JE Gurley's Quill and Ink

http://www.amazon.com/Ice-Station-Zombie-ebook/dp/B0074VHH1S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328286072&sr=1-1

I started writing a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. I was a good storyteller but not a good writer. I took classes at vocational college. I read books on writing. I submitted. I have a file of rejection letters. Most basically said 'no thanks'. A precious few actually made suggestions that I still cling to. (To which I cling is more grammatically correct, but sounds foppish)

After a weekend seminar in the country by none other than Bram Stoker Award winner Jonathan Maberry, I began to sell a few short stories. No luck on novels. I grew tired of waiting and self published one and sold one to Publish America, which is almost the same thing as self publishing. I won't go into that six-year ordeal. I managed to sell a few hundred but no big bucks. After about 30 published short stories and still no novel sales, I buckled down and studied other writers.

Ta Da! I sold a novel, Hell Rig, to Damnation Books and my rejection letters grew more complimentary. Last fall I sold a vampire novel to Severed Press. Blood Lust did okay but no real winner. Then Severed Press published Ice Station Zombie. It has been out 2 1/2 months and is doing well. Judgment Day, first of a 3-part series followed and is also doing well.

Damnation Books has also bought Shadow Walker. It is due for release in Sept. of 2012.

I've pitched novels at conventions many times. I received some nice comments but no takers. However, this year at the World Horror Con in Salt Lake City I pitched a YA sci-fi novel, Oracle of Delphi to four publishers. Montag Press just e-mailed me that they want it.

2012 seems to be my breakout year. I'll take lots of small press sales, but I still would like that large press attention. With my name out there more often in both horror and sci-fi genres, just maybe it will happen.

I write a lot and send out a lot of manuscripts. I don't mind rewrites or editing. In fact, I enjoy it. Everything I learn I take to my next novel. (Maybe that's the true secret of success)

Novel pitching is an excellent opportunity, Face to face is best. If a publisher doesn't like you, they won't back you. I would suggest to every author out there to take advantage con pitch sessions. You can pitch to venues otherwise open to only agented submissions. I see established authors pitching. maybe they know something, huh?

2012 is going to be my break out year. Make it yours too.

Writer's block. If you've ever written anything - novels, letters, short stories, speeches - you've probably had to face the wall, that daunting, massive expanse of white that mocks you and challenges you. Sometimes you feel like someone should offer you a blindfold and a cigarette. Don't give up! There are ways to defeat writer's block.

1. One way is to offer a blood sacrifice to your muse. Nothing gets a muse's attention like a fresh bloody liver or recently throbbing heart. I know it sounds simple, but it is illegal in some states and countries and the clean up can present  a problem.

2. Another way is to simply keep writing. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad. The effort of writing can stimulate the mental processes, eventually producing words worthy of saving from the delete button. What you write does not have to pertain to the story or subject at hand. Just write.

3. Work on something else. If your mind refuses to deal with your current WIP (Work in Progress), try starting a short story. I usually have several stories going at one time and jump around a lot. Sometimes what doesn't work  in one story will find a surprisingly pleasant little niche in another one.

4. Take a walk. Getting away from the problem and breathing fresh air can ease the troubled mind. here in Arizona, it is easy, except when its 115 outside. In New York in mid-December or at 3 a.m., it could be a problem.

5. Go berserk, delete everything and become a monk. Personally, this is bizarrely attractive sometimes, but I don't really want to shave my head and I don't look good in saffron robes.

6. Back away from writing and read  your WIP. Often, your mind realizes mistakes your eye misses. Your reading mind is different from your writing mind. Engage your reading mind and read what you've written. I have found that working through a nagging problem often frees me from my writer's block.

7. If these steps don't help, go back to Step 1.

Keep writing.

Social media - I once watched a juggler keep three chainsaws in the air at one time. It was a death defying act and I remember wondering how he managed to survive learning how to do it. I suppose he practiced with them not running first, just in case. He managed to keep all his limbs intact and so can you. Somethimes I feel like that juggler when I try to balance writing and promoting. Writing is easy. You just dictate what the voices in your head are screaming at you. Promotion is another animal altogether. For what it's worth, here are my views on keeping all your fingers and toes while selling your wares.

