Digital Fiction Publishing's Great December 2018 Publishing Binge

As most of you all know, I have a Lovecraftian horror novel out called The Thing in the Woods through a small press called Digital Fiction Publishing, which has also published (or re-published) many of my short stories. Late last year I sent them the sequel, The Atlanta Incursion. Although I haven't gotten an official yes or no on it, the boss did like the stock art I sent him to use for the cover, so I'm optimistic. There's not really a regular release schedule, but last December the company went on a binge. Six books, more if you count the fact that a whole series got released (or re-released).

(In the interest of full disclosure, the company operates on a revenue-sharing pool, so I benefit whenever somebody purchases one of these. That said, I haven't read any of them yet, so I'm not slanting things one way or the other.)

The Invisible City by Brian K. Lowe: This is the first in a series of three books--the whole series was ultimately released by DFP and you can get the whole box set here. Basically in a future where humanity has been conquered by aliens, a man ends up getting transported one million years into the future. As one might expect, trouble ensues. Several of the reviews compare it to the John Carter books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, although I haven't had the chance to read it.

Home by Carson Buckingham: A woman inherits a farmhouse and upon taking possession of it, begins to mutate. And things seem to get weirder from there. I haven't read it, but based on the reviews there's a good bit of Irish mythology in there (perhaps in the vein of Raymond Feist's Faerie Tale, which is a pretty good book) and one of the reviewers even puts it on the same level as Stephen King.

Disappearance by Trevor Zaple: The Rapture (or something very similar) happens, but instead of a Christian end-times scenario coming to pass, instead we end up with the remaining powerful people o the pre-apocalypse world fighting over the remains. Shades of Avengers Endgame perhaps? It looks a bit more like Dean Koontz's The Taking, if the aftermath was the main focus rather than the apocalypse itself.

Invasion at Bald Eagle by Kris Ashton: Hippies! A sex cult! An alien invasion! This book has it all, and it sounds like a comedy. Once I clear out my KU library (more on that below), I think I'll definitely check this one out.

The Evil in the Tower by Debra Robinson: Ghost stories, possessions, and a lengthy feud between two families. Haunted-house stories aren't my cup of tea usually, but it does have a good-looking cover. I'm getting a bit of a Crimson Peak vibe off the whole thing.

Samurai by Timothy Manley: I've read the beginning of this one. It looks begins like an alien-invasion novel from the perspective of a Native American-level civilization encountering a spacefaring society, but based on the cover art and broader description it seems like a space opera. I'm reminded of the novel Scythian Dawn, which features extraterrestrials deliberately preventing the development of urban civilization on Earth...until some steppe hordes manage to steal one of their ships. :)

I've got a Kindle Unlimited account so I can read these novels without buying them outright, but KU only lets you borrow ten books at a time and I've got 10 already. One of the ten is Powerlines, another monster-in-the-woods story that's also from DFP. I'll definitely check some of these out when I have more time, especially Invasion at Bald Eagle.

Book Review: Blood Street (2018)

My Lovecraftian horror novel The Thing in the Woods was published by Digital Fiction Publishing, a small press headquartered in Canada. Although DFP ultimately closed its doors, it released a number of other books, one of which was Carl Alves' Blood Street.

I checked the novel out via Kindle Unlimited and burned through it pretty quickly. How did I like it? Well, here's the review. 

The Plot

A member of a Philadelphia crime family is killed (not just killed, but straight-up butchered) and his mob boss starts hunting for the killer in order to make them pay. There's one small problem--the killer isn't human. The killer is in fact the reckless and arrogant vampire Alexei, part of a clique of bloodsuckers who've taken up residence in Philadelphia. Soon the FBI gets involved, as do other vampires who don't want Alexei's idiocy to jeopardize their secret existence.

Shenanigans ensue (as author Mary SanGiovanni's cosmic horror podcast would put it) as blood runs in the streets and alliances are formed and broken. Who will live and who will die?

The Good

*I like the overall concept. I'm only aware of one vampire story involving the Mob--the film Innocent Blood, which I've never seen. This story, however, is much more complex, with Mafia, federal, and vampire factions all pursuing their own agendas and working with and against in each other in different combinations of alliance and betrayal.

*The book is a quick and entertaining read. I definitely enjoyed it. And there's room for more stories set in this universe if Mr. Alves chooses to go that route.

The Bad

*Since Alves holds to a tight third-person POV, other characters are well-described in terms of their appearance but the POV characters themselves are much less so. I'm not sure what a lot of them look like.

*The ruler of the vampire brood and the Mafia boss both don't seem particularly decisive in dealing with dangerous or idiotic subordinates. A lot of trouble could be avoided if they were a bit more ruthless with their underlings.

*A character makes a fairly drastic decision toward the end of the book, but it's not well-foreshadowed. And there's another character involved in said decision--their role in this decision doesn't really gel well with his characterization earlier.

*Per the above, the ending felt a little bit rushed.

The Verdict

A fun Kindle Unlimited read. Very absorbing. 9.0 out of 10. I would definitely recommend it.

The Future of the Afrikanerverse

One upon a time, a young man (I'm assuming) on the Web's premiere alternate-history discussion forum whose handle was Reddie posted a challenge--write a scenario in which there's a cold war between the United States and "the apartheid juggernaut." Instead of S.M. Stirling's Draka, the Africa-centered white-supremacist regime would be of Afrikaner stock and instead of a Nietzsche-wannabe master-race ideology, their ideology would be Afrikaner Calvinism.

Well, I took that challenge. Instead of the Domination of the Draka facing off against the Alliance for Democracy, I created a world in which the traditionalist-reactionary Afrikaner Confederation and a motley crew of allies like the Sikh Empire in India, Tibet, and Thailand faced off against a League of Democracies encompassing the rest of the world. I wrote multiple versions of the timeline as I went along (here is the current version) and even sold some short fiction set in that world. My first story, "Coil Gun," I sold to Digital Fiction Publishing in 2011 for $0.05 a word, my first "pro" sale. The story appeared in their anthology Pressure Suite and in fact inspired the cover art. DFP eventually bought the reprint rights for another story set in that world, "Picking Up Plans in Palma." That one appeared in their collection Cosmic Hooey as well as the stand-alone.

