Category Archives: Books

The Publishing Option Dilemma

by in Books, Writing and tagged | 1 Comment

I wanted to be traditionally published and worked for it and courted it for years. They said they didn’t want to work with me because I didn’t have an agent. Once I got an agent, nothing changed, beyond it being two of us getting ignored. The real game seemed to be who do you know. So I self-published. I try to learn the craft as much as I can and write well. I’m still working and still learning.

In the meantime, a traditional publisher (Vintage Books, a division of Random House) put out Fifty Shades of Grey, a writer’s and certainly an editor’s nightmare, and that made me lose faith in the idea that they were the gatekeepers of quality fiction.

These days, small press and self-publish outfits are releasing a lot more quality and less bad drivel than they were over a decade ago.

The lure of traditional publishing is still there for me, but they’ve tarnished their reputation some with their own badly written drivel these days, in my view. I hope to go with a small press next time. If not, self-publish is still there, and I demand high quality writing of myself, so I know it will be the best book I can release. 
Yet, learning the craft of writing well should never stop. I love finding new things to learn to improve.

Grimmie got a makeover, including a new chapter!

by in Books, Grimmie | Leave a comment

As a Grammar Nerd and OCPD neat freak, I couldn’t stand it – I went and edited out every typo I ever found (hopefully I got them all). My husband, author/creator Kevin A. Ranson spruced up the spine and back cover, and helped me with the formatting of the interior file. It looks amazing!

Also, since it was once going to be split into two books, I wrote a new chapter to close out “book one”. I never ended up splitting this behemoth of a book, but I loved the new chapter so much, I included it in this new version. It’s short, but a great addition to the story.

For those who already purchased a trade paperback copy of Grimmie, if you see me at a convention with new copies, bring your former one to show me, and you can get a new copy at a deep discount. The e-book version also has the new edits and new chapter in it, and you can even get an autograph for e-books now. (Details are on the Grimmie page here.)

Scott Kenemore’s latest: The Art of Zombie Warfare

by in Books

Scott Kenemore has been busy giving all of us great advice in different areas with his first two self-help books, The Zen of Zombie and Z.E.O. Now, with The Art of Zombie Warfare, he’s got all the bases covered! Whether you are tired of being passed over in life, at work, or on the battlefield, Kenemore’s books can help you learn how to stand up and take charge – by shuffling off in a relentless pursuit of brains (i.e.: what you want out of life, work, and battle).

Now before anyone starts chuckling, let me explain something truly unique about these books. Yes, they are funny – a scream, actually – and yes, they are shelved at my local Barnes & Noble Booksellers in the Humor section. The trick is, the secret is, the books really do have some great advice on how to get a head (terrible pun intended).

They will make you laugh, though, and the artwork by Adam Wallenta will have you chuckling merrily away while you’re on the path to a better you. I discovered The Zen of Zombie online, and the moment I saw it, I thought, “This is wild. I have to have that book!” Once I began reading, I knew I’d be happily acquiring a copy of just about anything Scott chose to write next. Three books later, I’ve never been disappointed.

Scott was a panelist at the Spooky Empire convention in Orlando last year, and he will be attending again on panels this October. If you have a chance to attend, don’t miss meeting this author – it is my opinion that he is one of the true rising stars of the next generation of great writers.

 

Scott can be found here: www.scottkenemore.wordpress.com

Now get out there and make something of yourself: zombie style!