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Burying Brian - A fantastic book

04/27/2011

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I just finished reading Burying Brian, the new release by perhaps my favorite author, Steven Pirie.  I read and reviewed his first book, Digging Up Donald, a couple years ago (read the review here), and that book remains firmly entrenched as the best I've read in the last 20 years.  Now, it has company.  Really, people, Burying Brian is a special book, Pirie is a special writer, and he needs to be huge.  I want his sense of humor and his biting social commentary out there for all to see.  It's that good.

I'll be reviewing Burying Brian for the July issue of Shock Totem Magazine, so keep an eye out for it.

Here's the book cover and blurb:

Picture
It's Judgement Day in Mudcaster.

The Mother likes a decent Judgement Day. It's an excuse to give existence a good telling off. But the Mother's hormones are turning Grandmotherly, and the Father thinks she might be entering the Change. It was when the Grandmother before her entered the Change that all the dinosaurs died. It's clear she can't fight for mankind when her hormones are on the march.

To the Mother's annoyance, it's son-in-law Brian who's chosen to answer for the world's sins. Brian's a bit of a damp lettuce, if the truth be told, so what business would he have in standing up to daft gods and barmy demons? If the Mother pictures Brian as a knight of old, it's always with a tarnished shield and a drooping lance.

When Brian goes missing, and the Mother learns the Grandmother is being held captive by demons, the Father offers to take the Mother to Hell and back-what husband wouldn't?-to rescue them. The family must be reunited, else how can they stand firm together at the Trials? And Brian, being Brian, will need all the help he can get if he's really to answer for everyone's sins and save mankind from oblivion.

Burying Brian is a gentle comedy.

No demons or lettuces were harmed in its writing.

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The Rift Book 3 finally has a name...sort of

03/16/2011

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That's right, fair readers!  After much deliberation with my writerly cohorts in the IAM and Kindleboarders, I've finally come up with a couple solid titles for the 3rd book.  I feel they definitely capture the feel of the story, the dark and sinister places it goes.  To say I'm happy with them - and relieved I've at least got an idea now - would be an understatement.

So what are these titles, you ask?  Well here they are.

1 - SPRING IS FOR SAVAGES

2 - THE SAVAGE SPRING

So I'm just curious what all you who live in my hard drive think of these.  Which would you choose?   Do you think I need to work on it some more?  Right now I'm leaning towards #2, but that can change.  Please, feel free to let me know.

Also, I took a break from my updates for The Gauntlet this past weekend.  I'll be sure to have a new update posted this coming Sunday, however.

Peace!

RJD
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Time for some shout-outs

02/17/2011

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As I've said before, I count myself extremely lucky that I've been able to get to know and converse with a great many accomplished and upcoming authors.  These are my friends, advocates, and support system.  They help lift me up when I'm feeling down, and they also enrich my life by allowing me to get lost in the worlds they create.  So I'd like to take this opportunity to help give a few of them (and their recent news) the props they deserve.

AMANDA HOCKING

I consider myself quite lucky that I've gotten to know this wonderful, talented, and supportive woman.  She's a great author and an even better person.  If ever I need advice or simply to shoot an idea off of her, she's quick to reply and assist, even though she's busier than hell.

As for news, Amanda's Trylle Trilogy series has been optioned to be converted into screenplay by Terri Tatchell (she of the team that wrote District 9, quite possibly the best movie of 2010).  What, you say?  An independent author having an Oscar Nominated Screenwriter converting her work?  This is fantastic news, and I'm super-pumped about it.  Amanda deserves every iota of success she gets, and I hope she gets tons more.

To read this announcement in Amanda's own words, visit her blog.

DANIEL ARENSON

Recently I had the privilege of reading his book, The Gods of Dream.  Dan is an author I've come to know well over the last year.  I love all his work.  Even if it doesn't completely mesh with me, I can still see the natural ability he has as a writer.  He's another one of the most supportive folks I know, and his talent needs to be out there.

As for The Gods of Dream, I reviewed it on my blog, Journal of Always.  Go check it out, and then buy it.  It's a fantastic book, and I put my reputation as a reviewer on the line in saying I guarantee you'll get something out of this special work of fantasy that you might not have expected.

E.J. STEVENS

E.J. is another talented and compassionate writer.  She runs a very popular blog dedicated to everything paranormal, From the Shadows.  She is an ally to all writers, constantly filling her site with author interviews and book reviews - something very time-consuming, especially for one with their own books to write and promote.  She's also a super-sweet person, and yet another willing to take time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions or be an ear if I need one.

Her good news is this:  E.J.'s publisher recently discounted the ebook versions of first two books in her series, She Smells the Dead and Spirit Storm, to $2.99 and $3.99, respectively.  I can personally vouch for both books (I read SStD, and am almost finished with Storm).  They are beautiful bits of escapism and innocent, otherworldly charm.  And at that price, they're a bargain.  I suggest them to anyone with a soft spot for paranormal romance or young adult fiction.  Good work, written by a spectacular person...and one who needs our support.

Well, that's all for now.  Look out for more shout-outs on this blog next week, 'cause I'm thinking of making this a staple feature of the TRO blog.

Peace!

RJD
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The unfortunate part of going it alone...

