Stephen Kozeniewski's Blog, page 81
December 6, 2013
December 4, 2013
December 3, 2013
Allow my to step on my soapbox (aka blog) about NaNo this year...
So, you've probably noticed I haven't been talking much about my NaNo novel this year. I usually don't, if you've followed this blog, because I'm usually so burnt out by doing it that I don't even want to think about it. This year I was burnt out by NaNo, yes, but much more so by lumping NaNo in on top of the Hundie Challenge, in on top of publishing two books, in on top of...
Etc. Etc.
Anyway. Did I win? Yes.
I always post my stats so you can get an idea of what my erratic behavior is like in the month of November. So, here's that:
KINGDOM, of course, is far from complete, and if you've followed me here for some time you may remember the year I wrote ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE KINGDOM for Script Frenzy (RIP) and you'll know that it is an epic. KINGDOM will be an epic if I ever finish it, and converting it to the steampunkesque milieu I have in mind may be an even more titanic feat, but, I think, will save it from being humdrum and banal. (And I am nothing if not against being humdrum and banal.)
Anyway, there's another reason I kind of waited to talk about NaNo. And that's because I've noticed, just this year, apparently, that people are kind of being dickish about it. Let's be frank: I don't really need to do NaNo, I don't really get a whole lot out of it anymore, I've proven to the world (five times in a row now) that I can buckle down and churn out 50,000 words in a month. Really the reason I do it anymore is to be part of the writing community and to maintain my street cred. (Because, yes, if you're an author, everyone will ask you if you're doing NaNo this year.)
Which raises the point of community. NaNo is supposed to be about cheering on people who aren't really writers or who are still just novices and encouraging them to finish their damn books. But for some reason (and it may just be me, and I may just have a totally skewed perspective) I feel like this year it has all been about people trying to prove they can outdo each other. Look at me. I got to 50,000 and set it aside because I had other shit to do. But I see half the writers in my social media going on and on about how they've hit a quarter of a million words and ha ha ha and the other half weeping and feeling excluded by the first half.
Let's be real here. If you're writing these ridiculous amounts you're either cheating or you don't have a day job. And good for you, I wish I didn't have a day job, either, and could write all day every day. And if you're cheating, who the fuck are cheating for? What are you trying to prove? The people that NaNo is really geared towards are the harried, sad, unconfident people. Let's try not to wreck up their confidence any worse, shall we?
Anyway, it may just be my burnout talking here or I may just be castigating people needlessly, but I did not enjoy the community this year, so I apologize for not being a good member of it. But if I'm totally wrong feel free to call me an asshole in the comments. Back to the Hundie Challenge tomorrow.
Etc. Etc.
Anyway. Did I win? Yes.
I always post my stats so you can get an idea of what my erratic behavior is like in the month of November. So, here's that:
KINGDOM, of course, is far from complete, and if you've followed me here for some time you may remember the year I wrote ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE KINGDOM for Script Frenzy (RIP) and you'll know that it is an epic. KINGDOM will be an epic if I ever finish it, and converting it to the steampunkesque milieu I have in mind may be an even more titanic feat, but, I think, will save it from being humdrum and banal. (And I am nothing if not against being humdrum and banal.)
Anyway, there's another reason I kind of waited to talk about NaNo. And that's because I've noticed, just this year, apparently, that people are kind of being dickish about it. Let's be frank: I don't really need to do NaNo, I don't really get a whole lot out of it anymore, I've proven to the world (five times in a row now) that I can buckle down and churn out 50,000 words in a month. Really the reason I do it anymore is to be part of the writing community and to maintain my street cred. (Because, yes, if you're an author, everyone will ask you if you're doing NaNo this year.)
Which raises the point of community. NaNo is supposed to be about cheering on people who aren't really writers or who are still just novices and encouraging them to finish their damn books. But for some reason (and it may just be me, and I may just have a totally skewed perspective) I feel like this year it has all been about people trying to prove they can outdo each other. Look at me. I got to 50,000 and set it aside because I had other shit to do. But I see half the writers in my social media going on and on about how they've hit a quarter of a million words and ha ha ha and the other half weeping and feeling excluded by the first half.
