Heidi Ruby Miller's Blog, page 76

KJ Howe Essay on MGOC Site

Let's call this post a mission in research.

I've recently been working on a profile about David Morrell (NYT Bestseller and creator of Rambo). David has had an illustrious career spanning 40 years, an incredible feat given the innate challenges of the publishing industry. Unlike many authors today, David has never really created a series character. Instead, he writes stand-alone novels that encompass several different genres, from thrillers to horror to speculative fiction.

Most publishers insist that authors find a niche (specific genre, style of book) and stick with it so they are easier to market.

I can understand this preference as it makes business sense to be able to "brand" and market an author's niche. Sometimes publishers ask authors to change their name and brand if they are writing a new style of book. For example, Joe Konrath wrote the Jack Daniels mystery series under his name, [ J. A. Konrath ], then started writing in a different genre as Jack Killborn .

As a reader, do you want to reach for a book by X author and know that it will be a certain style and type of novel, or do you like to be surprised by the genre/storyline knowing that you will enjoy the book no matter what because of the author's voice and talent?

Another question that piques my interest is whether readers enjoy the variety of stand-alones more or less than the comfort of a series character novel? I would be so appreciative if you could share your thoughts on these two issues!

("Two Faces of Fiction" appeared in its original form at Romance Bandits, April 23, 2010.)

KJ Howe has won three Daphne du Maurier Awards for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense.

MGOC Contributor News: Maria V. Snyder's Outside In

Maria V. Snyder 's follow up to her Young Adult Science Fiction novel Inside Out , is aptly named Outside In .

The sequel about Trella and Riley is now available from Harlequin Teen . Outside In received three stars from RT Book Reviews .

"The characters...are well-developed, and the solid action sequences and world-building make for an entertaining read."
--Publisher's Weekly about Inside Out

Here's the back cover teaser:

Me?

A leader?

Okay, I did prove that there's more to Inside than we knew.

That a whole world exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major rebellion—between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we're free. I thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own again—while still touching base with Riley, of course. He's the one upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there's outside and then there is Outside.

And something from Outside wants In.

MGOC Contributor News: Michael A. Arnzen's Gorelets Omnibus

To celebrate the first decade of poetry and other bizarre musings from Michael Arnzen's site gorelets.com , he is releasing The Gorelets Omnibus this year. The Omnibus will feature about 200 poems, 5 critical articles by guest scholars, a variety of snippets and lists, lost art, early unpublished drafts, new poems written exclusively for this edition, and more.

The ebook will be offered through Amazon.com . To be notified of its release, all you need to do is subscribe to his Goreletter .



Mike also has a story in the upcoming issue of The Magazine of Bizarro Fiction , edited by John Skipp . He read this same story at the Bizarro Day Event at Backlist Books .

You can learn more at Mike's new Gorelets Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Arnzen-Goreletscom/192534454091457 .

Caesar's Children by Christopher Paul Carey

Christopher Paul Carey 's novelette Caesar's Children: A Tale of Pluritopia is now available at the Amazon Kindle store.

Here's a synopsis:

What if there were a world where all the utopias from nineteenth-century literature coexisted? And what if the nations of that world were divided into two types of utopias—the Aspirants, who seek the create the best of all possible worlds for themselves, and the Gildeds, who also seek the perfect world but long to force their own ideals on the other utopias?

On the Pluritopia World, the citizens glide through the heavens in the bellies of fish-shaped airships and learn about the exotic goings-on of the sundry utopias by means of aether-powered telephonoscopes. But when a mysterious woman from the Earth’s center appears suddenly in the tranquil Pacific Northwest paradise of France-Ville, the ideal world finds itself on the brink of the unimaginable—a great conflagration that threatens to scorch the Pluritopia World to cinders.

This novelette first appeared in the anthology Tales of the Shadowmen: Grand Guignol .

Open Call for Virtual Book Tour Stops for Many Genres

To celebrate the release of the new writing guide Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction , we are scouting for stops in our three-month mega virtual book tour (VBT) during April, May, and June.

Do you…
…have an author interview series? We have contributors ready to be interviewed.
…review books on your site? We can offer you pdf copies of our book for review.
…provide contests and giveaways? We have swag to give away.
…do something special? We can provide that special something.

All VBT participants will be listed with a link and description on a VBT page on the Many Genres, One Craft site: http://manygenres.blogspot.com as well as announced and promoted during the day/s of your stop.

Contact me at heidirubymiller@gmail.com for further inquiries and to schedule your stop today. I will also be glad to interview you for my two author series: HEIDI'S PICK SIX and PATHS TO PUBLICATION as a thank you!

Kaye Dacus Essay on MGOC Site

Kaye Dacus shared an essay about entering writing contests at the Many Genres, One Craft site.