(Both stories also feature in my independently-published short story collection Flashing Steel, Flashing Fire.)

I've been working on a lot of projects since then, including a military science fiction novella set in Lindsay Buroker's Fallen Empire universe, but my brain is an idea generating machine. I've pondered many possible ideas for stories to tell in this world in the future. Here are some of them:

*The "Armageddon Trilogy." The novelette (it's not long enough to be a novella) "Palma" is at its heart a family saga. Journalist Katje de Lange emigrates to the United States with the reluctant blessing of her father David, against the strong opposition of her Theonomic zealot brother Thomas, as a result of the Confederation growing more authoritarian and more hostile toward women having careers. In America, where she's actually rather conservative despite being a flaming liberal by Afrikaner standards, she ends up romantically involved with Irish Catholic intelligence analyst Connor Kelly. Kelly ends up being sent into the Confederation in a harebrained scheme to retrieve some vital data, which is the main plot of "Palma." The proposed trilogy of novels picks up a few years later as World War III looms and follows the extended Kelly-de Lange family through it.

(This is a long-shot project considering how the acceptance for publication of my teen horror novel The Thing in the Woods means my next finished novel will likely be its sequel and how, owing to Ms. Buroker's huge fan-base, writing Kindle Worlds stories for her will likely make me lots of short-term cash. However, it never hurts to have many irons in the fire.)

When combined with some other ideas for stories featuring various de Lange ancestors as the Confederation is built and Kelly's own forebears in different versions of the American Revolution, the Mexican War, and the Civil War, this could be something like James Michener's generations-long stories. Think Michener's Covenant (South Africa) or Poland (guess) or James Clavell's Tai-Pan and Noble House, which both center around wealthy European-descended trading families in the Far East. Considering how the Draka series is a family saga of the von Shrakenbergs (and a spinoff branch fathered by one raping an enslaved Frenchwoman, who gives birth to twins after escaping to America), that's appropriate.

*Screenplays for "Coil Gun" and "Palma." I've actually written 85 pages or so for a "Coil Gun" spec script. This isn't the 1980s anymore, so villainous South Africans aren't in, plus it offends the zeitgeist in other ways like depicting a nuclear war as survivable with sufficient anti-missile weapons and good civil defense. I'd pondered pitching it as an animated film to reduce production costs. "Palma" might be easier to handle, as it's basically a run-and-gun you could film in Florida or somewhere else similarly warm to mimic East Africa.

*Another short story entitled "Killing The Rijnsburg." I promise I came up with the title before Bill O'Reilly started writing his historical books. I started writing this long ago, but abandoned it after failing to find a first-rights buyer for "Palma." The Rijnsburg is the Afrikaners' major orbital battle-station and taking it out is a major part of the WWIII battles in space. This battle is mentioned in "Coil Gun" and the plans for it are the McGuffin in "Palma," so it's thematically appropriate the third story be about the battle-station's destruction. Maybe when Digital Science Fiction starts accepting new stories again...

*There are various other individual story ideas I haven't really developed. One follows the neglected son of "Palma" antagonist Eugene Visser (seriously, Visser never even mentions him in the story, although be fair he has no real reason to) as he tries to do his dead old man proud by committing terrorist attacks against American occupation fores after the Confederation falls. Another features a dug-in Afrikaner regiment dying to a man to the tune of "In Christ Alone" to allow some women and children to escape an oncoming army.

Per that last point, although the Afrikaner Confederation is objectively an authoritarian, semi-theocratic (especially later) racist evil empire, there is much to admire about their culture. Things like faith, duty, honor, and bravery, all of which are held in far less esteem these days. My Afrikaners are less blatantly gross than the Draka, so it's easier to write them as protagonists. Given how the Afrikaners' evil especially offends the zeitgeist (they're racists and religious bigots), I could imagine that would grind a few folks' gears, even if I make characters like David de Lange (and not his zealous son or the sadistic Visser) the protagonists.

Another Afrikanerverse Story Is Coming

My first story set in my Afrikaner Confederation timeline, "Coil Gun," appeared in Pressure Suite - Digital Science Fiction Anthology 3. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I will announce that my second story, "Picking Up Plans In Palma," will be available soon on Amazon for the Kindle.

Here's the cover for you, courtesy of Alex Claw.

In its current form, this story is 7,500 words long. My friend Sean C.W. Korsgaard is giving it one last look-over before I post it. Although it's possible he could find so many places for me to cut that I could send it to additional paying markets (it's rather long for a short story), that seems rather improbable at this juncture.

After that, I'll post the second Andrew Patel story, "Needs Must." The first story, Übermensch, is already available for purchase. Alex has already done a cover for a collection of four Patel/Silverbolt tales, so all I need to do is just write two more. :)

Writing Contest Update and Summer Goals

These last few days I haven't been able to get any work done on my personal writing projects due to paid writing obligations, leaving my current word count for May at 14,000 words. This will give Nick, who has more time commitments than I do but can write the same amount if not more material when he does have time, a good shot at catching up. Hopefully I won't need to buy him lunch this month, although later in the summer it's looking more likely.

(That being said, I've got a week left and my most severe deadlines have passed, so it's back in the saddle again...)

However, regardless of who wins the contest this month or overall, I'm thinking of setting two goals for the summer.

1. Finish the first draft of The Thing In The Woods. It's getting clearer and clearer this is a young-adult novel, so I don't need to worry about it being so short. If I can get it to 60,000 words or so, that'll be fine with me. That being said, Delilah S. Dawson's upcoming young-adult novel is 80K to 90K and Jeff Baker's recently-completed young-adult horror novel (he described it as Harry Potter meets Lovecraft) is 100,400 words, so maybe I need to be careful. My graduate school classes start in late August and I imagine the reading and paper commitments will be extremely challenging, so let's see if I can get it done by August 26. Delilah and James R. Tuck manage to get whole first drafts completed in months and they have much more familial and other real-life responsibilities than I do, so it's time to crack the whip.

