Five “Easy” fixes for your manuscript

Most people don’t have a bundle to spend on proofreaders, copyeditors or editors to help them get their manuscript into shape. They/We depend on friends, family and critique partners and groups to help us with the bulk of that type of work before possibly moving on to hiring someone else to take their manuscript a step further.

In the meantime, here are a few tips to help you when going through your own work. I called them “Easy”, but revising is rarely “easy”. It’s hard work. In theory, these are simple tasks that will help you see your manuscript from an objective point of view (part of what you’re paying for when getting an editor or proofreader). In practice, however, once you get into your manuscript, like anything else, it will be a lot of work.

1) WAIT: Be willing to let your baby sit for a good long time before going back to it. Wait as long as you can – a couple of weeks, a month, more if possible. If you’re a typical writer, you are bound to have more than one thing going at a time, so start a new novel or work on that anthology of short stories you’ve been meaning to put together. But leave your manuscript alone for a good bit of time. Do not reread it obsessively. Put it away. Then, after you have almost completely forgotten about it, you can pull it out to reread, revise and rework
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2) RED PEN METHOD: Print out your manuscript and sit down with a red pen and go through it page by page backwards. Our eye catches things on the printed page that it misses on the computer screen. Also, your brain fills in for you when words are missing or incorrect, especially when you’ve been working with a manuscript for a long time. When you read things out of order, it can’t do that. It takes work, but you will find many little errors this way.

3) FIND FUNCTION or F5: If working at the computer screen, spend an hour or two (or an evening) with the Find function. Many writers tend to over use words or write passively when first getting their stories out on the page. Make a list of words you know are either a) overused by you or b) passive or filler words such as “just” or “would” or “was” or “that” or “had been” or “have had”, etc. Then, use the F5 button or Control F and look for all those words. Read the sentence or paragraph where they appear and decide if you really need that specific word there. Most of the time you don’t. Of course it depends on if the words are in the narrative or the dialogue. We tend to be conditional when speaking to other people, especially if we’re tentative in character. For example, in a narrative it might be better if you changed say “Peter was feeling” to “Peter felt” but if Peter is opening his heart to a good friend or lover in dialogue, he might be more tentative and say “I was feeling” rather than “I felt.” For the most part, however, you will find that you don’t need many of those words. The pace of the narrative will pick up after taking out all the extra words and probably you’ll have done a good bit to make your characters more specific because you’ve taken a second look at how they might say something.

4) MORE F5: Another way to use the F5 or Control F function is when you know you have a nomenclature (name) issue (such as changing character or place names, etc.), or if you realize you’ve been consistently misspelling something or referring to it incorrectly. Sometimes we lose track of where we referred to all these different characters, places and things when we change them around. The Find function is also very important then. Don’t just hit Find and Replace, though. Like above, take the evening and go through each instance one by one to make sure you want to change what you think you want to change.

5) CHANGE PERSPECTIVE: If you are having a hard time getting a handle on a character or storyline, try rewriting a bit of it from a different point of view. Open a completely blank document and if your manuscript is in first person, rewrite a scene in third person. If it is in third person, try reversing that into first person. Or, try telling the story from another character’s point of view. You may decide after that exercise to rewrite your entire manuscript from another point of view, which is a pain, but I can attest that it is well worth the effort. (And again, you will end up using the Find function a bunch to change many of the pronouns.) Or, you may decide to keep your manuscript as is, but it will give you an insight into another way to write the scene or give you a better grasp of the character.

I hope some of these tips help others out there who are working on their own manuscripts. These are tips I use myself that have helped me when trying to take a second (third, fourth, fifth, etc.) look at my own manuscripts.

For a much more indepth look at how to do a layered edit, then I suggest reading through this article by Devon Ellington on WOW! Women on Writing.

Knowing when you need a proofreader/copyeditor, an editor, or simply want a ghostwriter…

Crossposted from Blogetary:

Many times I am contacted by people who are working on their novel and looking more for an editor than they are a proofread or copyeditor. They have finished their baby and are tired and want to give it to someone who will make it “publishable” and “better.” Like going to a super star’s salon, they want the manuscript to go in and come out with a whole new look.

But that isn’t how it works.

Writing is a commitment. Writing a novel – or even a short story or poem – means that a writer will come back to the same piece over and over again trying to make it better. It’s a lot of work and it’s up to the writer to be responsible for that work. However, sometimes writers employ helpers – people outside the usual friends, family and critique partners/groups who offer to help a writer with their work.

