With all of the serious stories out there, one has to wonder if there’s still a place for some silliness. I’m not talking about a story that throws in puns and sight gags, but one that sets out to be off-the-wall. Thinks like ‘Naked Gun’ or ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’. You still have great and coherent stories, but there is a zaniness to events. I guess we still have comedy movies out there, which seem to be predominantly about crudeness or determined to have a message. They still typically take place in reality and don’t try anything that makes an audience laugh in a WTF moment.
I tried this with Crossing Bedlam and its sequel, but I don’t think I was as successful as I thought. It was still very much an action adventure with some bizarre elements thrown in for laughs. Maybe that’s the best we can do too since comedy might require a secondary genre to help it along. ‘Naked Gun’ had crime adventure, ‘Hitchhikers’ had science-fiction, and most sitcoms tend to be a slice of life or coming of adventure thing. So, you probably do need some stable elements to make the humor hit harder. If all you have is craziness then you can lose people who would like some kind of plot. Even an anime I watched called ‘Amagi Brilliant Park’ had a story, which was trying to save a magical amusement park by getting 250,000 guests in 3 months. It was off-the-wall crazy and I can’t even find a gif to do it justice. I mean, it started with the female lead asking the male lead out on a date at gunpoint. Even with the insanity, it was a pretty good story that made the comedy work in its favor.
Maybe we tend to sacrifice silliness for the seriousness of adulthood because we take our jobs as authors so seriously. We want to be seen as a mature professional, so we might instinctively shy away from things that go too far. Kind of like we establish ourselves and then we can let our guard down. I didn’t even consider making a character like Lloyd Tenay until I had a lot of Legends of Windemere under my belt. Makes some sense since we don’t always release our full zaniness with friends until we’re comfortable enough to feel that they won’t turn us into the men in white coats. Still, it does feel like we’re seeing less and less in terms of silly stories. At least in books, which could mean that people are becoming more accustomed to comedy been seen or heard instead of reading about it.
I’m genuinely trying to think of the last book I read that had a lot of comedy, but I’m coming up blank. I don’t want to say it was ‘Hitchhikers’ because that was a very long time ago. So, I’m going to open up the floor and see if anybody knows of some good comedic books. At the very least, maybe we’ll come up with a few thoughts on silly stories in general. Do people even like them? Is it because people have become very critical of comedy?
My latest book is now officially live! For anyone who has missed the news, it’s called A Heaven For Toasters, and kicks off what will hopefully turn into a fun new series.
I also have the first reader review, by the amazing Linda McDougal:
I just finished A Heaven For Toasters. What a fantastic story. Please tell me you’ll be continuing Mika & Leo’s story. I finished this book in one sitting (minus a bathroom break and making dinner for my family). I found myself immersed in the adventure and hoping it would turn out right. Thank you for allowing me to escape for a few hours and share your futuristic world.
Linda McDougal
A science fiction crime adventure with plenty of humor and romance, set in the near future
A souvlaki and some sun. That is all Detective Mika Pensive wanted from her fun weekend away on the…
This is going to be brief and to the point. Check out the teaser cover:
Art by Alison Hunt
War of Nytefall: Lost will be released on September 7th, so I’m hoping to get some bloggers to help promote it. I’m on the fence about if this will be the standard ‘Book is Live’ or personalized ones. If you have an idea for a blog post that you want me to write then feel free to make a request. If not then we can do the standard post. I will point out that I can’t do a back-and-forth character interaction or interview because it’s summer and I have a 9-year-old to chase around until September. Thank you in advance for anyone who is willing to help promote the new book.
Add on: People may have seen yesterday’s post, which means this release will end up being my last hurrah for the year. I’m hoping to release books in the future, but I can’t guarantee. So, this might just be it for me.
So, this is a sticky because I want to make sure people see this. Everything else is still below and I’m writing this with a heavy heart.
