Michael Patrick Hicks's Blog, page 84
April 2, 2014
2014 Best Kindle Book Awards Contest
Could be a cool contest to look into, fellow writers and ABNAers. Anyone have direct experience with previous Best Kindle Book Awards contests?
Thanks to Michael W. Anderson for the heads-up on this one.
Originally posted on Fidgity Digits:
When it comes to getting publicity for books, an author can’t put all his or her eggs in one basket. And while the biggest thing going on in my world right now is the
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest
, it would take a little bit of luck to go win it. So, I’ve been looking for more contests to enter
Provoke Not The Children
in. I found a good option last week in the
2014 Best Kindle Book Awards
. I heard about it largely because I’m a huge fan of
Hugh Howey
(all the campaigning he does on behalf
of self-published writers, that is. I have yet to read his books. But I will). Howey won the 2012 Best Kindle Book Awards. I’m not sure that the award contributed much to his success, but it couldn’t have hurt.
Unlike the ABNA, the Best Kindle Book Awards is not a free contest…
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March 31, 2014
Japan can no longer legally hunt whales
I’m just going to echo Jerry Coyne’s sentiments here – It’s about damn time!
Originally posted on Why Evolution Is True:
And about damn time, too! I knew that this case was pending at the International Court of Justice, the judicial arm of the United Nations, but five minutes ago I got a notice there’s just been a ruling. No more slaughter of whales! From CNN alerts:
The International Court of Justice ruled today that Japan can no longer continue its annual whale hunt, rejecting the country’s argument that it was for scientific purposes.
“Japan shall revoke any extant authorization, permit or license granted in relation to JARPA II, and refrain from granting any further permits in pursuance of that program,” the court said, referring to the research program.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Sydney Morning Herald, the suit was initiated by Australia, as a breach of the International Whaling Convention’s moratorium on hunting, which has been in force since 1986. In the past 27 years, the Japanese have slaughtered…
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March 27, 2014
Brothers Grimm’s Fairy Tales Illustrated In Ghostly Photographs by Killian Shoenberger
Awesome set of photographs by Killian Shoenberger, by way of the awesome Ania Ahlborn by way of Bored Panda, that were too cool not to share.
Originally posted on Ania Ahlborn | The Blog:
ARTICLE VIA BORED PANDA
“I am colourblind and I can‘t distinguish green and red“. This is how Kilian Schoenberger, one of the finest contemporary landscape photographers, introduces himself on his Facebook profile. This fact strikes even harder, when we observe his recent works – the beautiful, yet ghostly illustrations of the Brothers Grimm‘s fairy-tales.
Schoenberger took the dreary photographic illustrations in remote rural areas throughout Middle Europe. The collection called Brothers Grimm‘s Homeland masterfully plays with our imagination, as these are probably the kind of landscapes that might have easily inspired the famous brothers to create their hair-raising tales.
The professional photographer and geographer was born in Germany. Growing up in the generous area of woodland, Schoenberger has shaped his peculiar taste in gloomy and haunting lansdscapes. The photographer‘s eye and lifestyle have been also shaped by his tight life-long relationship with nature and its mystical side.
On his profile,…
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March Madness!
With CONVERGENCE now having been live for purchase for a bit more than a month, I thought a recap of recent activity was in order. Let the #Humblebrag commence!
Today, IndieView posted the interview I did with them a few weeks back. I think it turned out pretty great. You can check it out here!
Earlier this week, CONVERGENCE cracked the Top 100 Paid eBooks in the category of Science Fiction > Cyberpunk Kindle over at Amazon. Unfortunately, it has since fallen off that listing, but it has racked up two wonderful 5-star reviews. Not a bad trade-off.
To those readers, my thanks go out to you for giving the work of this newbie author a shot. I hope you got your money’s worth. If you did enjoy, please consider leaving a review over at Amazon, Goodreads, or your etailer of choice.
Speaking of etailers, many customers recently received refunds to their accounts as a result of the antitrust eBook settlements with the US government. You can read about this bit of news here. If you’re looking for a book to spend the refund on, might I suggest CONVERGENCE, which is only $3.99?