2. Finish the "Coil Gun" script. I'm around 85 pages in and the minimum page count for a script to be taken seriously, according to a friend of mine who lives in Los Angeles and writes for Elementary, is 90. I think I could finish that in a week if I really put my nose to the grindstone, since I once wrote 40 pages in a week and I'm adapting one of my own short stories, not devising entirely new material. Then take it to an Alpharetta group I'm in (that I haven't attended in months) that has a monthly screenwriting meeting and register it with the Writer's Guild of America to be safe.

What I'm Working On Right Now...

Current Projects

*Battle for the Wastelands

*Escape from the Wastelands

*Untitled Superhero Project

*"Coil Gun" Screenplay

Battle for the Wastelands has been finished for some time.  I've been tinkering with it, revising it based on suggestions from my friends Nick, Korsgaard, and others, and awaiting the final meeting of my writing group where we go over the whole novel.  That's slated for later this week.  Once I make the revisions based on those comments, I'll start sending it out to agents I've identified by reading the Acknowledgements sections of books like Dead Iron by Devon Monk, the Clockwork Century novels by Cherie Priest, and others.  Hopefully I won't have many significant changes to make, especially since I took out all the phonetic spelling of dialect ("'em" for "them," "somethin'" for "something," etc) at the behest of pretty much all of my writer friends.

I've also been working on Escape from the Wastelands, the second book in a planned series of eight.  Right now I'm done with the first three chapters and a significant block of text toward the end (it was originally the second half of one book) and need to finish Chapter Four.  A lot of the chapter is written already--I just need to write a battle scene in the middle.  When I brought Chapter Three before my Lawrenceville writing group, the group wanted more human interaction (including a sense of humor) among the characters, so I've been working on that.  The character Will has been established as kind of a jerk, so I figured someone not concerned about the feelings of others would be interested in pranks.  I haven't found the chance to work that into Battle, but I was able to plug that into Escape.

I've also gotten started on a new project based on how Abaddon Books has opened up for novella submissions.  I'm not familiar with any of Abaddon Books' existing worlds and they are open for new worlds, so I decided to start on a new project.  Not going to go into a lot of detail at the moment, but the premise involves supervillains relocating their operations to the Third World after the rich countries develop a significant deterrent to their behavior.  The deadline to contribute is in September.  I've written the prologue and plotted out the rest of the book.  If Abaddon Books isn't interested or if the story gets too long, this one might be a candidate for self-publishing.

Finally, I got a lot of work done on my screenplay adaptation of my short story "Coil Gun," which appears in Pressure Suite: Digital Science Fiction #3.  At DragonCon 2011, S.M. Stirling said short stories make good movie scripts and books make good miniseries, and I decided to test that theory out.  I wrote 15 script pages today, bringing it up to 62 pages total.  The problem is, a page equals a minute of film time.  A good script is 90-120 pages long.  Not sure how I'm going to add 28 pages.  Maybe I can describe some of the space battles in more detail rather than just saying spacecraft are fighting.

Behold, I Offer You Swag!

I'm going to embark on a little experiment here.  Awhile back, I joined the Atlanta Bloggers Meetup.com group and met Emma, founder of Fanbolt.  One of her techniques for growing Fanbolt was offering Fanbolt t-shirts, hats, etc. to new Twitter and Facebook followers. Some newspapers do this as well.

Well, I'll take a page from them and offer some swag of my own...

Here's the current map of the world where my professionally-published short story "Coil Gun" takes place. Last Christmas, I gave a coffee-mug with that map on it to my friend Nick, since he'd reviewed an early draft of "Coil Gun."  He's regularly used that mug--it's even made an appearance on Facebook, in a photo showing his dog Scout seated with him at the table like a person.

The twelfth new Twitter follower and the twelfth new Facebook fan will receive mugs featuring the map.  This offer will run as long as it needs to.  However, the longer it takes to reach the twelve mark on both ends, the more likely it is I'll forget I made this offer, so act now.  :)

By the way, "Coil Gun" appeared in Pressure Suite: Digital Science Fiction #3.  My friend Korsgaard reviewed both the book and "Coil Gun" specifically.  If you're interested in science fiction, you'll love the book.

The Afrikanerverse According to Korsgaard: Another Guest Post

First, let me thank Quinn for letting me give my view of his fantastic AH world, and his story "Coil Gun" (which appears in Pressure Suite: Digital Science Fiction #3) With that said, lets dive in to some of the changes I have made, or would have made, to the overall world:

-A lot of the changes made are just simple border changes, based on a mixture of both geopolitics and aesthetics. Examples include the northern border of the Turkistani Republic, which still avoids the dreaded Kazakh border cliché, the borders of nations like Tibet and Persia, as well as almost every nation in Africa.

-I also got rid of a few small nations that would undoubtedly be altered or just never exist due to butterflies. The Balkans have now coalesced into a number of loose nations based around Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania.

-There are a number of larger nations or super states, as I would think the idea of a powerful, expansionist and zealously Calvinist Afrikaner Empire spanning three continents would make a number of nations put racial identity behind self-preservation.

As for individual changes, I’ll go over by continent:

-In Europe, I remember you mentioned Sweden regained control of Finland in TTL Crimean War. This, along with control of Norway, would allow the nation to stay unified, as opposed to OTL where Sweden and Norway split ways in the 1910s, and conceivably, could have joined or absorbed Denmark, though I left it alone here. Aside from that, the big changes came to the Balkans, where Hungary retained control of the Hungarian portions of eastern Romania, and most of OTL Yugoslavia formed into TTL Serbia and Croatia.

