K.M. Alexander's Blog, page 85

A Map of Nowhere Showing Everything.

My love of maps is no secret. So when I came across this drawing from 1874 taken from The Draughtsman’s Handbook by George G. André. I had to share it here.

To quote fellow Wordpress site Making Maps, the map below is “a map of nowhere showing everything” and it does a damn fine job at showing everything. There’s a lot here: hills, mud banks, lookouts, swamps, locks, a depot, the church, and even a stand of trees referred to as “the clump.” Make sure you click on the image below to see it larger. Making Map’s has a great post with a few more images taken from the book. I recommend checking it out.

“Plan shewing principle characters of work used in mapping.”

I really need to figure out how to get my hands on a physical copy of this, I bet it’d be glorious to see in person.

Filed under: Art, Inspiration Tagged: cartography, George G. André, maps, The Draughtsman’s Handbook

We’ve all been here.

It’s a place any creative has been—the trick is knowing that it is a trick. Current projects and future projects are the same thing. Remember the second of Heinlein’s Rules: You must finish.

This comic comes from the ridiculously talented Hallie Bateman over at Ridiculous Sister. Make sure you check out the rest of her blog. A lot of good stuff.

Filed under: Writing Tagged: creativity, Heinlein, projects, Ridiculous Sister, Writing

The “Old Broken Road” Cover Reveal!

Let’s cut to the chase; as promised here’s your first glance at the cover for Old Broken Road, the sequel to The Stars Were Right:

Caravan master Waldo Bell faces a new horror, one year after his experiences in The Stars Were Right. Wal and his friends make a desperate decision that sends them on a journey down the Broken Road, where death and madness await. There they fight for sanity and survival as a crawling chaos hunts for new victims.

I am really proud of this one. There’s a lot of similarities between this and The Stars Were Right and a lot of subtle nuances that help set it apart. As a result it helps unify the series while still keeping each individual story separate. They also look really good next to one another.

Once again, a huge thanks to Jon Contino for his help with the lettering. Jon is a master at hand lettering and has done work for Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, The National, and brands like Ford, Jameson, and Nike. I’m honored he was willing to help me out with these covers. In my opinion, his lettering is what carries the tone. You should check out more of his work over at his site.

As with The Stars Were Right I’m using an old etching by Gustav Doré as the background. I have always been a fan of Doré’s work. His attention to detail is amazing for etching. There’s something masterful in his approach. If you want to see the full piece: “Rizpah’s Kindness toward the Dead” you can check it out over at Wikimedia.

Let me know what you think of the cover in the comments! Old Broken Road is due out later this year and will be available in trade paperback and on all eReader devices. Sign up for my newsletter and be one of the first to know when it launches!

Filed under: Old Broken Road Tagged: Cover, cover design, cover reveal, Gustav Doré, indie publishing, jon contino, Old Broken Road

Friday Link Pack 04/25/2014

It’s time to share a few interesting links I have found throughout the week. 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!

Writing:

Ten Things I’d Like To Say To Young Writers

Great (and encouraging) article from Chuck Wendig. The last point about finishing is probably one of the most important pieces of advice anyone can give a new writer. (See also: #2 of Heinlein’s rules.)

The Old Broken Road Cover Reveal Is Just Around The Corner

Those triumphant few who subscribe to my newsletter have gotten their preview. The rest of you will need to wait until next Tuesday when I do a proper cover reveal here on the blog. Only four more days!

Happiness Study Says Library Trips Are As Good As A Pay Raise

We all knew this, but here’s some solid proof: libraries make people happy.

Art:

Hari & Deepti’s Shadow Boxes

Amazing hand cut paper boxes by Denver, Colorado artist duo Hari & Deepti. The level of depth and detail achieved with just paper and light is incredible.

“After the Storm” by Kari-Lise Alexander

My last favorite painting from my amazingly talented wife has been replaced with this new one. I love it so much. (It’s already sold and won’t be lingering around our house very long so I am enjoying it as much as I can.)

Random:

David Foster Wallace was right: Irony is ruining our culture

My friend Ray Frenden shared this Salon article on twitter yesterday and I got to say it’s real good. An honest look at irony’s effect on our modern culture.

Project Naptha

A new browser extension for Chrome that allows you to copy/paste text from any image. Quite handy.

Dear FCC Why Do You Hate Consumers?

If you’re an American (or a citizen of the internet) you should be real pissed about the stuff coming from the FCC this week.

Did you see the crow I filmed mimicking the sound of my neighbor’s cat?

You really should.

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

The Book

Books can make you happy and they can also transport you to terrifying places.

