K.M. Alexander's Blog, page 77

M. R. James On Reticence

Reticence may be an elderly doctrine to preach, yet from the artistic point of view I am sure it is a sound one. Reticence conduces to effect, blatancy ruins it.

—M.R. James, “Some Remarks on Ghost Stories”

In the Halloween edition of the Friday Link Pack I linked to a fantastic article that explored the influence M. R. James had on the work H. P. Lovecraft. Ever since that article I have been exploring Mr. James’ work, and this quote stuck out to me. I wanted to share.

Okay, back to writing. Good luck with your own creative endeavors!

Filed under: Quotes Tagged: Link Pack, m. r. james, reticence

Friday Link Pack – 11/14/14

Friday is here! That means 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? Let me know! All right, let’s get to it.

Old Broken Road:

Happy One Month Birthday Old Broken Road!

My latest novel, Old Broken Road, is now one month old and it’s getting great reviews. Pick up your copy and tell your friends!

What Are Readers Saying About Old Broken Road?

Reviews are starting to come in and they’re looking really good. In this post I highlight some of my favorite quotes. I’m flattered and really happy to hear everyone is enjoying it so much.

Writing:

Amazon & Hachette End Dispute Over Online Book Sales

Finally! Let’s all get back to writing rad stuff now. Okay?

Amazon Beats Google & Wins Rights To The New gTLD .Book

Amazon now controls the generic top level domain .book and I’m curious to see what they do with it. It’s an interesting turn of events, but not that surprising based on Amazon’s positioning.

Who Said It, James Joyce Or Kool Keith

My friend Evan shared this with me and it’s not only hilarious but way more challenging than I expected. I ended up getting 6/10, my friend Dawn got 9/10! How’d you do?

Killing The Sacred Cows Of Indie Publishing: I Have To Sell Books Quickly

In this article author Dean Wesley Smith talks about book sales and speed and expectation vs. reality. Totally agree with him but it’s nice to be reminded. (Thanks to Lauren for sharing.)

Art:

The Work Of Christian Rex Van Minnen

Take a dash of realism, a bit of Salvador Dali, and part Pablo Picasso and you’d be close to describing the work of Christian Rex Van Minnen. It’s very very cool, and somewhat disturbing. (Thanks to Kari-Lise for the tip.)

Beauty

This animated video from Rino Stefano Tagliafierro takes classical paintings and adds subtle pans and animations. The result is… well, beauty.

Illustrated Famous Movies With One Letter Removed

Illustrator takes famous movies, removes a single letter, and illustrates the results. The result is fantastic visions of cinema like Obocop and Aging Bull.

Random:

Rosetta Photo Gallery

This week humanity landed a probe on a comet, which itself is an incredible feat. Now we’re just now starting to see what a comet looks like up close. The Rosetta mission has this incredible photo gallery showing what the Philae probe is seeing.

The World’s Worst Playgrounds Are Where Fun Goes To Die

Ummm… so these are terrifying.

Ghostly Ship Graveyards From Around the World

Last year io9 gathered these haunting and eerie photos of ship graveyards from around the world. After looking through these images I feel like I need to re-up my tetanus booster.

10 Commandments For Con Men

Lists of Note shares notorious con man “Count” Victor Lustig’s advice for the up and comer. (Thanks to Steve who shared this with me forever ago.)

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

The Descendant

This story fragment follows the “harmlessly mad” Londoner who is confronted with a copy of the Necronomicon.

Gif of the Week:

Filed under: Link Pack, old broken road Tagged: amazon, Book, Christian Rex Van Minnen, comet, con men, Hachette, indie publishing, james joyce, kool keith, lovecraft, playgrounds, Reviews, rosetta, ship graveyards

What Are Readers Saying About Old Broken Road?

Old Broken Road has been out for nearly a month, and reviews are starting to appear! Yay! What are readers saying? Check out some of my favorite quotes below:

“A smoldering delight!”

