All Blog Posts Tagged 'action' (235)

         I’ve reach that much sought after and elusive milestone of finishing a book. My latest novel (my thirteenth to date) is now complete and awaiting a second read. This new novel took exactly one hundred and twenty-two days from first sentence until the final sentence.

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          Ebooks have surpassed regular books in sales for the first time ever! What does that mean to the 21st century writer? It means that the future of publishing is here! It means that the stigma of reading ebooks has passed. It means a world-wide audience can download a book in seconds. It also means we will probably soon be seeing the end of traditional bookstores.…

          Being a writer means experiencing dizzying highs and terrifying lows as a novel transforms from mere idea bubbling in the brain into reality on the page. There are times when you believe that everything you’ve written is total crap and there are times when a character reveals something or does something that you hadn’t expected and you find yourself on this emotional high. This…

          I’ve been contemplating the future of the author in today’s high technology society. What will become of us and the books we write? Will the paperback go the way of the compact disk and disappear forever? Will publishing houses dissolve into nonexistence the way most record labels have? Will a paperback book become a rare object of antique art? I don’t know. But one thing I do know…

          Nobody said it would be easy. Nobody said it was always going to be fun. Nobody promised me that after spending twenty-plus years holed up in my office writing novels that anyone would ever read them. Nobody promised me anything would ever come of my writing, and yet I still do it.

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          I’m often asked by media and friends how do I create my characters? At last count I have somewhere in the neighborhood of seventy-five to eighty spread over my nine published and three unpublished books. These characters have histories and vivid personalities. Some are absolutely terrifying, some are adventurous, and some are tragic, yet beautiful. All of my characters have…

          When I start to really get into writing a story I go into what I call a ‘writer’s zone’ where all distractions are muted. Time slips away and my surroundings blur into the images in my mind. This is creating something from nothing at its finest.

          There is no television show or video game that can…

          It’s raining. Fat drops meander down the glass windowpane in my office like so many overfed translucent snails. Water puddles in the street forming miniature estuaries where worms tunnel up from drowning liquid seeking refuge across the sidewalk only to die between the smooth beaks of a snacking warbles.…

I’ve been doing the internet interview thing again and recently I was asked something that I hadn’t been asked before. The questioned posed was; “What do you hope to achieve with your writing?”

I had to think about that one for a moment before I could offer a reasonable response. I’m actually not looking to achieve anything with my writing except to provide people with entertainment (an imaginary retreat from the real world). I’m not looking to win…

I used to think I was a really strange person. While everyone else I knew was out socializing and going to concerts, movies, and having meals out, I would stay at home, sit in my room, and write stories.

I thought I was even odder when I got…

The secret to making it as a successful indie writer is this: PATIENCE. Authors are experiencing first hand a new era in book selling where a writer can instantly connect with a publisher and then sell directly to a reader. This offers millions of new voices to be heard, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing for readers. Good, if the story is well-written, and bad for all the novice books taking up virtual shelf space and attention. It used to be that authors received a quarterly…

I’ve been pondering the notion of my books one day going viral and selling millions of copies. I’ve been pondering how my life would change and what I would do with my time if I didn’t have to work at a conventional job anymore. Of course, I would still write books, that’s a given, but what else would I do with my time? It depends on the amount of sales.

A million copies sold would allow me to live…

          It used to be that to become a published author (besides just writing a really good book) you also had to spend countless hours writing and addressing query letters, waiting patiently for agent’s responses (months), and then miracle upon miracles, you got signed to a LEGITIMATE agency. That was…

NEW SHORT STORY - Compelling Reading!

Everyone has dates they remember, for various reasons, good and bad. This short story is the harrowing personal account of events, which started on the evening of October 17^th 1966 in the New York Fire Department.…

Technology now allows us writers to offer our books and stories to the world. Through Amazon, Smashwords, and such, indie writers can now sell their stuff to virtually anyone with access to a computer, ereader, or smart phone. As artists, we willingly check the accept box to whatever agreement these epublishers throw out there without really understanding the implications of the contract.

Case in point, I was recently banned from my Google + account…

What would you do you if you knew you had a limited amount of life left? Would you freak out? Would you waste it in self-pity and resentment and denial? Or would you go do everything you’ve ever wanted to do?

DROP OUT is a beautiful tapestry of life, love, and acceptance that is powerful, romantic, and real.…

Do you know if you write a page a day that within one year you will have written a book? How many times have I heard that one? Truth is, writing a first draft is the easy part. It’s the revision process that can take years.

I can usually belt out a first draft in a few months. But the rereads; forgetta’bout it. That’s the time consuming stuff though I am getting better…

For years, I dreamed of hitting it big as a writer. That dream kept me going through twelve hour days slaving in a corporate kitchen, through hard financial times, and even through bad relationships. The dream…

I’ve been a thriller sci-fi writer for more than twenty years now and over that span of time my books have gotten the attention of numerous literary agents and publishers. In 2005, I signed with a major literary agent from a major NY literary agency. This agency had sold hundreds of books and film rights, some for as much as seven figures. I was very excited.

My agent loved all six (at the time) of my books…

Thanks to all who bought a copy of DROP OUT.  New review from Australia. Check it out.



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4.0 out of 5 stars Drop Out, May 24, 2013

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Cphe (australia) - See all my reviews

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