Name: George L. Cook IIII
Book Title: The Dead War Trilogy
Author Questions
1. How long have you been writing for?
I started writing right after seeing Star Wars for the first time. So I have been writing since I was about 10 years old. I didn't publish an actual book until 2008. But i had a few poems and articles published in magazines and newspapers.
2. What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre?
I think there are three things that set The Dead War Trilogy apart from other books in the zombie genre.
The first being a sense of hope. Many zombie books are all doom and gloom. I think that readers have to have a sense that the characters they have come to care about will not only survive but have the chance to actually live their lives in peace again.
The second is the level of action. I grew up on 80s action movies so I love lots of action sequences. This being a story of soldiers battling the dead ( and other things / person ) there is plenty of action to spare.
There is also a scifi element that many stories lack. There is also what I believe to be a possible and realistic explanation for the cause of the zombie apocalypse.
3. Do you have any tips for new writers?
WRITE! Don't keep checking on your sales figures or worrying about your reviews. The only way all of us get better as writers is to write.
Also write in a genre you like not one that's popular right now just to make a quick buck. To me that's not very satisfying and i feel my lack of enthusiasm for a genre would show up
4. What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation?
I read everything. Science fiction, horror, fantasy, and biographies. I just recently finished by Ian Woodhead and would definitely recommend that book.
5. Where can readers find you?
They can find me here:
Website: http://www.thedeadwarseries.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedeadwar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deadwarseries
Zombie Survival Questions
1. You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse?
I'm from New Jersey ( US ) so I have to go for the baseball bat. Itdoesn't need reloading and I don't have to worry about it getting stuck in someone's skull and not being able to pull it out.
It's also relatively silent so it wont make a ton of noise to attract more of the dead.
2. Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub?
All zombie fans know that malls are a no no. That always ends badly and besides there are too many doors.
In theory the pub sounds like a good idea. Hey if you gotta go you might as well get pissy tail drunk and have a good time at it. But because many pubs have a lot of windows this is probably not the most defensible place.
That leaves me with home sweet home. I can better defend my house and block off the staircase and hold out for as long as possible. If I'm going out I would rather go out in comfortable surroundings with the people I know and love.
3. You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in?
Hell no. Again I'm from New Jersey and I wont use an underground parking garage pre zombie apocalypse.
Seriously though I think anything underground with entrances that big would only become an underground tomb.
4. You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her?
What kind of person do you think I am? I would not do such a foolish thing. I would use a baseball bat and bash their **uking brains in.
5. What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse?
The expensive car that I just sold from the recently down guy down the road.
6. You're bitten, do you
A) Shoot yourself before you turn?
B) Ask a friend to do?
C) Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?
It would have to be A. I would opt out rather than become a danger to my family and friends.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Feud - Red Dust (Short Story 2) Out Now
Feud - Amazon
Feud - Smashwords
If you missed The Lost Party it is currently free on smashwords with the coupon provided on the site.
The Lost Party - Smashwords
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Of kings, warriors, and Oreo Blues by By Carole McDonnell
Of kings, warriors, and Oreo Blues
By Carole McDonnell
The Constant Tower is a story about Psal, a
lame prince who is unable to go on a journey. It’s not the lameness that’s
keeping him from traveling. It’s the world he lives in. No one travels outside
at night on Odunao, a planet with three moons, one sun, and a night that tosses
people to disparate parts of the planet.
But being lame is not Psal’s only problem.
Or rather, his being lame is problematical in that he is not a warrior. On
Odunao, a sickly, over-sensitive, limping boy is a blight to the warriors of
his clan. It doesn’t help matter that Psal is a prince.
I don’t know why or when I developed a love
for kings, royalties, and warlords.
I can only chock it up to Shakespeare and
the Bible. Certainly, growing up Black in the US, I should perhaps have developed an attachment to
freedom-fighters, democracy, underdogs, and equal rights. Heck, as a woman, I
should have developed a love for female protagonists. Alas, no such luck. Of
course, many American female fantasy writers write about royalty. But my main
characters are often male. They often belong to a race that is different from
mine. They are often royalty, which I am not.
So why this identification? I hate to admit it but I’ve begun to think
that although I like to think of myself as enlightened, it appears that I am a
product of my childhood education. As a kid, I grew up in a Jewish-Italian neighborhood, and have always found myself
somewhat “out of my element.” I even wrote an essay once called “Oreo
Blues.” For better or worse, I seem to
always be interested in how the other half lives. And I always seem to want to
challenge the clans to which I belong.
