K.M. Alexander's Blog, page 68
June 3, 2015
I Knew Nothing About Writing
“I have been successful probably because I have always realized that I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertainingly.”
Came across this quote today and figured it’d be worth sharing. It resonates a lot with me. In the end, when all is said and done, the important thing is that you told the best story you can tell. Keep at it.
Oh! Remember the Red Litten World cover reveal and giveaway is coming tomorrow!
Filed under: Quotes Tagged: cover reveal, edgar rice burroughs, Inspiration, Red Litten World, Success, writing
June 1, 2015
A Lilac City Comicon Debriefing
Over the weekend I attended Lilac City Comicon with my good buddy, illustrator Josh Montreuil. Of the three conventions I’ve attended this spring, this was the shortest, being only a single day. This was also the first solidly comic-focused convention I’ve attended as an exhibitor, SpoCon, Norwescon, and CthulhuCon tended to be more varied. Going in I was unsure what to expect.
Overall, I was stunned by the response. I came in with two-and-a-half boxes of books and only left with one. The crowd was great. The people were friendly and excited. In one day at Lilac City I got to meet more new readers than I did working a table for three days at SpoCon. An incredible and flattering response.
Since the convention lasted only one day things were fairly hectic and harried. So let’s get right to the highlights…
All. The. Cosplay. Seriously, some really incredible work. It was really difficult to narrow it down for the images with this post and I’m leaving a lot out. I should throw more of my pictures somewhere so you can see everyone’s hard work. It blew me away.
Having my family come in to hang out. Thanks for the coffee, mom!
Spending time at the table with my friend Josh Montreuil . I’ve know the guy since college and it’s always a good time hanging out with him. He had a great convention as well. He sold out of a few posters which is always a good thing.
Selling so many books, obviously.
Talking about The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath with a fellow Lovecraft fan. Underrated work, I highly recommend it.
Having a new reader buy The Stars Were Right , and then come back later after he read the first few pages to pick up Old Broken Road . That was a pretty cool moment for me. It’s awesome to see readers enjoy my books so much. Makes me excited to get Red Litten World out there.
Picking up a signed copy of Vol. 1 of Matt Nelson’s Catbeard the Pirate . Matt’s a great guy and his books are really fun.
My selfie with Odin.
Watching Josh create some incredible sketches for his fans. Everything from a smirking Loki, a Black Lantern Batman, to a goalie version of Superman. Fun stuff. (You can see some of his work below.)
Late night pizza and the Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles movie.
Did I mention the cosplay? If not… the cosplay.
Watching a friend of the family experience her first convention. It’s always a bit overwhelming when you first walk in, but everyone remembers their first convention. It’s cool to see.
Seeing and catching up with some old friends from Spokane.
I was really impressed with the new addition to the Spokane Convention Center. It’s a lovely building and really perfect for a convention the size of Lilac City Comicon.
The Z Nation fans. The show is filmed here in the Pacific Northwest and the crew was at the convention so there were a lot of fans among the attendees and they were all great and very excited about Z Nation.
Seeing some folks from SpoCon! It’s nice to see a little community across conventions. Was great seeing people.
Me emberassingly being adamant that a bearded individual had changed out of his costume, despite him having never worn a costume. (After going through my photos I realized I was super wrong. Not all white beard-having men look the same, K. M., jeeze.)
Going to see Mad Max: Fury Road with Josh the night before the convention. Seriously, go see that movie. It’s incredible.
The decompression dinner with some fantastic Spokanites: Josh, Matt, Lars, Peter, Jen, Kevin, and Curt. Was fun to chat and hangout in old haunts and talk about our Lilac City Comicon experience. Everyone had a great time.
I came away from Lilac City Comicon feeling pretty happy with the result. It was a great weekend and I’ll definately be back next year. Going into this I had expected LCCC to be my last convention for 2015, but I’d wager there might be a few more conventions in my future. More on that later.
