Taking It Slow

When I was younger and played sports such as basketball and soccer, I had several coaches who taught me the principle of knowing when to rush down the court or field and when to take my time. I learned that in some situations if you, for example, strip the ball from another player while playing basketball, you may make a fast break to the other end of the court only to find out you are facing three players from the other team alone. Slowing down allows you to not make stupid mistakes and have more assistance.

Why am I bringing this up? I am working on slowing things down a bit, including this blog and the other projects I have been working on. There are many reasons for the slow-down, mostly personal. I will still be around, but you may just not see as much from me on a regular basis. This does mean The Devil's Nightmare is postponed indefinitely, unfortunately. If you have any questions, leave a message below.

Writing is a Volume-Based Profession

In order to make it anywhere in the writing business, you will need to produce a certain quantity of work. I know, everyone hears about the person who was offered eight million dollars and a luxury mansion on the coast for the first novel they ever wrote about a romantic sparkling zombie who seduced girls at a local community college. In reality, your chances of having something like that happen are probably less than being struck by lightning while walking down Rodeo Drive.

In reality land, writers must work hard. If a writer does not have to produce a lot of writing in order to make a living, that writer has probably done so in the past and is now reaping the benefits of his previous hard work. Many writers who have published several books, have publishing contracts and the like still write columns and do other types of writing to make ends meet.

Don't believe me? Well, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a high amount of competition for writing jobs. Many people think they want to be a writer, and so they take up some side work writing. I personally believe many want to be a writer because they believe the profession is a cake walk, but then they quickly realize what being a full-time writer is all about. Many days I go to bed with my fingers and wrists hurting and my brain swimming. I estimate that in a normal week I produce somewhere in the neighborhood of 80,000 words of writing. That's about the length of some shorter novels. That's a lot of writing. If you don't absolutely love to write, and to write about a lot of different things, then writing is probably not the profession for you.

To peel back some of the glamor, since I am young and still establishing myself I cannot write just novels or even about the paranormal. I spend the greater portion of my day writing about computers, automobiles, do-it-yourself home projects and even business topics. Having a university education as part of my training has really benefited me as I fall back on my general education courses for insight, as well as the business courses I took for my minor. I especially rely on the ability I learned in school to become an expert on pretty much any subject in a short period of time. The demand for certain subjects ebbs and flows, and I have to move with it.

I love what I do, but it is no cake walk. I deal with editors who scrutinize my work heavily (most of whom are actually really great and helpful) and readers who love to do the same.

Is Summer the Time for Paranormal Romance?

I have a theory that the paranormal appeals to people at all times of the year, but as the weather and seasons change people want a different brand of paranormal fiction. I don't think it is coincidence that the ghost investigator shows, haunted stories shows and the like start new seasons in the fall or winter. When the nights are long and the weather is stormy, people want to hear about spooky paranormal events.

What happens when the weather warms up and the sun stays out extra late? Well, there are some people who are up for a spooky or scary paranormal story any time of the year, but summer is a time for movies with loads of special effects and books that are lighter (or at least this is my theory). I rarely see anyone by the edge of a pool reading something that looks heavy or dark. Usually the cover of the book features a couple dangerously close together and a smoking gun behind one person's back (or a dagger or something incredibly intriguing like that). Okay, so some summer books are more about self-discovery, like coming-of-age novels, or feel-good books.

So where does paranormal fiction fit into the summer reading group? Not that I am a fan, but I think that is when more people turn to paranormal fiction, that genre that has been proudly propped up by Stephenie Meyer, among others. Instead of monsters that will tear people apart, these books talk of monsters that want to seduce you. The books are lighter, more summery and certainly won't scare anyone.

Because of this trend, I am contemplating maybe never releasing a book of mine in the summer months. I don't know that my writing would fit in with the sparkling zombies who take girls to the prom. I guess I will save up what I write for the darker months of the fall and winter, when people have had their summer fling and are ready to get serious again.

Which Conspiracy Is It?

I think everyone--unless they grew up in a cave with a wild pack of wolves that did not happen to have a radio or TV--has heard at least something about the controversial Roswell UFO crash landing after World War II. Some believe the government recovered not only an alien craft, but multiple extraterrestrials that were inside. Others claim that at least one of the alien beings survived the crash. Still others say the whole thing was a weather balloon, or an experimental air force craft the government was trying to conceal (although the exposure of the U-2 and the stealth planes seems to blow a wide hole in this theory).

And so we have the huge debate that has gone on for a long time, maybe since the ancient days of Mesopotamian culture, where one group argues we are utterly alone in this vacuous universe while others paint a picture of a universe swimming with life we have not yet discovered. Sounds like the standard Scully-vs-Mulder setup. Well, for those of you not aware, enter party number three into the controversy.