— Steve, on Goodreads

“…do as the roaders do, and let yourself be swept along to the edge of the map, where uneasy cartographers turned back and wrote ‘Here There Be Monsters’.”

—Sky, on Amazon

“New characters, new landscapes, and new horrors make Old Broken Road a worthy effort, and expand on the universe Wal, Wensem, and their crew inhabit. Loved every moment of it.”

—Sabih, on Amazon

“The dread will weigh heavily on you as you flip each page. But you won’t want to stop.”

—Justin, on Goodreads

“The strange journey across the Broken Road really put me in mind of some of my favorite Dark Tower novels… I found myself pretty well creeped out at times!”

— Raedia, on Amazon

“The spookiness and plot twists keep you on the edge of your seat. Great balance between an alien world and humanity as we know it.”

—Vanessa, on Amazon

Huge thanks to everyone who bought the book, and left a review. I really appreciate it and I am glad so many people are enjoying the book.

Have you finished Old Broken Road? Do me a favor and please leave an honest review. Goodreads is always a good choice, or leave one through the channel which you purchased the book. Reviews let me know what you loved/liked/disliked/hated, and they help out your fellow readers as well.

Haven’t picked up a copy of Old Broken Road? There’s plenty of places to purchase the book and most retailers have it on sale. Just click on one of the links below and you’ll soon be back in the Territories with Wal and the gang:

Buy a paperback copy of Old Broken Road through:

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • CreateSpace • My Store

Buy an eBook version of Old Broken Road for:

Kindle • Kobo • iBooks • Nook • GooglePlay • My Store

Enjoy your journey! Thanks again for all your support and encouragement. There’s a lot more to come and I can’t wait to share it with all of you.

Filed under: old broken road Tagged: amazon, ePub, goodreads, GooglePlay, iBooks, kindle, Kobo, Nook, Paperback, Reviews

Old Broken Road Trade Paperbacks Now Available From Barnes & Noble

If you haven’t gotten your copy of the gorgeous Old Broken Road paperback your options as to where you can purchase it has increased. It’s now available from Barnes & Noble and should be available in other bookstores as well. (If you can’t find it they can probably order it.) If you do you book buying online, you can now get copies from any of the links below:

Barnes & Noble • Amazon • My Store

One benefit for buying online: if you choose to buy from ones of the big store it’s currently on sale for less than twelve dollars. It’s normally fourteen bucks. So that’s a savings of sixteen percent! While I cannot compete on pricing or shipping for my own store, copies bought directly from me come signed, and include an Old Broken Road swag pack, and you get a digital DRM-free ePub emailed on the same day.

If you finished reading, please do me a favor and leave a review! Goodreads is always a great choice, or you can leave a review from where you bought your copy. A quick review takes very little time and goes a long way in helping me out and you’re helping out other readers as well.

Thanks again for all the support! I hope you all enjoy your trip down the Old Broken Road. There’s a lot more to come.

Filed under: old broken road Tagged: Barnes & Noble, goodreads, Reviews, Trade Paperbacks

Friday Link Pack – 11/07/14

Hellooooooo 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? Let me know! All right, let’s get to it.

Writing:

Author Interview: K. M. Alexander

Hey, it’s me! Check out this interview I did with Wendy VanCamp for her writing blog No Wasted Ink. (Follow her, she posts great stuff.) We talk about writing, messages within my books, The Stars Were Right, cover design, and more. Big thanks to Wendy. I had a lot of fun.

David Farland’s Kick In The Pants—Taking Criticism

Criticism. If you do anything public you’re going to face criticism. Sometimes a lot of it. Dave Farland discusses how we as writers can accept and work through it.

Finding Marlowe

In this brilliantly written piece for the LA Times. Daniel Miller explore the story of Samuel Marlowe, the black Private Investigator who influenced and advised noir greats like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.

Bad Year In Bear Lake

It’s an old man story generator, and it is amazing. (Hit refresh) Thanks to Steve for submitting this.

33 Thoughts On Reading (A Manifesto Of Sorts.)

Yes. Yes to all of these.

