Category Archives: Books/Literature

Two sentence horror stories…

Yet another bit from i09.com:

http://io9.com/two-sentence-horror-stories-are-actually-pretty-chillin-923728355

I loved the one about the kid and the “monster” under the bed.

Some of the comment writers to that article have referenced Fredric Brown’s classic short story Knock, with its short-short story opening, as a classic example of a very short horror story.  Knock opens with this:

The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door…

Interesting to note, at least according to Wikipedia that this famous opening line was itself apparently cribbed from the following, originally written by Thomas Bailey Aldrich:

Imagine all human beings swept off the face of the earth, excepting one man. Imagine this man in some vast city, New York or London. Imagine him on the third or fourth day of his solitude sitting in a house and hearing a ring at the door-bell! (Ponkapog Papers, 1904)

Chilling stuff.

Corrosive Knights…a 7/19/13 update

I’m done with the third draft of the latest Corrosive Knights novel (I’m going to keep the actual title secret a little while longer).  The book, as it stands now, runs a little under 104,000 words, making it one of my longer novels.

It also features what I believe is my most complex plot, if only in terms of settings and characters.  There are a lot of characters running around this book and we bounce around many different (and hopefully very intriguing) settings.  The book features a “wrap up” of the first major Corrosive Knights story line which began in Mechanic and continued through The Last Flight of the Argus, Chameleon, and Nox.

Corrosive MACNThe big question:  How long before this novel is ready?

The draft I just finished ironed out many of the novel’s plot “kinks”, story threads that weren’t fully developed or were too clunky or just plain didn’t work as originally written.  There is at least one section of the book that still needs a little work in that respect, but otherwise I should be transitioning from fixing the novel’s story -usually a very thought and time intensive exercise- to focusing more exclusively on grammatical issues, which is more often than not a far easier thing to do and one which takes far less time to revise.

I estimate it will take at least two if not three more drafts before I begin to feel comfortable enough with the idea of releasing it, which means at least two if not three more months before everything’s ready.

As it is, I’m very excited with the work.  For those who wondered how exactly the first three novels in this series form a larger whole, you’ll get your answers with this novel.

I can’t wait to get ‘er done.

J. K. Rowling and the Power of Brand…

Interesting article by Lev Grossman for Time magazine concerning the recent revelation that mega-popular Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling secretly published a novel under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith last year and the implications of this revelation…

http://entertainment.time.com/2013/07/16/the-name-game-j-k-rowling-and-the-power-of-brand/

I’ve long realized -and it seems only obvious- that once you become a recognized “name” in the literary field, you automatically sell far more books than if you’re a newcomer and/or nobody.  True, sometimes a book by an unknown author seems to appear out of no where and become incredibly popular -this could be said of Ms. Rowling’s initial entry into the Harry Potter series- but once you’re established, your books sell.

But when you’re not…

I’ve read in other articles that Ms. Rowling’s pseudonymous novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling, sold something in the order of 1500 copies worldwide before the revelation of her involvement in the book.  Naturally, post-revelation the book is a hot seller and as of yesterday was #1 on Amazon sales for novels.  When it was initially released, the book was apparently well received by critics, yet despite that the novel fell into the black hole of public indifference many, many novels good and bad fall on a daily basis.

The fact that the novel is now a big seller further emphasizes the obvious…once you’re a well known author audiences tend to be interested and receptive to your works.  I noted a couple of days ago the passing and my admiration of the works of Richard Matheson (you can read about that here).  Toward the end of the blog article I mentioned his novel Hunted Past Reason.  The only (ahem) reason I bought the novel was because I saw it in a bookstore in the “new arrivals” section and noted it was written by Mr. Matheson.  Simply seeing his name on the book made me reach out for it.  I read the description of the book on the dust jacket and wasn’t all that impressed.

But it was a new novel by Richard Matheson!

I had to give it a try.

In the end, the book proved a BIG disappointment, perhaps the absolute worst thing I’ve ever read by Mr. Matheson.  If the novel had been written by Joe Blow, I probably wouldn’t have given the book a second glance.

