M. Joseph Murphy's Blog, page 4

New Novel Coming - Are You Watching Me?

 


I'm happy to announce my new novel will be available for pre-order soon with a release date of March 29th. It takes place in the same universe as my Activation series but starts one year before Council of Peacocks. It's also a different genre for me: pure thriller.
Here's the blurb:
A sex addict attracts the attention of a serial killer.

The city is on edge. A bizarre serial killer with a fetish for dolls has sexually assaulted and murdered three men. The police are baffled, unable to find a link between the victims.
Clive Dufault is a sex addict with obsessive compulsive disorder. He commits daring public sex acts, records them on his phone, and uploads them to the internet. He's always careful to hide his face but now he's lost his anonymity.
Someone is watching him.
Clive discovers the killer is targeting sex addicts, specifically those who post their activities online. And he is next on the list.
Time is running out. Now, the killer isn't just following Clive online. He's behind him on the subway. Waiting for him at work. Inside his apartment.
Clive needs to discover who the killer is before he becomes the next victim. His investigation uncovers a startling fact: the victims share more in common than sex addiction.
Are You Watching Me? is a fast-paced thriller filled with shocking violence and intriguing plot twists that will keep you guessing.

Open Call for Submissions - SFP Indie Magazine Seeks Contributors #asmsg

 
 The recent issue of SFP Indie is a little light on content. Therefore we are putting in an open call for submissions. We need the following:
 famous women in science fiction historytrends in paranormal romancethe science behind science fictionthe influence of Game of Thrones success on TV to fantasywhy women in science fiction kick major butt other articles of interest focused on fans of science fiction, fantasy, or paranormal fictionA review on a science fiction, fantasy, or paranormal book (preferably written by a member of ASMSGAn interview of a member of ASMSG who writes science fiction, fantasy, or urban fantasy

What we DON'T want:
Shameless self promotionCover revealsNon-genre related articles
For an article to be accepted you MUST be a current member of ASMSG.

Articles should be between 500-1000 words and may have been published before. Normally we pull articles already published on members websites. However, there were few releveant posts for this issue.


In exchange for allowing us to use your work, you will provide buy links for a book of your choice and links to your social media (Facebook, Twitter, and blog). Normally we charge for advertising; however, we are waiving all fees for this issue as a thank you for helping us out.


Submissions can be sent me using the contact form to the left or on the SFP Indie's Facebook page.  Link: SFP Indie Magazine on Facebook          Past Issues of SFP Indie Magazine on Issu         Past Issues on SFP Indie Magazine on Joomag   

5 Reasons Jupiter Ascending is Basically Brazil in Space

Source: www.hdwallpapers.in
By now you're heard that Jupiter Ascending did not do well at the box office. But does that automatically mean it's bad? Many movies now considered cult classics bombed at the box office. (Link: 11 Classic Movies That Were Box Office Bombs) My gut tells me, no matter what it's Rotten Tomato score, this is a movie we will be talking about for years.

1. Terry Frickin' GilliamWhen I left the movie I wanted to know if others had sensed a connection between Jupiter Ascending and Brazil. So I Googled "Jupiter Ascending Brazil" and learned that the one and only Terry Gilliam made a small but significant cameo in the film.


2. Weirdness About MotherIn Jupiter Ascending, one of the evil guys blackmails Jupiter into a marriage. What's weird about that is that Jupiter is the reincarnation of his mother. She looks exactly like his mother. Ick. Even though they're not biologically related, he believes she is his mother reborn. She looks exactly like her. Need I describe any furthur how icky this is?

However, in Brazil it's a bit creepier. Sam Lowry, the main character of Brazil, has daydreams about saving a beautiful redhead, Jill. At the end of the movie, his mother (played by the amazing Katherine Helmond has plastic surgery which makes her look exactly like Jill. Freud would have a field day. The viewer is left to wonder if Jill ever really existed or if she was simply a projection of Lowry's Oedipal feelings about his mother.




3. We're All SlavesJupiter's character has a similar story arch to Sam Lowry. Both are stuck in jobs they hate and dream of escape. Lowry is a low-level bureaucrat. Jupiter cleans toilets. While Brazil shows there is no escape from dehumanizing technology, Jupiter Ascending is a battle cry to the 99%. It demonizes the wealthy who live for millenia on the fuel of a humanity grown like a crop to feed their needs.

4. It's a Weird Hot MessLike Brazil and Time Bandits (another of Gilliam's classics) there is a lot going on in Jupiter Ascending. Some people will say there's too much. Even though Brazil is now seen as a cult classic, many reviewers hated it when it was released, including Roger Ebert.

"The movie is awash in elaborate special effects, sensational sets, apocalyptic scenes of destruction and a general lack of discipline. It's as if Gilliam sat down and wrote out all of his fantasies, heedless of production difficulties, and then they were filmed" - Roger Ebert Brazil

Link: Review of Brazil by Roger Ebert

Jupiter Ascending has the same hectic pacing, creating a dream-like quality to large sections of the film. Like any Gilliam film, it will require several viewings before you catch everything here.

