Welcome To Author Stephen Tremp's Web Site

Avoid Writer’s Block with Freewriting

2012-02-29T00:01:00.003-08:00

Hi everyone. Today we welcome my tag-team partner Susanne Drazic as she tackles Writers Block. Take it away Susanne ...

What is Freewriting?

It’s simply writing for a set period of time without the worry of following any of the rules of writing.

Why Use Freewriting?

Freewriting’s an easy exercise that anyone can do. It doesn’t take up a lot of time and it can be beneficial to writers who suffer from writer’s block. Freewriting is best used as a prewriting exercise, before the day’s actual writing, as it helps get the creative thoughts flowing.

Tools of Freewriting

- Paper
- Pen or pencil
- Computer (if you don’t like writing long hand)
- Timer

How to Freewrite

- Decide where you will do your freewriting. Although it is best to write where
there are no distractions; freewriting can be done anywhere.

- Will you use a paper and pen to freewrite or will you use a computer?

- What length of time will you freewrite? Choose between 5 – 15 minutes.

- Set the timer.

- Now start writing. Write whatever comes to mind. Don’t worry if it doesn’t make
sense. Don’t worry about following any writing rules. DO NOT make any
corrections. Just keep writing until the timer goes off.

- Look over what you’ve written, either the same day or a few days later, to see if
there is anything you find useful for future writings. If there is, that’s great. If
not, that’s okay. Remember, you are benefiting by getting your creative thoughts flowing.

Why I Freewrite

I decided to include freewriting into my daily writing schedule because I’ve struggled with writer’s block more times than I like to admit. Since setting a goal to write everyday, freewriting has been a great way of avoiding writer’s block.

I choose to write with paper and pen. That way the temptation of wanting to correct as I write is gone. Most days I set the timer for ten minutes and I just write and write until the timer goes off. It’s so freeing to get the morning thoughts down on paper. I then tackle the day’s writing. I’ve found my daily writing has increased by 30 – 40%.

Question: Do you ever deal with writer’s block? Have you ever tried freewriting? If not, give it a try. I’m glad I did.

Susanne Drazic is a wife, mother and writer. Her blog is PUTTING WORDS DOWN ON PAPER

Relevant Note: I am happy to say the four missing bloggers lost in the wormhole last week have been found using my interocitor. They were found floating aimlessly in the Zyshfkrit Dimension on the other side of the Milky Way Galaxy. Their heads were on the wrong bodies but I was able to rectify the situation. They are home and decompressing comfortably.

Bits and Pieces

2012-02-27T00:30:00.002-08:00

Today I'm over at Susanne Drazic's blog Putting Words Down On Paper. I've put together an amazing post that's out of this world!

And Susan will be posting here on Wednesday as part of out Tag Team Home and Away posts! And Friday I'll be at Talli Roland’s Blog as I continue with the Grand OPENING Tour.

And in case you've been living on Mars, inside a cave, under a rock, with your eyes closed and your hands over your ears .... Alex Cavanagh is releasing his second book CassaFire!

Alex's blog tour runs from February 27 through March 9 – and anyone who comments on his posts during that time can win a special package from his publisher: copy of CassaFire and CassaStar, a large tote bag, and a mug. Cool!!! No wormholes though.

CassaFire is the sequel to Cavanaugh’s first book, CassaStar, an Amazon Top Ten Best Seller:

“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” - Library Journal

You can visit the author’s site at Alex Cavanaugh

Book trailer available at YouTube

Irrelevant Note: I had 567 followers on my previous blog and 321 on this one. Consecutive numbers coming and going. Weird.

Irrelevant Note: So my refrigerator box-ship collapsed in the wormhole on the way to Ciara Knight's blog last week. My condolences to those who did not make it back.

No worries though! I have a new wooden space ship that fits in the palm of my hand to take us through the portal to our next stop. Now everybody in. That's an order! We're off to Susanne Drazic's blog Putting Words Down On Paper. She's an awesome blogger and is one of the most supportive people I know in Blogdom. And please hit that Follow Button when you're there. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Weekend Follies Over At Sia McKye's Over Coffee

2012-02-23T22:06:00.005-08:00

Hey everyone, I’m over at Sia McKye’s blog Over Coffee as she’s hosting my Weekend Follies! This is the second time Sia's hosted me, the first in 2010 for my BREAKTHROUGH Blog Tour in September 2010 .

And Sia has a link toward the end of the post for an excerpt from OPENING. Again, I choose a chapter with the antagonist Nicholas Fischer Jr. Gotta love a good bad guy!

The Weekend Folliesis a great way to break things up a bit as a blog tour can be a busy, somewhat hectic, and even exhausting at times. So thanks Sia for hosting me and let’s take a few moments to break from the seriousness of life and laugh a bit! And Sia has a totally new look to her blog. Change is good and I really like the way her site looks!

And take a moment or two to check out past posts from my 2012 Grand OPENING Tour on the above tab. There are some great topics regarding the latest and greatest in science, physics, and astronomy that are far more exciting than anything on TV!

So take a leap of faith and jump through the wormhole (cleverly disguised as a cup of coffee) and you'll be over to Sia’s Blog in just a moment.

Exploration by Ciara Knight

2012-02-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, today we welcome author and blogger extrairdinaire Ciara Knight from Writing To The Edge Of Darkness as we're doing tag-team Home and Away posts this week. Take it away Ciara .....

It’s an exciting time! You are full of hope and wonder at your voyage across the new universe of publication. Just when you think you’ll never receive your orders, it happens --a new world is discovered.

Yes, a book has sold. The stars in Heaven sparkle in delight as you cruise through the atmosphere of a new and exciting inhabitable world.

Until the unthinkable happens.

The Cataclysmic storm of self-promotion rages beneath the ship, sending you into a spiral. You can’t pull up, instead you tail-spin in a sea of poor time management, plummeting toward the exploding land of negative reviews, self-doubt, and exhaustion.
Seconds from impact, a beam of light encircles your ship, and a friendly author tugs you to safety. You manage to make it back to the mother ship still alive, and rely on your crew to repair the damage.

Only days later, you receive orders to explore another world. This time, they know it will be more hospitable. Desperate for rations and a new home, you embark on another mission.

This time, you proceed with caution and maneuver around the world before you enter the atmosphere. You’ve been through it once, so you know what to expect, and you are ready this time. All appears hospitable… no, beautiful. You land in a field surrounded by vegetation. Scans indicate breathable oxygen, so you open the hatch and remove your helmet. Fresh, crisp air, full of a sweet fragrance, fills your stale lungs.

Something moves in the distance.You yank the cumbersome gloves from your hands, and wrap your fingers around the pistol holstered at your hip. A rock blocks the narrow path and you scale the smooth surface to peek between two trees.

A family of grey, furry animals play ahead, so you quietly take an image and hit the input button to discover more about them from your computer. A warning indicator blinks and you raise your arm to read the display.

***WARNING***
SPECIES: REVIEWBEGONES
DANGEROUS GREY-SKINNED CREATURES WITH SHARP FANGS TO SHRED YOUR SKIN AND RAZOR TONGUES TO STEAL YOUR WORDS AND USE THEM AGAISNT YOU.

BEST DEFENSE: TOUGH SKIN

You glance up and discover the little sweet creatures, that had appeared inviting, have transformed into hideous monsters. They approach from the left and front, blocking your path back to the ship. There are too many for you to remain and fight, so you shove from the rockand race away in hopes of averting death. The thud of your heavy boots against the rocky surface matches the speed of your labored breaths. War cries sound from behind, but you continue to pump your arms and legs despite the burning in your thighs.

A black hole appears, expanding to fill the open space ahead. Does it lead to another world? If so, will you be able to breathe there without your helmet?
To enter the black hole, turn to page 48

To fight your way back to the ship, turn to page 24

Author Blurb:
Ciara Knight always had a passion for storytelling. At an early age, she wrote several short stories and poems, and in college she started work on her first novel. It wasn’t until late 2008 that she returned to her true passion of writing. Over the past few years she has penned five novels.

Ciara is happily married and enjoys family time. She has learned to embrace chaos, which is a requirement when raising three boys, and utilizes the insanity to create stories not of this world including, Fantasy, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, and Young Adult Biopunk.

The Curse of Gremdon:
In a world where marriage is forbidden, sex is only granted to male warriors, and the outer realm is full of murderous creatures, Arianna fights to protect the life of her only living relative, her brother.

Tardon, an elite warrior, is granted anything he desires by the Elders, but finds little joy in the voluptuous women presented to him. Born for the bloodlust found only in battle, complicated emotions emerge when he discovers his equal in the alluring warrior, Arianna.

Charged by the Elders with saving the castle from attack, Tardon and Arianna risk the curse when they traverse the vast outer realm to retrieve serum from the Tree of Life. If successful, the Elders have promised Tardon the right to marry and Arianna the cure for her brother's death fever. Will their love carry them through or will the discovery of a great deception be their ultimate demise?

Ciara's Links:

Web Site
The Curse of Gremdon
Love’s Long Shadow
Facebook
Twitter

Finally: if you haven't stopped by Ciara's blog, just click on This Link as I'm posting there about Science, the Supernatural, and Fantasy!

Home And Away With Ciara Knight

2012-02-22T00:01:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone. As always, thanks for stopping by! Today and tomorrow I’m doing a Home and Away with author and blogger extraordinaire Ciara Knight.

Today I’m at Ciara's blog Writing To The Edge Of Darkness (links are now fixed!!!) and my topic is a fun one you’re sure to enjoy and one that will make you wonder: Science, the Supernatural, and Fantasy. So jump in my state-of-the-art rocket ship (which is really just a carefully constructed refrigerator box with a control panel and windows drawn and cut with crayons and a Swiss Army knife) as we pass through the wormhole to Ciara’s Web site.

And Ciara will be here Wednesday. That’s tomorrow. February 23rd. So mark it on your calendar to stop by for her visit here. Okay, have a seat and strap on your seat belt (which is really just a piece of imaginary rope), grab a homemade P&J sandwich, and its off to Writing To The Edge Of Darkness. Let’s go!!!

Promoting in the Real World - Is it Still Viable?

2012-02-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. As always, thanks for stopping by! Hope you had a great weekend! I’m doing a Home and Away with L. Diane Wolfe (with whom I have hosted and been hosted by more than any other blogger). Diane, who knows more than just about anyone else regarding promoting, will be posting about Promoting in the Real World - Is it Still Viable?

(Don't forget to stop by Diane's blog for my post on thins I'm doing regarding marketing and promotions. Its great stuff!! Okay Diane, take it away .....

Hi everyone, today L. Diane Wolfe and I are doing a Home and Away post. Diane is posting on Promoting in the Real World - Is it Still Viable? I'll be posting at Spunk On A Stick Blog on the changes I had to make over the past year and the successes I've had regarding Promoting in the Real World. Enjoy!

I’ve been involved in this industry for almost ten years and taught publishing and promoting seminars for the last five. Things have certainly changed during that time, and the ability to effectively market in the real world diminished by several factors. Some authors might wonder if physical appearances are still worth the effort.

The answer is yes and no - it depends on where you place your energies.

When I began doing book signings in 2004, bookstores were at their strongest. There were also only 185,000 titles released that year. (Compared to the MILLIONS released last year.) Meeting an author was still a novelty.

Over the years, I watched that all change. The emergence of the Internet as the primary marketing tool; the rise in ebook sales; and the ease of self-publishing all had an impact on physical appearances. There were far fewer bookstores. (750 Waldenbooks in 2004 - zero by the end of 2011.) More people were authors, so meeting one was no longer a special treat. And less people were buying print books. Considering the expense of travel and promotional materials, most real world events just weren’t cost effective anymore.

Does this mean physical appearances are dead? No! Authors just need to be smarter and more creative with their time and efforts:

Watch for low or no cost events.

Do more public speaking events and appearances.

Understand that writing conferences aren’t the place to sell books unless the titles are geared toward that audience.

Don’t rely on the media or the venue to attract people to an event.

Realize that for most books, the bookstore is the worst place for an appearance.

Be able to offer ebooks in addition to print books at real world events.

School visits are more effective when materials can be sent home with the students prior to your appearance.

Look for unusual venues. Where does your target audience go? Put yourself in front of them.

There are so many more options if you get creative!

While my physical appearances are now limited to speaking engagements, I do believe the right venue will result in a lot of book sales. This coming weekend, I am attending the first ever Book ‘Em NC, and I anticipate a huge attendance and many sales. I’m also one of only three authors offering ebooks for sale, and I’m on two panels. I have no doubt the weekend will be wonderful!

Those of you who’ve been around a few years, have the changes affected you? What real world events and locations work for you?

Thank you again, Stephen.

L. Diane Wolfe
Professional Speaker & Author

Spunk On A Stick Web Site

Spunk On A Stick Blog

Circle Of Friends

Twitter

Known as “Spunk On A Stick,” Wolfe is a member of the National Speakers Association. “Overcoming Obstacles With SPUNK! The Keys to Leadership & Goal-Setting”, ties all of her goal-setting and leadership seminar’s information together into one complete, enthusiastic package. She also conducts seminars on book publishing and promoting, and assists writers through her author services. Her YA series, The Circle of Friends, features morally grounded, positive stories that appeal to both teens and concerned parents. Ten years associating with a motivation training system and experience as a foster parent gave her the in-depth knowledge of relationships, personality traits and success principles. Wolfe travels extensively for media interviews and speaking engagements, maintains a dozen websites & blogs, and contributes to several other sites and newsletters

Finally: Thanks Diane for your insight and expertise. And don't forget to stop by Diane's Site and check out the easy low-cost promotional startegies I'm using to sell books in the real world!