The moral of the story is that if you’re an author and hope to have any success, you have to try your best to create a buzz (any buzz) regarding your book.  Otherwise, expect mediocre to terrible sale figures.

C’est la vie.

Richard Matheson, RIP

Found out a bit belatedly of the death of one of the 20th Century’s most influential authors, at least to me, Richard Matheson.  He was the rare author whose works spread out form “mere” novels and short stories to include screenplays and many, many famous episodes of classic TV shows, including The Twilight Zone.

Richard Corliss of Time Magazine offers a great essay about the works and influence of Mr. Matheson over his career:

http://entertainment.time.com/2013/06/28/richard-matheson-1926-2013-the-wizard-of-what-if/

For me, the ultimate Richard Matheson story was/is Duel.  There’s something about the idea of facing off against a mysterious -and homicidal!- truck driver that intrigued and terrified me.  The first movie I ever recall seeing was Duel, which was also director Steven Spielberg’s first big hit and an obvious template for what would become his first MEGAhit, Jaws.

But even taking Duel out of the equation, there are plenty of other memorable movies and concepts he created which are buried deep in my psyche.  The novel I Am Legend (and, more specifically, the Charlton Heston starring second movie version of the same, Omega Man).

There was also the very chilling Trilogy of Terror and that doll…

And let’s not forget the classic Twilight Zone episode Nightmare at 20,000 Feet!

I could go on, mentioning such classics as Kolchach: The Night Stalker or Legend of Hell House or The Incredible Shrinking Man…but suffice it to say, for the most part I’ve been delighted by Mr. Matheson’s work over the years.  Given the volume of said work, there were bound to be some disappointments and, sadly, my most recent experience with Mr. Matherson’s writing was the novel Hunted Past Reason.

Do yourself a favor and, if you haven’t already, check out the stuff I’ve mentioned above.  But avoid that last novel.

Orson Scott Card…again

A while back (you can read it here) I noted the controversy regarding sci-fi author Orson Scott Card and his views on homosexuality.  I’m not a big fan of Mr. Card’s works, though I have read what is arguably his most famous novel, Ender’s Game, which will soon be released to theaters as a major motion picture.

I noted in the previous column that the controversy surrounding Mr. Card may wind up hurting the film’s box office prospects, and it would appear that Mr. Card is himself worried about the very same thing and has tried to address the main controversy regarding his previous comments:

http://www.salon.com/2013/07/09/orson_scott_card_gay_marriage_issue_has_become_moot/

In many ways, I feel for Mr. Card even as I can’t find sufficient sympathy to excuse his previous comments.  I feel for Mr. Card because he’s a victim of his own verbal venom in an age when such comments are easily accessible via the internet and difficult, if not impossible, to expunge.  It is possible, for example, that over the years Mr. Card’s opinions have changed and he’s softened his stance toward homosexuality and homosexual marriage.  I’m not saying this has happened, mind you, only that it’s possible.  Unfortunately for Mr. Card, those previous comments he made will remain available for anyone to see and read and will always follow him, even after his passing.

More recently, Hugh Howley, the author of the hit “self-published” sci-fi novel Wool got himself into some similar trouble when he posted a blog entry verbally lashing a woman he met at World Con (http://www.dailydot.com/culture/hugh-howey-the-bitch-from-worldcon-rant/).  Unlike Mr. Card, whose anti-homosexual comments can be found over the years, Mr. Howley appeared to realize rather quickly that his rant was inappropriate and offered an apology (http://www.hughhowey.com/to-those-whom-ive-offended/) and opened himself up to interviews where he further elaborated on the blog post and offered explanations as well as apologies (http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/CultureShock/archives/2013/04/19/hugh-howey-explains-why-he-removed-controversial-blog-post)

I suppose the point is this: Think about what you’re saying, whether it be to someone else or something you yourself post online.  It’s common sense.  On the other hand, perhaps it is also a good thing to look inside yourself and evaluate your own feelings and philosophies.  After all, if you’re a public figure (or even a casual facebook user) and are “smart enough” to not make any controversial public rants, yet have such strong feelings, perhaps you should consider, and re-consider, them.

In the long run it might make you a better person.

