Tag: Stranger Will

  • The top 5 most popular blog posts of 2010

    During 2010 I went from a seldom-posting recluse to an annoying gnat. But apparently some people like being bothered by insects, because a few of my posts actually rose out of the white noise to become respectable accidental meant-to-search-for-porn landing pages.

    #1 | Great Unexpected Literary References (posted in June)
    Top entrance keywords: literary references, literature references in family guy, south park literary references, simpsons literary references, family guy brian great expectations reference

    #2 | Peter Griffin does porn and literature

    Top entrance keywords: peter griffin porn, griffin porn, caleb porn, porn in literature, porn literature

    #3 | My 2010 Lit Midget list of forthcoming small press books

    Top entrance keywords: midget list, noah cicero the insurgent, “noah cicero”, “termite parade”, “letter machine”

    #4 | You decide what I wear; voting for the Stranger Will cover

    Top entrance keywords: stranger vote 2010 nov, stranger vote november 2010 (most of the visits for this page came from direct referrals)

    #5 | Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” mentioned in The Simpsons

    Top entrance keywords: the lottery the simpsons, the simpsons the lottery, the lottery simpsons, simpsons the lottery shirley jackson, the simpsons + the lottery

  • The Simpsons creates a market for messenger pigeons; Oddities a market for oddities

    (part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series)

    Last night’s The Simpsons struck me as especially coincidental. Not only have I posted about the show twice in the past week (11/26/10 and 11/24/10), but the episode shares subject matter with my upcoming novel, Stranger Will. Of all things, messenger pigeons. Random.

    What makes it even stranger (no pun intended…unless you laughed; then, pun intended) is that literally ten minutes before the episode aired, I was doing some messenger pigeon related research online.

    Fingers crossed that The Simpsons starts a cultural demand for messenger pigeon paraphernalia.

    UPDATE: Making this an official night of stringed coincidences, I happened upon a Science channel show called Oddities, which features a museum/store full of specimens meant for the morbid (mummified cats, taxidermied two-headed cows, and so much more). This could possibly be my new favorite show.

    But the coincidental part; the shop featured in this show has the same morbid interest factor as the World of Human Oddities featured in my forthcoming novel I Didn’t Mean to Be Kevin.

    The takeaways here are:

    1. If you like The Simpsons, you will automatically love Stranger Will.
    2. If you like The Science Channel, you will automatically love I Didn’t Mean to Be Kevin.

    I think thees are fair conclusions.

  • Rémi Carreiro makes the important part of books

    Rémi Carreiro makes the important part of books

    Most of you have liars for parents. Most of you were probably given the stork spiel when asked age-inappropriate questions about the origins of things. Some of you may have been told the truth, in graphic detail, from honest, though morally disinterested, parents. I’m here to tell you the truth. Birds and bees have nothing to do with it. Rémi Carreiro is responsible. Rémi Carreiro gives birth to book covers. Also, he may have some kids; I don’t know.

    When mocking up cover designs for Stranger Will, I began by searching for some seed images. Quickly, and thankfully, I found Rémi Carreiro’s Flickr gallery. While I ultimately chose his Park Bench image for the cover (well, actually readers of this blog chose the image, via a vote), this guy has some amazing images, many of which feel so perfect for book covers. See what I mean:

    NOTE: The images captioned as “original” are the untouched amazing Carreiro photos. The book covers show my modifications. These aren’t real books and are only intended to showcase how perfect Carreiro’s photos are for covers. Are you listening publishers?

    Bright White (original)
    Bright White (modified cover)
    Spruce Court Sunset (original)
    Spruce Court Sunset (modified cover)

    And this one just screams to be a wrap-around cover:

    Opposing Views (original)
    Opposing Views (modified cover)

    Many, many thanks to Mr. Carreiro for offering his Park Bench image. If you want a print of your own, you should buy Stranger Will. The image will come with its very own 250 page wall-mount.

  • The Velvet Podcast, Episode 009: Does This Novel Make Me Look Fat?

