Computer Ick

Ever have one of those days where you spend an hour just trying to log on?
I had one this morning.
And yesterday.
And the day before.
My computer has made a unilateral decision to scan the C drive for errors, part of which is wiping out all passwords.
OMG.Looks like a third trip to the computer people.
This is what I get for having four blogs and four different emails and passwords. More secure, more nightmare.
I swore I'd quit trying at 10 AM, so off to do constructive writing.
As soon as my frustration wears off.

Author Gregory Marshall Smith: Hunters

Today I've got Gregory Marshall Smith here, talking about his life as a writer and his newly released book Hunters.

Plotter or pantster?Pantster, by far. Interestingly, I got a message on Facebook from my identical twin brother, Gary, the other night, where he noted this was his 20th year in law enforcement/corrections. That got me thinking and made me feel a bit older when I realized that 2011 is my 30th (!) year in journalism. Journalists tend to write on deadline, thus, on the fly. This carries over to my fiction writing, as well.

Tortured hero or tortured villain?Depends on the story. In They Call the Wind Muryah, the “heroes” are all tortured. By contrast, in Land of the Blind, the villains are tortured, in that their desires of revenge or nationalism lead them to do drastic things. For Hunters, the heroes are tortured souls, most of whom have tragic ties to the world of vampires.

Easy on your characters or as hard as possible?I’m often as hard as possible on my characters, simply because of the genres. I deal with monsters, human or otherwise, and monsters often do terrible things. Plus, my views of Man’s history is that extreme situations often bring out the best in ourselves so we can deal with the worst in ourselves.

What do you consider to be the key elements of a great story? As I’ve stated before in several blogs like Wicked Writers, plot, believability and character development are essential. Even as a pantster, I still have to go back and make sure my plot makes sense. I first began writing fiction back in 1976, being inspired by the grade B (and, often, grade Z) schlock sci-fi on Creature Double Feature on WLVI-Channel 56 in Boston. I don’t have those stories anymore as they were handwritten and many didn’t survive my family’s move from Medford to Texas in 1982. But, I still remember them as extremely cheesy and implausible. In fact, I still remember my worst written lines ever -- “Left right rudder! Left right rudder, aye, sir!”
Of course, I was massacring Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and, though it sounds authoritative, I just basically said “stay on the same course.”
That said, “believability” is next. Especially with science fiction, you’re already dealing with the implausible and the fantastic, but you’ve got to ground it enough to make the reader think that, yeah, it just might happen. And, finally, “character development.” If you can’t make your characters likeable or, at least, seem real, why the hell should the reader follow them?

What is the hardest part of writing your books?Keeping track of the characters. I often get ahead of my thoughts and have to go back to remember my character’s names and backgrounds. That’s when some plotter instincts come in handy so I can do up character charts et al.

A close second is creating new worlds for my stories. Yeah, you’ve got some leeway with science fiction, but it can be a hassle creating new worlds. There’s always the danger of one world looking suspiciously like the next.

How do you develop your plots? Do you use any set formula?I flesh the plots out in my head. People say I can take almost any situation and begin developing a plot from it. And, yes, at times, it can be a little creepy. While some people look at a dilapidated playground and envision new swing sets for kids, I try to imagine how it got so run-down. Was it from neglect? Was someone murdered there by a hideous monster so now the neighbors shun it?

Could you tell us a little about how you develop your characters? I admit to using real people to develop my characters. Friends, family, celebrities, politicians, people of interest in the news, all are pilfered for material to create amalgams that become my characters. After that comes a lot of fine-tuning.

Who has been your favorite character to write? The most challenging?
My favorite character is Devereaux Marshall Fox, aka The Adventurer. I have been writing or developing him for about 18 years, through many incarnations, from a rip-off of Gaiking to anthologies devoted only to him to Japanese anime (from my Navy days in Yokosuka) to his current form (novel).

The most challenging, I think, have been my female characters. You can put what I know about women into a book. Well, a 3x5 notebook. Making them three-dimensional and more than just a hapless foil for the hero. Some have been lesbians. Others man-haters. Still others, stuck-up or strong or supportive. I always cringe when I create women because I hope I’m not injecting a load of stereotypes into them.

Have you ever found that you didn’t like your Hero or your Heroine? Yes.
If so, what did you do to change that?I’m constantly editing my work to make it read better and seem more plausible. So, it’s rare for my characters to remain as they were originally written. Devereaux Marshall Fox has gotten a harder edge over the years (to reflect the world I saw firsthand through war and reality). Realizing the heroes from Hunters, my current novel, were just a little too unified, I had to add some conflict like would exist in a real group. We all have co-workers we don’t like or friends our loved ones would rather we not hang out with.

