Weekend Update

Writing Is A Bad Habit: CRITICAL REVIEW! a.k.a. Critical Review and Professionalism

I promised content and I deliver!

Today, we talk about book blogging in terms of the book review, critical and objective critiques, and the need for professionalism when you do professional reviews (remember, the moment you exchange anything for a review, you’re a professional now!).

Enjoy and please feel free to discuss or comment below!

Weekend Update: Why No Review? a.k.a. There’s A Rant Coming Soon Instead!

Well, not entirely instead.

There will be a Starving Review in the next day or so, delayed primarily because of a considerable bit of workload with The Songstress Murder pre-order thing and a secret special project that is emerging.  However, there is another reason, mainly that this review has created a giant surge of rant that must be expelled and soon.

What has caused this grand fountain of anger?  Vanity presses, that’s what, and more specifically the effect they can have on young writers who don’t know any better.  But let’s save that for the rant, shall we?

Soon!

Weekend Update: A Lot To Come! a.k.a. Busy Week Ahead!

Just a quick Weekend Update here and a bit of Book News too!

Apparently all roads seem to converge on the week ahead.  A certain proof for The Songstress Murders will arrive around Wednesday, stands for the banners should be here then too, and a pile of stock for the conventions ahead as well!  Expect plenty of pictures to come.

Once the proof comes in and I approve it, I’ll be posting up a cover reveal, along with information about pre-ordering.  While my last experience with the pre-order process wasn’t fabulous, I’m going to give it another go this time now that I’m familiar with the experience.  Plus it’s the best way to guarantee my release date of May 27, 2016 works as I will be at Mobicon then.

Much fun, yes.  Also, I’ll be moving ahead with the next cycle of The Push Chronicles as well as the next Vela Redmane Mystery in the weeks ahead.  The next book of Three Seconds To Legend, while written, is at the mercy of my publisher for actual release.  One thing I will say for self-publishing … you are the master of your schedule!

So strap in and wait for plenty of news to come in the week ahead!

Weekend Update: Busy Is As Busy Does a.k.a. About The Lack of Updates

Yes, I’m a bit … well … a full week behind schedule.

I know it’s horrible of me.  That’s a book review and a writing article I owe you fine people, but trust me in that I will make good on my debts.  The reasons for my tardiness are, at least, pure ones.

The final edits and cover art for The Songstress Murders are just about done.  I will let you fine people know when pre-orders will be available (yes, despite the fact that it was horribly clunky last time, I’m going to try it again!) with the official debut to coincide with Mobicon at the end of May.  Expect a few articles about it and a revised sneak peek to hit this blog in the coming weeks!

Also, a lot of prep work has been laid this past week for my big convention debuts, which of course means a lot of time away from the keyboard.  In the coming weeks, the rest of my stock will come in and I should have some fun pictures to share of the promotional material as it comes in.  Hopefully it will wet your whistle!

In addition, expect some additional pages to be added to the site in the coming week.  At the very least, a live appearances page will go up, with listings  of all my convention stops and a link page (yes, much delayed!) with links to fellow authors I collaborate with or particularly like and other things, such as local Pensacola businesses you can buy my books at.

So, yes, the party is about to start back up!  Sorry for leaving y’all in the cold for so long!

Weekend Update: Fun With Podcasts And A New Schedule! a.k.a. Uh, Just That?

A few bits of business to wrap up the week!

First, a shout-out to the team at http://comichistorians.webs.com/, great comic book guys who dig deeper into the medium, examining the histories and the social commentary that winds into the heart of the stories.  Listen to their podcast, Thinking Outside The Longbox; it’s great stuff!  Plus I have an interview with them coming up!

Second, you may have noticed that I didn’t get a Writing Is A Bad Habit out this week.  This was because I have spent a bit of time rethinking my format and how I can better incorporate my own works into my articles.  So, starting next week, Wednesdays will alternate between Writing Is A Bad Habit, a straight-forward writing article as always, and The World Of …, a new series combining writing techniques with my own writing, using the characters, settings, and themes of my books to highlight some do’s, don’t’s, and analysis of the writing art.

Hope to see you there!

Weekend Update: Sandwich Making a.k.a. Guerilla Marketing and You!

Just a quick update from Starving Author LLC headquarters, here in sunny (if cold) Pensacola:

  • I have a client and half (it makes sense to me!) book in the Starving Editor offices, but that leaves plenty more room for your fellow starving authors out there to engage my services!
  • There is a wealth of resources on the Internet for the making of wearable sandwich boards.  Gods bless the information superhighway!
  • Maybe this year I’ll be able to spring like a jaguar and actually GET A TABLE FOR PENSACON! … Seriously, I tried this year, but they sold out in, like, a month, well before I had the cash on hand.
  • If you’re an author in the same position (going to a con but unable to wrangle a table), you can still advance yourself.  Other authors and publishers are usually more than willing to talk shop.  If you make yourself identifiable in some way, you can still meet and engage with readers.  Or you can do what I do: all of the above, plus be a walking advert.  Your mileage may vary!
  • The Songstress Murders is still coming!  Editing is taking a bit of time to wrangle and the cover artist had a surgery to endure.  She’s okay and work is back on track, but it delayed the whole mess.  Still, I think it may be my best book yet, so it should be worth the wait.
  • You’re awesome!  If no one has told you that today, I’m your guy.

I think that about covers it.  Time to get back to the books I intend to review next Friday.  Until next time, good reading, good writing, and good luck!

Weekend Update: To Georgia! a.k.a. A Week with Family

Hello, foodies!

Just to let you know, I’ll be spending most of the coming week in Georgia with my sister’s family and my mother.  Good old family bonding … which is really make-up, as I couldn’t go there for Christmas.

The usual blog updates will still happen though!  I can only promise one review this week, alas, as I will be spending time with the family.

Have a great week, folks, and we’ll be back into full production next week!

Weekend Update: It Finally Happened

If you’ve read my Starving Review guidelines, you may have noticed that there isn’t a huge chance for any book to get a 1-star rating, as that requires that me, a voracious eater of all things literary, becomes incapable of finish your book.  If you’ve been a reader of this blog for a time or simply search the categories, you’ll know this has yet to happen and I’ve had to choke down some rough meals so far to get to this point.

However, the improbable has finally happened.  Was it simply reading fatigue, too many questionable meals in a row?  No, I don’t think so, especially after having read two wonderful (if depressing) books in a row.  Was it some other outside circumstance?  Again, I doubt it as I am, in all other realms of my life, exceedingly happy.

All I will say is that there will be a fresh Starving Review tomorrow and hopefully we’ll discover why this one was the book I couldn’t finish together.

Until the morrow, good luck and good writing!

Weekend Update: Just a quick one!

Some quick updates for the weekend!

  • I’m just about at the halfway point of writing for Incorruptible.  It’s been a wild ride and I hope I finish out this first trilogy in a way everyone will enjoy.
  • Felipe informs me that the first Kickstarter reward poster will be done very soon.  I’ll be fulfilling those rewards and then, after a little bit of time, I’ll start having those posters available for purchase.
  • I have been busy this weekend, but there will be a Starving Review next week.
  • Lastly, I’ll be out of town the week after next, from the 26th to the 31st.  New articles will be sparse, but I should get a few in.  I’ll be spending most of that time, though, spending time with my mother and sister who I haven’t seen in, oh, 18?  20? years.