Art:

LAX/SFO

Last weekend Kari-Lise and I descended upon San Francisco in a quick whirlwind of a trip to celebrate the opening of the LAX/SFO group show. The works was astounding as you can see. You can see Kari-Lise’s piece Ophelia here.

Kris Kuksi’s Antiquity in the Faux

There’s always something engaging in Kuksi’s assemblages. The level of detail and tone is never anything short of amazing. His new series opening November 15th in Los Angeles is no exception.

Random:

How Sleeping Beauty Is Accidentally The Most Feminist Animated Movie Disney Ever Made

Leigh Butler makes the case, and I found myself coming away from the article agreeing with her. Who’d have thunk it right?

The Definitive List Of Lovecraftian-Themed Video Game

If you’re in the mood to play a game that includes some spine tingling cosmic horror, then the Lovecraft eZine assembled an immense list of titles. My recommendation from this list: The Last Door. It’s so good.

The Three Breakthroughs That Have Finally Unleashed AI On The World

We’re witnessing the dawn of artificial intelligence, and the Wired explores three big advancements in the field that is ushering in a new age of technology.

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

In The Vault

George Birch, an undertaker in a sleepy New England town, finds himself trapped in the vault where coffins are stored for spring burial.

Gif of the Week:

Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: artificial intelligence, criticism, feminism, Interview, Kari-Lise, kris kuksi, LAX/SFO, lovecraft, noir, sleeping beauty

Permission To Suck

Whether you’re participating in NaNoWriMo or not this year. This 2009 video from John Green is a good one chock-full of encouragement and should be watched.

Keep at it writers! You’re certainly not alone in this and don’t stress too much. The journey is a part of the fun.

Filed under: writing Tagged: drafts, john green, NaNoWriMo

Visual Inspiration: Jordan Grimmer

A few days ago, my friend Michael pointed me in the direction of concept artist and illustrator Jordan Grimmer. He mentioned that a few of his pieces reminded him of Lovat, the city that is the central setting of my book, The Stars Were Right, so my interest was piqued. After seeing the work I can’t say I disagree. It’s pretty spectacular stuff and instantly got me in the mood to brainstorm, I knew I had to share his work.

There’s a lot to love here. Grimmer has a wide range of work ranging from the fantastical to the grounded. I love the moods he’s able to capture. Trains billow clouds of white smoke as they rush through cities, airships drift above titanic walls like fat clouds, and neon reflects off the wet streets of a buried neighborhood. It’s great stuff. Click on any of the images below to see them larger:

“Train City” by Jordan Grimmer
“Tyr City Walls” by Jordan Grimmer
“Train Graveyard” by Jordan Grimmer

I especially liked these two pieces.

“Wall Market” by Jordan Grimmer
“Quick Photo Bash” by Jordan Grimmer

These images are just a fraction of Grimmer’s impressive body of work. See more on his portfolio site at http://www.jordangrimmer.co.uk, he’s also active on deviantART as well. What’s your favorite piece?

Filed under: Art, Inspiration Tagged: Concept Art, deviantART, Illustrations, jordan grimmer

Friday Link Pack – Halloween

It’s Halloween and it’s Friday! That means it’s time to share a few spooooky 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? Let me know! All right, let’s get to it.

Writing:

The Biggest Little-Known Influence On H. P. Lovecraft

Lovecraft has influenced numerous horror/thriller/fantasy writers for generations, but who influenced him? The Airship looks into the writer M. R. James.

On Writing Horror And Avoiding Cliches

Writing horror isn’t easy, so Chris Freese has put together this article to help you craft proper scares for your readers.

How To Write A Modern Ghost Story

The Guardian asks, how does one write for an audience that is cynical, yet still wishes to be terrified? It’s a good question and one of the biggest challenges for the modern horror writer.

The Top 20 Greatest Horror Writers of All-Time

Who was the best of the scare? Mania pulls together a list and there’s a lot of big names on it. I’m pretty please to see who came in as number one.

