The Domino's Pizza Approach: Promote Your Book in 30 Minutes or Less

For many indie authors, marketing and self-promotion, I think, can make our guts squirm like too many dyspeptic squid inside a fishbowl. For some it is merely daunting, for others it is a billboard-sized map without a legend or north arrow and written in a language we don’t speak. We all know there is a ton to do, but few of us have a game plan for how to do it, and even fewer of us have much desire to cut into our valuable and hard-fought-for writing time to actually make it happen.Remember when you were a kid and the only way to get through a horrible side dish that your parent prepared was by cutting it into the smallest bites possible so that you could swallow it without it ever touching your tongue? That is the same approach you can take to marketing and self-promotion. Small, digestible chunks that require minimal exposure.Below I have compiled a list of small bites for the discerning and finicky palettes of non-marketing-oriented writers. Putting in a half hour a day to tackle each is an easy and mostly painless strategy for plugging your books. I can’t guarantee you that each will net you the kind of exposure and sales you’re hoping for, but the aggregate of each day’s efforts will certainly get you farther down that path than the familiar comfort of procrastination.

List of Marketing and Promotion Tools for the Indie Author

• Hone your elevator pitch.

• Search for upcoming writer’s conferences to attend. I’ve participated and thoroughly enjoyed both the Willamette Writers Conference and the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Conference, but there are gads more. Conferences are a superb way of meeting like-minded people, making wonderful friends, and connecting with others in the industry from whom you can learn.

• Write a template for making a book review request. Remember to customize this for each individual person you’ll make a request to. Here’s a good starting place on Stephanie Loree’s blog. And another article on Amazon.

• Search for a book reviewer on Twitter, Wordpress, Blogger, or Amazon, then send them your request. Here are my Twitter lists of reviewers. List one. List two.

• Enter a contest. Here are just a few. (Note: I’m not endorsing any of these as I’m not familiar with all of them. Just food for thought.)

1. The National Indie Excellence Book Awards.

2. The Kindle Book Review Best Indie Book Contest (my favorite because my first novel, Contract of Defiance, was a finalist last year, and my second, Contract of Betrayal, was just announced as a semi-finalist today).

3. A list from the San Francisco Book Review.

4. The Best Indie Book Award.

5. Indie Reader Discovery Award.

• Step one: Join Unbound, Pubslush, or Kickstarter to raise money and hire a PR manager. Unbound and Pubslush are like Kickstarter, but for writers only.

• Step two: Write/develop an Unbound pitch and/or Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for hiring a PR manager.

• Enter your books (if they are science fiction), on ScifiKindle for some free social networking promotion.

• Send a personal tweet on Twitter to fans of your genre. Make requests of your writer friends to tweet your book.

• Create a letter to successful writers in your genre to request a book blurb/endorsement. Remember to customize this for each individual person you’ll send your request to.

• Search for writers in your genre (if you don’t already have a list), and send them your personalized request.

• Update your LinkedIn profile with your publications, and search the site for promotional groups to learn how others are doing it and gain/give support. Here’s my LinkedIn profile.

• Make book cards/coupons to give away whenever the opportunity presents itself. Try Livrada, Greenerside Digital, or review this list at MediaBistro.

• Join message boards of fans in your genre to engage and, when the time is right, introduce your books.

• Update your blog with a new post about what you’re working on.

• Create an email newsletter. Molly Greene has a few excellent posts about this on her blog. And here's another from author Steena Holmes on the Writers in the Storm blog.

• Design a contest or giveaway that focuses on increasing your readership and find a date on your calendar to run it.

• Invite writer friends to join a blog hop.

• Suggest writing a guest post for someone else who's blog you follow or relates to your genre.

• Submit a book to BookBub or StoryBundle.

• Find out how to organize a book reading at your local library, bohemian coffee shop, or bookstore.

• Create bookmarks or business cards to promote your book.

• Search for Facebook groups where authors are free to plug their books, then plug yours. And create a Facebook page.

• Join Goodreads and list your books.

And this is just for starters. Navigating the promo planet is tricky, but not impossible, and every small step forward will eventually lead you to your destination. If you’re also an indie author, please feel free to share your wisdom. What other methods and techniques have you tried? What’s worked and what hasn’t?Here's another great post on the subject over at David Gaughran's blog.

Welcome to the Suck

Hello Blogoliscious. I haven't posted anything in a few days. Thought I'd bring you up to date on what's new in the Spectras trilogy. Acts 1 & 2 of Contract of War are first-drafted. And now, I agonize over Act 3. Here's what I've come up with so far.

And I don't even write romance or erotica. *le sigh* (The above is just a joke, btw. Attempting to keep myself amused until my brainmeats recharge.)

On the plus side, just found out one of my lovely clients put me in her last release's acknowledgments. Yay! It made my day. Thank you, Traci!

10 Tips for Fiction Writers: Editor Spotlight with Liz Broomfield

Hello dear readers! Please welcome my guest poster, Liz Broomfield: editor, writer, and wonderful resource for getting your book done write (er, right).An editor's advice: ten tips for fiction writersAs a busy editor (among other roles), I work with fiction writers, many of whom are considering self-publishing. I've seen the same issues time and again, both with their work and with their wider endeavours in getting their work out there, and I'd like to share with you ten tips that canhelp you to write a good book and get it out to its audience.

1. Join a writing groupEveryone needs peers, and writing can be a lonely game. At a writing group, whether it's online or face-to-face, you'll learn a lot about how to write and how other writers write, and have your work critiqued if you wish.

2. Be professionalI've blogged about this elsewhere, but if you're serious about your writing, you need to treat it as a professional job, allocate time and resources to it, and take yourself seriously. If you don't do that, how can you expect other people to?

3. Spelling and grammar do matterMany people seem to think that just sticking down your words anyhow and sending them out into the world is all you need to do. OK, I'm an editor, but how many times have you seen amusing signs and menus with typos shared on the internet, or read criticisms of books that are riddled with errors at the expense of getting the story across? Don't be that person. Be the person whose reviews mention the good writing!

