Revealed: The Lost Chapter of Interstellar

Did you know that WIRED Magazine included a short graphic story called REVEALED: THE LOST CHAPTER OF INTERSTELLAR in their latest magazine issue? In the paper version they inserted the story over several pages. But you can read the entire thing online her...

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Amazon Prices J.K. Rowling's New Book Sky High

Checked out J.K. Rowling's new book The Casual Vacancy on Amazon today. Just wanted to see what the reader ratings were, and what the price would be. And to my surprise, the Amazon Kindle version at the time of this writing was $17.99. What the? I guess you can no longer justify the cost of an e-reader as a way to buy cheaper books. Publishers have...

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Why Don't We Use Career Managers?

Just throwing this out there for discussion Generally a professional sports athlete hires a manager to negotiate contracts and details with teams the athlete plays for. Why? I know not all athletes do this, but why do the majority of professional athletes hire managers? Why don't people with specialized talents hire managers to negotiate...

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30-day Geek Challenge

No, this isn't an April Fools joke, I really am posting. This is going to be fun, a challenge right up my alley. Thanks to my fellow geek Herlo, he's doing a 30-day challenge too.This challenge may be difficult to do everyday, but I'm going to try. It's April 1st, so I figure one a day would give me 30 new posts. That's a great number. I will probably do them out of order because some of these will need more thought than others.If you want to take the challenge, please leave a link to your post so I can see who's doing it too....

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The Business Of Writing Group

Like most writers, I want to spend more time writing, and focus on building a long term writing career, but I know just writing isn't enough. There is a business to writing. And if this part is ignored your successes will be limited. Off the top of my head I can think of marketing, selling, social network interactions, accounting, contracts, and negotiations. Writing something only get's you part of the way there.The last few writing conferences I've attended have all been about the act of writing. I don't know if this is planned,...

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My 3 Words For 2010

I like Chris Brogan. I tend to agree with most of what he writes. I like that he's authentic, and tries new things. So this year, I want to try a few things that are new to me.First are three words that will help guide my efforts for the coming year. My words are Write, Engage, and Streamline.1. WriteI have said this the past few years, but I want to write more; more blog posts, more articles, more ebooks, and more fiction. I love to write. The act of writing is thrilling. I have hundreds of stories in my head (and in my stories...

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Kindle Is Convenient But Not Always The Best Choice

I know that’s a bold statement, not cost affective. Why am I saying that? Let’s look at a few things. Utah author Brandon Sanderson (who, by the way is finishing Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series), has The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, Book 2) for sale on Amazon in paperback for $7.99. The Kindle version of this book is, $7.99. No savings, and...

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It's Hot And My Brain Is Fried

I hate writing posts like this. I don't really have anything of value to share. I cooked for 20 people on a BBQ. The grill was hot, the weather was, and I had a hard time staying cool. The things we do for our Family. After I was through cooking, I didn't even feel like eating. Here's to hoping I can write another day.Thanks to EvaMen for the pic...

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Writers Symposium Ezine Is Hot

Utah author Paul Genesse and friends, put out a great ezine, about once a quarter. This is for writers, by writers. Why is it hot? Let me tell you.Paul rocks at providing assistance to other writers. He has a good mix of contributors, and the content is always refreshing. In the latest edition he covers GenCon, pegged as "The Best Four Days In Gaming"....

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Must Watch Video - The Last Lecture

Last year I watched Randy Pausch give his Last Lecture, a lecture series (re-named) from people who were asked to give a lecture as if it were going to be your last. It just so happened to be Randy's. I've been very interested in his ability to remain so positive while facing certain death.I love watching this video, and will soon be reading his book with the same title, The Last Lecture (which is sold out everywhere), as soon as my copy is shipped from Amazon.There are only a handful of people who face the end of their life...

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World Horror Con 2008 Wrap Up

Unfortunately I had some health problems that kept me away from the convention Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. I'm very disappointed because I was having a blast getting to know a lot of writers, editors and attendees. I want to thank Charlie Harmon for putting together a wonderful convention. I know that its a pretty big deal to host an international...

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World Horror Convention Day One

Yesterday was day one of World Horror Con 2008 (WHC), in Salt Lake City, UT. One of the first things I noticed at this convention was the large amount of art work being displayed. I've been to conventions in the past and there was some art work, but this convention actually has an art gallery, with some incredible paintings. drawings and photographs....

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Sam Weller's Bookstore Hosts WHC Signings

World Horror Con starts in a few weeks and the schedule for authors who will be available for book signings has been released. This list is subject to change and I'll update if that happens.Sam Weller's bookstore, at 254 South Main Street, in Salt Lake City, Utah, has been gracious enough to host the book signings. This is a great chance to meet some...

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World Horror Convention Coming To Salt Lake City

World Horror Convention is coming to Salt Lake City March 27-30th. I'm not really into the Horror genre but I think it's a fantastic opportunity to meet more writers, watch some great indie movies, and basically have a scary time. Come and join the fu...

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70 Days Of Sweat

Today starts the Seventy Days of Sweat. This is another opportunity for me to have some type of deadline for completing, or at least make significant progress, on one or more of my Novel’s and short stories. the idea can be found here and is very similar to NaNoWriMo, which is a contest to write a novel in 30 days.I’m excited to be part of this effort....

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What Would You Ask Orson Scott Card?

I'm putting together some possible questions for the interview with Orson Scott Card on February 14th. I was wondering what you would ask him? Again, I'm not sure if I'll even have a chance to speak with Scott, but I'm sure Jeff will let me get something in. Do you want to know about any of his previous works? Do you want to know about any of his...

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Did You Own A VIC-20?

That's right, did you own a VIC-20 in 1981? Did you own a Commodore 64 in 1982? How about an Amiga? What other brands did you own in 1981 or 1982? I owned a VIC-20, a Commodore 64, an Amiga and a TI, and I want to know if you did too. Here's the deal, I'm writing a book that includes stories about emerging technologies from the early 1980's. What I'm looking for are your personal stories. Who bought you your first VIC? Tell me about some of the programs you wrote. What did you and your friends do with computers? What peripherals...

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Writing A Plot Shouldn’t Be This Difficult

One thing I'm finding very difficult as a writer is putting my plots on paper. I tried in the past to write from my head. I have the story all figured out, the characters, the beginning, the middle and the end. But my problem has been hundreds or even thousands of words into a story I start to lose where I am. I spend too much time going back and...

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3 Words For 2008

This year I wasn't really wanting to create a huge "goal" list, instead I wanted to focus on some key words that will help me stay focused. One of the reasons I want to have a set of words is because they are easy to remember. A set of words is also easier to measure against than a large list. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with goals,...

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Book Party For Red Dragon Codex

I'm excited to announce that on January 12, 2008, Rebecca Shelley will host a release party for her new book Red Dragon Codex. Here is an excerpt of the email I received from Utah author Ken Rand: You’re invited to the launch party for Red Dragon Codex by West Valley City writer Rebecca Shelley (writing as R.D. Henham), Saturday, January 12, 4-6...

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