Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif knows how to get readers interested in her work – and make her work interactive. She’s on Shelfari, with a new contest (Create a Corpse) that has avid readers name a character in her next suspense novel. And, as you might have guessed, that character dies.
Check out her site for details. http://www.cherylktardif.com/contests/
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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Check out this update from the organizers of NoirCon:
What we’re up to:
NoirCon 2008 is
a three-day journey into that abyss that offers an opportunity to have a
helluva good time looking into the bottomless, downward void that is noir!
Who’s hanging out:
Attendees at NoirCon
2008 will be from all the dark streets of Noir life –
academics, button men, poets, writers, coppers, graphic novelists, Noir movie
fans, book collectors, mouth pieces (attorneys), gumshoes, moviemakers,
newshawks, publishers, editors and other shadowy types.
Where we’ll be:
NoirCon 2008 is
so big, we need three venues to fit it all in. The venerable Society Hill
Playhouse, 507 South 8th
Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (societyhillplayhouse.org/) will be
our main venue site. The Friday Night NoirCon 2008 Awards Ceremony
where Dennis McMillan and Ken Bruen will be honored will be held at the Saigon
Maxim, 612 Washington Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and The Saturday Night
Awassa Children’s Project Auction will be held at the Triumph
Brewing Company, 117 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (triumphbrewing.com/).
How we’re doing it:
NoirCon 2008
will feature discussions, lectures, readings and screenings (in association
with the Philadelphia Film Festival (phillyfests.com/) , with
specialty books, videos, posters and other assorted ephemera.
Naturally, there will be many Noir-related barroom chats and long talks over
cheap coffee and the finest hooch.
Why you want to be involved:
No matter if you are a hood, goon, stool pigeon,
grifter or just plain interested in Noir, you will have a wonderful opportunity
to meet and discuss your thoughts with some of the brightest and creative
people in literature, movies and art today.
Whether it’s hardboiled fiction by the likes
of Chandler,
Hammett, Muller or Himes, or groundbreaking films like Double Indemnity, Body Heat or Pulp Fiction, Noir has a distinctive style all its own.
Now you can get into the action by helping sponsor NoirCon
2008, a three-day conference that will celebrate all things Noir from April
3rd to 6th, 2008.
Do not miss out on this opportunity to be part of
what will be one of the most talked about events of 2008!
For more information, and to register for NoirCon
2008 visit – www.noircon.com
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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Most people can trace their adult behavior back to things that happened in childhood. Create at least a one page sketch of the childhood of your characters. Let your imagination run as you write.
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
I found the old manuscript still intact in its box and once I dusted off the box, opened it and shuffled through the letter from the editor. I read the cover letter that I had sent with the manuscript back in 1977.
I was so excited when I read my description of “my masterpiece,” that I decided to use it as the prologue as I start anew on putting this old girl (pardon ladies!) together to make the rounds again. After I had typed it in, I looked at the pencil drawing I had made years ago and sent with the cover letter; it still made sense to me: a copy of the Washington Post with a headline about the President and a smoldering pistol lying on top of the folded paper.
No longer good at free hand drawing, I decided to let my brain do a little mind travel in originality and make a mental image of what it could come up with to replace my drawing. Since I had several issues of our local paper on hand, I looked through them and found a headline I liked: “Mark Cheaney passes away.” I also have a revolver, so I placed the newspapers on my bed so the word “Mark” was covered, the “a” in “Cheaney” were covered and laid the pistol on top of the papers then took several shots of the papers and pistol with my digital camera. I was surprised at the clarity of the pictures and when I put the text with the picture in the computer, I was totally pleased with the outcome for my “new” prologue; I didn’t change a word from the original.
Then came thoughts about the 500-page double spaced original typewritten manuscript. And, I’m still stuck on that. My desk is not set up properly for me to place my manuscript at an angle so I can look to my right at a page and type. Yes, I’m left handed and should have the manuscript on the “left” side, but that’s backwards for me. Perhaps that’s because I’m left handed AND left brained. I don’t know. So, I have ruled out that idea—for the moment. The idea has not been cast out entirely.
