Daniel I. Russell's Blog, page 7
July 5, 2011
More shake ups than a Japanese powerplant...
The currently ever changing book industry has had what might be another shake up with the Amazon group buying Book Depository. Now, I prefer Book Dep as living in Australia, I can get most books (yes, even your random small press book) cheaper and usually faster. I can safely say that we buy about 90% of our books from DP rather than paying for shipping to Australia. In fact, my partner tends to buy them all at once every winter when the 10% discounts are offered and then dishes them out for Birthdays and Christmas and things.I'll admit, this devlopment worries me. Yes, they have said that Book Dep will continue to run independently of Amazon and that nothing is changing...we've been lied to before. Being in Australia, I can't help but be reminded of Gillard's "There will be no carbon tax" speech. And with its main competition gone (it turns out it was being out-marketed) I can't see why Amazon won't make the move to cut the free shipping and up prices.
Then customers will be more likely to buy ebooks, and following my last post, should Amazon cast its eye of Sauron over to Smashwords...it might as well wear a monocle, top hat and dish out get out of jail cards.
"On its website, the company sought to reassure its customers that its service and range would improve after the acquisition by Amazon.
"The Book Depository and Amazon are aligned in wanting to ensure the best possible experience for customers," the group said. "Working with Amazon we will look to continue to increase our vast selection of great titles and provide even better customer experience."
"With the support of Amazon, we look forward to continuing our growth and providing an ever-improving service for readers globally," Book Depository founder Andrew Crawford said."
That from The Sydney Morning Herald, who go on to say, in regards to Australian book buyers:
"In the week ending December 25, 2010, Amazon garnered 2.23 million hits by Australian users, according to data from web traffic research group Experian Hitwise, while in a separate measure the rapidly growing Book Depository had 149,800 hits in the same period.
''Australian booksellers are already aware that a lot of individual purchases are going overseas,'' said Tim Coronel, publisher of industry journal Bookseller+Publisher. ''The majority of overseas sales are from Amazon sites and Book Depository, so bringing them together could be potentially a very big deal.
''It could actually make them a major player in the Australian book market without them having a physical presence here.''"
July 4, 2011
The future is digital as my 1980's Casio.
I had a particularly interesting meeting at work this week, and not just because of the refreshments, you know, those marshmallow and coconut biscuits with jam down the middle? Yeah… Need to get some of those. Wait, where was I? Oh yeah, the meeting and the subject of the meeting.
Insert: for writers and reading expecting some writerly ponderings, I'm getting there. Easy, tiger.
For those of you that don't know, when I'm not spending hours at the computer writing books that make enough money to barely cover the annual toilet paper allowance, I teach high school science and maths. Our meeting this week was by the man himself, our fearless principal, and his topic was called 'where to from here?'. I thought, like other members of the staff, this would be a discussion about students moving classes, timetable changes and teacher organisation. How wrong we were, because once the distraction of those lovely marshmallowy, coconutty, jammy biscuits was out the way, we realised this was to be a talk on technology, and how it's changed our lives and profession and literally, where we are going from here, at least at our school.
Did you just sigh? Another blog post about this technological revolution that we're going through, of which you already know about? Yes, you do. I did. But hopefully you can take a minute and just embrace fully what's going on around us.
We were shown sites and blogs that are own students set up and maintained: showing the world their singing talents, etc, or simply having a voice and getting it out there. We watched a talk about a classical composer/conductor who created a virtual choir of hundreds of people around the world sending in their Youtube clips of the same song. Remarkable, and beautiful, stuff. People who had never sung a note in front of others were now part of this bigger thing and letting their talents shine through.
I can teach my class while sitting on a beach on the other side of the world if I wanted to (yes, I want to) or prepare my tests in multimedia formats to assist those with low reading abilities. This week (and during a test) I used Youtube and audio clips of Les Claypole of Primus and guitar god Jacqueline to teach physics. We really can stop talking about these things and do them. Yes, this is where we're heading. No more homework being left at home as they can be emailed straight into the school the moment they're finished. (My dog didn't eat my homework, sir, but it did use up all the bandwidth while online gaming.)
Get to the writing bit, Mr. Writer, I hear you cry.
Okay then.
This got me thinking about the way technology has influenced the business of writing and more importantly, the selling of writing. I've been a writer for about seven years now, and not a lot has changed in nearly a decade. Okay, maybe it has. Depends on your perspective. But personally, I write the same way as before, I find markets the same way, I submit to those markets the same way. The actual graft bit remains quite similar, although I'm writing this on a tiny Acer notebook thingy rather than a massive desktop computer with a monitor that takes up half the room. But then, I've never experienced what writing was like before things like online market listings, writing forums and email submissions.
However, there has been great changes in the publishing industry with the digital book revolution, which (again, personal opinion) has gone hand in hand with the, how can I put it, glorification of the fashion of books.
Fashion of books, I hear you say? I expect some arguments over this next bit, but I feel that a section of the general populace have trouble (just say it, Dan) thinking for themselves and finding their own identity with reading, and probably other things too. I'm not a fan of bandwagons…nor am I a devout bandwagon avoider. If I like something, I like it on its own merit, not for how it will make other people's opinions of me change. For example, if a publisher manages to get their new book, He Tore Away My Bodice With His Teeth, the Scoundrel!, in every shop, reviewed in every paper and has Bodice: The Movie hitting the screens this summer…I wouldn't buy it because it's not my thing. I'm not one of these 'what's all the fuss about? I must go see!' types…but many are. Just because it's popular, doesn't mean it's for me.