-In North America, I gave Alaska back to the USA, likely taken from Russia in TTL WWII against the Soviets. I’d also advise you to consider the fate of Canada – without the Ontario core, the 1800s Canada will revolve around a French-Catholic Quebec and Acadia, resulting in a far different, if even united nation, if not still owned by Britain. The USA will very likely take a good chunk of the Prairie provinces just due to simple settlement patterns, or demanding it from Great Britain – if they can demand an independent Ireland and get it, why not some land back home?

-In Central America and the Caribbean, one of the ever re-occurring Central American federations succeeded in staying together, if only to keep a further wounded Mexico at bay. Aside from that, I just gave Haiti to the USA, and allowed the European powers to retain control of their island colonies – much like North Africa, with much of the OTL colonies under Afrikaner rule, Europe will cling to and settle what it still has.

-South America, I just has some of the wars of the 1800s result in a far more united Southern Cone. Looks better butterfly wise, since most of the OTL borders result from fairly recent changes, but it could go either way.

-Oceania, the only change I made was giving New Zealand to Australia. Given the need to strengthen the Aussies as a counterweight to the Afrikaners I see that as a smart move by the British.

-Aside from Africa, Asia saw the most change. Cambodia was divided between Thailand (which would likely still be named Siam here) and Vietnam. Given that China is divided for close to a century, I gave Mongolia, which in your TL, broke off from China anyway, the rest of Mongolian majority Outer Mongolia, and gave East Turkistan to the Turkistanis. Tibet has its OTL borders, and Japan still controls a rump Manchuria. Aside from that, just some border adjustments in the Middle-East.

-Africa has seen the biggest changes. Given that half the planet is cut off from colonization, you can bet France would spare no expense to see Algeria truly integrated into the nation, as Italy has with a portion of Libya and Tunisia. While it may seem odd, the British maintained control over West Africa, so I feel it isn’t too big of a stretch. Egypt and Ethiopia have both seen some border adjustments. West Africa has seen some solid changes, as I solidified the four nations of your map’s West Africa into two, one centered around the old Ghana/Mali/Songhai core, and one around the Kanem-Bornu areas of Lake Chad. Much like Morroco or Egypt, I could see the Europeans propping them up as a buffer against the Afrikaners, if one of the native rulers didn’t pull a Meji.

As a whole though, well done on crafting a world that captured my thoughts and ideas! I hope to see a few more stories from this universe, am curious to see if any of my ideas make it in, and in the event I ever get one of my own stories finished, please feel free to dissect it just as much – my Communist Confederacy idea seems to have struck a chord with you, so I’d love to hear some thoughts on that one someday! Until then, keep up the good work!

Want Some "Coil Gun" Merchandise?

I've got something those of you who are fans of my short story "Coil Gun" might like.

This is a map of the world "Coil Gun" is set it.  Nations without coloration are not much different than the ones in our world in terms of history, cultures, and borders.

Here's what happened: The world diverged from our history in the late 16th Century, when some additional Spanish victories in the Dutch war for independence lead to some Dutch organizing an exodus to the Cape of Good Hope.  Basically the Cape Colony is founded centuries earlier than in our history and there's no Dutch East India Company imposing restrictions on where the settlers can move and trade.  The Dutch presence in the Indian Ocean is stronger and when this world's analogue to Napoleon seizes the Netherlands, the Afrikaners inherit vast tracts of territory in the East Indies and India proper that reject the French-backed puppet regime.  India is divided between the British and the Afrikaners after the expulsion of the French until this world's WWI.

Meanwhile, this world's Cromwell deports large numbers of Irish to North America to make room for Protestant settlers.  In the long run, this leads to Dublin and other areas being included in this world's "Northern Ireland," but in the short run, this leads to more Catholics in the American colonies.  This world's United States is less phobic of Catholics than our own, which means the U.S. takes more territory in the war with Mexico and more Caribbean territory when it can get away with it.  There's less concern about large numbers of Catholic voters.

The butterflies flap their wings in this world in different ways.  The 1848 revolutions succeed, leading to a unified mega-Germany and an enlarged free Hungary whose own minorities throw off the Magyar yoke in WWI.  The Australians end up with all of New Guinea, while the Japanese are less thoroughly trounced in WWII and retain Korea and Taiwan.  The Sokoto Caliphate, which I remember from a college course on Islam in Africa, manages to remain independent in this world, while an analogue to Mohmamed Ali bloodies the Anglo-French and makes Egypt a middling power.

All this leads up to war depicted in "Coil Gun" in which the Afrikaners and their allies (the Persians, the Sikhs, the Thai, etc) challenge the League of Democracies (the United States, Europe, Russia, etc).

You can see the map on DeviantArt here: Apartheid Superpower Map 2.0

And that's where the "merchandise" part comes in.  You can buy magnets, prints of various sizes, and coffee mugs.  My friend Nicolas Hoffmann critiqued an early draft of "Coil Gun" and I bought him a coffee mug with this map on it.  You too can have an Afrikanerverse coffee mug too, if you order it online.  :)

Productivity Update...

Here's an update on my writing progress...

Earlier this afternoon, the Lawrenceville group went over the last two chapters of Battle for the Wastelands.  The scene where a character gets his leg amputated was duly applauded, but the group suggested some changes to the ending.  The changes they suggest involve a certain character surviving the crash of his airship--which was brought down by another airship being shot down above it and crashing into the top of the gas-bag--and battling another character on the ground.  They said having another character simply finding him dead at someone else's hand cheapened his story.

The problem with that scenario is that personal confrontations between leaders get less and less likely the higher the technology level.  Hector killing Patroclus and then being killed by Achilles makes sense in the Bronze Age technology level of the Iliad, as do Richard III killing Henry VII's standard-bearer and going for Henry himself at the Battle of Bosworth Field or (I think) Spartacus attempting to personally engage Crassus and getting pretty close before being cut down.

Although the Civil War (the tech level for most of the Wastelands world) featured a Confederate general who was killed in battle (I don't remember his name, but he bled to death from a thigh wound) and another leading a patrol in person and being killed by friendly fire (Stonewall Jackson), it's not like Lee and McClellan ever crossed sabers themselves.