DON’T FORGET: The Red Litten World cover reveal happens this Thursday! If you want a sneak peak ahead of everyone else click here to sign up for my newsletter. Subscribers get to be first in line for special events and announcements. I’m looking forward to the big reveal and I hope you are too!
Filed under: Con Reports Tagged: books, catbeard the pirate, Conventions, cosplay, Josh Montreuil, lilac city comicon, matt nelson, odin, Red Litten World, Spokane, the bell forging cycle
May 29, 2015
Friday Link Pack Guest Post
I am traveling to sunny Spokane, Washington this weekend to participate in Lilac City Comicon with my good buddy Josh Montreuil. That mean there’s no Friday Link Pack here. However, once again my friend and fellow writer Drew Gerken has stepped up and put together a Friday Link Pack Guest Post over on his blog in my absence. It’s a great collection. Check it out:
Read today’s Friday Link Pack at Drew’s blog →
Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: Drew Gerken, Josh Montreuil, lilac city comicon, Spokane, Travel
May 28, 2015
One Week Until Red Litten World’s Cover Reveal
We’re down to seven days. It’s coming, the cover reveal for The Bell Forging Cycle, Book III: Red Litten World is just around to corner. So mark your calendars! There’s going to be a launch event running all over the web June 4th, 5th, and 6th. If you’re a blogger and want to participate in the Red Litten World Cover Reveal you can sign up here. (There’s even a little giveaway for hosts.)
Along with the reveal, one lucky reader will be able to win a Bell Forging Prize Pack which includes signed copies of both The Stars Were Right and Old Broken Road, as well as a Bell Caravans patch, all the swag, and a $50 Amazon gift card!
If you can’t wait until next Thursday to see the cover, consider signing up for my newsletter. Subscribers will get a preview a few days early! Sign up today →
Filed under: Contests, Red Litten World, The Bell Forging Cycle Tagged: cover design, cover reveal, Old Broken Road, The Stars Were Right
May 27, 2015
Middle Earth And The Perils Of Worldbuilding
I’ve long been a fan of Evan Puschak’s YouTube channel, The Nerd Writer. I like to be challenged, and I appreciate his scholarly approach to all manner of topics. So when I saw he did his most recent episode on world building—something near and dear to my own heart—I knew it’d be something I shared. Give it a watch below:
The comments on the video are really good (yeah, I know!) and I recommend reading some of the discussion happening over on YouTube. Also, I highly encourage you to read M. John Harrison’s essay on worldbuilding as it serves as a basis for a lot of Pucschak’s argument.
So, what do you think? Is world building the “the great clomping foot of nerdism” as Harrison alleges? Do you agree with Puschak’s assessment; is world building potentially dangerous? Or do you have a different take? Leave a comment below, or, better yet, join in the discussion on YouTube →
Filed under: Videos Tagged: m. john harrison, middle earth, secondary worlds, the nerd writer, world building, youtube
May 23, 2015
Go To Work
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
In between projects I’ve been re-reading On Writing again and this quote jumped out at me. Nice reminder on those days when the end isn’t in sight, everything feels terrible, and we’re sick to death of everything we’re working on. Go to work. (It’s worth it.)
Filed under: Quotes Tagged: amateur, On Writing, Stephen King, work
May 22, 2015
Friday Link Pack 05/22/2015
It has been a week in the Alexander household and I am so glad today is Friday! That means it is time for the Friday Link Pack where I share a few links I’ve found over the last few days. Some of these I mention on Twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do! 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:
To Win Big, You Have To Enter The Race
I thought this was a fantastic bit of encouragement for anyone who is struggling with their writing. The quote from Kevin J. Anderson really rang true to me: “If you want to attract lightning, be a lightning rod.” Work hard and keep at it, you got this.
