April Updates for 2016

It’s been a little while since I last gave an update on what’s going on with my stories, coaching, and speaking schedule. I’m sure that I’ll be giving more details in future posts, but for now, here’s a rundown of some of the bigger items going on with me. 

Planned Publications

I’m very excited to announce that I have two short stories that will be included in multi-author anthologies coming out this year. The first anthology is called Merely This and Nothing More: Poe Goes Punk. This collection of ‘punk adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories will be published by Writerpunk Press and is schedule for release May 31st. The second anthology is called Unnatural Dragons and will published by Clockwork Dragon. This anthology will be a collection of sci-fi dragon stories and should be available sometime this summer.

Of course, it’s not just short stories that are in the near future. I’ve been working hard on Into the North, the sequel to The Beast Hunter. My goal is to have it out by this fall, but there’s a lot of work yet to do, so any words of encouragement would be most appreciated!

Changes in the Way I Coach

While I love working with writers to help them make their own stories better, I understand that many artists are on a tight budget and can’t afford a regular writing coach. Rather than devaluing myself by lowering the prices on the types of services I’ve been doing, I’ve decided to create new services that cater to clients looking for a more affordable solution for their coaching needs. I’ve already introduced the first of these new types of services on Fivver, and I’m working hard to develop more and better ways to help my fellow writers make their stories the best they can be.

New Videos

You may remember that I put out a call last month for a Q&A video that I would then release in April. Although I got more than enough questions, life happened, and I got an ulcer on my right cornea which meant I was highly un-photogenic for the majority of the time that I would have spent filming it. Luckily, my eye has healed, and I’ll be able to finish that video soon. I’m also working on a second video, which will feature me reading the prologue out of The Beast Hunter. I think it’ll be fun, and who knows? Maybe I’ll like it enough to consider doing an audio book someday! 

More Appearances on the Horizon

After talking with some of my fellow authors, I’ve decided to start increasing my appearances at Cons and other genre-themed events. Of course, I’ll still teach at writing conferences and retreats as well, but I’m going to be giving priority to those events that have the best potential return, either via speaker fees or potential book sales. Keep an eye on my Workshops and Appearances page on this blog to stay up to date on where I’ll be. Also, be aware that while writing conferences will often plan their schedules well in advance, Cons are often more fluid, and I may not be able to give much heads up for many of those types of appearances.

A Call to Action to my Fans

If you’re one of my amazing fans (and if you’re reading this, you must be) then I’d like to extend to you this call to action. Perhaps there’s something below that you’ve been meaning to do for months or even years. Maybe you just discovered my little corner of the universe and want to do something about it. Whatever your situation, may I humbly invite you to try out one or more of the following suggestions for anyone who considers themselves one of my fans.

Purchase

This may seem too obvious and I’m likely preaching to the choir on this one. But I can’t count how many people have said “I’ve been meaning to buy your book” or “One of these days I’m totally going to get your help as a writing coach”. So if you’ve been intending to buy a book or try out my coaching services, I’d like to invite you to do so. You won’t be disappointed.

Invest

Few people realize the costs and sacrifices that come from being a full-time author. While I look forward to the day when my book sales will cover all of my expenses, that day is sadly not today. As a result, a few fans have encouraged me to create a Patreon account, where they can contribute a small amount each month to help pay for things like advertising, printing, and exploring new media options. If you’d like to learn about a patron, you can learn more by checking out my Patreon account.

Engage

Whether it’s writing a review on Amazon or liking a post on Facebook, whenever a fan engages with me or my work online it helps spread the word and makes my day just a little better. I’m also always on the lookout for new ways to connect with fans. My latest discovery is Listopia on Goodreads, where fans can vote for my books and even add them to new lists. If you’d like to see what lists my books are on right now you can click here, and be sure to let me know if you add my books to any other lists!

If you’d like to read more about what a book review means for an author, check out my blog article Silent Applause, the Worth of a Review to an Author.

Join

Some fans are so much fun and so good at engaging that they are invited into my street team, a special group of people who participate in monthly goals and in return enjoy exclusive goodies and events. I like to think of my street team as my super-fans and will go to them first whenever I’ve got an announcement, a question, or just need a word or ten of encouragement when my characters are misbehaving. If this sounds like something you’d like to be a part of, check out my street team page and let’s get connected!


However you choose to show your support, I hope that you’ll be motivated by a love for the work that I do. I really do my best to put forth my best efforts, whether I’m writing a story, teaching a workshop, or just chatting with fans, and it’s your support that will help me continue to do that. Thank you.

