K.M. Alexander's Blog, page 64

A Brief Hiatus

Beginning today, I Make Stories will be on a brief hiatus as Kari-Lise and I are taking a week and traveling to the emptiness of Iceland to camp, hike, and explore. Since I’ll be lost in the back country most of the time, I won’t have reliable internet access so there’s little reason for me to try to keep up here. (I miiiight post to Instagram or Twitter should I find a signal.) I won’t be gone long, the plan is to return next week physically exhausted but mentally refreshed and inspired. We’ll see how I do.

For those of you who religiously visit to check out my Friday Link Packs (Thanks!) don’t worry, I have a special guest lined up to step into my shoes on the 28th. But, you’ll have to wait until the automated post goes live on Friday to find out who it will be. I’ll see all y’all in September.

Filed under: News Tagged: Friday Link Pack, Hiatus, iceland, Travel

Friday Link Pack 08/21/2015

Friday is here! As is today’s 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:

6 Unusual Habits Of Exceptionally Creative People

Sometimes a shift in our routine can help our creativity. In this article, Dr. Travis Bradberry examines six habits used by some pretty talented folks to boost their creativity.

Obsessively Detailed Map Of American Literature’s Most Epic Road Trips

If you have read my second book, Old Broken Road, it’ll come as no surprise to learn that I love a good road trip story. So I was pretty excited when my favorite blog, Atlas Obscura, put together this incredible post mapping out some of America’s greatest road trips.

Neil Gaiman’s 8 Rules of Writing

I have long been a fan of writer’s personal lists of rules. It’s always good to glean what you can apply to your own list (and yeah, we all have our own personal list.) Neil Gaiman is no exception. (Note #5.)

Map Of The Known Territories

This Monday, I released the official map for my Lovecraftian urban fantasy series: The Bell Forging Cycle. Hand annotated by Wal himself, the map gives readers a glimpse into the world of the Territories and covers everything up to the forthcoming Red Litten World. Check it out, I think you’ll dig it.

ART:

Banksy’s Dismaland

So, Banksy has a new art show. The work itself is solid, as always. But, the whole shtick of thinking you’re making some new revelation by calling out Disney as a purveyor of fantasy while true injustice flourishes in the world is tiresome and juvenile. To quote a friend of mine this is a: ‘bitter and angsty teenager dabbling in punk rock.’ Honestly, the New York show was more interesting. This lacks subtlety and nuance and the theme is played out. It’s Banksy, so it’s making waves, so I’d be remiss not to mention it. You can see more at the Instagram account.

The Title Sequence For The Dunwich Horror

My badass editor, Lola Landekic, put together this piece for the blog Art of the Title. Examining Daniel Haller’s 1970s Lovecraftian B-Movie The Dunwich Horror. The movie is not good, but Sandy Dvore’s titles combined with Les Baxter music is wonderful.

RANDOM:

Ammassalik Wooden Maps

It’s no secret that I love maps. So when I saw these wooden maps carved by the Inuit in the late 1800s I was blown away. Rendering land in such a tactile way makes a lot of sense when you think about it, but we’ve been so programmed to view a map as a flat image that this comes across as foreign and strange. More reading on Wikipedia. [Thanks to Adam for sharing this with me.]

Realise Minas Tirith

So… this group in the UK wants to build Tolkien’s Minas Tirith… with crowd funding. And over the next 40 days they’re trying to raise $2,904,500,000. Yeah, nearly 3 billion dollars. A lofty goal for sure, but it’s still cheaper than most US military spending.

Underwater ‘Stonehenge’ Monolith Found Off Coast of Sicily

If the nightmare corpse-city of R’lyeh was Cthulhu’s home, perhaps this recently discovery near Italy is his summer vacation home?