The Master Outline
What do the YA novels Harry Potter and The Sorcerers Stone, Twilight, and The Hunger Games have in common? The Better Novel Project lays it out in this enormous outline that somehow works for each of them. [Thanks to Christine for finding this, very cool.]
Pros And Cons Of Being An Indie Author
Novelist Joanna Penn lays out the good and the bad of going it on your own. If you’re unsure of the direction you want to go, I recommend starting here.
Red Litten World Cover Reveal Is Coming June 4th
Hold on to your butts. The cover for the third installment of my Bell Forging Cycle is being revealed in a few weeks. Those readers who subscribe to my newsletter will get to see it a few days before it’s posted. Make sure you sign up today →
Art:
The Art Of Syd Bee
Seattle-based painter and illustrator Syd Bee, is doing the cover for my upcoming fantasy novel (which I am still being coy about). However, I want to introduce her work to my audience and what better way to start than using the link pack! Check her work out and expect to see more around here in the days to come.
Classic Art Heroes In Modern Day Situations
Artist Alexey Kondakov takes characters from classical paintings and photoshops them into scenes we tend to take for granted. The result… well, you’ll just have to find out…
Poll Finds 1 in 25 US Citizens Unsure If They Own Art
Question: Do you own any paintings, sculptures, or other art works?
Answer: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Random:
In Flight
In this article from the New York Times, we get a pilot’s perspective en route from London to Tokyo. A great read.
23 Brilliant Life Lessons From Anthony Bourdain
I love Anthony Bourdain, I like his honesty, his candidness, and his no-nonsense approach to life and writing. (If you haven’t, go read Kitchen Confidential
you’ll thank me later.) So yeah, I think these little bits of wisdom are great.
When The Victorians Used Microscopic Photography To Look At Porn
But yeah, the headline. Victorians hid naughty imagery viewable only with a magnifying glass inside random gadgets. This was a thing they did. [Warning: Saucy Victorian Nudity.]
NASA Captures Best Photo Yet Of Strange Lights On Dwarf Planet Ceres
Something shiny is on the surface of Ceres, the tiny dwarf planet that orbits with the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. But what could it be…
Random Wikipedia Article of the Week:
Rural Purge [Nice find from my friend, Jedrek.]
“The “rural purge” of American television networks (in particular CBS) was a series of cancellations between 1969 and 1972 of still popular rural-themed shows with demographically skewed audiences, the majority of which occurred at the end of the 1970–71 television season.”
Lovecraft Story of the Week:
The Little Glass Bottle
A short story that serves as an illustration showing us that that not every idea is a good one.
Gif of the Week:
Filed under: Link Pack, writing Tagged: advice, alexey kondakov, anthony bourdain, ceres, classic art, h.p. lovecraft, indie publishing, NASA, outline, Red Litten World, rural purge, Success, syd bee
May 18, 2015
Come See Me At Lilac City Comicon
We’re about two weeks away from Lilac City Comicon 2015 in Spokane, Washington. The event runs one day, May 30th, and I’m happy to say I will be there alongside the incredibly talented Josh Montreuil! Josh will be doing sketches and selling prints. He’ll also have an ashcan version of his forthcoming comic Rexorcist.
I will be bringing copies of The Stars Were Right and Old Broken Road as well as a bunch of Bell Caravan Patches and as always there will be a ton of free swag. If you’re in the Spokane area on May 30th and attending the convention come visit us at booth C-01. Map below:
I’m looking forward to hanging out with Josh, talking Lovecraft, slinging some books, and seeing all the cosplay. There’s a great list of participants (check out the guest list and the exhibitor list) it’ll be fun meeting everyone. So mark your calendars, I’ll see you there!