    The Velvet Podcast, Episode 009: Does This Novel Make Me Look Fat?

    Episode #009 of The Velvet Podcast is now live!

    Authors Gordon Highland (Major Inversions), Brandon Tietz (Out of Touch), and Caleb J Ross (Stranger Will) have a spirited conversation about self- and vanity-publishing, debating its legitimacy, logistics, and financial aspects, as well as insights from their own experiences in this oft-scorned segment of the industry.

    Please, give it a listen. Subscribe via Feedburner, Podcast Alley, or iTunes.

  • Put a cover on that book! Nobody wants to see that.

    Thanks to everyone who voted for the cover of Stranger Will. The winner is…

    I won’t lie; this isn’t the cover I was pulling for. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t really, really like it. Hell, I really, really liked them all.

  • Stranger Will popping up in strange places

    Stranger Will popping up in strange places

    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 writes thriller adventures with a science fiction twist and some history shed in for fun. At the point the reader becomes at ease with the pace of his stories, he will struck you with a plot twist, which will change the game

    His first novel, The Red Fire Fly, broke new ground when it was released with its own soundtrack. The combination of music with a novel adds a third dimension by permitting the readers get word the background of the scenes

    He lives in Colorado where on weekends you will find him rock climbing, or kayaking, or backpacking, or snowshoeing, or hiking, but most likely, you will find him running a trail somewhere. He runs 30 to 40 miles a week and he does it unshod. Yep, he is one of those amok barefoot runners and to make it worse he hopes to one day run in all the stages of the Four Deserts Race. You can larn more about him and his books at http://thehashwriter.com

    Jennifer Cloud

    Jennifer Cloud was born in Asheville, North Carolina. She got down her love of books at a young age and soon after observed her love for composing. Her husband boosted her to finish up her first novel after happening a biased manuscript she had concealed away in an armoire. She now resides in Missouri with her husband and two daughters. She is the author of many novels in both print and electronic versions. She has also had two dozen little stories printed and many novellas.

    David Donaghe

    David H. Donaghe lives and works in the eminent desert of austral California. David has three passions in life: scanning, composing and teasing his motorcycle. When not cutting into into an acceptable book or setting his face in the wind on his motorcycle, David writes little stories and novels. He has had three short stories printed so far and another coming out in an anthology

    David’s other hobbies include, fishing, hunting, karate, camping, horsemanship and other outdoor activities. He uses these experiences and other life experiences in his composing. David is currently sunning life and working on his next novel.

    Brandon Tietz

    Brandon Tietz is the author of the novel, “Out of Touch,” a transgressive take on nightlife, socialites, and sensory deficiency. He enjoys a well-poured vodka tonic, acceptable conversation, and the ariose stylings of Röyksopp.

    Currently, Tietz serves as one of the moderators of the Chuck Palahniuk Writers’ Workshop and is working on his second book, a themed collection, entitled, “Vanity.”

    His work can be seen on Lobster Cult Magazine and Outsider Writers Collective. He is also a three-time Chuck Palahniuk anthology finalist

    Thomas Matthews

    Thomas K. Matthews is a printed author, award acquiring designer, feted illustrator and nonrecreational communication coach. He has composed twelve novels and teaches composing workshops, speaks at eminent schools and localised colleges as well as lectures for the localised Learning Annex on self printing. The son of a retired American Literature professor he has been engrossed in the written word since birth. Thomas lives in California with his wife and son

    Caleb J. Ross

    Caleb has a degree in English with a minor in creative writing from Emporia State University in Emporia, KS. Based on his composing merit, ESU funded his attendance to the Tin House Writer’s Workshop in Portland, Oregon during the summer of 2004 where he had the opportunity to study with novelist Peter Rock. He has recently finished a six-week writing intense with Craig Clevenger, author of the novels The Contortionist’s Handbook and Dermaphoria (MacAdam/Cage). His fiction and non-fiction have came out widely. His fiction chapbook, Charactered Pieces, was let go of in 2009 from OW Press, and traded out of its first print run within two months.