I have worked with and learned from editors when it comes to research papers and articles, but I haven’t worked with and learned from editors who edit fiction on a regular basis, so I try to steer those seeking editors elsewhere to people more experienced with editing fiction. Or, I tell them what exactly I can do and about how much it will cost. A proofreader and copyeditor will do their best to find most of the spelling, grammar, syntax, etc. mistakes in a manuscript. And he or she will point out awkward sentences and maybe come back with notes of things they noticed while going through the work. Think of us (proofreaders and copyeditors) as those people who make the small adjustments to your clothes at the dry cleaners. We take up or let out the hems, take in or let out the waists, fix buttons and buttonholes, brush it, press it, and all those other little things to make your existing clothes a little bit better.

An editor – a trained and experienced editor – looks at continuity, pacing, logic and readability based on their experience with a known audience (academics, newspaper/magazine readers, YA readers, etc.), as well as the grammar, syntax and all that. They’ll take their red pen and advise you to cut paragraphs or pages, move chapters or ditch one of the characters or subplots and possibly rewrite a few things (subject to the author’s approval, of course). They are, like the proofreader and copyeditor (and unlike your friends and family), an objective reader. Unlike the proofreader/copyeditor, however, it is the editor’s job to be more like a very talented tailor/seamstress who can take your clothes and totally make them over for you into something even better. The knowledgeable editor can take your manuscript, take it apart and put it back together, all while maintaining the integrity of the story and your writing style. Yet, a good editor is not to be mistaken for a ghostwriter, because the editor will come back to the writer to make the changes, to rework, revise and rewrite things. The editor does not do that work. Oh no, the writer does the work that the editor has suggested (sometimes very strongly) with all those red pen marks. Being a fiction editor is a specific skill set and costs a whole bunch more than $25-30 an hour.

And none of the above is to be mistaken for a ghostwriter. The ghostwriter takes the subject (say a celebrity’s autobiography) and does a bulk of the work, such as research, interviews, writing, revising, etc., signing all sorts of non-disclosure agreements, as well as contracts with advances attached (they get paid up front and no you can’t just promise them a “cut”). This is another specific skill set. And again, costs way above and beyond the proofreader/copyeditor’s typical fee.

If you have a manuscript you are working on and would like an objective eye, then sit down and consider what you want that objective eye to do first. Do you want it to find errors you missed? Do you want critical feedback? Or do you want to just take the facts and give it to someone else to do? Each consideration comes with a different price tag and a different system. And each one also requires you to be prepared. For the two former needs, you need to make sure your manuscript is not only finished, but also is in at least it’s third or fourth draft. For the latter, the ghostwriting, you need to make sure you have a specific topic proposal in hand. With all three of them, you need to be willing and able to pay for the services upfront.

Just in time for Christmas!

For anyone out there waiting with baited breath, or looking for holiday books to buy for gifts, I suggest you check out the newly reissued "The Holly and the Ivan." It is now in paperback for all you people who didn't like the ebook version. Small enough to throw in your purse and read on the run. Hope you enjoy! http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-holly-and-the-ivan/18624196

Okay, sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't so I'll just be as blunt as possible and hopefully it will work this time.

I am looking for people (no more than 5-10 because that's the most I can afford [and I'm not even sure I can afford that]) to read and review my book of poetry (Rae's Bar & Bistro), or the re-issue of my holiday paranormal romance novella in paperback (The Holly and the Ivan). I will send you a free copy of one or both of these books if (and ONLY if) you: 1) Promise to read it in a timely manner - within a month of receiving it and 2) Promise, Promise, PROMISE to write a REVIEW of it ON YOUR PUBLIC BLOG or talk about it on another social networking site (NOT private), also within a timely manner. You can say you hate it, I don't care. As long as you put it out there, spend at least 150 words saying something about it, with a link to the book on Lulu.com or on my website.

I can't afford to pay for advertising. I need to do GRASSROOTS MARKETING. I'm not looking for private emails telling me you liked it or about the typos. I need you to tell other people OUTSIDE my normal group of friends whether or not you like it. And link to it. I'm seeking to SELL THESE BOOKS. I need to build a larger audience of readers. I'm asking your help to do that.

While I'm okay with scrubbing toilets for a living, I'm not very good at it. Plus, I don't have a car and these days they don't seem to want to hire you unless you have a car. My hours have been cut at work and my freelance clients are fewer or with smaller projects. So. This is what I know how to do. This is what I'm trying to do to make a living.