Over the last few weeks, my novel has been mentioned on a few other websites, so I must thank ECHOES author Therin Knite, who was kind enough to feature CONVERGENCE as part of the Awesome Indie Book Roundup. Knite also highlighted my work on the Awesome Indie Books Facebook page. So lots of kudos to Therin! Thanks also to Geoff Wakeling who featured CONVERGENCE on his Science Fiction Books group March 4 and March 17, and to the fine folks over at Remarkable Reading for their Feb. 27 mention, as well. If you’re a Facebook user, go give these pages a Like and keep an eye out for other great reads, as they update frequently.
On March 15, Bards and Sages Publishing opened the doors again for their annual writing contest. This year, proceeds from the contest’s $20 entry fee will be going to support the Operation Backpack program run by Volunteers of America Delaware Valley. Those entering the contest will be treated to a complimentary copy of CONVERGENCE, as well works from several other authors, as a thank you for participating. You can read more about all this in this earlier post. If you’re a speculative fiction writer, this is a great contest with a terrific sense of quid pro quo and a chance at making some decent cash as a winner. Check them out and toss your hat in the ring with an unpublished work of up to 50,000 words.
Hopefully I’ll be back with some more updates and new postings in April!
March 17, 2014
National Reading Month
As some readers may know, March is National Reading Month. We opened 3-2014 with Read an eBook Week, and this past weekend Bards and Sages Publishing kicked off their annual writing contest (it runs until October 31) to support Operation Backpack, for which I am providing a “Thank You” copy of CONVERGENCE to contestants (read more about that here). So, words aplenty for March!
So far this month, I’ve read two books by Ania Ahlborn. First up was THE BIRD EATER, followed by THE SHUDDERING. I dug them both pretty severely, but ended up favoring THE SHUDDERING a tad bit more. As I posted back in January, I’m a big fan of winter-set horror. There’s just something about blood-tinged snow, the omnipresent threat of freezing cold, and the suffocating claustrophobia of being caught in a white-out, blinded by the extremes of weather and knowing that some…thing…is lurking out there, waiting for you. I love it. It’s why John Carpenter’s THE THING is one of my favorite flicks. With THE SHUDDERING, Ahlborn was able to tap into that vein of weathery fright, offering up a classic cabin-in-the-woods threat, and I just dug the hell out of it, plain and simple. As I was nearing the last hundred pages or so, my part of Michigan was treated with yet another nasty snowstorm to remind us that despite being nearly out of the woods, it was still winter, and its icy fingers were still grabbing us by the throat. While the lone survivors of Ahlborn’s tale were being hounded by vicious creatures, the wind was screaming around my house and the snow was piling up. It was a terrific, authentic bit of atmosphere to experience her story in.
Next up was some lighter fare, with the recently re-issued A RIP THROUGH TIME from Beat to a Pulp publisher’s. Also another terrific read, this trippy, pulpy sci-fi time travel book is a collaborative piece with different authors, including Chris F. Holm of The Collector series of books, contributing a chapter and constructing a complete story. In my opinion, this would be a great Bruce Campbell vehicle if ever adapted for film.
Yesterday, I began reading David Niose’s NONBELIEVER NATION: THE RISE OF SECULAR AMERICA. At the start of the year, I made it a resolution to read more non-fiction and have been kind of slacking on this. I’ve read two books on publishing, and Richard Dawkin’s THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH back in Jan/Feb, and have been itching to get some more non-fic into my reading circulation, especially since I have a pretty sizable backlog of non-fic reads… Here goes my effort to begin amending my lapses.
So, what have you been reading? How’s National Reading Month going for you?
And, oh yeah, let me just point out that coincidentally, National Reading Month just so happens to also be about the time that my own novel, CONVERGENCE, released. It’s a sci-fi thriller that I think fans of cyberpunk will enjoy, but it’s also pretty accessible to open-minded readers who like mystery/thriller books with a bit of a twist and an edge. I think readers who dig neo-noir crime thrillers, or are familiar with other straight-up thriller writers, like Barry Eisler or Lee Child, should be able to find my book right up their alley. Click the link above or poke around the site to find more information, and go snag a copy of the book so you can celebrate National Reading Month with me!