At first, I tried to be aware and
self-aware enough to write about women. After all, women were supposed to write
about women. And I tried to write about Black folks because I am Black. But
childhood education sticks. Unlike many of my Black and/or female writer
friends, I didn’t feel like taking courses to shake the evil British canon out
of my mind. I liked English lit and I grew up with fantasy/quest stories of
boys going on journeys — and that’s what I write about. I grew up reading about
kings and hearing characters speak to Prince Hal and Prince Hamlet as “My
Lord.” So the whole class system is woven into my fantasies, whether I like the
class system or not. I grew up reading the Bible so I wasn’t going to get all
super-enlightened and throw away my faith in order to cast off Imperialism.
So the child is father of the man…or of the
woman.
Of course, there was a time I felt guilty
about all this. I thought I should write about strong women instead of weak
oppressed women. Little girls need to see strong women, right? I thought I
should populate the world with dark-haired, dark-skinned icons whom little
Black children could love and honor. But, why change myself? I write about what
I see, and not about what I feel the world might be or should be.
And it turns out that I have somehow
managed to merge my own issues with those literary icons I studied during my
childhood. So, while I write primarily about male heroes, I do approach those
guys with my own Black female sensibility. And although I write about
outsider-princes and wounded warriors, (I’ll thank Shakespeare’s Hamlet,
Othello, Edmund, Shylock, and Hal for that), I do write about racial oppression
and I do seem to write truly multiculturally. My books are populated with
people of all races, and the races of my heroes —and their love interests—
don’t generally matter. I’d like to think that my writing is ambassadorial,
touching people of all races and I hope The Constant Tower will find readers
from all over the world.
Writers are supposed to write what they
wish to read. As the saying goes, “Wells are dug by those who are thirsty.” I
suppose the easiest way to think of it.
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Sunday, June 16, 2013
Nicolas Wilson - What do you look for in a book?
Question: What do you look for in a book?
Honesty.
I read to get to know people. Depending on the book, this may be the author, this may be the characters... I look for a distinctive voice. Not just fun action sequences, new and exciting places, thrilling plot twists, striking fantasy worlds. Those are nice, but the work needs a strong underlying personality.
Especially with the emphasis on commercial viability, it's getting harder and harder to find good, honest writing. Maybe we've gotten more scared of confrontation in our personal lives, especially now that employers may view our facebook, and penalize us for our words or choices. Maybe we're just used to more and more scrutiny, and don't feel a sense of safety to develop our own view of the world. Or maybe we've lost our capacity to research and interpret, when even the news channels can't be assed to ensure the accuracy of their reporting, in the rush to present breaking news picoseconds before the competition.
My wife rants a lot about the "fantasy disconnect." She describes it as a writer getting carried away in their story and concept, and failing to look how that lifestyle or action would emerge. Kings are cruel to their people, enslaving and killing at will, long past the point when the people would have risen up, and their own counselors would have betrayed them. Clothing uses materials that would not, could not, should not exist with the lifestyles and technology available. I think this is most egregious in television and film, where you can easily see that the peasant girl is wearing a hair style that would take seven hours to create- leaving her no time to work the fields or gather food. My point, though, is that I look for books that consider their perspective, and choose one. Catharsis is great, but how will readers relate to it, and differentiate it from any of the other fictional worlds out there?
I think the age of twitter and Facebook has changed the nature of creation. Audiences connect very deeply with the authors they love, and though the reasons may vary, it all comes down to specific pieces of them that they shared in their work. Admittedly, I don't have a lot of time for reading. I'm shamefully underread for an author. But there's very few finish-a-novel-a-day readers out there. and I'd venture to say that most readers are similar to me, both in their time commitments, and their desire to see something human and relatable in their literature.
Hunter S. Thompson has long been a favorite of mine, because his writing was honest, right on down to the pieces of his own bias or social conscience that emerged. I've tried hard to emulate that in my own work, to let readers know me a little better, or at least let them know how I interpret the world around me. I don't want to see stories set in a vacuum. I don't want the author to whitewash their work to avoid pissing people off, or "unfairly" presenting things.