Art:

The Art Of Bruce Pennington

I’m a big fan of 70s cover art. There’s something earnest about it. If you want to see some of the best check out the work of Bruce Pennington. He’s created a wide range of covers from macabre to the futuristic visions of science fiction.

The Bus by Paul Kirchner

I absolutely love this series of comics about a man and a bus. They’re more surreal than scary but they have that sort of Twilight Zone weirdness that makes them perfect for this time of year.

Mayokero Music Video

This music video by Israeli artist Roy Kafri takes classic album covers and brings them to life. It’s not really spooky, but it’s downright cool.

Random:

A Graphic Guide To Cemetery Symbolism

Great infographic from the fine folks over at Atlas Obscura explaining the meaning of common gravestone designs.

10 Scientific Explanations For Ghostly Phenomena

For the skeptics. Listverse explores 10 perfectly rational explanations for the spooky behavior people witness.

When The Stars Are Right…

A site attempting to set a definitive time line to the events portrayed in the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos. Mythos fans will love it.

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

The Thing On The Doorstep

A man makes a case why he’s not a murderer despite sending six-bullets through the head of his friend. His bizarre reasoning won’t be what you think.

Gif of the Week:

Have a happy Halloween everyone!

Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: bruce pennington, cthulhu mythos, ghosts, gravestones, h.p. lovecraft, Horror, roy kafri, writing

Old Broken Road, 1 Week Old

Well, Old Broken Road has been out for one whole week! I’ve seen a few reviews crop up and that is always exciting. I hope everyone is enjoying the book. If you’ve finished, help me out by leaving an honest review either where you purchased the book or on Goodreads. (Or both!) Reviews help. A lot.

Those of you waiting for the Nook edition, fret not, the Nook version is out now. Yay! Eventually you’ll be able to buy the paperback from Barnes & Noble. It takes time though.

If you missed it yesterday, I now have Bell Caravan patches in my store. They’re  so incredibly awesome, you should get one for your jean jacket or bag or whatever. Check ‘em out.

If you need a refresher on the places and people of the Territories universe you might want to consider hitting up the Fan Art board on Pinterest. A lot of amazing artists have taken the time to illustrate their vision of the world. (If you have your own art, send it to me!) Likewise check out the inspiration board I put together for Old Broken Road, it’ll give you a glimpse into the imagery I was inspired by as I wrote the book.

Finally, if you haven’t picked up your copy there’s a bunch of ways to do so! See the list at oldbrokenroad.com. Just click the button for your favorite eBook platform, or order a paperback. Paperbacks ordered through Amazon and on my store also include the eBook version for FREE, that way you don’t have to wait for the book to arrive to start reading.

I really appreciate you showing me so much support and I hope you are enjoying the book! Thanks for taking the time to take a trip down the Old Broken Road. There’s a whole lot more to come.

Filed under: News, old broken road Tagged: Bell Caravans, Fan Art, goodreads, Nook, patches, Pinterest, Reviews, Swag

Bell Caravan Patches Are Now Available

Show your loyalty to the company with this three-inch black and white Bell Caravans patch. Put it on your jacket, your bag, your keff, or whatever you want! Patches are only $5.00 and are available in my store. Get yours today!

 

The logo was based on a concept by Ray Frenden and illustrated by the talented Sean Cumiskey. Long time readers will remember that Sean did some amazing fan art for The Stars Were Right last year. After I saw it, I contacted him and asked if I could use the logo above the door for a Russel & Sons bookmark and he agreed. I loved his work so much that I hired him to work up the Bell Caravans logo. He hit the ball out of the park and the result is this incredible patch.

Check out more of Sean’s work at his website. He is available for freelance projects, and is open to commissions, so seriously consider hiring him if you’re looking for an illustrator on your own projects. I cannot recommend him enough.

Filed under: old broken road, swag Tagged: Bell Caravans, Illustration, patch, Ray Frenden, Russel & Sons, Sean Cumiskey