Now I know that bookstores need to make profit, and amen to that. Imagine a world without bookstores! (No, wait, close your mouth. I know what you're going to say: in a few years, and all that. Sssssh! Let me probably live in ignorance a while longer). I think it was Joe Lansdale that said your general, randomly picked person might buy a couple of books a year. I believe this person, let's call him Mr. Reader, isn't suddenly going to say: "hey! I need a book to read! I'm going to go online, visit some small press stores and check out some authors off the beaten track." He'll probably be in a store and say: "Hmm. Millions of copies of Bodice here and everyone's reading it. Might give it a go." Another sale goes to the major presses, and another small press author loses his wings.
This isn't new and I hope this doesn't come across as a 'it's not fair! The bigger boys are stealing my royalties!' rant, because it isn't intended to be. I just wanted to show that as bookstores are filling up with more copies of less books, be it vampire fiction, cook books or celebrity biographies, the lesser known books have to go elsewhere, and I think this is a major contributing reason to why we've had a surge in digital books at the moment.
Seasoned writer, you've probably heard this bit a million times before, but there's a personal revelation coming up! Trust me!
It's never been easier to be published then it is today. This leads me back to my original topic of technology. Today you can write something in Word, upload it to Kindle or Smashwords, bung a cover on it and 24 hours later, you might (!) be making money. When you sit back and compare this to as little as a few years ago?
My digital escapades have been frustrating. When Samhane and a thriller novella I wrote called Shutterbug were originally released, they were in ebook format only. And back then, this wasn't even on Kindle or Nook, etc, but only as a downloadable pdf. Now, call me a miserable bastard, but I find that paying $5, which was the going rate at the time, I tad steep for an ebook, especially just a pdf to read from a screen. I was constantly asked, don't you have it in print? This was about 2008.
Now jump to 2010. Yup, just two years later. I pulled the rights to the books and Samhane was released in print by Stygian. Good! I thought. Now all those people who wanted in print will buy a copy!
"It's in print?" they said, generally. "So it's not in ebook for my Kindle?"
Aaargh! My timing has always sucked.
So, here's the revelation.
I have always been against self publishing. I have sampled self published stuff from writers who have pimped themselves as editors, or critically acclaimed, or award winning, and the quality is generally pretty poor. I've always had the opinion that self publishing is for the impatient and those who can't sell their work traditionally.
Okay, I've not made a complete 180 degree turn, but recent months have changed my opinion.
I released Samhane in ebook on Kindle and Smashwords so that the readers who wanted it that way had access to it. I was once again reminded how easy it can be to get your work out there digitally. I then released a few free reprints – see? Technically not 100% self published…at this stage. It was a transition…– and these were received well.
I then took another step down this route. Those awkward wordcount stories you wrote, or those just too odd genre-wise to fit in, they can see the light of day. They can be read. They aren't destined to rot on a memory stick somewhere.
So you might make one sale and get a 35c royalty. It's 35c towards the time you put in, and someone has read your work.
What truly turned me around was The Collector. I'd written this novel years ago, and always come so close to selling it, but neither agents or publishers had quite bitten. It's longish, and is a continuing story…bit of a risk I guess. However, I had confidence that this was a good, entertaining novel…but after years, this will obviously wane. As mentioned above, I got to the point where I just wanted it read, wanted it out there in front of readers. I released it in parts on Smashwords, and readers seemed to really enjoy it, as shown in the kind comments and ratings they left. If you read The Collector, I thank you with all my heart.
The Collector is now with Dark Continents Publications and due to be released as a complete novel. I like to think it's one of those success stories were a self published book gains an audience, proves it has merit and attracts a publisher. My perhaps blinkered view has changed. Yes, there's still a lot of self published crap out there, but if you take the time to cast an eye at the Kindle charts, the shit tends to sink and not get a look in. Names like Shaun Jeffrey and Dave Jeffrey (no relation) and Ian Woodhead appear all the time, and their stuff is far from the impatient and hard to sell rubbish. I see them as trendsetters at this moment in time, getting their names out there and making those all important sales. Gentlemen? Hat dipped.
Anyway, if I've piqued your interest, my books available on Kindle are below. Also included is the smashing anthology, The Zombie Feed. Incredible zombie fiction on Kindle and in print.
Right. There's my piece on technology. Yes, I know, and I know you know, but take a minute to smell the roses…or the Apples. I'm off to play the Xbox and have it scan my face and sign me in. Never got that feature on my 48K Spectrum.
June 10, 2011
Where it's at: some small press titles
Wanted to post this, as what with the current transition some of the bigger presses and bookshops are going through, it's nice to know that the small press is always there, ready to appreciate your hard-earned cash with some quality releases, which might slip under the radar of your usual Best Seller readers. Here's a few I read over the last week or so:
A Life On Fire by Chris BowsmanGrindhouse Press
$7.95 USD
ISBN 0982628196
Gerald McManner does not have a happy life. His job is boring and he goes home to an empty house. Every day is pretty much the same, until one day when his dreams become nightmares and the boredom becomes insanity. Will he find his way back to the light, or burn in his alcohol and depression fueled hell?
