I read today that Random House, a huge traditional publishing house, has launched some 'digital imprints' aimed at would-be self-publishers and new authors in an attempt to expand their footprint. These digital-only books are a result of the sky-rocketing popularity of certain genres in ebooks- namely, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Chick Lit/Romance, so called 'New Adult' (college age fiction), and Mystery/Suspense.
My book, Noah's Custodian, may be a nice fit for them. I am considering self-publishing it in ebook format, and had thought in the 1 in a million chance that someone want to publish it, then it could get a print edition that way. However, I'm intrigued by Random House's overture and will give that a go!
Which means.. I need to finishing editing the darn thing and submit it!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Speaking of Michael Chrichton...
The US Supreme Court ruled today that human genes cannot be patented. While it seems like an obvious outcome- discovery is not invention- big business would love a monopoly any way it can get it.
Michael Crichton wrote a book about this very issue: Next. I'm sure he would have applauded today's outcome.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Dan's Inferno
I've never read the Divine Comedy by Dante.Alighieri, but after reading Inferno by Dan Brown, he of The Da Vinci Code fame, I'd like to.
Dan Brown's writing has never impressed me- I think it is adequate at best. However, he has a true knack for crafting thrillers steeped in history, symbols and trivia. Inferno is worlds better than his last effort, The Lost Symbol, especially in the prose department. Its Big Idea is controversial and blessedly nonreligious this time around.
Robert Langdon is not his usual self in this one, and the history seems a bit forced from time to time. The antagonist's plot is elaborate and it seems a bit forced, too, as it ties to Dante's masterpiece as literally as it can. However, as an escapist summer read, and as the basis of an inevitable movie, it does just fine. Not as explosive as the Code, but Brown will never match that height again, no author could. You only get to catch lightning in the bottle once.
If you liked his other Langdon books, you'll enjoy this one for what it is- a breeze of a read, soon forgotten but a worthwhile pastime.
Dan Brown's writing has never impressed me- I think it is adequate at best. However, he has a true knack for crafting thrillers steeped in history, symbols and trivia. Inferno is worlds better than his last effort, The Lost Symbol, especially in the prose department. Its Big Idea is controversial and blessedly nonreligious this time around.
Robert Langdon is not his usual self in this one, and the history seems a bit forced from time to time. The antagonist's plot is elaborate and it seems a bit forced, too, as it ties to Dante's masterpiece as literally as it can. However, as an escapist summer read, and as the basis of an inevitable movie, it does just fine. Not as explosive as the Code, but Brown will never match that height again, no author could. You only get to catch lightning in the bottle once.
If you liked his other Langdon books, you'll enjoy this one for what it is- a breeze of a read, soon forgotten but a worthwhile pastime.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Interesting Parallel
I try to stay abreast of what is going on in the world of science and fantasy fiction (often lumped together.. not sure why) and came across an interesting article that covers some ideas I explore in my upcoming short novel, Noah's Custodian. Many folks feel that science and faith contradict each other. I am not one of them, though I understand the viewpoints. Still, I'm one of those that can reconcile Natural Law with Creation. Someone could have created the order of things!
Stephen Hawking recently reversed himself (or publicly revealed what he privately held all along) that God wasn't necessary in the creation of the universe. Fine as a theory, perhaps, but our knowledge of the Natural Law is still so nascent it is arrogant to presume we have enough information to declare anything with certainty.
Physicists are busily working on theories and proofs that may show that everything could have sprung from nothing, no divine intervention required. I, for one, believe this is irrelevant to our faith. Both can exist- there is no need for one to cancel or disprove the other. There is plenty of room for both.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jun/07/god-in-science-fiction
Stephen Hawking recently reversed himself (or publicly revealed what he privately held all along) that God wasn't necessary in the creation of the universe. Fine as a theory, perhaps, but our knowledge of the Natural Law is still so nascent it is arrogant to presume we have enough information to declare anything with certainty.