4. Continuity mattersKeep tabs on your characters, timelines, locations, everything. You can use software to help you, or an Excel spreadsheet or even index cards. A good editor will pick up when your character's eyes change from blue to green, they age one year while 20 years pass in the world (and it's not sci fi) or they break their arm in one scene, get all plastered up and then wave their arms around in happy abandon the very next day (all true examples!), but if you keep control of it all, your book will just hang together better.

5. Get a team on boardAs you might have gathered, I'm suggesting using an editor here. There are different kinds of editing, but having someone else, a professional, look over your words is vital. I do it when I write, and I'm an editor myself! It's also worth getting a book cover designer. I know that makes all the difference, as sales of both my books jumped when I got the covers designed and matching.

6. Use beta readersIn addition to editors, have a few people who are familiar with your genre read your book to give feedback from a reader's point of view. You can ask them a set of questions or leave it to them. Check if they're OK with you quoting their (good) opinions in your publicity material; prospective buyers will want to see reviews to check the quality of what they're intending to purchase.

7. E-books and print on demandI strongly recommend publishing your book as an e-book first. You can upload the files yourself to Amazon, Smashwords, etc., so there's little expense or technical knowledge needed. My rule: my book must pay for its own print version, so I won't do one until online sales have made enough for me. If you do want to go into print, go for print on demand rather than having boxes and boxes printed in advance that you'll never sell. Many publishers, as well as designing the text and setting up the printing, can set up the fulfillment for you, so they take the orders, print the book and send it out. Be careful and compare prices, but this is still better value than paying upfront for printing.

8. Learn about marketingEducate yourself about marketing your book. Just because you have written it, it doesn't mean people will buy it! I recommend the Creative Penn website for masses of information and guidance.

9. Social media is your friendGet on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. Build groups of friends, join communities, share other people's content and blog posts and book links and they'll share yours, too. Which brings me on to—

10. Guest post, send review copies and build karmaConsider harnessing the power of book bloggers and other writers' online platforms. Write guest posts full of useful content. Send a free copy of your book to a book blogger and ask them if they'll review it for you (many of these have guidelines, so do take note of those). If you have a book review blog or a Goodreads account, or your own writing blog, allow others to guest post for you. Do it reciprocally, as Tammy and I have. Good karma leads to more recognition leads to book sales and opportunities!

Good luck in your endeavours. Be professional, work hard for that overnight success, and share your good fortune with others.Biography:Liz Broomfield is an editor, proofreader, transcriber, localiser and writer. She's passionate about helping her clients and about helping people to transition to self-employment the safe way. Her e-book, Going It Alone at 40: How I Survived my First Year of Full-Time Self-Employment is out now, and you can visit her at www.libroediting.com for business, writing and Word tips and www.librofulltime.wordpress.com for her own personal journey plus book news and book reviews.

Guest Post: Living with the Dreaditor

G'day dear readers. Join myself and fellow editor Liz Broomfield at LibroEditing today where I'm discussing the trials of being both a professional writer and editor. A sneak peek:

We all know that voice. The one in our head that says, “My Godiva, woman, did you really just string five adjectives in a row to describe your character’s appearance?” Or, “What-what-what!? You do know that dangling modifier makes you sound like a complete goon, right?” We’ll call that voice “The Dreaditor”—the evil, amorphous being that skulks within the crevasses of our brains and tries at every turn to squash our creative voice into so much jumble-y pulp.For a lot of writers, the inner editor is worse than having Spock after he’s downed ten cups of coffee quoting bad lines from Star Trek directly into our ears in a bid to create order out of our creative chaos. “Are you sure it isn’t time for a colourful metaphor?” ~ Spock,”The Voyage Home” Or, “Nowhere am I so desperately needed as among a shipload of illogical humans.” ~ Spock, “I, Mudd”). Continued here.

Liz asks some very compelling questions that I thought I'd pass on to you all as well. Do you also hear the voice of your Dreaditor every time you write? How do you manage to not let it stifle your creative flow? Can you edit as you go along?

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All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.

Writing for Recognition

Writers write for two reasons. (1) A thirst for recognition. (2) And to release the baying hounds of unchecked and untrained inspiration that run amok inside our brainmeats and threaten our (questionable) sanity.It was just under eight years ago that I stopped writing simply to release the hounds and gave more than a split self-effacing second of thought to the possibility that someone, somewhere might actually want to read what I have to say someday. That was the moment I started writing for recognition.Yet, after the first two novels began drowning in ever-expanding puddles of their own spilling and dissolving plots, I finally quit beating my head against the many questions that kept arising (no. 1 being: why is this so hard???), and decided to seek professional help. For the writing dilemmas I was facing, that is.Subsequently, I took a lot of creative writing and editing classes, read a few books on the subjects, and, most importantly, wrote a lot of ridiculous, often hilariously silly, prose. Still, recognizing the embedded lessons of even silly and ridiculous prose is to a writer's benefit, and makes that prose valuable.And now, two completed and three to six (but who's counting?) uncompleted novels and several short stories later, I'm penning the third book in my science fiction trilogy, and finally trying to do it in a logical, structured way. You'd think that someone who spent three years crawling through the mud under concertina wire and jumping out of olive-drab-painted cargo planes for the army would have the structure thing down, but, like most stubborn and willful children (even grown ones), I somehow aspired instead to reject everything the military required of me. Except for remaining fluent in acronymese.Which brings me to the current topic. Over the last few weeks, I've been bouncing around ideas for Contract of War's anchor scenes (and here's a great summary at From the Write Angle of what those are). This process, as many of you know, is an agonizing battle of generating wonderful plot ideas, which, after the requisite analysis, you realize aren't so wonderful and murder with shameless savagery. Because no idea is ever good enough until one IS.When my gray matter finally started to ooze with sweaty exhaustion even worse than Lawson Craddock felt at the recent Amgen Tour of California, I had a flash of inspiration that told me to step back and first figure out what the hell it is exactly that drives and motivates my characters. Perhaps knowing who they are will help me better know what story eventually needs to be told about them. The notes below are a result of this process and come from using writing techniques taught by the late Jack Bickham in Elements of Fiction Writing – Scene & Structure (and if you write novels and haven't read this book, I can't help but wonder if you also like to drive a car with your feet).SPOILER NOTE: As these are notes for Contract of War, it's safe to reason that these characters will all be featured in it. Some of the mischief they are planning will likely also be in the notes. So, if you don't want to know what may go down, best to just leave it at: there's a congregation of main characters (most you've met), and they be wantin' somethin'.

