velvet Archives » Video Games are Real

Stranger Will tour stop #20: ChuckPalahniuk.net BOOK CLUB!!!!

May 1, 2011

This stop is a big one for me. Oft visitors will know that I am a big Chuck Palahniuk fan (I even defend Tell-All and Snuff). And in being so, it goes without saying that I frequent the official Chuck Palahniuk fan site, The Cult, quite often (I'm thirstygerbil over there). So, when Stranger Will was chosen as the May 2011 official book club pick, I danced a bit. If you've read Stranger Will, please head over to the forums and offer a few comments. Respond to other comments as well. Engage. Be a member of the literary community. Say what you like. Say what you hate. I can take it. And to further encourage your participation, know that I WILL NOT be posting in the book club forum until toward the end of the month, so feel free to be absolutely honest with your discussion. The only caveat being…

Stranger Will tour stop #18: Stephen Graham Jones’ blog

April 27, 2011

What makes an autographed book valuable? I bastardize this question and many more today at Stephen Graham Jones' blog. Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff. See all tour stops here

The Velvet presents Warmed and Bound, a collection of stories that will pre-crap your pants for you

April 15, 2011

I would normally hold off on announcing a publication until the publication in question has been, well, published. But Warmed and Bound is different. Warmed and Bound is a story collection many, many years in the making. Honestly, since the start of The Velvet forums, the idea of a collected story collection has been tossed around. And finally, with talent figuratively forcing apart the forum seams, it's about time the group warmth is bound for all to read. What makes this collection especially amazing is not only the number of stories included, but the degree of talent to be contained within. This table of contents features some of the greatest writers going right now, honestly. I truly consider my small contribution to this thing a very, very high point of my short career. Seriously, look at this Table of Contents. This is for real, people. I'm excited to be bound…

Stranger Will tour stop #15: BL Pawelek’s blog

April 15, 2011

Today, at BL Pawelek’s blog I write about the overlap of visual arts concepts and creative writing concepts. This post is all a call to action for anyone with additional insight into the overlap to post in the blog comments. I am trying to gather some resources for a possible larger project for the future.. Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff. See all tour stops here

Stranger Will tour stop #14: Matt Bell’s blog

April 13, 2011

Matt Bell's fiction originally captivated me the way most lasting fiction captivates me: grotesque imagery. Today, at Matt Bell's blog I write about why the grotesque is such an arresting form. Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff. See all tour stops here

Social media is a natural fit for authors. Tip your readers!

January 15, 2011

When I’m not authoring mind explosions, I spend part of my time professionally involved with social media. One of the items my company stresses with our clients is that social media is not about pushing a message of product, product, product. It’s about engaging with customers and potential customers on a personal level. This means breaking the traditional advertising bullhorn approach of “BUY THIS NOW” with quips about the weather or TV shows, for example (though perhaps still tangentially related to the company’s product line). For most companies, dialog sans advertising is a foreign concept. For authors, this should be easy. Authors are their books Authors are inextricably linked to their products in a way that traditional companies are not. Denis Dutton in The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, & Human Evolution explores the idea that fiction always concerns and navigates three persons, one of whom is the author. “There is…