Bowsman has created a strange, beautiful and heart-wrenching story that will continue to haunt you long after you've read the last sentence. A must-read! – Gina Ranalli, author of Praise the Dead
Very heartbreaking. It reads like an absurdist's survival guide to Stephen King's The Mist. – Nathaniel Lambert, author of The Horribles
A violent nightmare of Charlie Kaufman proportions. – William Pauley III, author of The Brothers Crunk
Dan: I bought this on a very reasonable pre-order, and was already laughing before I started the book, what with the author's graffiti and exclusive piece of flash written on the inside cover.The story is very dark comedy with bizarre elements, that do nothing to detract from the plot and rattlesnake-quick pace. This is definitely a one sitting read, which was my only real complaint about the book. I wanted more! Be interesting to see what the author does with 80, 000 words or so, as his characterisation pulls you in and the random imagery will keep you guessing. Highly recommended and at a crazy $7.95, I can't think why you shouldn't snag yourself a copy of this short, sharp gem. Go buy! Hang on, read other reviews, then go buy!
Concrete Jungle by Brett McBeanTasmaniac Publications
$14.00 AUS
It's late. A few remaining shoppers head for the multi-story car park after attacking the sales at an adjacent shopping center.
However, they become trapped in the underground bunker when, incredibly, trees start to sprout from beneath the car park, transforming the concrete structure into a ruined, maze-like cavern.
Unable to find a way out it becomes a struggle for survival, for not only does the car park continue to transform back into a jungle, wild animals have begun to appear, governed by hunger under the foliage canopy.
Now the humans must fight to survive - not only Mother Nature, but a foe
just as deadly...each other.
Imagine if Richard Laymon wrote Jumanji. Basically that's what we're presented with as a multistory carpark is sealed off from the outside world as a sudden jungle takes over to trap the few survivors still inside. I'd been recommended to read some McBean and I was not disappointed when I did. This demanded I keep reading and takes a decidedly nastier turn in the last half (if a book makes me turn off the Xbox on an evening to go to bed early...it must be good).
Refreshing premise, strong characters and equally excellent short stories set in the same event provide a complete package. This is part of a trilogy, and the second part, Neighbourhood Jungle, is on preorder now. Lucky I got paid last Thursday. I'll see you over there by the checkout.
UNDEAD DRIVE THRU by REBECCA BESSERLiving Dead Press
$9.99
ISBN: 1611990092
When Kyndra, Colleen, and Jose apply for jobs at a diner that has seen better days and is undergoing renovations, they have no idea what they're in for. Aunt-B and John have a horrible secret, and when it's unleashed on the unsuspecting employees of the diner, things get . . . complicated. Bloodthirsty and dangerous, a zombie awaits the opportunity to feast on them all. Who will be served first? Can any of them make it out of the Undead Drive-Thru alive?
Dan: Besser tries to make her mark on an often saturated zombie genre with Undead Drive Thru, a short novella with Living Dead Press. From what I can see on display here, Besser may become the female horror writer I long to read: one who knows her way around buckets of blood, guts and puss rather than an overly long touchy feely contemplation. The cover doesn't really hint at the story (yes, there is no undead cook handing out body parts to diners) and this keeps you guessing exactly where the story will go. Besser serves up (pun intended) a traditional zombie story with a suitable villain whose complete batshit insanity is leaked out chapter by chapter. There are some genuine shock moments and a great finale. A few editorial mistakes here and there won't spoil the enjoyment.
Like A Life on Fire, here is an author I'd like to see take a stab at a longer piece.
Small Press. Where it's at.
May 24, 2011
The heavy hand of Smashwords
Well it was a good run while it lasted. The Collector will officially be taken off Smashwords following a complaint. See, there is an itty bitty line in the terms of service that states that books cannot be in serialised parts. This makes sense, as it would stop particularly fraudulent writers splitting a novel into say 10 parts and charging $2.99 for each one, costing you pretty much $30 for one book!
As The Collector was 100% FREE...I guess that it was allowed through, having reached part 6 with no problems at all and even getting into premium distribution.
But there's always one that has to spoil it, and following their complaint, I have been made to remove it.
The series has had over 2200 reads, which was beyond any expectations I had for my little contemporary fantasy piece.
So...where to go from here?
Ideally I'd like to release all 6 parts together, as well as the remaining unpublished parts, as a complete book. The Collector was always seen as a trilogy, with this being the first of three books. I never intended to start the second volume until the first was picked up, which never happened (boo!). After the interest and great reader reviews and ratings, I might try again. After all, times have changed.
Failing that, I might just be a complete hypocrite and release it myself. Already have some artwork in the works.
For now, I'm going to sit on it till Friday, take it down and think it over at the weekend. Hell, I'm open to suggestions, so if have any, email me at danielirussell@necrotictissue.com (as I believe the comment thing below is often knackered).
For those readers who are following the serial and have sent me some quite concerned messages regarding the recent events...don't worry. I'm sure our bowler hat wearing Collector will be back in your hands soon.