5. Release ProblemsJupiter Ascending was all set for a 2014 release when it was suddenly and surprisingly pulled. In some ways this worked in the films benefit. A year ago most people did not know who Eddie Redmayne was. Now he's up for an Oscar (although truth be told his performance is the single worst thing about this movie).
Link: Jupiter Ascending is Not Eddie Redmayne's Norbit

Gilliam struggled to get Brazil released in the U.S. because the studio didn't like the ending or the message of the movie...so they edited them out.

"...their immediate reaction was a nervous one: 'We're not sure what we've got, so let's try to change it into something that we do understand.' And I refused to play ball with them. I said, 'Sorry, this is the film that we agreed to make.'  Terry Gilliam Interviewed About Brazil

Link: FAQ - Brazil the Movie

ConclusionSo is Jupiter Ascending as good as Brazil. That's really impossible to say right now. Many of Gilliam's movies have been disastrous at the box office. However, time has been especially kind to them. They are movies that are impossible to forget. They linger at the back of your mind urging you to watch them over and over.

Lana WachowskiPerhaps the same will be true for the Wachowski's. Like Gilliam, they have had a rocky relationship with Hollywood. However, it's important to remember that Hollywood has a history of not supporting movies that turned out to be legends.

I'll leave you with a quote directly from Lana Wachowski herself:

“There were tons of movies that made a lot of money and were utterly and completely forgotten. Likewise, there were movies that didn’t make money that are still around and are still important and relevant.”
Link: Jupiter Ascending - What the Hell Happened?


Links:6 Things in Jupiter Ascending That Aren't Terrible.

BOOKS BY M JOSEPH MURPHY:
Amazon: M Joseph Murphy on Amazon: Paperback and ebook
Smashwords: M Joseph Murphy Author Page on Smashwords
Kobo: M Joseph Murphy Books on Kobo

Perfect Fix for Vampire Junkies: The Nightlife Moscow #asmsg #vampires

The Nightlife: Moscow has everything vampire-junkies need: sex, blood and violence. Say goodbye to your family and friends. When you start reading The Nightlife: Moscow the rest of your world will seem like a petty distraction. Luedke's whirlwind pacing makes this book impossible to put down. 
The novel starts with Aaron and his crew infiltrating the military compound of an ancient vampire with ties to the Russian mafia. Layered through the intense action in modern-day Moscow is a finely woven alternative magical history giving added richness to the already-intriguing world. 
Just when you think everything is going well for our vampires, Luedke throws in an twist that takes the series in a completely unexpected and glorious direction. The world they live in has never been more interesting. 
I enjoyed Luedke’s first few books. However, everything he’s written from Nightlife: Paris on has been one masterpiece after another.If you haven't read his work yet, do yourself a favor and pick up The Nightlife: Moscow today.THE GOODEvery time I think Luedke has written the best scene ever he ups the ante. Each book in the Nightlife Series is better than the last. The first half of this book is on par with early Jim Butcher. 
What Luedke has that Butcher doesn’t is sex. Lots and lots of sex. One of the benefits of ebooks is no one can has to know what your reading. However, you may want to read this in private to avoid any embarrassing blushing and hot flashes. There tintilating erotic dances with horrific and fantastical elements creating a breath-taking story. The whirlwind pacing of this book makes this book impossible to put down.
If you took the sex out you would have a book that falls easily in the top 10% of urban fantasy works. Adding the sex brings the Nightlife: Moscow to a completely different level. There is no voice quite like Luedke on the market today.

Link:  Exclusive Spotlight on The Nightlife Moscow by Smutsonian.com
THE BADThe book ends with our characters in a very interesting space. Now I have to wait god knows how long to see what happens next. So the bad news is I don't have a time machine and I have to wait for the next book. 
SYNOPSISVampires Aaron and Michelle have landed in Moscow, on the prowl. In the company of a misfit pack of mercenary werewolves and Urvashi, a fallen angel, the vampires are forced into the violent, decadent underworld of Russian mafia, drugs and blood slaves.
This time the hunters have become the hunted.
Dmitri, a Russian vampire billionaire, sends his mafia goons to the streets, gunning for the wolf pack. Now they must bring the fight to Dmitri and face the ultimate battle for survival.
Experience the violent, sensual underbelly of Nightlife Moscow, as Aaron and Michelle mix up a wicked blend of sex, chaos, mayhem, and vengeance.
Get your copy of the latest urban fantasy – paranormal suspense novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Travis Luedke.
ABOUT THE AUTHORTravis Luedke is a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy, scifi, and paranormal romance, best known for his violently sexy NIGHTLIFE SERIES. Travis can be found catching a third degree sunburn in San Antonio, Texas, while plotting world domination through erotic paranormal badassary.