My other alternative is to tape myself reading my manuscript, but I’m not sure my fingers—even at 75 words per minute—could keep up with my voice and I’d be forever stopping the tape and backing it up to pick up words and phrases I’ve missed. That’s my present dilemma. I even thought about taping myself then farming out the tape to someone who speed reads and could keep up with typing to match the voice. But in this small town of 1,400, I haven’t found anyone who can do that. Don’t think I’ll go to the “big” city where things cost an arm AND a leg to get it done, either. Not to worry, I will find a way. With my country attitude and the time I have, I will find a way. My will has not left me yet, not by a long shot. Stay tuned for more….
George Thompson is a regular contributor to Wicked Wordsmith, and critic for the pop culture site www.PopSyndicate.com.
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HarperCollins and MySpace are teaming up to produce an environmental handbook for Earth Day 2008. According to the story, “The book will feature ideas from MySpace users, who through Nov. 7 can post environmental tips on http://www.myspace.com/ourplanet.” there’s no pay, BUT your name and location will be published in it if your tip is picked.
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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Virtual is where it’s at. On sites like Second Life, you can create your own storefront to sell your goods.
As a writer, you can use these sites to your advantage. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
If you don’t know how to navigate these sites – or don’t have the patience for it – then find someone who can. Kids, grandkids, youth at church, or even high school students needs extra cash can help out.
Check out virtual society, get involved, and create your own niche of readers.
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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Author Louie Lawent talks about why he chose Print on Demand and ways he is marketing work.
I chose the P.O.D. route for my book The LouieGod Interviews (What The Big Fella Really Thinks About Man And The Universe) because I simply did not want to wait any longer for the possibility of being published by a publisher.
I received favorable comments about the book from a Random House editor who gave me the name
of a publisher known for humor titles. Maybe receiving that personalized reply was a victory in itself because as you know, most turn-downs are form letters. The humor publisher’s editor also gave
favorable comments, but had reservations and said she would not know how to market it. She then suggested an editor of another publisher.
Was that another win? In sports that’s known as a “moral victory”, but it doesn’t put you on top of the scoreboard. Before these happenings, an agent did not succeed in placing this project over a 4 year span. I
also submitted another humorous manuscript earlier this year to a few publishers who liked the material, but not enough to publish it. Again, they did not know how they would market it.
To show you how expensive it is for a publisher to publish a book – one of those who liked this book, said it would cost $16,000 to get it out there in a proper manner. My Louie/God book is humor of the absurd. It’s
really a sound bite book, but they are dynamite sound bites. And there’s no let-up. It doesn’t have periods where it drags (like most comedy films). Who knows what goes through the mind of editors. My personal thought is that many of them don’t have a real understanding of comedy. I think many tastemakers (editors) have to be told by focus groups what is good. Sour grapes on my part?
P.O.D. is extraordinarily inexpensive today. Virtually no one wants to go this route, but if you believe your work should be in the arena, you do it. My mission now is to try to generate publicity for it. I hope for word of mouth. Since the book contains sound bite humor, I provide snippets from the book to those I hope will spread the word. The snippets are indicative of the whole.
Unfortunately it is very draining to spend the time promoting the book, but it must be done. If you go the P.O.D. route, you will put in hours on end. However, like I say, if you believe in your work, you don’t have an alternative. You seek to catch lightning in a bottle. It seems rather odd to talk about the tribulations of putting out a comedy book – to make a serious case that your book is funny.
You can learn more about Louis Lawent and his work by visiting his MySpace page. His book is listed on Amazon.com.
Hurry up and polish that manuscript! Amazon.com is taking the works of undiscovered authors through Nov. 5 for this contest. The prize: a publishing contract from Penguin.
Get details & good luck!
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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Info on the Writer’s Digest Q&A with humor author Jason Roeder on Oct. 23:
Just a reminder that next Tuesday, Oct. 23, humor
writer Jason Roeder will join us on the WD Forum to answer all of your
writing-related questions. Jason’s work has appeared in The New Yorker,
Salon.com, McSweeney’s, Radar magazine and more. His humor book, Oh,
the Humanity! A Gentle Guide to Social Interaction for the Feeble Young
Introvert, was recently published by TOW Books and his column, “The
Roeder Report” can be found in each issue of Writer’s Digest.
So stop by next Tuesday with your questions for Jason Roeder:
http://www.writersdigest.com/mbbs/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=13224&posts=1
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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Is it, or isn’t it Blackbeard’s boat? Good article to keep in your pocket when you need some quick research for that short story or novel involving the Queen Anne’s Revenge – or any pirate story that strikes your imagination.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,302182,00.html
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith
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