K.M. Alexander's Blog, page 96
September 16, 2013
The art of Allen Williams
Hollie and The Death of Trees by Allen Williams
As many of you may know I am heavily influenced by art. I have a whole slew of Pinterest boards set up to organize things I find that inspire me for my various projects. So from time to time I want to share artists I have discovered with the hope that you will also be inspired.
The other day I was introduce to Allen Williams art and I absolutely love it. Working in graphite and mixed media his pieces are as beautiful and bizarre as they are stunning and scary. It’s a wonderful mix of H.P. Lovecraft and H. R. Giger with the technical expertise of M.C. Escher. There’s enough reality in his work that most viewers will find something recognizable, but he forces the viewer outside their comfort zone by twisting what is recognizable into something otherworldly. That’s hard to do, and do well, and it’s impressive how well Williams does it.
Some of my favorite pieces:
Cthulu Head
Hollie and the Death of Trees (Detail at the top of this post.)
Wild Things
To see more of his work take a look the rest of his site, also follow him on twitter, and add his blog to your favorite RSS reader. If you want his work grace your walls as well check out his store, he has quite a few originals and prints for sale.
September 13, 2013
Friday Link Pack
It’s Friday so I figured why not take the time to share a few interesting links I have found throughout the week. (I will fully admit I am stealing this idea from Swiss Miss.) Some of these I mention on twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do!
Writing:
A Recipe for Great Characters
Author Dave Farland shares some advice on how to make a character engrossing. It’s a quick read and really solid advice.
Famous Scifi And Fantasy Authors In Their Workspaces
I always love stuff like this. It’s cool to the space where authors I respect spend the majority of their time.
Writing in Public Project
Author Dean Wesley Smith is detailing his life as a writer by blogging about it every day for a year. Word counts. Emails. Everything. It’s been fun to follow along.
Random:
“The Last of Us” Title Sequence
Awesome post by the good folks over at Art of the Title (@WilliamHPerkins and @lolamachine) detailing how the titles for the game “The Last of Us” was created. It’s a great read.
Abandoned Places
A tumblr sharing photos of abandoned (and sometimes creepy) places. Great location inspiration. (Thanks Margit Sage for sharing this.)
Daddy Cool by Boney M
This is my favorite song in the world right now. Everything about this video is perfect: the song, the awkward white people, everything.
Lovecraft Story of the Week:
The Cats of Ulthar
Moral of the story: be nice to cats.
Farewell Gif(s) of the Week:
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September 11, 2013
The financials of being a fantasy writer
Reddit has a good thread going where someone asked how much a fantasy author can expect to earn in a year. In awesome redditor style two successful fantasy authors stepped up and shared how much money they actually earn off their books, one was traditionally published Paul S. Kemp (Tales of Egil & Nix, The Erevis Cale Trilogy) the other was self-published author Michael J. Sullivan (The Riyria Chronicles.) Give it a read, it’s a good look into the financials of our creative endeavours and the results aren’t surprising.
It boils down to this: in areas where the cost of living is higher the money made as a mildly successful fantasy author may not be enough to keep you afloat, especially if you have a family you’re supporting. However, if you live modestly, you’ll probably do all right.
It’s interesting this has come up, with my debut novel “The Stars Were Right” so close to launch I have been thinking a lot about the financial side of being a fantasy writer. All sorts of questions have popped into my head: what if it flops? What if I never make back the money I have put into the book? What if no one ever reads it? *gasp!* It can be stressful stuff.
I have come to the conclusion that for me it’s not about making millions (or even thousands) and achieving Harry Potter success—I love my day job—I am not writing for the money. I’m writing because I love it. I’m writing because I have stories to tell. I’m writing because I want people to enjoy my stories. I can only encourage others to feel the same way. Don’t write for any other reason: not money, nor fame. Write because you love it. Write because you have a story to tell. In the end no one else can put a value on your personal fulfillment.
(The dragon image above was created by Aomori. You can see the full work here.)
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Kari-Lise now has prints available in the US!
Exciting news! Kari-Lise Alexander—my awesome wife who I have posted about before—has finally released a series of limited edition prints for sale here in the US! Click here to check ‘em out! She also has some original sketches up on her store as well. If you’re unfamiliar with her work I suggest checking out her website and giving her a follow on the Instagrams.
September 10, 2013
Listening Recommendation: Welcome to Night Vale
This is a bit different from my normal reading recommendations as it actually isn’t about anything to read, instead it’s about something you should listen to. “Welcome to Night Vale” is a free podcast written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor and distributed by Commonplace Books and it’s been dominating the iTunes download charts.