SO, if you ARE willing to read one or both of these books and review them (and your FREE book is payment - these both cost at least $5-6 each just materials and labor) then send me a private message, either through tribe or to info@puttputtproductions.com. I'll need your name and a physical address where I can send the book(s).

Thank you in advance for playing along.

Announcing the Official Publication of Rae's Bar & Bistro

Last week, I said I was publishing a collection of poetry, this week it's official.

Rachel V. Olivier and Putt Putt Productions announces the publication of Rae's Bar & Bistro: A Poetry Collection. Find it on Lulu.com here now: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/raes-bar-bistro-a-poetry-collection/18557919

A compilation of poems ranging from scifiku and tanka to sonnets and sestinas, launching into free verse and beyond, these poems explore life, death, family, friendship and more. Like a late night bar & bistro, there is something here for anyone who is trying to find their way home after a night out looking for themselves. **20% discount good through January 1, 2012.

Available through Lulu.com, and coming soon to Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com for $9.95. Get a 20% discount through January 1, 2012. Go to puttputtproductions.com/published_work/poetry for more information to the above link to order direct from Lulu.com

ISBN 978-1-105-18214-3

Rae's Bar & Bistro: A Poetry Collection

A collection of both previously published and previously unpublished poetry that ranges from quirky, scifiku to playful to thoughtful to erotic and back to angst-ridden. Pure vanity on my part. I got tired of waiting for someone else to like my poetry and put it out there.

Available soon through Lulu.com and Amazon.com for $9.95 with a 20% discount through the holidays: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/raes-bar-bistro-a-poetry-collection/18366350

Numbered to death...

(The drummer, the guy who directed this video, is my cousin, Simon Olivier)

In "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," (1974) by Robert M. Pirsig, the main character talks about when he was a teacher. He refers to himself in the third person as Phaedrus. Phaedrus became so preoccupied with defining true quality, but not by the experience, but by quantifying quality, that he went insane. In other words, Phaedrus spent so much time trying to break down objectively (using numbers, fractions, decimals) what is meant to be subjective (language and feeling, and what is "good" or what has "worth") in many cases, that his brain couldn't handle it anymore. He was trying to find the definitive number for something that has no number. For all you quantifiers out there, it's like dividing by zero, or zero by anything. Or finding the square root of zero.

It just doesn't work, because zero doesn't quantify anything, it just is.

Needless to say, Phaedrus went crazy and was sent for electroshock treatments. In the book, the protagonist is trying to find equilibrium between the Phaedrus he was and someone who can simply enjoy something in the moment for what it is without quantifying it.

When I moved to San Francisco I lived in a tiny house in someone's backyard. I had a place for me and my cat to eat and sleep and a garden, and not much else. But I loved it. At last I was going to live amongst artists and writers and have discussions about Sartre or Rousseau or Voltaire or writing and music and painting, and creating paradise in your own backyard.

Instead, every party I went to, every party I held, ended up with many of the people there talking about credit scores, rent and lease amounts, salary, monetary worth. Just like most of the parties I went to in Los Angeles ended up with discussions on sports scores, weight gained or lost, weight pressed, age, monetary worth (again), calories per glass, calories per serving, how much money to make a film, how much money a film had lost.

Just numbers and more numbers and more numbers.

At the end of the parties I would feel so drained and weary, and not just from the party. It was a weariness born of feeling like I would never measure up. I would never meet the required number on my credit score, weight, salary, etc. to achieve true "worth".

Lately I've noticed, as have you, probably, the same weariness prevalent everywhere. It's part of what the Occupy Wall Street protests are about. The numbers - salaries, retirement, loans, credit scores, cost of living, unemployment - don't measure up. They don't measure up on the "have-not" side and they don't measure up on the "have" side, either.

We can't blame anyone else but ourselves for this weariness. Go to Yahoo or Google and just look at the titles of the articles listed on the home page: Ten things women do wrong regarding men, Eight things men won't share with you, Five foods to a healthier body, Four easy ways to exercise at the office, Nine things you didn't know about Steve Jobs, Four things editors wish writers would do, Seven things you didn't know about your postman, Six things your employers don't want you to know, Fifteen exercises you can do in front of your computer, 41 places to find freelance writing jobs, Five weeks to a better you, and it goes on and on and on.

Did you know (I only know this because my mom told me) there is even a series of the Book of Lists? Not just one. They are just lists of lists.

