Kurt Hansen's Blog

My Co-Author got Married!

Sailed off to Antigua, it took her three days on a boat. Lookin’ for some peace and quiet, maybe keep her dreams afloat. Why the Jimmy Buffett reference? My co-author Jess, and Dan LaRusso are currently enjoying the amenities of the Caribbean lifestyle. Beaches, saltwater, sunshine, new friends, stingrays, sand bars, and open bars. All of these experiences manifest into great memories, and memories like this are retained in all of us at one time in our lives. Jess and Dan are now honeymooners after an awesome wedding. Perhaps an event that will foster memories upon generations yet to come, through stories and happenings that will spark life itself. Time is a relative thing. My beautiful wife and I have been married for 29 years and I still cherish every day. Carpe diam!
Jess and I also want to thank all of you that entered our Goodreads contest! Five winners were selected out of 501 entries which is awesome! Thanks again to all of you that entered!
Let’s all wish Jess and Dan the best in their marriage, good weather on the honeymoon, and many years of growing to love each other more every day. Just watch out for the sharks that live on the land! Fins to the left, fins to the right!
Stay posted for more giveaways yet to come!
Kurt

April Giveaways

Computer Love Inc. III Blood Brothers is scheduled for release this June! In celebration of the upcoming release, our first two science fiction thriller eBooks in the series are on sale for just 99 cents. You may also want to check out our Facebook and Twitter pages during the month of April – each week, we are holding a free book giveaway contest!
We would like to thank all of our science fiction readers as well as our Facebook and Twitter followers. Much has happened in our lives since we released Computer Love Inc. and Computer Love Inc. II: Gestation. Jess met a wonderful man, and is now engaged to be married this fall. She is far from a “bridezilla,” and we are working together on the latest re-write of Computer Love Inc. III Blood Brothers in parallel with wedding plans!
Stay tuned for the release of our third sci-fi thriller and sign up on our e-mail list (we do NOT send spam – promise!) and we’ll notify you of the official release date for Computer Love Inc. III Blood Brothers.
If you would like to contact us, we can be reached on FB, Twitter, or at computerloveincnovel@gmail.com.

Steven Avery and the Importance of Storytelling

If you have a Netflix account, we’re betting that you may have recently come off a 10-hour binge of watching the docu-series that’s been garnering tremendous hype, Making a Murderer. Even if you aren’t a Netflix subscriber, the media attention and cult-like following surrounding Steven Avery’s infamous murder trial has been near-impossible to ignore.

Most people who have watched the series have a strong opinion about Avery’s role (or, lack thereof) in Teresa Halbach’s murder. Avery’s fate has polarized the nation, with some individuals vehemently defending Ken Kratz’s version of events, arguing that the series may have been too one-sided, and could have left out critical evidence. For others, the evidence that was presented in Making a Murderer was enough to absolve Avery entirely in their minds (not to mention his teenage nephew, whose limited mental capabilities were sinfully used to the investigators’ advantage during interrogations).

Theories are circulating on Reddit pointing to other suspects. Nancy Grace is adamant about his guilt. People magazine interviewed Ken Kratz. And, we’d be remiss if we forgot to mention Avery’s attorneys, Dean Strang and Jerry Buting: people across the nation have fallen for these righteous hero figures, fast and hard.

But let’s not overlook the women behind it all: Making a Murderer was put together over the course of ten years by filmmakers Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi. They began filming the docuseries in December of 2005, and even moved to Wisconsin for a period of two years to effectively capture the events that were unfolding in Manitowoc County. That’s some true dedication, and all in the name of capturing the story of Steven Avery. Yet, interestingly enough, the filmmakers are not invested in Avery’s fate.

In a recent Rolling Stone interview, Ricciardi says, “We have no stake in the outcome of the trial; we have no stake in whether Steven is innocent or guilty.”

If you’re like us, that statement probably made you do a double take.

No stake in Avery’s verdict, despite spending 10 years documenting his story? What, then, is it all about?

