Building Words into Books

The new book is out tomorrow! I'm really excited about this one. It's my first real attempt at a fantasy story, and I think it turned out pretty well. However, it's not your typical spooky monster story--it's not especially gory. It's not even about the monsters as much as it is about the people who fight back against them.

It's almost more of a mystery than a fantasy/supernatural story, as the characters dig into the past to discover how to confront their antagonists. It hasn't been reviewed officially yet, but the editorial feedback so far has been really positive.

It's a completely different type of book than the last one, which was more of a novel about relationships and maturity. I'm going to have another giveaway on Goodreads, so starting tomorrow, Sept. 4, head over to Goodreads and enter to win a free copy of A 21st Century Fairy Tale!

I have a few more cards up my sleeve for marketing it this time around, so I'm hoping to draw a little more attention for this book. If it sounds like something you're interested in, please spread the word to other readers with similar reading habits.


Marketing is a completely different animal than anything I've ever tried to do. Knowing how to say things to get people's interest, learning the best places to get the word out about a new project, and then keeping up with all these different points of contact is a real challenge. I'm still trying to get a grasp on the tools to market a book, and how best to utilize them. Working on marketing a book and then working on my freelance stuff to help with my friend's DVD sales is keeping me busy as much as full-time work ever did. But it's a lot more fun.

In a market flooded with pulp crap and genre stories, I don't write according to a formula. I write where the story and the characters wander.

5 Reasons Why George Lucas Sucks

  Oh, George Lucas, how do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways. On the one hand, I must congratulate you for putting together the original 3 Star Wars films that I and so many others around the world love so much, but on the other hand, I really wish someone had put a leash on you about fifteen years ago.
    Reason 1: We could have avoided those horrible "prequels" where Yoda is CGI and Samuel L. Jackson is a Jedi. And I don't think I need to get into everything wrong with the decision to cast Hayden Christiansen as Anakin. Seriously. But I could.
    Reason 2: You wouldn't have rereleased the original films in special edition three packs (or four-packs) in which you digitally remastered and added extra scenes, including a brand new CGI Jabba the Hut--scenes that weren't necessary in the first place.
    Reason 3: We wouldn't have an animated version of Attack of the Clones.
    Reason 4: Jar Jar Binks. 
And I'm just getting warmed up. As much as I'd love to give you a free pass on the original Star Wars films, I really wish you'd gotten someone else to write them. (Reason 5) When you can't come up with another way to say: "I've got a bad feeling about this" (count how many times they say this or a strikingly similar term in the original 3 films--go on, I dare you), I think it's time to bring in another creative head.
    I could go on, but I'll leave it at that. The story and the characters in Star Wars are too enjoyable for me to tear the entire empire apart (pun intended). The trilogy has some of the best qualities a good film (or set of films) ought to have, a love story--even a love triangle (however incestuous that one may be--thanks for that one, GL), action, terror, an excellent villain, good triumphing over evil, suspense, and some excellent twists. Darth is Luke's father?? I don't know anyone who saw that one coming.
    So, it's really a love-hate relationship. If we could only get you to stop trying to milk this idea for all it's worth, Mr. Lucas, I think we might actually be able to get along someday. I can watch my DVDs in peace and ignore the CGI scenes interjected into them. (I also hope you have a sense of humor about some constructive criticism.)

Pleeeeease don't deactivate me!