Random Thoughts

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Don't Pay to Self-Publish : My name is Joe Konrath, and I write fiction. I've sold over a million books by self-publishing. You probably were searching for "how to self-publish" or something similar and my blog came up. This post for all newbie writers considering self-publishing. While it would be extremely helpful to you to take a week and read my entire blog to get a full understanding of how the publishing industry works, here's the most important thing you need to know: DON'T PAY ANYONE TO PUBLISH YOU. Now you can certainly pay people to help you publish. Freelancers such as editors, cover artists, book formatters, proofreaders, and so on. But when you hire a freelancer to assist you, you keep your rights. That's very important. When you write something, you own the copyright. That's automatic, even if you don't register with the copyright office. Copyright means exactly that; you have the ...

Alexandra Sokoloff: Nanowrimo: Midpoint : by  Alexandra Sokoloff Okay, it's a little past the midpoint of the month, so some, not all, of you will be coming up on the midpoint...

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: The Authors Guild: Do More Than Hope : From Authors Guild Prez Roxana Robinson : “In the meantime, it’s our hope that Hachette—in light of the loyalty its authors have shown thr...

I signed up for NaNo in 2013 and pooped out on it. I wound up writing some short fiction instead. I've signed up again this year and am determined to see it through. How about you? Any of you authors planning on NaNo this year?

Niko (The Outsider Chronicles Book 1) by Kayti Nika Raet A terrific book! Don’t miss! The first in a planned five book series, Kayti Nika Raet’s “Niko” is a tense and imaginative novel set in the popular field of YA dystopia. The characters are plausible, memorable, relatable, and cleverly written. Even better, the world she has created stands up to scrutiny, making sense where so many others collapse as you move from chapter to chapter. The plotting in Niko is terrific with tension and story questions raised on the very first page. Not only is the world is bathed in acid rain making food scarce, humans are beset by ‘Slithers,’ fanged and clawed human-like beasts who feed on human flesh. Fortunately, as a proper heroine, Niko gleefully dispatches the Slithers with a nail-studded baseball bat. She joins the Rose Circle, a rogue group of Slither hunters who smuggle her into the presumed haven of Amaryllis City. But, as expected in a dystopian novel, all is not ...

We Said It:: Review: H. L. LeRoy's "The fountain of the Earth" : Title: A Warrior's Read H. L. LeRoy's " The Fountain of the Earth " Reviewed by T’s Blogging 8/07/14 10:09 p.m. Let’...

Abby and her younger brother, Dean, along with their parents, have moved from California to Washington State to live with their grandparents. First, Granddad unloads about “The Folk,” a strange people living in the forest, even a ‘trickster’ crocodile that he warns Abby about. Of course Abby, facing a new school, new environment and trying to make new friends, has her own problems to deal with. Naturally, she wants to fit in. However, reality intervenes and she is almost fated to be friends with the school’s outcast, Sofia, otherwise known as ‘Bug-Girl.’ From there, Abby is off on a spectacular, fantasy adventure. Show more One of the hardest things for many children’s authors is the presentation of serious material in an enjoyable manner. The trick is not to be pedantic. Beth Winokur pulls this off flawlessly. Themes of friendship, loyalty, nature, and even death (fantasy) are touched upon. Other themes of dislocation, fear, school pressure, and to a degree, bullying are all...

In a speech for the group Equality Now, Joss Whedon, author of   Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Avengers , told the audience that the most common question he’s asked is, "Why do you always write these strong women characters?" One of the answers he gave really stuck with me. "How is this even a question? Why aren't you asking a hundred other guys why they don't?" He’s right. Both of my most popular characters are strong women, so I’ve been asked the question dozens of times. In fact, I have a television interview next week and I’m sure I’ll be asked it again. For my part, I want strong females in my stories that truly represent women, women who are tough but warm and sensitive, able to kick ass, and refuse to quit. Jillian Varela in Rare Justice and The Game’s End, as well as Terra Vonn in The Fountain of the Earth are both such characters.   They do what has to be done, but at the same time, they aren't overly mannish women. They can be th...