Posted in Books, Writing, tagged book review, books, creative writing, gabriel garcia marquez, love in the time of cholera, marquez review, novel writing, novels, Writing, writing tips on 09 Apr 2013| 4 Comments »
As part of my preparation for my next book, I’m reading and analyzing authors who exhibit a particular style. So far, it’s been Alice Hoffmann and Julio Cortazar. Now, it’s Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
The book I chose was Love in the Time of Cholera, and several things immediately set it apart from other books I’ve read in recent years. (more…)
Posted in Books, Writing, tagged amazon, book promotion, books, creative writing, ebooks, free book, free kindle book, Kindle, novel writing, novels, publishing, self-publishing, Unraveling Time, Writing, writing tips on 08 Apr 2013| Leave a Comment »
I’ll admit it. I got nothing done this weekend. I was positively glued to my iPad, pulling up the growing stats on my promotion for Unraveling Time, watching the numbers click upward hour by hour, day by day.
It was fascinating, and it totally exceeded my expectations.
(And in case you missed it, no worries; it’s still available for free, thru midnight tomorrow. Don’t be left out. Go claim yours!)
So, instead of something pithy and/or insightful, let’s talk about the progress so far.
Posted in Books, Writing, tagged book giveaway, book promotion, books, e-readers, ebooks, free book, Kindle, novels, publishing, self-publishing, Time travel, time travel adventure, time travel romance, Unraveling Time, Writing on 04 Apr 2013| Leave a Comment »
Attention, biblio-nauts! I’m kicking off a promotion for one of my recent novels.
Starting tomorrow (Friday, April 5), you can get a free copy of Unraveling Time for your Kindle-reader.
No gimmicks. No strings. From April 5 through April 9, this book is entirely free. Go, get it, and keep it forever. It is literally yours for the taking!
(Remember, you can read Kindle books on your PC, your Mac, your iPad, your iPhone, your Android phone or tablet…anywhere!)
Still not sure? Read an excerpt of the book right here on this blog! What can you lose (except a weekend spent with a good book)?
Want to know more? Want to know what it’s about? (more…)
Posted in Writing, tagged blogging, books, cooking, creative writing, hard boiled egg, novel writing, perfect hard boiled egg, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 03 Apr 2013| 2 Comments »
There are some things I cannot do and will never be able to do. I will execute a perfect entrechat huit. I will never date Morena Baccarin. I will never be the conductor of a world-famous symphonic orchestra. I will never eat balut. The items on this list are there due to my physical limitations, my not having enough talent or time to achieve the goal, or my strong desire to not ever do such a stupid thing. (You can figure out which goes with which.)
There are other things I cannot do and should be able to do. These are things that are not beyond my physical capabilities or mental acumen. These are things I want to do but simply, at this point in time, cannot.
Like cooking the perfect hard-boiled egg. (more…)
Posted in Books, Fallen Cloud Saga, Seattle, Writing, tagged amazon, Beneath a Wounded Sky, books, creative writing, Fallen Cloud Saga, FC:V, novel writing, novels, publishing, rain, Seattle, self-publishing, weather, Writing on 20 Mar 2013| 2 Comments »
It’s pissing down rain in Seattle. The lecherous wind tugs and young women’s skirts as they tick-tock their high-heeled way to work, and the few who bothered with umbrellas wish they’d left them at home. The sky is locked down in gunmetal grey and the sun is a dim memory, consumed by the overhead drear. It’s already been a long work-week for me, having put in three days’ worth before the end of Day Two, and I haven’t slept well for worrying about my family, still roiling from our matriarch’s recent death.
And yet, inside, I’m sunny. (more…)
Posted in Writing, tagged books, creative writing, novel writing, novels, publishing, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 19 Mar 2013| 2 Comments »
What do readers really want?
We’ve been discussing this topic over on some FB threads. The complaint (from writers) is about what readers do not seem to want, i.e., originality. Or at least, they don’t want too much originality.
This isn’t meant as a diss or a put-down. It’s something that’s endemic to many entertainment industries (and do not doubt that publishing is an entertainment industry). Publishers want a sure thing to put their money behind, and readers want a sure thing for their hard-earned cash. Totally understandable.
Readers want something similar to what they already know they like, but they don’t want a complete re-hash of an old story. They want their tropes, their memes, but they also want a new spin, or perhaps a new element. Some genres are extremely hide-bound (detective novels and rom-com movies, for example), while others are more open to “variations on a theme” (e.g., steampunk). (more…)
Posted in Books, Writing, tagged amazon, books, creative writing, ebooks, Kindle, novel writing, novels, publishing, self-publishing, Writing on 18 Mar 2013| 1 Comment »
My wife and I take walks around Seattle’s Green Lake. It’s one of the best parks in the city, and it’s beautiful at any time of the year. It’s a nice 3+ mile circuit, during which we’d talk about many things, quite often about my writing. My wife (my First Reader) is a great sounding-board for plot ideas, plot problems, character development ideas, etc.
When I sold my first book, our walks had a new topic: which of these lakefront houses would we buy when the money started rolling in?
It’s true. I so firmly believed in the future success of my books and my career as a writer that I was eyeing million-dollar properties. So, what the hell happened? Why didn’t Oprah’s Secret kick in? (more…)
Kurt R.A. Giambastiani 