Browsing all posts in Asides.
Killed four people this morning in Nassau, Bahamas.
A few blocks south of Bay Street. Near a ritzy private bank. My heroine was responsible for three of the mortalities. All very bad guys. She’s very good. Right now, her name is Petra Armstrong, but I am not fond of the name. (Abject apologies if that’s your name … no offense. Really!) If you […]
Coming soon: Be My Bookselling Partner, 50-50
I’m setting up a system for anyone who likes my books to be my equal partner … sell a book through Smashwords, make 50% of what I make. Smashwords system is a little complicated right now, so son William is doing some programming that will make it very, very easy for you. I’d like to […]
Broken Publishing’s Big Author Problem: Nobody Ever Runs Out Of Electrons
Branding expert David Vinjamuri has written an astonishingly intelligent piece in Forbes that nails just about all the most salient issues dividing indie and traditional publishing. No matter what side of this issue you’re on, you’ll be better informed after reading his piece: Publishing Is Broken, We’re Drowning In Indie Books – And That’s A […]
Post(coital)script To Last Post On Book Sex
In the process of writing the last post (Fifty Shades Of Book Sex?),I was Googling around for some Sidney Sheldon background and came across Writing a Sex Scene by writer Jessica Barksdale Inclán who actually taught this at UCLA Extension. Humorous, informative and on target. Read this if you’re thinking of writing one. The entire post […]
Klout = Krap?
Facebook tells me “John Friendly sent you a message in Klout.” Well, John Friendly is a pseudonym for a FB friend. So I click on the link and enter a user Hell that only malware and porn sites could manufacture. So, I sent this to my buddy: Hey man I think you sent me a […]
Traditional! Publishing! Indie! OUCH! OUCH!
Comment from Allen on “How Traditional Publishers SUCK On eBooks.” I was researching your agent when I came across your blog. Doesn’t your agent make certain that you receive the proper royalties? Do you regret going the traditional route? And, finally, are you happy with your agent? Any help will be appreciated. Allen Allen, as […]
Why Writers Should Avoid F-Bomb Barfers
The near-ubiquity of curse words has been lamented as evidence of the general coarsening of American society. That may be true and worthy of debate. Two recent pieces in the New Yorker (Dropping The F-Bomb) and The Atlantic Wire (Have Curse Words Lost All Meaning?) wrestle with the issue. I agree with some of their […]
Worst Tent, Best Tent In The World
The tent on the left is the worst single-person tent in the world. The one on the right is the best one. WORST TENT, COURTESY OF REI The worst tent is from REI. Setting it up is like wrestling with a Mechano/Erector set on crystal meth. It is IMPOSSIBLE for one person to set up […]
Does God Edit Our Lives?
The author as God is a frequent meme among writers. We create characters, think them up and breathe life into them. If we do a good job, they please readers. I was writing on page 300-something of my new thriller yesterday (The Nassau Directives. Out this fall) and needed the main protagonist to take an […]
Bay To Breakers 2012 – Most …
Bay To Breakers 2012 – Most …: Bay To Breakers 2012 – Most …: Bay To Breakers 2012 – Most …: Bay To Breakers 201… http://t.co/xE3lKBcs
