All Blog Posts Tagged 'thrillers' (183)

After approximately twenty hours work formatting, inputting keywords, checking typo and graphics, and verifying material, my proofs are finally on their way. I can't wait to see all eleven of my books in print form. There is one tiny inconvenience, however...



Many years ago, I did publish three of my books, DEGENERATES, FROSTPROOF, and PULP in print form through iUniverse. What a huge mistake that has turned out to be. Not only was the experience a total waste of money (only about…

Wow… it’s been a while since I checked the visitor stats on my blog and I must say I am impressed at the amount of hits I have been receiving. Last month, my blog received more than 25,000 hits. That’s more than some book sites that sell advertising. Yesterday alone 1,350 people clicked on and checked it out. I sincerely appreciate the interest.…

Great new review on Amazon. DROP OUT is really starting to take off. Thank you to all who have emailed me personally to tell me how the story has touched their lives. To read more about me and my books please check out my blog: ALWAYS WRITING …

I had my first sit down interview with a real magazine reporter the other day. I thought it went very well. Who knew I could talk about myself for two hours straight? haha



Rather than focus solely on my books, we talked about the indie publishing scene and how it is changing the traditional publishing game. I threw out a few good catch phrases like "Amazon.com is a book search engine and not a bookstore", and when asked…

          I was recently contacted by a prominent NY literary agency who shall remain nameless at this point, about possible representation. They got wind of me because of my constant promotional efforts and then explored a little deeper into the kinds of books that I write. They have not said they will definitely represent me but want to see more samples of my writing and my future…

         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.

        …

          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.

 …

          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…

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.…