Archive for February, 2012
Five of the scariest books you’ll regret reading (at night)
Feb 29th
I love a good scare. And seriously, who doesn’t? Being frightened is a catharsis you don’t find with any other emotional response to an external stimulus. And even better when you’re being scared out of your underpants, nightgown, boxers, or skinsuit, when tucked in safely under mounds of blanket.
And as a writer of horror, I have my own favorite scary books. Naturally it has come time to share the five books I have always regretted reading at night. Are you ready? Are you absolutely sure?
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Writely Advice: Back it up!
Feb 27th
I not only write fiction, I also write tech articles. I’ve been writing technology-based articles for nearly fifteen years and during that time the one thing that always shocks me is how many people do NOT back up their data. As writers, our data is our life. Imagine the horror of spending months on that new manuscript, only to have a disaster (a broken hard drive or fire) take it away from you. To prevent this type of loss you only need do one thing — back up your data.
Fabulous Friday: Zombie Gifts
Feb 24th
Oh I do love a good zombie gift. Zifts (as they might be called) are special to give because they say you know the person well enough to hand over some brain-munching fun! And Zifts range from the whimsical to the absolutely CRAZY! I wanted to share with you some of my new favorite zombie gifts (again, I say, Zifts) so you can brighten up the day of your undead-loving mother, father, sister, brother, lover, cousin, bestie.
Totes!
March Madness Sale at Adorkable Designs
Feb 22nd
March isn’t just for spring make-overs and NCAA basketball hoops! That month is also for going ADORKABLE! And to kickoff “Marchdorkable”, I’m offering $25.00 off any package for first time clients! This can apply to any one of my three design packages. Give your book cover the Adorkable touch. Check out Adorkable Designs to look at samples of the work and contact Jack for more information.
The Walking Soap Opera, er, Dead!
Feb 22nd
Last Sunday’s episode of The Walking Dead. Where do I begin? I guess I begin by prefacing this with the statement — I’m biased. I like my zombie horror apocalyptic in scope, scale, and mood. With that said, I want to go out on a limb and offer up a little criticism of the current state of The Walking Dead.
Writely Advice: It’s all about balance
Feb 20th
Recently I had an extended conversation with a dear writer friend that spanned a vast number of topics. From that conversation a number of conclusions were drawn — but one of the most important conclusions was the different types of writers there are. I’m not talking about genre writers or those that hand write first drafts — I’m talking about those that look at this craft as a business vs. those that look at it as nothing but an art. It became very clear to me that I fell closer to the latter than the former. But what was even more important was how neither type could survive without balance. That’s right, a perfect mixture of the business and the beauty.
UNfabulous Friday: Sports Illustrated Swimsuits and teenagers
Feb 17th
She was born June 10, 1992. At that time I was midway through graduate school. She’s just a year older than my youngest step child… and she’s the latest cover model for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. Her name is Kate Upton. She’s a model. She’s a TEENAGE. And now, she’ll be the object of desire for men across the globe. There is something tragically wrong with that.
The Horror of it all: New “Seasons”, new frights
Feb 15th
This last week was a banner week for horror and television. How you ask? Well, one brand new show smacked us upside the sexy face and one familiar fright came shambling back to the screen. Those shows: The River and The Walking Dead.
Writely Advice: Turn away from rankings
Feb 13th
Last week I had one of those moments where I though my heart was going to slosh out of my nether-holes and I was just going to give up the writer ghost.
Okay, I kid — I didn’t let it effect me THAT badly; but I must channel George Washington and say I cannot tell a lie, it did bother me. What? What exactly was it that bothered me? Hold your panties, I’m trying to build up an air of suspense.
Fabulous Friday: I Zombie I — the drawing
Feb 10th
No, I’m not giving away my soul to the first person to comment on this post (although The Eclective is giving away a free Kindle Fire — click here for more). Nor am I holding a drawing for a pair of my signed panties! Ewww! What I wanted to do was share a drawing someone special did of a scene from I Zombie I.
Hey Puritans, let go of us already!
Feb 8th
The Superbowl is over and in typical fashion people are coming out of the woodwork to complain about various and sundry bits and pieces. Someone flipped the bird on national television! Oh my! Someone said a dirty word in front of my children! Oh goodness no!
Martha, get over it. It’s 2012 (one hundred years away from the Priests of the Temple of Syrinx taking control of the planet) and we still can’t get beyond the goody too shoes clutch of the Puritans. Well, I have something to say to those with a Puritanical bent…
Superstitious writers: And my changing process
Feb 6th
Up until now, my process for writing a book went something like this: I would hand write the first draft of a book (usually in bed). Once the first draft was done, I would transfer the written copy to electronic form by typing up the digital copy. During that process I would also take care of the first rewrites. These first rewrites tend to be the bulk of the reworking the manuscripts get (I’m pretty hard on myself). Once the first rewrites are done, I then ship the MS off to the beta readers. When the beta readers send me their feedback, I integrate what I think is necessary and then ship it off to editors. But that process about to change a bit — and I’m nervous about this change. Why? I’m superstitious.
Fabulous Friday: Star Wars vs. Star Trek vs. BSG vs. Firefly
Feb 3rd
My last Fabulous Friday (about the ever-glorious George Takei) inspired a new Fabulous Friday, one that I might well come to regret. I was wondering — in a fight to the death, who would win:
- Star Wars
- Star Trek
- Battle Star Galactica (NOT the original series, but the reboot)
- Firefly
This may well be one of the most challenging questions I’ve ever answered, but rest assured, the answer will be fabulous.
When horror becomes nothing more than torture porn
Feb 1st
I’m going to regret that title. I know, full-well, I will be inundated with spam — simply because of the word “porn”. But what better way to describe the glut of horror films and books that have turned the tides of my (our) favorite genre? But what is “torture porn”? If you have to ask, you probably don’t want to know.
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