Character Self-Concept Files

What is each character’s self-concept, and what turns that on its head?1. AlyAly’s self-concept is that she is a woman of action; a doer and a survivor. She was inadvertently recruited as a medic during the war thanks to her affiliation with Vitruzzi. When she ends up still in that role at Broken City, it begins to chafe at her. Her natural cynicism starts to claw at her nerves. When Quantum and Vitruzzi/Brady’s fight for leadership starts to grow, it compounds her own restlessness. She is not a politician and simply wants a regular, 3 squares/day lifestyle where she and Karl can live in relative sanity and peace. If that can’t happen, then she wants to be busy and free from overt dictatorialism (not a real word, but it should be!).2. QuantumQuantum refuses the rule of law or rule of authority, or the idea that humanity is capable of order. He is both a technophile and a caveman. Broken City’s mini-government is getting under his skin because he believes it is just the seed for a new version of the Admin. He’s an interferer, but thinks of himself as proactive and a pragmatist about human nature. An egomaniac who thinks machines are better than people, thus machines should be the ultimate goal of people. When he perceives the colony regressing into an atavistic reinstatement of Admin control, he begins looking for ways to sabotage.– Incidentally, he and Aly share this concept of authority.3. VitruzziVitruzzi is a compassionate realist, leader, and reluctant about nothing that serves to keep peace and order. Unflappable and stern, she regards herself as levelheaded and a fair judge. It’s when her own decisions cause harm that she starts to lose touch.4. BradyNo nonsense, no passes, no breaks. He’s a bulldog and a humanitarian that treats any gray area as an outright enemy. The pain and losses he’s suffered have turned him hard, but the inner Brady is one hundred percent finest-quality human. He is loyal and just, but has a hard time admitting when he’s wrong. Stubborn, like Aly, he believes himself to be a guardian of what is right, but can be too quick to decide what that is.5. DavidDavid is a joker and a mediator who doesn’t like to fight, but can handle himself in any kind. He reasons lengthily before deciding on a course of action. His loyalty to his crew can be rigid to a fault. He’s quick to think the best of people, but still slow to embrace them in his inner circle or confidence.6. KarlLike Aly, Karl is a doer. Stoic and driven, his main goals include keeping his friends safe, keeping out of the way of trouble, and enjoying what life has to offer. Having been a soldier and wounded, most of his life experience has trained him to value rules and be realistic about consequences and avoiding recklessness. Yet he’ll turn himself inside out to come to the aid of those he is loyal to.The great news is, after doing this exercise, those anchor scenes are finally done!Anyone want to share some of the steps you undertake as part of your pre-writing process?

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All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.

Randomly Epic Videos of the Week

Just for fun, here are a few things that kept me giggling, thinking, and rejoicing this week.Internet and humanity guru, Ze Frank. And cats. Enough said.[youtube=http://youtu.be/PKffm2uI4dk]Commander of the International Space Station, Chris Hadfield, blows our minds with his rendition of Bowie's "Space Oddity."http://youtu.be/KaOC9danxNoAnd finally, on a serious and somber note, here's a great TED Talks episode on reframing the language we use to discuss violence.http://youtu.be/KTvSfeCRxe8Okay, and because you deserve it, a bonus video from a college class in Saskatchewan regarding the portrayal of both genders in advertising. They do an awesome job of flipping gender roles in this and making you really think about what you're seeing in the media every day.[youtube=http://youtu.be/HaB2b1w52yE]

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All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.

Turning Flat Stanley Into Stanley Tucci: A Take on Texture

When you look at a flat black-and-white stick figure drawing, you see exactly that. A one-dimensional, basic, mono-chromatic image.Often, the idea for a new novel or story begins exactly the same way. A single line of thought—what would happen if a butterfly's wings contained a map to the greatest treasure on earth, or, if defense-deployed micro-computers became self-aware  autonomous actors, would they form nano-coalitions that could infiltrate and control human minds?—is usually the same as our stick figure drawing. But we, as storytellers, are not content with drawing mere sketches. We want texture.But, what is texture? Merriam-Webster clears that right up.: something composed of closely interwoven elements: essential part : substance: identifying quality : character: the disposition or manner of union of the particles of a body or substance: the visual or tactile surface characteristics and appearance of something : a composite of the elements of prose or poetryAh, yes. Composite, interwoven elements, disposition or manner of the particles of a substance. What this is telling us is simple: Texture IS storytelling.As writers, particularly when we're just starting to cut our teeth in the world of words, we learn to break down each component, or particle, of writing into discrete steps and practice those until we get comfortable. Character description, scene setting, the overall plotting and outlining of an engaging story arc, world-imagining then building; and then the more abstract elements of setting a mood, deciding on a tone, and developing a unique writing voice.When looking at these individually, the act of writing can begin to seem formulaic. Yet it's the craft of writing that takes each of these items and turns them into a layered, compelling story that brings readers into the unique, multi-faceted world you have created. Combining the particles of a story's substance means not simply putting readers into your characters' shoes, but shoving their too-big feet into the humid, smelly, compressed insoles of your characters' ragged chukka boots with mismatched laces, one of which bears a suspicious stain on its musty canvas tongue, and neither of which will EVER make it past the threshold of a black-tie party.And that, dear readers, is what makes a texture so important. Texture is not merely detailing the facts, it’s flourishing the facts, the sensations, the pace, the who-what-when-where-how-why, and the dark matter of the universe in sweeping, calligraphic brush strokes that turn flat words into a three-dimensional masterpiece.