March 15, 2014
Operation Backpack
I am proud to announce that CONVERGENCE will be included in the “Thank You” gift pack of eBooks given to all contestants of this year’s speculative fiction writing contest from Bards and Sages Publishing. The contest opens today, March 15 and runs until Oct. 31. A significant portion of the contest’s $20 entry fee will be going to support the Operation Backpack program run by Volunteers of America Delaware Valley. Those who submit their stories to Bards and Sages will be rewarded with a collection of titles from KJ Colt, Deirdre Gould, Jeff Bracket, as well as myself and a few others. Entrants will also have a chance to win some audiobooks donated by Red Adept Publishing. For the full-list and details on entering, check out the contest here.
Donations made to Operation Backpack will help provide some of America’s homeless children, or children living in foster care, with much-needed school supplies. It will also help fund VoA’s after-school and youth mentoring programs.
Now, I say “some of” because, let’s face reality here – there are an awful lot of homeless children in the US, kids whose families are poor and struggling, and who don’t have the means and options available to them that a number of other luckier, better-off kids have. And, there’s a number of reasons for this, all of them well beyond the control of these poor, young kids. It’s a sad state of affairs all around. The American Institutes for Research estimates that there are over 1.6 million homeless children in the USA. I would encourage you to read more about this plight here and prepare to be shocked and dismayed, and then, hopefully, use some of that anger, contempt, sadness, or whatever emotions this inspires in you to at least try to help make things right. You can find a list of other Operation Backpack campaigns here.
I know that, sadly, there’s quite a bit of cynicism regarding charitable organizations, and the argument that the only people who really benefit are the wealthy elites organizing the campaigns. I’m sure we’ve all heard about the backlash against Susan G. Komen For the Cure, or remember the criticisms of donation campaigns in the wake of 9/11. Protestations aside, I do believe that acts of kindness, generosity, and charity can go rather far. It’s way too easy to brush aside the kindhearted efforts of these organizations by saying it all just goes into the pockets of the rich fat-cat organizers behind these campaigns. To which I say, do your homework, and don’t paint all charities with the same wide brush. One bad apple, in fact, does not ruin the whole bunch. It’s easy to be cynical, but it’s even easier to be lazy and selfish.
Volunteer’s of America is an accredited Better Business Bureau charity, and ninety cents of every donated dollars goes to the folks who need it. And 1.6 million homeless children certainly do need it. Kids are our future, and we need to make their lives and our world better for them.
Bards and Sages Publishing has been holding this annual speculative fiction writing contest for a few years now, and in that time they’ve raised thousands of dollars for charity, including American Red Cross, Children’s Literacy Initiative, and Doctors Without Borders. They’ve done solid work, for a number of solid, worthwhile programs.
In short, I’m more than happy to take a small part in this fund-raising campaign. To all you speculative fictions writer’s out there, I encourage you to submit your work. At best, you’ll win $500 and a pack of audiobooks, and at worst, you’ll be getting your twenty-dollars worth of reading material. And beyond those fine incentives, you also just might give a child the chance to tough out another school year and let them know that somebody out there cares enough about them to help. Seems like a win-win no matter how you look at this.
March 8, 2014
Awesome Indie Book Roundup (3/8/14)
Thanks to Therin Knite for featuring CONVERGENCE in the Awesome Indie Book Roundup. Therin is the author of ECHOES, which you should check out at http://amzn.to/1cEkp7t, and go visit the blog, http://knitewrites.com
Originally posted on Knite Writes:
Hey, guys! This is a brand new feature for Knite Writes. Every Saturday, I’ll be posting a number of cool-looking indie books recommended to me throughout the week. Please check ‘em out and support the indie community! Click the cover of whichever books you’re interested in to learn more about them!
(NOTE: There’s a FREE BOOK section at the bottom of the list!)
____
March 6, 2014
March 5, 2014
Genre Bias and the Hurdles of Discovery
A few days ago, I was contacted by a reader who is currently enjoyed CONVERGENCE and is five chapters deep. We had a brief conversation over e-mail and she admitted that she was not really a fan of the sci-fi genre, but my book’s description swayed her enough to give it a shot.
First off, I was humbled and amazed. It was a great feeling to be contacted and to be able to converse a bit and learn more about her typical reading selections. I got to thinking about that genre divide that we, as readers, kind of build up on our own and curate with our own set of expectations. She said that maybe she just hadn’t known what she was missing by passing up this genre, and I think that’s a statement we can all take a moment to reflect on and ponder our own genre prejudices and why it’s so important to, every once in a while, attempt to reach out and expose ourselves to unfamiliar things.