Is the Internet worth it?

Fascinating article by Andrew Leonard for Salon.com regarding something that has been on my mind often of late:  Despite all the great stuff it offers, what of the negatives regarding the Internet?  Is all the good worth all the bad, both potential and realized?

http://www.salon.com/2013/07/05/creative_destruction_government_snooping_is_the_internet_worth_it/

Mr. Leonard’s focus is mostly on governmental “snooping” and journalism but it also can relate to the general impact of the Internet on everything, including loss of privacy both unintended and unrealized.  For example, I recall in the earlier, wildly popular days of Facebook that some clever thieves realized that some posters on that social media website would over share their day to day activities, to the point where they posted information about upcoming vacations, including where they were going, when they were going, and for how long.

Which meant these clever thieves now knew when a poster’s home was potentially unguarded and empty and for what specific period of time, making it a perfect target for theft.

Revelations about the Government’s internet snooping should be alarming to most people, but there are other economic factors that I’ve were influenced by the rise of the internet.  I’ve mentioned before how certain “mom and pop” type stores simply cannot compete with full service internet “stores” like Amazon.com and how even some bigger retail chains, including bookstores and electronic stores, now are in danger of closing their doors because of the increasing ease of purchase and seemingly unlimited stock available online.

But there exists yet another big threat created by the internet, one that personally scares me for different reasons:  The possibility of creative destruction.  If you think about entertainment, you think about a few things: Music, movies, television, books/novels, comic books, etc.  All of these creative endeavors are now victims to pirate websites.

Looking for the latest album by artist X?  Download it for free…sometimes before the album is officially released!  Looking forward to seeing movie X?  Same thing.  Novels?  Comic books?  Television shows?  Ditto, ditto, and ditto.

Where will this piracy of creative ideas eventually lead?  If you’re a struggling artist, there’s precious little money to be made in your works.  Whatever little bit you can scrape together is helpful and may allow you to hone your craft and allow you to make better and better product…provided you can indeed pay your bills.  But what if your current work(s) find their way to pirate websites and whatever meager amount of money you might have earned on your current, best works takes a hit because of illegal downloads?

And what of established artists?  Will movie/music companies become more and more fearful of signing off on a big budget item if the worry about how much they’ll lose on the illegal downloads of said item?  Is it possible some companies will simply give up on funding films/TV shows/music albums entirely?  And where will that leave many of us, audiences hungry for new entertainment?

As Mr. Leonard put it in his article:

…we are increasingly sensing that we have no idea where this techno-roller coaster is ultimately headed. There’s a sense that things are out of control. Our growing uneasiness doesn’t jibe well with all the hype about how the world is being made a better place by a proliferation of smartphone apps.

Don’t wait for inspiration…

A few days back I posted an entry regarding Mason Currey’s fascinating articles published on Slate regarding creative people and their rituals (in that case, his column was about procrastination).  In this, his last entry regarding creativity, he focuses on what is perhaps one of the more important things a creative individual should do:  Work.

Or, as he put it, don’t wait for inspiration to hit you:

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/features/2013/daily_rituals/john_updike_william_faulkner_chuck_close_they_didn_t_wait_for_inspiration.html

I enjoyed this particular column so much I had to add my two cents, which essentially amounted to repeating what was written above!  For those curious:

Don’t wait for inspiration may well be the best advice to any creative individual. There have been many a day I absolutely DID NOT want to sit before my computer and get to work…yet did so anyway. The temptation not to do work, as Gershwin so aptly put it, is indeed a great one. But if one day you want to have the unique pleasure of looking back at what you accomplished in your creative life and be rewarded with the sight of a bookshelf carrying your books or an art gallery featuring your works, etc. etc., then you have to put in the effort. Inspiration does indeed come to me when I keep working, regardless of my mood.

The new (movie) media…

Bill Hunt at The Digital Bits offers an interesting “rant” (its rant number two, about halfway down the column) here:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/050113_1515

Basically, he’s worried about movie studios and “digital streaming”.  I think he hits the bullseye in many respects with the rant, noting that when you purchase a “stream” of a film, you really don’t own it.  Yes, you can watch the film but, should the movie studios in the future decide to remove the film from their streaming services (for whatever reason), you’re essentially out of luck.  The film you “purchased” is gone.