Poe, for all his personal demons, wrote with an unwavering optimism. This may sound like a strange reading of his work, but his symbolism is all very upbeat.The mystery was solved. Characters broke free of restrictive mortal elements or institutions. While his stories might not have a happy ending in the everybody-lived sense, while the world did its absolute damnedest to crush the man, he never relinquished that strand of hope- even if he was often forced to invent it for himself.
Garth Ennis, my foulmouthed hero, turned beautifully illustrated pages blue with the strange, obscene, and flawed. He's definitely a niche taste, if only for his fascination with the seediest elements of the world, but he infuses even the most ridiculous characters with a humanity it's impossible not to relate to. It's a unique combination of world-building and humanity that makes it feel like I know Garth, though I've never met the man.
Though those are my all-time favorites, I've stumbled onto a few Indie authors with similarly unique outlooks. Jonathan Moon is a favorite, right now. Read a few pages of his novel, Heinous, and you'll see what I mean.
I hope that the factors leading to more restrained writing are cyclical, and we soon find ourselves with an abundance of honest stories. As things get progressively more restrictive, I hope that our authors don't find their voices silenced or distorted in the search for immediate profits, a clean online record for employers, or our own limited attention to hear their stories.
About Nicolas Wilson
Nicolas Wilson is a published journalist, graphic novelist, and novelist. He lives in the rainy wastes of Portland, Oregon with his wife, two cats and a dog.
Nic has written eight novels. Whores: not intended to be a factual account of the gender war, and Dag are currently available for e-reader, and will soon be available in paperback. Nexus, The Necromancer's Gambit, Banksters, Homeless, The Singularity, and Lunacy are all due for publication in the next two years, as well as several short story collections.
Nic's work spans a variety of genres, from political thriller to science fiction and urban fantasy.
Follow Nicolas Wilson's Work:
http://nicolaswilson.com/ Nic's site, with links to purchase Nic's work from all available retailers.
https://www.facebook.com/NovelistNicolasWilson
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6553776.Nicolas_Wilson
https://twitter.com/NicolasWilson
Honesty.
I read to get to know people. Depending on the book, this may be the author, this may be the characters... I look for a distinctive voice. Not just fun action sequences, new and exciting places, thrilling plot twists, striking fantasy worlds. Those are nice, but the work needs a strong underlying personality.
Especially with the emphasis on commercial viability, it's getting harder and harder to find good, honest writing. Maybe we've gotten more scared of confrontation in our personal lives, especially now that employers may view our facebook, and penalize us for our words or choices. Maybe we're just used to more and more scrutiny, and don't feel a sense of safety to develop our own view of the world. Or maybe we've lost our capacity to research and interpret, when even the news channels can't be assed to ensure the accuracy of their reporting, in the rush to present breaking news picoseconds before the competition.
My wife rants a lot about the "fantasy disconnect." She describes it as a writer getting carried away in their story and concept, and failing to look how that lifestyle or action would emerge. Kings are cruel to their people, enslaving and killing at will, long past the point when the people would have risen up, and their own counselors would have betrayed them. Clothing uses materials that would not, could not, should not exist with the lifestyles and technology available. I think this is most egregious in television and film, where you can easily see that the peasant girl is wearing a hair style that would take seven hours to create- leaving her no time to work the fields or gather food. My point, though, is that I look for books that consider their perspective, and choose one. Catharsis is great, but how will readers relate to it, and differentiate it from any of the other fictional worlds out there?
I think the age of twitter and Facebook has changed the nature of creation. Audiences connect very deeply with the authors they love, and though the reasons may vary, it all comes down to specific pieces of them that they shared in their work. Admittedly, I don't have a lot of time for reading. I'm shamefully underread for an author. But there's very few finish-a-novel-a-day readers out there. and I'd venture to say that most readers are similar to me, both in their time commitments, and their desire to see something human and relatable in their literature.
Hunter S. Thompson has long been a favorite of mine, because his writing was honest, right on down to the pieces of his own bias or social conscience that emerged. I've tried hard to emulate that in my own work, to let readers know me a little better, or at least let them know how I interpret the world around me. I don't want to see stories set in a vacuum. I don't want the author to whitewash their work to avoid pissing people off, or "unfairly" presenting things.
Poe, for all his personal demons, wrote with an unwavering optimism. This may sound like a strange reading of his work, but his symbolism is all very upbeat.The mystery was solved. Characters broke free of restrictive mortal elements or institutions. While his stories might not have a happy ending in the everybody-lived sense, while the world did its absolute damnedest to crush the man, he never relinquished that strand of hope- even if he was often forced to invent it for himself.
