

A student befriends a strange old musician who plays a viola da gamba and discovers that his otherworldly rhythms and melodies are more than they seem and could lead to some terrifying places.

GIF OF THE WEEK:

Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: 1800s, Book Covers, cats, death, Edward Gorey, erich zann, h.p. lovecraft, japan, john kenn mortensen, kari-lise alexander, omby, red litten world, sedlec ossuary, slang, the civil war

On October 6th, It’s Time To Return To Lovat

“…legend said that it had come from a mysterious inner realm beneath the red-litten world—a black realm of peculiar-sensed beings which had no light at all, but which had great civilisations and mighty gods…”

—H. P. Lovecraft & Zealia Bishop, The Mound

The sharp scent of ash lingers in the air, the city’s cold streets feel deserted, and the revolver rides heavy in the pocket of our hero. In the distance, a jazz band warbles through an ancient tune from a crackly radio speaker. You can feel the tension on the wind, it sparks across your skin like static. But, the wait is nearly over. On Tuesday, October 6th, 2015 you’ll be able to join Caravan Master Waldo Bell in my next book, The Bell Forging Cycle, Book III: Red Litten World.

As I promised yesterday, you can check out a free sample chapter right now! Read it over at the official website: redlittenworld.com (which is the best reading experience, IMO) or you can read it right here on my blog. I hope you enjoy it. The goal with the Bell Forging Cycle’s prologues has always been to treat them like the cold open of a television show. Set things up, get the plot moving and hint at what’s to come. As you can probably tell from Red Litten World’s prologue, things for Wal are going to get very interesting.

While I’m very excited to share the sample chapter with you, there’s more. As of today, Red Litten World is currently available for pre-order for Kindle users! Really! Just click here and you can preorder the Kindle edition for $5.99 and it will automagically appear on you device launch day.

There’s a lot more to come. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be revealing a bunch of fun little things. Check back often, add Red Litten World to your to-read list on Goodreads, and please tell your friends!

It’s high time we to return to Lovat.

Filed under: publishing, red litten world, The Bell Forging Cycle Tagged: Book Release, indie publishing, kindle, preorder, self-publishing

Red Litten World Sample Chapter Arrives Tomorrow

Things are starting to move quickly in the world of the Bell Forging Cycle now that I have returned. My editor Lola and I have been rushing all summer and I am pleased to announce that tomorrow, September 3rd, I’m releasing a sample chapter of the third novel in the series: Red Litten World. You’ll be able to check it out here on my blog and over at redlittenworld.com. We’re getting really close to the release so it’ll be fun to give everyone an early sneak peek at the challenges Wal will face in his next adventure. I’m really excited about this book and I think you’ll love it.

Until tomorrow why not can check out Red Litten World‘s cover, or look at some of the Bell Forging Cycle fan art on Pinterest, or view out the recently released Map of the Known Territories. Make sure to sign up for my newsletter so you can be one of the first to know when Red Litten World drops!

See you tomorrow, roaders.

Filed under: red litten world, The Bell Forging Cycle Tagged: ebooks, reading, Sample

I Have Returned

Hello, all you wonderful folks. I have returned from my brief hiatus in the mountains and I am back! Iceland was incredible, do yourself a favor and go. Get there. See the country and get lost on its backroads. It’s wild and raw and pictures don’t even begin to do it justice. (If you’re interested, I’ve been posting photos on Instagram.)

Travel is always a big part of my creative process. Old Broken Road was born in Norway. The Stars Were Right was forged while touring some of America’s best National Parks. I cannot encourage creatives enough to get out there. Experiencing a country (even your own), learn about its people, study its history, experience its culture, food, and traditions. You’ll be surprised what will come. One of my favorite quotes about travel is one I posted before, but it’s still apt:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

— Mark Twain

Frankly, a week wasn’t nearly enough time for Iceland. We just got to explore the west side and a bit of the central Highlands, but there is so much more. We’re already planning a return visit. Meanwhile, the show must go on. I have a stack of emails to get through, and a book to launch. Expect some big announcements soon.

All in all, it’s good to be back.

Filed under: News Tagged: iceland, Mark Twain, old broken road, red litten world, the stars were right, Travel

Friday Link Pack Guest Post

When this post goes live Kari-Lise and I will be somewhere in Iceland. (Really, I have zero idea where we’ll be, we’re not planning our travels, just going where the trail takes us.) However, I didn’t want my absence to rob my loyal readers of their weekly Friday Link Pack. That’d just be cruel! Thankfully, my friend William Munn offered to step in and help out. So you can read today’s Friday Link Pack over on his blog! Just click this link and check out Will’s Friday Link Pack for 08/28/2015 →

Big thank you to Will for stepping in to help out. He is a writer with a lot of talent and I’m really excited to read his future sci-fi The Galaxy and All Her Charms. In the meantime, Will has recently started posting a free serial story every Friday on his blog and it started out great. Check it out here →

Enjoy today’s Friday Link Pack and I’ll see you all next week.

Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: guest post, iceland, william munn