Kickstarter Friday
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Some Fun Campaigns I Think Work… It is Kickstarter season again, with lots
of new and fun campaigns. I’ve been doing this every Friday now for a long
time....
21 hours ago
Saturday, May 25, 2019
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Pay the Writer
The latest scam making the rounds is where a writer ghostwrites a book for an established author and the writer pays the established author for the privilege.
Yep, you read that correctly.
For example, my friend Angie is nudging me to write Book 4 of the 888-555-HERO series. If I told her she could write the book but it would be published by me under my name, and she would have to pay me $1000 to do it, would she do it?
Angie's smart enough to tell me to fuck myself, and rightfully so. She understands money flows toward the author. I understand that concept. Probably, most of you reading this understands that concept.
But amazingly, there's a ton of writers who think paying for the privilege to write under someone else's name is their ticket to riches and glory.
I've had a couple of people get snippy with me, saying I'm anti-ghostwriter. I'm not. Some folks are awesome at ghostwriting.
A gal I used to know in Houston has ghostwritten a few celebrity memoirs. I admire her skill at capturing different people's voices. And she was paid handsomely by the celebrity or the publisher for writing those memoirs. She did not pay the celebrity or the publisher for the privilege of doing all the research and text for those books.
Cthulu dammit! Not even James Patterson is that evil! He pays his ghostwriters, not the other way around.
If you are doing the writing, you should be getting paid. Here's a snippit from Dreams with Sharp Teeth:
Yep, you read that correctly.
For example, my friend Angie is nudging me to write Book 4 of the 888-555-HERO series. If I told her she could write the book but it would be published by me under my name, and she would have to pay me $1000 to do it, would she do it?
Angie's smart enough to tell me to fuck myself, and rightfully so. She understands money flows toward the author. I understand that concept. Probably, most of you reading this understands that concept.
But amazingly, there's a ton of writers who think paying for the privilege to write under someone else's name is their ticket to riches and glory.
I've had a couple of people get snippy with me, saying I'm anti-ghostwriter. I'm not. Some folks are awesome at ghostwriting.
A gal I used to know in Houston has ghostwritten a few celebrity memoirs. I admire her skill at capturing different people's voices. And she was paid handsomely by the celebrity or the publisher for writing those memoirs. She did not pay the celebrity or the publisher for the privilege of doing all the research and text for those books.
Cthulu dammit! Not even James Patterson is that evil! He pays his ghostwriters, not the other way around.
If you are doing the writing, you should be getting paid. Here's a snippit from Dreams with Sharp Teeth:
Monday, May 20, 2019
Monday Movie Mania - Avengers: Endgame
AAARRRGGGHHH!
I know it's hard to do every single character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe justice in a huge ensemble movie like this. And if it were just the fact my favorite characters didn't get what I considered adequate screen time, I wouldn't be so pissy.
The sheer numbers of awesome callbacks to both the comics and the previous movies almost make up for the things that drove me crazy.
Almost.
* * *
SPOILERS
* * *
PROS
1) The A-Force shot was awesome! I want this movie, but I know Marvel Studios won't deliver it.
2) Gray Hulk!
3) Steve got to say both "Hail Hydra" and "Avengers, assemble!"
4) Tony's character comes full circle with "I am Iron Man."
5) Tim Hiddleston and Rene Russo had incredible moments.
6) Thor's joy at learning he was still worthy despite his chronic depression over Infinity War and the beginning of Endgame.
7) Steve's "America's ass, all right" comment to his younger self.
8) The passing of the shield.
9) The closure between Tony and his dad.
CONS
1) Why the fuck do we go through the five-minute explanation of the Many Worlds Interpretation of string theory if the writers/directors were going to ignore it anyway?
2) The huge, fucking plot holes/time holes caused by ignoring MWI.
a) If Current Nebula kills Past Nebula, it changes the timeline.
b) If Past Gamora still lives in the current timeline, how can Thanos sacrifice her to obtain the Soul Stone in the past?
c) If Thanos is killed in the present, how can he collect the Infinity Stones to start the whole ball o' wax rolling?
3) And don't even get me started on each teams' multitude of interferences in the past!
Overall, it was. . .okay. I give Avengers: Endgame 7 stars out of 10.
Saturday, May 18, 2019
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Hero De Novo Is Out!
With Captain Justice presumed dead, Aisha faces raising her super baby as a single mother. A message from Asia gives her a glimmer of hope. But is it Rey, or a Corvus trap to take her son?
In the meantime, Patty’s baby daddy, the super assassin Black Death, comes out of the woodwork, filing for custody of Grace. Harri will do anything to keep her goddaughter out of Black Death’s clutches, but will she step across her personal legal and ethical lines to save Grace?
Call us at 888-555-HERO. The Law Offices of Winters & Franklin, where the only thing more dangerous than a superhero is his attorney.
If you missed last month's release, Hero Ad Hoc (888-555-HERO #2) is still available for purchase or to read through Kindle Unlimited.
If you're enjoying the adventures of Harri, Aisha, and their gang and want to see more, please drop me a line!
If you're enjoying these books, I'd appreciate it if you would drop a quick review on Amazon or Goodreads.
Thank you so much for reading!
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Not Again...
I got three books finished and pre-published before this year's personal life explosion.
My father passed away. It's not something I can talk about yet. So things will be quiet on the blog front except for some pre-planned posts about Hero De Novo for tomorrow.
Thanks for your patience.
My father passed away. It's not something I can talk about yet. So things will be quiet on the blog front except for some pre-planned posts about Hero De Novo for tomorrow.
Thanks for your patience.