Due to financial issues and personal developments, this looks like it’s my last year of publishing. I have to put my time and energy into something that brings in money with the hope that I can return. Maybe I can release a book or two throughout the year, but I can’t guarantee it. At best, I can do War of Nytefall: Lost in September and pray that I can get War of Nytefall: Rivalry out in December. After that, I can’t make any promises.
My blogging is scheduled until end of October and I might not add much onto it. I’ll do a Saturday update, try to keep up with a few friends, and make a post or two throughout the week once November hits. Other social media sites will be even more difficult to keep up with in the future. That’s really only Twitter, so we’ll see what happens there.
I’m not happy about this and I’m crying. I wish I could have gone the distance and find that lucky break, but my time ran out. Thanks to everyone who supported me. The published will always be available, so I hope to not be forgotten. Maybe things will turn around and I can return. To everyone else who is still in the fray, good luck and feel free to send me a guest post that I can share. I’ll try to lend a hand to others when I can.
So, I have a friend over for the weekend as long as nothing went wrong between me scheduling this and him showing up. There are 4 hours to go, but this has been a visit that we’ve attempted and failed at for 2 years. Fingers crossed that things go smoothly, especially since I have a bag of birthday presents to hand over. I’m going to categorize the week since it was bustling:
The Heat
I’m just going to point out that the heat and humidity was a factor. That’s really it for this category.
Mystic, Connecticut
Last weekend, we did a family trip to Mystic where they have an old-fashioned seaport and a big aquarium. This was my parents’ birthday present to my son and he had a blast. The heat was rough on the first day, which was the seaport, but he enjoyed riding on a steamboat and got an iron wall hook from the blacksmith. We had a little trouble when we went into the building about whaling because he thought it was about whales. Once he figured out it was about killing them, he got a little upset and then lost interest. Honestly, he is his father’s son because I don’t have patience for museum stuff either. So, we had our hearts set on the other trip.
The thing with the aquarium day is that it was raining . . . a lot. We had to take cover under a canopy at one point alongside another family. One person wasn’t able to get entirely under and was partially drenched. It was the poor sap who is currently typing this blog post. The comedy continued when we got inside and I bent down to pick up an umbrella that I dropped. Felt something tear and had to get to the bathroom to see the damage. This angered my wife because my ‘I need to step away’ whisper came just as my son was petting a bamboo shark. She missed the shot, but I had a crisis. Thankfully, it was only my underwear that split and not my pants. I will take that victory over the alternative.
The two big events at the zoo for my son was feeding a ray, which he’s done before, but this time he had instruction. Now, we know what to do when we go to the local aquarium. He was a little scared, but they don’t have teeth and they’ve rather soft to the touch, which calmed him. The other ‘event’ was him seeing beluga whales and we even caught a feeding before we left. There’s a spot where you can go low enough to see them swimming underwater and he waved every time the female passed. He walked away from the trip with a beluga plushie named ‘Iceberg’ too.
Parenting
This is going to come first because it’s what I’m focusing more on than writing. I’ll touch on that topic later. This week, my son finished the library summer reading program and got to pick a new book. He keeps trying to stick to picture books, but I found one in the chapter books that I knew he’d love. ‘Bunnicula’ was one of my favorites as a kid and the idea of a vampire bunny was enough to get his attention. We also have been working hard on multiplication and division to avoid him regressing. This is really tough and I’m getting him to understand how to do them to some extent. He hasn’t memorized all of his multiplication tables even with me saying them when I give him a shower. It’s slow progress, but it’s progress. The heat had us resting inside with the Legos and video games too. I had a bunch of doctor appointments that made it hard to do anything else with him as well, but next week will have more activities like a cow eye dissection at the Children’s Museum.
Health
As stated, I had a bunch of doctor appointments. Needed to adjust my sleep apnea device thanks to the new crown. It isn’t perfect, but I got 6 hours of unbroken sleep for the first time in a month instead of the 2-3. The biopsy stitches on my legs are out, but we aren’t sure what the marks are. They don’t like chlorine or humidity and the tests said ‘new drug reaction’ or bug bite. I’m not on any medication and these don’t look like anything left by a bug, so more tests are needed. I’m supposed to find out next week. The last appointment was the anxiety therapy, which is rough. Without going into details, it feels like I have to upend my life to start the healing and I keep thinking that such an act isn’t fair to my son. Seems the suggestion of me giving up writing is coming from all corners too.
