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

I’ve never read Harry Potter. You can change that.

March 15, 2013

So, you say you love Harry Potter and that everyone should read it? Now is your chance to put your money where you mouth is. Every year I help raise money for a foundation called The March of Dimes. My child, who you can see hilariously featured a few videos from my daily vlog channel (linked above) was born about 5 weeks early, and so benefited greatly from the research and advances in care for premature infants, which is what March of Dimes does. Normally, I just beg friends and susceptible strangers for donations. This year I wanted to do something different. For every 2 dollars I receive in donations, I will read 1 page of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. At the end of each week, I will tally the donations, read the appropriate number of pages, and then record a video where I will offer my thoughts…

Pablo D’Stair’s 2007 book about a cat is being reissued

March 14, 2013

I'm always eager to promote Pablo D'Stair's work. It's my kind of stuff. So of course I'm going to let everyone know that his novel, Candour, is being re-released with a fancy new cover from Goodloe Byron. About Candour: An unnamed man suddenly begins succumbing to the horrors of a nightmarish disease. Secluding himself in his apartment rooms, his only companion is his cat, Alastair Cello, who he determines to keep unaware of his impending death. BUY IT HERE – a hardcopy straight from the printer is 47% off list price ($4.24, down from $10) by entering the following DISCOUNT CODE: SSZ8VB6L

LIVE stream of the ManArchy Loves Perfect Edge Books and Lazy Fascist Press reading in Boston, MA

March 7, 2013

Watch the ManArchy Loves Perfect Edge Books and Lazy Fascist Press reading from the International Poster Gallery LIVE right here on March 7th, from 6-8pm (EST). NOTE: If the video below shows an error, or looks to be not working, please have patience. I have scheduled this post to go live at 6:00 EST, but the reading may not start exactly on time.

Pixar’s Rules for Storytelling 2 – Fun for the writer does not equate fun for the audience

March 4, 2013

Pixar's 22 Rules for Storytelling [video]

Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling. Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week. Rule #2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different. Simply put, you are not your audience. Yes, you are a member of your audience, but an audience of one does not a paycheck make. As a storyteller, you’ve got to 1) know your audience and 2) be willing to make that audience happy. Even if that means making poop jokes for 3 minutes, which is what I do in this video, as much as it disgusts me.

I’ll be in Boston on March 7th, 2013 at the International Poster Gallery

March 2, 2013

Myself, along with Phil Jourdan, Michael Paul Gonzalez, Ben Loory, Cameron Pierce, and Kirsten Pierce will be reading at the famous International Poster Gallery on March 7th. You should be there. Seriously. I anticipate it will be quite the event. Read all about it at the Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/340073609438138/ Even cooler, you can embed the live stream on your blog or website. In fact, I would love you if you did. Simply paste either of the follow two code options to your website (it's exactly the same as embedding any other YouTube video). Note that until the event goes live 6:00 EST on March 7th the video will probably give you an error or something. But once I click the broadcast button, the world will rejoice. iFrame: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a4F7ngMBDhk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Old embed code: <object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a4F7ngMBDhk?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a4F7ngMBDhk?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling #1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes. VIDEO

February 26, 2013

Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling. Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week. Rule # 1 is You admire a character for trying more than for their successes. Success is defined as a pass/fail dichotomy. There’s no gray area, meaning there’s no room for humanity. Humanity is a gray area, constantly redefined by context. And narrative relies on a “gray area” approach to be successful. We, as readers, rarely accept winning v. losing as a satisfying climax to a narrative series of events. Rather, we care more about the characters that shape those series of events. Sports fans don’t just care who wins or loses; sports fans watch ESPN for hours every day to learn about the statistics and human interest stories behind their favorite teams, and…

The AWP Conference in Boston is almost here. Are you going (to buy me a beer)?

February 18, 2013

I'll be in Boston from March 6th - 8th for the annual AWP conference. If you're there, maybe we can meet up. You can buy me a beer. AWP stands for Association of Writers and Writing Programs. Writers? Writing? Of? is what one would say, if they were intrigued, so let’s pretend that you are. What is this AWP event? It's an annual gathering of writer types from all over the world for a 3 day event that's basically a giant literary circle jerk I’ve attended 6 or 7 so far, sometimes to sign books or perform at a reading, sometimes as part of a panel, but most often as a regular conference-goer. It’s a lot of fun either way.