Next stop: The World Is My Oyster

2012-02-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

A quick note before we turn the knobs on the wormhole controls and set our coordinates to Lydia Kang’s blog The World Is My Oyster for stop number eight of the Grand OPENING Tour. And what better topic to cover than When Good Research Goes Bad.

As of yesterday, OPENING is now available in 6 X 9 paperback for $12.95 at Amazon. It feels great to have two physical books to sell as well as the eBook versions for download! Having that second book gives me much better exposure. I'm excited get out there. There are over 20 million people and countless tourists from around the world here in Southern California and there are no shortages of places to set shop and sell some books!

Okay, now its off to The World Is My Oyster. I'm pushing buttons, pulling a couple switches, and cranking up the wormhole. Hop in my craft and grab a bag of peanuts and a can of Coke. You are free to move about the wormhole.

Sex In Outer Space

2012-02-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, today we welcome Melissa Bradley as guest blogger. In keeping with the astronomy and related scientific themes, Melissa is technically sticking with the program. I only had to take one sentence out as kids sometimes frequent my blog (sorry 'bout that Melissa). And one of her images she sent. It's a rule I have. All guys must be dressed. Okay Melissa, take it away .....

When I found out I was going to be here at Stephen’s amazing blog, my first thought was what to do? He’s all about sci fi and outer space and I’m about well, not outer space. You see, I write erotica. Science and sex aren’t exactly in the same ball park, unless we’re talking biology. So, I put my brain to work. It churned and whirled, and occasionally steam poured from my ears, but I came up with a brilliant topic which I thought would best represent the both of us: Sex in Outer Space. Talk about things that make you go “Hmmm…”

We’ve all seen those awesome sci fi films and TV shows that feature some sort of romance or hanky panky going on in space ships as they hurtle through the galaxy. Heck, they even had James Bond himself with an outer space encounter in Moonraker. Talk about living the fantasy. But, could we, in reality, have such encounters? I mean who wouldn’t want to make sweet, beautiful love or even have a pulse-pounding wild monkey ride amongst a field of stars. My brain started mulling over this possibility and I started my research.

Now, writing erotica means that my research gets more than a little steamy and strange. So when I Googled Sex in Outer Space, I got a whole lot of good, bad and really freaky. There was a cornucopia of articles, speculative fiction and porno films. However, there were a couple of very informative and straight up non-fiction, non-Letters to Penthouse pieces, like this one from Slate.com that talked about the reality of sex in space. I have to say, it wasn’t pretty.

First of all, you and your squeeze are weightless, floating around like two bubbles. I think that would prove quite difficult in getting parts to, ahem, connect, plus, no pushing ability. And what about getting in and out of clothes? The mood could be lost by the time you wriggle enough fabric out of the way. Also, weightlessness induces nausea. Yeah, that would be a mood killer. Did you know that astronauts apparently sweat a lot? And well the sweat would probably be in lovely little suspended droplets and rivulets all around you two. Eeww! Then there is the little matter of lower blood pressure. You can see what that would mean.

As if the physiological challenges weren’t enough, with today’s tech, there is the space bed, a panel and strap contraption that makes me think of a hammock. I have a hard enough time getting into hammocks with a gravitational pull. I can’t imagine the gymnastics required to get into one while weightless and floating. And really, how much privacy could you expect? The bathroom on the Shuttle was basically a shower-curtained alcove.

So I’m thinking that sex in space is best left to the naughty minds of writers and filmmakers who can craft all sorts amazing technology to make the fantasy come alive. The reality is pretty bad and will be at least for the foreseeable decades.
I want to thank Stephen for letting me take over today and allowing me to air out the strange meanderings of my cranium. It’s been a blast.

Thanks Melissa for stopping by! I have to admit I wasn't expecting that. But you kept it entertaining. I suppose using wormholes for space travel can be boring and not very stimulating. Right?

Melissa's links:
My Blog
Facebook
Twitter
My Books

The Goldilocks Zone

2012-02-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today I’m marking setting my wormhole coordinates to my sixth stop on my Grand OPENING Tour and visiting Melissa Bradley’s site Melissa’s Imaginarium. I’m keeping with timely topics and breakthroughs in science that could and probably will change how we perceive our place in the universe. Hint: Today’s post is not too hot. It’s not too cold. It’s juuuuuust right.

We are on the cusp of discoveries that even a decade ago seemed impossible. These breakthroughs could put some science fiction writers out of business. We live in such exciting times. So click on Melissa’s link and stop by. And on Thursday Melissa will be posting right here! I’m looking forward to her post. I wonder what she could be writing about? Hmmmmm ……

No Rest For The Weary (Thank God For My Wormhole!)

2012-02-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today I’m posting at Rachna Chhabria’s Web site. We’re traveling from England to Bangalore, India as we visit Rachna’s Scriptorium. And since I’m traveling across the world (no wormholes have been harmed in this Grand OPENING Tour), what better topic for today’s post than Going Global. It’s vital for any writer’s success to consider what they can do regarding developing a cast of diverse characters for their novels AND what they can do to market their books to markets around the world.

And don’t forget, the Origins Blogfest is still going strong. Just scroll down to check out my humble beginnings. Thanks for stopping by! Now its off to Rachna’s Scriptorium you go now. You may now move freely through the wormhole.

Origins Blogfest

2012-02-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody, and as always thanks for stopping by! Okay. Origins Blogfest. The brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh, D. L. Hammonds, Katie Mills and Matthew MacNish.

I’ve always been a day dreamer. Been doing that since I was a kid spacing out in class and staring out the window, waiting for the bell to ring when I should have been paying attention to something important the teacher was saying. I was always thinking "what if."

I had an over active imagination, one that often distracted me from everyday reality. I'd gaze out the window and make up things in my mind happening outside. There could be a fight between good and evil, a raging storm on a clear sunny day, or a UFO invasion landing in the schoolyard and aliens battling troops and tanks and fighter planes.

As a kid I loved to read most anything including Marvel comic books. The characters are so diverse, each possessing their own distinct personalities and demonstrating unique conflicts and short comings. Many had two personalities, one behind the mask they wore and one for their normal, non-super hero life. Hence the internal and external conflicts writers could use to develop new twists and turns in the plots

But they all have one common thread: they are overcomers, even in failure. Somehow they need to go beyond their super abilities and rely on something deep down inside their soul or the help of friends to escape danger and save the day.

Hope you liked my Origins and I’ll be around to visit your blogs too.

And if you're visiting me for the first time, please take a moment to click the FOLLOW button and I'll be sure to return the favor. Thanks for stopping by!

Finally: I’m also posting over at the the A to Z Challenge Web site, so please take a moment to click over there and read a couple quick reviews for my recently released suspense thriller near future sci-fi novel OPENING!

Two Blogfests and a Guest Blog!!!

2012-02-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a busy day. Two Blogfests and I’m guest posting across the Pond in the U.K.

First: Who’s feeling retro and romantic? Nicki Elson from Not-So-Deep-Thoughts Has teamed up with Suze from Analog Breakfast and Mary Pax from the Wistful Nebulae for the Tumble 4 Ya Blogfest! One simple question: Who was/is your 80s celebrity crush?

Since I can’t take Ginger, Mary Ann, or Genie, I have to opt for Danica McKella who played the awesome and amazing Winnie Cooper from the Wonder Years. Honestly who tuned in for that other kid what’s-his-name? Not me. It was Winnie all the way!

And check her out today. Still as amazing as ever. No drug rehab. No stints in jail. And she’s an author, a blogger, and a mathematician of all things! Smart and awesomely beautiful. A double threat! What's not to like? Check out Danica’s Web Site.

And unfortunately, another Hollywood actress with a restraining order on me. But that’s a story for another day. Something to do with trying to break up her photo shoot for Maxim magazine or something. I don’t know. Anyway, I’m sure she’ll call me.

Second: For the I’m Hearing Voices Blogfest, please check out my previous post for my Emotion Flash Fiction post.

Finally: I’m guest blogging over at Hilary Melton-Buthcher’s blog Inspirational Stories for the fourth stop on my Grand OPENING Tour. So please take a moment to click over there and say hello. Hilary hosted me on my previous Blog Book Tour for Breakthrough and she’s one of the most supportive people in the Blogosphere. See you over there.

And if you're visiting me for the first time, please take a moment to click the FOLLOW button and I'll be sure to return the favor. Thanks for stopping by!

Oh, and no Weekend Follies this time. But they will resume next weekend! Now off to Hilary's Blog you go. And Danica, call me!

I'm Hearing Voices Blogfest

2012-02-07T18:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, and thanks for stopping by! Today I’m posting for the Voices In My Head Blogfest sponsored by Cassie Mae from Reading, Writing, and Lovin’ It. Due to scheduling of my Grand OPENING Tour, I will be posting all three separate blog posts as one. My character is the antagonists (because bad guys are so much fun to write about) Nicholas Fischer Jr., Enjoy!

1. What is your biggest vulnerability? Do others know this or is it a secret?

My biggest vulnerability is also my biggest strength. I’m a manipulative, lying, sociopath with a grandiose sense of self and a lack of remorse, shame, or guilt. This will fuel my rise to power but also sow the seeds of my downfall. My followers do not see this in me, although my antagonist Chase Manhattan is not fooled by my deceptive appearance.

2. What do people believe about you that is false?
My five gifted followers believe I’m a leader, when in reality they do much of the brainstorming and all of the dirty work.

3. What would your best friend say is your fatal flaw? Why?
My best friend, who is my girlfriend and assassin extraordinaire Staci Bevere, tells me Chase Manhattan is my fatal flaw. Damn! I shouldn’t have allowed her to seduce him. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. (Nicky slapping his hand against his forehead)

4. What would the same friend say is your one redeeming quality? Why?
Excuse me while I laugh my arse off. Okay. I don’t have any redeeming qualities. But she thinks I’m going to marry her and raise beautiful children. That’s a real belly burster (Nicky almost falling out of his chair laughing). You’re killing me. Okay, back to your questions.

5. What do you want most? What will you do to get it?
I want to change the world and place its future in the hands of a scientific oligarchy using breakthroughs in physics, biochemistry, and nanotechnology that we are on the cusp of discovering. I will rid our world of governments, religion, and corporations. And I will use the wormhole technology I stole to kill global figures who have a different new world agenda for mankind that benefits them and pad the profits of greedy corporations.

Dialogue Introduction: Have two characters introduce each other using only dialogue—no backstory, no internalization, just dialogue between the two:

Nicky: I’m here to introduce my father, Professor Nicholas Fischer, professor at physics from M.I.T.

Professor Fischer: You mean former professor at physics from M.I.T. Remember, you stole the wormhole technology from me, then had me framed and arrested for your murders.

Nicky: That’s because you’ve never respected my ideas or my vision for mankind. You mocked me for in front of everyone, calling me young and uninformed. Your vision will only pad the shares of greedy corporations.

Professor Fischer: Then why are you trying to break me out of jail. Is it because you need me?

Nicky: Yes. I confess I do. I … I can’t do this alone. You can come with me or rot in jail. Your decision. And we don’t have much time.

Emotion Flash Fiction: What can be worse than your girlfriend and partner in crime has a quasi love-crush on the guy you’re trying to kill and almost praises him? Ever since Nicky allowed Staci to seduce Chase in an attempt to kill him, there remains the remnants of a soul tie between the two that is hard to kill.

“I think you’ve met your match, Nicky.” She paused to contemplate. “It looks like we’ve all met our match.

Nicky’s head snapped around so fast it caused Staci to jump back in her chair. “What do you mean, we’ve all met our match? Whose side are you on?”

“Oh, cut the bullshit,” Staci said with a cavalier wag of her hand. She had opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass, drinking it down with determination.

“Chase has countered us at every turn. We tried to kill him. Three times. And failed. Three times. He’s stolen suitcases from us, thwarted assassinations and blowing up the WTO headquarters, and he almost reduced Khyati’s house to ashes.”

Nicky realized again how Staci was still, to a degree, infatuated with Chase. Too much of a degree. Time to confront this. “What is it with you and Chase?”

“What do you mean?” Staci said, appearing shocked not only at what Nicky had said, but at what she said. She poured another glass of wine.

“You’re almost praising Chase.”

“No I’m not.”

“I think you are. You said Chase, not they when clearly Fred is just as much our adversary as is Chase. In fact, all six of these California knuckleheads have been a threat to us. I think that was a Freudian slip.”

And on it goes. I think you get the point. Emotional flashpoint!

Finally: Take a moment to check out my Character Log regarding my antagonist Nicholas Fischer Jr.

Bonus Question: Who would I have play character in a movie? Tom Felton. He played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. He's recently had a role in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and will appear in a handful films in the near future. Felton plays the aggressive arrogant antagonist very well.

And if you're visiting me for the first time, please take a moment to click the FOLLOW button and I'll be sure to return the favor. Thanks for stopping by!

Raw Beginnings

2012-02-06T02:30:00.000-08:00

I will be posting for the Voices In Your Head Blogfest on Wednesday, so I invite everyone participating in this event to come back for my post! Today I have guest blogger Alex Cavanaugh here while I'm over at Alex’s Site. Take it away Alex .....

I began blogging November 2009 and not long after I signed with Dancing Lemur Press. I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t really know what I was doing, either!

Stephen asked me to share with you one of my older posts. I selected one from the very first A to Z Challenge because I think many writers and authors can relate to the way I was feeling. This was my entry for the letter J, titled Just Alex-

I follow some great writers on Blogger who offer both advice and support. I read posts by reviewers who offer deep, eloquent assessments of books. I watch established authors participate in events, win awards, and offer incredible words of wisdom. I absorb all marketing tips offered online and elsewhere in preparation for my own book release.