Now, I like and enjoy sci-fi in general. But, I also have a bit of a prejudicial streak when it comes to this genre. While I certainly like Star Wars and Star Trek, I will typically avoid these types of stories when I’m jonesing for a sci-fi book. I have a really hard time getting into alien cultures and fanciful names on page, so I typically eschew these literary works, leaving these elements for enjoyment on the silver screen or in video games. I am much more apt to lean towards Richard K. Morgan’s Takeshi Kovacs series or his novel Thirteen, where we have a more conceptual sci-fi aspect to it, like advanced tech or future dystopias. When Joss Whedon was developing Firefly, one of the mandates was no aliens, if only because humans were antagonistic enough on their own and so varied in their cultures and beliefs that you didn’t need to create exotic, heavily made-up stand-ins. While I’m certainly not looking for a documentarian approach to sci-fi, I do find the genre more palatable when it’s a bit more grounded and Earth-based.
When I was writing CONVERGENCE, one of my main goals was to keep the story relatable and human. While the technology is advanced, it’s not so far advanced as to be implausible (IMHO, but YMMV) and much of it is based on real-world tech. Some of this tech, if I can crib slightly from Max Headroom, is coming at you live 20 minutes into the future. But the settings, the motivations, the duplicity, the characters – all very human. In fact, as the story grew and the writing process went on, I sometimes had to remind myself that I was writing a sci-fi thriller, rather than just a thriller. Strip away the tech and the future setting, and it could easily be a modern-day thriller in the vein of Barry Eisler, Lee Child or Vince Flynn. But, tweak the world stage a little bit, toss into a future that’s seemingly right around the corner along with tomorrow’s technologies, and it’s science fiction. For me, the science aspect of sci-fi was vital. Mostly, I just wasn’t interested in telling a space-alien story, and I kind of have to remind myself that the sci-fi genre is certainly far more open and flexible than that single more commonly well-known approach. For some people, that’s their bread and butter, and some authors pull it off with incredible finesse and skill. That’s just not me, for the most part, but if the story is engaging and can suck me in, I’m happy to go along for the ride. In fact, I should broaden my exposure to sci-fi works simply in the hopes of finding those stories that challenge my expectations and break apart my own preconceived biases.
The thing is, though, I totally get where my reader was coming from when she reflects on not knowing what exactly she was missing by passing up the genre. Ten years ago I was privately scoffing some adults I knew who were reading the Harry Potter series. Until, of course, I became one of those readers and realized that the young adult genre does not automatically equate to kids stuff. And, really, as a comic book fan and video game player, I should have known better. How many people routinely besmirch adult comic book readers and gamers for enjoying “kid’s stuff?” And how many of those people would blush and turn away if presented with any random page from Preacher or Transmetropolitan? Could they really so easily dismiss Mass Effect or the Call of Duty franchise? Yet, there I was, hyped up on my own sense of self-importance as to what qualifies as worthwhile in the literary sphere and making blind judgement calls on works simply based on a vague, hazy, ill-defined genre label. It’s important to experience new things, but it’s even more important to just get the hell over yourself enough to be willing to try new things.
Whether or not we realize it, we are prejudiced readers. In fact, it’s important that we do realize this simply so that we can work to overcome it and expose ourselves to a greater sampling of the works available to us. Recently, I read THE WAKING DARK, which if had not known it was young adult I would have automatically listed it as a horror novel. Chuck Wendig’s cornpunk trilogy, starting with UNDER THE EMPYREAN SKY, is another one I probably would have passed on simply for being YA, if the author hadn’t been a known quantity and deciding factor to go for it. And again, if I hadn’t of know it was young adult going in I wouldn’t have consciously realized it or labeled it as such. What I’ve learned over the last few years is, simply because a book is classified as one thing it is not solely defined by that single limiting classification. Young Adult is a book that just so happens to have a young adult/new adult cast, often times dealing with very adult subjects. Kind of like how CONVERGENCE is a thriller that just happens to have some sci-fi elements to it. These novels are so much more than a mere one-word qualifier.
