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Comparing Authors

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May 5, 2013
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apples One of the most common ways I discover a new author is via word of mouth. Of course the question that most often comes up during the recommendation is “who are they like?”. In an effort to help you find out about some new authors, I’ve elicited some help and have some up with a list that answers that question. If you would like to add to the list feel free to sound off in the comments!

  • If you like smart, bloody horror, like the kind put out by Chuck Wendig or Clive Barker you’ll want to check out Jake Bible.
  • If Heinlein juveniles are your thing then Nathan Lowell and Mike Plested are worth checking out.
  • When Brand Gamblin’s name came up he was compared to Terry Pratchett.
  • The excellent thrillers of James Patterson are brought to mind by John Mireau’s work.
  • Jim Butcher is well known for his smart ass protagonists and you’ll find that in the works of Tee Morris.
  • If you’re a fan of Elizabeth Bear’s solid romances then have a look at Pip Ballantine.
  • If you like Robert Aspirin or RL Stine then you’ll likely enjoy JR Murdock.
  • The intimate voice, excellent 1st person POV, and wittiness of Stephen Pressfield can be found in Patrick E McLean‘s work.
  • Are you a fan of the psychological horror brought to you by Dean Koontz/Stepen King? Then have a look at Paul Cooley.

Standard disclaimers like, YMMV and analogies breaking down, apply here. But click on these folks’ names if you have any resonance with their more famous colleagues. And like I said, please add to the list in the comments!

Referral Contest Winners And Update

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December 7, 2012
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The numbers are in and Keith Hughes and Doc Coleman are the top referrers among all of the Way of the Gun followers so far. For their EPIC work they will each recieve a copy of Justin Macumber’s e-book as yet unreleased novel A MINOR MAGIC (due out December 17). Congratulations!

Now, it’s important to note that while they sent us a lot of traffic, no one pledged as a result of following their link. So I’m leaving the print book copy up for grabs. If you have (or register for) an Indiegogo login and use Indiegogo tools to share this campaign with Facebook friends, Twitter followers, or denizens of the many social media platforms you’re part of (you can find these tools just under the video at http://www.indiegogo.com/WayOfTheGun) the Indiegogo site will attach your unique ID to it. This is how we can track referrals.

For every person who funds the project thanks to your referral you will earn an entry in the random drawing for the signed paperback copy. The more funders you refer, the greater your chances of winning! This great opportunity is open to anyone who pledges at any level. I will close entries when the deadline for the fund raiser ends, in just six days. Just use your Indiegogo account and make sure your referral uses your link to contribute to our campaign. Good luck!!

Way of the Gun Referral Contest

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November 30, 2012
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Your chance to win a referral contest starts Saturday, Dec. 1 at 8:00 a.m. EST!

Tell your friends on the social media frontier about this campaign! The two people with the most referrals between Saturday, December 1 at 8:00 a.m. and Wednesday, December 5 at 11:59 p.m. EST will receive an e-book copy of Justin Macumber’s as yet unreleased novel A MINOR MAGIC (due out December 17).In addition, a random winner will be chosen to receive a signed paperback copy!

Here’s how: If you have (or register for) an Indiegogo login and use Indiegogo tools to share this campaign with Facebook friends, Twitter followers, or denizens of the many social media platforms you’re part of (you can find these tools just under the video at http://www.indiegogo.com/WayOfTheGun) the Indiegogo site will attach your unique ID to it. This is how we can track referrals. For every person who funds the project thanks to your referral you will earn an entry in the random drawing for the signed paperback copy. The more funders you refer, the greater your chances of winning! And, of course, a free e-book copy goes to the two people with the most referrals. This great opportunity is open to anyone who pledges at any level. Just use your Indiegogo account and make sure your referral uses your link to contribute to our campaign. Good luck!!

New Project Idea

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October 25, 2012
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This one’s WAAAAAY on the back burner, but here’s an idea. I’d like to create a ten to fifteen page book. Each page would have a sentence in English and Spanish, worked into an illustration. Each illustration would be a different artist. It would tell a very short story and would be intended as a reader for students who are ESL and are working on a second or third grade level.

This was born out of a conversation with my wife. She teaches seventh grade language arts. A large percentage of her students aren’t literate in their grade level in either English or Spanish. I think this would be a cool way for kids of any age to learn some vocabulary in the two languages.

The working title would be “The World Is Awesome”. Part of me is tempted to give it the “Go The F*** To Sleep” treatment, but I would want to get this in schools. It needs to be something that would capture older kids, but still be approachable to younger ones. Easy right?

Thoughts?

