S.A. Mulraney's Blog, page 4

A Vote for Simplicity

I was browsing TED talks the other day, looking for some inspiration. I’ve been in a rut lately, both in writing and in life, in general. It might be seasonal. Maybe I need to up my vitamin D. Anyway, I found this video, which I invite you to watch. It’s a fascinating look into the success (at least in Norway) of simplicity. But, I think it speaks volumes to a need and desire to slow down and take in the scenery. So often, we lose sight of even the simplest of pleasures in our lives because of the “stuff” that gets in our way; work, significant others, children, family. The idea discussed in this TED talk started with a really long train ride. I’m curious to see where it goes next. And I know I would watch this channel at least for a little while if I could.

BTW… who is watching that cow? ;-)

Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference 2015

Live in the NY/NJ/PA/CT/DE area? You should seriously consider adding the 2015 Create Something Magical Conference on your list of writerly things to do this year. Expanded to 2 days, this year’s keynote speaker is Sylvia Day. The conference includes a writers track and a readers track and a book fair, author signings, as well as workshops, editor/agent appointments, and a Saturday night social. Plenty of opportunities to rub elbows with writers and agents. This year’s conference is scheduled for Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22, 2015 at the Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel in Iselin, NJ.

I found last year’s conference to be energizing and informative. Being close to NY brings in a serious agent crowd, but the NJ location gives it a more layed back feel. Check it out at www.libertystatesfictionwriters.com.

What conferences are on your schedule this year?

Here Comes the New Year… Same As the Old Year?

I guess that depends on how you look at 2014. Good year? Yes, let’s repeat and grow. Bad year? Let’s not do that again, thanks. Meh year? Let’s make some changes for the better.

I had a meh year. I got some writing done, but nowhere near the amount I wanted to. I published Danny Dirks, which was great, but I’m struggling to get on with other projects now. The holidays were a complete waste of time for me. I got nothing accomplished and I blame part of that on simply being burnt out from my current job situation. The rest is just sheer laziness.

So, with some unintentional respect to Taylor Swift, I’m trying to shake it all off. That’s what a new year is all about, right? This strange feeling that something is starting over. That it’s an opportunity to change our habits by dropping the bad ones and making better ones. That, perhaps, we’ll look back this time next year and say, “Yes sir! May I have another just like it!” I need one of those. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I’ve ever had a year like that. A great year. I mean, truly great, where I looked back and loved every minute. Maybe my expectations are too high? Or, maybe I’ve never dedicated myself to the changes that could make the year great.

Anyway, I’ve started reading more regularly, which always helps. Now I’ve got to get back into a regular writing schedule. In February, my regular commute into NYC will be over, so I’m hoping some things will get back to normal, but not the “meh normal”… the “working-to-be-better normal.” :-)

So, how was your year? Good? Bad? Meh? And what are your plans for the new year? What, if anything, are you going to do differently?

2014 Year in Review

Believe it or not, I was in the middle of creating a post to review the year, when lo and behold, WordPress did it for me! As I only began this blog in June, I’m pretty satisfied at where it stands at the moment. The holidays certainly have put a bit of a damper on posts and interaction, but I think it’s just the time of year. Anyway, if you like stats, be sure to check out this link: http://samulraney.com/2014/annual-rep....

I invite you to post your own annual report link in the comments below! Thanks… oh, and Happy New Year’s Eve!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday. :-D

Can I Critique a Man Booker Award Winner?

Sure! Just like anyone can critique your books and my books (and boy have they!). It’s really that simple, right? In a country that loves to tout it’s freedoms, there’s an abundance of people willing to give you their $0.02. Sometimes that criticism is based in knowledge and understanding. Sometimes it isn’t, but the fact remains that it’s everyone’s prerogative to provide commentary on the written word.

So, mine happens to be about a Man Booker Award winner and the book is The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Let me start out by saying that the book is written very well. The command of language is clear and the author’s ability to describe emotion and conflict is outstanding. Really well done. The story deftly jumps back and forth between present and past and closer past. I was really enjoying it. Then, this historical fiction suddenly became a romance. Was it part of the story? Yes. But, it became so flowery and fanciful that it really pulled me out of the flow.

It hasn’t stopped me reading. In fact, it pushed me to get back to the good stuff and I’m glad I did. Flanagan has a lot to say about life. But, now that I’m 4/5 of the way through, I keep scratching my head about those 3-4 chapters. They’re part of a pivotal plot point, so it’s not like they’re superfluous. It’s the approach I didn’t like. It was the sense that I’d started reading another book in that section and the all-too-obvious ending fell flat.