The response was, to quote TVTropes, "Rule of Cool."

(shrug)

Oh well.  Realism can be bent somewhat for entertainment purposes.  The goal is to produce something one wants to read, after all.

Another project I've just started is called "Son of Grendel."  I took a page from James R. Tuck, who wrote a prequel novella entitled "That Thing At the Zoo" that was released before his debut novel Blood and Bullets.  Novellas have historically been poor sellers, but e-readers like the Kindle have helped get around this problem.  No binding and distribution costs, after all.

In Battle for the Wastelands, villain Falki Grendelsson makes a reference to having participated in the suppression of a rebel group that had killed a prominent soldier in the Obsidian Guard, Grendel's personal army drawn from his homeland.  Before the battle, he'd thrown a spear onto the battlefield, which is a Norse tradition dedicating the enemy to Odin.  No prisoners.  To top it off, he'd inflicted the infamous blood eagle on one of the survivors.

"Son of Grendel" shows what Falki had told.  I've plotted out twelve or thirteen chapters.  The final product will probably be 20,000 to 30,000 words long.

I've also written some additional material for Escape from the Wastelands.  Not a whole lot.  Basically I introduce Andrew and his squad doing their part in the advance northward into the crumbling Flesh-Eater empire and exposit some of the stuff that happened in the last book.  I'm going to need to read some second books in a series, like perhaps A Clash of Kings (the second book in A Song of Ice and Fire, sequel to A Game of Thrones), to see how they reintroduce everyone and explain what went on before.  I remember reading ACOK before I read AGOT and wondering who was it who had a bunch of molten gold poured on his head, so perhaps the "reintroduction" is more subtle.

I'm going to need to expand the role of Catalina Merrill some in the series, since she's the only female POV character so far.  Due to her being the concubine of Grendel (and the most restricted of them, since she's not some groupie girl but a high-ranking enemy captive), she doesn't live a very exciting life.  I don't think I can work much into Escape, but in the planned third book Marching Toward The Wastelands, I think I can work in some harem-intrigue subplot.  I've already foreshadowed some of the politicking involved in the first book.

One project that has been lagging somewhat is the screenplay version of my short story "Coil Gun."  43 pages long, out of an ideal length of perhaps 90.  In order to get it the right length, I planned to expand on the role of the protagonist's best friend who is in orbit aboard a powerful American battle-station during the opening night of World War III.  Problem is, I don't have a whole lot of ideas on how to do it.

I intend to go to Los Angeles sometime this year.  I can make it a business trip if I've got a completed screenplay and I've made contact with some agents.  I was originally planning on going sometime this spring, although if I reschedule my trip for early fall, this gives me more time to finish.  I'll look on the bright side--43 completed pages means it's roughly half-done.  :)

For the record, "Coil Gun" appeared in the Kindle anthology Pressure Suite: Digital Science Fiction #3.  This anthology, and others, can be purchased here.  DSF has been having some issues with money lately and how soon they can get back to publishing depends on how much money the anthologies make.  You can read all about it here.  DSF was one of the best markets I've ever worked with and I'd like to see them back in action as soon as possible.  I've got one completed story (also set in the Afrikanerverse) I could send them, as well as partially-completed new military-SF story.

Thoughts on Animating "Coil Gun."

I'm about one-third or so through writing a screenplay based on my short story "Coil Gun," which was published in September in the third issue of Digital Science Fiction.

In order to transform a 5,000-odd word story into a 90-page (at minimum) screenplay, I'm going to have to expand the events in the story considerably.  This I've done by beginning the screenplay several hours before the story, during the lead-up to the war.

Although this will get me to the proper length and allow for additional characterization, the events depicted would make the necessary budget for the film larger.  Things include space battles in the vein of Battlestar Galactica, the depiction of submarine-launched nuclear attacks, etc.  Anything depicted on a submarine bridge, for example, necessitates an additional set, while the special effects needed to realistically depict WWIII would cost a pretty penny.

However, the thought just occurred to me that this could be donate via animation.  This would be much, much cheaper than doing it live-action, which would require Michael Bay-sized budgets for the action sequences.

The problem is, in the United States at least, animation is generally considered something for kids.  One reason the film Titan A.E. failed despite being an awesome movie is that although it was animated, it was much more adult-oriented--it starts out with the alien destruction of Earth, features the protagonist being subject to racist abuse by other aliens, lots of gun-fights and space battles, an alien getting his neck snapped, and the female lead in a towel answering the door to her cabin and asking the protagonist "in or out?"

However, the more recent Avatar was marketed as an adult science-fiction movie and is now the top-grossing movie on the planet.  Titan A.E.'s failure could be attributed to marketing--if I remember right, it was not marketed as science-fiction for adults but instead a movie for kids.

If "Coil Gun" were adapted into an animated film, I imagine it would be done using Pixar-style 3D animation rather than traditional 2D cel animation.  I much prefer the cel look visually, but apparently The Princess and the Frog (Disney's last big cel-animated project) didn't do as well as Disney expected and that contributed to future Disney projects being digital animation.  Legend of the Guardians did the 3D thing really well, so as  long as it doesn't come out looking like Toy Story or The Clone Wars, great.

And the same rationale can be applied to my earlier project, The Gates of Vasharia.  I've described that one as "Lord of the Rings with tanks" (to say nothing of an extradimensional demonic army), so adapting that one would require a Michael Bay budget as well.  Of course, with animation, it would probably end up with an Avatar-sized budget.

Jeffrey Stepakoff Dispenses His Wisdom

Last Saturday, I attended a seminar at a local library featuring Jeffrey Stepakoff, a novelist, screenwriter, and a professor at Kennesaw State University.  I figured someone with his extensive experience writing in several fields would provide much wisdom for a small fish like me, and I was correct.

Stepkanoff told the participants that they should stop thinking of themselves as being at the mercy of producers and publishers.  If producers and publishers did not have content, they had nothing.

