News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #18…
#111: I’ve added two new websites to my preferred websites list (see the “Steve’s Writing” page): (1) Paula Haataja does a good job of finding inexpensive books for readers on Daily Cheap Reads and Daily Cheap Reads Jr. Together with the Bargain eBooks site, readers have a large number of these books to choose from. Don’t look for many eBooks from a legacy publisher at these sites, though, as the corporate nemesis of indie writers generally charges almost as much for their eBooks as their hardbounds and paperbacks. (2) Shah Wharton’s site, Words In Sync, offers a variety of information for readers and writers alike, including reviews, interviews, and a blog with guest posts from around the world.
#112: Daily Cheap Reads Jr. has featured my YA novel The Secret Lab. For young adults (tweens and teens) and adults who are young-at-heart, this whimsical story of a cat and kids on the International Space Station in the future is still only $0.99—available on Amazon, Smashwords, and most online eBook dealers.
#113: Coming soon! Be on the lookout for Angels Need Not Apply. I give a new meaning to “narco-terrorism” in this thriller that has your favorite NYPD homicide detectives Castilblanco and Chen thwarting another terrorist plot as they did in The Midas Bomb. Castilblanco uses his old Navy SEAL skills to good effect and Chen takes on a new sexy and independent role against the combined forces of al Qaeda and a Mexican cartel.
#114: Coming soon! Also be on the lookout for Sing a Samba Galactica. I go epic in a sci-fi thriller that takes off from where Survivors of the Chaos ends. Covering centuries of humanity’s future in the Galaxy, the events of this novel carry readers from the discovery of ETs on the 82 Eridani colony planet New Haven; to battles against the evil Tali on the Delta Pavonis colony planet Sanctuary and Earth; to the development of FTL travel; and to the healing of the Swarm, a giant, composite intelligence in the form of a globular cluster.
#115: Professions that need e-streamlining: Do you know how hard it is to find a notary public nowadays? Do you even know what a notary public is? I only say this because I was thinking that it’s absurd that I can copyright one of my books entirely online (sure, I have to send some office in D.C. a copy of the book), but there are still documents that need notarizing. It’s all part of the legal establishment in this country that has never evolved beyond the Dark Ages.
Similarly, in Survivors of the Chaos, set in the future, I portray seamless e-meetings, VR sessions where only the occasional flicker tells you the guy sitting next to you is not really there. Role-playing video games allow you to have an avatar—you become the knight that slays the dragon, etc. Why can’t we do this for jury trials? Maybe the VR technology is not quite up to what I portray in Survivors, but come on—when I was still at my day job, we had e-meetings all the time. An added plus: unless the camera is on you, you cab take a nap and no one is the wiser—maybe not so good for a jury trial?
I am sure my readers and fellow writers can think of other things that are way behind the e-times…let me know in comments.
#116: Since I had no comments on my interview of Sgt. Castilblanco, I’ll assume there were no violent reactions against it. While I’m not Pirandello, I do talk to my characters (it’s better than talking to plants) and they often talk back, so some more interviews will appear in the future. By the way, for those who have read Full Medical, the short story “Character Assassination” can be considered one big interview with Old Bob, but St. Peter runs the interview.