As the author of the Nightlife Series novels, Travis lives very vicariously through his writings. He invites you to enjoy his macabre flights of fancy, but be warned: The Nightlife Series is violent, sexy, and occasionally violently


THE NIGHTLIFE MOSCOW
(Book 5 in The Nightlife Series)
$.99 on Amazon: http://smarturl.it/NightlifeMoscow

Add to Goodreads: http://ow.ly/Govgq

Add to Booklikes: http://ow.ly/GoxDW








BOOKS BY M JOSEPH MURPHY: Amazon: M Joseph Murphy on Amazon: Paperback and ebook
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Kobo: M Joseph Murphy Books on Kobo

5 Things I Learned From a Traditional Publisher

People self-publish for a variety of reasons. For some it’s repeated rejection from the big publishing houses; for others it’s a desire for complete control over the process. Honestly, neither was an influence for me. I've only submitted once and never heard back from them. It was my one and only rejection.

For me, all I've ever wanted was to attract the attention of a big publisher. i learned they closely watch the self-publishing world. Like talent scouts, they seek out for highly-developed talent and help them reach a larger market.

Two years and four published novels later, I have a small but loyal fan base. I had completely given up on traditional publishing because it didn’t seem necessary. People around the world were buying and enjoying my books. Still, a tiny part of me still wondered if I would be better off working with a traditional publisher.

Then the universe gifted me with a very fortunate “coincidence” (note: I don’t believe in coincidences). On a trip to China I met Jim, a author from  Canada, He was published through a small Canadian press and had even hit the best sellers list in Canada. He raved about his relationship with his editor and suddenly I was interested. I firmly believe a novel is only as good as its editor. People often rant about the low writing quality on books such as Twilight or Fifty Shades of Grey. However, I don’t blame that on the writers. Where were the bloody editors? It’s their freakin’ job to ensure quality. Okay, rant over.

Jim was one of the most fascinating and genuinely interesting person I’ve ever met. So when he told me he would speak to his publisher about me I told him to go ahead. I had zero expectation he would.

But he did.

And it turns out the company that published him was also incredibly interesting. When I saw the calibre of books they put out and the authors they had worked with I’ll admit to being more than a little star struck. We corresponded for several months through email. Last week we spoke for the first time on the phone. It was a life changing conversation.

So here’s what I learned talking to a traditional publisher.

1. Everyone takes you more seriously.When I told people I was talking with a traditional publisher about getting my books into brick and mortar stores I was blown away by their response. People I hadn’t spoken to in years were suddenly congratulating me. Forget that I’d already published four books, now that a publisher was talking to me suddenly I was a real writer. Admitted I was wrapped up in the glamor too. This company had worked with some of the biggest names in Canadian literature. And now they were talking to me? I started to imagine myself at fancy writing events sitting next to Margaret Atwood and Neil Gaiman drinking champagne and talking about zombies. Hey, a guy can dream.

2. Most authors’ sales suck.I’d always heard that publisher will only approach self-published authors if their sales numbers are really high. Although sales are higher on release day, I average 2 book sales per day.  Additionally I was recently part of an ebook box set called The Shadow Box which sold around 2000 copies in the first few weeks. I was disappointed by these numbers because they were way below my expectations.

When I told the publisher my sales numbers, he exhaled slowly and made the big reveal. I was currently selling about twice what he would expect to sell if my paperbacks were in brick and mortar stores. He also told me the average sale number for a book is around 300. Not 300 copies a year. Three hundred copies ever.


Sure I’d read the articles about how much money the average writer makes per year. I just didn’t believe it. After my experience with this publisher I believe those numbers are pretty accurate.
Just so you know, to be considered  a best seller in Canada you have to sell about 4000 copies. Best sellers in the U.S. are around 50,000 copies because they have 10x our population.
Source: Reality Check: Canadian Writer's Average Income

So how does that translate to income? The industry average for royalties through traditional publishers is 7% of cover price. That's all that goes to the author. So if you sell 50,000 copies at $30 a pop, that's $1,500,000 in revenue but only $105,000 goes the writer. That's a decent wage but remember that's at the upper end of the range. That's our rock star writers.
3. Publishers aren’t millionaires either.One of my friends, Maer Wilson, has her own publishing house. And unless she’s been holding out on me she doesn’t have a summer homes in the Hamptons. Book sales in general have been sliding since 2007 as less and less people read. Both independent book stores and giants like Barnes and Nobles are closing. They finding it increasingly difficult to compete with online retailers who have low overhead and access to an immense back catalog.

Hatchet group only publishers around 1800 books a year and yet they employ about 914 people. Penguin Random House has over 12,000 employees and publishes around 15,000 books a year (Source: Global Publishing Leaders 2014). Although income in publishing is typically low, (Source: Working at a Big Six Publishing House) both offer benefits because they want to attract the best employees.