CAUTION: Work in Progress

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October 18, 2012
writing
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Work in Progress Challenge

Peter Smalley tagged me with this and I’m always one to rise to a challenge.

1. What is the title of your Work In Progress?

I’ll choose the one I’m writing for the Kickstarter I have going on, Lessons of the Gun.

2. Where did the idea for the WIP come from?

Once upon a time there was this great writing prompt challenge called News From Poughkeepsie on Mur Lafferty’s site. It was written by Jared Axelrod. He posted this prompt:

Bobby Joe believed in The Gun. He had met other Marshals, men and women who appeared pious, but who threw aside the Lessons of The Gun as it suited them. To them, wielding the gun was about power. To Bobby Joe, however, it was about salvation. Out here in the Wild, it had to be.

Bobby Joe said a prayer for every bullet as he loaded his weapon. He thought about about the two marauder gangs outside his door, ready for war. He though about the town they were about to tear apart as scratched at each other. And he thought about the Lessons of The Gun.

“This about salvation,” he said, walking into the streets. “This is about salvation…”

3. What genre would your WIP fall under?

Western, specifically a Bushido or Wasabi Western.

4. Which actors would you choose to play characters in a movie rendition?

I could totally see Liam Neeson playing Barnabas, but that may be because I just watched The Gray.

5. What is a one-sentence synopsis of your WIP?

Barnabas defeats local bandit leaders to save his student only to have to chase his student into the wilderness and hunt him down.

6. Is your WIP published or represented?

It will hopefully be published as part of an anthology.

7. How long did it take you to write?

It will have taken around 3-4 months to write.

8. What other WIP’s in your genre would you compare it to?

I hope I’m striking out on new ground, though this will be similar to a cross between Seven Samurai and Fist Full of Dollars.

9. Which authors inspired you to write this WIP?

I don’t read many westerns so it’s more of a cinematic thing.

10. Tell us anything else that might pique our interest about this WIP.

If you like Westerns, Samurai movies, or action movies with a hint of philosophy then this is your story!

11. Finally: Tag three other Authors and ask them to complete the above interview.

Zach Ricks
Pip Ballantine
Brand Gamblin

Photo by jrathage

Other Spooky Books!

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October 16, 2012
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Yesterday I linked to some of my works so you’d have something to read for the time of year MADE for haunts. Today I introduce you to some writers that actually have talent.

Sophia (Never Let The Right One Go) by Teel McClanahan -

At age 7, Sophia was struck down with a life-threatening disease. Faced with a choice between an unending life in the body of a child and her otherwise certain death, Sophia’s parents had her turned into a vampire.

Now, after 10 years of Christian home-schooling and near-total isolation, Sophia secretly plans on moving out the very night she turns 18. All her research, her online classes, and her natural curiosity have prepared Sophia mentally for the world she’s about to dive head-first into, but no amount of research could prepare her heart for falling in love with Joshua, the first young man she sees after donating her corneas the next day.

Her faith in God and her desire to heal the sick gives Sophia the strength to persevere through the pain of donation after donation, and her vampirism gives her the ability to grow her organs back again and again, but Sophia finds herself unequipped to face her suddenly-awakened lusts of the flesh and the ache in her heart for a deep, reciprocated love. After a shocking and painful first date with Joshua, it doesn’t take Sophia long to learn just how difficult the search for love can be, especially for a teenage vampire with a child’s body and a strong desire to avoid falling into sin.

Sophia is one of two books in the duology Never Let the Right One Go, which shows two apparently conflicting views of the same supernatural world by looking through the eyes of two very different teenage girls in their pursuit of love. Don’t miss Emily, the other half of the picture, and a completely contrary take on everything you think you know.

The other book in this duology, Emily, is also quite good, but this one is creepier.

Interlopers (Garaaga’s Children) by Paul Elard Cooley –

They fought in his wars. They were the best of his army. But now, Alexander the Great has exiled the last of his scouts to wander the Indus Valley and find their fate. Fighting disease, strange animals, and a hostile climate, the four remaining scouts encounter something as deadly as it is beautiful.

The intersection of historical fiction and creature horror makes this a complex piece. I love what Paul is doing with this series. You’ll see his name here a lot, but that’s got more to do with the strength and complexity of his writing than anything else. Paul GETS what makes good horror.

Dead Mech by Jake Bible

Massive robotic battle machines. But what happens when a mech pilot dies in his mech and becomes a zombie? Hell on earth is unleashed… Prepare for a high action, fast paced, hell ride through a futuristic wasteland as Mech Base Commander James Capreze and his crew of mech pilots battle zombies, cannibals, religious cults and worst of all, the Dead Mechs, all to try and save the human race one last time. Jake Bible’s Dead Mech: The future may not be completely dead, but it’s on its way…

This is the first in the Apex Trilogy. Jake meshes horror and sci-fi in some unique and interesting ways. I’ve read this and the third book in the trilogy (yeah I know I read crap out of order all the time. Weird, huh?) and highly recommend it.

Closet Treats by Paul Elard Cooley -

Reality is a slippery slope for Trey Leger, but he’s managed to carve out a somewhat normal existence in spite of his mental illness. But when an ice cream truck starts making the rounds of his neighborhood, Trey can no longer tell reality from his delusions.

Included is the essay, “The Death Of Childhood”, that inspired the novel and launched Shadowpublications.com.

I love a good unreliable narrator. Books that make me ask “Is this guy crazy? Is this stuff ‘real’? Or is it both?” go in a special place on my shelf.

 

Summer Rental by Phil Rossi -

Mike and his daughter make their annual trip to the Outer Banks. It’s just not the same without Susanna’s mother. This year, there is someone new in town.

This one’s pretty short, but I’m from the area that this is set in and Phil NAILS it. It’s super-duper creepy.

 

Goodnight, My Love by Dave Sobkowiak

Bedtime is often a struggle for parents of small children. Little Daphne is no different in that regard. What makes Daphne’s case so noteworthy? She’s going to bed while the sun is just peeking out over the horizon.

Daphne’s family belongs to a special group. They keep different hours but they still try to make the world a better place for their children. In that way they’re just like you and me. In other ways, they’re like no one you’ve ever seen.

I love the Twilight Zone feel of this one and that’s all I’ll say about that!

My Teacher is a Zombie by J.R. Murdock -

Stanley’s teacher is getting up there in years, but her demeanor is just a little more than off and her smell is even worse. When she attacks the students in his 8th grade class, Stanley and his friends take action.

This is the only one on the list suitable for kids. It was a lot of fun for this adult too!

Well what are you waiting for? Go get these and any other books by these guys.

Guest Post – Experimentation

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September 30, 2012
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Today I bring to you a guest post from Gabriel Fitzpatrick.

Gabriel’s new book, Rmnce, hits digital shelves October 1st! Find it on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.

Rmnce series is a love story told in 4 parts. It follows a couple from the first drunkenly passionate days of their college romance all the way through a life together, often tumultuous, always overwhelming, and overridingly disquieting as only true love can be.

Rmnce is not, however, your traditional love story. Or perhaps more accurately, it does not appear to be your traditional love story. It is written entirely through the communications of the couple. Text messages, emails, and even a few old-fashioned letters make up the entirety of a story, what one early reader termed “A story not so much written as formed organically in the negative space.”

It is, in short, a commentary on love in the digital age, a tribute to the great love affairs of the digital generation, romance not lost in the sea of text-speak and instant gratification, but merely obscured from the prying eyes of those too far removed from its cultural roots.

My writing is often called ‘experimental.’ I may have even said it once or twice myself. Experimental, though, is the word we use to describe things that don’t yet have a proper box. Whether something is a century old or an hour, once it has a proper box it can be put into it ceases to be experimental. At most, it can continue to be avant garde or possibly forward thinking.

Yet the real sense, the traditional meaning of experimental is that it consists of experiments, of things which might or might not work and which one cannot fully understand without trial, and in some ways this is also true. Rmnce could fairly be called a gamble if the creation of something worthwhile was my goal, because setting out I truly didn’t know if it could be done. While I was certain that art could be made from that much maligned vernacular dialect known as text speak, I didn’t know if the ideas I had in mind for the piece could be carried across, or that if they could I was the one to do it.

The inherent risk in it, though, is what makes it worth doing. It breaks boxes, challenges notions, and above all else it has the potential to result in work which is beyond what currently exists. While never having been a proponent of progress per se, we must nonetheless acknowledge the value in novelty, in taking things to places they have not yet been. To be able to say one has made something which does not exist is a sensation not to be underestimated.

Self-Censorship?

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August 28, 2012
writing
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I was listening to a recent Functional Nerds podcast (highly recommended) and one of the things they touched on was how we as artists/content creators need to “manage” our social media presence. All three participants agreed that for them it was necessary on some level to self censor. To the extent that I understood them, this means generally avoiding talking about things like politics and religion, or anything that would be offensive. John said that when he’s about to tweet a joke, for another example, he asks himself how likely is it that this will offend someone. Sometimes he tweets them anyway (Good on ya, John!). The exception, they agreed, would be someone whose brand is “I WANT TO OFFEND EVERYONE!”.