Let's be real here. If you're writing these ridiculous amounts you're either cheating or you don't have a day job. And good for you, I wish I didn't have a day job, either, and could write all day every day. And if you're cheating, who the fuck are cheating for? What are you trying to prove? The people that NaNo is really geared towards are the harried, sad, unconfident people. Let's try not to wreck up their confidence any worse, shall we?
Anyway, it may just be my burnout talking here or I may just be castigating people needlessly, but I did not enjoy the community this year, so I apologize for not being a good member of it. But if I'm totally wrong feel free to call me an asshole in the comments. Back to the Hundie Challenge tomorrow.
December 2, 2013
December 1, 2013
Fussy Librarian
So, I don't normally do this but I thought today I'd highlight a website that I think is useful to writers and readers alike. The Fussy Librarian is a new website that offers personalized ebook recommendations based on your choice of genre (i.e. "zombie horror" or "I'm a lame-o") and preferences (i.e. "graphic zombie sex" or only "implied zombie canoodling.") And they only accept widely reviewed, well reviewed books. And they obviously have good taste - BRAINEATER JONES will be featured on Wednesday. So authors, check it out to get your books out there and readers, check it out so you don't have to wade through all the proverbial book slush out there.
You're welcome.
You're welcome.
November 28, 2013
November 26, 2013
November 22, 2013
Ever, Jane and EVER NEAR
Oh, hi! If you've been following my blog tour, or just generally my life at all, you've probably noticed me mention an author named Elizabeth Corrigan more than once or twice. Elizabeth turned me on to my first publisher, Red Adept. She's also the author of ORACLE OF PHILADELPHIA, which features the amazing character chaos demon Bedlam.
After an insane contribution to the Ever, Jane Kickstarter project, the intrepid Ms. Corrigan is offering you (yes, YOU!) the opportunity to marry Bedlam. Check out the whole story here!
Oh, but speaking of Ever, Jane that reminds me of a similar-sounding project: EVER NEAR. Did you remember I was in a Review Rumble with EVER NEAR? Don't forget to "vote" by writing a review for one of us. And by "one of us" I mean BRAINEATER JONES.
After an insane contribution to the Ever, Jane Kickstarter project, the intrepid Ms. Corrigan is offering you (yes, YOU!) the opportunity to marry Bedlam. Check out the whole story here!
Oh, but speaking of Ever, Jane that reminds me of a similar-sounding project: EVER NEAR. Did you remember I was in a Review Rumble with EVER NEAR? Don't forget to "vote" by writing a review for one of us. And by "one of us" I mean BRAINEATER JONES.
November 20, 2013
Guest Post: Mia Grace, Author of CORRELATION
Well, this is exciting, blogketeers! I've never hosted a guest before on Manuscripts Burn and I'm delighted that my first could be fellow Red Adept author Mia Grace, who penned the newly released YA time-travel novel CORRELATION!
Red Adept is graciously hosting a $5, $10, and $20 Amazon gift card giveaway as part of Mia's blog tour, so be sure to read all the way to the end. But first a few words about the topic that I asked Mia to write about.
When I returned from my tour in Iraq, I landed in Fort Dix, NJ, and while I knew that there wouldn't be a parade and likely not even the family welcome that the army sometimes organizes, I didn't really know what to expect. I certainly didn't expect any kind of a welcome at our first waystation.
However, much to my delight and surprise, as soon as we set foot on American soil we were welcomed by the amazing organization Vietnam Veterans of America who kindly threw us a party. The VVA organizers didn't want anything from us in exchange for their time and money, except (and I remember this distinctly) that we "pass it on to the next generation." Their motto is "Never again shall one generation of veterans abandon another" and they put their money where their mouth is. I try to donate regularly to the VVA now (and I suggest that you do, too)
That's the story of my connection to the outstanding men and women of the Vietnam era. So now you know why, when I heard that Mia wrote a novel about a girl named Hailey who travels back in time to that period, I asked her:
What are the connections/similarities between the Vietnam era Hailey travels to and today?This is not an easy question to answer! My first inclination is to say, there aren’t many. That era was one of great political activism that does not appear to be happening at all today. Between young men being drafted for the war in Vietnam and the civil rights movement that saw race riots erupting all over the country, it was impossible to watch television in 1968 without seeing young people protesting on college campuses and groups marching on Washington. Women’s lib was born in that era. Women burned their bras, and men burned their draft cards.