A bit more on texture from the experts:

Chuck Wendig - FUCK THE STRAIGHT LINE: HOW STORY REBELS AGAINST EXPECTATION

The status quo is a known quantity and so it does not demand the attention of our description — we know what a chair looks like, a bed, a wall, the sky, that tree. The straight line is as plain and obvious as a pair of ugly thumbs. We know to describe instead the things that break our expectation, that stand out as texture, that are the bumps and divots and scratches and shatterpoints of that straight line. We describe those things that must be known, that the audience cannot otherwise describe themselves, that contribute to the violation of their expectations. We don’t illuminate every tree in the forest: just that one tree that looks like a dead man’s hand reaching toward the sky, pulling clouds down into its boughs, the tree from whence men have hanged and in which strange birds have slept. We describe the different tree. The tree that matters. The crooked tree that doesn’t belong.

David Farland’s Daily Kick in the Pants—Storytelling as a Fine Art

For me, a plot is like the skeleton of a dinosaur. You could wire up the vertebrae of a T-Rex, hook up its femur and skull and other bones, and get an idea of what it looked like, but even a completed skeleton only hints at the monster. You need to put muscle on those bones to get a real idea of its composition, and then flesh to get the textures of the creature, and you’d need pigments to see its coloration. You’d need to finish by putting in things like eyeballs and nostrils, and little cowbirds living on its back as they fed on parasites. In short, the bones are just a skeleton. Even if they’re put together perfectly, it won’t bring your story to life.Artists at that time in the mediums of poetry, music, and painting were also trying to discover new ways to express themselves, so that we had various experiments cropping up—poetry that was un-metered or un-rhymed, music that was cacophonic or avoided self-resonance, and paintings that sought to draw out the viewer’s emotions by the use of color and texture rather than by portraying any realistic images, and so on.

Note: For David's fans, you may not know that his son was recently in a terrifying accident. If you'd like to send David words of encouragement, or help with his son's ongoing medical expenses, please visit: http://www.helpwolverton.com/.

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All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.

Fun with Tolkien's Hobbit Lore

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook today, and I thought it would make a great post-work-week dalliance. Enjoy, Tolkien-lovers!Hobbit name generator:My hobbit name is Pansy Sandyman.According to the generator: Your surname, Sandyman, is from working class hobbits of the Shire. One Sandyman family ran the Hobbiton mill.You share your first name with this hobbit: Pansy (née Baggins) Bolger, a great-aunt of Bilbo Baggins.Get your Hobbit name here. And have a fab-yoo-lus weekend!

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All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.

Author Spotlight: Jo Lallo on Science Fiction Inspirations

Today's treat, dear readers, is a little insight from the multi-talented, multi-genre author of Bypass Gemini and the Book of Deacon novels among others, Joseph Lallo. I asked him to visit my blog because I've been very impressed with his ability to juggle different genres and be quite successful in all, and he graciously agreed. Thanks, Jo, for sharing your time and inspirations with us!

***

Not long ago, Tammy was nice enough to post a (very flattering) review of my first science fiction book, Bypass Gemini. Afterward she asked me if I would mind talking a little bit about what got me started in sci-fi. The simple answer is actually rather boring.

Back in late 2010 I'd finished writing Jade, a book in my fantasy series The Book of Deacon. At the time the fantasy books weren't terribly successful, so I asked my friends what they thought I should write next. My buddy Sean suggested I write some sci-fi. I have since discovered he was trying to trick me into writing a time travel story. It didn't work... yet. At any rate, I didn't have any better ideas, so I shrugged and got to work. Six months later Bypass Gemini was finished. Like I said, not a fascinating anecdote. I want to make sure that Tammy gets her money's worth out of this post (author's note: O/), though, so let's probe a little deeper.

I'd say a big reason that I agreed to write some sci-fi is that most of my education is in science. I've got a Master's Degree in Computer Engineering after all. Ostensibly this means I know an awful lot about technology. What it actually means is that I know enough of the fundamentals to convince people that I know an awful lot about technology. Higher education has more in common with a Jedi mind trick than most people would care to admit. (: waves hand: “I know what Nyquist Frequency means...”). While my day job and some hobby projects have allowed me to put my education to use in the past, writing sci-fi would finally allow me to flex my techno-bluffing skills. I'm drawn to any career that allows/requires me to dream up farfetched ideas and figure out how to make them work.

Another reason I took the plunge with a sci-fi novel was that, while I might not have had a plot in mind for one, I had no shortage of ideas. I don't know if this is how it works for everybody, in my case most of my stories start as a pile of scenes and ideas that have formed in my head or during conversation when I should have been doing more important things. Whenever anyone makes a comment that gets me thinking, I file it away for future reference. If one file of ideas starts to overflow, I start twisting and turning them until they form into a plot. Having exclusively written fantasy prior to Bypass Gemini, I had a long list of jotted-down musings that wouldn't really work in a fantasy setting. Pop culture references, for instance (though careful readers might notice some vague Monty Python references in the fantasy). I had also always considered fantasy to be rather solemn and serious in tone—prior to discovering Terry Pratchett, that is—so I looked at sci-fi as a good chance to try out some humor.

That takes us to the inspirations behind some of the characters. Trevor “Lex” Alexander, as is the case with all of my central characters, sprouted from the story itself out of necessity. “Let's see. I need someone with an exciting skill, a job that takes him across the galaxy, and enough bad luck to be desperate for cash.” Enter the down-on-his-luck racer-turned-courier. Once I had that scaffold to build upon, I started sticking on little details and foibles, most of which I just stole from my own life. (Yes, I have been known to use corn chips instead of a spoon when eating chili.) Karter the inventor is even more me, which in retrospect is a little disturbing since he's insane. Everything from his exclusive diet of beans and rice to his attitude regarding acceptable nicknames are based on claims/rants I've made over the last few years. He's basically Jo + Unlimited Resources – Fear of consequences. Ma, his AI, started out as a sarcastic doorbell gag that evolved as I realized what a fun concept it was to have a passive aggressive computer around. Finally there's Solby. One day I said, “Hey... a fox is smelly. And a skunk is smelly. If you combined them they would be a funk, and it would smell bad, so it would have a funk (author's note: according to Jo, the collecitve noun for funks is a parliament. True fact). It works on so many levels!” Three years later...