April 27, 2011
So long Ditmars...but thanks for all the blog hits
Because I now feel I am part of the Australian spec scene, I was foolish (?) enough to enter an ongoing debate on Facebook regarding the Ditmar winners this year. Here's what I've been saying, and I quote:
"I saw enough politics regarding the Stokers when I was a HWA member many years ago. Every award system has its flaws. With something like this? The possibility to swing votes. With a panel? The fact that the opinions of a few individuals determine what is deemed to be superior. I don't hold much weight in awards, to be honest. Just to have a reader say they enjoyed your work is enough for me (being a 'splatter writer', I know I'm not going to win any awards anyway, regardless to how many readers like my work). Still, all the winners put the work in and congratulations to them, no matter who the publisher may be."
"Something else I just noticed. Ditmar novel went to Power and Majesty. Nothing against the author, whom I didn't know of until the convention. But this novel is from Harper Voyager and was part of the free books that EVERY con goer received.... This would play a part in swinging those hanging voters. Now small presses and indie authors could no way afford to give out free copies of their novels to all con goers. It's things like this that support my view that award winners are not necessarily more talented writers or better books, more they have a better marketing machine behind them. But then I am a pessimistic arse whose only award ever was 'Best Teeth' in the sexy men competition we had in the office in 2008... There wasn't even an award for best facial hair!"
Okay, hands up I wasn't aware that not everyone received a copy of the book at the convention and the point I was trying to make wasn't put across concisely (again...I rarely participate in debates like this and structuring arguments isn't my strong point. So I tried to clarify:
"Again, the con bags were great. Books featuring the guests of honour are a fantastic idea, but featuring books that are eligible for awards does invite an opinion of bias. BUT the organisers did a grand job and if publishers want to offer free copies, it's going to be very hard to say no. Rock and hard place."
And that was it.
I DID NOT accuse TPP of bloc voting.
I DID NOT say that ANY of winners didn't deserve it.
I DID SAY that the awards system is flawed...but then again, I feel they all are thus don't have much stock in them.
I DID SAY that some of the things at the convention MAY invite an opinion of bias.
All in all, I think I was quite nice about the whole thing. Or perhaps I just had sour grapes, not winning an award I wasn't even nominated in. Have you read any of my work? I have my loyal following of readers who like the kind of stuff I write, but for it to win an award? That would be like SAW 3D winning the Oscar for Best Picture. An award would be nice (something to show my mum and the kids) but I'm under no aspirations on what it means to win one (ie, it will take my career to the next level). Yes, I posted a Ditmar blog post in the early stages of the awards mentioning the stuff I had in the prelims. I did this once. No lobbying and canvassing after that, save a chat about my ASIM story in the Tin Duck short story category, but that was with the nice lady who accepted it, so I think that's okay.
Thanks for crankynick for including me in a singled out group of 'whining hypocritical fucks' over at his blog http://crankynick.livejournal.com/971.... I'm not going to name call. I just wanted to use this blog post to state my points, go down my usual agree to disagree line and thank him for all the blog hits today.
And people say the Video Music Awards can be controversial...
On the road to Swancon
FRIDAY
Thankfully, because I didn't wreck the new car this week (despite the best efforts of a 2x4 becoming lodged in the under carriage) we were able to drive up to Perth this Easter weekend for Swancon. Swancon is also hosting Natcon, so promises to be a big convention of fantasy, sci fi and horror.
The drive was a surprisingly quick one, with only one hairy moment. The recently built highway, just after it has become the Kwinana Freeway, has a bit like a bridge that goes on for a good way. We chose this spot to pull over and change drivers. You don't really notice as your zipping along at 110km, but the railings along this bridge are covered in GIANT AUSTRALIAN SPIDERS! I took a photo of one, but it doesn't do it justice…
We found the hotel first time, which was really weird for us. Our room is on the top floor at the very end of the building. You look out the window expecting to see Pluto, or one of the outer planets. Instead, we have a nice view of the Swan River and the posh people's pool and tennis courts.
So we laid base and walked the ten minutes down the street to the Hyatt Hotel. First major set back of the day. We headed straight for the bar only to find we had to order a meal to be allowed to buy a drink. This is something that would raise its ugly head a few times, as this was Good Friday, this was the licensing laws on the day! We just thought the guy was being an arse though, as he never mentioned the licensing laws, rather just requested we ordered a meal, in that smug 'Tim Curry in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' kinda way. So no booze for us right away.
We got our badges that allowed us to wander around, cast our award votes and were given a bag full of books, mostly fantasy. We got weird looks when we asked for nasty horror. NOT a good sign! We then headed into the dealer room.
Weird how I managed to buy a few books that I'm actually in and meet the editors! First Russell B. Farr, editor of Red Dead Heart (who offered a very tasty contrib discount!) and the charming Anthony Ferguson, editor of Devils, Dolls and Duplicates who also offered a tasty discount! Hopefully be catching Anthony's talk tomorrow and grab the man for a drink afterward. We also met a man I dubbed the liar. We were perusing a large range of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and noticed that the issue featuring my story By the Banks of the Nabarra was missing. Some random guy said that it was a rubbish issue, and he should know, he edited it. LIAR! I know the editor, and you, sir, were not the editor.
After buying all these books, we left to return to the hotel to drop them all off to save my aching back. We then had the randomest of meetings as Alan Baxter stepped into the lift. Hopefully see more of him in the next few days.