And in doing so, I foresee only one problem.

I'm just Alex.

There's so many incredible science fiction authors with experience, expertise, and solid platforms, and I realize now how short I fall of that mark. I can't show you a pile of awards. I don't write for a magazine or newsletter. My resume lacks a bit when it comes to writing. I do have several things going for me, but for the most part, I'm just Alex.

Does anyone else harbor such feelings of inadequacy? Does anyone else look at authors who've spent years writing for magazines, winning awards for their short stories, and producing critically-acclaimed books, and think to yourself "I'm in way over my head?”

I look back at that post and realize that I still feel that way sometimes! But I’ve come so far since then. CassaStar launched with success (and even hit the Amazon Best Seller chart last fall) and in a few weeks CassaFire will be unleashed on the world. My blog has grown (I had about fifty followers when I wrote that), I’ve hosted blogfests and challenges, and even started the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

But for the most part, I’ve tried to remain “Just Alex.”

Who do you want to be?

Thanks again, Stephen!

Catch Fire! Blog Party February 28 – join the fun for your chance to win one of five copies of CassaFire - Click Here!

CassaFire
by Alex J. Cavanaugh

CassaStar was just the beginning…

The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.

The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities.

To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

Available February 28, 2012
Science fiction - space opera/adventure
Print ISBN 978-0-9827139-4-5, $15.95, 6x9 Trade paperback, 240 pages
EBook ISBN 978-0-9827139-6-9, $4.99, EBook available in all formats

CassaFire is the sequel to Cavanaugh’s first book, CassaStar, an Amazon Top Ten Best Seller:
“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” - Library Journal

Author’s site: Alex Cavanaugh

Book trailer: YouTube

CassaStar can be purchased at Barnes and Noble and Amazon and downloaded to Kindle.

Now take a moment and click over to Alex’s Blog as I take a humerous look at how I deal with those low points of being a writer. And if you're visiting me for the first time, please take a moment to click the FOLLOW button and I'll be sure to return the favor. Now off to Alex's blog you go. See you over there!

Indie-Author Tag Party, Bob Sanchez and Amazon's KDP Select Program

2012-02-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

This weekend is the Indie Author Tag Party Indie Author Tag Party. For those participating, here are my pages:

Opening

Breakthrough

Thanks! And I’ll be stopping by your links today and tagging your books!

Steve, thanks for inviting me to be your guest today. You asked me to write about the promotion of When Pigs Fly that resulted in about 22,000 free downloads last weekend. All three of my titles list for $2.99 and are enrolled in KDP Select Program. In exchange for giving Amazon 90 days of exclusive distribution, I am allowed up to five days per title to promote them for free.

The first two, Little Mountain and Getting Lucky, each had single days that garnered under 2,000 downloads. When Pigs Fly went for an entire weekend, but it took off right from the start. My tools included email and Facebook, where I notified friends and acquaintances without making a big deal of it, and Twitter. That was my major effort. I tweeted a lot and benefited hugely from retweets by generous people like you. Retweets had to be major, since there were more than 10 times as many downloads as I have followers.

The important question, of course, is how many actual sales came out of this? My royalty is 70 per cent, but that doesn’t help much with freebies, does it? The answer is still up in the air, apparently because of the timing. Kindle’s January sales report goes only through the 28th, but it’s clear that the three promos generated a couple hundred dollars for January. I’m not dancing in the streets yelling “I’m rich! I’m rich!” but on the other hand the promo cost me nothing but time. Meanwhile, February looks like it’s off to a good start, with When Pigs Fly clocking in at #288 in paid sales as of Wednesday.

What makes tweeting a lot easier is a free scheduling application called Timely. This allows me to schedule up to nine tweets per day, spaced optimally. This week I’ve been scheduling my promo tweets two days ahead, making sure there is reasonable variety in the messages. I try to thank and reciprocate for everyone who retweets for me.

One lesson I’ve learned is to be clear what I’m offering. When Pigs Fly had a comparatively high number of returns, probably because it sounds like it could be a children’s book. It isn’t. So I’ve adjusted my tweets to include “Not for kids,” and we’ll see what happens.

So the juggernaut continues ...

Bob Sanchez is a retired technical writer who has written five novels (three published) and is working on a sixth. Find his books at Amazon. His Twitter handle is @desertwriter, and his Facebook home is Facebook.com/DesertWriter.

Question: Have you considered or are you involved with Amazon's KDP Select Program? Does a free download entice you to buy an author's other books?

Oh yeah, and the Weekend Follies. I just can't stop with the Star Trek and the spoofing ..... You have to have a sense of humor in this life!

Hubble, Space Telescopes, Mary Pax, and the Insecure Writers Support Group

2012-01-31T18:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. Guess what my insecurity is? That's right. Scheduling two things for the same day. It happened, just as my horrorscope predicted! Aaarrghhh!!! And with this segway, I'm happy to introduce guest blogger and amateur astronomer Mary Pax!

Thanks for having me on today, Stephen. Congratulations on the release of Opening. I have my copy on my Nook and will read it next.

Why put a telescope in space? It gets none of the atmospheric interference we get here planetside—clouds, moisture, dust, pollution and heat.

Hubble is the most famous of all the space telescopes. It was launched in 1990 and still sends back data equivalent to 3600 feet of books daily. It picks up the light spectrum from ultraviolet to infrared with a primary mirror that’s 94.5 inches. Nice.

The larger the mirror, the more light a telescope gathers and the dimmer an object it can see. For comparison, my personal telescope has an 8” primary mirror, the main telescope open to the public where I work in the summers is 24 inches, and the research telescope is 32 inches.

As Hubble ages, its systems will degrade and eventually it will fall back to Earth. All good things come to an end. Don’t despair though, it’s not the only telescope up there.

There’s Spitzer [infrared], Chandra [x-ray] and Fermi [gamma rays] orbiting up there, too. Sometimes several of the telescopes work in concert to bring us things we could otherwise never see. For instance, because of Chandra the first images of the center of our galaxy were recently taken, something we had never been able to see before.

Launching in 2018, the James Webb telescope will replace Hubble. It’s primary mirror is 256 inches. Wow. Would I love to hook my camera and eyepieces onto that. It will be using infrared to search, among other things, for the first galaxies formed after the Big Bang, deepening our understanding of the universe and how it was formed.

What has been discovered in this age of space telescopes and mechanical explorers is amazing. The James Webb telescope will most certainly carry on that fine tradition. I, for one, can’t wait to see what it will see.

In the meantime, I'll imagine what's out there. If you could look at one thing through a telescope, what would you want to see?

M. Pax is an amateur astronomer spending the summers as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory...currently lamenting the long off-season. Besides space and science fiction, she also has a slight obsession with all things Jane Austen. Mary blogs at Wistful Nebulae and at M. Pax The Website. She is author of the novella, Semper Audacia, and has three free short stories available--Small Graces, Plantgirl and Translations. Visit either site for links. Coming in 2012: The Backworlds Series, the Hetty Locklear series and The Tumbas in the Wandering Weeds anthology.

A to Z Challenge and The Wistful Nebulae

2012-01-29T18:00:00.000-08:00

The Grand OPENING Tour Moves Forward: The new year isn’t out of its first month yet and already we have exciting events happening! Where to begin? Before I get lost in the busyness of everything, I want to say I’m guest posting Monday over at Mary Pax’s blog The Wistful Nebulae today. Topic: Futurists and Visionaries: What light Lie ahead for us as our planet is becoming a much smaller place. And Mary, an amateur astronomer, will be back here on Wednesday. You won’t want to miss that!

New Additions: And I'm very excited to welcome two new guest hosts , err … hostesses for the Grand OPENING Tour: Susanne Drazic and The Golden Eagle! Welcome ladies!

OPENING in the iStore: And OPENING is now available for download from the iStore for the iPad!

A to Z Challenge: And today is ... drum roll please ... the first day to sign up for the A to Z Challenge! That's right. Mr. Linky is open for registration.

(Reprinted from a post titled Why Blogfests Rock from Captain Ninja Alex on my blog last year) The brainchild of Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out, this challenge involves posting daily in April (with Sundays off for good behavior) following the letters of the alphabet.

The benefits? You will…

* Get into the writing and blogging habit.
* Learn to be creative. (You should’ve seen last year’s posts for “Q!”)
* Gain followers.
* Gain exposure.
* Discover new blogs and kindred spirits.
* Get new ideas and tips for writing, reading, and movies…
* Make new friends. (Some of my best blogging buddies came from last year’s challenge.)
* Learn, grow, and have fun!

For more information please check out the A To Z Challenge Tab.

Two Things: Sign up for the A to Z Challenge and then click over to The Wistful Nebulae as I make tour stop number two of the Grand OPENING Tour!

Now that you've signed up, click the link to The Wistful Nebulae and you'll be transported through a wormhole through cyberspace to my guest blog!

Bits and Pieces and the Weekend Follies

2012-01-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

Review of Open Minds (Mindjack, Book 1) by Susan Kaye Quinn - Synopsis

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can't read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can't be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf's mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she's dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where being forced to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her

What I liked:
Everything, that is, I cannot think of anything I did not like when I looked at the plot, setting, conflict, characters, theme, and point of view. And Open Minds picked up where my trilogy leave off. A theme in my series: due to advances in technology and the cyber trail we leave every day, very little information is secure. This is a major concern the good guys and the bad guys share as a cyber war between both sides escalate. Here's a clip from OPENING:

“We just can’t feel safe anymore, no matter what we do or where we go,” Carol said.

“Not in this world. Not anymore. No information is safe except that which is stored in your mind and not shared with anyone.”

Yet, Susan Quinn has taken this thought (no pun intended) to a new level. In Open Minds, not even information we store in our brains is safe. Very cool concept. Oh, and there is an awesome breakout at the end too. I highly recommend Open Minds. Five Stars!

OPENING Review
Speaking of reviews, if you haven’t seen Arlee Bird’s review of OPENING, please take a moment to check it out at Tossing It Out.

Celery Tree
The The Celery Tree is the brainchild of Kare Gowan from Coming Down From The Mountain. It’s a gathering place to market and sell your books that connects writers and readers through a cozy online community. If this is something you are interested in, check the Terms and Conditions.

Grand OPENING Tour
Continuing with the Grand OPENING Tour, Mary Pax (M Pax) will be hosting me Monday January 30th and she will be guest blogging here Wednesday February 1st. Mary is an amateur astronomer and really knows her stuff. You’ll definitely want to stop in and check out her post!

And then its off to that Captain ninja Alex Cavanaugh the following week!

And Suzanne Drazic from Putting Words Down On Paper has also joined the tour. We’ll be doing a Home and Away February 27th and 29th. Welcome aboard, Susan!

Thanks Again: To everyone for including an image of OPENING on their side bars and for posting links and the schedule stops!

A to Z Challenge
And check in to the A to Z Challenge Web page for tips and testimonials from past participants. The challenge is just over two months away, so a little preparation can go a long way come April!

Finally: What would a weekend post be without a few funny images. And since the Girls Scouts are revving up for their 100th anniversary .....

The Lazy Blogger: Hosting Guests on Your Blog

2012-01-24T18:15:00.000-08:00

Today we welcome guest blogger Arlee Bird (creator of the A to Z Challenge). And when finished here, please stop back at Tossing It Out as he has a review of OPENING. Thanks Arlee for stopping by and take it away .....

Image via Wikipedia

As one who has an inclination toward laziness, there are times when I'd just love to kick back and let someone else write my blog posts for me. Do you ever feel like that? If so why not find guests to post on your blog?

Just look at Stephen Tremp. He's probably sleeping in or lounging in front of the television or something fun while I'm here toiling away writing this blog post for him. Yeah, look at him. He knows the secret of lazy blogging.

Actually though, if you've ever thought that another blogger was being lazy by hosting guest bloggers perhaps you should look more closely at what is involved. Someone usually doesn't just pop in and start writing your blog post of the day for you. It takes some real honest effort on your part.

As a host blogger here are some of the things you need to do:

Be on the lookout for those who are looking for blogs to guest on-- Sometimes they'll come to you. Authors on book tours or others with something to promote may request a spot on your blog or they may put out a call on their own blogs for volunteers. Be receptive to these requests since it may also help you in the long run. And you may make some new friends and gain new followers along the way.

Actively seek out interesting guests--Find experts in your blogging field who have something to add to what you are saying or provide new insights. They don't have to be bloggers in your blog circle either. You can enlist friends, relatives, or business contacts to write a post for you, especially if they have something they want to spread the word about. Your blog is an outlet for promotion even if your readership is still small.

Let your blog inspire your search for new guests--If you write about a particular topic on your blog, look for guests to expound upon that topic. Do a Google search, ask around, keep your eyes and ears open. For example, on my memoir blog Wrote By Rote I will frequently contact others whom I have read or heard about somewhere. My most recent post about video memoirist Jane Lehmann-Shafron came about from reading about her in the Los Angeles Times. I did a Google search to find her website, then contacted her to see if she would provide me a post. She was happy to oblige and I got a very interesting post as a result.

Let a particular post lead a search for a guest--If you've written about something that particularly intrigues you or that has gotten a good reader response, look for guests who can expound upon the topic. They can provide more information about your topic or even offer an opposing view. Make your blog a living entity, an active forum for discussion, and a place for enlightenment. Recently I was going to post something on my dream blog A Faraway View about a dream I had that was about something called "Dynamic Flow". I then decided I would write about the same topic on my main blog Tossing It Out, but first I did a Google search for the term to see if it was a term that was used in any real context. In my search I found an article by Halina Goldstein, a writer/blogger/teacher in Denmark, whose specialty is "flow" and had written about the very term "dynamic flow". I immediately sent her an email and soon I had a lovely post from Halina about my chosen topic.