Superheroes A ‘Cultural Catastrophe’, Says Comics Guru Alan Moore

As the part time crazy wizard and comics icon, Alan Moore, steps out of public life. He gave one last (???) interview to Pádraig Ó Méalóid at Slovobooks. In it discusses a variety of things from superheroes to defending his work from the accusations of violence, sexism, and racism in his work. It’s worth reading even if you’re not an Alan Moore fan. You can read the full interview here.

WEIRD WIKIPEDIA:

Bubbly Creek

“Bubbly Creek is the nickname given to the South Fork of the Chicago River’s South Branch, which runs entirely within the city of Chicago, Illinois, US. It marks the boundary between the Bridgeport and McKinley Park community areas of the city. The creek derives its name from the gases bubbling out of the riverbed from the decomposition of blood and entrails dumped into the river in the early 20th century by the local meatpacking businesses surrounding the Union Stock Yards directly south of the creek’s endpoint at Pershing Road. It was brought to notoriety by Upton Sinclair in his exposé on the American meat packing industry entitled The Jungle.”

Gross.

H.P. LOVECRAFT STORY OF THE WEEK:

The Challenge from Beyond

This isn’t a story from only H.P. Lovecraft. Each section was written by one of his contemporaries. The final story features sections written by C.L. Moore, A. Merritt, Lovecraft, Robert E.Howard, and Frank Belknap Long. The end result is, well… interesting.

GIF OF THE WEEK:

Thanks to Setsu for submitting today’s gif!

Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: alan moore, Art of the Title, banksy, bubbly creek, Creative, dismaland, h.p. lovecraft, habits, maps, minas tirith, Neil Gaiman, sicily, stonehenge, superheroes, the bell forging cycle, The Dunwich Horror

125 Years Of Weird

Today marks the 125th birthday of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, grandfather of the weird fiction genre. If you’re a regular reader of this blog or my books then it’s no secret that the Lovecraft’s mythos was a major influence on me and my Bell Forging Cycle. I’m not alone, there is a growing subculture of weird fiction aficionados and writers and it’s awesome to see.

There’s a lot that has been said about the man. So, instead of waxing poetic about Lovecraft, his work, the controversy around his personal beliefs, and his influences on horror, I figured I’d link to some of my favorite articles that help paint the picture of the man, expand on his influence, or delves into the legacy he left behind.

H.P. Lovecraft: Fear Of The Unknown

This 2008 documentary by director Frank H. Woodward is the perfect primer on everything Lovecraft. Using interviews with prominent writers, directors, and artists the documentary explores Lovecraft’s life and how his experience help shaped his beliefs and ultimately his work. It doesn’t shy away from anything and everything is presented in an open and candid way. I’ve mentioned it before, but for this post I figured it’d be a good starting point.

It’s OK To Admit That H.P. Lovecraft Was Racist

Using Lovecraft as the example, author Lauren Miller asks the question, can we appreciate a writer’s work while disdaining their offensive beliefs? It’s something every fan of Lovecraft reader must confront and it’s something the Lovecraftian fan community cannot ignore. It’s important that we reflect on the negative aspects of the man and allow ourselves to analyze why Lovecraft was a racist and how it ended up influencing his work.

H.P. Lovecraft And His Lasting Impact On Cinema

From Directors like Guillermo del Toro and John Carpenter, to screen writer’s like Dan O’Bannon. It’s clear that Lovecraft’s influence has impacted the silver screen. In this post from 2011, Den of Geek explores some of those connections and  celebrates Lovecraft’s lasting influence.

H. P. Lovecraft: The Science of Horror – Part 1 & Part 2

In this extended essay, CDK explores Lovecraft’s origins. Starting with the events around World War I and how they influenced him and shaped his reality. Then moving onto the man himself and how his work would go on to influence others, extending from short stories into books, film, comics and beyond. It’s a long essay, but worth the time if you’re interested in a deep exploration of Lovecraft’s influences.