Web Sites. I'm still new at social media. I've had a website for some time and I buy domain names for my new novels and link them to my webiste. It's cheaper than creating individual websites. I began with a site with all the bells and whistles but received complaints about slow downloading time because of all the graphics and audio, so I scaled back. Now, I offer a main page, a bibliography page, a links and contact page and a photo page. I also include links to my blogs and two excerpts pages, which I change often. I created the site myself, but now it's time to get a professional to help me. 

Facebook. Everyone uses Facebook. It's now like the local coffee shop. I try not to inundate readers with pleas to buy my books, but a few hints or stories about your novels doesn't hurt. I do not post political or religious items but I do respond to some of the more agregious attacks. It's a weakness i have to offend idiots. Social media is for making friends, not enemies. Even people I disagree with politically, I manage to find some common ground. Try to offer readers something for their time - daily quips, funny quotes, contests, questions. Keep them interested. Maybe stay away from endless cat photos. I also have an author Facebook page for strictly writing posts and promoting myself as an author. I'm just getting it running.

Linked In. I joined Linked In. I'm not sure what it does, but I have my info available for anyone who cares and I post occassional items.

Goodreads. I keep a reading list and links to my books there. I also present books by others for the reading list. Again, I'm not sure how much benefit it is, but I try to keep up.

Twitter. Twitter I like. You have to be short and concise. I offer personal posts that sometimes refer to my writing, but no blatant advertising. I don't text, so I Tweet from my computer. It's quick and easy to build a following. A very useful social media.

Google+.  I think I signed up but I don't use it. If you find it useful, more power to you.  

Yahoo Groups.  In my opinion, it's by far the best way to make friends and socialize. You can join critique groups, writers groups - any interest you have. It seems more intimate and friendly. Don't spam and don't trash others.

Blogs.  Blogs are great but they take up a lot of time I should be usaing to write. I have a Chef JIm's Recipe Blog for food and two blogs for writing. I post the same blog on each and promote them in different places. Now, you can link your blogs automatically to Facebook, Twitter and other groups. I'm still struggling to increase readership and find the time to post. A quick note to your Yahoo Groups will alert them of your post.

There are many more social outlets, but I don't use them. I barely find time for these. Too much time on Facebook, of course. It's like watching T.V.  I try to check in on Facebook a few times each day, blog once a week, and  send a Tweet 2-3 times a week. I should do better, but I love to write. I write all day, everyday. Remember, don't spam, don't trash, don't plug constantly. Offer something the reader will want. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I'm just getting the hang of this social media craze and need all the help I can get..

 This past weekend was the 2012 World Horror Convention at Salt Lake City, Utah. Now, having a hotel full of rowdy horror writers in the middle of Salt Lake City, Ground Zero for Mormons, just blocks away from the Temple, doesn't sound like a great idea. Nevertheless, this was the second time WHC has taken over the city, and other than a few strange stares in the elevator, there was little bloodshed and few captives taken. In fact, they treated us very well.

  This is my second visit to SLC and WHC and I loved every minute of it. I met some old friends, put faces to names I know from e-mail, Yahoo groups and Facebook. The city is beautiful, filled with history and, this time, offered a mild-weather weekend. It was abit breezy, but as an Arizonan, I'm used to that. However, I don't like snow except to look at. On the way home Sunday, we reached about 7000 feet and hit snow, wind and a heavy fog that made driving harrowing, but that was better than the blizzard of the last WHC when I had to bug out early to avoid being snowbound.

  In between carousing with friends, attending wonderfully informative panels and some great parties (Thanks especially to Kim and William at Damnation Books), I managed to pitch two novels to three publishers with hopefully good results. I'll know soon. The Bram Stoker Award party was a great success. A shout out to friend Jonathan Maberry for his new trophy. Maybe someday I'll be standing up there on the podium. I can dream, can't I? I never leave a con without purchasing a few books, this time two from Weston Ochse, a fellow Arizonan author. Now I have a few weeks worth of reading. Damnation told me a few of my books sold to people I had met and talked to at the convention. Being a social butterfly (Or catipillar) pays off.