If your book was made into a movie, who would you want to play the leads?Funny you should ask that. I have this habit of using celebrities as the basis for my characters. I create amalgams of different ones, taking the best traits from their movie or TV roles. Then, I add in real life people.

So, for Hunters, here is my movie star list:
Dolores Montoya (Elizabeth Pena)
Jesus Montoya (A Martinez)
Lin Tang (Ziyi Zhang)
Louis Riordan (Vincent Cassel)
Marcus Van Niekerk (David James)
Angelica Morales (Karina Nascimento)
Jessie Kellums (Jody Leigh Miller)
Cantrell Ryker (possible newcomer)
Heidi Nguyen (Mai Tran)
Travis Pratt (Jeff Fahey)
Kelly White Cloud (Jana Mashonee)
Ian Hendricks (Nick Stahl)
Aurelia Hernandez (Ara Celi)
Diane Simmons (Tatyana M. Ali)
Tesino Giancarlo (Ray Abruzzo/Ed Marinaro)
Jewel Waterston (Serena Williams)
Tsukiko Matsutaka (Aya Ueto/Chiaki Kuriyama)
Nyrobi Kenya (Jasmine Guy)
Edge Ringgold (John Shea)

Can you tell me a bit about your most recent/upcoming release?My current release is Hunters, about a group of humans who have banded together to stop a master vampire named Louis Riordan from uniting North America’s most powerful masters into the most powerful undead alliance the world has ever seen. The odds are against them because the clan masters own the police and the politicians, have the services of lethal enforcer/martial arts assassin Lin Tang on their side and, even worse, there is a traitor in their midst.

On the other hand, the hunters have Cantrell Ryker, a man who has literally returned from the grave and what he lacks in personality, he makes up for in an odd blend of ruthlessness and compassion. He is also Lin Tang’s mortal enemy. And, the Hunters may have a weapon that could not only turn the tide in the battle against this deadly alliance of master vampires, but could turn the tide of the age-old war between humans and vampires.

The next book, due out Winter 2012, is called Land of the Blind. It deals with a future Earth where North America is unified in one megacountry. Those charged with protecting it fight each other, their own demons and a mysterious man known as the Adventurer to protect their way of life. Some, however, would use any means necessary to put their nation back on top, while others seek revenge against the Adventurer. But, before the end, they’ll all learn a harsh and painful lesson that, in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
I should also point out that I have a couple of free reads out as well. They are a science fiction novella called They Call the Wind Muryah and a science fiction/horror anthology called Dark Tidings: Volumes I & II. They’re available at Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and, hopefully soon, on Amazon (I’m trying to get the price knocked down to free).

Thanks, Greg! A pleasure having you today. Good luck with your book!

www.kellywhitley.com

Table For... Three?

Table for…three?
This week, I had lunch with a friend.
Actually, it was lunch with a friend and her cell phone.
The conversation fragmented under the assault of the insistent buzzing of the phone, then the click-click-click of her texting a reply. I think the people texting her had a more coherent conversation.
“So what are you doing—”
Buzz.
Sigh (me)
Click-click-click, send.
“How is—”
BUZZ.
And so forth.
The last kids’ sporting event I attended, one woman texted the entire time. I don’t know if she saw the event. I’ve seen an employee fired for updating her FaceBook page instead of working (yes, management knows who goes where when).
Has technology left us so over-stimulated that we can’t relax and have an in-person conversation? Must we multitask continuously? And are we really doing an adequate job on the important things?
My family knows it’s risky to call during my writing time to see what I’m doing (I’m writing. It’s my writing time. You know this). I prefer in-person conversation. I dislike impersonal group email to the entire clan instead of a letter (electronic or otherwise) just for me.
I don’t text. Ever.
What do you think? Is technology taking over? Or am I so outdated I can’t “relate?”
You can send me a personal email.

Hero Worship

Hero Worship
I’m in love—with my hero.
He’s tall, dark and handsome. Incredible eyes, incredible build. Interesting background, but he doesn’t like to talk about his past much. He puts the heroine first, and makes love in the most tender, generous way. And loyal? To a fault.
Oh, sure, he’s got issues, but these just make him more tortured and attractive. And he’ll change over the course of 100,000 words into an even better man.
Larger than life? You betcha. He’ll sweep you off your feet, get you to daydreaming, and make you want to come back for more. Or write more, as the case may be.
What do you need in an interesting hero? Soulful brown eyes? A mysterious tattoo? Gourmet cook? Skydives as a hobby? Fluent in three languages? Fluent in weaponry? Fluent in lovemaking?
Drop by and visit me on my new website: www.kellywhitley.com
Leave me your hero list!