Jason Thompson’s Illustrated Lovecraft

A while back I stumbled across the detailed work of San Francisco-based illustrator Jason Thompson. His work is highly detailed and amazingly rendered. I feel like I could spend hours exploring each page. I highly recommend checking out his illustrated take on some of Lovecraft’s stories:

The Beast in the Cave
The Cats of Ulthar
The Doom That Came to Sarnath
The Strange High House in the Mist
The White Ship


The Shadow Over Innsmouth

Since we’re reflecting on Lovecraft’s weird fiction today, I wanted to pick my favorite Lovecraft tale. For me, that’s easy: The Shadows over Innsmouth has action, adventure, a strange sea-god worshiping cult, and a pretty intense final sequence. It’s a fun read. If you’re so inclined to listen to the story I’d recommend checking out the Dark Adventure Radio Theatre’s production.

Cthulhu The Wimp

Earlier this year I wrote a lighthearted guest post for Michael G. Munz poking a bit of fun at Cthulhu, Lovecraft’s most famous creation. He’s the de facto and beloved mascot for the mythos. But, what if all this love and terror is based on false presumptions? What if I was to tell you that Cthulhu wasn’t all that terrifying. That he’s more a product of good marketing and overzealous rumormongering? What if Cthulhu is, in fact, a wimp?

There’s a lot happening to celebrate the 125th birthday of grandpa weird. Today marks the kickoff for the NecronomiCon in Providence, RI and there are discussions happening all over the internet. One of my favorite sites, Art of the Title, even did a feature for the opening credits of the 1970s Lovecraft B-movie The Dunwich Horror.

How about you? Is there any Lovecraft related link you love? Is there an artist you adore working in the weird? What’s your favorite Lovecraft story? Has Lovecraft impacted any of your favorite authors? Why not leave a comment and let me know!

Filed under: Inspiration, Random Tagged: cthulhu, Fear of the Unknown, h.p. lovecraft, jason thompson, racism, the bell forging cycle, The Shadow Over Innsmouth

Map of the Known Territories

For a while now, I had had readers ask me about a map for The Bell Forging Cycle. Between The Stars Were Right and Old Broken Road, Wal covers a lot of ground. However, I didn’t want to do any old fantasy map. The Bell Forging Cycle is, well… it’s unique and it deserves a unique treatment. So, with the release date announcement for Red Litten World looming, I figured this was the perfect time to share the official map. [Spoilers Ahead: If you haven’t read Old Broken Road be warned, the following images contain spoilers.]

Picture yourself as a caravan master eager to lead your first company down the Big Ninety as soon as Lovat and Syring put away their differences and the Grovedare reopens. As a favor to you, Wal offers to tell you what he knows (for the cost of a meal, of course.) So you agree meet at a diner in the city. The place he picks is a hole in the wall named Cedric’s Eatery. It’s located in Denny Lake, a cramped warren in north-central Lovat. The diner itself is located below the street, in the entresol between Level Three and Four. You’d have never found it on your own.

Wal’s there, sitting at one of the high-backed booths as you enter. He smiles and waves you over. You both order some food from the limited menu and Wal dives into what he knows. He talks about schedules, dealing with the rowdy clients, popular waystations, and so on. So you can follow along, you’ve brought along a well-worn map you picked up from a roadside depot that covers the major trails between Lovat and Syringa. As he talks, Wal grabs a pen and begins to annotate his favor spots for food, known bandit camps, and even his recent experience on the Broken Road. The result is this:

Tada! An annotated Bell Forging Cycle map of the known Territories. It’s too big to really show properly in the narrow column of the blog. You’re not going to get much out of it unless you click on the image and view it larger.

What do you think? I had a lot of fun making this and I hope it helps you visualize the world a little bit more. It won’t be the last map we see, as the series progresses, I’m planning to reveal more of the world little by little. But for now, next time you’re on the trail, and if you have a hankering for the best bánh mì in the Territories you’ll know where to look.