I started reading this because one reviewer made a comparison to Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, one of my all-time favorites. Doesn’t grip me the way that book did, but it’s still a fine read. It’s subject matter isn’t pleasant though, so be careful. WWII POW slave camps described in every wretched detail. It’s horrific and haunting. If you do happen to read it, or have already read it, let me know if the romance throws you off as it did me.

Christmas is only 3 days away! Can you believe it? :-D 

Special Thanks…

…to the Books in the Hall blog for running a last-minute spotlight on my review tour. Head over and show them some love. Be sure to leave a comment and sign up for the giveaway I’m sponsoring. Due to technical difficulties, today’s review has been rescheduled to the 31st, when I’ll have two reviews on one day! :-D

Said in a meeting yesterday…

“For some, you have to water down the paper bag more than others.”

~By me, in regard to the ineptitude of some people. ;-)

In Which I Lost My $#!@ for a Moment

It takes a lot to get a rise out of me. It’s usually a slow building kind of thing that then explodes in a fury of jumbled words and phrases that make no sense and result in me apologizing profusely (usually to my wife). Sometimes I can ward off said rise by warning certain pokers that the bear is not amused. But my son (who just turned 9) is a different story. As any parent knows, children are an unending source of frenzy-inducing moments. Sometimes they make you laugh and sometimes they scare the living crap out of you.

In a recent episode of the latter, he and I were getting a gallon of milk at the local grocery store. I’d just picked him up from his after-school and we just needed to run in and run out. We got to the register and I waited for the girl to charge me, ran my card through the reader, grabbed my bag, turned and saw… nothing. My son was gone. I looked back up the aisle. No. Looked out into the little glass vestibule. Nope. Started panicking slightly and headed into said vestibule, only to lock eyes with my son, who was now standing in the middle of the crosswalk… in front of two stopped cars.

“What the hell are you doing?!” I said, hands raised in the air in absolute astonishment. He had just turned around, having apparently noticed (finally) that Dad was nowhere to be seen. He stood there for a moment, probably torn between getting run over and returning to me; certain grief in either case.

I was lost for words only momentarily as I dropped a “J.C.,” which was followed by a stern walk back to the car and pretty much me losing my $#!@ for the next 15 minutes. “What were you thinking!? You need to pay more attention! That’s how accidents happen! Did you even look when you entered the crosswalk?! Since when do I let you walk without holding my hand in the parking lot!”

When I was done, I was exhausted. Coming back down from my frenzied high, I said to him, “Well, congratulations on scaring the crap out of Dad for the first time in a long time.” By the time we pulled into the parking spot at home, he’d apologized several times. And, despite me having raised my voice to its greatest extent, he didn’t cry. I think he was in too much shock.

At this point, I decided to use this incident to motivate him in a chore he hates. I used my quiet voice. You know that voice… the one that’s slightly more scary than the raving one? The one your parents used that told you that you’d crossed some invisible line and sh!t was about to get real. “Listen. We’re going to go inside and you’re going to go into your room and start cleaning. You do that and we won’t have to discuss this with Mommy. Deal?” “Ok, Daddy.”

Now, before you get riled up at me not telling my wife, understand that I did tell her… after he went to bed that night. He’d had enough and I knew that it wouldn’t improve the situation if we started back up again as soon as we walked in the door. My wife agreed. She said, “I thought he was awfully quiet and obedient when he came in.”

Kids! Gotta love ‘em, right?! RIGHT?! ;-D

Have You Checked Out Writers2Writers?

I hope you’ve had a chance to check out the TV interview series, Writers2Writers, I was a part of. It’s been a month since the first episode appeared and episode 5 aired last night! Five more to go this season! Each episode features guests talking about all sorts of author and writer-related content. There’s something for everyone!

Episode 1 covered writing an anthology, NaNoWriMo, and using Kindle Direct Publishing (with yours truly!).

Episode 2 discussed paranormal fiction writing, outlining your novel, and the dos and don’ts for landing a literary agent.

Episode 3 featured memoir writing, scifi/fantasy world building, and the author/editor relationship.

Episode 4 talked about the New Jersey Authors’ Network, writing conflict for characters, and facts and figures on selling your book to a publishing house.

Last night, Episode 5 discussed the ebook price war, how to mend a “broken” scene, and starting your own writing group. Check out the preview video:

I hope you find these videos informative and helpful! :-D