Then, think about how you wake up in the morning and go to bed at night to the news on the radio, TV or your home page. What is that news normally comprised of? Lists and numbers. There's the lists of sports scores. Then the weather. Not just the temperature for the day, not just that it will be hot or cold or dry or wet, but temperature, wind velocity and direction and chill/heat factors, even a number descriptor for air quality. What about American Public Media's "Let's do the numbers" financial discussions and reports. Stocks are up. Stocks are down. Way down. Unemployment is up, spending is down. "Consumer confidence" (now there's a descriptor) is down by whatever percent. A percentile for your confidence in how far your money will go and whether or not you will spend it.

I wonder if there are bookies in Vegas for betting on that kind of thing?

And there's another set of numbers. Bet with the house. Bet against the house. 21, Seven Card Stud, Five Card Draw...

Then there's the other news. Test scores are down, down, down. Number of people who read books is down. Numbers of teen pregnancies is up (or down, depending on the statistic). Number of literate people is down. Number of people without health insurance is up. Number of obese people is up. Number of soldiers still in Iraq and Afghanistan. Number of veterans with PTSD. Number and make of weapons. A new car that gets this many miles per gallon at this fast per hour. Consumer electrical usage is down by this much. Consumer electrical rates are up by this much. We are the 99%. We are the 98%. Your [insert minority or disability here] is whatever percentage of the population.

We can't win.

When we go to school what do they want to know? Grades, test scores, number of times absent, number of times sent to the principal, number of clubs involved in, number in your classroom. You are in the upper percentile in your class. No, the lower percentile in your class. No, you're in the upper mid range, or is that the lower mid range?

Or at the doctor's? Your numbers - weight, age, birthday, height, patient number. What are the numbers on your cholesterol, your blood pressure, your pulse rate, your temperature. The blood tests give you numbers for everything, depending on what you were tested for. If your score is a little too high you're in this category. If a little too low in that category. How many veggies do you eat a day? How many times do you exercise a week? How long do you exercise? Baby, you're off the charts...

We quantify all these parts of our lives that have to do with the QUALITY of our lives in order to make it easier for us to define and live with it. It's supposed to make it easier to figure out where we are in whatever spectrum has been assigned to whatever thing we are measuring. But instead, it just makes us weary; because all it tells us is that we don't measure up. And we never will.

Hey! Wake up! Don't you remember?!?! Phaedrus went INSANE trying to quantify the unquantifiable! And here we are doing the EXACT SAME THING. Every day. Several times a day. What are we thinking!?!?! We're going to go crazy, absolutely stark raving mad and be locked up in Arkham Asylum right next to the Joker and the Riddler and Poison Ivy if we're not careful.

Numbers are abstract concepts. They are ABSTRACT, okay!?!? A number is not a concrete thing. It is simply a descriptor of how many things there are and how these things might possibly, theoretically, interact in the correct set of circumstances.

A NUMBER, for example, is a not a SANDWICH. A SANDWICH is a CONCRETE THING. All the NUMBER does is tell you how many sandwiches you have! Some people have zero sandwiches. Some people have ten. If someone with ten sandwiches eats one, then they have nine left. If they eat one and give away one they have eight left. But the subject is not the number. The number simply describes the subject, which is, in this case, the SANDWICH.

What is important is not how many sandwiches you have, it's whether or not you have a sandwich to begin with, and whether or not that sandwich tastes good. Does it taste good? Are you enjoying it? Is it nourishing you? Good. The problem comes when we try to assign a number to what "Good" is. On a scale of 1 to 10, where does your sandwich sit on that scale of goodness? So, instead of saying better than most, but not as good as the one you had last week, you say, "6". And then it gets entered into a database and pops out a statistic and suddenly you have the weight of the world on your shoulders regarding sandwiches because someone decided to measure the goodness of sandwiches and forgot that "6" doesn't really mean anything. Neither does "six". It's the sandwich that means something.

There are times, of course, where the descriptor is just as important as the subject. You really do need to have a minimum number of abstract dollars in your bank account in order to pay your rent, mortgage, grocery bill, heating/ac bill, etc.

But, when it comes to those things that mean something to you, all that matters is if things are better or worse. Are you healthier today than you were yesterday? Did you write today? It doesn't matter how many words you wrote. It doesn't matter the extent to which you dieted, exercised and meditated. Are you better? Are you worse? Do you have enough control over your circumstances to make it better? Yes or no. Do you have food in the cupboard? A roof over your head? Clothes on your back? Yes or no.

Most of the time, that's all you really need.

Last Chance...

For paranormal romance...



