Richard Van Anderson's Blog, page 4

More From the Gap

  If you did not see the preceding post that explains what it means to write from the gap, go here first.   Now that you have a basic idea of what it means to write from the gap, watch the video below. Robert McKee explains how to use the gap when writing beats in a scene, scenes, […]

Writing From the Gap

  First, a disclaimer: none of the following concepts are based on my original thoughts. What I’ve outlined below is borrowed from Robert McKee’s book STORY. (More about McKee’s book and seminars later)    I think “the gap” is a key concept for any writer, and particularly useful for those authors who are writing thrillers or stories of suspense, or any […]

The Four D’s: Part 7 – Depth of Language

                      When Dennis Lehane says any good story must have depth of language, what does he mean by that?   In a 2003 interview, he had this to say about the language of a story: I say to my students right off the bat, if there’s not depth of language, if you […]

Not One Among Them Left Unscathed

  Let’s consider modern battlefield surgery. I don’t have a military background, but I am a former surgeon with an extensive trauma experience, so I can make an educated guess as to how our wounded soldiers are treated.   First, conditions permitting, I would surmise that the wounded are removed from the field of battle as quickly as possible. […]

The Organ Takers Wins an IndieFab Honorable Mention

  The Organ Takers was awarded the honorable mention spot for the thriller & suspense category in Foreword Reviews’ INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards for 2014.   After the gold, silver, and bronze winners, that means The Organ Takers finished in fourth place, which translates to third loser. But hey, not bad for a debut novel that was […]

30 Signed Hardcovers: Goodreads and Rafflecopter Giveaways

  15 SIGNED HARDCOVERS available from Goodreads, and another 15 available through Rafflecopter.   GOODREADS MEMBERS:  sign up for both giveaways and increase your chances of winning. The Goodreads giveaway page is here.    NON-GOODREADS MEMBERS:  sign up using the Rafflecopter widget below.   EVERYONE:  when you use Rafflecopter you can enter up to six times, and if you […]

The Final Push is Now Perma-Free

  What is Perma-Free?    The Final Push: a short story of surgical suspense (35 pages print length) is now permanently free on Amazon, Kobo, iTunes, and Google Play. I tried to make it free for Barnes & Noble Nook Book, but they won’t let me, and they don’t price match.   What’s the big deal?  This […]

Organ Trafficking Is Not a Myth

  If you are a Vegas gambler or business traveler you can relax. Kidney theft as depicted in the well-known urban legend (more on that here) has been debunked, but in third-world and developing countries, a black market for human organs is thriving. Some of the organs are stolen, most are bought and sold, but either […]

The Organ Takers for 99 Cents

    And you don’t have to be a subscriber to Book Bub. Read on and this will become clear.   Next Wednesday, The Organ Takers will be part of a one week Book Bub promotion. In case you aren’t familiar with Book Bub, it is a free service that sends a daily email to millions of […]

The Organ Takers is an IndieFab Finalist

  The Organ Takers has been selected as a finalist in Foreword Reviews’ INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards for 2014. What is Foreword Reviews?   Foreword Reviews is both an online and print review journal that reviews independently published books. It is distributed quarterly to 7500 librarians and booksellers and is also available at most Barnes & […]