Friday, September 23, 2011

A Quick & Angry Cafe Rant

The second Campaign Challenge called for "a quick, angry cafe rant" in which we were asked to do the following:
Write a blog post in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should:
  • include the word "imago" in the title
  • include the following 4 random words: "miasma," "lacuna," "oscitate," "synchronicity,"
If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional and included in the word count), make reference to a mirror in your post.
For those who want an even greater challenge (optional), make your post 200 words EXACTLY!
I wasn't able to squeeze in a mirror reference, but I did manage to bring it in at exactly two hundred words (harder than it sounds). And so, for your reading pleasure I give you:

***

Imago and the Rain of Steel

Imago was there when I walked in. He was always there.

After the nearby “luxury lofts” opened up, he’d invaded our cafĂ© with his laptop and his smartphone and his loudness, turning it from a writer’s Shangri-La into a miasma of literary despair.

Looking around, I saw the place was filled with regulars, all struggling authors. We’d earned our chairs by ordering a cup, then shutting up and writing. Imago, named after the word printed on his “personal” mug, was killing the vibe. He’d shattered our creative mojo with his nonstop blathering.

I ordered then sat down next to Benny.

“Imago’s wearing a Lacuna Coil t-shirt. Bet he’s never even heard their music,” he whispered. “And the douche used ‘oscitate’ in a sentence before you came in. I looked it up. It means, ‘to yawn’. I hate him.”

“Good. That’ll help.”

Barista Meg brought my coffee and waited. They were all waiting.

“Yeah, let’s do this.”

With clumsy synchronicity, we rose from our seats while Meg locked the door. Imago found himself surrounded by authors—with hammers.

“What?”

I snorted, clueless as always.

“I’ll tell you what,” I said, fingering the handle of a shortened sledge. “SHUT THE F**K UP!”

***
Personally, I like the visual of a bunch of angry authors with hammers, but maybe that's just me. ;c)

UPDATE: Here's a link to the list. My story's #72 (just in case you're looking for something to "like").

SORT OF EMBARRASSING UPDATE:

see comments

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Animation Insider

Jinkies! They interviewed you?
I was interviewed about writing for animation over at Animation Insider a while back but, for some reason, didn't post the link. Must be my impressive humility at work (or my addled brain). While you're there, check out the rest of the site. Even if you're just a little bit into animation, you'll groove on the fun interviews with folks on all levels of that branch of the showbiz tree.

Novel-wise, things are cruising along nicely. Doing a little bit every day to make the end of the month publish date happen. Currently, I'm trying to finalize the cover (a lot of the promotional stuff hinges on having that locked down). Very early feedback from one of my proofers is positive. Let's hope that trend continues!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Proofers Activate!

Proofer in Action
As of today, all the proof copies for Dragonfriend have either been mailed out or hand delivered to shadowy figures across the land. Known to me as "Proofers," I await their feedback with bated breath. They are my last, best hope for an error free read.

After their changes are made, it'll be time for final tweaks on the interior and cover design, another "final" proof copy and then, Then, THEN...a vigorous smackdown on the "Approve" button! In the meantime, I'm working toward completing the first draft of the second book in the series (so expect to see some movement on the long-neglected progress bar to the right).

Elsewhere in the news, I have an irresistible urge to list my top three favorite Pixar films:

1. The Incredibles: One of the best animated films of all time and the top of my Pixar list due to superb animation, voice casting, and a top notch script. (Side note to Brad Bird: Please come up with a story idea you like and do the sequel. NOW!)

2. Monsters, Inc.: Hilarious, full of heart without being schmaltzy, a completely original setting. Works on every level and like all of the top Pixar films is infinitely re-watchable. I'm very happy they're doing a prequel to this one.

3. Up: Great characters, fun story, and heart -- the magical mixture that Pixar seems to be the best at doing (notable exception: Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda -- so good I have to keep reminding myself it's not a Pixar project).

So there you have it. How does my Pixar list compare to yours?

Friday, September 2, 2011

They're Here!

The proof copies for Dragonfriend just arrived and I have to say they look pretty darned cool! There are already a few things I'll probably adjust  -- trim size, paper color and such. The font might be a bit small, by about a point, too. This is the kind of stuff that you need actual proof copies for -- to see what the book will physically look like so you can fix potential problem areas. Copies now go out to my proofers (real word?) who will act as my final line of defense against grammatical errors, typos, and idiotic plot blunders.

This day has been a long time coming so please allow me to geek out on myself for a brief moment (deep breath)...THIS IS SO AWESOME!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Proofin' It

Ordered the proof copies for Leonard on Saturday. HOORAY!!! Granted, I'm a little behind on my goal of making that happen by the end of last month but hey, it's done.

What happens next? I'll get the proofs back by Tuesday 9/6 (I'll post a picture when they arrive) and then get copies to friends for a FINAL error check. After the (hopefully) minor fixes are completed and my talented cover designer Mike Wykowski makes some tweaks, I'll upload the FINAL manuscript and cover files to Createspace. They'll check them for proper formatting, etc., and send me an email saying everything's cool. Then, I will push the "approved" button and at some point within a week or two of doing that, the book will be officially published and listed on Amazon. The Kindle and Nook editions will soon follow.

When will all this happen? I'm hoping it will be sooner rather than later but if you insisted on a more specific time frame  I'd tell you "by the end of September...ish." In the meantime, I'll be playing with a new ebook generator created by my author friend Keith Robinson (he's written a fun fantasy /adventure series called Island of Fog which I heartily recommend). I'll also be working on generating things like postcards and bookmarks as the finalized media become available.

By the way, I've mixed the title around a little, changing it to Dragonfriend (Leonard the Great, Book One). I think this is a cleaner and the single word sounds cooler, imho, and will read better in the Amazon thumbnails.What do you think?

UPDATE: Just got an email from Createspace telling me that my order has already shipped!

Monday, August 22, 2011

I'm a Platform-Building Campaigner

I just ran across a fun project by author/blogger Rachel Harrie called the Writers' Platform Building Campaign. The beauty of the idea is in its simplicity -- support other authors who in turn will support you. Not in terms of cash (sadly), but as blog/twitter/fb/website followers and new like-minded online author pals. Rachel writes:

"There are so many of us out there. Aspiring authors, bloggers (whether established or beginning), industry peeps, even published authors, all of whom want to build their online platforms. We write insightful posts and articles, actively blog within the blogosphere, take part in challenges, competitions, and contests galore.

We have the passion and the drive to make it, but…we could all do with a bit of support.

So I started thinking. What if we link all these people together? What if we create a way to meet people in a similar position, people who genuinely want to help build our online platform while at the same time building theirs? People who want to pay it forward in the spirit of writerly writerness and blogging beautificity (and see it come back to them in turn).

And so, my Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign was born."
 Sounds like a nice way to meet new friends so I'm going to give it a shot (the Campaign runs from August 22nd to October 31st). If you're an author/blogger who's looking to build your "online platform," maybe you should, too!

Monday, August 1, 2011

The Vortex of Doubt and Self-Loathing

Are you an author who suffers from TVDSL? I know I am. Check out Claire Legrand's excellent post on the one surefire way to banish it from your thoughts.

In other news, I'm on track for ordering proof copies by the end of this week (and by saying that, have guaranteed it won't happen until next week or later). Got to fix a medium-level story flaw pointed out by my excellent editor, Darren, and have the cover tweaked by my excellent graphic artist, Mike.

In other other news, I got nuthin'.

Eater of the Dead: A Dragon Friend Excerpt

Just in time for Halloween! Check out a featured Dragon Friend excerpt on the BestSelling Reads blog: "The spooky season is upon us! H...