Now desperate for a drink, we walked into Perth in search of a bar…only to be fully clued into the licensing laws. Deflated, we returned to our hotel once again and found we could drink there! Beers and vodkas later, and back at Swancon, we attended a talk on emotional attachment to videogames that was all right (despite Sherie insisting we sit on the front and then fidgeting all the way through!). We then watched Kaaron Warren's short film A Positive, after very briefly meeting Pete Kempshall for the first time. Although not as nasty as my tastes, it was good to finally see some blood being spilled! This is a very fantasy based con, with horror seemingly on the fringes. Hopefully this will change tomorrow with the zombie talk, etc. I also couldn't help but shake the feeling that I'd read something like this before. Indeed I had! The original short story is in the MACABRE anthology! Dumbass points awarded to me and thoroughly deserved. This short film is well worth a look if you can track it down.
After another wander around, we decided to come back to our room, were I watched Due Date, which wasn't that bad.
So that was day 1 of Swancon for me. Not great, but I got a lot of books, finally met some people I've wanted to meet and had a wander around Perth which is always fun. Bring on day 2!
Saturday
One of the best things about being on holiday, especially in a half decent hotel, is the knowledge that, when you wake up, you can get ready and go downstairs for your fully cooked buffet! This was no disappointment and there was also an unexpected bonus (Sherie knows what I'm talking about!). We then headed into the convention, hungry for some horror.
First up was the Oh Zombie, My Zombie panel, which was a great and horror themed way to start the day. On the panel were Robert Hood, Alan Baxter and Jason Nahrung. Well done, guys. The hour went way too quickly! Next, we attended a talk on sex dolls. Now obviously I don't have a personal interest in sex dolls myself, but as the talk was by Anthony Ferguson, the editor of Devil Dolls and Duplicates in Australian Horror, I wanted to show my support. The talk was interesting and amusing and actually generated a few short story ideas.
There was some reported controversy over this talk. People disagreeing that it any good. My personal opinion was that, yes, the talk was from a heterosexual male point of view and there was scope for other lifestyles' opinions, etc. But Anthony was lucky to fit the whole thing into an hour. This was a talk, not a debate. I actually approved of Anthony's way of dealing with these points. He admitted there were other views, and then continued with his prepared talk. Some people were spoiling for an argument and were getting more and more irate that Anthony simply would not rise to it. The majority enjoyed the talk despite all this.
After the morning events Sherie and I headed back along Adelaide Terrace to an Irish bar to meet up with fellow writers Alan Baxter and Pete Kempshall, where the writing world was put to rights over a few beers. Then came the first mistake of the day.
Alan headed off to catch the Ellen Datlow interview, soon followed by Pete. We were hungry, and I wanted more beer, so we decided to stay. A good few beers later, we headed back to the Hyatt.
And what a scene to greet us! The crème de la crème of Australian horror fiction around one tale! We had the honour of meeting Kirstyn McDermott, Jason Nahrung, Robert Hood and Lee and Lyn Battersby. Alan was there too and I also got to play musical chairs (only with trips to the bar) with the charming Rob Hodge. More alcohol was consumed, which culminated in us abducting Robert Hood. Well, it started as a simple question that went on for a bit. Sorry again, Rob! We also met Sean Williams uber sci fi legend and #1 Bestseller of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Funnily enough, Sherie got attacked by a life-sized Star Wars furry monster in the dealer room. She screamed and ran out, and the dealer's head (who had shaken said monster at her) popped up over the counter and said quietly "I never expected that reaction…"
We walked (or maybe some staggering?) at this point to a curry house on the way to the city centre. Mistake number 2. If you haven't had curry for a while, and been on the beer for the last seven or so hours, DO NOT order the hottest curry they have! More beers were required to wash down the chicken lava, which arrived in a bucket. Literally. Sherie didn't fair much better… Peter M Ball and Paul Haines were there too.
Back to our hotel and into my retro punk (if that's what it was) outfit ready for the masquerade ball. The ball itself was pretty quiet, despite Sean Williams DJing, so again we spent most of the time in the bar. I think that my fellow writers now have a pretty good idea of the tasteless jokes I like to spin. At least a new book publisher may have been born. VagPrawn Press. Look for us at Swancon 2012. (Cheers, Lee!)
Other fleeting memories: Sherie having the pinkest cocktail in the world, watching a guy dressed as Arthur Dent dance to 99 Red Balloons and comparing Jason to a goth ninja. The rest of the night is pretty hazy after that…
Sunday
Bit ropey, but full on cooked buffet again and glasses of apple juice. Room packed, ready to go. Mountains of books taken to the car and we go out to Swancon for the last time.
The morning consisted of Alan Baxter's workshop on writing fight scenes (summarised in his ebook). If you write horror, fantasy, sci fi or action, I can thoroughly recommend buying this book if you weren't there for the workshop. This was a highlight of the convention as it has already impacted on my writing (readers of The Collector: Book 4 are treated to a slightly rewritten fight scene). Alan also helped with my hangover with some simple group demonstrations. If Anthony talking about sex dolls for an hour was impressive, then Alan talking about fighting for two hours is incredible. He also told us a story about bicep ligaments detaching…which invoked the same reaction I go for in my torture scenes! Nice work, Alan. Hope sales of the ebook go well.
We returned to the Irish bar for meals so big we couldn't finish them, including the world's nicest fish and chips. I do not bestow that honour lightly. A guy also brought in a joey in his bag. Only in Australia.
