31 Saturday Jan 2015
Tags
eco-thriller, fff, flash fiction, flash fiction friday, mashup, read, scifi, short story, space opera
Last week’s FFF: Courthouse Edition
As the ship orbited just outside above the Sterilis’s atmosphere, Jenkins couldn’t help but stare at the beauty of it. Below him there were vast expanses of blue seas and dusty white beaches. Scattered clouds hung in the sky, but they were just wisps and barely obstructed his view.
He couldn’t wait to go down there. Continue reading
29 Thursday Jan 2015
Posted in Writing Wednesday
Last Week’s WW: Finishing
And they all lived happily ever after. Or, maybe not. These days it seems like most books have a hero’s journey. Or, at the very lease, a happy ending. People like stories that make them feel good. But that doesn’t mean that it’s the only way.
I’m currently working on a series of short stories, and I’ll be honest, I’m a little worried about them. Why? Because they don’t all have happy endings. Sometimes, the protagonist fails.
Their used to be a time when tragedies were common place. And there are a great many people who like a drama. But most people want to have something to root for.
And that’s fine. Give them that. While your story doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending, there should probably be some small victories along the way. Whether that’s the protagonist getting something they’ve always wanted, or learning some truth, or just dying happy. If you give readers a little something, maybe they won’t hate you quiet as much for making them sad, and making your protagonist fail.
27 Tuesday Jan 2015
Posted in Mention Monday
Last Week’s MM: Gone Girl – Movie
I’ve recently been enjoying a genre that seems to be gaining in popularity. Or maybe there’s just a new abundance of it. I’m not sure exactly what this genre is called, or if it has a title, but I like to call it Science Fantasy.
Think Ready Player One. That sort of thing. A story where you get the fantasy elements made possible by science. Add a splash of geek (usually) and there ya go: fresh, fun genre.
(That’s not to say that this book is anything like Ready Player One. It’s not. Only saying that they share a basis of fantasy made possible by science.)
This story is about a guy who accidentally discovers that life, the world, existence, all of it, is actually just a simulation. But the story doesn’t go where I’d expect it to. Usually, in that situation, you find a protagonist depressed about their existence, trying to find out who made them and why, or trying to escape. Not in this book. Our main character, Martin, decides to do what we all probably really would do in that situation: get some money. But, this quickly gets him into trouble, so, of course he does the next rational thing: goes back to the middle ages to live as a wizard. Continue reading
23 Friday Jan 2015
Posted in Fiction
As I sit and type, I am on a computer in the courthouse, waiting to find out if I’m going to be called as a juror or not. It’s pretty great that they provide computers, otherwise, I’d be bored out of my mind.
***
Aaron took his seat along side the defendant as the trial was called to order. He straightened his tie and tried to ignore the fact that his client was one hundred percent guilty. Continue reading
23 Friday Jan 2015
Posted in Random
I feel productive today. I wrote 6,000 words and finished the first draft of book 1 of my sleep saga. I also revised my Honorable Mention short story and placed it up on Amazon, and made a really cool cover for it.
Just FYI – if you have or do sign up for my newsletter, you get this book free.
22 Thursday Jan 2015
Posted in Writing Wednesday
Tags
can you do it, fear, finish, finishing a first draft, how to write, life, perfectionism, revise, write, writing advice
Last Week’s WW: Trying for Success
You’ve probably heard this advice before: finish your first draft. Obviously, if you ever want to publish you need a finished project. But if you want to be a writer, this step is important for more reasons. And there’ll be a lot of things trying to stop you along the way.
20 Tuesday Jan 2015
Posted in Mention Monday
Last Week’s MM: All Things Unlimited
I’ve heard from a great many people that Gone Girl is just amazing. That it’s a must see or a must read. I browsed the book a little at the bookstore, but the writing wasn’t a style that jumped out at me as something I could pay attention to. Not saying it was bad, just not for me. I contemplated seeing the movie, but hadn’t yet gotten around to it. Finally, Honest Trailers put up video about Gone Girl. And, while I love Honest Trailers, I didn’t want to be biased by it, so I figured it was best to watch the movie first. That night, I rented the movie.
All that said, I really enjoyed it. I’m not much of a thriller kind of person, although, I’m trying to get more into that genre. But it made me wonder what was going to happen throughout the movie, even after the part where you think they’ve told you everything. It also made me a little uncomfortable to watch while sitting next to my boyfriend. Hopefully he neither wants to split my head open, nor thinks that I want bad things for him. I don’t want to go into too much detail on this movie. There’s the possibility of spoilers, and honestly, unless I’m complaining a lot, it’s not really worth going into details. Not that there weren’t a couple points to say ‘huh?’ to, I just don’t think that they were big enough to warrant going into.
For some reason, that movie stuck with me. It occupied my thoughts as I went to sleep that night, and still lingered in the morning. I think that’s the hallmark of a good thriller. Whether it makes you think or creeps you out, the point is, it stays with you.
19 Monday Jan 2015
The book release for Otherworlders went great. The party was fun and had a wonderful turnout.
And best of all, here is Otherworlders current standings on Amazon (1/19 at 2am)
Hot New Release List:
#36 Post-Apocalyptic
#39 in Dystopian
I think I should be around #55 in Scifi Adventure, but I guess I need to straighten out my keywords to show up there.
#14951 overall rank in Paid Kindle.
18 Sunday Jan 2015
Posted in Random
Tags
17 Saturday Jan 2015
Posted in Fiction
Tags
death fight, distopian, fantasy, fight to the death, flash fiction, harry potter, hunger games, learn, magic, murder, scholarship, school, short story, spells
Last FFF: Introduction
I woke up, face down in a clearing in the forest. I wiped the drool from my face as I regained my wits. The referees must have drugged me. I looked around, and saw two others still asleep, one male and female. I didn’t know how we all had come to be here. But I knew what it meant: my ticket had been called, and it was time to play.
This was the type of lottery that you hoped to never win. Continue reading
