A reader recently asked me why I switched from horror/thriller to fantasy for my second book. The simple answer is “I wanted to.” I like to write in a lot of different genres. My next book was going to be the first book in a sci-fi series about a space-faring swashbuckler who crashlands on an […]
Writing
Reports of the Death of the Ebook Are Greatly Exaggerated
Last month The Publishers Association (a UK industry group for publishers) reported ebook sales in the UK dropped by 17% in 2016. This report created a firestorm of reports claiming that ebooks are dead, people are losing interest and going back to print, yadda, yadda, yadda. None of the major media outlets (that I could find) understood […]
Character Names in Fiction
A lot of writers give their characters goofy names, especially in the Thriller genre. Mike Gunn, the trigger-happy, retired police detective turned private investigator. Jack Action, the stuntman who solves crime in his spare time. Amy Winchester, the ex-sniper trying to escape a past that won’t let her go. The romance genre is even worse for this. […]
Movies vs Television and How They Relate to Books
I love movies. I’ve been a movie buff since I was too young to remember. Movie buffs like me don’t watch movies, we experience them. If you’re not a movie buff, you probably don’t understand, but let me try to explain. I want to be immersed in a movie. Surround sound, 3D, screen filling my vision, lights […]
Plotting and Pantsing – Part Deux
Last week I talked about Plotting and Pantsing. That post leads to the inevitable question, “What does Mark do?” Well, for starters. I pantsed the pants out of that article. That post actually started with this post, which is in response to a question from a reader. How do I go about planning my stories? I […]