"We are at the center, the epicenter," he said.

He said there are people right now looking to find the next big book or the next script for a big television show or film.  However, he said this doesn't mean that one shouldn't write well and produce good content in the first place.  He advised people to wait until their content was outstanding before putting it out there.  If it really is good, getting it published/produced is just a matter of time.

A professional writer shouldn't just start writing without planning.  One should know one's story and ensure the story works before one starts writing.  Writing a script that doesn't come from a good story is a miserable process that requires a lot more work--one has to come up with stuff as one goes along.  This is important when one pitches one's story to an editor--one should have a good story, not just a vague world.

Then he dropped a substantial bomb.  He said if one's novel or script isn't getting traction, even after years, chances are it's not that good.  Write well.  "Have your killer story," he said.

He advised those writing scripts to pay attention to what the market wanted.  If someone writes for cop shows, but the market is for comedies, one should ask if they've ever written something funny during one of their cop shows.  If they have, they can write comedy.  However, he said that doesn't mean one should take the novel one has been working on for 20 years and add vampires just because they're trendy.

Stepkanoff said if one thinks one's book is in the same vein as, say, Jodi Piccoult, one should study her work and who reads it.  If the book is unpublished, find out who Piccoult's agent is.  Examine the book jacket.

He warned even if one has a contract for a book, if it's not a good point, the publisher will only print a small number of copies and won't put a lot of effort into promoting it.  However, if it is good, one's editor will push for the publisher to promote it.  Most publishing houses put out around 1,000 books. How many books get first print runs of 20,000 to 50,000 copies?  Maybe 20, and of those, 15 will have been written by established authors.

Stepkanoff described the process of "selling in."  If the sales people hear from on high the publisher is psyched about the book, they'll push that one more so than the other 300 or so books they're responsible for selling.

He advised the writers they should have the book jacket in mind when they write the book.  One should think about where the book should go in the bookstore.  One's pitch begins with the author and will ultimately travel all the way to the book buyers.  Stepkanoff designed his pitch before he even started writing the book.  This doesn't mean one shouldn't have the writing space to develop good characters, but that one should have a good idea from the beginning.

He then advised writers to build a public persona.  Publishers don't want just an image, but a built-in fan base.  Editors are thinking about how to pitch a person.

(Hmm...I think my built-in fan base are Harry Potter and Transformers fans from my fan-fic, BattleTech people from "Skirmish at the Vale's Edge," Digital Science Fiction readers from "Coil Gun, people I know from Marietta because I grew up there, Griffin and North Fulton because I work there, and alternate-history enthusiasts due to my long posting history at AH.com.)

Audience members asked him if he wants them to write something that can be easily forwarded.  Stepkanoff said this was the case.  An agent once asked a colleague of his to tell her what to tell publishers.  The colleague was upset, until Stepakoff told him the agent had connections and does her things so he can live in Georgia nad have a good place with his family.  He recommended audience members to craft a killer letter.

Stepakoff then explained the differences between literary and film agents.  A Hollywood agent, especially one who works in television, invests a lot in a single writer.  A literary agent will work with a larger number of writers and, consequently, will not be as present in one's life.  New York agents are more accessible--although their Web sites often say not to e-mail them, it does work.

An audience member suggested the Web site Everyone Who Is Anyone, which contains contact information for many publishers and agents.  Stepakoff told people who approach agents and publishers via this method to wait until their product is darn good, as a favor to other writers who might use this site later.

Stepakoff suggested people join the Writer's Market Web site or purchase the large Writer's Market books to find agents in one's field.  One should also find books in one's genre and check out the acknowledgements section.  One should find the agency that represented the writer and then go to the agency's Web site to find an agent.

However, he advised them not to fire off crazy e-mails and to think long and hard about one's opening line.  Agents don't just get you jobs--they're your business partners.  You have to give them something.

He then discussed marketing.  Most writers aren't pushed hard by their publishers and if the publisher won't put the effort into promoting one's book, one should.  However, there needs to be a balance between time spent writing and time spent on things like Facebook, blogging, Twittering, or doing signings in bookstores.

He then had some advice about bookstores.  If one goes to a bookstore and tries to arrange a book signing, the staff will be much more interested in you if you can point out where the book is in the store.

"Make noise on the Internet," Stepakoff advised.  "Get people to review the book."

(That advice I've already implemented.  I've promoted "Coil Gun" and the collection it's in, the third Digital Science Fiction anthology, via contacts I've made on AH.com.)

Stepakoff is on the fence about spending one's own money on Internet advertising.  He recommended if one is in a niche market, one should focus on social networking, as well as focused events relevant to your topic.  He then said every writer should have a Twitter feed.

"Nobody knows what's going to happen to publishing," he said.

His informed opinion is that consumption of stories is not going to fall and that digital media is going to be remarkably beneficial to it.

(I can agree with this wholeheartedly.  My publications, including the well-paying BattleTech and Digital Science Fiction ones, were in primarily online markets.  I did make a couple of sales to a smaller print magazine, but the magazine went under before they could be printed.)

Stepakoff discussed electronic readers like the Nook.  Amazon is selling more e-books than print books these days and many people bring their e-readers into stores, see what interesting books are on the shelves, and download them electronically.

He suggested that independent bookstores conduct a public-service campaign.  People who go to bookstores just to see what books they can download don't know they're not supporting the bookstores.  He said people complained about the death of Borders, but had to be asked if they even bought books in the first place.  He said Barnes and Noble is trying to integrate more with the local communities and compared them to Whole Foods.  Barnes and Noble also promotes books by region.  The company promoted his book Fireworks Over Toccoa heavily in the South, where it has been selling well.

Stepakoff also discussed giving out content for free as a means of enticing readers.  He has a free e-book entitled "Love A La Carte," which he described as being the "deleted scenes" from his novel The Orchard.  It's the number-two free item on Amazon.com at the moment.  He suggested writers put their own content online or for free at a low price, but not to just spew low-quality stuff.

