Day: April 1, 2014

Book Brief: Stories of Genesis, Vol. 2

Stories of Genesis Vol 2Stories of Genesis, Vol. 2 (A new kind of fan fiction)
by Chris James
Genre of this Book: Literature
Word count: 26,000

Five more short stories inspired by lyrics in songs from the Greatest Rock Band in the World: Genesis

The Inversion Method. The Perenyites are the galaxy’s most rapacious species, who use the inversion method to eradicate all indigenous life from planets they need for colonisation. Then they arrive at Earth…

A Thought Spared for Providence. On 20 July 1944 a group of German officers, led by Claus von Stauffenberg, attempted to kill Hitler at his East Prussian headquarters, the Wolf’s Lair. They failed. But what if Stauffenberg had not hurried back to Berlin so quickly to lead the doomed coup?

From the Cellar. One man takes drastic action to survive the next European war.

Rise of the Hogweed. H. G. Wells meets Genesis as, in 1903, England has been under the Martian heel for a year, and only scattered groups of starving survivors remain. During a journey to look for others, one group of survivors comes across a healthy young man, called Montgomery. He takes them to the discredited vivisectionist Doctor Moreau, where they find much more than a new supply of food…

Secession. In the middle of this century, Prince George of Cambridge must resort to extreme measures to hold his kingdom together.

This book is available from Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. Continue reading “Book Brief: Stories of Genesis, Vol. 2”

The Only Three Social Networks I Need

social-media-seo-logosI have profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, Blogger, Shelfari, Goodreads and many others whose names escape me. I’ve spent time on Kboards, KDP Community Forums, Yahoo Groups and again, many other forums with long-forgotten names. I’ve posted ads for my books on Craigslist as well as multiple other free online classified sites. And, in between all that I’ve written some new books. Eighteen months ago it became too much so I made some decisions. I knew I had to pare down my efforts and decide which sites were working for me and I had to eliminate the ineffective time drainers. So, I determined which three sites were the platforms that would help me connect with readers. I ignored the ones that weren’t working and I found the ones that worked. For me. Continue reading “The Only Three Social Networks I Need”

Coming Soon: Bad Book, the Movie

bad book movie poster finalK.S. Brooks has announced she has concluded negotiations with a Hollywood film production company to sell the rights to Bad Book. The deal includes hundreds of dollars in a cash advance to Brooks. Her co-authors will receive an assortment of wine coolers and free passes to the movie when it comes to theaters in their towns.

Asked about whether the seemingly significant difference in the remuneration between Brooks and her co-authors would cause difficulties, Brooks said, “Well, they tried really hard. I didn’t want to see them come away with nothing.”

Naughty Monkey Media, the company that has purchased the rights, is best known for several modestly successful films it made in the 1980s, including: The Brunch Club, Just Say Something, Seventeen Candles, and an exercise video called The Hills Have Thighs.

Casting has not been finalized yet, but the rumor mill is running full tilt with speculation about whether Matthew McConaughey or Owen Wilson will play the lead role of misadventurer Jim Case. Hollywood buzz also suggests the movie could be a comeback opportunity for Lindsay Lohan.

Popular opinion is that Jonah Hill would be a natural for the role of bumbling sidekick, Norman, but a little bird tells us we might not be too far off to look in the direction of Oscar-winner, Dustin Hoffman, who may consider gaining 40 pounds and losing 35 years to play the part.

Naughty Monkey Media is playing it close to the chest, suggesting other casting alternatives are possible. Bruno “The Sleaze” Sleazak, acquisitions director for Naughty Monkey says, “You know in Hollywood, there is an A list and B list of actors. We are not ruling out going to the C list for this one.”

Brooks is highly optimistic about the film’s prospects for success. “As a novel, Bad Book raked in tens of dollars. I see no reason the movie couldn’t match or even exceed those revenues.”

Urban Dictionary App to Take On Chicago Manual of Style

urban_dictBecause of the growing popularity of e-books and the burgeoning population of younger readers, the Urban Dictionary, LLC announced yesterday via a YouTube press conference that it plans to release its own style guide app in 2015.

“Chicago’s just not dope enough to hang with us,” said Urban Dictionary’s founder, Aaron Peckham. Stressing the ubiquitous Chicago Manual of Style’s lack of focus on new technology, including the lexicon of text speak and urban slang, Peckham went on to say that SMUD (Stylin’ Mo’Urban Dictionary, a name based on their popular book Mo’Urban Dictionary), will be filling a huge need. Continue reading “Urban Dictionary App to Take On Chicago Manual of Style”