Saturday, September 24, 2011
Augusten Burroughs on Writing
Don’t hang around with people who are negative and who are not supportive of your writing. Make friends with writers so that you have a community. Hopefully, your community of writer friends will be good and they’ll give you good feedback and good criticism on your writing but really the best way to be a writer is to be a writer.
PD James on Writing
Don't just plan to write—write. It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style.
Sarah Waters on Wrtiting
Treat writing as a job. Be disciplined. Lots of writers get a bit OCD-ish about this. Graham Greene famously wrote 500 words a day. Jean Plaidy managed 5,000 before lunch, then spent the afternoon answering fan mail. My minimum is 1,000 words a day – which is sometimes easy to achieve, and is sometimes, frankly, like shitting a brick, but I will make myself stay at my desk until I've got there, because I know that by doing that I am inching the book forward. Those 1,000 words might well be rubbish – they often are. But then, it is always easier to return to rubbish words at a later date and make them better.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Switched (Book One- The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking
Switched - the first book in the Trylle Trilogy...
When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right.
With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.
About the Author
Amanda Hocking is a lifelong Minnesotan obsessed with John Hughes and Jim Henson. In between making collages and drinking too much Red Bull, she writes young adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance.
The first and second books - Switched and Torn - in her new paranormal romance the Trylle Trilogy are out now, and the third book - Ascend - will be out later. The first four books in her series - My Blood Approves, Fate, Flutter, and Wisdom - are available now, as well as Hollowland - a paranormal romance with zombies.
When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right.
With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.
About the Author
Amanda Hocking is a lifelong Minnesotan obsessed with John Hughes and Jim Henson. In between making collages and drinking too much Red Bull, she writes young adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance.
The first and second books - Switched and Torn - in her new paranormal romance the Trylle Trilogy are out now, and the third book - Ascend - will be out later. The first four books in her series - My Blood Approves, Fate, Flutter, and Wisdom - are available now, as well as Hollowland - a paranormal romance with zombies.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Lifted by Evan Ratliff
The robbers had a crew of two dozen specialists, a stolen helicopter, perfectly-designed explosives, and inside information on a $150 million cash repository in Stockholm. The police were on to them—or so they thought. What happened next would make headlines around the world, but the robbery would just be half the story. The Atavist, a new home for original nonfiction storytelling, presents Evan Ratliff's inside tale of history's most elaborate heists, and the race to unravel it.
Evan Ratliff is the editor of The Atavist. His writing appears in Wired, where he is a contributing editor, The New Yorker, National Geographic, and other publications. He is also the story editor of Pop-Up Magazine, a live event. (34 pages)
Evan Ratliff is the editor of The Atavist. His writing appears in Wired, where he is a contributing editor, The New Yorker, National Geographic, and other publications. He is also the story editor of Pop-Up Magazine, a live event. (34 pages)
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene
There was a time when “universe” meant all there is. Everything. Yet, in recent years discoveries in physics and cosmology have led a number of scientists to conclude that our universe may be one among many. With crystal-clear prose and inspired use of analogy, Brian Greene shows how a range of different “multiverse” proposals emerges from theories developed to explain the most refined observations of both subatomic particles and the dark depths of space: a multiverse in which you have an infinite number of doppelgängers, each reading this sentence in a distant universe; a multiverse comprising a vast ocean of bubble universes, of which ours is but one; a multiverse that endlessly cycles through time, or one that might be hovering millimeters away yet remains invisible; another in which every possibility allowed by quantum physics is brought to life. Or, perhaps strangest of all, a multiverse made purely of math.
Greene, one of our foremost physicists and science writers, takes us on a captivating exploration of these parallel worlds and reveals how much of reality’s true nature may be deeply hidden within them. And, with his unrivaled ability to make the most challenging of material accessible and entertaining, Greene tackles the core question: How can fundamental science progress if great swaths of reality lie beyond our reach?
Greene, one of our foremost physicists and science writers, takes us on a captivating exploration of these parallel worlds and reveals how much of reality’s true nature may be deeply hidden within them. And, with his unrivaled ability to make the most challenging of material accessible and entertaining, Greene tackles the core question: How can fundamental science progress if great swaths of reality lie beyond our reach?
