Northern Haunts Release, Other Thoughts on the Biz

Northern Haunts has officially been released. Buy a copy at Amazon or Shroud's website as the profits go to the American Cancer Society. I'm pleased that my work could be part of this project.

I have a jumbled stew in my brain right now, so have patience. Yesterday's NY Times article about the state of self-publishing only served to stir the pot. Thankfully, I don't use this many overdone metaphors in my own stories. (usually)

One other integral part of my brain stew is a Brian Keene interview in the latest issue of Cemetery Dance. Jeremy D. Brooks addressed part of the interview on his blog. The bit that stuck with me (other than the evil of Wal-Mart) was that Keene discussed spending his advance for a book on promoting that book. Mid-listers (and I'm paraphrasing here) receive little or no cash or support for book promotion, so it is all up to the writer.

I'm a terrible salesman. I hate promoting anything (except reading and writing); that's why I became a public school teacher. The students are a captive audience and I really believe in my product.

Look, I love writing. I do. I've talked about the therapeutic qualities of sitting down in front of my computer and hammering out a story. I just don't know if I have the marathon legs to keep running the hamster wheel if/when I have a book published. (fingers crossed here that a book of mine ever would be published)

The benefit, it seems, to receiving a book deal from a major house is that one would have the advance money to spend on promotion. This won't be the case with self-publishing or smaller presses.

Aimee (my wife) is a guidance counselor at a local high school (not the one where I work, thank God; that would be too weird). She had a student come in to her office who was interested in becoming a writer. I remember being starry-eyed, thinking: gee, once I get that book deal^tm, I'll be set for life. Wow, was I ever naive.

The kids at school are definitely creating and consuming in a different way than I do. I don't think they feel the same about self-publishing. Maybe I should take a poll, but I can tell the times are a'changing. I'll always be a digital immigrant. They are the natives, and the future.

I'm not sure what to make of all this...stuff. Just my thoughts at the moment. Nobody ever said it would be easy, and the illusion that it is easy for guys like Keene, writers who have "made it", is only now beginning to crumble. Bye bye, illusion.

Writing is hard work, folks, for the published and the unpublished. It seems the game board is only becoming more slippery, at least in my mind.

2008 In Review: Blah, blah, blah

I'm starting to think about goals for next year, but I can't properly move forward without giving a nod to the past.

My first published story (not the first acceptance, but that's the way of publishing) saw the light of the interweb last February. "Rock Gods and Concrete Altars" is a vignette of small town life, dreams, and tragedy. Any regular reader will notice a similarity between that title and the title of my NaNo effort this year. That's not all they have in common...

My favorite published story to date is a two-way tie between "Reciprocity" in the September issue of The Battered Suitcase, and "Catalog Sales" in Necrotic Tissue #4. "Reciprocity" received unexpected but highly appreciated praise from the blogosphere; "Catalog Sales" features my favorite character to date, a hobo-bookseller from the great depression. I have several forthcoming pieces I'm stoked about, but that's another post.

With an old buddy of mine, I started a small publishing company, Strange Publications. We launched our flagship 'zine, Sand: A Journal of Strange Tales, last Spring. Ed agreed to be the editor because, at the time we started accepting submissions, I had yet to be published. I guess I was afraid of having my name out there, I don't know, but Ed's having a hell of a time and won't give up the reins...yet(and that's good, I guess). Since the 'zine's inception, we've also published Tainted: Tales of Terror and the Supernatural and are currently working on Fifty-Two Stitches.

We started Strange when I was feeling the blues about my writing. I've learned too much to quantify/qualify, and Ed has learned more than he probably wanted to. Hopefully we've helped some good stories find some good readers.

That's about it for the writing/publishing front...I've had other adventures this year: Owen is in kindergarten, Max is chatting up a storm, Aimee started a new job, my high school students achieved "Standard of Excellence" on their state reading assessments. Writing has made me a better teacher of writing (and reading).

As far as what genre I write? Looking back at the four stories I mentioned, one is literary, one is more magical realism, one is dark fantasy, and one is just plain goofy (clockwork rabbits who don't know they aren't real?). I like Cate's comment on my previous post. I like odd. Sometimes the lights go out (spooky); sometimes they don't.

Peace all.

Writercide?

So...I'm thinking about NaNoWriMo. I'm thinking: "I've already written a novel in just over a month, and that was before I really became serious about this writing thing."

But I'm also thinking: "Whoa. A novel in one month. At least 50,000 words. Ouch."

That's 1,666.66666666666...words a day. I've been averaging between 300-500. Can I do it? Will I have the willpower to crank my lazy butt out of bed at 5:00 AM to write for an hour each day? Can I find time after the boys are in bed to write for another hour or two? Will I drive my wife nuts?

And the really big question: Will I have to start drinking coffee?

Anybody else going to do this? Any advice?