Mr. Hunt goes on to compare this with music streaming and, effectively, champions keeping a “hard copy” of whatever entertainment (be it music or motion picture) you may have because of the possibility that somewhere down the road the thing you spent money on might no longer be accessible to you.

I can certainly sympathize with Mr. Hunt’s worries.  Technology has shifted dramatically.  A few years ago, I had to go to the local electronics store and bookstore to see the latest movies/books/music that was available for purchase.  Now, there are no bookstores anywhere near me, and its been quite a while since I’ve gone out to the local Best Buy.

If I’m purchasing music, I do so exclusively online (and, yes, I do actually purchase the music!) via download.  I keep copies of my music on my harddrive and a backup drive, but the idea of having “physical” copies on CD has become a thing of the past.

So too it seems with most books.  If I want one, I tend to go to Amazon and download it and read it on my tablet.  If I want a physical copy of a book, I similarly order it (usually through Amazon) and wait the few days it takes before arriving at my home.  It’s hard to believe it, but I don’t miss the bookstores.

As for movies, I realized early on that, like laserdiscs, there were a bunch of films I had to have early one, and I spent an awful lot of money getting my hands on them.  I moved to DVD and then to BluRay, but once I had those “essentials”, my spending dropped dramatically.  I tend to use Netflix to check out “new” films, and if I like them enough, I will purchase a physical copy, but I can honestly say many of the newer films I’ve seen are decent but only a few have been worth actually owning.

What is the point of all this?

I guess it boils down to this:  What used to be standard is no longer so.  We used to want books/movies/music, we’d go to a book/music/movie store to buy them.  We’d have the physical copies.  Now, we go online and do one of three things: download the material, stream it, or purchase physical copies which are sent to our home.

Which means that the physical shops I used to see are slowly, inevitably, dying out.  As I said before, I don’t have a bookstore close to my house.  And I live in a BIG city.  The nearest bookstores are at least a half hour to forty five minutes away.  As for music stores, forget it.  The only movie store is a Best Buy about twenty minutes away and, as I noted before, I barely go there anymore.

And I don’t miss doing so.

The fact is a that computers and the internet have created the proverbial better mousetrap, but I worry about the consequences.  Less physical stores means less places for people to hang out and meet other people.  Also, less places for employment.  When we were younger, many of us worked in a record or bookstore.  No longer.  A big section of business has effectively been compressed into an online system of which Amazon is king and iTunes is running a close second.

Unquestionably, I have access to everything I want and/or need within my fingertips.  I can find obscure films or music or books without the hassle of running to different stores searching (often in vain) for what I want.

But this instant gratification comes with a cost locally.

It is better for the consumers, I believe.  But is it better?

On creating…

Over at Slate Magazine you can find a series of articles by Mason Currey focusing on creative individuals (from architects to musicians to artists to writers) and the habits they had with regard to their creative endeavors.

In the latest entry (number 11), Currey focuses on procrastination:

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/features/2013/daily_rituals/franz_kafka_was_a_great_procrastinator.html

While there have been entries related to alcohol/drug use, time of day when creators create, etc. etc., I found this one of the more fascinating entries, if only because procrastination is one of those love/hate elements that I’m all too familiar with.

Due to my schedule, I have to work hard to find the time to actually sit in front of the computer and actually type.  Usually -and I really hate to admit this- that time is quite limited, often to no more than two or so hours a day.

Having said that, I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m a “procrastinator”.  If I had more time available to me each day (and this looks to be a possibility in the next couple of years) then I would gladly spend more time before the computer.

On the other hand, my stories tend to be complex works with many moving parts that have to, in the end, all work together (or resolve themselves in the end) in a logical manner.  Writing something like Nox, my most recent novel, required so much thought that there were times I wondered if I would ever get it finished.  Basically, with that novel I had a clear beginning and a very clear ending, but getting the two main characters together and explaining their relationship in the broad context of the series had me running ragged.  For every hour I spent on the computer, I would spend many more hours each day think-think-thinking about where it is I needed to take the book, and how this element might work and this one might not.