Writing
First, I’m posting a teaser for the War of Nytefall: Lost cover tomorrow along with a call for volunteers. I’m aiming for September 7th unless I’m wrong that releasing a book on a Friday is a bad idea. Seems there isn’t a sweet spot time these days.
I tried to start editing Derailing Bedlam and got through the first chapter. That was 2 weeks ago. Doesn’t make any sense to continue, so I gave up. September is going to be my editing and October post prep month. People liked the idea of a Dawn Fang interview on Mondays, Guest Post on Wednesdays, and Monster Maker on Fridays. I’ll probably use Sundays to announce each one.
Before I get to the goals of the week, I will admit that I tried to work on another project and it left me crying. I began working out short stories for the first Windemere superhero book, but my wires were crossed. I couldn’t decide if Windemere or Super Earth would be best even though I was confident a few months ago. Characters were thrown out, retrieved, and put on the shelf like I was a tornado of self-doubt. In the end, I erased nearly everything I did. All I have is the first story premise where the heroes are awakened after centuries of being reincarnated with no powers or memories. I can’t figure out what’s wrong with all of this and half of my notes are gibberish.
So, goals of the week?
Cow eye dissection.
Multiplication and division practice.
Lego Star Wars game.
Keep reading Buso Renkin.
Possibly test War of Nytefall: Lost blurbs, but might be best to wait a week.
Schedule Sunday posts for the October stuff.
Cook, eat, laundry, sleep, etc.
Start watching Digimon with my son.
Keep watching Battlebots with my son. Anybody know where to find more than the current season?
Please give us a brief outline of who you are. (no more than 250 words).
I’m an enigma wrapped in a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt, with a secret yearning to go back in time and become either a stand-up comic or a chef. Otherwise, I’m just trying to enjoy my life as a copyeditor and fiction writer.
You’re a writer/editor – how is this reflected in your typical day?
Wearing a few hats means I have to be mindful of my time and energy. That includes keeping myself as healthy as possible, with regular exercise, stretching, and a good diet. If I’m working on my own writing, I’ll do that first thing in the morning, since that’s my best window of creativity. When I’m doing client work, I make sure I’m giving it my best focus. Everything else gets fit in around that.
Welcome to . . . Oh, I see you’re in a rush, so I’ll get right to the pitch. We provide authors with private locations that they can escape to after periods of stress. These can be for work or just to relax, but we guarantee that nobody can intrude upon your personal haven without your permission. Our products range from fortified offices to isolated cabins, but we do draw the line at pocket dimensions. Yes, people tend to jump to that idea when we give the guarantee. The problem there is that the rents are high and you never know when an interdimensional cataclysm will strike. Last thing you want is to be stuck and gradually starve to death. I will also tell you that we cannot build entire worlds. It’s a single room or simple structure that can be no bigger than two floors. At best, we can design a small island for you, but that’s very expensive.
A tree house is possible and we do have a variety of terrains that we maintain away from the public eye. For trees, you would want either our jungle or forest regions, which you can view in those two windows. Sadly, we can’t put a tree in the desert because the sand makes it impossible for the roots to be very secure. One sandstorm and you’re going to be asking for a refund, but we don’t do those in such situations. The taiga region over there could work as long as you’re okay with the smell of pine trees and don’t mind us connecting squirrel paths to the roof. It’s better to do this or you’ll have them running through the building. Now, what kind of structure were you considering?