It’s fantastic. Narrated by Cecil Baldwin public-radio style ”Welcome to Night Vale” centers around the local events happening in the fictional desert town of Night Vale. At first it seems like innocent enough news stories: PTA meetings, the library groundbreaking, weather, news about the local dog park, but it quickly becomes clear that things in this town aren’t what they seem. Everything in Night Vale is twisted and slightly off kilter—it’s weird—and everyone in the town is strangely okay with it. You know what…it works, “Welcome to Night Vale” does what a lot of fiction can only dream of: it become alive.
A lot of people have had a tough time describing the podcast but my favorite description comes from the Wikipedia page, it describes “Welcome to Night Vale” as:
The news from Lake Wobegon as seen through the eyes of Stephen King.
It’s the perfect description, Fink and Cranor create an engaging place full of mystery and laughs channeling the best from Lovecraft and Orson Welles and it’s worth any weird fiction fan’s time. I’d also recommend the interview Fink and Carnor had with NPR’s Jacki Lyden on Weekend, they go into some interesting details about their process.
Join me and give “Welcome to Night Vale” a listen. Turn on your radio and hide.
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September 9, 2013
Epic Music Mega Mix
Here is some music to write to: whether you’re character is storming the halls of valhalla hammer in hand, leading soldier into the climactic final battle, or relaxing in the inn and making a delicious sandwich, I am sure you’ll find the music in the mix below will make any scene—no matter how mundane—quite epic.
(Thanks to Kevin for sharing this with me.)
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September 6, 2013
The men behind Oklahoma’s monument to Azathoth
I posted over the weekend about the mysterious monument to Azathoth showing up outside the Paseo Grill in Oklahoma City. Well, it seems the creators have been found and io9 has an interview with the two of them including some great pics of the monument’s creation. My favorite response was in answer to the question: What’s been your favorite part of this whole thing?
David: …Also the idea that “several strong men could not have put it there.” It was two weak-ass dudes amped up on adrenaline. And you know, physics. Gravity…
A fitting conclusion to the mystery. The rest of the interview is great, you should check it out.
Friday Link Pack
It’s Friday so I figured why not take the time to share a few interesting links I have found throughout the week. (I will fully admit I am stealing this idea from Swiss Miss.) Some of these I mention on twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do!
Writing:
Baiting Your Characters
Setsu Uzume shares a handy tips to flesh out and fully understand your secondary and minor characters. (Would work on main characters as well.)
The Hidden Key to Creativity
Lauren Sapala writes a quick article about how to get out of your head and refresh yourself creatively. For me it’s reading, designing, and hiking, what works for you?
50 writing errors that make you look like an amateur
Charlie White compiles a list of things authors need to look out for in their writing. It’s good stuff. He has another list of 25 more errors here.
Art:
Peter Bellerby – The Globemaker
Great short about Peter Bellerby an artisan globemaker in London. It’s really well produced and shows the outcome of dedication and hard work.
The Monsters of Ray Frenden
My buddy, illustrator and and Harley Davidson spokesman, Ray Frenden was featured on Juxtapoz’ blog. Go check his work out, and give him a follow on the Twitters.
Random:
Welcome to Night Vale Podcast
I will probably do a Reading—er…Listening Recommendation for “Welcome to Night Vale” in the future. However in the meantime go subscribe (it’s free) and immerse yourself in the new weird world that is Night Vale and join me in hating on Desert Bluffs.
What do you call a group of fox? How about magpies? Okay smarty pants what about herring? If you don’t know the answers click the link and see the USGS’s list of animal congregation terms.
Lovecraft Story of the Week:
The Rats in the Walls
Do yourself a favor if you have never read this: go in blind.
Farewell Gif(s) of the Week:
Have a good weekend everyone! I’ll leave you with a couple of animated gifs for your enjoyment. I absolutely love the old guy:
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September 5, 2013
Thar be Monsters
Map and monster fans rejoice! BibliOdyseey has a great post on their site where they explore the subject of monsters on…well, old maps. Focusing on images from the book “Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps“ the post goes as far to include some great high-resolution scans of the creatures drawn the pages of old maps: Renaissance-style dolphins with strange ducks bills, horned whales devouring ships, even the elusive marine chicken.
Check it out if you looking for inspiration for unique creatures to fill the page of your own manuscript or you’re just a fan of monsters, it’s full of some great stuff. Heck, that book looks like it’s full of great stuff. I think I need to add it to my home library.
Oh! Long time readers/subscribers might notice I have now created a “Maps” category. Because I am often obsessive and this probably won’t be my last “LOOK AT THIS AWESOME MAP” post.
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