They said my profile was unacceptable because it contained a profanity. WTF! I carefully re-read my profile and tried a few changes but the message came back: PROFANE
I deleted the only remaining thing I could see they might object to. Sure enough, the new version passed muster.
IF The Book of Paul
were a music album, a critic might say it had cross-over appeal.
It has a feel of a genre novel but it is hard to classify because
of its elements of sci-fi, dystopia, psychological drama and comedy.
I believe its publicity machine is running with supernatural thriller and that
is a good as label as any.
I read not much genre fiction apart from Chandleresque
private-detective yarns. While I say ’’not much’ , none at all is closer to the
mark.
New York author Richard Long was able to hook me and keep me
on the line until the end. That is a good effort as, before reading The Book of Paul, I thought tarot was an
Asian root vegetable.
Welcome to Day 3 of my part in the whirlwind blog tour of The
Book of Paul.
On Day 1, author Richard Long was kind enough to eloquently
answer my questions on his supernatural thriller.
On Day 2, we ran an excerpt from the novel.
Today we return to Q&A, one of my fave media for
discussion and robust debate. The questions are from blog-tour organiser Novel
Publicity. In the interests in massaging
my ego, I may introduce my own comments. We will see. Let the fun and games
begin.
I would love to say it was a humble British Vauxhall which
fetched more than $5 million at auction but I would be lying.
At the Goodwood Motor
Circuit in Chichester, UK, on Saturday 15thSeptember
An extraordinary an unrestored 1928
‘S’ Type Sports Tourer Mercedes fetched more than £2.8 million. Type Sports
Tourer battleship grey ‘S’ Type was owned by the same family from new and had
never been restored, retaining its original blue leather upholstery in its entirety.
Never has the tag “one owner” had so
much value. Oh Lawd, won’t you sell me a Mercedes Benz.
Gibbs is a sweet girl, and like Morrissey, a
vegetarian. There the comparison ens as
the teenager can’t stand blood while Morrissey bleeds from the mouth,mthe ears
and the amp.
Ì do wish people would stop writing things like
six-figure sume. I have to count ion my figures to some up with $100, 000 or
more.
I do hope these bidding wars for indie writers
continue. One day they might get down to you or me.
HarperCollins's publishing
director, Shona Martyn, said: ‘I think this book has traction – Abigail's
storytelling is pacey and vivid; her characters and plot are sexier than Edward
and Bella.’’
IF there is
an author’s grand plan for successful writing practice we would fail to have
the rich diversity which makes literature a thing of beauty.
I write all the time: it is my day job and often my night occupation.
Deadlines focus the mind but when I set out to write something which I suspect
might turn out above average, I let the work ferment in my mind, and perhaps my
heart and soul.
Once the idea is ripe I tend to write it all out without revision until
the end. It kind of works, but I suspect some semi-scientific creative process works
on the raw idea before I put finger to
keyboard.
Today I came across an article which might have some of the processes I
employ sub-consciously.
The article is by a media editor, but I imagine it could assist authors
of short stories, novellas and
full-length books.
The article is called 6 questions journalists should be able to answer
before pitching a story.
Below is the reference. You can either read the thing whole or my derivation
for book authors.
First, you will note the title has a number in it, a strategy beloved
by internet marketers. Everybody seems to be on that sort of stuff these days including
the article’s author, Tom Huang, is
Sunday & Enterprise Editor at The Dallas Morning News.
Even indies should be pushing their story to their
publishers, themselves.
Si here are the six questions with my thoughts on
them.
1.What piques
your curiosity about the story?
This is will be
the theme of your story or the underlying reason you are telling it. You do not
need to write down that theme or even understand it completely as you will
tweak it in the writing process. Be aware
that it is there; it is basic; it is important.
2.What’s new
about the story, and why do you want to tell it now?
Most good stories
are universal and timeless, but geography and timeliness will make readers more
perceptive to them. Is this the right time and place for your story?
3.Why will the
reader or viewer care about the story?
There
are two answers to this question. The first is because it is well written. The
second is because it speaks to some readers who hear it clearly. A book has
never been written which every reader hears. If you try to please everyone you
end up pleasing no-one.
4.How can we
tell this story digitally?
Critics of eBooks are quick
to affirm their drawbacks, such as their lack of the comfort of physicality.
But eBooks have comforts hard copies do not – the ability to link anthology authors
to their stories and bios, as an example. Linking to other digital works is
another. It is early days for eBooks. Be aware of break-throughs in formatting
and linking
5.What questions
will you need to ask to get this story, and what sources will you need to
consult?
This is the basis of your research. If you do
not enjoy research, you might need to change your mindset. Similarly if you
enjoy research too much, you may delay the telling of your story.
6.How much time
will you need to produce the story, and how much space/time do you think the
story deserves?
If you set out
to write a novel, your story had better be up to that length. If you are
writing a short story, it needs to be compact, even if told in a light style.
It is a good
idea to set yourself a minimum number of words a day. If you write 1000 words a
day, your first draft of a novel will take about 90 days or 4 months, given
that you are unlikely to write seven days a week when starting off. Four months
for writing; eight months for revision and editing will give you that book in a year, the
goal heritage publishers love,
If you set a deadline,
you will likely fail. If you do not sett one you will certainly fail.
Remember even
the Boulevard of Broken Reverie has an end to it.
I received this media release from an insurance company today.
I have no comment.
I mean, really, what can you say?
Cheers
Bernie
What do alien abductions, legs, backsides, moustaches and voices all have in common?
The answer is, celebrities insure them! Here are just some of the fascinating things that the stars are insuring²:
Shirley MacLaine has protection against alien abduction for $25mil
Model Heidi Klum's legs were insured for $2.2mil
Former Test cricket player Merv Hughes' walrus moustache for $370,000
Bruce Springsteen's voice for $6mil
Dolly Parton's 'renowned assets' for $600,000
One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson's backside for $160,000
Amazing! You could even say crazy. But on the other hand, celebrities recognise what's most valuable to them and insure against damage or loss of their signature 'asset'. They do it for peace of mind. 95 percent of Australian families don't have adequate insurance¹. That's a lot of under-valued Aussie parents, partners and kids. Now that's crazy! For further information or to purchase Ezicover insurance*, please click here. A reminder about what's important in life from NRAS Australia.