Be a responsible editor--Your blog is your product for the reading public. As such your blog reflects a lot about you as a professional and helps establish your reputation. Coordinate scheduling with your guest and let them know what you expect from them. Make sure they are doing their part of the agreement and showcase them in the most favorable way you can. Don't be afraid to edit if that's what the post needs, but don't misrepresent your guest in any way either. The process of guest posting and hosting is one of mutual trust. Provide your guests what they are looking for and what makes them feel good about you and you should have no problem finding more new guests or even returning guests for future posts.

Follow up--Be sure to thank your guests for the time they've given you. I try to remember to thank them in the comment section as well with a follow-up email. If I've liked what they've done (which is usually the case), I may leave a standing offer for them to return whenever they have something else that might be of interest to my readers.

As you can see hosting a guest does take work, but it is work that is well worth the effort you put into it. It's good to have another voice on your blog now and then. And don't be afraid that your guest might be a better writer or know more than you. That's the point actually! If you want your blog to exude quality in writing and content then why not look for the best people to provide that for you.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and please take a moment to check out Arlee’s review of OPENING at Tossing It Out. This is a great example a review. Well thought out. Very professional. Thanks Arlee!

Arlee Bird has been blogging for over two years on his main blog Tossing It Out. He is always interested in hosting guests on any of his four blogs. He is also one of the co-hosts of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. The A to Z Challenge Blog is open to guests who have anything interesting to say about the Challenge or the art of blogging in general. Submit your posting requests to arleebird@gmail.com.

Kickoff of Grand Opening Tour

2012-01-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, thanks for stopping by. We have an exciting and power-packed day! Three Things are happening:

First: Today's the big day! I kick off the Grand OPENING Tour with my first stop at Arlee Bird's blog Tossing It Out. I have a very cool topic to talk about and you won’t want to miss it!

Second: I have a schedule of events for the next couple months including my Tour stops and upcoming Blogfests. I’ll be adding more Tour Stops for March!

Third: Today is the Rebel Writer’s Edge 2012 Blogfest sponsored by the very talented and very busy S A Larsen. The purpose is to rebel against our views from last year that hindered us from reaching our goals, and give ourselves new insight and a fresh start.

My goals for 2012 are simple: Family
Spend more time with the family and take local mini-vacations. I spent a lot of time in 2011 writing OPENING and working with my editor. I need to make up for lost time with the fam. So we’ll be doing lot of outings together. We’ll also do a one-week cruise and take a vacation to Michigan and Ohio to see family and friends on both sides of the family.

Don’t forget to stop by Uncle Lee’s site. But first, here’s the schedule of Upcoming Events:

Grand OPENING Tour
January 23 Arlee Bird Tossing It Out

January 30th M Pax Wistful Nebulae

February 6th Alex Cavanaugh

February 10 Hilary Melton-Butcher Hilary Melton-Butcher

February 14 Rachna Chhabria Rachna’s Scriptorium

February 15 Melissa Bradley Melissa’s Imaginarium

February 17 Lydia Kang The Word is my Oyster

February 20 L. Diane Wolfe Spunk on a Stick

February 22 Ciara Knight Writing to the Edge of Darkness

February 24 Sia Mckye Sia McKye Over Coffee

March 2 Talli Roland I Drink Coffee. Then I Write. Then I Drink Wine

March 8 Shannon Lawrence The Warrior Muse

March 12 Jemi Fraser Just Jemi

March 19 Jenny Pearson The Pearson Report

March 21 Misha Gericke My First Book

But wait. That's not all!

Blogfests and Other Related Festivities
Yep. There are a lot of those happening in the month of February. If you see one you like, click the link and join in. This is a great way to meet new people and have some good old fashioned fun.

January 20-29 Get Fired Up Blogfest

January 23 Rebel Writer's Pledge 2012

February 1 Insecure Writers Support Group

February 4-5 Indie Author Tag-Party Blogfest

February 6-10 Voices in my Head Blogfest

February 10 Tumble 4 Ya Blogfest (Who’s Feeling Retro and Romantic?)

February 13 Origins Blogfest

February 28 Catch Fire!

And finally, on January 30 sign ups begin for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge 2012

Okay, now its time to stop by Arlee Bird’s blog. Thanks again for your interest and support. I could not do this without you all! And if you feel so inspired, feel free to click the Twitter and/or Facebook icons below. See you over at Tossing it out!

Weekend Follies: Star Trek LOL Cats Style

2012-01-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

And now for a little Star Trek humor LOL Cats style. Enjoy your weekend! Next week I'll be over at Arlee Bird's bog Tossing it Out bright and early Monday morning.

And stop by L. Diane Wolfe’s site Spunk On A Stick for a dose of more LOL cats at the Weekend Funnies!

Kibbles and Bits

2012-01-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

A Big Round of Thanks
Thanks again everyone for stopping by these past few days and showing support! I had well over 600 visits the past few days, lots of Facebook shares, and many Tweets. Thanks to everyone who made mention of OPENING on your blog and posting the book on your side bars. You guys rock! The snowball is rolling downhill, gathering speed, and getting pretty darn big. Look out!

What’s Next
It’s been an amazing journey and I’m ecstatic to move from the writing and editing stages and into marketing and promotions. I’ll be sharing what I’m doing over the next few weeks.

Rest and Relaxation
We spent the day yesterday at the San Diego Safari Zoo. It feels great (and kinda weird) to have so much time on my hands. And naps are now on my daily agenda once again. I’m tempted to jump right into finishing my next book ESCALATION, but I know I need to back away for now.

Grand OPENING Blog Book Tour
I’ll be kicking off my Grand OPENING Blog Book Tour beginning next Monday at Arlee (Uncle Lee) Bird’s Tossing It Out, followed by a stop at the awesome Captain Ninja Alex Cavanaugh's blog the following week. I have some amazing topics to talk about I’m sure will fascinate you, as well as what I’m doing regarding marketing and promoting OPENING. What’s working and what’s bombing.

Upcoming Blogfests
* Blogging From A to Z Challenge 2012
* I’m Hearing Voiced Blogfest
* Rebel Readers Pledge Blogfest

Just go to my left side bar and click the icon to join. These events are fun and a great way to meet new people.

CreateSpace Class
The good folks over at the BBT Café are talking about putting together an online class to share their knowledge and experience with CreateSpace. If this is something you would be interested in, please make mention in the comments. I know I'm looking forward

Well, that's all for now. Thanks again for helping make the launch of OPENING a smashing success!

The Grand OPENING!!!

2012-01-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, thanks for stopping by! Hope you had a great weekend.

Today is the big day! The release of OPENING, the second book in the BREAKTHROUGH series is now available for download at Amazon and Smashwords (soft cover version due out later this month).

Quick Blurb for Opening:
“A scientific breakthrough of such magnitude it could radically alter the future of humanity—for better or worse—is in the wrong hands.”

The Premise: The BREAKTHROUGH series poses a basic question: is mankind ready for a scientific breakthrough that can change altogether our perception of our world and our place in it. The conflict is simple: will this discovery be used to benefit and advance the world in ways only previously imagined, or will greed and incompetence be used to manipulate the masses and benefit a select few.

Amplifying the problem, a scientific Pandora’s box is knocked over and the contents spilled across the floor. Events escalate, similar to Mickey Mouse, who oversteps his limits in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Disney’s Fantasia. Yes, there is the element of the paranormal woven into the plot.

We Live In Exciting Times! Our world is changing right before us at breakneck speed. Our planet is becoming a much smaller place. CERN and other research and development centers around the world are on the cusp of discovering wonderful and awesome breakthroughs in physics, biochemistry, and nanotechnology (all of which I use in the OPENING).

So please take a moment to visit my Amazon page for Amazon. If you like what you see, click the Tabs Customers Associate with This Product. These little babies help improve search ranks. I’ve made it a point to do the same with all of my blogging friends too! It’s a great way to help spread the love.

LIKE MANY OF YOU: I rely on the good people of the Blogosphere for support. So, if you feel so inspired, feel free to place an image of OPENING on your side bar and link backs on your blogs. Some of you already have and I thank you!

And Tweets and Facebook shout outs are also much appreciated!

I’ll be sharing things I do regarding marketing and promotions along the way. What works. What doesn’t. And I’ll have an itinerary of my Grand OPENING Blog Tour posted soon too. I’m definitely looking forward to that!

Well, I'm Spent. It's a ton of work to write a book. Think I'll just lay my hed down on my desk and rest my eyes for a while.

It's Here ... The Image For Opening!!!

2012-01-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I'm ecstatic to present to you the final version for the dust cover for OPENING, developed by my awesome and most talented nephew Jeremy Tremp (who also did the cover for BREAKTHROUGH).

Notice the building with the neon sign CHASE (as in Chase Manhattan) and the sign to the left Heroes (from the awesome NBC series a few years back). Pretty cool, I think.

The purpose of a book cover is to get people's attention. It is designed to engage a prospective buyer, get them to pick it up, read the synopsis, and flip through the pages. For an ebook, you want to grab a person's attention so they click on the image, read a review, download a sample, and hopefully make a decision to press that BUY NOW WITH ONE CLICK button.

According to Seth Godin:

The purpose of a book cover

(and I think it works for lots of products)

Is the purpose of the cover to sell books, to accurately describe what's in the book, or to tee up the reader so the book has maximum impact?

The third.

It's the third because if the book has maximum impact, then word of mouth is created, and word of mouth is what sells your product, not the cover.

Tactically, the cover sells the back cover, the back cover sells the flap and by then you've sold the book. If those steps end up selling a book that the purchaser doesn't like, game over. So you have to be consistent all the way through and end up creating a conversation after the purchase. Books are better at creating conversations than most products (when was the last time you talked about a pool cue), but there's lots of opportunity here, no matter what you make.

Some ways that a book cover can accomplish its mission:

* Iconic (because iconic items tend to signal 'important')
* Noticeable across the room (you see that lots of other people own it, thus making it likely that you'll want to know why)
* Sophisticated (because this helps reinforce that the ideas inside are worthy of your time)
* Original (why bother reading a book you already know)
* Clever
* Funny
* Generic (reminding you of a genre or another book you liked, not generic as in boring)

I don't know about you, but I judge books by their cover every day.

Well, hope you like what you see. I know I do! Can't wait for next week for the release of OPENING. Hope you all stop by and join the party!

Something New For 2012

2012-01-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

I’ve added a new tab to my home page; BOOK REVIEWS. I’m committed to reading at least one book a month from my blogging buddies. For January I’ve downloaded Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn. I’ll post a brief review of each book I read. I’ll also upload a photo of the cover with a link to purchase the book on my Side Bars. Just my way of enjoying great books and giving back to the blogging community!

What I’m Reading Now
Hey, I’m already on my second book of the year! OPEN MIND (MINDJACK, Book 1)from Susan Kaye Quinn.

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can't read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can't be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf's mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she's dragged deep into a hidden underworld of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

Amazon Download: $2.99

New Releases
Yvonne Lewis from Welcome To My World Of Poetry has just released her first book titled Written From the Heart.

Synopsis: Many readers may shed a tear, laugh with happiness, find there is hope in life and goals to achieve. Her love of travelling is very evident in this wonderful book. Share her tours of the U.S.A. where you can imagine yourself in such places as Nashville Tennessee, San Fransisco and Niagara Falls, and also an emotional visit to Ground Zero- site of the Twin Towers in New York City. These poems are indeed Written From The Heart.

Paperback: $9.00

Amazon Customer Tags
Oh, one more way to help our blogging friends is when you’re at their Amazon page checking out their books and possibly downloading or buying a copy, click on the Amazon Customer Tags. These little babies help improve search ranks. There’s even a Facebook page for authors helping each other by “tagging” at Amazon Tag Author Assist. If you do not have these tags, you might want to consider adding them.

Bits and Pieces

2012-01-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

OPENING Release Date
I’m targeting January 16th as my release date for OPENING. I’m wrapping up loose odds and ends. My biggest concern is the formatting that goes along with uploading the manuscript to Kindle. And then it can take one to three days for it to appear on Amazon. But January 16th looks solid.

I’m not having a Blogfest to mark the milestone. But we will be having a week-long party to celebrate! So I’m sending out the invitations right now. Hope to see you swing by and mingle with a great group of other bloggers and writers!

Dust Cover Image
I’ll have the final version of the dust cover posted later this week. It’s so much better than the mockup I posted last week! I’m very excited at the awesome work my nephew (who also designed the cover for BREAKTHROUGH) has been able to do.

Goodreads
If you’re with Goodreads, ad we haven’t hooked up yet, please send me an invitation to be your Goodreads friend. I’ll respond right away. Same with Facebook and Twitter. Just click the icons to the right.

Speaking of Twitter, I’m making it a top goal to Tweet other bloggers posts this year. Twitter is a great way to bring new people to your blogs and promote your works and posts. Its the least I can do and only takes a few moments.

Hunger Games Review

Reading Suzanne Collins' The hunger Games is a great way to start out the new year! As a recent Kindle Fire purchaser, I received Amazon Prime Member for a month for free. I downloaded a copy and had trouble putting it down. Hunger Games was one of the few books I can honestly say engaged me to the point it drew me into the story. I loved the life-and death pace the story took me on. Set in a post-apocolyptic America that is divided up into 12 districts, one boy and one girl ages twelve to seventeen are chosen from each district each year to battle in a 24 to 1 fight to the death elimination contest that the entire country is watching on TV.

The story was disturbing in a number of ways and I'm not sure I'd recommend it for anyone MG or younger. Although lacking in some areas such as romance or having redeeming value (which looks to be addressed in the next book(s) of the series), I give Hunger Games five star and highly recommend it.