Solby the Funk by Bubble-Rhapsody

Merchandise based on an off-the-cuff pun. We live in an interesting time. And I guess it all comes down to that. We do live in an interesting time, and trying to figure out where all of it will lead is a tremendous amount of fun. The science fiction stories I write are a combination of things I think will happen, things I hope will happen, and thing's I'm afraid will happen. The rest is just a thread to string it all together.

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All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2008-2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.

Book Review: Bypass Gemini by Joseph Lallo

I had the pleasure of being a finalist in the Kindle Book Review Best Indie Books Contest in 2012 with author Joseph Lallo. Both of us were in the science fiction/fantasy category (and we both lost to Hugh Howey, which is kind of like losing to Spartacus at Flanders—which is to say, you're a little overwhelmed by the company and just excited to be in the same contest/race). Joseph and I traded books, and now, over a year later, Bypass Gemini finally made it to the top of my stack of must-reads.Folks, I am positively bursting to tell you how incredible this book is!Excitement? You got it. Protagonist Trevor "Lex" Alexander, a down-on-his-luck delivery boy who also happens to be the most hotshot pilot in the galaxy, is hired by a nervous, no-name client to courier a package of top-secret data to a similarly ambiguous point. Problem is, VectorCorp, the largest trans-galaxy corporation in the universe, prefers it not get couriered, and the kind of no-holds-barred flying we haven't seen since Luke Skywalker took out the Death Star ensues. Along the way, there are some crashes, bruises, passive-aggressive arguments with a computer, death threats, shoot outs, black holes, lovable rodents, sorely slacking hygeine, asteroid wreckers, and stroke-inducing gadgets of all kinds to keep Lex from getting too comfortable with his skills.Fun? Check. Lallo's turn of phrase and quirky imagination create some of the most memorable characters and hijinks you've ever read. When it comes to Lex, think Neal Stephenson's Y.T. from Snow Crash meets Adam Young from Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens. And that is just for starters. Throw in a mercurial but lovable artificially intelligent supercomputer named Ma, an evil genius/sociopath, who happens to love his pet funk, named Karteroketraskin "Karter" Dee (also the initials of Krispy Kreme Donuts. Coincidence?), a few intergalactic hotties, mob bosses, and douchey wet-work handlers for the corporate entity, and Gemini offers a crazy carnival of non-stop action and adventure. Every page will leave you chuckling.If you enjoy lighthearted space opera with a twist of detective noir, wry humor similar to the writing of John Scalzi, and surprising and fun characters much like you find in Stephenson's, Pratchett's, and Gaiman's novels, you will be in great hands with Lallo's Bypass Gemini and it's followup, Unstable Prototypes.About author Joseph Lallo from Amazon.A resident of Bayonne, NJ - the fabled birthplace of George R. R. Martin - Joseph Lallo is an unlikely entry into the world of literature. After a childhood spent daydreaming and reading, he fully intended to pursue a career in the tech sector. He received a Master's Degree in Computer Engineering from NJIT, and subsequently got a job working IT for a large healthcare corporation. Things changed when, in January 2010, his friends finally convinced him to publish the story that had accumulated over the course of a decade of spare time. That story, now known as the Book of Deacon Trilogy, was a surprise hit, and once he got a taste of the world of indie writing, he was hooked. Now he splits his time between crunching numbers at his day job, writing novels at night, and writing articles and reviews for BrainLazy.com, a group blog he helps run. His latest novels are Bypass Gemini and Unstable Prototypes, the first two books of a science fiction series.

Movie Review: Hansel & Gretel

[Before jumping into the review, I thought I'd let you know about a short blurb on writing I did at the awesome and talented writer Ryan Brooks's blog today. Now back to our creature feature. Enjoy!]When I heard that Tommy Wirkola was putting out a new movie, and in English no less, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'd be there. After all, no film (besides perhaps Zombieland) has done more justice to the zombie trope, with better gore, better storytelling, and a higher degree of overall surprise, than 2009's Dead Snow, also written and directed by Wirkola. A review of Dead Snow muchly deserves a post all to itself, but suffice it to say, it had me at the Braindead T-shirt worn by one of the characters. And the Nazis, of course, the zombie Nazis.Much like Guillermo del Toro—cutting his directorial teeth on little-seen and sadly under-budgeted films, and graduating to highly stylized, studio-backed big screen films with lots of special effects—I hoped that Wirkola would be able to wow a more mainstream audience with his newfound production support.And it worked.Hansel & Gretel is the other Grimm fairytale about what becomes of the sister and brother after they torch the big, bad witch living in the heart of the deep, dark woods. The combo don't fade into obscurity like they do in the original fairy tale; instead, they become an ass-kicking duo and arch-enemies of witches far and wide. The opening credits expose the audience to parchment after eighteenth-century parchment of their witch-massacring exploits, bringing us to their current mission: saving a small (luckily, entirely English-speaking) German hamlet from an unusually high number of child abductions that are clearly part of some bigger and more imperative mystery involving the coming Blood Moon (not to be confused with that time of the...oh nevermind). Time is running out, the witches are becoming increasingly hostile, and Hansel's lingering blood sugar problem, thanks to all that candy the witch tried to fatten him up on as a child, is always complicating things at the wrong time. A fine mix for a great adventure.The movie has a little something for everyone who enjoys a solid alternative reality to sink their teeth into: gore, violence, trolls, fairy tales, and a bonus of steampunk flare showing up in the weapons and other accoutrements with which the pair kills witches. One of the most impressive elements, to my mind, was the cast. Gemma Arterton, Jeremy Renner, Peter Stormare, and Famke Janssen have each appeared in some of my favorite all-time films (Rock'n'Rolla, 28 Weeks Later and S.W.A.T., The Big Lebwoski and Constantine, and Deep Rising, respectively), and having them all on one screen was about as sweet as a fairy tale witch's candy house. Sure, there were a few flaws and some silliness in Hansel & Gretel, but one doesn't buy a ticket to a Wirkola (or del Toro) film expecting to come away with new insight into the human condition.[youtube=http://youtu.be/aAkhVMgEzJM]Bechdel Test: unequivocal pass.