Garth Ennis, my foulmouthed hero, turned beautifully illustrated pages blue with the strange, obscene, and flawed. He's definitely a niche taste, if only for his fascination with the seediest elements of the world, but he infuses even the most ridiculous characters with a humanity it's impossible not to relate to. It's a unique combination of world-building and humanity that makes it feel like I know Garth, though I've never met the man.
Though those are my all-time favorites, I've stumbled onto a few Indie authors with similarly unique outlooks. Jonathan Moon is a favorite, right now. Read a few pages of his novel, Heinous, and you'll see what I mean.
I hope that the factors leading to more restrained writing are cyclical, and we soon find ourselves with an abundance of honest stories. As things get progressively more restrictive, I hope that our authors don't find their voices silenced or distorted in the search for immediate profits, a clean online record for employers, or our own limited attention to hear their stories.
About Nicolas Wilson
Nicolas Wilson is a published journalist, graphic novelist, and novelist. He lives in the rainy wastes of Portland, Oregon with his wife, two cats and a dog.
Nic has written eight novels. Whores: not intended to be a factual account of the gender war, and Dag are currently available for e-reader, and will soon be available in paperback. Nexus, The Necromancer's Gambit, Banksters, Homeless, The Singularity, and Lunacy are all due for publication in the next two years, as well as several short story collections.
Nic's work spans a variety of genres, from political thriller to science fiction and urban fantasy.
Follow Nicolas Wilson's Work:
http://nicolaswilson.com/ Nic's site, with links to purchase Nic's work from all available retailers.
https://www.facebook.com/NovelistNicolasWilson
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6553776.Nicolas_Wilson
https://twitter.com/NicolasWilson
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Interview with Rose Wynters
Name: Rose Wynters
Book Title: Phase One: Identify (Territory of the Dead series, Book 1)
Writer Questions
1. How long have you been writing for? I have a background in website design, blogging, and article writing and have worked in this field for years. I started putting serious effort into novel writing last year, and I have been writing books ever since. I have another series currently. It's a paranormal romance series called The Endurers.
2. What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre? It would definitely be the plots in my books. There is a tremendous number of creative writers out there, each one of us distinctive by the plots and characters of our books.
3. Do you have any tips for new writers? My best tip would be don't be afraid to put your books out there! I think for many new writers, the thought is daunting. I know it was for me. We live in a huge world though, made up of people with different tastes. I truly believe there is a reader out there for everyone's books.
4. What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation? I'm an avid reader, and I enjoy a little bit in just about every category. I don't have any recent recommendations, though. I do enjoy a lot of paranormal romance and books from the horror genre. It has been awhile since I've had the chance to sit down and enjoy some newer releases!
5. Where can readers find you? I spend a lot of time on Twitter (author_rose), my website (http://www.rosewynters.com), and I recently started a Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Rose-Wynters/121652694703696
6. What level of research do you do for your writing? It varies. Some of the research I've done has actually involved taking a trip to a certain city or area.
7. Do you ever consider one of your characters to be a reflection of yourself? Not really, but I'm sure there are some characteristics somewhere that would be similar. I think the same could be said of any writer and their characters!
Zombie Survival Questions
1. You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse? This is definitely a hard choice! I would say the handgun, and pray I find some bullets for it somewhere. Otherwise, I am really going to wish I chose the bat or knife when the zombies get a hold of me.
2. Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub? My own house, until the zombies run me out! After that, it would depend on how much fire power I have and how many survivors are in the group.
3. You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in? Nope, I think I would have to avoid that one. There would be something waiting in the dark I'm sure, and it wouldn't be a pleasant experience, at least for me.
4. You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her? No, I'd be on the move searching for a more secure location and other survivors for sure.
5. What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse? My computer, but it wouldn't be much fun without the Internet.
6. You’re bitten, do you
A) Shoot yourself before you turn?
B) Ask a friend to do it?
C) Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?
Wow, this is a tough one. Could I get an option D, lol. I couldn't imagine shooting myself or eating everyone around me, so I'd have to say B. Once you're bit, there is really no fairy tale ending for you!
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Here is some book information for my zombie release, Phase One: Identify
Blurb: From author Rose Wynters, comes a new zombie horror series set in Pleasant, Louisiana. Can this checkout girl learn how to survive in a world full of zombies?