So, there's a chance that "The Holly and the Ivan," a holiday paranormal romance, could be going out of print soon. If you're possibly getting someone a Kindle or Nook or other e-reader for Christmas and want to fill their e-reader with some good stories, then I recommend trying this or any of the other stories at Drollerie Press out. For now, you can find "The Holly and the Ivan" here: http://drolleriepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=98. Find it on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Holly-Ivan-ebook/dp/B004JMZJ92/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1306212106&sr=8-2

It's a whole $1.95. If you're not sure whether or not you're interested, then read an excerpt here: http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue365/holly_ivan_ex.html

Or hear me reading a portion of it here: http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopyeandi#p/u/12/q1AC2Ex7tUo

It might be a little early for some folk to start their holiday shopping, but I'm truly unsure as to how much longer this title will be available, so get it while you can!

Laundry Soap

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a housekeeper. There have been times in my life when I was better at keeping up at it than others. When I lived in the cabin in San Francisco, for example, giving the floor a daily sweep was almost a necessity.

But that didn't mean I got underneath everything or dusted everything or even did dishes everyday. But over the years one of the chores I have almost come to love is doing laundry. Now, I'm not going to go into all the things I like about doing laundry since I already did that here (oddly enough, a year ago). A few years ago, I started making my own laundry soap. I tried it first for fun. I mean I bake my own bread sometimes, why not my own laundry soap? I liked it so much - how it turned out, how it worked out for me (better health, not so many chemicals against my skin, nice smells, etc.) that I haven't gone back to commercial laundry soap since.

Now, I have mentioned over time how I make my own laundry soap. And I know I'm not the only one out there who does it, but it's amazing how many people are - well - amazed - when I tell them I do this. So, since I've recently been typing up instructions, etc for people who are curious, and put together a batch for my sister for her bday (I hope you've opened your bday gifts by now - please?), I thought I would post here, once and for all, that yes, I DO, in fact, make my own laundry soap.

I got the original recipe from the book, The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier. Here's a copy of that page from her book.



But here's what it has morphed into for me:

Ingredients:

2 cups (1 bar) grated soap/soap flakes (Dr. Bronner's Rose-hemp all-in-one castile soap)
2 cups baking soda (Arm & Hammer)
2 cups washing soda (Arm & Hammer)
2 cups borax (20 mule team)

10-30 drops each of the following essential oils: Lavender, Sweet Orange, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Rose Absolute (or other essential oils depending on your needs/likes).

Directions:

Use 1/8 - 1/4 cup per load (give or take and depending on load). I would use 1/4 cup for the laundromat-sized machines if they're full, but less if you're just doing a partial load. More for more soiled loads.

Notes:

The lumps are probably the borax, it gets lumpy. And there are some pieces of soap that don't grate all the way down. So you might find a soap bit or two at the bottom of the washing machine.

I recommend shaking up the container it's in a bit before each laundry session - not each load, but each session - just to make sure it's all stirred evenly. Settling occurs and all that.

If you use stuff like Spray-n Wash and OxyClean in wash or to pretreat, it works with those just fine.

If you are trying to whiten or brighten a load, then instead of bleach, add Sweet Orange essential oil, or maybe hydrogen peroxide, oxyclean or distilled white vinegar.

White vinegar makes the water softer and keeps your clothes from drying stiff if you hang them to dry. Also breaks up any uric acid.

If you're trying to fight germs or fungus or something that you're not sure will come out with a regular wash, then add a little rosemary or tea tree oil or eucalyptus essential oils as they are all anti-fungal.

So, there you have it. If you need to, bookmark this entry so next time you hear me say I make my laundry soap and you're surprised to hear it because you forgot, you can go back to this entry to look up what it is I do.

What's in a Name?

Warning: Pretty good take off, but shaky landing on this one, so be prepared (in some respects, it's really kind of dorky). In which I discuss names, what they mean and how they effect us, and then read a poem, kind of named in reference to the Names Quilt.

Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTr7NX0Uzn0

City Music

This is the second poem published in the Summer 2010 issue of Poetry Quarterly, City Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaXtYYKRZRY. For more of my poetry, go to Putt Putt Productions (www.puttputtproductions.com). For more issues of Poetry Quarterly, go to www.poetryquarterly.org.

Chasing the Blues Away

This poem, "Chasing the Blues Away," was originally written 10-15 years ago when I was hanging out in places like St. Nick's, the Snake Pit, Smalls, and Sloans (if you're from L.A., you might know about some of those, even if they are closed now). The poem, however, didn't find a home until it was accepted and published in the Summer 2010 issue of Poetry Quarterly (www.poetryquarterly.org). You can hear me reading the poem here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuZs3SWRq7M

It's HERE! Presenting, "The G.O.D. Factor"!

You've waited all day, and now here it is, "The G.O.D. Factor" out through Sam's Dot Publishing TODAY! You can find it here: http://sdpbookstore.com/storybooks.htm#godfactor . The artwork and cover design is done by Mitchell Bentley, Atomic Fly Studios! Hope you enjoy it and thank you for coming along for the ride. Now, BUY MY BOOK! ;-)

You can hear a portion of the story read here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxOv0iIf9fc

To hear a fun version of the gospel song referenced, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyU1ISgMcfs

Gramma and the Giant Tomato Worm and ONE MORE DAY!

It is May 31, 2011 and ONE (1!) day until the release of my novella, "The G.O.D. Factor" out through Sam's Dot Publishing. This is the next to last of my count down videos. I will be reading from a story that was accepted for publication by Beyond Centauri. You will be able to find it at the Sam's Dot Publishing bookstore (www.sdpbookstore.com) after it comes out in July 2011.

You can find the novella at sdpbookstore.com beginning June 1, 2011.

You can find me reading a scene from Gramma and the Giant Tomato Worm here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boJx-FsJiS0

Scary Things and Two More Days Until "The G.O.D. Factor"!

It is May 30, 2011 and TWO (2) days until the release of my novella, "The G.O.D. Factor" out through Sam's Dot Publishing. To count down the days I'm presenting a series of scifi videos. This one is a story I wrote, "Scary Things," published online at 2009 at Bewildering Stories (http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue321/scary_things.html ).

You can hear part of "Scary Things" being read here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPYVWnAc2AM

You can find the novella at sdpbookstore.com beginning June 1, 2011.

The Message and Three More Days Until "The G.O.D. Factor"!

It is May 29, 2011 and 3 (!) days until the release of my novella, "The G.O.D. Factor" out through Sam's Dot Publishing. To count down the days I'm presenting a series of scifi videos. This one is a poem I wrote, "The Message," that was published in Winter Canons this past winter at Midwest Literary Magazine (http://midwestliterarymagazine.com/books/anthologies/winter-canons/).

You can find me reading the poem here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIr6YmjcJpQ

You can find the novella at sdpbookstore.com beginning June 1, 2011.

The Oracle of Themazuri and Four More Days Until "The G.O.D. Factor"!

It is May 28, 2011 and 4 days until the release of my novella, "The G.O.D. Factor" out through Sam's Dot Publishing. To count down the days I'm presenting a series of scifi videos. This one is a story I wrote, "The Oracle of Themazuri," that was published online in March 2011 at Mindflights.com (http://www.mindflights.com/item.php?sub_id=6902).

You can hear me reading from "The Oracle of Themazuri" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hytwm_E6mK4

You can find the novella at sdpbookstore.com beginning June 1, 2011.

A Day in the Life of Iris and Five More Days Until "The G.O.D. Factor!"

It is May 27, 2011 and 5 days until the release of my novella, "The G.O.D. Factor" out through Sam's Dot Publishing. To count down the days I'm presenting a series of scifi videos. This one is a poem I wrote, "A Day in the Life of Iris," that was published in the September 2010 issue of Aoife's Kiss (available at sdpbookstore.com under magazines). It's based on the Goddess Iris/Aurora.

You can find the novella at sdpbookstore.com beginning June 1, 2011.

You can find the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buHPxAC6W3M

Counting down the days...

It is May 26, 2011 and 6 days until the release of my novella, "The G.O.D. Factor" out through Sam's Dot Publishing. To count down the days I'm presenting a series of scifi videos. This one is a poem I wrote that was published in the Fall 2010 issue of Poetry Quarterly (available at poetryquarterly.com). Not even marginally scifi, but it'll have to do...

You can find the novella at sdpbookstore.com beginning June 1, 2011.

You can find the video of me reading the poem here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBC1Byrgid0

One Week to Go...

...Until the release of my novella, "The G.O.D. Factor," a perfect story to read in these end times.... ;-)

To count down the days I'm presenting a series of scifi videos. This one is a scene I wrote for a contest. My MySpace friends and I used to have 500 word story contests to keep us writing. I wrote this for one for those blog contests. It's based on my childhood and some of the friends I had then.

And remember, you can find the novella at sdpbookstore.com beginning June 1, 2011.

You can find me reading my "story" (no title) here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-XGNsGMDNE