Normally self-published authors have very little overhead and no extra employees. They only have to pay for editing, marketing, and cover art of their book. All this means they're able to sell their book cheaper than a traditional publisher ever could. It also explains why they some price ebooks are so high. If Hatchett was forced to sell their books for $2.99, they would have to significantly decrease the staff and operational costs. It would also likely mean they’d have to leave their New York offices.

4. Publishers need writers more than writers need publishers.After the phone conversation I spent several days doing some serious thinking. I realize the relationship wouldn’t be a win-win for me. Why would I give up copyright to someone who cannot guarantee me an increase in sales? So I sent a breakup letter to the publisher. Don’t worry. I was gentle. And then the weirdest thing happen.

He kept writing.

No, he wasn’t offering me ridiculously large advances or begging me to sign. But he still wanted me to consider traditional publishing after I said “no thanks.” My how the times have changed. It used to be writers clamoring for the attention of publishers. Now it seems that publishers are trying to convince writers that they are still relevant.
5. Publishers are still relevantIf you think the self-publishing is the end of traditional publishers you’re dead wrong. There have been indie musicians for decades and that hasn’t hurt the traditional music industry. Even though ebook sales have risen (source: Rising Ebook Sales and Declining Publishing Market), nearly 70% of all book sales are still done in book stores.

Sure there are the rare cases of authors like Amanda Hocking who made 2.5 million off Amazon and yet she’s not really a household name. Be honest. Have you heard of her before? Most successful writers aren’t household names. However, they are well-known within their genre. This publisher published urban fantasy. Yet when I mentioned Jim Butcher he’d never heard of him. That was a big time alarm bell. This was obviously not the right publisher for my material.

So how did Amanda to it? She wrote a crap load of books: 17 in one year.
(Source: Amanda Hocking, the writer who made millions by self-publishing online).

Find Amanda Hocking Here: http://www.worldofamandahocking.com/
Publishers still play a very important role. I just wish they would do more. Currently they offer limited promotional assistance, requiring the writer to build and market their own platform. In an email from the publisher, he told me here are 3 things a publisher can do for you that self-publishing can't:
1 Help author submit for government grants to subsidize their writing2. Submit books to awards (since many awards still do not accept self-published work)3. Assist with foreign distribution and translation
All are valid points. But here's the rub. Do those points merit the 93% cut that publishers take off the cover price? Sure, not all of the money goes into publishers pockets. Some goes to the book store. Some goes into production costs. But I'm not buying it. That's a very significant cut for what I see as a very limited reward.
ConclusionAfter my recent experience with a traditional publisher, I feel a little like Cinderella in Into the Woods . All her life she dreams of meeting Prince Charming. But when she does, she soon realizes reality is nowhere near as glamorous as the dream. Everyone else thinks she’s crazy for walking away from the Prince. How could you not want the dream?

But for now, I'm walking away from traditional publishing. Future success for writers, it seems, is firmly in the self-publishing corner.
BOOKS BY M JOSEPH MURPHY:

Amazon: M Joseph Murphy on Amazon: Paperback and ebook
Smashwords: M Joseph Murphy Author Page on Smashwords
Kobo: M Joseph Murphy Books on Kobo

Dream Cast for Council of Peacocks

Casting actors in the role of book characters is tricky. Part of the description is on the page but a large part of it is left to the mind of the reader. I did not write the story with any actors in mind. Having said that, if I knew a movie was being made of Council of Peacocks and I could pick and choose the actors, here are my choices:

LUCAS TILL as JOSH WILKINSON Source: www.teen.comJosh is young, thing and wiry. He's the pretty boy no one suspects is dangerous. What they don't know is his father works for the Canadian Secret Service and has spent the last several years training Josh in martial arts, fire arms, and survival skills. He's also part-demon with telekinetic powers. In the first book, his powers are limited. However, by the second book, Beyond the Black Sea, he can create impenetrable telekinetic armor and all sorts of fun stuff.
Lucas Till is known for playing Alex Summers (a.k.a Havok) in the X-men movies. He has the nice balance of danger hidden beneath a thin veneer of vulnerability. He's not just a pretty face. Lucas can act and would do justice to the role.Link:
PETER MENSAH as WISDOM Source: Beyond Black and WhiteWisdom is an immortal with mysterious powers. As a child, he was kidnapped by a djinn and transported to a fire elemental plane. He spent millenia as slave surrounded by magic. Over the last two thousand years on Earth, he has used his powers to gain riches. But it's not enough. When you are as old as Wisdom, you need a cause. He's made the training of the half-demon children (called Anomalies) and the destruction of the Council of Peacocks his cause. Peter Mensah is perfect. Whenever he walks on screen I get nervous. He's big, with a scary amount of intensity. He looks like the sort of man demons would fear.
EMILIA CLARK as ECHO
Echo is the strongest person Wisdom has ever known. She was born before the Roman empire. For centuries Wisdom tried to break her; he was never successful. In the end, she broke him.  Wisdom does not realize how much she means to him until he loses her. 