Next up was Paul Haines' book launch for The Last Days of Kali Yuga from Brimstone Press. After the night before, it was great to meet Paul properly after being at opposite ends of the curry table. He did an amazing reading, and out of all the books, this is the one I HAD to dip into on the way home.
And that was it! We had to leave then as we had a very sick little boy to come home to. A shame we missed the Ticonderonga Press party and of course the Tin Ducks and Ditmars. I had to read the results via Alan's Twitter page as I lay in bed with a touch of the flu on Sunday night.
So although we off to a slow start, we had a brilliant Swancon and will definitely be coming back next year…if you'll have us?
April 21, 2011
Swancon, going ginger and digital
But alas! Disaster strikes! During the hair dying process to turn my regular and boring very dark brown into a spectacular red, something went wrong. Scottish wrong. This Collector is a ginger counterpart of the fictional character. Nothing against ginger haired people, but this isn't true to the book!
Anyhoo, should you be one of the many, many people attending Swancon this year, I look forward to meeting you. I will have very few (as in three, because Book Dep cocked up) copies of Samhane to sign for $15 if anyone's interested. Samhane and By the Banks of the Nabarra are also up for Tin Duck Awards, so get ticking your ballot papers!
I also intend to buy something Star Wars related for my eldest. Do you think there'll be any Jedi's there? Really? They're currently role playing against the Avatar guys?
The Collector ongoing serial has now had a combined 926 reads and it hasn't even been a month yet, and this is just on Smashwords. They're taking a while to appear on B&N, etc. But thank you everyone who has read and enjoyed books 1-3. Still, the reviews and ratings don't reflect the number of downloads, and I'd love you forever just for a star rating and a word or two.
The Collector series, as well as some of my other free ebooks and Roots for $0.99 and Samhane in full for $2.99, are all available from Smashwords on my author page.
Penny Crescent. One street. Three houses. Three families.Countless disputes.
Physics teacher Frank Harper educates with his fists behind closed doors. Jenny Dean can barely control her wayward teenage sons, and Eleanor McQuire, the old mystic, is happy with her books and visiting grandson.
For one night, the residents of Penny Crescent must put their differences aside. Death is coming.
Some call him the man in black. Others call him the devil. He is The Collector, and the three families have something he wants…
And he'll go to any length to get it.
From the author of extreme horror novel Samhane comes a twisted foray into the darkness of the soul and the meaning of life.
Book 1 introduced hundreds of readers to the residents of Penny Crescent. In Book 2, something else has found its way to the quiet English suburb...The grief and longing of the three women has summoned a force, a brief flash of blue fire at the height of the storm.
Phantom smells at the McGuire house. Glimpses of a little bald girl at The Harpers'. Some overdue discipline for the wayward Dean twins.
And the arrival of a mysterious man in black...
From the acclaimed author of Samhane comes the second book of the ongoing free serial.
The Collector: Book 2.
He's here...The Collector walks Penny Crescent, intent on recovering the force he calls the mana, but surprises lay in store for the mysterious man in black.
Anne Harper has divorce on her mind after Frank's last violent outburst, Eleanor McGuire believes the spirit of her husband is haunting her and the Dean twins' behaviour continues to deteriorate.
The families won't appreciate an inquisitive stranger...but thankfully The Collector can be quite persuasive.
And if that fails, his creatures can always tear them to pieces.
The Collector: Book 3. A contemporary fantasy.
In other news, after some confusion regarding the formatting of Samhane on Kindle (it really was a mess), I got down to a heavy formatting sesh and sorted the whole thing out. Samhane is now BACK on Kindle and looking great!
Dare you read the book reviews have labeled not for the faint-hearted? Available in digital $2.99 and sexy print $14.99 direct from Amazon Kindle.
Donald Patterson travels to Samhane in pursuit of a sadistic murderer and rapist. Unless Donald reaches Orchard House by midnight, his fiancee will be the star of the next torturous broadcast....
Brian Rathbone and his son are already in Samhane, hired by the mayor. Specialist exterminators, their talents have helped to deal with the 'little problems' that have begun to massacre the residents. But as events take a more sinister turn, Brian wonders about the true reason they are there....
Blood and carnage. Pain and suffering. Desire and sweet chaos.
Welcome to Samhane.
Praise for Samhane
"Russell's debut novel SAMHANE really packs a punch. A thrill ride of visceral horror and suspense that steadily builds to a very satisfying conclusion. I enjoyed the hell out of it!"
Gord Rollo, Author of Valley of The Scarecrow and The Jigsaw Man
"My oh my does it get wet within these pages, dear friends." Shroud Magazine.
"Horror lovers rejoice--you're about to be scared...or scarred. Russell's well-crafted nightmares will haunt you long after you've closed the pages of Samhane!" Fran Friel, Bram Stoker Finalist, author of Mama's Boy and Other Dark Tales
"If you enjoy the odd Richard Laymon outing and don't believe that horror begins and ends with Stephen King than dial in, Daniel I. Russell serves up a blood soaked treat for your consumption." Scaryminds
"Samhane was an excellent read!" Tasmaniac Publications
"I truly lapped this book up" Gingernuts of Horror
April 7, 2011
Help a guy out...all I want is a little of your time.
