Day: October 7, 2014

Why We Write: Validation and Satisfaction

rainbowI got to thinking about why we writers write. Why we publish. I was actually watching golf. I know, most people would rather watch paint dry. Bear with me. Jim Furyk, a compatriot Arizona golfer, has played twenty tournaments this year, and has been in the top 25 a total of seventeen times. Ten of those times he’s finished in the top 10, and he’s had three 2nd place finishes, but he has not won at all this year. He’s won a ton of money, yet I have a feeling that it all pales next to that big goose egg in the win column.

It got me to thinking: why do we write? What rewards to we get? The way I see it, there are three factors that can validate our writing and bring satisfaction to us. Continue reading “Why We Write: Validation and Satisfaction”

Book Brief: Mortom

Mortom Erik ThermeMortom
by Erik Therme
Genre: Mystery
Word count: 70,000

Mortom: population 986.

On the outskirts of town, 33-year-old Craig Moore is found drowned in the lake. A loner and town eccentric, few attend the funeral.

One week later Andy Crowl arrives in Mortom, still stunned by his cousin’s death and equally confused why everything was left to him. The two hadn’t spoken in years and shared little outside of fierce childhood competition.

But Craig hardly did him a favor. The estate amounts to little more than a drained bank account and a property overridden with junk. When Andy finds a dead rat under the refrigerator with a key in its mouth, he thinks it’s some sort of sick joke. Then he finds the letter left by Craig, written two days before his death … detailing the rules of “the game.”

Continue reading “Book Brief: Mortom”

How to Use Thunderclap and HeadTalker For Book Promotion

Screen shot 2014-10-04 at 3.47.40 PMUnless you’ve been busier than Kanye West’s damage control team, you might have noticed indie authors using various crowdfunding ventures like Kickstarter to raise the scratch to produce their books. Ask people what they think about the practice and you’re bound to start an argument, usually about the money. But what if you could engineer a crowdfunding effort that uses a different sort of currency—the social media reach of those generous enough to lend their support to your book promotion? That’s what programs like Thunderclap and HeadTalker aim to do. Continue reading “How to Use Thunderclap and HeadTalker For Book Promotion”