Medical Mondays

If you haven’t already, check out Lydia Kang’s Medical Mondays. Lydia’s awesome, has great medical information that any writer can find extremely useful, and has helped me with some difficult passages of OPENING that I did not have the skill to develop myself. Thanks Lydia!

We Interrupt This Program For A Very Special Announcement!

2012-01-05T17:45:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone, and thanks for stopping by. Today I have a special announcement to make! Arlee Bird has assembled the most amazing team of co-hosts for the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012. Wait .. .what is this A to Z Challenge I speak of?

(Reprinted from a post from Captain Ninja Alex on my blog last year) The brainchild of Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out, this challenge involves posting daily in April (with Sundays off for good behavior) following the letters of the alphabet.

The benefits? You will…

* Get into the writing and blogging habit.
* Learn to be creative. (You should’ve seen last year’s posts for “Q!”)
* Gain followers.
* Gain exposure.
* Discover new blogs and kindred spirits.
* Get new ideas and tips for writing, reading, and movies…
* Make new friends. (Some of my best blogging buddies came from last year’s challenge.)
* Learn, grow, and have fun!

Okay, no more suspense Her is Lee’s team in alphabetical order by last name. They can give the Avengers a run for their money:

* Alex Cavanaugh

* Damyanti Biswas

* Tina Downey
* D.L. Hammons
* Jeremy Hawkins
* Shannon Lawrence
* Matthew MacNish (Rush)
* Elizabeth Mueller
* Jenny Pearson
* Konstanz Silverbow
* And me, yours truly!

If you haven’t met any of these awesome bloggers, please take a moment to stop by their sites and click the FOLLOW BUTTON. They will be so kind as to reciprocate.

Over the next couple months we will be giving tips on how to successfully endure the challenge. Its challenging, just as the name implies, but rewarding. Don't believe me, just take a second look at the benefits listed above.

Finally: This is a fairly recent blog. I lost all my followers and had to start from scratch with this new blog. Please do me a favor and click the FOLLOW BUTTON as many of you followed my previous blog but have not done so with this one. A great big ginormous thanks for doing this!!!

Okay, it is the weekend, so I included an abbreviated version of the Weekend Follies for your viewing pleasure. Yep, still sticking with the Star Trek theme …..

If you feel so inspired, feel free to Retweet this with the appropriate icon below.

What If What I Write Really Comes True?

2012-01-03T18:14:00.000-08:00

This is my monthly post for the Insecure Writers Support Group. Wow ... I really need help!

Okay, its time to have a little fun. My biggest insecurity lately has been that what I write really comes true! What if my "What if" scenario really happens?

What If: At CERN, what if scientists are creating mini black holes. The black hole will grow to a size scientists cannot control until it swallows the entire earth. Fortunately, the world's biggest and most expensive scientific experiment had been hit by a legal challenge amid claims that the research could bring about the end of the world.

What If: The long sought after Higgs-Boson particle, sometimes referred to as the God Particle, will come back in time from the future and destroy the particle accelerator because mankind is not ready for such a discovery. Some people claim this has already happened and explains why the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) twice broke down.

What If: we open up a wormhole, thus giving time travelers a point of reference they can use to visit us and do all kinds of evil things to our world? Hey, it could happen!

Finally, we have to deal with time, one of the four dimensions of the space time continuum. I found this two-minute spoof of Dr. Brian Cox, Professor of particle physics at Manchester University on YouTube. It’s pretty darn funny and worth watching. Thanks again for stopping by and please come back and visit again.

If you feel this blog is worthy, go ahead and make my day. Retweet it

Bit And Pieces

2012-01-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, hope you all had a safe and Happy New Year! 2012 is going to be a great year. I’m wishing health and prosperity to each and everyone of you.

What My Blog Is All About:
Going into the new year, my blog will remain pretty much the same as I’ll focus on the following four topics:

* Science, physics, and astronomy
* Writing
* Marketing and promotion
* Miscellaneous

Well, that about covers it all. In 2012 I’ll be hosting some of the best bloggers and writers here in the Blogosphere. And I’ll be guest blogging much too.

2012 Looking Ahead:
I’m so very excited to be releasing my second installment to the BREAKTHROUGH series titled OPENING this month! It’s such a joy to reach the point where all the countless hours of research, writing, and rewrites are finally coming to fruition. I should be getting the dustcover image later this week from my nephew. The mockup looks awesome! And I'm staying with the wormhole theme for the cover.

This is only the mock up. We'll use a different background, a wormhole just like the one on BREAKTHROUGH, and the evil eyes will be subtle, just enough to give a hint that there is something evil about traversing this particular wormhole. But what I like: the man with the two suitcases is exactly as I describe how the suitcases look in BREAKTHROUGH and OPENING. I very fortunate to have come across this image!

In April I’ll be co-hosting the 2012 A to Z Blog. I already have my theme and outlining the posts! Last year was a lot of fun and this time around promises to be even better.

What I’m Currently Reading:

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I just watched the trailer teaser. I hope the movie is as good as the book. The previews look great! I’m also reading Treasure Island, a book I read as a youth and enjoying it immensely.

Question: So what are you excited about regarding yourself for 2012?

Ebooks and Ereaders

2011-12-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

Santa was very good to us. Wifey got an iPad (although I’m downloading books and using it too) and I got a Kindle Fire (the kids are using it more than me). The whole family is enjoying our toys very much. I downloaded a few classics from my childhood: Tale of Two Cities, Treasure Island, and Brothers Grimm (wonder if I'll like them after all these years), then Hunger Games from Amazon's Public Library all for free to the Kindle Fire.

(Me, downloading a book to Kindle, having my pic taken with the iPad and sent to my inbox).

Of course, I'll support by fellow bloggers and blogettes and download some of their books. Have to return the favor for supporting me. I started with Alex Cavanaugh’s CassaStar. I know, I know, I’m one of the few in the Blogosphere who have not read his book.

I have to say, I am very much impressed with the Kindle Fire. I can access the Internet, email, download apps, games, magazines, music, and movies. It has a vibrant screen. I can access Netflix and Hulu.com. It has Flash Support, Cloud storage, and decent but not great speakers. However, the Kindle Fire does not have a camera and does not have 3G ability. But for $200, something had to give.

Another advantage to the Kindle (which side-by-side comparisons with the iPad erroneously state as a disadvantage) is the it's smaller than other tablets. But I see this as an advantage. If I want to read an ebook outside the house, I really don't want to take the iPad. Could be damaged or stolen or lost. And it’s a bit big to carry around in my hand, even if it’s in a case. But the Kindle Fire will fit in my jacket pocket. Ladies, it can comfortably fit in your purse.

According to Alex Lane, “The Kindle Fire isn’t an iPad competitor. It’s a multimedia Kindle that’s tightly integrated with Amazon’s services … In short, the iPad is for apps; the Fire is for media, and media mostly sourced from a particular ecosystem.”

There’s more, of course. To sum it up, the Fire appeals to people who:
• Buy most of their content from Amazon.
• Don’t need to create media.
• Want a more portable tablet.
• Can’t afford to spend a lot of money.
• Don’t mind limited storage.

And the iPad appeals to people who:
• Buy most of their content from Apple.
• Want to create media as well as consume it.
• Don’t mind the iPad’s larger size.
• Can afford to spend a little more.
• Need a lot of storage

Different strokes for different folks. I now have both. The iPad is of course awesome and superior. I love it! But I will be using the Kindle Fire often, as will my kids. For $200 there is no better value.

Question: What were some of the favorite toys Santa brought you? Did you receive an iPad or a Kindle Fire? ANd what books have you downloaded this month?

Top Ten Christmas Movies (In Alphabetical Order)

2011-12-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

A Christmas Story (1986)
Ralphie, a young boy growing up in the '40's, dreams of owning a Red Rider BB gun. He sets out to convince the world this is the perfect gift. But along the way, he runs into opposition from his parents, his teacher, and even good 'ol Santa Claus himself.

Arthur Christmas (2011)
"Arthur Christmas" at last reveals the incredible, never-before seen answer to every child's question: 'So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?' The answer: Santa's exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the heart of the film is a story with the ingredients of a Christmas classic - a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero, Arthur, with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns

Christmas Vacation (1989)
After Clark Griswold unsuccessfully attempts to demonstrate his handiwork with the house Christmas lights to his family, he asks his son, Rusty, to help him check all the light bulbs again. Rusty looks at his bare wrist, pretending to have a watch, and excuses himself. Looking at a bare wrist and pretending to have a watch is one of Chevy Chase's trademark gags.

Elf (2003)
Buddy was a baby in an orphanage who stowed away in Santa's sack and ended up at the North Pole. Later, as an adult human who happened to be raised by elves, Santa allows him to go to New York City to find his birth father, Walter Hobbs. Hobbs, on Santa's naughty list for being a heartless jerk, had no idea that Buddy was even born. Buddy, meanwhile, experiences the delights of New York City (and human culture) as only an elf can. When Walter's relationship with Buddy interferes with his job, he is forced to reevaluate his priorities

Home Alone (1990)
An 8-year-old boy, who is accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas, has to defend his home against idiotic burglars.

It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.

Jingle All The Way (1996)
Meet Howard Langston, a salesman for a mattress company is constantly busy at his job, and he also constantly disappoints his son, after he misses his son's karate exposition, he tries hard to come up with a way to make it up to him, this is when his son tells Howard that he wants for Christmas is an action figure of his son's television hero, Turbo Man. Unfortunately for Howard, it is Christmas Eve, and every store is sold out of Turbo Man figures, now Howard must travel all over town and compete with everybody else including a mail man named Myron to find a Turbo Man action figure, and to make it to the Wintertainment parade which will feature Turbo Man

Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)
The classic Disney animated characters play the roles in this animated retelling of the Charles Dickens masterpiece with an all star Disney cast. Uncle Scrooge McDuck is appropriately enough Scrooge and is visited by his dead partner and 3 spirits one night to remember the joys of Christmas.

Scrooged (1988)
Frank Cross runs a US TV station which is planning a live adaptation of Dickens' Christmas Carol. Frank's childhood wasn't a particularly pleasant one, and so he doesn't really appreciate the Christmas spirit. With the help of the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, Frank realizes he must change.

The Santa Clasue (1994)
When a man inadvertantly kills Santa on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.

Although these are all family friendly movies to watch during the holidays, let's not lose sight for the reason for the season!!!

Question: What are some of your favorite Christmas movies?

10 Basic Steps to Starting a Freelance Writing Business

2011-12-20T17:55:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone, today we welcome children's author and writer-for-hire extraordinaire Karen Cioffi. Karen is an amazing writer, marketer, ghost writer, and offers a plethora of services. Take it away Karen .....

You’re a writer or author, or both, and decide you now want to become a writer-for-hire.

Simple enough, right? All you need to do is get paying clients.

But, how do you get clients, should you freelance or ghostwrite, or both? There are a number of questions that need to be answered before you jump in.

At the very first rung of the writing-for-hire ladder, whichever type of writing you decide on, you’ll need to start a business, and there are ten basic steps to doing this.

Before we get to the ten basic steps though, let’s go over the two basic differences between freelance writing and ghostwriting:

1. Credit
2. The ability to get recommendations or testimonials from satisfied clients

So, if you’re in the freelance writing business for recognition, you may not want to get involved in ghostwriting.

Okay, now you know the basic differences, so we’ll get into the ten steps needed for either type of business.

10 Basic Steps to Starting Your Own Freelance Writing Business

1. Choose What Type of Writing You’ll be Offering

Decide if you want to go into ghostwriting or freelance writing. Then decide what genre, and so on.

2. Create a Freelance Writing Business Plan

Know what your intent is, what your short-term and long-term goals are, what tools and finances you’ll need to get there.

3. Create a Freelance Writing Marketing Strategy

Create a marketing strategy, including a marketing budget. Determine how you’ll create visibility and attract clients to your business.

4. Take Advantage of a Mentor or Coach

This step will depend on your budget, but if at all possible, get a mentor or coach.

5. Create a Freelance Writing Business Website

The site you create needs to specific to your business. Analyze effective related sites. Note what type of content, offers, and copy they have in place.

6. The Freelance Writing Agreement

Having a freelance writing agreement or contract is a necessity. Freelance writing expert Carol Tice of Make a Living Writing sums it up simply: “Don’t write without a contract!”

7. Resume and Freelance Writing Samples

As a freelance writer or ghostwriter, you’ll need to have an up-to-date resume and writing samples to provide to potential clients upon request.

8. Establish Your Freelance Writing Platform

This will be accomplished through information marketing, effective copy, and your marketing message.

9. Social Networks

Make use of social networks to generate visibility for your freelance writing or ghostwriting business.

