The Truth of Becoming

On Wednesday, better half and I received the news that our short movie, The Truth of Becoming had been accepted into the Offshoot Film Festival in Fayetteville, AR as an official selection for screening.  That was big news - at least to us.

The movie version was based on a short story I had written several years ago by the same name.  Published twice in print - it was always one of my favorites.

So, in honor of the stories new life - I have released the original short story (in all its glory) for the Kindle.  At only 99cents, it is a bargain.

So take a look - grab a copy and enjoy.

Never know, one day soon you too, may see the minor motion picture on the big screen.

A Great Review of Vengeance Is Mine

It Is a wonderful thing to discover a fantastic new review of your work when you first get up in the morning.  I know it has made my day!

A.E. Drury "Ed Drury" had this to say about Vengeance Is Mine while giving it 5 stars on Amazon:

What makes this story so gripping is that cults such as the one described in this story really do exist, as do the abuses described. The story is riveting as the patterns of abuse are passed from father to son. Vengeance is not a concept I support, and as it turns out, that it is not what the main character seeks either. She is rather a conduit for retribution. The story is very well written and I would venture to guess aspects of it were carefully researched. Paranormal aspects aside, the so called normal events of the cult are quite in keeping with several known cults in the US. I found it impossible to put down once I opened it on my kindle. "just one more chapter and I will take a break," I kept telling myself. Great little ghost story with a surprising conclusion.

It is so gratifying as an author to read a review from a reader who gets exactly what you were attempting to say in your story.  And this one did.  And I thank him.

Now, I know it's only a matter of time until I get a bad review on one of my stories.  It's going to happen because the tales I tell are not for everyone.  And that is just the way it is in this storytelling world.  Yet, when that happens, reviews like this one (and the other 4 & 5 stars I have) will definitely help take the sting out and put a smile back on my face quickly.

One More Time - But Not The Last

Finished with round three paper edits/revisions on Beneath the Tor yesterday afternoon.  I think my eyes were crossed all night long.  Now it's time to do the revisions in Word - print it out - and do it all over again.

Slightly disappointed that I didn't get everything done in June, but with any luck I'll have it done by the end of July and ready to go.  Really looking forward to the covers that the amazing and talented Neil Jackson is creating for both this book and its sequel The XIII.  The man does extremely awesome at designing beautiful and provocative covers that force a person to pick up the book - even if only for the artwork.

Now I could say that I like revising and editing, but that would be a lie.  A big, bold faced one.  But, I also know how necessary it is.  I have read more than enough Indie books to know that many writer's do very little, or no editing at all.  And their work suffers for it.  I can't count the number of times I've simply moved on to another book on my Kindle because the writing was so bad.  (Not to say mine is perfect, but it is as close as I can make it)

Watch this space, I'll announce the release of Beneath the Tor very soon.

Btw, if you need a great cover for your book - Contact Neil Jackson on Facebook.  You can find samples here:

https://www.facebook.com/neil.jackson.50596

and here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pig-and-Cow-Design/244609328915936

Back at Home in the HWA

I'm back in.  After years of not being a member, I finally renewed my membership in the Horror Writers Association.  It feels good to be back.  And not just for the commaradarie of being around other horror writers.

I remember when I first applied for membership back in 2001.  At that point, I had several short stories accepted for publication both online and in print.  While being published is great validation for your ego, becoming a part of HWA was even bigger.  At least for me.  I knew I was a part of an organisation that accepted what I wrote as a genre worthwhile in the world of story.

So now, as I continue the journey to get 'my' stories out of my head and onto paper or digital video - I know that there are hundreds of authors out there on my side.

Now, who wouldn't appreciate and be happy about that?

Not about me today

I could just write this to push my books (like I normally do), but today, I'm going to do something different and push a great friend who had his book Jawbone released into the wild world of eBooks yesterday.  (Soon to be available in print also).

I've known Michael Gleich for going on twelve years.  We met in a study group called Shadowlands at Writer's Village University (an online writing site).  We've shared stories back and forth since that time, both online and via email.  I consider Michael one of my very best friends and I would trust him with anything I have.

Jawbone began in that study group.  Over the years, I watched as it grew into a truly fantastic horror novel.  Published by Damnation Press, Jawbone is adult horror - no namby, pamby vampires or zombies.  Michael takes a Native American myth story and brings it into the present in a way that leaves the reader with goosebumps.

Michael has a wonderful way with words.  His descriptions affect all five of the senses in such a way, that not only can you see the imagery he portrays, you can also touch, hear and smell the location described.  Michael's characters are different also.  For those of us who have read horror for a long time, it's really nice to see main characters that are more reflective of our own ages.  While he does have younger characters in the book, it was very easy to relate to the older, wiser, and normal looking protagonists of this story.

Bottom line, if you're a die-hard horror fan, you cannot go wrong with Michael Gleich's Jawbone.  And if someone in Hollywood doesn't come chasing this for a feature movie in the near future - I will finally admit that Hollywood is dead.

Just a Few Updates

At long last, Vengeance Is Mine is now available at Barnes and Noble.  Within a few weeks, it will also be available for the iBook and Kobo readers also.  Which is way cool!  I'll post those links when they are live.

Kevin and I are both finally satisfied with the movie version of  my short story, The Truth of Becoming.  We'll be sending copies out to cast and crew in the next few weeks, as well as submitting it to film festivals around the country.  We even have our first - non movie maker review and it was pretty good, so we're real happy with that.

Goddess willing and the creek don't rise - we'll be shooting Lost Souls in late July.  We just have our plates full until then.  More pre-production on this one than the others since we're going for some very specific camera shots.

And in the writing world - I hope to have Beneath the Tor available as an Kindle exclusive sometime in early June.  The sequel The XIII should be up sometime in July.  After the 90 exclusive period ends, they will both be available at all eBook outlets on the web and most probably in print also.

So much to do, so little time...but at least we stay busy.

Cleanliness is Next to...

I don't think there is anyone who hates cleaning house more than I do.  Now, granted I enjoy washing dishes - but pulling out the vacumn cleaner is one of those things that I just really don't like to do.  A few years ago, I thought about what might happen if a person stopped cleaning and picking up after themselves completely.  (And yes, I've seen a few of those homes online and on television).  From that, my short story "Cleanliness is Next to..." was born.

I like this story, it's stayed with me over the years and helped convince me to pull out that damn vacumn and use it.  It also reminded me to make sure to get rid of stuff otherwise laying about.

It is a short story, less than 2000 words - but the next time you don't want to clean, plop down the 99 cents and give it a read.  It may motivate you to do what you know you need to do.