Dead... or not

Dead.
To be dead, or not to be dead, that is the question. If you happen to be a vampire.
I love vampires.
Always have, likely always will. Many authors have dedicated blog articles to traits of a vampire. What’s necessary? What’s not? I’ve read them in every incarnation possible:
One extreme: Dead, no heartbeat, no breathing, can’t die (in some cases, except for______), no food except blood. Immortal.
The other extreme: Alive, heartbeat, breathing, Can die (by many means), eat human food and need blood. Mortal.
Books and movies get into the act with further variations on the traits. It’s a wonder we can still identify these creatures as vampires. But one characteristic weaves through all of these permutations.
The overriding theme of the need for blood. Never seen a vampire that didn’t require it in some way.
Personally, I like my vampires alive-with-heartbeat-breathing-food-eating-mortal beings. And yes, they need blood. Still, I have no trouble bonding with other authors’ vampire characters.
What do you like in a vampire?

Ode to Pricing

Ode to Pricing
99-cent books, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
A hundred books for a hundred bucks. What a bargain.
Or is it?
These buck books are everywhere. I’ve gotten a few excellent reads this way, discovered new authors whom I’ve followed on to their more expensive works. I’ve also purchased my share of not-so-good books for 99 cents.
Recently, I analyzed my eBook buying habits on Amazon since December.
--I don’t like to go over five bucks unless it’s an author I know and love. If I get a free sample of an unknown and love it, I might buy it.
--Rarely do I go over seven dollars. Only for my tried and true authors.
--My average per book is $3.67.
With all the e-publishing going on and the many e-readers out there, what are you willing to pay? What do you average?
AND—
If you set the price of your book, where do you set it? Do you raise/lower the price depending on sales?
Now I’m off to investigate some new reads…

In Celebration of a Critique Partner

Today, I’d like to welcome Danielle Monsch to Kelly Whitley Books. She’s got some great thoughts on the importance of a good crit partner. Don’t forget to comment for a chance at winning a copy of her debut book, “Loving a Fairy Godmother” from Liquid Silver books.
In Celebration of a Critique Partner
If there is one thing – one thing – that I consider absolutely essential to a writer, it would be a critique partner.
A GOOD critique partner. One that fits you, who gets what you are doing and likes your work enough that they enjoy reading it, but who is not so enamored that they won’t tell you where you are lacking.
Finding a critique partner is tough. I would equate it to finding a marriage partner. Before you say I’m being a little dramatic, I ask you to consider the following: As a writer, there is probably no more emotionally intimate act then for you to take this work that you’ve poured time and attention and feelings and hopes and dreams into, giving it to another person, and essentially telling them, “Rip it apart and shred it to pieces.”
Let me back up a second. First, if you are a writer, you need a critique partner. This is not a negotiable, not if you are serious about being published. You will be shocked about what you miss in your own work.
But getting critiqued sucks. It really does, and I’m not sure it ever gets easier. It’s a necessary evil, but it doesn’t feel good when you are going through it.
So we come full circle to a good partner. It may take some trial and error. You might work with some people where it just doesn’t work, and in those circumstances, it’s OK to say, “I like you, but we don’t mesh when it comes to critiquing, so I’m going to keep looking.” That’s all OK, you won’t necessarily marry the first guy you date, either.
My critique partner, Anna Alexander, went above and beyond in her duties for Loving a Fairy Godmother. I wrote the story under a deadline, and so I was emailing her daily with both new and revised work. It was a very pressure filled situation, one that was very instructive for me, and while I never would necessarily want to do it again, it was great knowing what I could do if I was pushed into it.
If I didn’t have a great partnership with Anna, it could never have happened. First it took a ton of her time, which is not to be underestimated. Beyond that, if we didn’t have a good crit partnership, beyond catching me using the same word verb five times on one page or noting where I head hopped or my POV was too shallow, she couldn’t have told me flat out, “I’m not liking the direction you are taking X. Are you sure this is how you want to do it?”
Because of the respect I have for her as both a friend and a fellow writer, I took her views seriously. Whether I changed things or not, the fact that she made me take a hard look at my story guaranteed the story would be better in the end.
Loving a Fairy Godmother is dedicated to Anna, with good reason. Treasure your Crit partners, my fellow writers. They are Golden.

Danielle Monsch is a Romantic Geek Girl Writing in a Fantasy World. Her debut book, Loving a Fairy Godmother, is available now at Liquid Silver Books at http://bit.ly/Dani_LFG
You can find Danielle on the web at her webpage www.DanielleMonsch.com, Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DanielleMonsch and twitter at www.twitter.com/DaniMonsch. You can find Anna Alexander at www.AnnaAlexander.net
One commenter will receive a copy of Loving a Fairy Godmother. Good Luck!