Heidi's Pick Six Interview with Vincent Zandri

HEIDI'S PICK SIX




1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
Richard “Dick” Moonlight, of my Moonlight series (Moonlight Falls). He survived his own suicide attempt, and now, with a piece of .22 caliber hollow-point lodged up against his cerebral cortex, he often has trouble making the correct decisions and on occasion he loses his memory. But more importantly, that little piece of bullet could shift and he could fall into stroke, coma, or just simply drop dead at any time. Now as a private detective, he often finds himself going after the absolute truth behind a case, even if it means breaking the law to find it. He’s also unlucky in love and a total train-wreck when it comes to relationships. The fruit in this case doesn’t fall far from the author’s tree.

2. Tell me about your travels.
I spend a good part of the year in Florence, Italy. Sometimes I’m there strictly as a fiction writer, but more often than not, I’ll be there on assignment for RT (Russia Today TV) or some other global publication I write for. I’ve been on assignment recently in Benin, West Africa, Moscow, Florence, and other places. In the past I’ve worked in Turkey, Spain, London, Paris, Athens, Beijing, Shanghai, and, well, I’m forgetting some of the places. I’m heading to Germany next month and driving back down into Italy. If I’m not traveling I feel fat and useless. Like a suburbanite couch potato. BTW: I never sit down to watch the television.

3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
You gotta ask? Coffee….Lot’s of it!

4. What else can you do besides write?

5. Who are you reading right now?
Charlie Huston, the best noir writer in the world, and a series of noir novels taking place in pre-war Germany, by Phillip Kerr called Berlin Noir.

6. Pop culture or academia?

7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
Well, this isn’t fiction. But I wrote an article a couple of years ago called "Breakdown," which got syndicated pretty widely. It’s about my oldest son’s battle with severe and recurring depression. He’d had a couple of back to back nervous breakdowns, and describing carrying him from the garage floor where he’d collapsed from nervous exhaustion to a couch in the living room of my home was almost more than I could bear. But for my own sanity, I had to write about it.

8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?

11. What kind of music speaks to you?
Old punk rock, The Beatles, Ralph Vaughan Williams, The Clash, XTC, Johnny Cash, Social Distortion, The Blisterz…Ok, I’m cheating. I play drums for The Blisterz.

12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?

13. Celebrity crush.
Heidi Ruby Miller ;)

14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?

Vincent Zandri is the author of the bestselling novels The Remains , The Innocent , Godchild , and Moonlight Falls .



He is also a freelance photojournalist and travel writer. His official website is www.vincentzandri.com and he blogs at http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com .

Book: Low-Residency MFA Handbook

I am one of several Seton Hill Writers who contributed to the Low-Residency MFA Handbook: A Guide for Perspective Creative Writing Students by Lori A. May . This guide offers prospective graduate students an in-depth preview of low-residency creative writing MFA programs, as well as interviews with program directors, faculty, alumni, and current students.


Low-Residency MFA Handbook by Lori A. May

Here is the full list of Seton Hill Writers :
Shelley Bates (Shelley Adina)
Matt Duvall
Natalie Duvall
Heidi Ruby Miller
Jason Jack Miller
Cynthia Ravinski
Nicole Taft
Albert Wendland

ABOUT LORI A. MAY
Lori is a part-time writing instructor and a member of the AWP , MLA , and the Michigan College English Association . She is a frequent guest lecturer and workshop presenter at writers' conferences and graduate writing programs. In addition to her freelance writing, Lori is the author of Moving Target (Athena Force) , The Profiler , and stains: early poems . More information about her is available online at www.loriamay.com .

Book: Thrall by Mary SanGiovanni

My sister writer and critique partner from Seton Hill , Mary SanGiovanni , has a new novel titled Thrall coming out from Thunderstorm Books .

You can pre-order it now!



Thrall by Mary SanGiovanni

Here's a synopsis:

The last thing Jesse Coaglan ever wanted to do was return to his hometown of Thrall, New Jersey. Tucked away in the wilds of the northwestern corner of the state, Thrall has always been a very strange place to live. The town was a poison that affected people's minds, their souls, their bodies, and their perspectives. So Jesse abandoned his friends and the one woman he loved, and left everything behind.

Seven years later, Jesse has found a reason to return — a reason that, in spite of his best attempts otherwise, he can't ignore. His old love, Mia Dalianis, has left him a voicemail message begging him to come back, if not for her, then for the daughter Jesse never knew he had. Jesse needs to go back. He's been running for a long time — from relationships, friendships, everything he is afraid of and feels guilty over. He realizes that the nightmares will never stop until he goes to Thrall. With help from Nadia Richards and some old surviving friends from Thrall, Jesse intends to find his daughter or die trying. He goes looking for redemption, but what he discovers about his old hometown may destroy him and everyone he's ever cared about.

"Thrall is a feast of both visceral and existential horror—the gut tightens and the mind reels. Mary SanGiovanni joins that select cadre of women writers who are ignoring the safe old tropes and pushing the genre in new directions."
—F. Paul Wilson

Many Genres, One Craft Events Schedule

I just added an events list to the Many Genres, One Craft site:

http://manygenres.blogspot.com/2011/0...