My longer horror/SF/fantasy novel, The Collector, is currently being released as a free online serial over at Smashwords . Part 1 went live Friday before last, and I set myself the rule that Part 2 would NOT be released until Part 1 had reached 200 downloads. I gave myself the ridiculous time frame of 1 week to hit the mark.
We're now 2 weeks after publication and book 1 has had 301 reads and book 2 after 5 days, 149. This is Smashwords only for now.
If you've missed out, and want a completely FREE serial (I give you my word as a gentleman that the finale won't have a bastard's price tag), then head on over to my SMASHWORDS PAGE, where you will find both parts of The Collector, and my other free ebook, FLUFFS, which is nearly at the 2000 downloads mark. Samhane is also on there for a paltry $2.99.
Penny Crescent. One street. Three houses. Three families.Countless disputes.
Physics teacher Frank Harper educates with his fists behind closed doors. Jenny Dean can barely control her wayward teenage sons, and Eleanor McQuire, the old mystic, is happy with her books and visiting grandson.
For one night, the residents of Penny Crescent must put their differences aside. Death is coming.
Some call him the man in black. Others call him the devil. He is The Collector, and the three families have something he wants…
And he'll go to any length to get it.
From the author of extreme horror novel Samhane comes a twisted foray into the darkness of the soul and the meaning of life.
Book 1 introduced hundreds of readers to the residents of Penny Crescent. In Book 2, something else has found its way to the quiet English suburb...The grief and longing of the three women has summoned a force, a brief flash of blue fire at the height of the storm.
Phantom smells at the McGuire house. Glimpses of a little bald girl at The Harpers'. Some overdue discipline for the wayward Dean twins.
And the arrival of a mysterious man in black...
From the acclaimed author of Samhane comes the second book of the ongoing free serial.
The Collector: Book 2.
Now...my favour.
As said, The Collector is 100% free right to the finale of volume 1. All I want is your time. Please, leave a review, leave a rating. The second volume will be an epic one, and one I want to pitch to publishers. If the first volume can prove its popularity with readers...it can only help. I read this week that readers of free works don't feel the obligation to leave feedback. Please, prove this wrong.
Deal not sweet enough? You drive a hard bargain.
If The Collector books attract at least FIFTY comments from different readers, Ten randomly selected readers will receive the Samhane ebook for free. One extra lucky random winner will win a Samhane ebook, Roots ebook and the chance to appear in a new Brian Rathbone (Samhane) story and even pick the creature he's hunting! This is a great chance to see your name in print, as Brian Rathbone stories tend to be snapped up by publishers.
So please, read the free books and at least leave a rating. I'd appreciate it from the bottom of both my vesicles.
April 3, 2011
Books and booze
Been a while since I blogged. This is down to the craziness of work. My teaching hours have gone up which meant a whole new science class to teach. This resulted in more time planning and marking and less time writing and blogging. On the plus side, it also means more money, resulting in more books and booze.Today's purchase was the debut by Chris Bowman, A Life on Fire. Chris and I came into contact when he started reading my books available in digital. His book is now out on preorder with a very tasty and unique offer to make your early buy a true collector's edition. Check out his blog here . I'll be posting more on this book closer to the release date.
It's now the start of week 10 in a very long 12 week term. Not only do I have the Easter holidays to look forward to, but also SWANCON! I'm popping my convention cherry by attending at Swancon in Perth during the holidays to finally meet up with some fellow Australian writers, seeing what weird things I can get my hands on, wining and dining copiously and attending the Tin Duck Awards.
The Tin Duck awards are presented to West Australian speculative authors and I'm ecstatic to say that I've finally made it into an Australian award nomination!
Samhane: nominated in the professional long fiction award.
By the Banks of the Nabarra: nominated in the short fiction award.If anyone is attending Swancon, or is a supporting member, and would like either of the above as a free ebook or pdf, please give me a shout at danielirussell@necrotictissue.com and we'll talk. Even if you like Fantasy or SF! I'm aware that I'm against the odds, being up against some of the bigger boy publishers with my little small press. But you have to love the underdog, yes?
The ballot form can be found here.
"But hang on, Dan. I'm not going to Swancon. Why can't I have something for free?"
You haven't been neglected, my poor victim of uncertain financial times.
My longer horror/SF/fantasy novel, The Collector, is currently being released as a free online serial over at Smashwords . Part 1 went live Friday before last, and I set myself the rule that Part 2 would NOT be released until Part 1 had reached 200 downloads. I gave myself the ridiculous time frame of 1 week to hit the mark. After 4 days...it looked like it might actually happen.
It didn't (lol!) but we had a bloody good go! The 200 mark was finally passed after 9 days, which I don't see as being too shabby at all. I've had great feedback for Part 1, and Part 2 went live a few hours ago.
If you've missed out, and want a completely FREE serial (I give you my word as a gentleman that the finale won't have a bastard's price tag), then head on over to my SMASHWORDS PAGE, where you will find both parts of The Collector, and my other free ebook, FLUFFS, which is nearly at the 1000 downloads mark. Samhane is also on there for a paltry $2.99.
Penny Crescent. One street. Three houses. Three families.Countless disputes.
Physics teacher Frank Harper educates with his fists behind closed doors. Jenny Dean can barely control her wayward teenage sons, and Eleanor McQuire, the old mystic, is happy with her books and visiting grandson.