Single-story cabin would work with a pulley elevator access, which you can activate with this beeper. Arriving at the base of the tree will be accomplished by either our underground shuttle or teleportation rune. We’re putting a cabin in a pine tree and you’re questioning magic? Skim this pamphlet as I continue. The basics will be a desk, bed, television if desired, bookshelves, and closet for clothes. Due to the height, we can’t put a full patio, but there is a small porch that you will step onto. It’s enough for a single rocking chair just be aware of the wind. Decorations are all your choice and money since we don’t expect to make those decisions. WiFi is a monthly service, but we assure you that it will never fail even in a storm.
Power is important here, so we need to discuss the type of generator. You don’t want one too hot because it could ignite the tree. Being so high up, you could use the solar and wind combination with an electric backup. There’s also the squirrel one where the paths we add can use the passing animals to charge the batteries. It’s not the most reliable one because you can’t guarantee their appearance, but people seem to go for this if they believe the others are two controversial. Nuclear is a final option and we can put a shielded generator into the ceiling. This is a popular option for our dystopian, horror, and science fiction authors, which is funny since we haven’t had an accident all year. Well, no explosions, but there have been a few mutations. Did I mention there are no refunds if that happens? Sure, I guess we can put a bio-fuel generator on there, but what would you put in the . . . I don’t if pine needles and pine cones will work, but we need to move on.
There will be a small kitchen and a connected bathroom included. The kitchen can be a full stove with cabinets to hold whatever you need for cooking as well as a refrigerator that you need to keep stocked. Our devices will preserve all food put inside, so you don’t have to worry about anything going bad. The large cabinet works the same way and is hermetically sealed as you can see in this design. No, the smaller one holds the food and the bigger one is for liquor. It used to be the other way around, but too many authors were switching them and then complaining about problems. If all of that is too complicated, we can simply put a microwave over here along with the fridge, freezer, and a drawer for utensils.
The bathroom is similar to the kitchen in that you can go simple with only a toilet and sink or extravagant with a massaging bathtub. We can’t make it too large in a tree house or the whole thing will fall to the ground. The plumbing gets pretty heavy unless you want our water purification system, which we can put in the walls. It makes a gentle gurgling noise every ten minutes, but it could help with weight distribution. Now, you must provide your own soap and toilet paper since we don’t know your preferences. All of our bathrooms come with a small desk that you can pull out in front of the toilet and a sealed compartment over here for a notebook. If you include a bathtub or shower, we include a small waterproof computer here with a stylus. This way, you can jot down any ideas you get in the shower and it will be sent to a master file that you can access from your synched smartphone. Almost forgot, but we can have the ventilation fan double as an air freshener and we can provide one of hundreds of scents.
As you can see, there are a lot of little details, so let’s go to the back and hash all of them out. Just remember that once you tell someone about this place, they will be allowed to show up whenever they want. We’ve had so many authors lose their hideaways to kids and spouses who simple took them over. Again, no refunds.
Today on the blog, I am thrilled beyond measure to have one of my favorite authors—the one and only Sheila Turnage! I’ve mentioned her in this post, this one, and others.
She is here today to talk about her middle grade mystery series, the Mo & Dale Mysteries, which began with the Newbery Honor-winning Three Times Lucky (click here to read a synopsis). In September, it will end (sob!) with The Law of Finders Keepers. Penguin Random House is the publisher of this series. Trust me. You will want all of them.
Sheila is represented by Margaret Riley King at WME. Her editor/publisher is Kathy Dawson of Kathy Dawson Books (which is the imprint for the last three books of the series). Now, let’s talk to Sheila!
El Space: Four quick facts about yourself? Sheila: I grew up on an NC tobacco farm, and…
Don Massenzio This week’s author interview features Ronel Janse van Vuuren , author of New Adult, Young Adult and children’s fiction filled with mythology and folklore. On a side note, though the initial response was gratifying, I find myself running out … Continue reading →
As writers, many of us are introverts and would rather hang out in our pajamas with our pets than go out and network and attend public functions where we don’t know anyone.
Still, you really need to reach out and get involved with other people if you want to improve your writing and market your finished product.
There are multiple advantages to joining a genre-related group:
