Tuesday, July 28, 2015

New Release: Dust







Half-Fae cop, Jonas Flannery has lost enough partners in his years on the job - to drugs, to corruption, to the monsters that prowl the streets. When his current partner, Lola Rodriguez, is whammied by a dying pixie queen, he finds himself in a race against time to find the drug producing Dust farm, free the other Corlun, and save Lola before the magic breaks her mind.

Novelette
Urban Fantasy
Noir

Monday, July 13, 2015

Legacy - New Release!


Available Now! Only $0.99!


When a skin-changer looking for passage to Lake Ponchartrain collapses at her feet, Willa Arch finds herself drawn into a conflict between the iron-willed Queen Elsbett of Brittania and Queen of the Dead, Marie Laveau. But survival means coming face to face with Willa's own deadly legacy of fur and teeth.

(Epub also available through Scribd, iTunes, Inktera.)


Thursday, July 2, 2015

Writing for Others (Update 7.2.14)

An oft repeated piece of advice is to first write what you love. Don't worry about where you'll sell it or which readership or if the fans will like it - write for yourself first.

There are a couple of reasons for this. First, if you don't love it then staring down the blank screen day after day to finish a story/novel/whatever will be a tedious business. Secondly, if you don't love it your readers will be able to tell. Passion for your story absolutely translates onto the page. So does boredom.

After I had my first story published (a little piece of flash about the aftermath of an argument between a husband and wife that wanders into suggestive territory) I quickly realized that writing for myself was the first step, but at some point I would have to deal with what the readers think. (Just a hint, for that particular story the words "softcore porn" showed up in the comments.) It was around that time I settled on another personal rule.

I do not write for those who don't like what I write.

I've gotten a few weird looks over that one, but the fact is that there are certain things you will find over and over in my work. If you don't like those things... chances are you are not the reader I meant the story for. And that's fine. I write what I like, for myself first. That anyone else likes (or even loves) what I put on the page is icing on the cake.


But there is a point in digging into the words that it gets difficult to remember that I'm not writing in a vacuum. The whole point of putting these stories on paper is to share them. If I wanted to keep them all to myself my head would be pretty crowded, but I'd have a lot more free time on my hands. But I write to share the things I enjoy.


A few weeks ago a friend introduced me to The Hillywood Show. I was absolutely delighted with their parodies. Not only are they very loving recreations of various creative entities, but they're funny. Even if you (like me) are only slightly familiar with the particulars of specific fandoms.

And then, yesterday, I discovered the reaction videos*. And I quickly realized that these videos were almost even better than the original parodies. Why? Because for folks who are creative, having fans who are genuinely excited about the content you produce is a kind of satisfaction all its own**.

I've spent the first half of this year digging on various projects. (The not-yet-finished Southern Gothic Horror novel. The OGN script. A novella that turned into an unfinished novel. A super-secret project for a different pen name. And some other stuff.) All of which are things I love. But what I love most about them is the fact that at some point I will get to share them with folks who are equally excited about the story and characters.

This is the value of remembering that while we write first for ourselves, we are also writing for our fans. Somewhere out there is someone who will be as excited as you are about that killer scene in the middle act. Someone who will laugh as hard as you do at that joke the MC made. Someone who will cry when that character you both loved dies.

We write for the folks who love our work.
We write for the fans.
Because we're fans too. 



*So, I didn't know this was even a thing. Kind of like unboxing videos. Only these are folks watching various shows or videos and recording their first reactions.


**Personally, I also appreciate the satisfaction of being paid for my work. But having happy fans is obviously in contention for the top spot.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Teaser: Legacy

With only 13 days left until Legacy is released as an eBook, I thought I would post a teaser to whet your appetite.


Enjoy!


-----------------------------------------


Summer heat grips Savannah in an iron fist. Even with the wooden doors at the back of the zeppelin hanger opened wide, it's sweltering under the metal roof. Willa wipes a dribble of sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. The fans turning overhead barely move the humid air and her shirt's already soaked.
She glares at the guts of the tension-triggered, chain transmission lying on the crate that doubles as a workbench. “More like tension fucked.” The derailing arm is sticking at all the wrong points, dropping the chain every time she attempts to change gears. She gives it another prod, prompting it to fold at the appropriate joints, but it moves as a whole and the chain snarls.
Fire and damn.” Resisting the urge to whack it with the spanner, she reaches for the screwdriver instead.
The money had been good. If it hadn't, she'd never have taken the job running rifles down to the Gulf in the face of a storm. Trouble with good money is it never makes up for the trouble that comes with it. Now all four props on her air-ship are wracked and need new parts before they'll run smooth again.
The bell at the front door jangles. Then heavy footsteps.
Willa doesn't even bother to look up. “No trips today.” Likely no trips this week.
I'm looking for Captain Arch.” The voice is deep, with a rough edge.
You've found her.” She waits for the muttered apology, the hasty retreat. A quarter turn on the middle tension joint and another prod at the derailer. Better.
You're Captain Arch.” The stranger's tone is a mix of disbelief and amusement.
She stands up, wipes the grease from her hands. “That's right.” He's dressed like an Amerigish trader, but his hands are not those of a merchant and his accent is a blurry Imperial. She fixes him with a hard stare. “You're not from these parts.”
He shakes his head. “No. I'm far from home.” Something about that makes him grin, dry as dust, and it catches Willa off guard. There's a rawness to him she recognizes. The sense of never belonging.
She clears her throat. “Can I help you with something?”
His grin softens. “Maybe. I understand the sly-like smiles now. The lack of a first name.”
It would have spoiled the joke.” She hooks her thumbs into her belt. “As it is, it don't matter much if what you're looking for is transport. Squirrel is down for repairs.”
He rubs his fingers through his hair. “A shame. I've plenty of coin to spend on the right pilot. Every man in town says that's you.”
Willa frowns. He's clever, holding out the promise of good money, but she's just about had her fill of that. Besides, if every captain in Savannah is pointing him to her it can only mean one thing. “You're headed for Lake Ponchartrain.”

Coming 7.14.15