Physicists are busily working on theories and proofs that may show that everything could have sprung from nothing, no divine intervention required. I, for one, believe this is irrelevant to our faith. Both can exist- there is no need for one to cancel or disprove the other. There is plenty of room for both.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jun/07/god-in-science-fiction
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Band of Brothers
I'm admittedly late to the Stephen E. Ambrose party in that I've only read two of his books. I read Undaunted Courage, which is an acclaimed description of Lewis & Clark's legendary trip to explore the West and find a path to the Pacific. I recently completed Band of Brothers. While I've seen the HBO series several times, I just got around to reading the book.
While the series is wonderful, Ambrose relies on first person accounts- often using the veterans' own words to describe what the soldiers saw, felt and thought. You do get bits and pieces of that in the show, but it is especially moving to read their accounts. It is an incredible book for that reason. Granted, Easy Company was an extraordinary group, but its veterans' descriptions of war and comradarie are staggering in their power and honesty.
I heartily recommend the book (truly a short, approachable read) and the series!
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Back to Work
A brief post today to acknowledge the long break between my preview posts of Noah's Custodian and the bit about Michael Crichton. As I say right in the description of this blog, it's difficult for a 'part-time' writer to write everyday, especially being a family man with a career.
That said, my career- love it as I do- is my second choice. My first choice would be to be a writer, though to look at how I spend my leisure time you wouldn't think it.
I harp on my children on how you have to work at something to achieve your goal. I'm a hypocrit in that regard- I believe I have the talent to be a published author. Don't know if I can make a living at it, and that's not really the point. But it is a dream of mine, within my power to achieve, if I just put in the work. So, immediately upon posting this, I'm getting back to editing Noah's Custodian. My self-imposed deadline is rushing toward me.
The take-away: do something every day that gets you closer to your goal, no matter how trivial it may seem. In my case, even if I sit down to edit a paragraph or write 100 new words, it's progress. Not ideal.. but progress none-the-less. If I wrote just 100 words a day, that would be 36,500 by the end of the year- about half way through a 300 page novel. I know I can do better than that, but it illustrates the point.
Back to work!
That said, my career- love it as I do- is my second choice. My first choice would be to be a writer, though to look at how I spend my leisure time you wouldn't think it.
I harp on my children on how you have to work at something to achieve your goal. I'm a hypocrit in that regard- I believe I have the talent to be a published author. Don't know if I can make a living at it, and that's not really the point. But it is a dream of mine, within my power to achieve, if I just put in the work. So, immediately upon posting this, I'm getting back to editing Noah's Custodian. My self-imposed deadline is rushing toward me.
The take-away: do something every day that gets you closer to your goal, no matter how trivial it may seem. In my case, even if I sit down to edit a paragraph or write 100 new words, it's progress. Not ideal.. but progress none-the-less. If I wrote just 100 words a day, that would be 36,500 by the end of the year- about half way through a 300 page novel. I know I can do better than that, but it illustrates the point.
Back to work!
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Michael Crichton
I've always enjoyed the late Michael Crichton's work and was recently thrilled to learn that he wrote a number of books early in his career under pen names. These books will soon be available as eBooks, and I'll likely read many, if not all of them.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
I admired Crichton's ability to write a plausible, interesting thriller around any subject he found interesting. You can tell that he wrote what he was interested in, researched it thoroughly, and usually could build a compelling, 'for the masses' story around a given concept, historical subject or technology. Too bad we lost him at such a young age.
He is the author I'd like most to emulate- I wouldn't want to be stuck in one genre. Starting out, it may be smart to use pen names as brands within particular genres, giving one the ability to 'break' into various genres while satisfying the market's need to pigeonhole. It is a rare popular author that can avoid that fate and cross genres with equal success.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
I admired Crichton's ability to write a plausible, interesting thriller around any subject he found interesting. You can tell that he wrote what he was interested in, researched it thoroughly, and usually could build a compelling, 'for the masses' story around a given concept, historical subject or technology. Too bad we lost him at such a young age.
He is the author I'd like most to emulate- I wouldn't want to be stuck in one genre. Starting out, it may be smart to use pen names as brands within particular genres, giving one the ability to 'break' into various genres while satisfying the market's need to pigeonhole. It is a rare popular author that can avoid that fate and cross genres with equal success.
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