As readers, we can’t let these classifications get the best of us. I will concede, though, that sometimes certain genres just aren’t our cup of tea. And that’s OK. I have a difficult time getting into fantasy outside of George RR Martin, R. Scott Bakker, or (again) Richard K. Morgan. Maybe I just like the grimmdark stuff, I dunno. The few times I tried to go outside of these authors were with mixed results, but mostly disappointment (for instance, I like The Lord of the Rings films, but was bored to death by the books). That said, I have yet to completely swear-off the fantasy genre and am always looking for a new “in” to this segment of stories. While I can’t quite get into straight-up fantasy, I have an easier time digging into urban fantasy, like Wendig’s Miriam Black series, or Buffy and Angel, and, again, I think a lot of this has to do with the familiar setting and relatable, mostly human, characters
Sometimes we readers get into a groove with certain types of books that it puts blinders on us to the larger world of stories and methods of storytelling. Right now, I’m on a huge horror kick, but there was a time I wouldn’t read outside of the mystery genre. If it wasn’t a Michael Connelly or Dennis Lehane book, I wouldn’t read it. Then I became a horror fan after discovering Dean Koontz and Stephen King. Then I found out about John Connolly, who was masterfully crafting horror-mystery-thrillers with his PI Charlie Parker series. These authors opened up multiple avenues into different worlds for me, and I started to glom onto the importance of looking at different genres. The mystery, and then horror, shelves ended up being a gateway drug to other works and mishmash literature.
This year, to take things further, I’m making a concerted effort to not only explore other genres, and trying to read more non-fictions, which I’ve been sorely negligent on, but to also actively try to read more female authors. So many of my typical go-to authors are white males. I’m not saying that’s a good or bad thing, but I do think it’s important to branch out and get a different perspective on the world and to find some works by non-white guys. Again, it’s part of that whole growing, challenging, and learning thing that I think we all need to do if for no other reason than our own personal betterment.
The literary world is such a deep, expansive ocean that I cannot think of a single good reason to limit my reading selections to a tiny, shallow pool, deliberately or otherwise.
So, what are your suggestions, comments, critiques? What books or authors do you recommend to a non-genre fan to pique their interest and get them to read outside their comfort zone? What were some of your gateway books into other genres and authors? What shakes up the standards conventions and gets your roaring to read? Sound off below!
March 2, 2014
Read an eBook Week
On Sunday, March 2, Read an eBook Week 2014 kicks-off internationally. It’s a terrific time to celebrate your favorite authors in the digital age, and maybe even find some great new reads.
Coincidentally, it also marks the second week since CONVERGENCE went live in all the major market etailers!. You can find CONVERGENCE pretty easily for $3.99 for the Kindle, Nook, and Kobo e-readers, tablets, and apps. Additionally, my new eBook is also 73% cheaper than the forthcoming paperback edition, so go give it a shot, save some money, and, if you’re so inclined, post a review. You can even join me on Goodreads now, too.
For you fellow Kindle owners out there, we’re also in a brand new month, which means new additions to the Kindle First program and the ability to borrow one more title through the Lending Library. In February, I borrowed Barry Eisler’s latest John Rain thriller, ">GRAVEYARD OF MEMORIES, and highly recommend it. If you’re new to the series, it’s an excellent place to start, and if you’re a long time fan of Eisler like I am, there is a hell of a lot to appreciate with this prequel story. I’m not sure what I want to borrow in March, but am thinking I need to start a list of potential reads to work through.
I was really happy to see Ania Ahlborn‘s new horror title, ">THE BIRD EATER, among this round of Kindle First selections. I’d heard about this book a short while ago, and thought it sounded absolutely phenomenal, and had been keeping my fingers crossed that it may pop up on the First page. Downloading this one was a no-brainer. Ahlborn has been on my watch-list for a while, and this looks like an excellent time to not only discover a new-to-me author, but to do so with her new release. It helps, too, that I am craving a serious horror read and it sounds like this work will deliver in spades.
One last recommendation – if you’re looking for another terrific author with a phenomenal new release, I would highly suggest you check out Daniel Price’s epic sci-fi parallel worlds superhero story, ">THE FLIGHT OF THE SILVERS. For such a thick book, the pages fly right on by and it’s a story that I found to be engrossing from the very first page. It’s the first chapter in a new series, and it. is. awesome. Jump on board with this one. I’ve been following Price on twitter, and from the small teases he’s been dropping about the second forthcoming book, it promises to be a series that keeps on getting better and better.
What’s on your reading list? Which titles are you picking up to celebrate Read an eBook Week? Sound off below!