10. Advertise

Depending on your budget, advertise in a number of places.

~~~~~
Karen Cioffi is a published author, ghostwriter, and freelance writer who offers writing and marketing information at Her Web Site. Sign up for A Writer’s World newsletter and get two free site-related e-books.

For more in depth information on attracting clients, starting a freelance writing business, creating your own e-books, and editing your work, check out:

How to Attract Customers With Informational Marketing

How to Start A Freelance Writing Business

Editing Books Like a Pro: For Books and Articles

Kindle

How to Create an eBook

Smashwords

You can visit Karen at:

Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing

Karen Cioffi, Children’s Writer

DKV Writing 4 U

LinkedIn

Twitter

Facebook

Karen Cioffi is an author and ghostwriter. Her new MG/YA fantasy book, Walking Through Walls, is based on an ancient Chinese tale.

Longing to be rich and powerful, twelve-year-old Wang studies the legend of the mystical Eternals. Certain they are real, he journeys to their temple and begins an apprenticeship with the Eternal Master. There he enters a world of magic where not everything is as it seems, and where he learns the magic formula to ‘walking through walls. You can purchase Karen's children's books at Amazon

Book Promotion: Learn to Read Your Work Aloud

2011-12-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, as always thanks for stopping by! Today I have the pleasure of hosting Patricia Stoltey, one of my very first blogging buddies going all the way back to one of Dani Greer's Blog critique classes (my first blog was really, really awful). In fact, she is one of my original commenters! Thanks Paticia for stopping by, and take it away ....

These days it’s easy to think only of the Internet and social media when we talk about book promotion, but sooner or later, no matter how hard we fight it, we’ll make a few personal appearances. It might be a group book signing where each author speaks briefly about his book and answers questions from a small audience.

It might be a panel presentation at a large writers’ conference or fan convention where the audience is larger and the panelists under more pressure to perform. Or, we might be booked for a solo signing where we’re expected to read from our novel.

It’s this latter challenge that causes many authors to stumble. If you’re not accustomed to reading to an audience, I highly recommend practice, practice, practice.

One of the writers’ organizations I belong to hosts an Open Mic Night three or four times a year to give members a chance to polish their delivery and let an audience evaluate the content of what they’re reading as well as their performance. We have the writer read for eight minutes (including any introduction). The audience then has two minutes to write a critique on an index card which the reader will later receive as feedback.

I try to attend as many of these sessions as I can as a listener. I like a writer who reads with passion, one who dramatizes her own work by reading dialogue in the voice of her character. Reading slowly and enunciating clearly are important. If there’s no microphone, it’s essential the writer gauge the size of the audience and project his voice so everyone can hear. And perhaps most important of all, the writer must make eye contact with the audience at several different spots in the reading.

It’s hard to evaluate our delivery skills on our own, so asking family and friends to listen and give honest feedback is essential.

And most of all: Practice, practice, practice.

Patricia Stoltey says she writes more than she submits and plays on the Internet more than she writes. She loves books and writers, and blogs a lot about both at her own blog (http://patriciastoltey.blogspot.com) as well as the official blog for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Chiseled in Rock (http://chiseledinrock.blogspot.com). She is the Member Liaison for Northern Colorado Writers.

Deja Vu Blogfest - Why We Like Villains So Much

2011-12-16T06:46:00.000-08:00

Today I'm participating in Deja Vu Blogfest and my repost is Why We Like Villains So Much!

Developing a seriously evil villain takes more than pasting together bad traits. They are more than being the antithesis of the hero. Villains force us to confront our worst fears at our weakest moments. They can attack us when we are most vulnerable, such as when we sleep ala Freddy Kruger. They draw us away from the safety of our world and into theirs, like Kathleen Bates in Misery.

Villains are defeated, then return with their evil friends. They come in various shapes, sizes, or colors such as people, animals (Jaws and Kujo), or aliens. They can be silent and invisible as in spirit form. They might already be dead. i.e. vampires and zombies. Hey, they can even be a doll like Chucky or Talking Teena from the Twilight Zone. Sometimes we even root for the villain! They have a story to tell and secrets to hide.

“Villains pose fundamental questions about humanity and, ‘they make audiences consider the moral dilemmas of their society … they expose how much you can get away with, what’s legal, and these characters operate on quite a basic level.’ (Writing Great Villains). Other villains simply want to spread anarchy, as Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker.

Bad guys can be one-dimensional and predictable. We all know what Jaws was going to do. Eat people alive. A thug who is in and out of prison his entire life is going to do pretty much the same thing over and over. There are some really great ones like the simple hit man with no conscious such as Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men.

Villains can also be multi-dimensional. These bad guys are intelligent, socially adept, they have resources, and are usually somewhat athletic like Michael Douglas in Wall Street. Sometimes society doesn’t even know they are hosting a monster.

Villains can also be a tragic character, a victim of some hideous crime against them. They snap and seek revenge on their attackers, innocent people, or on the world. Villains can vary from culture to culture. What might be acceptable in once place could be reprehensible in another. Or a character can be an invader or a liberator, depending on the perspective of the other characters. Stella Cameron has a good list of villainous types at her Web site.

Many antagonists are a mosaic of this list. My antagonist in Breakthrough is the Mastermind. He is compulsive obsessive and calculates his plans to the minutest detail. He has followers who are part of his inner circle, such as his girlfriend and fellow M.I.T. grad student Staci Bevere. She is the assassin extraordinaire. But he is the one who ultimately pulls the strings.

BTW, I love the malcontent, such as a fired or disgruntled employee. Example: Richard Preston’s The Cobra Event, a story of domestic bio terrorism where the villain was fired, and he decided to take his anger out on the world by developing and unleashing a virus that causes self-cannibalism and death.

“As the writer, it is essential you know the villain's motivation (even if the reader doesn't); only this way will you be able to keep his/her words and actions consistent; he/she acts evil for a reason; even if that reason is "crazy" in the eyes of society, the villain believes the reasoning is logical and performs accordingly.” Ruth Kerce

Power, greed, instinct, madness, fight for survival, and revenge are excellent drivers that motivate a villain. Sometimes we even root for a villain. Perhaps, they’re right because they are victims. Vigilantes fall into this catagory.

30 Second Elevator Pitch

2011-12-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. Today I'm over at Patricia Stoltey’s Blog discussing how to put together a quick 30 Second Elevator Pitch. Everyone should have one. I'll show you how I put mine together in about 20 - 30 minutes with little effort. So take a few moments to stop by and then put together your own 30 second interview!

BTW, Patricia and I go back quite a way. She was one of the first people I met in the Blogosphere in Dani Greer's class on how to build a blog site. She was one of my first commenters.

Talli Roland has just released her latest and greatest: Build A Man. How far would you go to create the perfect partner?

And Yvonne Lewis has released her first book of poetry Written From The Heart. Yvonne is an amazing writer and has perservered through much in putting together this book of her personal poems from her heart.

Congrats! to both Talli and Yvonne on their milestones.

Okay, now click on the link to Patricia Stoltey's blog. And if you have a 30 second pitch, feel free to post it over there for the rest of us to see. You'll be glad you did!

Bits And Pieces - Recent News In Physics And Astronomy!!!

2011-12-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

REALLY, REALLY, REALLY BIG BLACK HOLES
Scientists have found the biggest black holes known to exist — each one 10 billion times the mass of our sun. "They are monstrous," Berkeley astrophysicist Chung-Pei Ma told reporters.

Most if not all galaxies are believed to have black holes at their center. The bigger the galaxy, it seems, the bigger the black hole. Even larger black holes may be lurking out there. Ma said that's the million-dollar question: How big can a black hole grow?

COSMIC MISSING LINK
Scientists have spied a new type of ultra-red galaxy lurking at the far reaches of the universe. Using NASA's Spitzer space telescope, the astronomers spotted four remarkably red galaxies nearly 13 billion light-years from Earth — meaning it's taken their light about 13 billion years to reach us. So researchers are seeing the galaxies as they were in the early days of the universe, which itself is about 13.7 billion years old. In a sense, these galaxies might be a 'missing link' in galactic evolution.

MYSTERIOUS PLANET-SIZED OBJECT SPOTTED NEAR MERCURY
Is a giant, cloaked spaceship orbiting around Mercury? Video taken by NASA's STEREO spacecraft shows a giant, glowing object mysteriously appearing alongside Mercury before vanishing completely. Some viewers are convinced that what NASA cameras captured is actually a gigantic alien spaceship.

"Professional scientists" explain that it's "actually an image of Mercury itself, which appears due to the way the telescope imagery is double-processed to enhance its clarity." Yes, sorry to be a killjoy, says Ian O'Neill at Discovery News. But "sadly for siniXster, conspiracy theorists, ufologists, and Star Trek buffs, there's no Klingons off Mercury's starboard bow." I blame those "pesky scientists." Why must "they have an answer for everything? So annoying."

LONG-SOUGHT ‘GOD PARTICLE’ CORNERED, SCIENTISTS SAY
Physicists are closer than ever to hunting down the elusive Higgs boson particle, the missing piece of the governing theory of the universe's tiniest building blocks. Scientists at the world's largest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, announced that they'd narrowed down the list of possible hiding spots for the Higgs, (also called the God particle) and even see some indications that they're hot on its trail.

Though the Higgs mechanism is the best explanation for why particles have mass, it can't be trusted until its major prediction — the Higgs boson — is found.

DISCOVERED: THE FIRST INHABITABLE ‘EARTH-LIKE’ PLANET
Say hello to Earth 2.0 NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft has discovered an alien world that might just support life as we know it. The "Earth-like" planet is 2.4 times larger than Earth and orbits its star much as our planet orbits the sun. Kepler-22b's calendar year takes 290 days. The planet boasts a "balmy temperature" of 72 degrees, which "would support the existence of liquid water," says BBC News. Kepler-22b gets about 25 percent less sunlight than Earth.

My 500th Blog!!!

2011-12-11T20:49:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, as always, thanks for stopping by. I hope you’re all having an awesome and safe weekend with family and friends!!!

Today I’m celebrating my 500th blog. That’s right. 500! Okay, So I'm combing posts from my previous blog (currently infected by Dementors).

I have to admit I’m amazed at reaching this milestone. And I have all of you to thank for being such great blogging buddies and supporting my posts. I hope it’s been as fun for you as it has been for me.

So grab some wine and cheese, or beer and weenie tots, or Coke and chips and dip. Grab a burger or BBQ chicken and a plate of side dishes. We’ll celebrate for a few days and have a great time.

Well, that’s it for now. Thanks again for being my blogging friends. You guys and girls are the best!

If you think this post is worthy of Twitter or Facebook, please select the appropriate icon below. Thanks!

Weekend Follies - Sticking With the Sci-Fi Theme

2011-12-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

I know, I'm early for the Weekend Follies. I usually post Friday night. But I'm starting my weekend early effective immediately. Enjoy!

Insecure Writers Support Group

2011-12-06T18:46:00.000-08:00

This month for the Insecure Writers Support Group I'm posting on the topic of money. I was laid off from the banking and consumer finance industry after spending over a decade as a senior manager. Rather than feel insecure at the prospect of struggling to support my family, I looked at events as an opportunity to do what I always wanted to do: be a published or self-published writer.

But with only one book to my name, I needed more to make ends meet. The economy here in Southern California is tough What jobs there are available are mainly low paying.

What To Do? I looked for work in my wife's line of work of caregiving. I found work with elderly gentlemen not ill enough to go into a facility (I hate that word) yet not well enough to stay home alone. Their wives have passed on, and family members did not want them to be home alone.

So I signed on as a caregiver/companion. I cooked meals, drove them to their doctors appointments, did light housecleaning, and took long naps when they did. The pay is very good and has helped keep us going.

My Point: One has to be creative, resourceful, flexible and a bit lucky. I never imagined I would ever do this work. But I did. And as a bonus, this was the most rewarding work I ever did. I'm glad I had the opportunity and privilege to help the elderly! And with two more books for release in 2012, the immediate future is bright.

So if you're stuck in a tough economy and writing is paying some but not all of the bills, look to do some work in a field you never dreamed you would work. You might be surprised to find something open up very soon, pays well, and is most rewarding.

Finally: Scroll down a bit and check out my timely blog Show Me The Money!

Spotlight On Helen Ward

2011-12-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. Today it's my pleasure to welcome children's author Helen Ward. Helen has written and illustrated children’s books for over twenty years.

Helen has trained at the Brighton School of Art under such well-known illustrators as Raymond Briggs, Justin Todd, and John Vernon Lord and has accrued numerous awards and accolades for her work, including twice winning the prestigious National Art Library Illustration Award.

Helen’s illustrations are renowned for their vitality and painstaking attention to detail, and this is never more in evidence than in the fantastical, imaginative world she has created in Snutt the Ift, a Small But Significant Chapter in the Life of the Universe.

Originally published in the United Kingdom as Wonderful Life by Templar Publishing, the poignant story speaks to all who have discovered the elevated beauty of a world shared with kindred spirits. The message will resonate with those who understand, value, and seek true friendship. A children’s picture book, this book speaks to adults as well, and makes a lovely gift for all ages especially during the holidays.

Snutt the Ift will make a terrific Christmas gift for that child, grandchild, niece or friend! I've read the book and highly recommend it. The artwork is awesome and engaging, and my kids love the story and the art. Folks, this is a really good book for young and old alike! I rarely recommend books, but I endorse Snutt The Ift!

Please select THIS WEEK THIS LINK for a Guardian article about Helen Ward.

Please select THIS LINK to purchase a copy if Snutt the Ift at Little Pickle Press.

Be sure to enter the grand prize drawing for NINE Little Pickle Press books including the two foreign-language titles. What a great gift for some lucky child. Just sign up for the newsletter at Please select Little Pickle Press to automatically be entered. While you're there, look at all the award-winning books. Good luck!

Book Sales Getting Musty?

2011-12-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

Today I have guest author Carolyn Howard Johnson, author of The Frugal Editor and other How To Do Books. Carols really knows her stuff, and today she’s sharing tips on how to promote your book! Take it away Carol (my comments are in blue)…..