Today we have soldiers serving in war zones, but we read or hear very little about what’s happening to them on a daily basis. During the Vietnam era, the previous day’s body counts for both the Vietcong and the American/South Vietnamese forces were broadcast on nightly news. We watched footage of our soldiers trudging through rice paddies and swamps and jungles. We couldn’t escape the war. Today, our military action in Afghanistan and Iraq is all hidden. There is no draft, and both men and women serve in the armed forces by their own choice.
Much of the music in the Vietnam era was protest music, and the Woodstock Music Festival included a lot of anti-war sentiment. Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and others wrote songs meant to rally young people to action over political issues. I’m not aware of a lot of protest music today.
Drug use in the 60s was more likely to be around hashish, marijuana, and LSD. Hippies wanted to “turn on and tune out.” We heard little about cocaine and drug lords in foreign countries. Mostly it was “grow your own” and seems relatively harmless, compared to what young people face in the world of drugs today.
Computers were basically non-existent in the Vietnam era except in business or military use. They were huge and occupied entire rooms. Newspapers, magazines, radio, and television were the source of news and in-home entertainment. For movies, one had to go to the cinema or hope the Saturday Night Movie on one of the three national channels would show something you actually wanted to see.
The similarities? Like the Vietnam era, we are embroiled in the affairs of other countries, and the question remains, “Should we be there?” As I write, our president is struggling with sending armed forces to Syria. We can only hope that the mistakes of Vietnam are not recreated for today’s young people.
As always in life, we have no idea what’s coming next. The economy during Vietnam was robust, but would fail and gas prices would rise in the seventies. That’s happened again today. Today a major concern is domestic terrorism; back then the U.S. seemed inviolable.
At the same time, no one in the Vietnam era had any idea we would have iPods, smart phones, DVDs, or the internet. Who knows what wonders young people today will experience in forty-five years?
About the Author:
Mia Grace lives in rural Vermont and works as a consumer advocate and educator in New Hampshire. When she’s not hiding away in her writer’s garret, she can be found enjoying her boisterous extended family, her menagerie of dogs, cats, and laying hens, and her perennial flower gardens.
Excerpt from CORRELATION:Chapter One
“I can’t believe how bad we were!” Hailey Kent stood on the sidelines of the sunny playing field and brushed the loose dirt from the front of her Fenton High T-shirt. On the expanse of trampled grass before her, the two remaining pairs of sophomore girls moved in perfect synchrony toward the finish of the three-legged sack race.
Hailey swiped sweat from her forehead with a gritty forearm as she watched the lead couple. “Look at Lexie and Jess. They’re speed demons.”
“They’re coordinated,” Jenna Wells answered. “And they have a system.”
“We had a system. You just don’t know your right leg from your left.” Hailey rubbed the grass stains from her knees. “We’re going to have to hit your pool after this.” She stood up and shaded her eyes with one hand, peering toward the baseball diamond in the distance.
A familiar figure stepped up to bat in the softball game in progress between the seniors and the faculty. Cody. He stood poised over the plate, his practice swings confident as he faced the faculty pitcher. Her heart flip-flopped. “Is that Cody?”
Jenna followed the direction of Hailey’s gaze and scrunched her cute little pug nose at the sight of her older brother. “Yep. The weirdo was all psyched this morning about this game. Is David playing?”
Hailey’s delightful vision of Cody at the breakfast table faded at the mention of her own brother. “No, he’s skipping school today.”
Jenna’s chocolate brown eyes went wide in mock disbelief. “Skip a field day? His last one ever?”