When the first draft was done, this middle segment of the book required considerable work before it felt complete.  I wound up spending many hours reading and re-reading what I put down and reworking it into something that was at once exciting, fulfilling, and -most importantly- made sense.  And, yes, that meant even less time before the computer typing.

There were times I dreaded approaching the computer, but once I’m committed and sitting before it, I tend to make the minutes and hours (few though they may be) count.  The simple act of writing something -anything!- down always moved me that much closer to a final product.

So while I may spend precious little time each day actually in front of the computer writing, I wonder if the manner in which I write might be considered “procrastinating”.  In my mind, it is, yet in my defense, I do work an awful lot on getting the books done.

Regardless, the results have been pleasing.  I can honestly say that all the books I’ve written so far have been the best works I could create at the particular time of their creation and at my level of competence.

Right now I’m in the thick of things again with my latest work, the fifth book in the Corrosive Knights series.  The book is, like all the ones before it, driving me crazy.  But I do like what I’m seeing so far.  And when I’m done with it and release it, I get to go back to that blank computer screen and start up the process all over again.

I wouldn’t want it any other way.

On critics…

Thanks to the internet, nowadays the old expression “everyone’s a critic” is more apt than it has ever been.  Take me as an example.  You don’t have to go terribly far in my previous entries to find my opinions of movies, television shows, music, etc. etc.

When I was younger, I would relish “taking down” works I considered deeply flawed.  Looking back at my attitudes, I can’t help but wonder why I found such relish in doing so.  I don’t think I was being a contrarian…I found enjoyment in many popular -and not so popular- films.  On the other hand, there were beloved blockbusters that I couldn’t believe or understand were popular (one big example is the original Star Wars) while there were plenty of more obscure films that didn’t pass my taste test.

The other day, I received my first truly “negative” review of one of my books.  The review was posted on Amazon.uk and the poster, D. J. Ketchin, was reviewing my short story collection Shadows at Dawn.  The book has received only two reviews so far, the first by Puna J. on the regular (U.S.) Amazon.com (4 out of 5 stars) and Ketchin’s (2 out of 5 stars).

The two critics offer clearly different, yet at times, interestingly similar opinions of my work.  On the similar side, they both feel the short story collection was too short.  I can completely agree with that.  Shadows at Dawn is a slight book, even if it does feature 14 complete stories (15 on the Kindle version).  Then again, of the books I have available via Kindle, it is priced at a very low .99 cents (this comes to a little over 6 cents a story).

Their second point of agreement they appear to share is that both were more interested in reading the science fictional stories than the mystery ones.  D. J. Ketchin states it bluntly: “too much of a crime emphasis for me.”  Puna offers a somewhat similar take, stating “only about half a dozen of these stories qualify as science fiction”.  Puna is indeed quite right, of the 15 stories presented, 7 were “mystery” stories, only very slightly less than half.

Though the two share essentially the same opinions of Shadows at Dawn, their conclusions wind up diverging considerably.  While Ketchin felt that there was “too little sci-fi” and therefore the book was “too dull”, Puna felt that the stories, despite not being as science fictional as she wanted, were “all good. I am glad I gave this book a chance and read it, it was worth my time.”

Two readers that I assume are on either side of the Atlantic offering two similar -yet ultimately very different- opinions of my short story collection.  I’ve noted before of my suspicions upon seeing certain books filled with hundreds of (mostly) glowing reviews.  I know there are those who can be paid to “bump up” the number of positive reviews on a work.

Myself?  I enjoy reading well thought out reviews of my works.  Clearly I would love for whatever I write to be universally adored and net me millions upon millions of fans…but realistically, I know that whatever I do, however much work I may put into it, there will be those who like it and those who read the exact same thing and it just isn’t their cup of tea.

So thank you, Ketchin and Puna for your opinions of Shadows at Dawn.  Even if one of you didn’t like it as much as the other, I’m nonetheless pleased to have “real people” out there reading my works.

And, Ketchin?  I’ll try better next time… 😉

Shadows at Dawn Cover