In the world of publishing as in life, persistence counts. Of course, there is no way to keep a book at the top of the charts forever, but if you keep reviving it, you might hold a classic in your hands. Or your marketing efforts for one book may propel your next one to greater heights.

Here are a few keep-at-it ideas from the second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter:

* Run a contest on your Web site, on Twitter, or in your newsletter. Use your books for prizes or get cross-promotion benefits by asking other authors for books; many will donate one to you in trade for the exposure. Watch the 99 Cent Stores for suitable favors to go with them.

Hint: Any promotion you do including a contest is more powerful when you call on your friends to tell their blog visitors or Facebook pals about it.

* Barter your books or your services for exposure on other authors’ Web sites (I need to do this).

* Post your flier, brochure, or business card on bulletin boards everywhere: In grocery stores, coffee shops, Laundromats, car washes, and bookstores (I just came back from a few local Starbucks after leaving my cards on their bulletin boards).

* Offer classes in writing to your local high school, college, or library system. Publicizing them is easy and free. When appropriate, use your own book as suggested reading. The organization you are helping will pitch in by promoting your class. Use this experience in your Media Kit to show you have teaching and presentation skills.

* Slip automailers into each book you sell or give away for publicity. Automailers are envelopes that are pre-stamped, ready to go. Your auto mailer asks the recipient to recommend your book to someone else. Your mailer includes a brief synopsis of your book, a picture of the cover of your book, your book’s ISBN, ordering information, a couple of your most powerful blurbs, and a space for the reader to add her handwritten, personal recommendation. Make it clear in the directions that the reader should fill out the form, address the envelope, and mail it to a friend. You may offer a free gift for helping out, but don’t make getting the freebie too tough.

* Send notes to your friends and readers asking them to recommend your book to others (I do this often and ask them to forward emails with brief promos and an image of my book). Build your directory or contact lists of names.

* Though it may be a bit more expensive than some ideas in this book, learn more about Google’s AdWords and AdSense. Learn about these opportunities on your Google account page. Many authors of niche nonfiction or fiction that can be identified with often-searched-for keywords find this advertising program effective.

* Check out ad programs like Amazon’s Vine review service. You agree to provide a certain number of books to Amazon and pay them a fee for the service. Amazon arranges the reviews for you. It’s expensive, but it gets your book exposed to Amazon’s select cadre of reviewers who not only write reviews for your Amazon sales page but also may start (or restart!) a buzz about your book.

* Record a playful message about your book on your answering machine (I'm going to do this).

* When you ship signed copies of your book, include a coupon for the purchase of another copy for a friend—signed and dedicated—or for one of your other books.

* Adjust the idea above to a cross-promotional effort with a friend who writes in the same genre as you. He puts a coupon for your book in his shipments; you do the same for him in yours.

* Explore the opportunities for speaking on cruise ships. Authors like Allyn Evans, who holds top honors in Toastmasters, and Erica Miner have used these venues successfully. For help with the application process from beginning to end, contact Daniel Hall at speakerscruisefree.com.
------
Carolyn Howard-Johnson has been promoting her own books and helping clients promote theirs for nearly a decade. Her marketing plan for the 2nd in the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers, The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success.

The Frugal Editor won the New Millennium Award for Marketing. She just issued the second edition (New! Expanded! Updated! And already an award-winner!) of The Frugal Book Promoter. Learn more about her at How To Do It Frugally.

2011-12-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today I'm participating in Ciara Knight's Blog Hop to generate buzz for debut, or relatively new authors, who are not featured on the bestseller list. You can click on the icon to the left DID I NOTICE YOUR BOOK to visit Ciara and visit the other participants.

It is my pleasure to write a profile for author Larry Seeley and a review of his book Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves. I came across his book while browsing author profiles on Facebook. I’m glad I picked this one.

Seeley deals readers in for a tale of murder, revenge and redemption.

My Synopsis (I did read this book)
Jack Sloan played his cards right, took the money and ran. Only now it seems he may not have run far enough. Set in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, this riveting novel is a story of murder and revenge, with a cast of characters that drive the plot forward, until the climactic end.

In search of a peaceful life on a 26-acre ranch in the mountains, Jack instead finds himself embroiled in a con that may leave him and those he cares for most with a loss far greater than money. The action and intrigue grows as Jack wrestles with a ruthless assortment of bunko artists like Mattie Helms, who is beautiful, intelligent, and unscrupulous; and her goon, Irvin MacSwain: a psychotic, drug-using alcoholic killer who enjoys his work far too much.

As Jack tries to reconcile his own killer instincts with his new life, betrayal and murder wait for him and his friends at every turn-but will the actions of one man help save the good guys in the end?

Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves delivers a powerful punch that engages the reader until the last page. Working in the high-stakes arenas of business and gaming has provided author Larry Seeley with a special understanding of gambling and risk. In Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves, Seeley uses his real-world knowledge to shape a suspense-filled thriller.

You can find Larry Seeley on
Web Site
Facebook
Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves now available on Kindle
And at Amazon

Show Me The Money!!!

2011-11-29T17:53:00.000-08:00

Writers, musicians, artists, singers, and stage performers all have a wonderful and awesome God-given gift to share with the world. However, all too often these very talented individuals make a terrible mistake while perfecting their craft. They fail to learn the money side of the business.

I have seen so many great people strive for years. Decades. Only to wake up one morning and realize they’re broke. Why? Perhaps they actually did make money along the way. Yet, here they are. Broke. Or managing to live paycheck to paycheck.

As David Byrne from the Talking Heads once sang, “And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?”

Position Yourself Financially: For many, it means take a year first to get out of debt as best you can. Work and save as much cash as possible. Sell your junk. Sell your good stuff. If you don’t use it, lose it. Downgrade your car from a large monthly payment to a lesser vehicle that’s paid off. And stop eating out!

Timely Advice: And don’t go bonkers during the holiday season. Your extensive list of family, friends, and co-workers all do not need expensive presents. Or cheap ones. Half these gifts are returned anyway. And think of the gas and time involved. Make something that makes sense economically and give them out. Me, I love receiving homemade cookies with frosting!

Learn how money works: Make it your best friend, or it may become your worst enemy. Take a refresher course in accounting. More Importantly: Do you know your net worth right now? Do you know how to get there? If not, I encourage to make the decision right now to find out.

If You Walk Away With Only One Thing: Here is a link to a simple form
that will help you find your net worth. Some people will not want to do this. But you have to! Be brave!! You can do it!!!

You can also Google Accounting Tutorials. I encourage you to take one hour a day for two, three or even five days a week and learn about money and how it works. Turn off the TV and Facebook for one hour. Nobody wants to go broke being a writer! You can do it!

Cyber Monday: Bring Your Christmas Shopping List Here!

2011-11-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Even though I have my new book, OPENING, coming out January 2012, I don’t want my current book BREAKTHROUGH to get lost in the shuffle of things and the business of the Holidays.

So today I’m kicking off my Holiday Promo Month by offering signed copies of BREAKTHROUGH for $10.00. Your Incentive: I’ll pay the shipping and sales tax. I’ll even include gift wrapping and a TO and FROM card! How's this for my promotional themed month! Sorry guys, but Santa's helper does NOT come with the book.

What better Christmas gift to send than an awesome book signed by the author? And where else can you buy that certain someone you never know what to get a gift for $10.00?

To Order: Just click the link to the left and follow the easy-to-follow instructions. You can use PayPal or your own credit card or ATM debit card. Confirm or change the shipping address and I’ll mail a signed copy of BREAKTHROUGH to that family member or friend of yours. Then take a sigh of relief as you can now cross off one (or more) names off your Christmas List.

If you encounter problems, please email me at stephen.tremp@yahoo.com.

Kindle and Smashwords downloads of BREAKTHROUGH are also available for $1.99. On Kindle, select GIVE AS A GIFT button, then personalize a message for the recipient. It’s that easy!

Well, I’m off to shop around other blogger sites to look for books to send as gifts. Just my way of spreading the love and helping the local blogging community. Happy shopping!

I'm Thankful For You!

2011-11-20T17:45:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, as always thanks for stopping by! Keeping in theme with the Thanksgiving holiday, I’d like to say that I’m very thankful for each and every one of you! I have some awesome friends here in the Blogosphere and I’m glad to know you all! We may not be perfect, and we certainly have our own unique differences, but I have to admit, together, we make a pretty darn good blogging community!

Starting Next Week (post-Thanksgiving): I’ll be doing a number of posts on marketing and promoting. What’s working for me. What isn’t. What other people are doing that’s translating into sales and exposure. I have a few new promoting avenues in the works that I’m very excited about. I’ll share them with you and hopefully they will benefit people in one way or another. You'll definitely want to stop by for those posts.

I’m going to take the week off for Thanksgiving to be with the family. And to work on NaNoWriMo as I haven’t done much with that this month.

So stop back in next week as we rev up for the Holidays. We’ll have some awesome posts and a few guest bloggers. Until then, you know the drill. Obey the Lava Lamp until I return. Have a great Thanksgiving. Be safe and enjoy family and friends!

2011-11-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. Today I'm guest blogging at L. Diane Wolfe's blog Spunk On A Stick’s Tips. Please stop by and say hello as I talk about

And if you haven't checked out my two previous posts regarding how critique buddies have helped with my soon to be released suspense thriller OPENING and choosing cover art for the cover, then take a few moments to scroll down and check them out!

But first, click on the above blue mebedded link, and a wormhole will take you almost instantaneously to Diane's blog. Enjoy the ride and see you there.

OPENING Art Work

2011-11-15T16:38:00.000-08:00

As a follow up to Sunday's post, I received additional help for the artwork for OPENING. I was shooting blanks when Susanne Drazic, who read an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) sent me an email with five ideas from various scenes in the book:

1. Have Chase and Susan running down a dark alley, heading towards the safety of the Mission (I thought of adding Chase looking over his shoulder as a bullet hits the brick wall next to him).

2. Have Khyati (one of the female bad girls) sitting in front of several computers, feverishly working away.

3. Have Mina (another female bad girl) working at a table in the school lab. She is holding up a test tube or vile of the deadly Fisherman virus.

4. A jail cell with Professor Nicholas Fischer laying on the bunk. His back will be facing the reader.

5. Have Jacob Buerling falling out of the wormhole in the room of the Rose Tower in Dubai. Coming out of the wormhole, behind Buerling will be a set of menacing looking eyes. Any body features other than the eyes would be a bit blurred.

I ran this by Arlee Bird, who also read an ARC of OPENING, and he stated there should be a continuity with all three books since it’s a trilogy. He added, “to me the wormholes are the real stars of the story aside from Chase. You gotta have the wormholes.”

So thanks to Susan and Lee, I think I have a winner in Number Five. I'll let my nephew know as he will be designing the cover. He also did the artwork for BREAKTHROUGH.

If you haven’t read the feedback from fellow blogger (or bloggette) Susanne Drazic who read the ARC for OPENING, I invite you to scroll down and read I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends.

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

2011-11-13T08:58:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone, hope you all had an awesome weekend! Recently I send out a few Advanced Review Copies of my next novel titled OPENING. I'm receiving feedback and thought I would post this email I received over the weekend. Its people like Susanne Drazic (stop by and say hello to her) over at PUTTING WORDS DOWN ON PAPER that help writers like me refine their stories before going live. Thanks Susanne! You're feedback is greatly appreciated and needed!

Hi Stephen,

I enjoyed reading OPENING, the second book in your trilogy. You did a great job of grabbing and keeping my attention throughout most of the book. Your use of description was wonderful and your attention to detail just helped to add to the book.

I was rooting for the good guys and wishing that the bad guys would do something stupid, so that they would get caught and all of Nicky's dasturdly plans would go up in a puff of smoke. Of course, with a third book still to come out, I knew Nicky would be around for awhile longer.

The action was quite intense at times. Have to wonder how Chase could live through all that he's been through. That is one tough guy. I actually winced during Chase's and Guu's fight scenes, both in the bedroom and at the gazebo. Ramming someone's head and body into a heavy wooden door leaves a person wondering how they didn't split their skull wide open. And then both men getting hit with boards filled with nails that ripped through flesh when it came in contact with body parts. Yikes!

The military chapters of the book were just a little bit slow for me. I'll admit that I was a little bit confused on how the chapter, Part Three - Noah Grant fit in, but as I kept reading the book I understood. Nicky and the other corrupt people are causing world wide mayhem and destruction so, of course, the military of all countries will eventually be involved.

Of course, I now want to read the final book of the trilogy. I need to know if we have heard the last of Bennie and Carol. Are they still wandering around in the wormhole or did it really collapse on them? And what of Staci? Does the virus do her in or does she receive the antidote, her life being spared? Who else becomes a casualty of the worldwide mayhem that Nicky and all the other corrupt people are causing? Does good overcome evil? Is the world saved? Are the rest of the cases destroyed? I guess we will find out in the third and final book.

Stephen, thanks for giving me the chance to read OPENING and for sharing my thoughts and suggestions. I hope that revisions go well for you and I wish you much success with sales of the book. I'd be very happy to host you on my blog, so please keep me in mind when you start touring.

Susanne Drazic

Weekend Follies With An Astronomy Theme

2011-11-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

Captain, is that a laser gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

Kibbles and Bits

2011-11-10T20:32:00.000-08:00

Grand OPENING Tour
I’m very excited to release my next novel OPENING in January 2012! I’m not doing a Blog Book Tour per se like I did last December when I visited people on consecutive days for three weeks. That was fun, but exhausting.