Farewell Gif of the Week:


Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: FCC, happiness, Hari & Deepti, Kari-Lise Alexander, libraries, Lovecraft, Old Broken Road, Writing

Those triumphant few…

I have it on good authority (mine) that those triumphant few who subscribe to my newsletter are getting their sneak peek of the Old Broken Road cover right now. That’s a full six days before anyone else. While you might have missed out on joining them, make sure you sign up so you’re first in line next time I have something spectacular to share. (Like the book’s release.)

Sign Up Today!

Filed under: Old Broken Road Tagged: cover reveal, Newsletter, sneak peek, subscribers

The Meowing Crow

So, this Saturday I stepped out to empty some recycling. It was rainy and cold, and when I got to the street I heard a meowing sound. I emptied the recycling and noticed that the meowing persisted. My neighbor has a cat, the cat sometimes meows, I figure the cat had been locked outside and was upset. Makes sense right? So, I look around…there’s no cat and the meowing continued.

Eventually, I figured out that noise was coming from above me. When I looked up there was a crow perched on a power line…meowing. I stood stunned for a while shocked at how accurate a mimic the crow was. Finally I came to my senses and ran inside to grab my phone so I could record a video of him performing. The result is the video above. I wish it was longer—the crow flew off shortly after I shot this—but you can definitely hear the little guy mimicking a meow.

So, I submit to you this video as further evidence that crows are not only smart, but pretty much the best. I’m glad we can all be in agreement. If you want to learn more about the intelligence of the corvid family I highly recommend this video from NOVA, it goes into great detail and is well worth the watch.

(Oh, something book related, right: only 7 days until the Old Broken Road cover is revealed! Woohoo!)

Filed under: Random Tagged: animals, birds, corvid, crow, mimic, nature, Video

Friday Link Pack 4/18/2014

It’s time to share a few interesting links I have found throughout the week. 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!

Writing:

The 10 Commandments of Social Media Etiquette for Writers

Really appreciated seeing this article on from Anne R. Allen. I want to shout this link from the rooftops. I see so many writers on Twitter, Facebook, okay basically everywhere that break these rules and they end up looking well…less than professional. All 10 are very good. Learn ‘em and live ‘em.

Old Broken Road Cover Reveal Coming April 29th

Get excited! Only 10 days until the cover for Old Broken Road is revealed. Remember those who subscribe to my newsletter will see it before anyone else, as we all know that ups their radness by a factor of 10.

Lessons Learned From A Game Changing London Book Fair 2014

I try to not post back-to-back links from the same blog every week, but Joanna Penn‘s thoughts around this years London Book Fair were really good. Highly recommended.

10 Bits of Career Advice for a High School Artist

I debated putting this here or under the art section. I chose here. I think this is good advice for ANYONE working in a creative field.

The Stars Were (STILL) $2.99

I’m (still) having a sale! For a limited time ebook editions of The Stars Were Right can be purchased for only $2.99! Grab a copy today.

Random:

Pointer Pointer

It points. (Just try it. You’ll see.)

13 Places on Earth People Believed Were Entrances to Hell

io9 breaks down 13 places people once thought were entrances to the underworld. (Some of those entrances are oddly beautiful. Looking at you Fengdu.)

Tricorder Project

Follow a team working towards building a functioning tricorder. Yes, a real tricorder. Like from Star Trek.

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

Beyond the Wall of Sleep

Turn of the century mental hospitals can be frightening places.

Farewell Gif of the Week:

Filed under: Link Pack, Old Broken Road, The Stars Were Right Tagged: Career Advice, cover reveal, etiquette, Hell, London Book Fair, Lovecraft, Social Media, Tricorder

Old Broken Road Cover Reveal Coming April 29th

Writing Excuses: Becoming a Writer—Full Disclosure

If you aren’t listening to the Writing Excuses the podcast featuring novelist Mary Robinette Kowal, fantasy novelist Brandon Sanderson, comicsmith Howard Tayler, and horror novelist Dan Wells you should fix that immediately. It’s great for the aspiring writer. The most recent episode “Becoming a Writer: Full Disclosure” is really good, the gang has a candid conversation about the sort of stuff people don’t talk about when they discuss careers in writing: bad reviews, health, time management, reading, and more. Check it out:

Download: 15-writing-excuses-9-15_-becoming-a-writere28094full-disclosure.mp3

It’s never long, usually about 20 minutes, and it’s always full of consistently solid advice from folks with plenty of experience. I highly recommend subscribing and becoming a dedicated listener.

Filed under: Writing Tagged: advice, reading, Reviews, time management, Writing Excuses

Smashwords!

I am platform agnostic. If you have a favorite place to read I want to have my books available there. With that goal in mind I’m happy to announce that The Stars Were Right is now available on Smashwords. As with everywhere else it’s available for a limited time with a sale price of $2.99 (and should be through the end of the month.) Enjoy!

Filed under: The Stars Were Right Tagged: ebooks, reading, sale, Smashwords