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All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2008-2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.

Author Spotlight: Ryan Brooks and the Importance of *Spell* Check

Greetings and g'day, dear readers. I'm giddily enthusiastic today to introduce author Ryan Brooks, a friend from Down Under, who is both brilliant and wise. Please enjoy this cogent and insightful guest post by Ryan about what it really means to write and the magical spells we writers cast with every carefully chosen word.

The Importance of Spell Check

By Ryan Brooks

There is something mystic in story-telling.The act of opening a book and magically being whisked away to another time, place, or dimension is a form of enchantment that most of us have enjoyed at some time or another. We cannot deny the thrill of watching our protagonist make a death-defying leap. We could not be more concerned when our heroine suffers at the hands of a villain. We could not be more heartbroken when their pet dog, Rufus, dies after falling down a well.Words are powerful tools. When used properly they can give us access to new ideas and concepts that we might not have realized without them. The right words can shift our awareness, steal our focus, or consume our consciousness. Words bridge the gap between that which is and that which isn’t, between the real and unreal. Star Wars might not have existed before George Lucas put pen to paper, but any (worthwhile) nerd on the street will tell you that Jedis are indeed real. How could they not be, since you’re having a conversation about them?The very concept of ‘casting a spell’ itself stems from the old English ‘spellian’ meaning to tell or speak. When you open your mouth and talk, you are literally making something out of nothing; converting abstract thoughts to physical verbal discourse in an energetic transference that Einstein would balk at mapping.But, perhaps the most important way that mystical experience can be gifted through story-telling is through significance.It is the job of an author to pick and choose where the conscious awareness of the reader goes. Though the reader decides how they feel about what the author unveils to them, the author controls the omnipresent camera of narrative focus, lending significance to the ideas and concepts of their choosing. The author must decide what is important and what is not important for the tale to progress appropriately.It is the serendipitous aspect of stories, the subtle shift that makes the unbelievable believable, that truly speaks to us all. Because even in the most mundane of stories, even in stories about gritty, modern settings, even in historical fiction or crime novels or thrillers… It is the inherent significance of the causal narrative that takes hold of the reader.And it is the inherent significance of causal existence that takes hold of us as humans.****Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom with us, Ryan!****

Ryan is a writer and artist based out of the Central Coast in Australia. He is a regular contributor to the website Warhol’s Children and is currently working on his second novel, "Beneath a Clockwork Sun."

Ryan has a number of insightful and fascinating articles about cyber-punk culture, sex, politics, and a variety of likewise fascinating and fun bits listed here. Don't miss them! Learn more about Ryan at his blog and say hi on  Twitter.

5 Self-Publishing Mistakes I Made Last Year

G'day dear readers. Join Molly Greene, author of the recently released top-seller Blog It! The author's guide to building a successful online brand, and me on her blog today where I'll discuss five easily avoided mistakes I made last year as an independently published author and ways to avoid doing these yourself. My greatest hope is that my experiences can be chalked up to taking one (or five) for the team. A sneak peek:

The term "indie writer" is a misnomer. Why? Because, as we all know, once you cover your keyboard for the day, your work is only 1/10 finished. Making the conscious effort to become an indie writer also means taking on the challenge of becoming your own marketer, publisher, art director, editor, and numerous other variations on these. Along with learning the ins-and-outs of, well, EVERYTHING, we inevitably make mistakes. Today, I'll share a few that I made or almost made in 2012 that I have all good intentions of avoiding this year.1. Failing to do due diligence. > Prior to the release of my second Spectras Arise novel, Contract of Betrayal, last month, I decided to hire a new artist to revamp my first book's cover and create the second's. Failing to take my own advice when I last guest posted for Molly and ask around for recommendations from friends and colleagues, I found another author's post that linked to a number of artists (though didn't specifically endorse any). Long story short, I picked an artist whose work matched my own creative vision and hired them. After they failed to meet the terms of our agreement, I started poking around the web and discovered that several others had experienced what I was going through. The good news is, Paypal, which I had used to pay the artist, has very clear grievance and claims processes. Upon calling on these, I was able to resolve the issue without any loss of money, and only minimal loss of time. The big takeaways from this experience are: Don't pick a name of out of a hat; rely on word of mouth and seek out experts to engage and learn from. Paypal is your friend. And use Kindle Boards to assist your research.Continue here for more.

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All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2008-2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.

A nearly definitive guide on the realities of rape culture. It's pretty amazing when a woman can be raped and then suffer death threats from complete strangers for having been raped and spoken out about it. That, as much as everything else in this article, is rape culture. A culture that permits, promotes, and protects the abuse of women. Thanks muchly to Lauren Nelson for writing this post.

Author Spotlight: L.W. Patricks and the Art of Controversy

This post is so many things that I don't even know where to begin. First, it's a wonderful bit of advice for writers on how to push the envelope and write gripping fiction. But it's also a great opportunity to introduce you all to the wickedly funny and radically talented L.W. Patricks. And finally! His debut novel, Shadow of Wrath, is officially releasing today! Whoah! How much awesome sauce can you pack into one post? A lot. Clearly.

The Art of Controversy

Let’s face it; the worst thing for an indie author is to live in obscurity. With so many self-published books saturating the marketplace, how on earth can you climb ahead of the pile and get yourself noticed and discovered?Here’s one solution: Be controversial, be outstanding, and be different.If the first thing that pops in your mind when I say “be controversial” is to go and kick a puppy in the face and steal an old lady’s walker, then you’ve got it all wrong, not to mention the fact you probably need psychiatric help.My definition of controversial when it comes to books is the following:

1. Do the unexpected and keep your readers guessing. Make them feel that the world you created is unique, surprising, and most of all, dangerous.
2. Take an idea and push it to the edge as far as it can go, while still maintaining the integrity of your story. Are you writing about sex? Push the boundaries emotionally (not just physically). Tell us how the sex has destroyed this person or made this person feel empowered over others. Writing about drug use? Send your characters as close to death as possible or into situations that they can never recover from. In my case, my book Shadow of Wrath is all about violence amongst children and teens and the effects on them living in an environment where death is as common as the rising sun. I did many unexpected things in the story, pushing the boundaries of violence and danger. Ultimately, the fate of some of these characters shocked even me as I wrote the book, but I could have it no other way.
3. Shake up the story when things are getting comfortable. Sometimes you create such a perfect little world in your story where everything’s neat and tidy and all in place like a quant little home. However neat and tidy is boring for readers and as the writer, you need to unleash the mad bull through this perfection and shake everything up into a destructive mess where your characters are left picking up the pieces. It’s in these times of change and emotional distress that the characters you created can truly shine.