I’ve gone ahead and made this map available as a downloadable background as well. You can click on any of the links below, or head over to the Free Stuff page and find it (and other goodies) there.

1280×800 • 1440×900 • 1680×1050

1920×1200 • 2560×1440

Since phone backgrounds are a bit narrower their images focus on two separate sections of the map: Lovat and Syringa. So, for your phone you can choose your loyalty with the following backgrounds:

LOVAT iPhone • iPhone 5

iPhone 6  • iPhone 6+
SYRINGA iPhone • iPhone 5

iPhone 6  • iPhone 6+
Filed under: The Bell Forging Cycle Tagged: destiny, Lovat, map, old broken road, red litten world, syringa, territories, the stars were right, victory

Remembering Jake

About a year ago, I posted about my friend, Jake Rogers. Jake had cystic fibrosis and had just received a bilateral lung transplant and for the first time in a long time he could breath. A year later, and after a brave and courageous battle with rejection and infection, I am sorry to say that Jake passed away.

Jake was a huge inspiration in my life. He was encouraging and funny and wonderful. I am honored to have called him a friend. A few months after his transplant I was lucky enough to go with him on his first hike with his new lungs. We hiked the 5-mile trail out to Otter Falls. We talked about our lives, our loves, my writing, his art, and had a blast as a pair of inquisitive chipmunks crawled all over us. We talked about doing it more. It was a fantastic day, and it is a memory I hold dear.

I’m going to miss you, Jake. The world is a lesser place without you. Thank you for teaching me the value of a breath.

Filed under: Random Tagged: Cystic Fibrosis, Inspiration, Jake Rogers, organ donor

Don’t Think

“Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.”

— Ray Bradbury

Filed under: Quotes Tagged: creativity, hard work, ray bradbury, writing

Friday Link Pack 08/07/2015

Happy Friday folks. Here is today’s Friday Link Pack! Some of these links I mention 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:

Here Are 5 Tips To Writing Better Query Letters

Ah, the dreaded query letter. If you’ve embarked down the traditional publishing path then you know how pesky these little letters can be. Thankfully the wise minds at The Writer’s Circle compiled a list of five handy tips for crafting the perfect letter. [Thanks to Will for sharing this.]

What I Learned Sending My Novel Out Under A Male Name

I wish I could say this was surprising, but it really isn’t. There has long been a culture of sexism within the publishing industry. This despite the fact that women authors often outnumber men in the bestseller lists. [Thanks to Lola for point me in this direction.]

Cormac McCarthy’s Three Punctuation Rules

His writing style isn’t for everyone, but there is definitely something to be admired about how McCarthy tackles simplism in his prose. In this article, Open Culture breaks down his approach into three specific rules.

Western Lit, Shot To Death By ‘Trigger Warnings’

Politico explores this recent and disturbing trend among liberals encouraging the banning of fiction based on the troubling or disturbing content.

Business Musings: Price Wars And Victims

Kristine Kathryn Rusch is an industry veteran and indie success story. I thought this post musing about the sudden rise in ebooks pricing and the sudden drop in hardcovers was fascinating. Especially when she breaks down the royalty costs that everyone faces.

ART:

Nathan Walsh’s Unusual Urban Landscapes

I found these hyper-realistic landscapes from realist British artist Nathan Walsh to be both fascinating and technically impressive.

War Photo Negatives Sunburned Onto Skin In ‘Illustrated People’

Good art challenges our perceptions, often taking what we perceive as ordinary and placing them somewhere outside of what we expect. Artist Thomas Mailaender does that with these negatives of war photos and the results are quite interesting.

Jason Parker, Paintings

These showed up in my feed this weekend and I found the work to be very engaging. I’ve always enjoyed rougher work, things like sketches and street art. I like seeing the construction of a piece of art and Parker’s work does a good job of not shying away from being a painting and reminding the viewer that it is, but in a way it still becomes something more.