But I will be doing a tour from January through March, visiting a few people here, a couple bloggers there. I’ll be doing a lot of Home and Away posts, meaning I post as a guest on someone’s blog for a couple days, then host them for a couple days on my site. I’m hitting the EASY BUTTON this time around and leaving time between stops so I can do other promotional stuff. This will be a stress-free tour.

And thanks to VR Barkowski's idea, I’m calling it the Grand OPENING Tour. Pretty cool, huh? I love it! I can always rely on other bloggers to help with really cool ideas.

Nano
I finally signed up for Nano today. I’m a notoriously slow starter but always a very strong finisher. Last two years I penned 25,000 words. I should do the same this time around and complete the draft for ESCALATION, the last novel in the BREAKTHROUGH trilogy.

McRib
This just in ….. get your McRib sandwich while you can. The mystery animal used to make the meat has just gone extinct!

Blogworld Expo 2012 Los Angeles
This three-day event took place earlier this month and featured speakers, cutting edge sessions and workshops, new media sources, and other networking events. For an awesome wrap up of this two day event, stop by Arlee Bird’s blog Tossing It Out. I was not aware this event took place. Living only an hour south of L.A. I would have definitely made the trek. If its there next year, I’ll go.

Have any Kibbles and Bits going on in your life you'd like to tell us about?

Meet Me Under the Tiki Hut

2011-11-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, as always thanks for stopping by! Today I'm over at Carol Kilgore's Under The Tiki Hut. The post will be up 7:15 Central Time.

So take a moment, click on the blue link, and join me there. Who knows, maybe we'll find Chase Manhattan there along with a few of his friends. And his enemies. Even the bad guys need a break from the action and sit on the hot white sands sipping Mai Tais.

Our Pets

2011-11-06T07:44:00.001-08:00

Not much going on today as I'm tying up a very long list of odds and ends. So I thought I would post on our pet situation. We recently said goodbye to our red betta fish Disco. It was a sad moment for us all.

A few days ago we went back to the local pet shop and bought Blueberry Bob, who has been an awesome additional to our household. Welcome, Blueberry Bob! Hmmmm .... is that a little mirror in his over-sized brandy glass bowl, or a wormhole?

Here is our dog Beau from Christmas last year.

And here is Sonny, the very noisy parakeet who keeps us company.

And finally, a Sunday funny. Might take a moment and a quick Google search to "get it."

Weekend Follies of a Scientific Nature

2011-11-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

Subtract the bill from the total, and the tip makes sense!

And if you want a second dose of laughter, check out Julie Fedderson’s post called The Humble Comma. Have a great weekend!

Insecure Writers Group

2011-11-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

Well, its that time again, the first Wednesday of the month. Time to open up and tell the world something that's causing me some insecurity. This is actually great timing. Okay, here we go!

I've noticed a lot of self-published bloggers are releasing books in November and December and doing promotional tours. Combine this with National November Writing Month (Nano) and bloggers taking time off for the holidays, November may not be the best time to release OPENING, the next installment in the BREAKTHROUGH trilogy.

This seems like a very busy six weeks in the Blogosphere, followed by a slow two weeks for the Christmas/New Years holiday. So I think instead of trying to break through (no pun intended) everything that's going on, I should wait until January when it seems the month is wide open. I don't see all the busyiness come the first of the year. This will also allow me to focus on Nano and finish ESCALATION, the third book in the trilogy!

That's my insecurity. My concern. What's ailing me. I think I should wait a bit more for the release of OPENING. I actually have a sense of peace about this now. Just gathering my thoughts and writing about it.

So there you have it. I'm going to wait for the dust to settle, let Nano, the other book releases and blog tours, and the holidays go by, then release my book in January. Yep. I feel much better now!

How about you. Got any insecurities about the upcoming holiday season and your writing, promoting and blogging?

Character Logs

2011-10-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad my editor, Marvin Wilson, barked on me to fill out Character Logs for all of my characters. They helped define each character and give them identities that help differentiate one from another. Don't you hate it when you read a book and the characters seem generic?

Okay, here is an example of a Character Log for my antagonist, Nicholas Fischer, Jr.

Full name: Nicholas Fischer, Junior

Nickname (if any): Nicky

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 175 and declining
.
Body Type: Lean and skinny. Tries to act cool, but still comes across as kind of a dorky nerd to others.

Race: Caucasian

Skin tone: Pasty

Eyes: Dark brown

Hair: Short, brown, and curly

Voice type: Tries to talk lower than his voice really is, sometimes it squeeks.

Distinguishing features: Long, skinny neck and the Adam’s Apple goes in and out when he talks. Had a stuttering problem as a youth. It comes back when he gets extremely upset. Losing weight and developing dark circles around his eyes as the story progresses due to his addiction to drug stimulants.

Occupation: Grad student at M.I.T.

Sexual persuasion: Heterosexual

Favourite words, phrases, expletives: Calls people he thinks are stupid EINSTEIN.

Role/relation to other main and minor characters: Well defined leader of his group.

Hobbies and Interests: Anything to do with string theory and high energy. And killing Chase Manhattan.

Spiritual; religion, faith, beliefs, other (or not): Jewish by birth, but not a practicing Jew.

Origin of birth and present location: Born in Dorchester, MA (suburb of Boston) and currently living in an apartment off campus in Cambridge, MA.

Background – family (including parents, siblings) education, notable life experiences:
Son of Nicholas Fischer, professor of physics at M.I.T. Previously worked as an assistant to his father. Still has some access to his father’s labs as he retains position as assistant to the new professor who replaced Professor Fischer.

Nicky and his band of misguided zealots of grad students want to thwart a group of global elitists who call themselves Artisans of a New Dawn and destroy it by killing the leading members (using wormholes, of course) and replace the void with a scientific-based oligarchy.

Additional Notes (to begin with and to expand upon as story develops):
Sociopath. Manipulative and cunning. Grandiose sense of self. Pathological liar. Lack of remorse, shame, or guilt. Shallow emotions but feigns a sense of caring for his followers and others around him. Lives on the edge. Struggles to love himself and others. Lack of empathy.

Suffers from rejection from his parents (too busy). Feels need to show everybody, including the whole world, that he is intellectually superior to everyone else. Has serious father/son issues

Who would I have play character in a movie? Tom Felton. He played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. He's recently had a role in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and will appear in a handful films in the near future. Felton plays the aggressive arrogant antagonist very well.

If you feel this blog is worthy, select the appropriate button below. And as always, thanks for stopping by!

Weekend Follies Halloween Style

2011-10-29T19:07:00.001-07:00

Some Halloween parties can end up like this. Do you know where your cat is?

The ultimate TRICK in trick or treat!

You Would You Rather Be?

2011-10-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

You can be your favorite monster, mystical creature, ghoul, goblin, X-Man, fire-breathing dragon, or your own made up creation for twenty-four hours. From twelve o’clock a.m. to twelve o’clock p.m. on October 31st. What would you choose to be? Vampire? Werewolf? Zombie?

Me, I’ll take the vampire. It’s an easy choice. First, he’s more human than any of the other creatures. And like James Bond (see my Killers Characters Blogfest below), he’s the ultimate chick magnet. Unless you're Grandpa from the Munsters. Then you can just forget about it.

A werewolf? Let’s face it. Girls run away from werewolves. They smell awful. And they like to rip out throats. Not cool, werwolves. Definately not cool.

Zombies? Be real. Let’s look at dialogue at a Halloween Party …..

Group of really hot girls: Hey, you’re cute. What’s your name?

Zombie: Aaarrggghhhh!!!!

Group of really hot girls: Ewwww! You, like, have brain breath. Totally gross.

And skeletons and ghosts might be the life of a party, but at the end of the night, they always end up alone. They're the loveable losers of the group.

Question: So, what monster (not limited to vampires, werewolves, or zombies) would you want to be?

Welcome to Jeremy Robinson’s Great Kindle Giveaway and Blog Tour

2011-10-25T07:54:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. Today I'm very excited to welcome guest blogger and author Jeremy Robinson. Take it away Jeremy .....

“Hurray for free Kindles!” you say, but who the hell is Jeremy Robinson? Allow me to introduce myself. I’m the author of eleven mixed genre novels, published in ten languages, including the popular fantasy YA series, THE LAST HUNTER, and the fast-paced Jack Sigler series (also known as Chess Team—not nearly as nerdy as it sounds), PULSE, INSTINCT and THRESHOLD from Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press. I’m the co-author of an expanding series of novellas deemed the Chesspocalypse, which take place in the Chess Team universe. If that doesn’t wet your whistle, I’m also known as Jeremy Bishop, the #1 Amazon.com horror author of THE SENTINEL and the controversial novel, TORMENT. For more about me, or my books, visit MY WEB SITE

1. Are your books mainly science-based novels, or do you combine science and the supernatural? Why or why not?
I definitely combine the two in many of my books, but not always. The Jack Sigler thrillers are primarily science thrillers where everything is explained through science, though some of it is fringe science. THE LAST HUNTER series is almost entirely fantasy/supernatural. And the other books are really a mix. I tend to write one book that has supernatural elements followed by one that is pure science. For example, the first Jeremy Bishop horror novel, TORMENT, is supernatural through and through. But the second Bishop book, THE SENTINEL is based on entirely on science. Both books are horror novels. And both are technically zombie stories. But the explanations for the events in the books are totally different ends of the supernatural/science spectrum. I think I switch it up to keep things interesting. There was a time when I wrote a couple science novels in a row and I found myself getting really sick of having to find scientific ways to explain every single cool creation. The mix helps keep me excited about both approaches.

2. Do you have any input into your cover designs? Or do trust someone entirely with the concept?
I trust my cover designer implicitly because he knows the story better than anyone else. How is this possible? I am my cover designer! Before I was a writer, I was an illustrator. Over the past six years of self-publishing I’ve really pushed myself to get better at the specific art of cover design and I’m now (when I have time to spare) hired by other publishers to do cover work. I’ve designed almost all of the covers for my books (not including the hardcover Jack Sigler books). The only other cover I didn’t do myself was KRONOS. But I art directed that cover, working with Erik Hollander, who is an amazing artist that can do things beyond my capabilities. I also design the interiors for most of my books and do the e-book formatting. I would like to hire people to do all these things, but have found few people can match my pace. When I get the finished edits for an e-book I’m releasing, I can do all the formatting myself and release the book the very next day. Can’t move that fast with other people…at least not until I can afford to hire someone full time!

3. Have you had interest regarding movie deals for your books? Who would you like to see play the roles of your main characters? Would you play one of your characters?
There’s been a couple close calls over the years. My first novel, THE DIDYMUS CONTINGENCY, was optioned, but never went forward. ANTARKTOS RISING was optioned and on the verge of going into production when the economy tanked and the investors pulled out. That one got so close that all the mass market paperback editions have a “Soon to me a feature length animated film” on the front cover, which is now incredibly annoying. A lot of the other books have had some interest, but no contracts signed. I think THE SENTINEL would make a fantastic movie. The combination of horror and humor would be really fun to watch. As for actors, I have a really hard time deciding, and certainly wouldn’t include myself outside of a Stan Lee-like cameo. With THE SENTINEL’s two main characters, I think I’d have to pick Mila Kunis for the very sarcastic heroine and Chris Hemsworth for the Viking-like Greenlander hero.

Hope that was as good for you as it was for me. Now how about that kindle giveaway?
Here’s The Deal: to be entered to win one of two free kindles all you have to do is visit my WEB SITE —and sign up for the newsletter. That’s it. The first kindle will go to a randomly chosen newsletter signup on October 31. For the second kindle, there’s a catch. The second giveaway will only be triggered if one of my kindle books hits the Amazon.com bestseller list (top 100). So pick up some books (most are just $2.99 a pop) and spread the word! If one of the books squeaks up to #100 for just a single hour, the second kindle will be given away to another randomly chosen newsletter sign up on October 31.

*When you sign up for the newsletter, be sure to include the name of the blog that referred you in the field provided. I’ll be giving away two $50 Amazon.com gift certificates to the blog that refers the most sign-ups and another to the blog who referred the first kindle winner.

** I will announce winners via Twitter, Facebook, my blog, and newsletter (which you will be signed up for!) but I’ll also e-mail the winners directly—I’ll need to know where to ship those kindles!

Thanks for spending some time with me today. Hope you enjoyed the Q&A, and good luck with the kindle giveaway!

-- Jeremy Robinson

Killer Characters Blogfest

2011-10-23T18:34:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone. Thanks for stopping by! Since I have a guest blogger scheduled for Wednesday and my Halloween special on Friday, I’m posting all three of my posts today for the Killer Characters Blogfest.

Favorite Literary Supporting Character
Professor Severus Snape. This summer I read through the entire Harry Potter series for the first time. I know, I know, I’m one of the last people to read the books. Anyway, I have to admit I especially liked Snape’s character from day one. Who hasn’t had creepy teachers like Snape? In fact, that’s how Rowlings got her inspiration for Snape, according to an article I read. “Snape is described as a thin man with sallow skin, a large, hooked nose, and yellow, uneven teeth. He has shoulder-length, greasy black hair which frames his face, and cold, black eyes. He wears black, flowing robes which give him the appearance of "an overgrown bat".

The character development of Snape was excellent, as was the final twist and turn when Snape gave Harry that particular memory right before he died. Harry then found out the truth when looking into the Pensieve, an object used to review memories, and Snape’s true loyalties were finally revealed. After this particular section was read, it was clear Snape was a strong supporting character all along, and not merely a sadistic, horrible professor who tormented Harry and other students for years. Well done, Ms. Rowlings. Well done.

Favorite Literary Protagonist
I have to go with James Bond here. But not the Roger Moore or Timothy Dalton Bond. Rather, the Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig Bond. Who wouldn’t want to be James Bond? He has the coolest cars, weapons, and gadgets. He always wins. And he always gets the girl. Works for me.

Favorite Literary Antagonist
Staying with the Harry Potter theme, Lord Voldemort. One way to tell a great villain … how his subordinates fear him. And most people won’t even speak his name, but rather refer to him as You-Know-Who" and "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." And, of course, he’s the last direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts, and has an obsession with blood purity and purging the world of all with mixed blood (of which he ironically was mixed blood himself. Kind of like Hitler being one quarter Jewish)Few villains conjure up fear quite like Voldemort.

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