An audience member brought up James Patterson, who gives out the first few chapters of his books online for free--people will buy the complete product to finish it.

Stepakoff said Patterson's books are so well-designed, they hook readers.  He reminded the writers it's their job to get people to read the second page.

He also weighed in n book trailers.  He recommend they not mess with those and instead focus on social media, which is free.  Creating a quality book trailer is expensive and it involves putting faces on characters Hollywood would like to cast.  If one absolutely must do a book trailer, one should focus it on selling the writer, not just the story.

"Let the publisher pay for it," he said. "Let them do the professional version of it."

He suggested a better way to get one's name out there is to guest-write for blogs.  There is a correlation between this and a high Amazon author rating.

Productivity Update

Current Projects

*"Needs Must."  The second Andrew Patel short story slated for my Kennesaw writing group's "Southern Superheroes" anthology.

*Battle for the Wastelands-What will be my first finished novel using my own worlds/characters (i.e. not fan fiction).

Last Sunday, I was up until around midnight writing Chapter 19 of Battle for the Wastelands.  I'd already finished Chapter 20 and Chapter 22, so finishing this chapter helped fill a major gap.  The concept for Chapter 21 I came up with at DragonCon and I plugged in the chapter between what became Chapter 22 and the unfinished Chapter 20.

This chapter was harder to write, since it isn't based on my strengths (world-building, fight scenes)--instead, it's purely dialogue/character development.  Still, a woman from my Lawrenceville writing group liked it, even though I realized after I submitted it that I left out some very pertinent information.

In this one, cowgirl Alyssa Carson flirts with protagonist Andrew Sutter some more, but he isn't interested, remembering his girl from his doomed hometown.  She ends up flirting with his jerkish squad-mate Will, which makes Andrew jealous.  I don't have a whole lot of experience with this kind of drama, so writing it realistically is going to be tricky.

Now to finish Chapter 21, which features the villain Grendel's son Falki ending up in a rather sticky situation...

I've got 20 continuous chapters completed and when I finish 21, that'll be 22 continuous chapters.  Nine to 10 more left, with bits and pieces of material already written.  Got to finish by Veterans' Day...

However, I'm also committed to have two stories completed by either Nov. 1 or Nov. 15 for my Kennesaw writing group's "Southern Superheroes" project.  I've completed and revised the first story "Ubermensch," which was first titled "Andrew Patel's Crisis of Conscience."  The second story is entitled "Needs Must" and features an awkward team-up between the villain Andrew Patel and the heroic Silverbolt.

I've got 4,148 words on that one completed.  Hopefully I'll be able to get it done by Monday or Tuesday and submit it to my Kennesaw writing group for our Oct. 8 meeting.  That'll jeopardize my timetable for finishing Battle, but this whole situation was my idea in the first place, so I really can't complain.

Earlier this month, I also wrote 1,200 words on a short story entitled "A New World To Conquer," which is set in a new science-fiction universe I devised at DragonCon.  I was in a panel that was getting a bit dull, so I started doodling in my notebook.  I drew a roughly man-sized pterodactyl in powered armor accompanied by a human in the same gear.  My mind started whirling--what kind of story would produce this?

I ended up with the basic plots of eight novels and several short stories set in universe where humanity is part of a decaying empire ruled by alien pterodactyl-analogues.  When "A New World" is done, which will probably be after both of my Andrew Patel stories and possibly even after the first draft of Battle for the Wastelands, I intend to send it to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.  I haven't sent them anything in quite awhile, since most of the short fiction I've been sending out has been revised older material they've already rejected.  If they don't want it, I suspect by that time, Digital Science Fiction would have reopened for submissions and "A New World" would be a good fit for them.

Of course, I'll run it once through each of my writing groups to make sure it's in the best possible shape...

Lots of Internet Publicity for "Coil Gun"

Ever since Pressure Suite - Digital Science Fiction Anthology 3, which contains my short story "Coil Gun," debuted, I've been using the Internet to market it.

For starters, since the story is set in a timeline I created on an alternate-history Internet forum, I promoted the heck out of it there.  The threads about it are mostly in forums where non-members do not have access, so here's the link to the actual timeline of the world it's set in.  Go to the very end for some discussion about how just how the Afrikaner Confederation will incorporate much of India and present-day Indonesia--the username whose handle is "gksa" came up with some really interesting ideas I intend to use.

And that has led to further promotion.  Korsgaard, who I know from the forum, wrote a review of the entire anthology on my friend Nick's blog and reviewed "Coil Gun" individually on his own blog.

Then Korsgaard's friend Mitro mentioned my story and got some comments from Digitial Science Fiction Editor Michael Wills and then interviewed me about "Coil Gun" and the craft of writing in general.

And Digital Science Fiction was so kind as to link back to all of them on its own web-site.

Hooray for networking!

And then there's this here, the Internet Speculative Fiction Database.  Not sure who runs it exactly, but it's some additional material on my story.

Anthology Containing My Short Story Is Now For Sale

The third edition of the Kindle anthology Digital Science Fiction, which contains my short story "Coil Gun," is now available for purchase.

Buy it here for Kindle!

Buy it here for Kindle, the Nook, and other formats!

Also, here is some content that my loyal readers might appreciate.

For starters, here's the map of the world in which "Coil Gun" takes place. 

And here's the current version of the timeline leading up to the events of "Coil Gun" and what happens afterward.

I figured you all would appreciate some background material on the world this is set in.  I've got one more completed story set in this world, "Picking Up Plans In Palma," that I hope to submit to Digital Science Fiction when it opens for submissions for the fifth edition.  I've also got an incomplete story set in this universe entitled "Killing The Rijnsburg" that focuses on the spaceplane attack that destroy the titular Afrikaner battle-station (and will also feature the destruction of the Montgomery as well) I can finish and send in.