  Rumor is that WHC is coming back to SLC in 2014. I'm looking forward to that, as well as the Horror Writer's Association convention in New Orleans in 2013. Killer Con in Las Vegas is coming up this year, too. It looks like a busy year. Anyone who writes or reads horror should make at least one convention in their lifetime. It's a real treat. For an author, networking with fellow writers is as good as gold. The pros are eager to share their secrets and the panels are geared for the amateurs as well as the pros.

  This year there were several cemetary tours and a seance for guests and an inpromptu magic act showed up at the Damnation Books party before the riot polce closed it down. Sigh. Great looking, scantily-dressed women rubbing fire on their bodies and tongues is always a pleasure to watch.

  I will post some photos on Facebook soon. Drop by, take a look and see what you missed. See you next year, I hope.
 
  

 

   
http://www.jamesgurley.com 


Anyone who has ever attended the Tuscon Festival of Books in Tucson, Arizona in March can attest to the fact that it is awesome. 100,000 book lovers descending on othe University of Arizona campus to meet authors, attend lectures and buy books is like a literary carnival. I admit quite a few seemed to lounge around the food courts but I'm sure they managed to buy a book or two. This was my first festival and I expected to sell a couple of books, talk to a few people, attend a few lectures and meet some old friends - not so. I was busy. I sold quite a few books and saw my Amazon e-book traffic spike sharply for a few days.

  This is the third year for the TF of B and it seems to be going strong. The weather was perfect, 70s and clear, a typical Arizona late winter day. It looked like every genre was represented from self-help to paranormal romance. I have to thank Severed Press. The cover of my new zombie novel, Ice Station Zombie, drew people like moths to a flame. It is a very catching cover. I could see customers spot it from twenty feet away and veer to our booth. I also met some reviewers to whom I gave copies and got an offer for a private guided tour of Biosphere2 in Oracle, where my newest zombie novel, Judgment Day takes place. I met some great people eager to talk about writing, reading, the weather - anything and hope I made a few new friends.

  One amazing artist blew me away. Nick Georgiou, a cut paper artist, had statues and portraits made entirely of strips of paper. His work was awesome and worth the trip. I met fellow Arizona horror writer Lynn Rush and got a copy of her novel, Wasteland. I can't wait to read it. I saw mystery writer J.A.Nance but couldn't get through the massive crowd to say hello. I regret I didn't get a chance to say hello to Weston Ochse or Yvonne Navarro but I really like selling books. it makes me feel appreciated. What amazed me was that the average age for buyers was about 15 and I don't even write YA novels. I was glad to see so many young readers avid for horror.

  Checdk out the photos I took. They are on my website on the Photo page.  I intend to attend Tucson Festival of Books next year I hope I see some of you there.
 
  

That Eureka Moment

Writing is hard work. You would think sitting by the pool with a mai tai and a cigar making stuff up would hardly use enough of your brain to take your mind off the bikini-clad beauties. Boy was I wrong. The problem with fiction is that it has to be believeable.

Believeable? You mean like some of those Sy Fy Channel movies where physics and common sense seem to have been left out of the script, where someone from Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader would double over in laughter. If you want to sell books, they should be better than that. A reading audience is more intelligent than a couch potato. (I'm both, so I'm easily entertained because I find absurdity hilarious)

Get you facts straight; then make stuff up.

Have you ever had that Eureka moment when an idea shoots into your brain so suddenly while you're writing, it makes you drop your martini? (I can type as well with one hand as I can with two, better in fact) Some little detail that you have missed in your timeline, your character or your carefully constructed pseudo-science for zombie physiology (preferably you're a horror writer when this happens) becomes amazingly clear and hovers before you like the Holy Grail on a cloud of purest white. it's one of those moments that brings a tear to your eyes. Your subconscious mind has been mulling over your writing and now becomes your editor. Such sweet victory!