Of course, along with controversy comes the backlash. But here’s the one thing I’ve learned. There is not one book in existence that can receive universal acclaim and 100% satisfaction. Your writing will bring out the best in people, and possibly the worst, and it’s up to you to decide whom to listen to. My advice is to stay focused on your story, believe in the impact its creating, and let it ride out through the turbulent waters of criticism. There’s nothing worse than being average and normal as a writer, and by being dangerous and controversial, you’re one step ahead of the marketing game.That’s it for now. Please check out my new book: Shadow of Wrath available on Amazon.  (For the cheap price of $2.99 for a limited time only).

Purchase now on Amazon

You can also chat me up on the following social networks:

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- L.W.

SynopsisIn the Arena, you’re either a killer or a victim.If survival meant murdering an innocent person in cold blood every week, could you do it? Are you able to stick the knife into your opponent’s heart while they look at you with fear in their eyes? Life in the Arena turns everyone into sinners.A homeless boy is kidnapped from the streets and finds himself imprisoned in a far more horrifying place: the Arena, a place where teenage boys fight to the death for the pleasure of various lowlifes in a modern gladiator pit.The Arena is the brainchild of Ryker, an ex-convict addicted to alcohol, gladiatorial-esque combats, and money. When not devising new ways for boys to kill each other, he’s ruling his small empire with a ruthless fist, rewarding his guards with sex slaves and punishing those who oppose him with barbaric executions.Renamed Dog, the boy from the streets must turn himself into a killing machine if he is to continue surviving, but as he leaves a trail of bodies in his wake, the ghosts of slain boys haunts him, and the violence threatens to wake a beast inside him.Allegra, a slave girl in the Arena and a victim of Ryker’s constant abuse, is his only key to salvation. She has lost everything already -- her family, her innocence, and her dignity -- while her will to live hangs on by a thin thread. Can she save Dog’s humanity before she too succumbs to the horrors of the Arena?Seeking to defy Ryker, as Dog rises to power as his champion, the stage is set for something to give in this murderous world of young gladiators.A tale about survival, tragedy, and human perseverance, the complete Shadow of Wrath is the first book in the Sins of the 7 series.Fans of edgy and controversial dystopian books will love Shadow of Wrath.************L.W. Patricks is the author of SHADOW OF WRATH and the literary architect behind the upcoming Sins of the 7 series with Book One: AWAKE THE GHOSTS to be published late 2013.His short fiction works has been published by Crow Toes Quarterly Magazine, Fiction and Verse literary magazine, and upcoming Denizens of the Dark. He enjoys writing contemporary fantasy with an emphasis on creating urban mythology for his stories.L.W. Patricks was born in Toronto, Ontario where he graduated from University of Toronto's Fiction Writing course. He has travelled all over the world including Germany, Netherlands, Italy, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Austria, United Kingdom, Thailand, Hong Kong, Cambodia just to name a few. His diverse experience amongst other cultures provides inspiration for his stories.He currently lives in Toronto with his wife where he enjoys the hot summer days and the cold winter nights.You can visit him at his website at www.lwpatricks.com

************

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Spectrum of Speculative Fiction Contest Winner is...

It has come to end, and what a fabulous ride it was! Yes, Twitter- and Wordpress- and Facebook-verse, it's true. The Spectrum of Speculative Fiction Blog Hop and Contest is over (for now). If you haven't already, please take a minute to check out author Peter Lukes and Musa Publishing to pick up even more great books, and thanks to them for organizing this great event for both readers and writers.The Amazing Thunderclap Newman, son of The Amazing Hip, has graciously accepted the Magical Hat Draw responsibilities for picking my contest's winner. Incidentally, his favorite female heroine is Saphira from Eragon.

>And The Winner Is<

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsioCxV4AI0]

Thanks to everyone for being part of this great experience, and a huge congratulations to Ysobel, aka, Spunky Wayfarer!!!

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All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2008-2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.

Spectrum of Speculative Fiction Contest

Welcome to the Spectrum of Speculative Fiction Blog Hop, contest, and giveaway!From March 8th to the 10th, you'll have multiple opportunities to enjoy the wit, wisdom, and writing of a top-notch cadre of speculative fiction authors, including story engineers of everything from military science fiction, to fantasy, to science fiction horror, to science fantasy, and still more shining jewels that fit in the spaces between these genres. In other words, a cornucopia of speculative deliciousness for all palettes.You're probably asking yourself, isn't all fiction, by definition, speculative? Oh dear readers, you are so right! That being said, I'll merely comment that this group of writers has a coloring-outside-the-lines habit of speculating a bit more than some.Who Are the Authors?K. Scott Lewis ~ Inner Worlds FictionThe Magical World of Peter LukesIsaac Hooke (my review of Isaac's serial novel The Forever Gate – Part 1)The Stoneforger's DenThe Official Website of T.L. SmithNyki BlatchleyW.J. DaviesFalcon's Fables, Nancy DiMauroMartin Bolton and David PillingEleni KonstantineDevin HodginsMichael K. RoseClarissa Johal ~ Writing With ScissorsAnd, of course, yours truly |*salutes* | Tammy Salyer ~ Alternative Reality EngineerWhat You'll GetMy giveaway includes an ecopy of one of my three books, Contract of Defiance, its followup Contract of Betrayal, or a short story collection, On Hearts and Scorpions (winner's choice). ALSO the winner will receive a $20 Amazon gift card (to buy even MORE books).How To Enter And WinAs mentioned in this recent blog post about Why I Write Science Fiction, one of my primary inspirations for writing SF has been the range of female characters in the media who you'd definitely want at your back in a knockdown dragout. I want to know, as SF&F readers and movie watchers, which women protagonists have really turned your knobs and why.Leave a comment on this post by midnight March 10th and you'll be entered to win. As a bonus, if you also share news of the blog hop with your social networking circles and let me know as part of your comment, you'll be entered twice. And finally, if you sign up to follow my blog, you'll be entered three times! The more entries you have, the better your chances.All entries will be very non-scientifically tossed into a hat and the winner drawn at random on March 11th. I'll announce the winner right here.Happy reading and contest-entering all! Click here for another list of all participating authors.