Tabitha Alexander is an 18 year old that has just graduated from high school. Working as a checkout girl in the small town of Pleasant, her long-term goals for the future don't go beyond enjoying the upcoming summer and enjoying her freedom. Maybe even possibly finding a boyfriend.
Fate has something else in store for her, though.
One night, right before closing time, her world is turned completely inside out with the first screams and sounds of gunfire that tear through the darkness. Nothing will ever be the same again..... If she even survives.
This is book one in a new series called, Territory of the Dead. Best suited for ages 16 and over.
This book tells you how the nightmare began...... Pleasant will never be the same again.
Buy Links: http://www.amazon.com/Phase-One-Indentify-Territory-ebook/dp/B00COGWDC6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1367950765&sr=8-6&keywords=rose+wynters
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1115255641?ean=2940016467672&isbn=2940016467672
Friday, May 10, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Science Fiction and Real Science by Jennifer R. Povey
Science Fiction and Real Science
I've talked to quite a few people who think you have to be a scientist to write really good science fiction. Well, some of the top science fiction writers have indeed been scientists. Isaac Asimov was a chemist. The amazing editor Stanley Schmidt holds a PhD in physics.
So, does this mean that you shouldn't try to write science fiction without at least one degree in a science, ideally two or three? Not at all. I only have one undergraduate degree, and it's in archaeology. It's not even a B.S. in archaeology...it's a B.A. What's the trick to writing science fiction without a PhD hanging on your wall? Here are some tips.
1. Develop an understanding of the basic laws of physics. You don't need to have a formal training in physics, but your readers will catch you if you say there's no gravity in space, have green stars (without a very good supertech or other explanation) or think you can fly through a black hole.
2. Read science articles. I don't mean you have to read peer-reviewed journals, but look for popular science articles written by people who know what they are doing. Analog Science Fiction & Fact magazine runs at least two science articles an issue, specifically written for science fiction readers and writers. And, while outdated, any article by Isaac Asimov is worth reading - the man had a true genius for explaining scientific concepts in a manner the rest of us can understand.
3. Know what's being worked on now. At the very least you should check a news aggregator with a science section regularly. I've also stumbled across some great stories by following the right people on social media. First of all, you can get great ideas this way. Second of all, it helps keep you from going off in the wrong direction and making predictions that are proved wrong within a year of releasing your story.
4. Only include the science your story actually needs. This is absolutely the most important. Yes, there are people who write rigorous science fiction in which the story serves the science - and those are the ones with the multiple degrees, or at least who have spent a lot of time studying science. Gene Roddenberry once pointed out when working on "Star Trek" that the cowboy in the western does not stop the action to explain how his revolver worked. (Sadly, once Roddenberry was out of the picture, later Trek series did exactly that on numerous occasions). As long as you don't make actual factual errors (one of my embarrassing ones was not researching what Olympus Mon looks like - I owe my editor for catching that) then it is absolutely fine to gloss over how something works, especially when dealing with technology that hasn't been invented yet.
Good science fiction does require an awareness of how the world works. But it certainly doesn't need an advanced degree. (And all writing requires research. Trust me on that).
Jennifer R Povey - Information and Self Promotion
Humanity fired first
First Contact. With aliens so strange and predatory that humans could only react with revulsion and primal rage. And so, humanity fired first. Now, the ky'iin are raiding the solar system. The potential key to mankind's salvation? An unlikely pair of diplomats. One, a brilliant young linguist from Mars with a profound social disorder. Through her autism, she sees the beauty within the ky’iin. The other, a ky’iin negotiator who looks beyond humanity’s violent actions to the potential within. Can they serve as the bridge to unite the two species and stop the Contact War? Or will war-mongering saboteurs destroy them before they can act?
Bio:
Jennifer R. Povey is in her late thirties, and lives in Northern Virginia with her husband. She writes a variety of speculative fiction, whilst following current affairs and occasionally indulging in horse riding and role playing games. She has sold fiction to a number of markets including Analog, Digital Science Fiction, and Cosmos. Her first novel, Transpecial, was published by Musa Publishing in April, 2013.
Book links:
Publisher web site: http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=563
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CJ3UQIW
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Transpecial-ebook/dp/B00CJ3UQIW
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/transpecial-jennifer-r-povey/1115201560
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