I admit that I fudge physics or biology sometimes. After all, we're talking vampires, zombies and monsters here. I mean, no one ever wondered where Godzilla hid that nuclear reactor as he demolished Tokyo. But I do feel better when something makes a little more sense. It might not mean much to my readers, but even a used car salesman would like to convince himself he's not selling junk.

If lightning strikes you (Figuratively) and points a neon finger at a blazingly obvious mistake, take heed. Be true to you craft and you craft . . . Well, you know. 

Keep writing. Keep reading.   

http://www.jamesgurley.com 
Today, I spotlight fellow Damnation Books author Kethryn Meyer Griffith. Here is how she describes herself.

Since childhood, I’ve always been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. I began writing novels at 21 and have had fourteen (nine romantic horror, one historical romance and two mysteries) previous novels published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books and Eternal Press.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-three years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois called Columbia, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have two quirky cats, Sasha and Cleo, and the four of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die.

Some of Kethryn's novels include: The Nameless One, Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forge, Vampire Blood and The Last Vampire.

Her websites are:

         http://www.myspace.com/kathrynmeyergriffith (to see all my book trailers with original music by my singer/songwriter brother JS Meyer)

http:// www.bebo.com/kathrynmeyerG
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1019954486

http://www.authorsden.com/kathrynmeyergriffith

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=1019954486

http://www.jacketflap.com/K.Griffith

http://www.shoutlife.com/kathrynmeyergriffith

http://www.goodreads.com/profile/kathrynmeyergriffith

http://romancewriterandreader.ning.com/profile/KathrynMeyerGriffith

http://romancebookjunction.ning.com/profile/kathrynmeyergriffith

E-mail me at rdgriff@htc.net I love to hear from my readers.

Check out her website. She has some neat free stuff for you. 

When it Rains . . .

 

  I know shouldn’t complain. It’s what I’ve been working towards for years. Deadlines. I’ve always envied other authors their deadlines. To me it meant progress. Now I have one, no four! Severed Press recently released in e-book my novel, Blood Lust. They’ve been working on Ice Station Zombie (New cover will be great) and I’ve been working on the first book of the Judgment Day series. At the same time, two magazines asked me to submit short stories. I don’t have the time, but you know what they say about promotion. Getting your name out there is what it takes.

  Now, Severed Press wants some changes in Ice Station Zombie, not much, just change the city! That’s okay, no panic. It’s just edits. The story takes place in Antarctica and Australia and they know more about Australia than I do. They’re based there. So now, I’m going through Ice Station Zombie and changing the mentions of Melbourne before I actually change the city to Adelaide. I jump from it to Judgment Day. I recently visited Biosphere 2 near my home in Tucson because Biosphere 2 will play an important role in the series. Research takes time away from actually writing.

  On breaks, I work on the two short stories, try to help a friend edit his pretty good first horror novel, try to keep up with my obligatory self-promotion on Facebook, You Tube, My Space, Twitter, write two blog site, update my website, Google+, Goodreads, four Yahoo groups, go to the gym 3-4 times a week, and try not to ignore my cats and wife (In that order).

  I love it! Pressure does wonders for writing. There’s no time for writer’s block or indecision. My characters have to think on their feet and make quick decisions. This energy enhances the action scenes. I do have to take a deep breath every now and then to relax for the dialogue or slower scenes, but this gives me a break.

  If I typed as fast as my wife did, I would be finished by now. She’s a whiz on the keyboard. I have to look at the keys and type with 3-4 fingers. Any more and they entangle. My words still come out looking dyslectic since I write faster than I can type. I would try a speech program, but with my Southern drawl, it would be a war of words with my computer claiming I’m making up new words. (Ya’ll is real. So is goin’)

  This writing business is hard work but I love it. The stories have to come out of me some way (Orally is much more preferable to the alternative) or I would explode. Being a chef was creative. Being a musician is creative. Writing is more than creativity. Your characters are a part of you, born from your flesh and thought. If you’re lucky, you touch someone by their thoughts or actions. It teaches the writer so much about him/herself. If you’re really lucky, your characters will touch you.

Keep writing!

 

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see the person you are or the person you were – younger, more hair, thinner? Do you see your regrets or your future? Do you see a writer? Writing is easy. Writing well is not. It is a challenge fraught with pitfalls, disappointments and moments of indecision, like life in general. Like most people, I paid just enough attention in English class to pass (with an A). I knew how to write but I didn’t know how to WRITE. I’ve had to forget the rules I picked up as a child and my Southern upbringing and learn the correct pronuncation and proper use of words, punctuation and sentence structure. I didn’t know a dangling participle from a prepositional phrase. I had to mature from a storyteller to being able to convey those stories onto paper – a writer. It was not an easy journey.

Dealing with rejection. I’m not sure how many rejection letters and e-mails I received before I truly learned the difference between Show and Tell. It seems such a moot point, but makes the difference between telling the story and allowing the reader to experience it, the mark of a good novel. My friend, Jonathan Maberry, went to great lengths to set me straight during a 3-day writers retreat. I sold two short stories the next week. That’s the great thing about being a writer – friends help friends. Let’s see two car salesman do that.

Dealing with friends. Friends are the same the world over. They will love your writing whether it deserves their praise or not. They will love having a friend who is an ‘author’. Your mother will think you’re the best writer since Hemingway. She’s your mother. Don’t listen to them! False pride can kill you. I don’t know how many times I’ve read about writers arguing with publishers or agents after receiving a rejection letter, trying to prove their point. Forget it! Even if they’re wrong, they’re right. Arguing gains you nothing. Listen to what they say. learn from them. It’s their business.

Dealing with success. You sold your novel and are admiring it in your hands. It’s pretty and shiny, your Precious. Drop it. It’s time to promote yourself. Actually, it’s past time. Start promoting yourself, not your novel, before the novel’s finished and published. Social media is great for this. Make friends. Don’t inundate them with requests to ‘Buy my Book’. Get to work on your next novel.

Look in the mirror. Feel better? Better, yet, take a glance behind the mirror. With a little imagination, what you see on the other side is you with a Bram Stoker Award or Pulitzer Prize. Good luck.

  What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see the person you are or the person you were - younger, more hair, thinner? Do you see your regrets or your future? Do you see a writer? Writing is easy. Writing well is not. It is a challenge fraught with pitfalls, disappointments and moments of indecision, like life in general. Like most people, I paid just enough attention in English class to pass (with an A). I knew how to write but I didn't know how to WRITE. I've had to forget the rules I picked up as a child and my Southern upbringing and learn the correct pronuncation and proper use of words, punctuation and sentence structure. I didn't know a dangling participle from a prepositional phrase. I had to mature from a storyteller to being able to convey those stories onto paper - a writer. It was not an easy journey.

  Dealing with rejection. I'm not sure how many rejection letters and e-mails I received before I truly learned the difference between Show and Tell. It seems such a moot point, but makes the difference between telling the story and allowing the reader to experience it, the mark of a good novel. My friend, Jonathan Maberry, went to great lengths to set me straight during a 3-day writers retreat. I sold two short stories the next week. That's the great thing about being a writer - friends help friends. Let's see two car salesman do that.

  Dealing with friends. Friends are the same the world over. They will love your writing whether it deserves their praise or not. They will love having a friend who is an 'author'. Your mother will think you're the best writer since Hemingway. She's your mother. Don't listen to them! False pride can kill you. I don't know how many times I've read about writers arguing with publishers or agents after receiving a rejection letter, trying to prove their point. Forget it! Even if they're wrong, they're right. Arguing gains you nothing. Listen to what they say. learn from them. It's their business. 

  Dealing with success. You sold your novel and are admiring it in your hands. It's pretty and shiny, your Precious. Drop it. It's time to promote yourself. Actually, it's past time. Start promoting yourself, not your novel, before the novel's finished and published. Social media is great for this. Make friends. Don't inundate them with requests to 'Buy my Book'. Get to work on your next novel. 

  Look in the mirror. Feel better? Better, yet, take a glance behind the mirror. With a little imagination, what you see on the other side is you with a Bram Stoker Award or Pulitzer Prize. Good luck.