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All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2008-2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.

Top 5 Inspirations For Why I Write Science Fiction

Literary fiction or science fiction? That's a question many successful writers may have asked themselves when they first started out. There are those who blur the lines—Ursula K. Le Guin and Mary Doria Russell come to mind—and there are those who make no bones about writing pure SF pulp. By pulp, of course, I mean unapologetic, space operatic, hard-and-fast hitting, action adventure that makes no bones about pretty prose and moralizing. Looking at Scalzi, David Weber, and John Ringo here.A trait many long-established authors eventually develop is the ability to switch from hard and fast to deep and expansive prose styles, or vice versa, at will. Yet, I don't doubt that these authors will always return to the type of storytelling they love most. The best known advice in writing is to write what you know, but really, it should be, write what you love, and I just so happen to love the grit, grime, guts, and gore one finds in a solid Honor Harrington or Alex Benedict novel. Here's why.

1. The best female ass-kickers are all from science fiction. My unequivocal favorite all-time movie heros have all been women. From Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor in the Terminator series, to Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley in the Aliens films, followed by Milla Jovovich as Alice in the Resident Evil franchise, and finally Summer Glau's River and Gina Torres's Zoe in the Firefly series and film Serenity. While there may be many, many non-scifi films with strong female heroines, the ones that have always inspired me were those who came from SF films.
2. Research is good for the brain. One of the greatest things about being a writer is the ability to invent and develop a brand new world and all its exciting and dangerous accoutrements. Science fiction puts the onus on writers to research all those nagging questions about physical and biological laws (What is the speed of light? How is distance in space calculated? What kind of entry arc would a fleet cruiser need in order to slip into a planet's atmosphere without damaging its hull?) while still giving a writer leeway for making up things that just maybe aren't totally realistic but still cool as hell.
3. Invention is also good for the brain. When my patience for research or annoyance at the limits of known science have grown too big, science fiction is the perfect genre for making it up as I go along. You may want a weapon that does something specific but doesn't exist in the real world. Voila! Creativity makes it happen. Or perhaps you need a new life form, something particularly gruesome and gooey, which has never before been seen on earth. No problem; conjure away, Conjurer. (Though can you really get more gruesome or gooey than the angler fish?)
4. Contemporary society is so...contemporary. Great science fiction books like Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, or Frank Herbert's Dune all jump us out of the narrow confines of normal social order and give us a vision of what life could be like if we just make a few tweaks to rational order here, kill a few stereotypes and norms there, and reorganize some expectations and beliefs over there. When what we perceive about how people behave in our own reality gets tipped on its head, incredible and unexplored ideas are allowed to flourish in new and surprising ways.
5. And the final (and arguably biggest) reason I write SF is to prepare for the zombie alien apocalypse. Let's face it, the end is going to come. It's one thing to have a basement full of bottled water and double-barrel, slug-loaded shotguns, but the only real way to prepare for the day when hordes of brain-eating/possessing/stealing/sucking/bartering/dissecting/or squashing zombie aliens comes is to have already inured one's mind to the fact. When They appear, the people who will be best capable of survival are those who have mentally prepared vs those who simply have a few extra weapons and canned goods lying around. Trust me on this. Science fiction writers are really just survivalists doing our own version of end-of-the-world due diligence.

Bonus Announcement!

Stay tuned this weekend for a fantastic opportunity to load up on a wild range of speculative fiction from an exciting crew of writers, including yours truly. We have contests, giveaways, and a full selection of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and genres spanning the gaps between. Check back on March 8th for more.

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All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2008-2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.

Book Review: The Forever Gate - Part One by Isaac Hooke

I'm a reader who likes my serial fiction the way I like my single-malt scotch—complex, unpredictable, and which leaves a long, lingering hint of things to come on the palate. With this in mind, the Forever Gate - Part One is easily comparable to an Aberlour 12 Year Old, Double Cask. In other words, one of the finest drams of serial fiction you'll ever stick your nose in. As I mentioned to author Isaac Hooke, few things are more gripping as a story opener than a good [SPOILER ALERT] beheading, and it doesn't slow down from there. With a well-developed mix of fantasy and far-future inferences, Hooke drops readers into a world that is deeply foreign, gritty, and chilling and sets up such arresting nuances of conflict between his group of Users and Gols that we instantly have a side to route for. But, much like Hooke's leading protagonist's name, Hoodwink, there is much more going on than readers will grok at first. With the dystopian backdrop and quirky characters that never come close to having a wooden "finish," the Forever Gate will grab ahold of you and not let go. The question readers are left with is not will they read Forever Gate - Part Two, but how soon can they get a copy.

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Worldbuilding for Non-Planetary Engineers

G'day dear readers. Join historical mystery author/IP lawyer Susan Spann and me on her blog today where I'll discuss how to approach worldbuilding when developing your novel setting. A sneak peek:

Long ago in a land far, far away, I began writing a fantasy novel. While the manuscript still sits in bits collecting virtual dust on my hard drive, I fondly remember the enjoyment that came with the process of making up an entire world from scratch. Little did I know when I was writing that trunk novel–creating maps of the geography, developing the culture and the social order, et cetera–that years later I would publish a science fiction trilogy. Yet, when people think of worldbuilding as a writing device, most of us tend to think of fantasy tales...continue here for more.

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