For one night, the residents of Penny Crescent must put their differences aside. Death is coming.
Some call him the man in black. Others call him the devil. He is The Collector, and the three families have something he wants…
And he'll go to any length to get it.
From the author of extreme horror novel Samhane comes a twisted foray into the darkness of the soul and the meaning of life.
Book 1 introduced hundreds of readers to the residents of Penny Crescent. In Book 2, something else has found its way to the quiet English suburb...The grief and longing of the three women has summoned a force, a brief flash of blue fire at the height of the storm.
Phantom smells at the McGuire house. Glimpses of a little bald girl at The Harpers'. Some overdue discipline for the wayward Dean twins.
And the arrival of a mysterious man in black...
From the acclaimed author of Samhane comes the second book of the ongoing free serial.
The Collector: Book 2.
In other news, I today completed my nonfic essay on zombie media entitled LOOKING DEATH IN THE FACE: A PERSONAL APOCALYPSE. It was good to stretch the old nonfic wings and writing it was a lot of fun. This is due to be a guest blog for the upcoming anthology The Zombie Feed from Apex. I'll post the link when it goes live.
More great reviews from readers are coming in regarding Samhane. Check out my Goodreads page page. Always nice to know my readers are being entertained. Well done to my German publisher, Michael Preissl, whose artwork for Samhane earned him a nomination in the German Vincent Preis Awards. Nice work, Michael!
And before I go, if you haven't had enough of my inane ramblings, be sure to check out my second interview at the Gingernuts of Horror .
See you soon!
February 14, 2011
Ditmar award rolecall
I remember last year's Ditmar Awards well. I hadn't been in Australia long enough for any of my works to be considered, but it was fun to be part of the process and read some of the works that had been nominated.
Last year, my reading list, and indeed voting list included:
Shane Jiraiya Cummings
Andrew J McKiernan
G. N. Braun
Marty Young
Stephen Clark at Tasmaniac Publications
Tracie McBride
Pete Kempshall
Morrigan Books
The BEST thing about the Ditmars and reading the above was that a year later, I still class the above as friends and respected members of the Australian horror community.
So let's look at this year and some of the work I'll be looking to consider.
NOVELLA:
"All the Clowns in Clowntown", Andrew J. McKiernan, in Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears, Brimstone Press.
"Dark Heart Alley", Shane Jiraiya Cummings, in Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears, Brimstone Press.
I'll probably have to consider a double vote on this one! Too tough to call.
SHORT STORY
"Brave Face", Pete Kempshall, in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine 46.
"Bubba Wants YOU!", G.N. Braun, in LegumeMan Books (website).
"Can't Stop Killing You", Russell B. Farr, in Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears, Brimstone Press.
"crawlin' ", Martin Livings, in Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears, Brimstone Press.
"Emergency Rebuild", David Conyers, in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine 43.
"Fairy Gothic", Tracie McBride, in, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine 43.
"Ghosts Under Glass", Tracie McBride, in Horror Library Vol 4: An Anthology of Terror, Cutting Block Press.
And I'm also interested in seeing some work by Marty Young, Simon Petrie, Peter M. Ball and Brett McBean in this category. The short story section is crazy long and going to be the hardest fought, I feel.
Best Collected Work:
Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, ASIM Collective, Andromeda Spaceways Publishing Co-Operative.
Aurealis, Stuart Mayne, Chimaera Publications.
Festive Fear 2: Global Edition, Stephen Clark, Tasmaniac Publications.
Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears, Angela Challis and Marty Young, Brimstone Press.
Midnight Echo #4, Lee Battersby, Australian Horror Writers Association.
I like Aurealis, ASIM and ME...but then MACABRE is phenomonal...but then Festive Fear Global Edition is a standout...and I'm in it!
Best Artwork:
Cover art and internal illustrations, Andrew J McKiernan, for Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #46, ASIM collective
Internal illustrations, Andrew J. McKiernan, for Festive Fear 2, Tasmaniac Publications.
What can I say? The man has skills.
Fan Writer:
Matthew Tait, reviews in HorrorScope. (HorrorScope)
Shane Jiraiya Cummings, body of work including reviews and interviews in HorrorScope. (HorrorScope)
Two guys working hard at Horrorscope. I'm sure if one won it they'd split the award!
Check out the details here.
Personally, I AM in the Ditmars this year (yay! Like having a horse in the race...), with Samhane appearing in the novel category, By the Banks of the Nabarra from ASIM #43 in the short story category (although technically it's a novelette and should be in another category. Don't worry intrepid voters! An email has been sent...) and I think my best chance of scoring at least nomination, Best New Talent.
Sadly, It Comes but Once a Year from Festive Fear Global Edition, wherein a man ejaculates creatures nonstop, did not make an appearance. Funny that.
So if you're eligible to vote, please check out the above. I know I will be. And if you're featured on the Ditmar list but have been neglected from this blog post, either your work has not been read or come up on my radar. Feel free to shoot me an email at danielirussell@necrotictissue.com if I can get hold of anything quickly and cheaply (as in free). I'm always keen to meet new Australian writers!
And please, if you're going to vote for me (and I would be truly humbled. Just ask my partner. I humble easily) please try for the Best New Talent. You only get one chance! ;-)
