The Perfect Tool

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

Pen Swords (I have the second one)

It is time to write
Yet what tool shall I use today
So many options
*
A pencil maybe?
Great if I make a mistake
Yet there is smearing
*
Perhaps a new pen
Because I feel confident
I think it just leaked
*
Quill and ink could work
All I need is a feather
Gulls are really mean
*
My phone can take notes
What could possibly go wrong?
Duck autocorrect
*
Markers or crayons!
Both smell of delicious fruit
I cannot read this
*
Time for computer
You can’t go wrong with high tech
Look at the kittens!
*
A tool has been picked
It is time for the next stage
Book, pad, card, or wall?

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The 2018 Author Interview Series Featuring Jemima Pett

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

This gallery contains 6 photos.

Don Massenzio It’s time for the next subject for my 2018 author interview series. Author interviews are posted every Friday throughout the year. I am honored to continue this series with author Jemima Pett. You can catch up with all … Continue reading →

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Friday Book Share – Boneshaker

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

coldhandboyack's avatarStory Empire

Craig here today, and this post is a bit challenging for me. I know I don’t read as much as the other Story Empire authors, and rarely get the chance to read something that isn’t from one of my author friends. It does happen on occasion, so I’m bringing you something a bit different today.

Cheri Priest is one of my favorite authors, and I rarely get the chance to read her stuff these days. One of the things I love about her is the creativity that goes into her work. She isn’t afraid to come up with some odd ideas and forge ahead. I also appreciate the amount of research she obviously puts into her work.

The first book I read of hers was Boneshaker, which went on to become a five book series. Now, I’m not a series guy, but I read them all.

I grabbed this cover…

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5 Ways to Create the Perfect Facebook Creatives

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

Anna Hubbel | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's bookThis is a guest post by Anna Hubbel, staff writer at AdvertiseMint, a Facebook advertising agency. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Even though her approach is rather generic, I believe there are a lot of useful tips here to help you improve your Facebook ads!

5 Ways to Create the Perfect Facebook Creatives

When we see them in our News Feed, Facebook ads look simple. But a lot of work goes into making them that simple, because they have to say a lot as non-invasively as possible.

To make the perfect Facebook ad creative, you need to diligently implement best practices that make your creative amazing every time. There are five ways, in particular, you can make an ad creative that reaches your desired goals.

1. Use Listicle Headlines (For Article Posts)

Headlines are the text that appears directly below the main visual of your…

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Going Home, on #LisaBurtonRadio

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

coldhandboyack's avatarEntertaining Stories

Lisa Burton

Welcome all you caregivers, and children who are now taking care of their parents. You’ve landed on Lisa Burton Radio, the only show that brings you characters from the books you love. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl. My special guest today is Michelle DePalma. She has an elderly parent who requires round-the-clock care. “Welcome to the show, Michelle.”

“Thanks so much for having me, Lisa. I admit I was a little apprehensive about being interviewed by a robot. I didn’t know what to expect. But you seem pretty normal to me. At least, as normal as any of us can be…”

“My bio indicates that Two Wells, Texas is a very small town. The kind of place it’s good to be from, if you know what I mean. Something has pulled you back to Two Wells. Can you tell us about that?”

“Certainly. Two Wells was founded during…

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7 Tips to Choosing and Maintaining Your Writing Tools

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

Sideshow Bob

You would think picking a writing tool would be easy, but there are so many out there to choose from.  Some feel good on the fingers while others are agony to the palms.  The ideas can flow from a pen for one author, but be stagnant for another.  So, what are a few things to consider?

  1. Never write with blood.  It hurts, isn’t very legible, bleeds through the paper (pun not intended), and clotting means you have to keep stopping.  On the plus side, band-aids and Neosporin will be tax deductible.
  2. Writing an entire novel on your smartphone is entire possible.  All you have to do is give writing credit to autocorrect and kiss your thumbs goodbye.  If you have an iPhone then you better not write too big a story.  Seriously, those batteries will be dead before you finish the dedication.
  3. If you have a lucky pen or pencil that helps you focus then NEVER let someone else borrow it.  Doesn’t matter what they promise or how much they beg, there is magic in that tool.  Sure, you could let them use it and everything will be fine.  On the other hand, they could snap it in half or it falls apart in their hands or they could chew on it or accidentally drop it into the toilet.  My point here is that you shouldn’t risk it.
  4. Be very careful if you use a notebook.  Drinks are the enemy because they always find a way to spill.  Not to mention accidentally use it as a coaster by someone who has no respect for your belongings.  Be careful about leaving them near phones too.  Nothing is as frustrating as finding that someone ripped off the bottom of a page you were using, scribbling on your margins, or tearing pages out.  It always seems to be done with pen too.
  5. Back up if your main tool is a computer.  Even if a computer is your secondary, always remember to back up.  Then, back up the back up.  If you use a thumb drive then DO NOT put them near a powerful magnet or water or a vodka heavy screwdriver that you only got one sip out of.
  6. Programs that can turn your spoken words into written words can really help.  If not for the books then making outline and info files where you simply ramble about the ideas.  Just make sure to double check things, especially if fantasy is your genre.  It might be able to work with elves and ogres, but once you get into your homemade races, places, and names things can go awry.  Heck, I tried one out long ago and got in a fight over ‘Yallowitz’.
  7. You never know when a pen or mechanical pencil will wear out.  The latter can include the eraser too.  This means you should always have a spare in reach in case something goes wrong in the middle of an idea.  Nothing says fun like going berserk hunting for a pen before the muse leaves.  It can drive a person to write in blood.