Listening to this came on the heels of talking to a dear friend who was afraid that what they were inclined to talk about (politics mainly, though also religion), if addressed in a way that was true to their beliefs, would offend potential audience members. They were concerned not only for themselves, but for a collaborative project they are involved in. Kudos to them for being concerned. My advice was something along the lines of “To thine own self be true” crossed with “Better safe than sorry”. That is, be yourself, but temper that with wisdom. The line is different for everyone I’m sure.

I have this side though. You’ve all seen it, or at least some of you have. It’s the one that screams “FUCK ‘EM IF THEY CAN’T TAKE A JOKE!”. It’s constantly at way with my more prudent side, who occasionally manages to slam the filters shut when my friend Jon tells a dreadful joke to me in chat and I’m tempted to share it. Still, it’s there and I’m tempted to let it fly more often than not, the older I get. Jokes aside, I’m not afraid to share my political beliefs (which frankly I have the advantage of them being the popular sort in the artistic community) or my religious ones (not as popular, as moderate as mine are). I find myself asking the question, should I be? The cat’s out of the bottle, so it’s likely a bit late to even be asking the question, but for those fledglings out there, how much should we “handle” ourselves in terms of our image as artists?

Sound off in the comments if ye be not afeared.

Lovable Dumbasses

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August 17, 2012
writing
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My brain was meandering as I drove into work this morning (never fear, my driving hand is rock steady), and my thoughts ran to Nathan Lowell’s fiction. This is nothing new. The man’s an ace story teller and I count myself an admirer, a fan, and a friend. He’s known to many because of the podcast series, now available in print, the Solar Clipper. The protagonist, Ishmael Horatio Wang, is one of those characters that I would call a lovable dumbass.

Why is that? I mean he’s a smart guy when it comes to books and tests. The thing is, throughout the books he does things that make me wince. When it comes to relationships and a host of other things, he definitely falls into the dumbass category. The thing is, he wins! And you want him to keep on winning, but that wincing is fun. I think in some way Nathan set out to do this. He wanted to write a science fiction story where there was “nothing special” about the main character. That is to say, he’s not a prince or a cyborg, or a seven foot tall bad ass. He’s just this guy, you know?

To me, and this is me spitballing as it didn’t occur to me until I was noodling in my car, that’s part of the fun of these sorts of stories. If a “sludge monkey” like Ish can succeed (with no small amount of hard work mind you) in spite of his screw ups, then that means a dumbass like me has a shot. So this brings me around to books like the Harry Potter universe or the Twilight books. You have these people that are complete rejects or screw ups. Throughout their books they make big mistakes. You want to shout at Harry and Bella whenever they are doing something that you as the reader would “never do”.

Of course we as a reader have a ton of benefits. We know things that are going on in the story that they don’t. We often have the benefit of maturity. Of course in some cases, like Twilight and Harry Potter, the target audience is on the same level maturity-wise. Still, it allows us a sense of hope for ourselves. The challenge is to make that “dumbass” is lovable. Nate succeeds for me and a host of others. Ish cares about people and about getting the job done. He also has the stones to wear a belt that proclaims him to be a “BOY TOY”. Harry cares deeply for his friends, and you want him to make it out from under his evil step parents. I still can’t explain Bella (I have read most of the first book), but I understand there are qualities in her that resonate with her audience personally.

That’s a key too, I suppose. Identifying on some level with LD is vital. Otherwise, you won’t get that sense of “I can succeed too!”. I’ve been the lost geek looking for a sense of purpose. I’m probably considered an LD by some of my friends and family.

So who’s your favorite LD? What pushes a character over the dumbass line to just plain dumb and can that kill it (Homer Simpson)? Am I way off base here? Sound off in the comments.

Lessons of the Gun – Progress Report

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August 15, 2012
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Last week I posted a PDF of my latest work in progress (you can download the PDF here). It’s an alt-history/weird western that treats gunslingers a bit like the samurai of the old west. I’d love it if you’d download it and tell me what you think.

If you really enjoy it you can vote with your dollars. Hit the Paypal link below and When the completed version comes out you’ll get it (and you’ll have paid less for it than later adopters). If I get enough “pre-orders” I’d like to pay someone for a good cover and perhaps even get it professionally edited. Think of it as a mini Kickstarter. I’ve been working on it over the last week and it’s a fun universe. I’ve been told that it’s “lovely” and have had more than one person say that they’re going to be blogging about it. Feel free to share the link to the download with your friends!











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