The simplest answer comes from Ricciardi herself. She says, “We were taking a procedural look at the system.”

That may come off a bit insensitive at first, but let’s think about what she’s saying for a minute.

Whether or not Steven Avery is guilty – and it’s possible we’ll never know for sure; by now, any hope for complete transparency and unaltered “truth” is virtually shot – Ricciardi and Demos have given Avery the greatest gift that anyone could want. They’ve shared his story.

Yes, it matters whether or not Avery is guilty. It matters to the family of the victim, and for many, the resolution of the story and whether or not it will come to any sort of a satisfactory ending hinges solely on whether or not Avery had a part in Halbach’s murder.

But the filmmakers are right. That’s not the most important part of this. What’s most important is that Avery’s story is being told, and it’s prompting everyone who hears it, watches it, or reads about it, to think. We’re questioning whether or not he was treated fairly by our judicial system. Many can agree that, whether or not he or Dassey had any involvement in the crime, they were most certainly not given a fair chance at justice in the courtroom. Add to that the gross mishandling of the rape case, for which Avery spent 18 years in jail despite being innocent, and you have a man who serves as a stellar example of just how quickly your own justice system can work against you.

Ultimately, after watching Making a Murderer, we’re left not only questioning whether or not Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey killed Teresa Halbach, but also how in the world such an obvious abuse of power could have played out without repercussion. Some viewers are left with questions about Manitowoc County, others still may come away feeling disillusioned about the Wisconsin judicial system as a whole. And many feel compelled to do something about it: there were nearly 360,000 signatures included in the petition to free Avery, which made its way all the way to the White House (they even issued a response).

Still, it makes you wonder: how many other instances like this have occurred? Or, how many injustices are still ongoing? If we hadn’t had Ricciardi and Demos to record and share Avery’s story, many of us would probably never have known about it. Or, perhaps we’d have gotten snippets of it from the news, here and there. But we’d never have been given the chance to hear the whole story.

The point we’re trying to make is this: tell your story. Everyone has a story to tell. It may not be – and in fact, we hope it’s not – as shocking as Steven Avery’s. It may not even be true, and it doesn’t have to be: some of the greatest stories that have penetrated the consciences of millions are works of fiction. While nonfiction works like The Diary of Anne Frank and The Origin of Species certainly play a role in shaping the way we think about the world, we also have fiction works like Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Brave New World, which certainly have just as great of an impact on society.

Maybe you won’t get hundreds of thousands of readers, viewers, or listeners right now; perhaps not ever. But if your story can make someone think, dig a bit deeper, and question the things that were once taken for granted (like justice), then it demands to be told.

August 2015

Ripe red Jersey Fresh tomatoes, straight from the vine. Our family has just started enjoying the late-season crops from our bountiful garden. Cucumbers, green beans, and peapods have garnished many dishes set out on our table in recent weeks… not to mention the spaghetti squash and zucchini that we have carved out, refilled, enjoyed, and reheated on numerous occasions. There’s something so rewarding about feeding your loved ones with food that you’ve cultivated with your own hands from seed to harvest.

The mornings have been growing colder, and though it’s bittersweet to see the first subtle signs of fall creeping in, there’s still much to look forward to through the remainder of the summer. For one thing, we will be featured on the Fussy Librarian site throughout Labor Day Weekend. To fellow indie authors, readers, and anyone who appreciates reading in general: we highly recommend giving this site a visit. Not only does it provide great exposure for authors of science fiction, romance, and everything in between, but it also offers great recommendations tailored to each individual reader.

We are still pushing through the third novel in our series and are truly enjoying the experience. We hope to publish soon and thank all of our fellow readers for their continued support. This summer is flying by at record speed – quicker than we anticipated – but keep in touch here, on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter to find out more from the CL Inc. authors!

What are your plans for the rest of the summer? We hope you’re catching some sunny days, and as always, getting some reading in as well!

Twitter: @ComputerLoveInc
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Authors' site

June 2015

June 2015 - Finally! The grass is green, and the warmth of spring has brought us back into full bloom. Summer is fast approaching, and now we can all enjoy some of the sunny, mild weather that we’ve dearly missed all winter. As avid readers, we feel that there’s no better time to treat yourself to a new book and enjoy a long, lazy afternoon that seems to stretch on endlessly. With rising temps and extra daylight hours, who can resist the urge to sit back and kill a few chapters? Certainly not us!

We hope you, too, get the urge for an interesting and fast-paced summertime read. Our action-packed sci-fi novel can be enjoyed on the beach of your choice (or backyard, KOA, or cityscape!). Whether you’re turning pages under the umbrella, from the comfort of a reclining lounge chair, or poised on the bow of your boat (lucky you!), we hope you’ll take a few minutes to just enjoy the world of Computer Love Inc. - a true escape from reality as we know it today, for now, at least...

Because summertime already has us in a good mood (and everyone loves a sale), in anticipation of the release of the third Computer Love Inc. novel, Blood Brothers, we are dropping the price for the first and second eBooks in the trilogy. Each eBook is currently on sale for 99 cents, but it’s for a limited time only. You can also sign up on our Facebook page to get a glimpse of the third novel in the series for a free summertime treat. Speaking of treats, take that extra cash and go spend it on an ice cream cone!

To the fellow indie authors, readers, artists, and friends, we’d like to say thanks to everyone, and enjoy this rare summer weather while it lasts.

Giveaway for Second Novel in Series

If you’re located anywhere remotely close to where we live, chances are that you’ve recently experienced a barrage of unwelcome snow. Yes, we know that it’s February and this is typical for the northeastern region of the U.S., but it would still be nice to be able to see where the mailbox ends and the yard begins - right now, it’s impossible to tell, since all we can see is a sea of white. We don’t know about you, but we’re sick of winter, and yes, we’re complaining about it shamelessly.

But on a happier note, we do have some good news. If you’re looking for a little glimmer of hope this month, we encourage you to enter our Goodreads giveaway contest. We’re giving away eight copies of the second novel in our series, titled Computer Love Inc. II: Gestation to random winners who enter by March 1st, 2015. We wish everyone good luck, and are sending warm thoughts to all of our fans and followers! Don’t give up hope - one flip of the calendar, and spring will be in sight.

December

Hi everyone! Today, we are launching our new month-long book tour through Bewitching Book Tours, and we couldn't be more excited. There will be lots of stops for us between now and mid-January, and we can't wait to see how it all unfolds. We look forward to meeting new friends and followers along the way! Also, if you choose to enter our new giveaway contest, we wish you the best of luck. Happy Holidays to all of our readers and followers, and remember, the novels make a great gift for any of the readers and sci-fi fans on your list!

Hello, Everyone!

Welcome to all of our new followers. If you found us through the Book Blast Blog Tour giveaway contest, we thank you for entering! We hope that you enjoyed reading an excerpt from Computer Love Inc. II: Gestation and getting to know a bit about the characters.

We are so excited to hear from all of you, and we hope that you'll continue to stay in touch. Writing the second novel was truly a whirwind, edge-of-your-seat experience for both of us, and we hope that the excitement that we felt will translate onto the page for you. We truly enjoyed every step of the way, and are eagerly anticipating the completion of the third novel.

The positive comments, reviews, and interesting discussions we experienced following the publication of our first book were overwhelming and throroughly enjoyable. We hope we hope that we can continue this dialouge with all of our readers through the second and third books! Please, as always, feel free to reach out to us via email, Facebook, or Twitter. We love hearing from our readers!

The framework for the third novel has been completed, and Jess is currently working through the middle portion of the book. She has taken on the challenge of completing the third novel (in its pre-editing stages) by the end of November. Having recently completed a half-marathom and finishing seventh in her age group, I can attest to the fact that she does not take challenges lightly.

We hope you enjoy Computer Love Inc. II: Gestation, and we are so thankful for all of our supporters!