Caleb J. Ross, author of novels and surfer of internets

Stranger Will popping up in strange places

October 17, 2010

News aggregator sites collect information in strange ways. Ever since Otherworld Publications went public with their 2011 book lineup, many unrelated aggregator sites have picked up the story. Usually, even with the seemingly unrelated, there is something within the text of a press release that would cause aggregators to jump on board. Let's see if we can find those reasons. First, here's the release in full: Otherworld Publications is Excited To Announce the 2011 Publication Line-up 04/10/2010 Otherworld Publications Louisville, KY (PRWEB) October 4, 2010 Otherworld Publications is tickled to denote the 2011 publication line-up. We have another breathless year ahead of us About the Authors: Michael Wallace Michael Wallace grew up reading all the history texts and novels he could find. His library shelves are filled up with a range of genres from H.G Wells and Jules Verne to Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy. It is only biological he…

Read Mel Bosworth’s Grease Stains, Kismet, and Maternal Wisdom

October 16, 2010

Grease Stains, Kismet, and Maternal Wisdom by Mel Bosworth My rating: 5 of 5 stars Mel Bosworth’s second bound book, Grease Stains, Kismet, and Maternal Wisdom, reads like a sequel to the recently released i am here And You Are Gone by Shome Dasgupta. The two books share simplistic linguistic style and an explored relationship that is both as awkward and beautiful as the characters themselves. The hook with this novella, if the somewhat commercial term like “hook” can be used, is the strangely absent origin story of the two characters, David and Samantha. How these characters met remains unsaid, which allows a unique tension in this fairly traditional story. Grease Stains, Kismet, and Maternal Wisdom is a great example of how a single detail is all a true writer needs to turn a story into his story. View all my reviews

You decide what I wear; voting for the STRANGER WILL cover

October 13, 2010

VOTING HAS ENDED. You get to choose the cover of my forthcoming novel! Go to the Otherworld Publications voting page and vote for your favorite Stranger Will cover. Seriously, the winner is the winner. No Florida re-counts here (dated reference, I know). I do like one more than the others. But which one, I won't say. The novel is set to be released on March 18th, 2010. Voting ends on November 30th. That means if I don't get the cover I want, I have 3 1/2 months to cry about it. Click here to vote. Click on cover images below to see full size image. 1-Vertical Bench, white 2 - Birds on Wires, red [Picture Deleted] [Picture Deleted] 3 - Snowy Bench, shadow title 4 - Snowy Bench, floating title [Picture Deleted] [Picture Deleted] 5 - Mirror Trees, sideways title 6 - Mirror Trees, wraparound title…

Slaughterhouse-Five means delicious BBQ

October 13, 2010

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series) Historically, with these Unexpected Literary References, I have focused on cartoons. But today, when I made my rare trip just a few miles north to Oklahoma Joes Barbecue on 47th street I was reminded of one of the strangest literary references I've encountered. The name of the barbecue team which birthed this amazing restaurant/gas station is Slaughterhouse-Five. Yep. Nothing says "let's eat meat" more than images of dying war prisoners.

Will you lend me a virtual couch?

October 9, 2010

In late 2009 I embarked on a the Blog Orgy Tour in support of Charactered Pieces: stories which took me all the way from my living room to the Javanaut coffeehouse on 39th street and everywhere in between with wireless internet access. Oh, the groupies. But that's for another post. As some of you may know, my novel Stranger Will is set to be released in March 2011 by Otherworld Publications. I miss the road (which remains unmoving just outside my office window). So, I want to do another tour. Announcing the Posting for Strange: The Blog Orgy Tour II: Stranger Will: (Unnecessary Colon) (I’m still working on the name) My goal this time is to embark on a marathon blog tour, from the release of Stranger Will in March all the way to the November 2011 release of my second novel, I Didn’t Mean to Be Kevin (Black Coffee…

My book rating methodology

October 7, 2010

I've been asked a few times lately why I give so many 4-5 star ratings at online book sites like Goodreads and Amazon. "Surely," goes the thinking, "not all books I read can be ranked among the top 80% of all books." Well, actually they can. Here's how. Getting rid of the 1 star possibilities: If a book disappoints me withing the first 50 pages or so, I won't finish it. And by not finishing it, I don't feel as though I have the right to give it a ranking. I can't rate a beer without feeling its hangover, right? This eliminates the majority of 1 star possibilities. Getting rid of the 2 and 3 star possibilities: A book, by the time I open it, has already survived multiple filters, and in having done so, is sure to find my favor. My brethren over at The Velvet and The Cult…

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Authors

October 2, 2010

During a recent discussion on NPR, Heather Fain, marketing director for the publisher Little, Brown and Co. said that “the greatest marketing tool we have in publishing — and probably will never change — is word of mouth.” This means not only literal friend-to-friend and bookseller-to-buyer hand selling, but also online forums, reviews, blog comments, and social network discussion. For the most part, authors have little control over this. One aspect authors can control: the old fashioned website. Optimizing a website so that it can be more easily found by readers is to most authors, I would assume, a foreign concept. Not that I am discrediting authors; I simply hope that most of you aren’t as nerdy as I am. Having a platform (re: a stable of willing buyers) is becoming more and more important to publishers. Optimizing your web presence is an important way to grow that platform. Many…