“Don’t remind me.” Hailey turned back to the grassy field in time to see the last of her sack-racing classmates lurch across the finish line. “I have to give up my birthday so we can celebrate his stupid graduation. He’d skip that, too, if my parents would let him.” Just talking about it made her teeth clench.
Jenna picked up the sweatshirt she had tossed on the grass. “What did your mom say about the taco party?”
“I can do it next weekend.” Hailey mimicked her mom’s voice, “‘David’s only going to graduate once, but you can have a birthday party any time.’ Like turning sixteen is no big deal.”
“Maybe it’s for the best. More kids’ll be able to come next weekend.”
Hailey couldn’t resist smirking at her impish friend, who’d recently dyed a streak of ruby red in her long blond hair against her mother’s wishes. “Plus maybe you won’t be grounded by then.”
Their classmates were coming in from the sidelines to meet at the finish line, a clump of rowdy teenage girls in short shorts and Fenton tees celebrating the end of the school year with cheers and high-fives.
As she and Hailey strolled across the sunny lawn to join them, Jenna asked, “Do you think your folks’re going to get you that off-road bike?”
“I hope so. We’ve got to stay in shape so we can kick butt next year.”
Jenna gave her a playful grin. “Uh, we?”
Hailey grinned back at her. “Yeah, we—you and me, sister. We’re biking every day this summer. And next year, we’re smokin’ this race.”
***Be sure to purchase CORRELATION at:
AmazonBarnes & NobleKobo And don't forget to review it and tell your friends about it on: Goodreads
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Red Adept is graciously hosting a $5, $10, and $20 Amazon gift card giveaway as part of Mia's blog tour, so be sure to read all the way to the end. But first a few words about the topic that I asked Mia to write about.
When I returned from my tour in Iraq, I landed in Fort Dix, NJ, and while I knew that there wouldn't be a parade and likely not even the family welcome that the army sometimes organizes, I didn't really know what to expect. I certainly didn't expect any kind of a welcome at our first waystation.
However, much to my delight and surprise, as soon as we set foot on American soil we were welcomed by the amazing organization Vietnam Veterans of America who kindly threw us a party. The VVA organizers didn't want anything from us in exchange for their time and money, except (and I remember this distinctly) that we "pass it on to the next generation." Their motto is "Never again shall one generation of veterans abandon another" and they put their money where their mouth is. I try to donate regularly to the VVA now (and I suggest that you do, too)
That's the story of my connection to the outstanding men and women of the Vietnam era. So now you know why, when I heard that Mia wrote a novel about a girl named Hailey who travels back in time to that period, I asked her:
What are the connections/similarities between the Vietnam era Hailey travels to and today?This is not an easy question to answer! My first inclination is to say, there aren’t many. That era was one of great political activism that does not appear to be happening at all today. Between young men being drafted for the war in Vietnam and the civil rights movement that saw race riots erupting all over the country, it was impossible to watch television in 1968 without seeing young people protesting on college campuses and groups marching on Washington. Women’s lib was born in that era. Women burned their bras, and men burned their draft cards.
Today we have soldiers serving in war zones, but we read or hear very little about what’s happening to them on a daily basis. During the Vietnam era, the previous day’s body counts for both the Vietcong and the American/South Vietnamese forces were broadcast on nightly news. We watched footage of our soldiers trudging through rice paddies and swamps and jungles. We couldn’t escape the war. Today, our military action in Afghanistan and Iraq is all hidden. There is no draft, and both men and women serve in the armed forces by their own choice.
Much of the music in the Vietnam era was protest music, and the Woodstock Music Festival included a lot of anti-war sentiment. Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and others wrote songs meant to rally young people to action over political issues. I’m not aware of a lot of protest music today.
Drug use in the 60s was more likely to be around hashish, marijuana, and LSD. Hippies wanted to “turn on and tune out.” We heard little about cocaine and drug lords in foreign countries. Mostly it was “grow your own” and seems relatively harmless, compared to what young people face in the world of drugs today.