Emilia Clarke is perfect. I mean not just for the role. Just perfect. I'm completely gay but come on! She's jaw-dropping, heart-breakingly beautiful. As we've seen on Game of Thrones and will soon see in the new Terminator, she also has the soul of a warrior.

LYNDSY FORNESECA as GARNET Lyndsy Fornseca as Garnet







Garnet is, like Josh, half-demon. However, she's had years to perfect her abilities. She's a powerful pyrokinetic with some degree of telepathy. Working with Wisdom has made her hard but she is not as strong as she'd like you to believe.

LAUREN HOLDEN AS ELAINE Lauren HoldenElaine is 100% human but that doesn't make her less dangerous. She's head of Wisdom's security. I like to think of her as Sarah Connor from Terminator 2 (minus the tinge of madness). 
While I wasn't always a big fan of Andrea's decisions of the Walking Dead, there's no question that Lauren Holden is amazing. She's tough as nails but still completely feminine. She will shoot you dead without blinking but it doesn't take much to see her humanity.

DOMINIC COOPER as PROPATES Propates is the Big Bad in this novel. He's the head of the Council of Peacocks and has a very volatile relationship with the others. Wisdom rescued Propates from a life of poverty during the height of the Roman empire. Well, he kidnapped him, slaughtered his family and saved him from poverty if we're being technical. Over the years Wisdom became less ruthless; Propates became more.Dominic Cooper works because he has a smarmy charm. Propates truly believes he's acting in the best interest of the planet. I want him to be likeable even as he plots the mass murder of millions.

For a limited time, Council of Peacocks is included in The Shadow Box. Order your copy now.

Explore The Dark Side of Urban Fantasy – Paranormal Suspense with THE SHADOW BOX from NY Times & USA Today bestselling authors.

***A limited offer at a steeply discounted price – only available until Feb. 2015
ORDER NOW!Amazon  smarturl.it/ShadowBoxNook  http://ow.ly/FDzrvItunes  http://ow.ly/FDzDRKobo: The Shadow Box on KoboAdd it on Goodreads! http://ow.ly/FDAEC

Ride the cutting edge of dark fantasy in this unique collection of fast-paced, gritty, suspenseful thrillers. Filled with black magic, vampire trailer trash, werewolves, sorcerers, assassins, clairvoyants, zombie draggers, and old-school gothic horror, a sure bet for fans of paranormal suspense.
DARKER THINGS by Rob CornellFifteen years have passed since Craig Lockman worked for a shadowy agency fighting monsters most think exist only in nightmares. A mysterious teen girl arrives at his door with his fiercest enemy on her tail. Now he must protect the daughter he never knew from the dark world he thought he left behind.
MOTH by Sean PoindexterSocial worker Max Hollingsworth is no stranger to monsters. Supernatural or human, he's faced all kinds. But when he's called upon to investigate a missing child, he may have met his match.
THE SHEPHERD by Travis LuedkeAfter saving a mysterious girl from a hit and run, 16 yr. old Mike Evans soon finds his life spiraling out of control. Facing clairvoyant visions of grisly death, Mike struggles to avert disaster and make his way through the chaos.
COUNCIL OF PEACOCKS by M. Joseph MurphyA band of misfit, half-demon teenagers join the ruthless, immortal Wisdom, to stop The Council of Peacocks. The Council, a secret society of sorcerers, has plotted for centuries, and now the time has come for Activation – a hostile takeover of Earth.
A DEATH DISPLACED by Andrew ButcherWhen Nicolas Crystan unexpectedly sees the future, he acts fast to save Juliet Maystone from a fatal accident, unintentionally "displacing" her–giving her the power to see ghosts. Together, they must use their newfound abilities to unravel a mystery more connected to Nicolas than he ever imagined ...
BOUND BY BLOOD by Shane KP O’NeillVlad Dracula: ruler, tyrant, warlord, and champion of the Catholic faith, is seized by Lucifer in his moment of death and becomes a monster, born of Darkness. Vlad is charged with destroying the institution of the Catholic Church, to help turn man against God so that Lucifer may finally return to Heaven and end all of mankind.
LUNA SANGUIS by Simon OkillA mysterious woman awakes in an asylum in France, 1925, with amnesia. As her memory is restored she reveals her true vampiric nature and unleashes a bloody nightmare that might destroy all humanity.
TELL ME WHEN I’M DEAD by Steven RamirezWhen a contagion decimates the town of Tres Marias, recovering alcoholic Dave Pulaski, his wife, Holly, and a group of armed soldiers and civilians must find a way to survive.
THE LONG WAY DOWN by Craig SchaeferThe death of a porn star leads sorcerer Daniel Faust down a rabbit hole of conspiracy and madness. For the first time, black magic and bullets might not be enough to save him from the brink of damnation.
BLACKJACK by Kristopher NorrisWhen Vincent Black, a gun for hire, is told vampires are all too real, he thinks it’s a joke. But soon he learns that he is not the most dangerous brand of hunter out there...
Buy now before this deal is gone in February! smarturl.it/ShadowBox
ORDER NOW!Amazon  smarturl.it/ShadowBoxNook  http://ow.ly/FDzrvItunes  http://ow.ly/FDzDRKobo: The Shadow Box on KoboAdd it on Goodreads! http://ow.ly/FDAEC

4 Tips on How to Actually Achieve Your New Year's Resolution.

The sad truth is most resolutions fail because you expect them to fail (source: Forbes: Why Your New Year's Resolutions Fail).

According to one survey, around 45% set resolutions each year yet only 8% actually follow through (source: Stephen Shapiro Interesting New Year's Statistics). I see this at the gym. The first few weeks of January are crazy as throngs of people decide to get into shape. By February, most have given up.

Success and self-esteem are not improved by setting goals. They are improved by achieving your goals. For many, creating a New Year's Resolution is a form of procrastination (source: Why New Year's Resolutions Fail). They create the illusion of doing something. Real change occurs when we alter our habits. And that takes work.

1. Set realistic goalsStep one in achieving your goals is to create S.M.A.R.T. goals. This is something they teach in business and management courses but doesn't reach through to the Arts.
     S - Specific : The most details the better (e.g. "Write 5 pages a day" is better than "Write more."
     M - Measurable : Put a number to it. Quantify
     A - Achievable : Make it realistic
     R - Relevant : Why are you doing this? How does it further your long-term goals
     T - Time Bound : Give each task a firm deadline.
Link: Application and History of SMART goals

2. One Goal is Better than SeveralA  quick Google search will reveal hundreds of sites offering suggested resolutions. However, if you actually want to make a change in your life, pick one - two at most. The rest can wait until next year.

LINKS:
30 New Year's Resolutions for Writers
13 New Year's Resolutions for Writers by Jeff Goins

3. Set (and follow) a scheduleI teach college-level management and professionalism courses. One of the foundations of goal setting is to start with a long-term goal and break it down into short-term goals. If you're serious about following through on your resolution, break your end goal into smaller goals. And give deadlines for each one.

For example, a resolution to get in shape is vague and likely to fail. However, a resolution to loose 30 pounds within the next year is more likely to succeed. I'd suggest breaking it down even further. Resolve to loose 3 lbs per month. That's much more achievable. As a writer, instead of focusing on writing a book, focus on how many pages you will write each day. The most common goal is four pages per day. Depending on your typing speed and experience, you can get this done in under 2 hours. So build 2 hours of writing time into your schedule every day.

4. Celebrate Your SuccessNamed for the Roman god Janus, January is the time of open doors and new beginnings. Janus is recognizable because he has two faces: one looking forward, one looking behind. Before you look ahead, take some time to look back and see what you've already accomplished.

Stephen Shapiro, author of the survey quoted above, suggests there is no real link between achieving goals and general happiness. It is far to easy to get caught up in the drive to do more that we forget why are doing more. Instead of striving to achieve new goals, take some time to appreciate the goals you have already accomplished. See how far you have come and give yourself a pat on the back. Stop waiting for someone else to congratulate you.

LINK: Happiness By Wanting What You have (mp3)

BOOKS BY M JOSEPH MURPHY:


Amazon: M Joseph Murphy on Amazon: Paperback and ebook
Smashwords: M Joseph Murphy Author Page on Smashwords
Kobo: M Joseph Murphy Books on Kobo

Urban Fantasy Box Set Featuring NY Times Best Sellers - PREORDER NOW! #asmsg

Explore The Dark Side of Urban Fantasy – Paranormal Suspense with THE SHADOW BOX from NY Times & USA Today bestselling authors.
***A limited offer at a steeply discounted price – only available until Feb. 2015
PREORDER NOW!Amazon  smarturl.it/ShadowBoxNook  http://ow.ly/FDzrvItunes  http://ow.ly/FDzDRKobo: The Shadow Box on KoboAdd it on Goodreads! http://ow.ly/FDAEC

Ride the cutting edge of dark fantasy in this unique collection of fast-paced, gritty, suspenseful thrillers. Filled with black magic, vampire trailer trash, werewolves, sorcerers, assassins, clairvoyants, zombie draggers, and old-school gothic horror, a sure bet for fans of paranormal suspense.
DARKER THINGS by Rob CornellFifteen years have passed since Craig Lockman worked for a shadowy agency fighting monsters most think exist only in nightmares. A mysterious teen girl arrives at his door with his fiercest enemy on her tail. Now he must protect the daughter he never knew from the dark world he thought he left behind.
MOTH by Sean PoindexterSocial worker Max Hollingsworth is no stranger to monsters. Supernatural or human, he's faced all kinds. But when he's called upon to investigate a missing child, he may have met his match.
THE SHEPHERD by Travis LuedkeAfter saving a mysterious girl from a hit and run, 16 yr. old Mike Evans soon finds his life spiraling out of control. Facing clairvoyant visions of grisly death, Mike struggles to avert disaster and make his way through the chaos.
COUNCIL OF PEACOCKS by M. Joseph MurphyA band of misfit, half-demon teenagers join the ruthless, immortal Wisdom, to stop The Council of Peacocks. The Council, a secret society of sorcerers, has plotted for centuries, and now the time has come for Activation – a hostile takeover of Earth.
A DEATH DISPLACED by Andrew ButcherWhen Nicolas Crystan unexpectedly sees the future, he acts fast to save Juliet Maystone from a fatal accident, unintentionally "displacing" her–giving her the power to see ghosts. Together, they must use their newfound abilities to unravel a mystery more connected to Nicolas than he ever imagined ...
BOUND BY BLOOD by Shane KP O’NeillVlad Dracula: ruler, tyrant, warlord, and champion of the Catholic faith, is seized by Lucifer in his moment of death and becomes a monster, born of Darkness. Vlad is charged with destroying the institution of the Catholic Church, to help turn man against God so that Lucifer may finally return to Heaven and end all of mankind.
LUNA SANGUIS by Simon OkillA mysterious woman awakes in an asylum in France, 1925, with amnesia. As her memory is restored she reveals her true vampiric nature and unleashes a bloody nightmare that might destroy all humanity.
TELL ME WHEN I’M DEAD by Steven RamirezWhen a contagion decimates the town of Tres Marias, recovering alcoholic Dave Pulaski, his wife, Holly, and a group of armed soldiers and civilians must find a way to survive.
THE LONG WAY DOWN by Craig SchaeferThe death of a porn star leads sorcerer Daniel Faust down a rabbit hole of conspiracy and madness. For the first time, black magic and bullets might not be enough to save him from the brink of damnation.
BLACKJACK by Kristopher NorrisWhen Vincent Black, a gun for hire, is told vampires are all too real, he thinks it’s a joke. But soon he learns that he is not the most dangerous brand of hunter out there...
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What I Learned By NOT Finishing NaNoWriMo

Link: Should You Feel Bad About Not Finishing NaNoWriMo?

Mock Cover for My NaNoWriMoAlthough I've published four books, this was my first year attempting NaNoWriMo, Honestly, it was the first time there was a break in my writing schedule. I decided to do something completely different. Normally I write paranormal thrillers and epic fantasy. My NaNoWriMo book was pure thriller, a story about a sex addict who becomes the target for a serial killer after posting an exhibitionist video online. I even threw together a quick cover. The NaNoWriMo site suggests there is a link between adding a cover to your work in progress and actually finishing it.
If you're not familiar with NaNoWriMo, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. The challenge? Write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. To non-writers this sounds impossible. But all it amounts to is writing around 4 pages a day (around 1600 words). I normally write 5-6 pages a day and quickly found myself outpacing the deadline even though I was in China for the first few days of the month.
That's when I made my first mistake : I got cocky. I was so far ahead of schedule I decided to take a break. I started writing every other day instead of every day. Fortunately for me, this book quickly took on a life of its own. The words flowed out of me like a man possessed. In 10 days I reached the half-way point.
Then life happened. On Saturday the 15th, my husband complained of abdominal pain. I assumed it was just hold over from our trip to China. He'd experienced a bit of intestinal unpleasantness halfway through the trip. Hours later he was moaning in pain with near constant stabbing pains. He told me he thought it was his appendix. I thought he was being overly dramatic.
Not so much.
We went to the hospital at 9:00 in the morning. By 10 at night, he was in surgery to have his appendix removed. I suppose I could have brought my laptop to the hospital and wrote while in the waiting room. Or I could have left him there and gone home to write.
But I realized something.   Some things are more important than finishing a novel.
Maybe that's not the message we're supposed to send. Like you, I've heard the stupid slogans: You're not a writer unless you write every day. I call bullshit on that. Whoever said that should do some research on famous writers, many of whom did not write daily. I write most days and, like I said, I already have 4 books published. So, yeah, I am a writer. But you know what's more important?
I'm a human being. What kind of jerk would I look like to abandon my husband at the hospital on our anniversary just to get my daily word count in? The next few days were spent keeping him company and trying to distract him from the pain and annoyance of recovering from surgery.
Again, I'm sure I could have found some time in the following days to write. But each time I stood to leave, one thought formed in my mind. On my death bed, what would I be more upset about: not writing that day or not spending time with Rob?
It was never a question about finishing the novel, it was a question of finishing it within the artificial deadline of November 30. It only took 4 days before my husband could function on his own. By then I was far behind in my word count and made the only decision I regret: I stopped writing.
Like a 5 year old, as soon as I realized I couldn't win I decided not to play. I couldn't write 25,000 words in 10 days...only I know I can do that because I already HAD done it in the first part of the month.
So here are the three things I learned from NaNoWriMo:

Some things are more important than writing. If you don't get that, I feel sorry for your family.Don't get lazy. When you're ahead of schedule, keep plowing. You never know when life is going to throw you a curve ball. You can use the breathing room.Don't stop. Missing a deadline is not an excuse to stop completely. Keep working even if you don't "win" NaNoWriMo. The important part is the novel, not the award.