RANDOM:

Creepy Lullabies

“The hardship will teach you soon, while the day turns to night, that people feel love, loss, sadness and longing.” Iceland, you’re crazy. (And I cannot wait to visit you in a few weeks.)

Rosetta’s Philae Lander Discovers A Comet’s Organic Molecules

Despite it’s troubles, Rosetta is sending some interesting data. Organic molecules on a comet? That’s big news. Space is so cool, I have a feeling over the next few decades that things are going to get very very interesting.

There’s One Secret The Rick And Morty Guys Will Never Reveal

The Adult Swim hit, Rick and Morty might be the best show on television. The Onion’s AV Club interviews the creators and discuss why it works so well with today’s audience.

How the Earth Would Look Like Without Oceans

In this video, we get to see what the earth would look like without 71% of its surface covered in water. On some level, it reminds me of Monument Valley but on a titanic scale.

WEIRD WIKIPEDIA:

Sam Kee Building

“The Sam Kee Building, located at 8 West Pender Street in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is noteworthy for being the shallowest commercial building in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records.

At the turn of the 20th century, the Sam Kee Company—one of the wealthiest firms in Chinatown—purchased a standard-sized lot in 1903. The basement extends beneath the sidewalk and originally housed public baths, while the ground floor was used for offices and shops and the top story for living quarters.”

H.P. LOVECRAFT STORY OF THE WEEK:

Pickman’s Model

It’s strange that I haven’t featured yet. The story centers around the artist Richard Upton Pickman who paints art so terrifying that it gets him kicked out of Boston Art Club. But a question, however, remains… where did his ideas come from?

GIF OF THE WEEK:

[Thanks to Sky for submitting today’s terrifying gif]

Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: cormac mccarthy, Earth, h.p. lovecraft, iceland, jason parker, nathan walsh, oceans, philae, pickman's model, price wars, punctuation, query letters, rick and morty, sam kee building, sexism, thomas mailaender, Traditional Publishing, trigger warning

Some Bookquisitions

My pile of books grows ever larger. Some of that is due to me being stuck in the mire of a particular epic fantasy that while very good it also happens to be enormous and could have been edited down a bit a lot more. That said, I see the light at the end of this tunnel which means I’ll be starting some new very soon so I figured it’d be fun to share some of my recent bookquisitions…

Three Moments of an Explosion by China Miéville

If you have read any of my books or have been following my blog for any length of time you’ll know that China Miéville is one of my most favorite authors of all time. (The Scar is easily in my top five.) So it’s no surprise that his latest collection of unpublished short stories appeared on my Kindle on launch day. (Which was yesterday.)

Trees Vol. 1 by Warren Ellis & Jason Howard

I have been intrigued by Trees ever since I saw some of Jason Howard’s early art so I was excited to find out that the first trade was available. Set in a world ten years after a strange alien race (that loom large like trees) have landed. The story explores the lives of several characters scattered around the globe as they discover what these strange and silent visitors are all about. The concept sounded fresh and I’ve always been a fan of Ellis’ writing so I’m on board and excited to dive in.

The Iron Ship by K. M. McKinley

I’ve been seeing buzz about this for a while now and the reviews were looking pretty awesome. A new epic fantasy centered around a shop forhed of metal and magic? Adventure? Travel? Sign me up! Also, we K. M.s have to stick together. It’s contractual.

I’m always on the hunt for new books. If you have a book recommendation for me please leave a comment! Don’t want to leave a comment? Shoot me an email: hello@kmalexander.com and let me know what you think I should add to my stack.

Filed under: Bookquisitions, Reading Tagged: books, China Miéville, jason howard, k. m. mckinley, warren ellis

Friday Link Pack 7/31/2015

After a week hiatus, we’re back! Here is today’s Friday Link Pack! Some of these links I mention 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:

How To Deal With Harsh Criticism Of Your Writing

A great article from Charlie Jane Anders popped up on io9 this week. Criticism is hard, sometimes painfully so, but there are ways you can approach it. This is good advice.