Computers were basically non-existent in the Vietnam era except in business or military use. They were huge and occupied entire rooms. Newspapers, magazines, radio, and television were the source of news and in-home entertainment. For movies, one had to go to the cinema or hope the Saturday Night Movie on one of the three national channels would show something you actually wanted to see.
The similarities? Like the Vietnam era, we are embroiled in the affairs of other countries, and the question remains, “Should we be there?” As I write, our president is struggling with sending armed forces to Syria. We can only hope that the mistakes of Vietnam are not recreated for today’s young people.
As always in life, we have no idea what’s coming next. The economy during Vietnam was robust, but would fail and gas prices would rise in the seventies. That’s happened again today. Today a major concern is domestic terrorism; back then the U.S. seemed inviolable.
At the same time, no one in the Vietnam era had any idea we would have iPods, smart phones, DVDs, or the internet. Who knows what wonders young people today will experience in forty-five years?
About the Author:
Mia Grace lives in rural Vermont and works as a consumer advocate and educator in New Hampshire. When she’s not hiding away in her writer’s garret, she can be found enjoying her boisterous extended family, her menagerie of dogs, cats, and laying hens, and her perennial flower gardens.
Excerpt from CORRELATION:Chapter One
“I can’t believe how bad we were!” Hailey Kent stood on the sidelines of the sunny playing field and brushed the loose dirt from the front of her Fenton High T-shirt. On the expanse of trampled grass before her, the two remaining pairs of sophomore girls moved in perfect synchrony toward the finish of the three-legged sack race.
Hailey swiped sweat from her forehead with a gritty forearm as she watched the lead couple. “Look at Lexie and Jess. They’re speed demons.”
“They’re coordinated,” Jenna Wells answered. “And they have a system.”
“We had a system. You just don’t know your right leg from your left.” Hailey rubbed the grass stains from her knees. “We’re going to have to hit your pool after this.” She stood up and shaded her eyes with one hand, peering toward the baseball diamond in the distance.
A familiar figure stepped up to bat in the softball game in progress between the seniors and the faculty. Cody. He stood poised over the plate, his practice swings confident as he faced the faculty pitcher. Her heart flip-flopped. “Is that Cody?”
Jenna followed the direction of Hailey’s gaze and scrunched her cute little pug nose at the sight of her older brother. “Yep. The weirdo was all psyched this morning about this game. Is David playing?”
Hailey’s delightful vision of Cody at the breakfast table faded at the mention of her own brother. “No, he’s skipping school today.”
Jenna’s chocolate brown eyes went wide in mock disbelief. “Skip a field day? His last one ever?”
“Don’t remind me.” Hailey turned back to the grassy field in time to see the last of her sack-racing classmates lurch across the finish line. “I have to give up my birthday so we can celebrate his stupid graduation. He’d skip that, too, if my parents would let him.” Just talking about it made her teeth clench.
Jenna picked up the sweatshirt she had tossed on the grass. “What did your mom say about the taco party?”
“I can do it next weekend.” Hailey mimicked her mom’s voice, “‘David’s only going to graduate once, but you can have a birthday party any time.’ Like turning sixteen is no big deal.”
“Maybe it’s for the best. More kids’ll be able to come next weekend.”
Hailey couldn’t resist smirking at her impish friend, who’d recently dyed a streak of ruby red in her long blond hair against her mother’s wishes. “Plus maybe you won’t be grounded by then.”
Their classmates were coming in from the sidelines to meet at the finish line, a clump of rowdy teenage girls in short shorts and Fenton tees celebrating the end of the school year with cheers and high-fives.
As she and Hailey strolled across the sunny lawn to join them, Jenna asked, “Do you think your folks’re going to get you that off-road bike?”
“I hope so. We’ve got to stay in shape so we can kick butt next year.”
Jenna gave her a playful grin. “Uh, we?”
Hailey grinned back at her. “Yeah, we—you and me, sister. We’re biking every day this summer. And next year, we’re smokin’ this race.”
***Be sure to purchase CORRELATION at:
AmazonBarnes & NobleKobo And don't forget to review it and tell your friends about it on: Goodreads
a Rafflecopter giveaway