Bonus:

Jack Sparrow

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This Week in Indie Publishing

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

Unknown's avatarDon Massenzio

If The Adult Coloring Book Craze Is Dead, It Needs A Postmortem

In 2015, adult coloring books became the dark horse of the publishing industry, as a surprising surge in sales boosted major players’ revenues. In 2016, there was no end in sight. In 2017, the bottom fell out of the adult coloring book market and, this year, the trend is officially dead.

So it seems, at least. It’s possible that adults still enjoying coloring as much as ever, but independent publishers — whose sales numbers aren’t reported with the same rigor as those of traditional publishers — have cornered the market. Here’s a dive into the timeline of the adult coloring trend, as told through the cottage industry of articles covering the phenomenon.

A July 2015 New Yorker article described the early stage of the adult coloring renaissance, noting a connection to the popularity of other infantilizing activities like adult summer camps and…

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7 Tips to Writing Character Backstories: Prepare the Cutting Room

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

Natsu, Goku, Monkey D. Luffy, Naruto, and Ichigo

John W. Howell asked: You have the most fabulous backstories and histories for your characters. what compels you to develop these backstories? Do you use all of the history and backstories or are some waiting to be employed?

Now, I have no real answer to the first part because the backstories just come out.  I enjoy doing character bios to get a feel for them before I do the outlines.  This is where a lot of my subplots come from too.  As far as the second question, I don’t use everything because some backstory points never get an opening to appear.  For example, Luke Callindor had a lot of childhood stories that got slipped in during Beginning of a Hero, but I cut them because they came out of nowhere and served no purpose.  You didn’t really need them to tell that Luke had a habit of getting into trouble.

This is a pretty sure post, so I’m making this a humorous list of tips for those who struggle with backstories.

  1. You don’t need to have it ready to got right away.  Sometimes, a backstory will appear naturally as the character goes through his adventure.  This can help explain skills, fears, and overall personality, which means you don’t have a hero or villain who comes off as someone who merely ‘appeared.
  2. Shared backstories can be a lot of fun, but you have to be careful.  If the two characters show no similarities in habits and culture that would stem from such a connection then it will fall flat.  You also don’t want it to be one-sided with only one character remembering and the other never acknowledging it.  This can be used as a subplot, but you need to give a reason for the avoidance.
  3. Just because you came up with a quirky backstory idea doesn’t mean you have to use it.  You need an opening for the revelation or it will come off as a pointless info dump that breaks the flow of a story.
  4. Don’t give everyone a tragic backstory.  After a while, the readers might question your own childhood.
  5. Amnesia is not always the answer when you can’t figure out a backstory.  Sure, it works for soap operas and whoever unmasks Spider-Man.  Seriously, why does the kid keep superheroing with the mask off?  Anyway, it’s easier to not mention a backstory than to claim the character forgot it.  Otherwise, you’ll have to come up with something later and it better be worth the wait.
  6. Much like homemade pudding, consistency is key.  Whatever backstory you start with has to be what you stick with.  Don’t start adding on ideas because they sound like neat twists.  For example, having a girl who claims to have never left her farm begin telling stories of travel is a mistake.  Sure, she could have gone to the market with her family to deliver goods, but the foundation is not that of an established world-traveler. The best you can do is say she read a lot of books, but that isn’t a replacement for experience.
  7. Those pieces of backstory that you cut because they didn’t fit in can still be used.  People enjoy seeing behind-the-scenes stuff, so putting this out on your blog or whatever social media you use can help gain interest.  You add depth to the character outside of the book, but many can understand why such a story didn’t make the cut when you published. This has actually become a popular method of getting readers or keeping a finished series going.
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Now Available for Pre-Order – Extra Innings by Don Massenzio

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

Unknown's avatarDon Massenzio

SAMPLEMy newest release, Extra Innings, is now available for pre-order. Unlike my previous crime and terrorism fiction novels, this book forges a path in the paranormal/science fiction area. These are genres that I enjoy reading and have always wanted to write in. This book is my first effort at doing so.

Here is a synopsis of the book:

Joe McLean hates his life. A lonely, divorced, middle-aged man, stuck in a cramped apartment, the only bright spot in Joe’s life is cheering on his hometown baseball team.

Now, the local stadium, the place of many childhood and adult memories is being replaced. Joe desperately wants a piece of this iconic venue to preserve his memories and have some memorabilia from his happier past.

That’s when unusual things begin to happen, and Joe begins to rethink the direction his life has taken. Can Joe take a different path in life? Can…

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Check This Out: The Mortification of Fovea Munson

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

L. Marie's avatarEl Space--The Blog of L. Marie

This week, the amazing Mary Winn Heider, another of my fab classmates from Vermont College of Fine Arts, is here on the blog to talk about her middle grade novel, The Mortification of Fovea Munson, which was illustrated by Chi Birmingham.

 

Mary Winn is represented by Tina Dubois. The Mortification of Fovea Munson was published by Disney-Hyperion Books, and as of today, is available to the world.

I have good news! One of you will be mailed a copy of this book next week. Details to follow. Now, let’s get to gabbin’ with Mary Winn!

El Space: Four quick facts about yourself?
Mary Winn: 1. I grew up in South Carolina and Indonesia.
2. I now live in Chicago.

At the Chicago River

3. I don’t know how to type.
4. I played the bagpipes when I was a kid.

El Space: Your book is about a kid…

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