Dominant Species by Michael E. Marks
With technologies and weapon systems torn from the pages of DARPA's most advanced military programs, DOMINANT SPECIES is an explosive roller-coaster of futuristic military action. This fast-paced, character-driven novel will immerse you in the world of US Marines in lethal powered armor, trapped aboard the ghostly ruins of a starship buried miles underground. Somewhere amid the twisted, frozen decks, these elite Marines will find themselves wrapped in an ancient mystery and a life-or-death battle to see who will become... the DOMINANT SPECIES.
Alien Enigma by Darrell Bain
The Bolt Cluster is an area of close-knit stars that harbors a curious planet and deadly secret. Starships which enter the cluster never return. An alien enigma there has cost Wannstead Industries so many lives and ships that they finally decide to turn it over to the US Space Navy and its futuristic contingent of roughneck Marines. Captain Keane leads mankind's most lethal spaceship into unknown alien territory, fighting battles against a bizarre alien species that will never surrender. Keane and the crew of Doc Travis are now involved in mankind's first interstellar war, where the very existence of humanity may be at stake. The Bolt Cluster enigma must not only be solved but Keane and the Doc Travis also have to survive and return to Earth. Humanity must be warned of the threat or all the lives and ships lost so far will be in vain.
Forbidden The Stars by Valmore Daniels
At the end of the 21st century, a catastrophic accident in the asteroid belt has left two surveyors dead. There is no trace of their young son, Alex Manez, or of the asteroid itself.
On the outer edge of the solar system, the first manned mission to Pluto, led by the youngest female astronaut in NASA history, has led to an historic discovery: there is a marker left there by an alien race for humankind to find. We are not alone!
While studying the alien marker, it begins to react and, four hours later, the missing asteroid appears in a Plutonian orbit, along with young Alex Manez, who has developed some alarming side-effects from his exposure to the kinetic element they call Kinemet.
From the depths of a criminal empire based on Luna, an expatriate seizes the opportunity to wrest control of outer space, and takes swift action.
The secret to faster-than-light speed is up for grabs, and the race for interstellar space begins!
On the outer edge of the solar system, the first manned mission to Pluto, led by the youngest female astronaut in NASA history, has led to an historic discovery: there is a marker left there by an alien race for humankind to find. We are not alone!
While studying the alien marker, it begins to react and, four hours later, the missing asteroid appears in a Plutonian orbit, along with young Alex Manez, who has developed some alarming side-effects from his exposure to the kinetic element they call Kinemet.
From the depths of a criminal empire based on Luna, an expatriate seizes the opportunity to wrest control of outer space, and takes swift action.
The secret to faster-than-light speed is up for grabs, and the race for interstellar space begins!
The Frozen Sky by Jeff Carlson
"The Frozen Sky" is a stand-alone novella by the international bestselling author of the Plague Year trilogy.
Originally published in the Writers of the Future XXIII anthology, "The Frozen Sky" is a near-future sci fi thriller set beneath the ice of Jupiter's sixth moon, Europa. This story has been translated into Czech, Estonian, and Polish in magazines overseas. It also earned an honorable mention in Gardner Dozois's The Year's Best Science Fiction.
Originally published in the Writers of the Future XXIII anthology, "The Frozen Sky" is a near-future sci fi thriller set beneath the ice of Jupiter's sixth moon, Europa. This story has been translated into Czech, Estonian, and Polish in magazines overseas. It also earned an honorable mention in Gardner Dozois's The Year's Best Science Fiction.
Containment by Christian Cantrell
As Earth's ability to support human life begins to diminish at an alarming rate, the Global Space Agency is formed with a single mandate: protect humanity from extinction by colonizing the solar system as quickly as possible. Venus, being almost the same mass as Earth, is chosen over Mars as humanity’s first permanent steppingstone into the universe.
Arik Ockley is part of the first generation to be born and raised off-Earth. After a puzzling accident, Arik wakes up to find that his wife is almost three months pregnant. Since the colony’s environmental systems cannot safely support any increases in population, Arik immediately resumes his work on AP, or artificial photosynthesis, in order to save the life of his unborn child. Arik’s new and frantic research uncovers startling truths about the planet, and about the distorted reality the founders of the colony have constructed for Arik’s entire generation. Everything Arik has ever known is called into question, and he must figure out the right path for himself, his wife, and his unborn daughter.
Arik Ockley is part of the first generation to be born and raised off-Earth. After a puzzling accident, Arik wakes up to find that his wife is almost three months pregnant. Since the colony’s environmental systems cannot safely support any increases in population, Arik immediately resumes his work on AP, or artificial photosynthesis, in order to save the life of his unborn child. Arik’s new and frantic research uncovers startling truths about the planet, and about the distorted reality the founders of the colony have constructed for Arik’s entire generation. Everything Arik has ever known is called into question, and he must figure out the right path for himself, his wife, and his unborn daughter.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Out Of The Black by Lee Doty
It is the end of a nearly perfect society. Beautiful, happy people still drive electric cars to fulfilling jobs like any other day, but no one noticed that the Apocalypse began a few weeks ago.
Now the perfect society's misfits are its only hope for salvation, but they're barely keeping it together on a normal day:
- A homicide detective burdened by an unforgivable failure investigates an impossible murder.
- An overweight nurse comes out of her shell exactly long enough to be attacked by a dead man.
- An introverted computer genius and his insecure girlfriend are marked for death by a conspiracy so ancient it predates written history.
Each of these damaged strangers holds a piece of the puzzle, but as they begin to find each other, they realize they are being stalked by a methodical killer with the pure heart of a child.
Now they must piece together the mystery and find the courage to stand together against an ancient, hungry apocalypse.
Now they must learn to trust each other and trust themselves.
Now they must become the heroes the world needs before the darkness falls forever.
Sometimes destiny falls unexpected into the most broken lives, like a stone fallen out of the clear black sky.
Now the perfect society's misfits are its only hope for salvation, but they're barely keeping it together on a normal day:
- A homicide detective burdened by an unforgivable failure investigates an impossible murder.
- An overweight nurse comes out of her shell exactly long enough to be attacked by a dead man.
- An introverted computer genius and his insecure girlfriend are marked for death by a conspiracy so ancient it predates written history.
Each of these damaged strangers holds a piece of the puzzle, but as they begin to find each other, they realize they are being stalked by a methodical killer with the pure heart of a child.
Now they must piece together the mystery and find the courage to stand together against an ancient, hungry apocalypse.
Now they must learn to trust each other and trust themselves.
Now they must become the heroes the world needs before the darkness falls forever.
Sometimes destiny falls unexpected into the most broken lives, like a stone fallen out of the clear black sky.
Spyware by B.V. Larson
What if the entire Internet went down... At once?
The world believes Ray Vance released the worst computer virus in history. The virus adapts and evolves like a biological creature in order to survive. Many believe it is a new life form, but one designed with an evil purpose. As the sun sets on our technological world and the entire Internet shuts down, Vance runs from the feds. He must save his family, stop the virus... and stay alive.
This Technothriller is a full 71,000 word long novel, by award-winning author B. V. Larson.
The world believes Ray Vance released the worst computer virus in history. The virus adapts and evolves like a biological creature in order to survive. Many believe it is a new life form, but one designed with an evil purpose. As the sun sets on our technological world and the entire Internet shuts down, Vance runs from the feds. He must save his family, stop the virus... and stay alive.
This Technothriller is a full 71,000 word long novel, by award-winning author B. V. Larson.
Brainbox by Christian Cantrell
When the Earth begins cooling unexpectedly, humanity is left with only a few degrees of habitable latitude along the planet's equator. After establishing themselves as the three remaining powers in the world, the Americans, Chinese, and Russians eventually turn on each other in hopes of securing the last of the Earth's resources for themselves.
In an attempt to break the decades-long stalemate, the American military turns to Miguel dos Santos -- a brilliant Brazilian roboticist -- for help in creating the ASRA, or Autonomous Self Replicating Asset. The secret to the ASRAs is their neurological processors, also known as the brainbox, which enables the machines to "combine the logic and reasoning of a computer with the desperation and hate of the human soul." But as Miguel reluctantly carries out his orders, it becomes clear that he has other plans for what remains of humanity.
This short story (about 7,500 words) is both a technological and psychological thriller which unfolds across a landscape as exotic and unpredictable as it is dystopian and barren.
In an attempt to break the decades-long stalemate, the American military turns to Miguel dos Santos -- a brilliant Brazilian roboticist -- for help in creating the ASRA, or Autonomous Self Replicating Asset. The secret to the ASRAs is their neurological processors, also known as the brainbox, which enables the machines to "combine the logic and reasoning of a computer with the desperation and hate of the human soul." But as Miguel reluctantly carries out his orders, it becomes clear that he has other plans for what remains of humanity.
This short story (about 7,500 words) is both a technological and psychological thriller which unfolds across a landscape as exotic and unpredictable as it is dystopian and barren.
Starlighter by
What if the Legends Are True? Jason Masters doubted the myths that told of people taken through a portal to another realm and enslaved by dragons. But when he receives a cryptic message from his missing brother, he must uncover the truth and find the portal before it's too late. At the same time, Koren, a slave in the dragons' realm, discovers she has a gift that could either save or help doom her people. As Jason and Koren work to rescue the enslaved humans, a mystic prophecy surrounding a black egg may make all their efforts futile. In Starlighter, bestselling author Bryan Davis masterfully weaves fantasy and inspiration into a captivating novel for young adults.
E-Book currently available to download at Amazon.Com
E-Book currently available to download at Amazon.Com
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The Blood That Bonds by Christopher Buecheler
Two is trapped: hooked on heroin, held as property, forced to sell her body to feed the addiction. Time brings her ever closer to what seems an inevitable death and Two waits, uncaring, longing only for the next fix.
That’s when Theroen arrives, beckoning to his Ferrari and grinning his inscrutable grin. He is handsome. Confident. Eager to help lift her out of the life that’s grinding her down.
The only problem? Theroen is a vampire.
His blood can cure her addiction, grant her powers she has never had, change her forever into something greater than she was. But when he sinks his teeth into her neck, Theroen also thrusts Two into a world of danger, violence, madness and despair. The powerful, twisted elder Abraham will use her arrival to shatter the uneasy peace that exists in his mansion, bringing an end to the dark game he has been playing for centuries.
currently available for "Free" download on Amazon.Com
That’s when Theroen arrives, beckoning to his Ferrari and grinning his inscrutable grin. He is handsome. Confident. Eager to help lift her out of the life that’s grinding her down.
The only problem? Theroen is a vampire.
His blood can cure her addiction, grant her powers she has never had, change her forever into something greater than she was. But when he sinks his teeth into her neck, Theroen also thrusts Two into a world of danger, violence, madness and despair. The powerful, twisted elder Abraham will use her arrival to shatter the uneasy peace that exists in his mansion, bringing an end to the dark game he has been playing for centuries.
currently available for "Free" download on Amazon.Com
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Don't Die, Dragonfly by Linda Joy Singleton
After getting kicked out of school and sent to live with her grandmother, Sabine Rose is determined to become a "normal" teenage girl. She hides her psychic powers from everyone, even from her grandmother Nona, who also has "the gift." Having a job at the school newspaper and friends like Penny-Love, a popular cheerleader, have helped Sabine fit in at her new school. She has even managed to catch the eye of the adorable Josh DeMarco. Yet, Sabine can't seem to get the bossy voice of Opal, her spirit guide, out of her head . . . or the disturbing images of a girl with a dragonfly tattoo. Suspected of a crime she didn't commit, Sabine must find the strength to defend herself and, later, save a friend from certain danger.
This E-Book is currently available to download for "Free" on Amazon.Com
This E-Book is currently available to download for "Free" on Amazon.Com
The Justice Game by Randy Singer
After the target of an investigative report storms a Virginia Beach television station, he kills one of the anchors before the SWAT team takes him down. Following the victim’s funeral, her family files a lawsuit against the gun company who manufactured the killer’s weapon of choice. The lawyers for the plaintiff and defendant—Kelly Starling and Jason Noble—are young, charismatic, and successful. They’re also easy blackmail targets, both harboring a personal secret so devastating it could destroy their careers. Millions of dollars—and more than a few lives—are at stake. But as Kelly and Jason battle each other, they discover that the real fight is with unseen forces intent on controlling them bot
Currently "Free" E-Book on Amazon.com
Currently "Free" E-Book on Amazon.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)