I've also got some novels that take place during the lead-up to WWIII and during the war itself and its aftermath plotted out, although one won't need to read the short fiction in order to understand what's happening.  Some of the characters in the novels appear (or are mentioned) in "Picking Up Plans in Palma," but that's just "showing" some of their back-story rather than "telling" it--the important stuff will be related in a "telling" away in the novel itself, although I can imagine including "Palma" text as flashbacks.

Also, for those of you who are new to me and enjoyed "Coil Gun," you might want to join my Facebook fan page.

Here's the link.

"Coil Gun" Is Coming Soon

The third edition of Digital Science Fiction, containing my alternate-history science-fiction story "Coil Gun," went to the printer Friday.  It will be available on Amazon this coming week.  More details as they become available. 

My first pro-level sale.  :)

Just Got Paid for "Coil Gun"

I'm a very happy camper right now.  I just got paid $271.05 for "Coil Gun."

This is my first professional level sale, so I don't know how it goes with other markets, but my other sales were to lower-paying markets that did not pay as quickly.  Kudos to Michael Wills at Digital Science Fiction.  And this is my largest haul for anything I've written--the next biggest contender, "Skirmish at the Vale's Edge" (BattleTech), was $196.

(Which reminds me, I've got some more stories in mind for protagonist Arnold Hoefer, who was fairly well-received on the BT boards, and the Clan Wolf conquest of the Oberon Confederation in general.  Maybe I can get to work on those at some point.)

"Coil Gun" will be in the third edition of Digital Science Fiction, which will come out this August.  When it becomes available, I will promote the heck out of it via this blog, my Facebook fan-page, and other means.  Once print editions become available, I intend to head down to Griffin and do the book signings I promised my former co-workers at The Griffin Daily News so long ago.

Productivity Update

It's been a long time since I slugged a post "Productivity Update," so here goes...

*I just approved the final edits for "Coil Gun," which I sold to Digital Science Fiction.  It's slated for the third edition, which comes out in August.  The anthology (it's more a series of anthologies than a magazine per se) will be available on Kindle and other e-book formats for $3.99.  I should be paid fairly soon too, which is doubly awesome.  Once it's available, I'll be sure to post the appropriate links here and on my Facebook fan page.

*Digital Science Fiction reopened to submissions (for the fourth issue) this morning.  I submitted my story "Picking Up Plans in Palma," which is set in the same alternate-timeline as "Coil Gun."  I think it's a better story, since it's longer and told from the point of view of only one character.  This means more development of the protagonist.  I also applied the adage "write what you know," since SCUBA diving is involved.  :)

I've plotted out some novels set in the same world in which the protagonist of this story is one of the main characters--the novel takes place during the WWIII depicted in "Coil Gun," but "Palma" takes place several years earlier.

*I brought my Lovecraftian story "The Beast of the Bosporus" to my Lawrenceville writing group the other day.  They came up with many suggestions for improvement that will also cut the length.  The first draft (which I think I wrote in 2004 or so) was 10,000 words long and one critique said it was like reading Toynbee, with monsters.

(The story is set in the 16th Century Ottoman Empire and features several historical figures as characters.  I figured that would be rather different from typical Lovecraftian fare, which is set in New England in the 1920s.)

I've got it down to just under 7,000 words now.  There's still a fair bit of material to cut, although some of the suggestions will add length.

(One group member said including a portrayal of an honest, devout Muslim in addition to the alcoholic Sultan Selim "The Sot" and the messing-with-things-man-was-not-meant-to Vizier Mohammed Sokolli Pasha would defuse any claims of anti-Muslim bigotry.  To that end, I'm going to expand on the character of Sokolli's Janissary bodyguard Mehmet.)

*I haven't gotten a whole lot done on Battle for the Wastelands, although I did write some more material from the last chapter in my notebook while waiting for a meeting to start on Monday.  I think I'll plug that material in tonight.

*I haven't done much with The Thing In The Woods.  Given how this is a one-shot story and it's all about teenagers, it probably won't require extensive research.  I could probably finish that fairly quickly if and when I decide to apply myself.

*"The Revenge of the Fallen Reboot" is done.  I started writing it soon after I saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in 2009 and due to it being a lower priority than other projects, it languished.  Now it's done and no more fan-fiction.  Due its length (60,000 words), I think this one might qualify as my third finished novel.

(I wonder if Hasbro is interested in "roads not taken" novelizations?  Star Wars had the Infinities comic-books after all.)

If you want to read it, here's the story.

Officially Contracted for "Coil Gun"

While I was grocery shopping this evening, my phone beeped me in the manner it does when I've got an e-mail.  I checked and lo and behold, it was the contract from Digital Science Fiction for my alternate-history/science fiction short story "Coil Gun."

I could either sign the contract, scan it, and send the scans in, or I could electronically sign the contract by initialing each page and putting my name, e-mail address, and the date on the signing page.  The latter was less complicated, so I did it.  I sent in the signed contract about 20 minutes ago.

Now for the edits!  The third Digital Science Fiction anthology is scheduled for August and they're working on the second anthology now, so it might be a bit.

$0.05 per word.  This is my first professional-level sale.

Another "Coil Gun" Update

I exchanged e-mails with Michael Wills from Digital Science Fiction this morning.  "Coil Gun" is slated to appear in the third anthology, to be released in August.  Although the first book, which is available now, is entitled "First Contact" and features aliens on the cover, it's not a themed issue.  None of the issues are themed--the title comes from this being the publication's first contact with the readership.

I also learned there will be print editions of Digital Science Fiction as well--Wills and company are working on the print edition of the first book now.  I promised my then-co-workers at The Griffin Daily News long ago, back when I was working on a collection of sold and unsold short fiction with a small press, that I'd have a book signing they could cover.  Hopefully I'll be able to sell many print edition copies of the third anthology this way.

(Seriously, one piece of writing advice I picked up for someone who has a book out is to go many local newspapers and radio stations and get them to do stories about you.  Setting up a book signing and then contacting the paper to tell them you'll be in town and an interview would be awesome is a good way to promote yourself.)

Of course, this isn't something that will come to fruition for awhile, but it's good to have a plan.