Link: List of Traditional and Self-Published Books That Began as NaNoWriMo Novels.

BOOKS BY M JOSEPH MURPHY:


Amazon: M Joseph Murphy on Amazon: Paperback and ebook
Smashwords: M Joseph Murphy Author Page on Smashwords
Kobo: M Joseph Murphy Books on Kobo

WHY EVERYONE IS OBSESSED WITH ZOMBIES

ZOMBIES - THE POLITICALLY CORRECT MONSTERI grew up in a period called The Cold War. Historians will likely call these years The Age or Terror. We live in a constant state of fear because we don't know who are enemies are. The nice family next door - no matter what their country of origin or religion - could be plotting to blow up the government building. The paperboy could grab a dozen assault rifles on the way to first period. This amorphous, ever present dread means we have no target for our fear, nothing to point at and say "evil".
Zombies are simple, the perfect monster for a politically correct world. We feel no remorse them because they are already dead. Zombies are raceless, country-less enemies that allow us to feel zero-guilt when we kill them in video games. Zombies have no children. Their only motivation is to kill us, to destroy our world.
When I was a kid, we played cowboys and indians. Then, as a society, we realized celebrating the mass slaughter of innocents makes us the monsters.
"The terror that is engendered by zombies is not the fear that they can be evil, but the fear that one might become one of them." (Source: Zombies - The Encyclopedia of Death and Dying.ZOMBIES - WE ARE ALL ZOMBIESAny horror buff knows our current pop culture image of zombies evolved from Haiti.

In traditional Haitian beliefs, people have two souls:  the gro bonanj (the eternal self-less spirit) and the ti bonanj (our consciousness and individual will). For those that die naturally, the gro bonanj goes to the afterlife, what westerners would consider heaven. For victims of murder, their souls are vulnerable (Source: Haiti and the Truth About Zombies)
A bokor is able to capture one portion of the soul, trapping it in jar for use in magical ceremonies. One such use is the reanimation of the corpse to create an eternal slave, a laborer to work the fields who will never question his owner. 
Now take a loot around you. Have you ever felt like you're surrounded by zombies? Like 99% of everyone you meet is under the mental control of the 1%? No matter what the government does, the people silently accept it. Very few rebel. Those that do are silenced. Assimilated. It wasn't a bokor that took away our will. We actively, consistently give away our individuality every day.
In Haiti, a country that has known a long period of slavery with the Spanish and French colonizations until their independence in 1804, the fear of becoming enslaved has remained a part of their collective consciousness. The fear of being changed into a slave for the rest of one's life is a fear of being constrained to live without individuality, will, and conscience.Source: Zombies - Encyclopedia of Death and Dying ZOMBIES - SCIENCE OUT OF CONTROLThe first movie I remember that tried to rationalize the Haitian magic into something believable was The Serpent and the Rainbow (link: Serpent and the Rainbow IMDB) in which ethnobotanist Wade Davis exploded the science behind zombies. The most terrifying aspect of this movie (aside from being based on a real story) is how completely plausible it is. A mixture of chemicals could easily convince others that a body is dead. Another mixture of chemicals makes the victim extremely susceptible to suggestions. 
The majority of zombie stories today, whether its a rampaging bio-engineered weapon like Return of the Living Dead or World War Z or t-virus in Resident Evil, are based on science creating something it cannot control. Something science creates to make our lives better instead destroys all of civilization. Most people have heard of the fungus that can turn ants into zombie-like creatures. You have to know some crazy idiot out there is trying to find a way to use this on humans. Our species doesn't know when to leave good enough alone.
Link: Deadly Fungus Turns Ants Into ZombiesWade Davis on Haitian Zombies
So where is this fear coming from?
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEANMaybe it's the ever-present threat of global warming. Maybe it's the increased presence of GMO foods and pharmaceuticals. I've even heard several people are concerned that the rise of ebola is what will cause the zombie apocalypse.Whatever the cause, the abundance of zombie fiction today points to one root cause: something in our gut tells us the world is about to blow up. We're afraid that the comfortable lives we've build for ourselves are on the brink of being destroyed. But that's not a safe fear. Thinking about that too much could drive you insane. 
So instead we focus on simple fears. 
Zombies.
Links:A History of "Real" ZombiesWhy Zombies are CoolZombies: The Message Beneath the Horror (CBS News)
Check out M Joseph Murphy's own zombie novel Demons of DunDegore available here:Amazon - paperback                                                   iTunesAmazon - kindle version                                             KoboSmashwords