    Beth Ann Masarik

    Beth Ann has been writing since she was 15 years old, and was published in the 2002 Schreiber Times. She took constructive composing classes in college, and feels that they assisted her go the writer she is today. In addition to writing the sequel to The World Among Us, she participates in a foreign anthology project, where writers from around the world come together to share their talent.

    Originally starting as a writing assignment for college, The World Among Us series has sparked up a role playing group online, and a fan base of over 170 followers on Facebook, and over 200 followers on Twitter. Beth Ann lives in New York where she is a legal assistant and teaches for her Family Time program, a religion program for the kids in her parish. She is also a lector on the weekends

    Stephen Prosapio

    Stephen Prosapio received his Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science from DePaul University in Chicago. After announcing for one of the nation’s largest fantasy football websites, footballguys.com, Stephen composed his first novel. Competing against 2,676 other novels, he acquired a Top Five Finalist award in Gather.com’s 2007 First Chapters contest

    Articles about him have been featured in the San Diego Union Tribune, The North County Times, Today’s Local News, San Diego Magazine and the DePaul University Alumni magazine.

    In January of 2010, Stephen established a Facebook XPI Fan Club for people interested in things paranormal. The group stood out 1,600 members in April and continues to mature approximately 500 members a month

    Stephen works as an executive recruiter and resides in Oceanside, California. He is currently crafting a sequel to Ghosts of Rosewood Asylum that chronicles the ongoing adventures of Zach Kalusky and the Xavier Paranormal Investigators

    Michael Sonbert

    Michael currently teaches ninth grade English in South Philadelphia and his first novel, The Never Enders, was released in September 2008 by IBOOKS Inc., an act upon of Brick Tower Press in Manhattan. Presently, he runs a workshop intense on Chuck Palahniuk’s Official Website.

    About Otherworld Publications:

    What makes Otherworld Publications different? We are revolutionizing the publishing business. We are a publisher with the Author in mind. Our goal is to assist Authors be boffo. Let’s form the future together!

    We have a team of authors, editors and graphic artists to help make your publishing dreams come true. Most of us are printed authors and we key out with the trials and tribulations for the printing industry. That’s why we organized Otherworld Publications with the Author in mind.

    ###

    Here are the aggregators:

    Renewable Alternative Energy
    Solar power – Wind power – Save money with Alternative Energy

    My guess is that the word “wind” mentioned once in the press release, interested this aggregator. Pretty desperate. I can’t imagine anyone thinking, “I’d like to know about wind,” to which a friend asks, “what aspect of wind?” “Oh, anything,” says the first. “Wind power, wind energy, and hell, just the word ‘wind’ shoved into any paragraph would be great.” I know, this entire scenario is stupid, as it supposes this wind searcher has a friend.

    iPhone – iPod – iPad
    iPhone, iPod, iPad Hacks and Tricks

    I am equally confused with this one. Maybe “broke new ground when it was released with its own soundtrack. The combination of music with a novel” iTeased this iAggregator. iHope not. That would be iDiotic.

    JAG’s Sports News

    This one is pretty easy, though no less irrelevant than the others. The phrase “After reporting for one of the nation’s largest fantasy football websites, footballguys.com…,” has got to be the culprit. But again, what the hell is so relevant about the simple combination of vague terms (the words football and website)? Time to tease the aggregator: “baseball and modem,” “Foosball and screen resolution,” “fantasy and internet.” That last one will probably be popular for dirty reasons.

    WP Themes Choice

    Judging by the url, this one was tagged as “publication.” Surely this blog doesn’t pull in any press release with the world “publication.” Wait, aggregators are stupid. Never mind.

    good news – Awesome Blog

    Again, I don’t know why the press release appeared here, but honestly, I can’t be mad at a site with such an awesome name.

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

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

    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
    [Picture Deleted] [Picture Deleted]