Filed under: Upcoming Appearances Tagged: Josh Montreuil, lilac city comicon, Old Broken Road, rexorcist, Spokane, The Stars Were Right, Washington
May 15, 2015
Friday Link Pack 05/15/2015
The weekend looms on the horizon. That means it’s Friday! It’s time to share a few links I’ve found over the last few days. Some of these I mention on Twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do! 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:
The Daily Word Counts of 39 Famous Authors
I love seeing links like this. So often new writers get depressed about the amount of words they write vs. the fact that they actually wrote. It’s that latter than truly matters. Somedays (usually the weekends) I’m a Michael Chrichton other days I’m a Shelby Foote. That’s okay. The important thing is you’re writing. [Thanks to Claudia Bradshaw for sharing this.]
How Publishers Could Get More Of My Money (And Make Me Happy To Give It)
Old industries often move at a glacial pace when reacting to changes within a marketplace. Stephanie Leary discusses several simple ideas to make it easier to sell her books. It’s good advice. Big publishing should be listening.
Which Lost Twists Were Planned Vs. Improvised
I always find it fascinating to get an inside look in the process of any writing endeavor. This article from Vox goes into the show Lost and how the writers planned and wrote the series.
Red Litten World Cover Reveal Is Coming June 4th
Hold on to your butts. The cover for the third installment of my Bell Forging Cycle is being revealed in a few weeks. Those readers who subscribe to my newsletter will get to see it a few days before it’s posted. Make sure you sign up today →
Random:
Where The Wine Glass Came From
I was watching a movie this week and was struck by the shape of the wine glass. As an object its sort of atypical for its purpose, right? (I know the stem keeps the wine from being warmed by the hand but work with me here.) So I did some research on how the wine glass evolved and found this handy article. Some interesting info.
15 Islands Overrun by Cute Animals
I just got a new rabbit. She’s an English Lop which Kari-Lise and I have named Willa. [See a video of Willa here.] Anyway, since you might not have a new and adorable rabbit terrorizing you. I figured it’d be fun to share this article from Mental Floss of 15 places overrun with cuteness. Now you know your next vacation destination.
The Heart of Dudeness
Bro, buddy, dude, fella, pal… across America we have different terms for our friends. The Big Think assembles a map showing where these terms are most commonly used. Thankfully the PNW is listed on none of these.
F&%@ Yeah Fictional Maps
I love maps especially fictional maps, so a blog dedicated to sharing some of the best fictional maps immediately piques my interest. Some really great and quite varied work on this blog. I got a chuckle out of The Land of Clichéa.
Random Wikipedia Article of the Week:
Fnord
Fnord is a word used in newsgroup and hacker culture to indicate that someone is being ironic, humorous or surreal. Often placed at the end of a statement in brackets (fnord) to make the ironic purpose clear, it is a label that may be applied to any random or surreal sentence, coercive subtext, or anything jarringly out of context (intentionally or not).
Lovecraft Story of the Week:
The Horror at Red Hook
I hate this story. On one hand, I should love it. It’s urban. It involves a detective. But as Peter Cannon once said, “racism makes a poor premise for a horror story.”
Gif of the Week:
Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: cute animals, dudeness, fnord, h.p. lovecraft, lost, maps, peter cannon, publishers, Red Litten World, the horror at red hook, willa, wine, Word Count
May 14, 2015
Red Litten World Cover Reveal Is Coming June 4th
The date has been set, the stars have aligned, and it is time. The cover reveal for Red Litten World, book three of The Bell Forging Cycle, is coming June 4th, 2015. One again the incredibly talented Jon Contino is back with some beautiful hand lettering. After seeing his incredible work for the covers of The Stars Were Right and Old Broken Road, you’ve probably detected a theme beginning to form for the series. I’d wager you can sorta guess what this cover will look like… or can you. [Cue dramatic music.]
“…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
As with all big announcements and cover reveals, folks who subscribe to my newsletter will be the first people who get a glimpse at the new cover. Why not join those brave and noble few and… sign up today →.
Filed under: Red Litten World, The Bell Forging Cycle Tagged: book cover, Cover, cover reveal, fantasy, jon contino, Old Broken Road, The Stars Were Right, Urban Fantasy