Wake-Up Call: Amazon Serves Author Interests Better Than Publishers

Industry vet, Mike Shatzkin, breaks down Amazons recent innovative moves (like launching the follow button for readers) and how their success has translated into success for publishing and writing in general.

Ursula K. Le Guin Is Breathing Fire To Save American Literature

A great profile on badass Ursula K. Le Guin. (If you’re a follower of my blog it’s no secret how much I love her and her work.) Absolutely fantastic read, delving into her writing, her defense of sci-fi and fantasy (and books in general), and her activism work.

Why Horror Is Good For You (And Even Better For Your Kids)

Artist Greg Ruth gives us six fantastic reasons why we should all read horror.

Indie Or Traditional: The Cost Of Publishing

Creating a book always has a cost. It’s up to you as the writer to decide what that cost should be and how much you’re willing to pay.

ART:

Alicia Savage, Destinations

Stumbled across Alicia Savage’s ethereal photography work and knew I’d need to share it here. Obscured women float and drift through surreal glimpses of shattered Americana.

The Art Of Greg Ruth

He’s already told us why horror is good for us in the Writing section. Why not enjoy exploring some of his incredible work as well?

Artist Sam Van Aken’s Tree Grows 40 Different Kinds Of Fruit

Using grafting, Sam Van Aken grows some pretty incredible trees. [Big thanks to Ben for sharing this with me.]

RANDOM:

Perfectly Timed Photos That Make Dogs Look Like Giants

Because you needed something like this right now.

Abandoned Indonesian Church Shaped Like a Massive Clucking Chicken

Some people do strange things to get messages from God, things like build a strangely shaped church in the middle of the jungle. Apparently the builder had intended it to look like a dove but it’s clearly a chicken.

Kowloon Walled City

I have mentioned before that Lovat, the megalopolis central in my Bell Forging Cycle, was heavily influenced by Kowloon Walled City. This multimedia project by the Wall Street Journal is an incredible way to explore the rich stories and dark streets of the legendary Hong Kong settlement.

A Renaissance Painting Reveals How Breeding Changed Watermelons

We’re in the throws of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere. Why not take some time to explore the horticultural history of one of summer’s greatest treats: the watermelon.

WEIRD WIKIPEDIA:

Aroma Of Tacoma

“Seattle! Seattle! Death Rattle, Death Rattle; Tacoma! Tacoma! Aroma, Aroma!”

—George Francis Train

“The “Aroma of Tacoma” is a putrid and unpleasant odor associated with Tacoma, Washington. The smell has been described as similar to the odor of rotten eggs. The odor is not noticeable throughout the city, but is rather concentrated in the north end of Tacoma and is frequently smelled by motorists traveling that section of the Interstate 5 highway.”

H.P. LOVECRAFT STORY OF THE WEEK:

The Night Ocean

This gloomy mood piece follows a melancholy artist who spends time alone in his cabin by the sea, and unlike most of Lovecraft’s protagonists he doesn’t throw himself into the way of terrifying monstrosities.

GIF OF THE WEEK:

Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: abandoned places, alicia savage, amazon, criticism, dogs, greg ruth, Horror, indie publishing, Kowloon Walled City, sam van aken, Traditional Publishing, ursula k. le guin, watermelon

Follow Me On Amazon

Amazon recently rolled out a new tool allowing readers to be notified when their favorite authors release new books. I happen to be one of them. I wanted to make a quick post inviting you, as my readers, to follow me on Amazon. Just click this link and then click the follow button, it’s that simple! (Leaving a review for my books wouldn’t hurt either.)

Once again, I do want to thank all my readers out there. I really do appreciate your support, I couldn’t do this without you. I’m really happy to know so many folks out there enjoy my books. Y’all are amazing.

Filed under: News Tagged: amazon, follow, new books, writing