Saturday, May 11, 2019
More Star Wars Music
Out of everything John Williams has written for the saga, this is my favorite piece.
Friday, May 10, 2019
The Drag of Medical Appointments
It's that time of year for all the usual annual appointments. You know, eyes, heart, blood sugars, girl parts, etc. But all my providers are spending lots of extra time talking about the C-word.
Time I'd rather spend writing.
It didn't help when I was told I need to give up caffeine. Cthuludammit! It's the one vice I have left.
I admit I'm addicted. Coffee, diet cola, tea. And of course, I just bought a new bottle of Peppermint Mocha creamer. So yummy!
Otherwise, everybody says I'm doing fine. My scar itches because all of them want to poke and prod the area searching for new lumps. That's in addition to poking and prodding the remaining breast.
Thank goodness I only have one more appointment left, and it's two weeks away. I'll remind myself where I was a year ago if I EVER complain about the writing business!
Time I'd rather spend writing.
It didn't help when I was told I need to give up caffeine. Cthuludammit! It's the one vice I have left.
I admit I'm addicted. Coffee, diet cola, tea. And of course, I just bought a new bottle of Peppermint Mocha creamer. So yummy!
Otherwise, everybody says I'm doing fine. My scar itches because all of them want to poke and prod the area searching for new lumps. That's in addition to poking and prodding the remaining breast.
Thank goodness I only have one more appointment left, and it's two weeks away. I'll remind myself where I was a year ago if I EVER complain about the writing business!
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Already Planning for 2020
Now that the first three books are done--yes, I consider Hero De Novo done because I uploaded the ebook files this afternoon--and I look to be on track for the rest of the year (*fingers crossed*), I'm starting to plan my schedule for 2020.
It's a bit of a scary thought, but only because I've had some trial or disaster fall on me every year from 2013 through 2018. I'm trying really hard not to be negative, but there's a bit of a pattern here.
I already know I want to do Justice #5 and #6. I'm throwing around a few ideas for 888-555-HERO #4. I've got a cover already for a stand alone fantasy that may or may not get turned into a trilogy. There's three more urban fantasy series plotted that were pushed to the wayside because of the flooded urban fantasy market. With Aphosis 99942 (an asteroid) on a close-Earth approach for 2029, it seems a good time to resurrect the series concerning the Egyptian gods. *grin*
Not to mention the ton of ideas for Alter Ego that I set aside when the erotic romance market was flooded by scammers.
That's already more than seven books under consideration for writing and publishing in 2020. That doesn't take into account the writing workshop, where I'll have to write at least a half-dozen short stories three months beforehand, I want to attend in February at Las Vegas.
I'm trying to keep my expectations level, and not get too ahead of myself, but it's awesome to look at so many new projects coming down the pike!
It's a bit of a scary thought, but only because I've had some trial or disaster fall on me every year from 2013 through 2018. I'm trying really hard not to be negative, but there's a bit of a pattern here.
I already know I want to do Justice #5 and #6. I'm throwing around a few ideas for 888-555-HERO #4. I've got a cover already for a stand alone fantasy that may or may not get turned into a trilogy. There's three more urban fantasy series plotted that were pushed to the wayside because of the flooded urban fantasy market. With Aphosis 99942 (an asteroid) on a close-Earth approach for 2029, it seems a good time to resurrect the series concerning the Egyptian gods. *grin*
Not to mention the ton of ideas for Alter Ego that I set aside when the erotic romance market was flooded by scammers.
That's already more than seven books under consideration for writing and publishing in 2020. That doesn't take into account the writing workshop, where I'll have to write at least a half-dozen short stories three months beforehand, I want to attend in February at Las Vegas.
I'm trying to keep my expectations level, and not get too ahead of myself, but it's awesome to look at so many new projects coming down the pike!
Monday, May 6, 2019
Happiness and Satisfaction in Writing
This is something I've been considering for a while. I keep hearing writers complain about writing. They can't make a living. They can't put out books fast enough. They don't have enough ideas.
The occasional times I've asked the writer what they want, they say something along the lines of "I want to make a living as a writer."
But when I press them, what they really want is that one idea, that one book, which will make them a fortune. A fortune they can live off of for the rest of their lives.
The golden ticket. The winning lottery number. The magic beans that will save them from obscurity.
If you want a lot of money, there's a ton of ways to get it. But guess what? You generally have to work for it.
There aren't any shortcuts in writing. But why make yourself miserable over something you hate?
Maybe it's simply our society. We equate anything to do with work as terrible. We despise play as frivolous and stupid and for children only.
So if we have work that is fun, our culture can't handle it. We need to tear it down.
Or we can chose to change our paradigm.
I prefer the latter. There's no reason not to find as much joy in our work as we do in our play. It's merely a matter of changing our mindset.
Besides, I couldn't turn off the storytelling part of my mind if I wanted to.
The occasional times I've asked the writer what they want, they say something along the lines of "I want to make a living as a writer."
But when I press them, what they really want is that one idea, that one book, which will make them a fortune. A fortune they can live off of for the rest of their lives.
The golden ticket. The winning lottery number. The magic beans that will save them from obscurity.
If you want a lot of money, there's a ton of ways to get it. But guess what? You generally have to work for it.
There aren't any shortcuts in writing. But why make yourself miserable over something you hate?
Maybe it's simply our society. We equate anything to do with work as terrible. We despise play as frivolous and stupid and for children only.
So if we have work that is fun, our culture can't handle it. We need to tear it down.
Or we can chose to change our paradigm.
I prefer the latter. There's no reason not to find as much joy in our work as we do in our play. It's merely a matter of changing our mindset.
Besides, I couldn't turn off the storytelling part of my mind if I wanted to.
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