Top Ten Things an Author Doesn’t Want to See in a Review

10. I didn’t like this book, but then, I don’t like fantasy novels.

9. While I haven’t read this book, I did go to school with the author, and he’s a nice guy.

8. The riter couldn’t evn spell.

7. This book is worth reading but not worth buying.

6. My book is better. Buy it at the following link.

5. I bought this novel thinking it was a self-help book. It didn’t help me.

4. If there’s ever a movie made of this book, you should watch it instead.

3. It’s been over ten years since I read this, so I really don’t remember anything about it.

2. The author asked me to write a review, so here it is… the book was ok.

1. This book was awesome! Three stars.

Why They Can Never Ruin Star Wars For Me

Yesterday, I saw a teaser trailer for the latest Star Wars movie. While it is live-action, it looks like this story will be a spinoff from the established series, taking place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope and featuring yet another hardcore young woman as its butt-kicking protagonist. While I am not going to judge a movie I haven’t seen yet, I will admit that my first reaction to seeing this teaser was to roll my eyes. Here we go with the endless Disney spinoffs. How long until we start getting the direct-to-video sequels?

Of course, the Star Wars franchise isn’t new to this kind of exploitation. After the original trilogy, there were the two live-action Ewok spinoffs as well as the two short-lived cartoon shows featuring even more Ewoks as well as the famous droid duo. There was even a full-length Star Wars Holiday Special that came out only one year after the first Star Wars movie in 1978! And I won’t even try to list all of the books, video games, comics, toys, and merchandise that have appeared since the first time audiences saw that iconic title scroll.

The Star Wars phenomenon is so prevalent in our society that many people seem to reside in one of two camps. The first group contains the diehard fans, who will buy and consume any product with the Star Wars brand on it, while the second group are those that have made an active choice not to participate in this societal trend. That’s how pervasive Star Wars has become. It’s almost impossible to be unaware of it, and it often feels like a choice must be made. Indulge or abstain. Contribute to one of the industry’s most successful cash cows, or risk the label of being a hipster who thinks that everything was better at some imagined point in history.

Still, no matter how many people may insist that you must either love or hate the franchise, there are plenty of casual fans out there who enjoy Star Wars but don’t give into the hype. There are also folks who simply aren’t interested because it doesn’t suit their tastes. And maybe there are a few people out there who, like me, have a very personal connection to the original trilogy that can never be destroyed.

I remember when I was ten years old and my family walked into the local Costco for one of those exciting, epic shopping trips that only seem to happen in a warehouse-sized store when you’re a child. At the time, big-screen TVs were all the rage, and I remember a forest of the massive cabinets set up right by the front entrance. Several of them were playing movies, but just one of them captivated me. For the first time, I saw Luke Skywalker flying down the trench of the Death Star, bigger than life, filling my senses and igniting my imagination. 

“What is that?” I asked my parents breathlessly.

My mom turned to my dad.

“Do you think he’s ready?” she said.

My dad considered.

“He’s ten years old now. I think it’s about time.”

I started to shake with excitement. What was this incredible secret that my parents seemed to share? What initiation was I finally ready for? That night, after we got home, my dad pulled out a VHS tape with the most amazing artwork on the cover. We put my little sister to bed, and then the three of us sat down to watch a movie that would change my life.

For the next six months or so, I kept thinking about Star Wars, but my parents didn’t show me the second and third movies. I think they were trying to create the kind of anticipation that they felt when they had to wait to see each movie in theaters. We watched the first one several more times over the months that followed, and I spent hours scrutinizing the box art of all three VHS tapes. Eventually, we watched The Empire Strikes Back together, and I knew I couldn’t wait another six months for the last one.

At that time my dad was working two jobs, and my mom and I would often watch a movie together to wait for him to come home late at night. A couple of weeks after I’d seen the second film, my mom asked what I wanted to see, and of course I wanted to watch Empire again. She agreed, and I saw the movie for a second time. Finally, dad got home, and we all went to bed at around 11:00 pm. I laid awake, with the movie still playing in my head. I couldn’t sleep. I was too excited. Finally, I got up and went to my parents’ bedroom. The lights were off and I thought they were both asleep, but in that special way that parents have, they knew that I was there.

“What is it, Lindsay?” asked my dad.

“Dad, could we watch the third movie?”

And then my dad, just after getting home from his second job and with work in the morning, got up out of bed without complaint, set me in his lap, and at 11:30 at night pushed play on our old VCR to watch Return of the Jedi together for the first time. It’s one of my most precious memories of my father, and I hope he knows how much that moment still means to me.

No amount of hype or exploitation can touch those treasured memories. I don’t care what happens to the story or characters or even the actors and George Lucas. They’re a part of my Star Wars experience, but they’re not the most important part. That honor goes to my parents and their sweet love for a little boy with eyes full of wonder for a galaxy far, far away.

Thanks Mom and Dad. I love you.

A Little Bit of Poe

Recently, a short story of mine was accepted into the Merely This and Nothing More: Poe Goes Punk anthology, published by Writerpunk Press. This collection of stories will feature adaptations of some of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous works, each of which will be done in a ‘punk style, such as steampunk or cyberpunk. It’s a great honor to have my work included in this exciting collection, and I look forward to seeing another one of my stories in print very soon!

To help kickoff this new title, I agreed to answer some questions from the Writerpunk community about me and my story. Click the link below to check out the full interview, and be on the lookout for this exciting anthology in the near future!

My interview with Writerpunk Press