Party number three may not get as much time on the national stage, but the recent "discovery" of the FBI's infamous Hottel Memo has shed light on this third group. Party number three argues that the government has purposely leaked enough information to make its citizens believe that they did in fact recover an alien craft and its occupants in the New Mexican desert, that a large alien craft did travel slowly over Phoenix, Arizona in the 90s and numerous other supposedly extraterrestrial sightings did in fact take place. Of course, the immediate question posed to party number three is why would a government do such a thing? Well, the theories about why run the gamut, but all essentially have to do with what every conspiracy is designed for: to grab more power. Perhaps, some have suggested, if the public is convinced there is an extraterrestrial threat we would clamor for protection at any cost.

So which conspiracy theory is the right one? I suppose one day we will find out, but hopefully not in a jarring way...

The Devil's Nightmare Progress

I am busy at work on my second book, called The Devil's Nightmare, which will be launching this October. It is true what I heard from others, that once you have written one book it is much easier to write others. I am pleasantly pleased by how satisfying it is, still, to see what started as a small idea in my head has grown to something so much bigger. I guess I could say that writing books is addictive.

I am especially excited for this next book because the story is so different. While I love Shadow House, and I have heard from many readers who feel the same way, I am also aware that there are a plethora of haunted house books. I feel that Shadow House takes the motif in a different direction, but The Devil's Nightmare strikes out more on its own. The plot does not necessarily follow a well-beaten pathway. It's about an abduction and a mother trying to get her son back, as well as government conspiracies and secretive experiments on human beings. The Devil's Nightmare, though, introduces a more tangible villain, the Purple Man, even though his identity is enshrouded in much mystery. I am also loving writing a more action-oriented book, one that if it were ever made into a movie would be full of special effects (including a few explosions, but not the 80s action hero explosions).

If you want more information, I will be revealing more about the book as the summer draws to an end and we approach October. Until then, I will be busy fine-tuning the book for its release.

Book Trailers

One of the hot trends in book marketing is book trailers. For those of you who have not sen one, a book trailer is similar to a movie trailer. Often live actors portray characters and perhaps scenes from the upcoming book in an effort to generate interest. Some book trailers are teasers, lasting maybe a minute or two, while others stretch on well past the five minute mark.

I have seen book trailers that were--to be perfectly honest--cheesy. I have also seen trailers that are very well-done.

I recently thought of doing a trailer for my book, which comes out in about six months. Honestly, I don't think I have enough time to do one. I could be wrong, but I do not want to slap something together that does not do the book justice.

I would love to hear from any of you who have done book trailers, or any independent filmmakers for advice. Maybe I will do a trailer for the next book.

A Sucker Born Every Minute

The great P.T. Barnum had a famous saying about suckers being born every minute, and unfortunately the public response to Barnum's claims of fantastical creatures on display constantly proved him right. You may think that our society now has advanced quite a bit in the last hundred years, but sadly there still is a sucker born every moment. Working with the paranormal on a daily basis is a constant reminder of how easily some people are taken by silly tricks and crummy videos.

One classic example of a "poltergeist" video is just below. I have seen countless videos that look almost like this, all of which use strings, cords, or other off-camera devices to move objects so it looks like poltergeist activities. These people should not quit their day jobs to pursue a career in Hollywood special effects.

Also, recently a video of a supposed Bigfoot has been making the rounds both online and on TV media. Where was this Bigfoot spotted? North Carolina, near Asheville, which is not a Bigfoot hotspot area. Watch the grainy video and you be the judge: is this a Bigfoot or a guy in an ape suit?

This poorly-done trick video is several steps below the frozen Bigfoot stunt pulled several years ago. Some people, I think, have such a deep need to believe in paranormal subjects that they will believe anything anyone writes, says or videotapes concerning a paranormal phenomena. I am still not sure why some people want to surrender their thought process to others, other than the fact thinking requires too much energy and may encroach on their Dancing With the Stars time.

Already Gearing Up for October

Spring is upon us and thoughts of Easter are filling people's heads, and yet here I am planning ahead for a most eventful October. That's right, October is six months away and here I am already plotting away for the Halloween season. It's going to be a fun and busy October in 2011.

Last year I was going to do more activities involving readers, but I simply started planning too late. As the month started to roar past me I realized I would never be able to execute my plans (at least to a level I would be proud of) and that was that.

People are hungry for scary or spooky stories and activities during the Halloween season, and not everyone is looking for something that is dripping in blood. I saw sales of Shadow House spike last October and climb aggressively ever since.

This October I will be better prepared to offer people with paranormal stories as well as other activities to help them celebrate the holiday of ghouls and monsters. My next novel, The Devil's Nightmare, will debut in October of 2011 and I will be doing a fair amount of celebrating to welcome the book to the world. Not only that, but October will see the release of at least one more Shades of Night story, among other surprises.

I will be doing some contests for those who are keeping up with the blog here, including a chance for some people to receive free copies of The Devil's Nightmare before it releases. I am also working on some art projects that will integrate with the October festivities, so you will get to see more of that side of my creativity.

Sometime before October, perhaps as early as August, I will start to give out more details as well as a time line for the October festivities. For now you can only wait and wonder as I work on the celebrations six months in the future and hope you enjoy what I have planned.