02/05/2011

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There are a great many advantages to self-publishing, as long as you're willing to put in a ton of work and are able to develop a vast amount of patience.  However, once you obtain even the slightest morsel of success, you end up developing a certain mindset that can quite literally cause mind-numbing obsession.  And this mindset is...

(drumroll)

Doubt.

The sales of our books have skyrocketed (comparatively) of late.  For the last week or so, we've been selling right around 40 a day.  But on this particular Saturday, things have ground to a halt.  Our sales rankings are climbing higher and higher, and along with that goes my level of panic.  I have a great fear that one day everyone will look at my work and say, "Oh, that's right, he's no good," and everything I thought I've built will crumble.  It's a dangerous thought process to have.  I've been checking the KDP feed obsessively and pulling my hair out trying to figure out HOW OH HOW I will get everything on track.  My stress levels are through the roof.

The thing is, deep down I understand that this is nothing but a hiccup, that if I simply take a deep breath and forget about the immediacy of success, everything will even out.  We've put out a damn good product, after all, and I've always lived by the theory that the cream rises.  And we're that cream.  But this doesn't stop the fear, doesn't stop the self-doubt from infiltrating my every waking thought.

I've wondered recently if this is something that will ever leave me.  I've wondered how I'd feel if (hell no-when!) I ever reach Amanda Hocking or JA Konrath levels of success.  Will the doubt leave then?  Will I finally be able to settle down and not constantly wonder if the next book will finally be the one that sends me down the eternal shitter where all failed authors land?  Will I stop looking at my life with a soul-crushing fear of failure?

Somehow I doubt it.  And there's that word again.

It keeps cropping back up.

Damn.

RJD
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The Gate is now live!

11/20/2010

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That's right, folks.  My new compilation of short stories - "The Gate: 13 Dark & Odd Tales" - is now available in ebook format for the Amazon Kindle.  Some of the stories are intense, some are poignant,  some of just made to entertain.  There are also four additional tales by fantastic writers Mecedes M. Yardley, David Dalglish, Daniel Pyle, and David McAfee.  Feel free to check it out.  There is also a super-special bonus at the end.  Click on the image to go to the Amazon page.


Picture
TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction
The Gatekeeper by RJD
Sullivan Street by RJD
The Container of Sorrows by Mercedes M. Yardley
Sins of Our Fathers by RJD
Blight by Daniel Pyle
Feeding the Passion by RJD
Dispatch #337 by RJD
Exhibit A by David McAfee
The Emancipation of Po-Po by RJD
I Spy by RJD
Kitty in the Cellar by David Dalglish
Perfect Blue Buildings by RJD
Empty Spaces by RJD
Traipsing Through the Dark (by all authors)
Excerpt from "Dead of Winter: The Rift Book II"

(as a reminder, this book will also be reissued in January as a digest-sized print book
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Updates

11/05/2010

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Here is where we stand right now when it pertains to the two separate projects we have going on right now:

#1 - Dead Of Winter

Yes, the final round of edits for the second book of The Rift are now finished!  The manuscript has been sent off to our first editor to look over.  When it comes back, it will be sent to yet another editor.  By the time it comes back to us complete, it should be a pretty spit-and-polished final product - unlike the many versions of The Fall in which the mistakes we (I) made cost me a ton of money and will not be repeated.

Jesse is also hard at work putting together the cover and interior illustrations.  When he's finished, we'll be putting it all together, producing the paperback and hardcover, and then it's up to me to format and upload a version for the Kindle, Nook, and iPad.  Yes, it's still a lot of work to do, and many more sleepless nights.  But in the end, it's all worth it.  This is going to be a fantastic book, better than the first, and will hopefully please those looking forward to following the exploits of Josh, Kyra, Colin, and a host of new and interesting characters.  And yes, our release date is still tentatively scheduled for around December 15th.

#2 - The Gate: 13 Dark and Odd Tales

This is a special - and now collaborative - project.  I have collected nine of my best short stories, and gathered contributions from a few great writers I know - David Dalglish, Mercedes Yardley, David McAfee, and Daniel Pyle.  These shorts will all be gathered in this 50,000 word tome.  It will be released at first for the Kindle only, again with Jesse's artwork adorning the cover.  Then, after we put finishing touches on Dead of Winter, we will go about creating a digest-sized paperback, complete with sketches from the fabulous artist himself based on the stories included.

There are a wide range of tales in here, everything from straight horror to science fiction to slipstream.  It's quite exciting for me, and all the stories (even mine) are good.  Look out for this to be released by the middle or end of this month.  Here is the table of contents in the order I have them right now:

1 - The Gate
2 - Sullivan Street
3 - Container of Sorrows (Mercedes M. Yardley)
4 - The Sins of the Father
5 - Blight (Daniel Pyle)
6 - Feeding the Passion
7 - Dispatch #337
8 - Exhibit A (David McAfee)
9 - The Bandits of Yaddo
10 - I Spy
11 - Kitty in the Cellar (David Dalglish)
12 - Perfect Blue Buildings
13 - Empty Spaces

That's all I have for now, folks!  Check back later for more.
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ZOMBIEPALOOZA!

10/03/2010

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Yours truly has been granted a guest blog on Amanda Hocking's site, "My Blood Approves". Along with the article I wrote, there is also a giveaway, as well. All you must do to win a copy of "The Fall" is write a comment after the post that includes your email address.  Just click on the link below.

Good luck, everyone!

RJD

Feeding the Beast - Why we need monsters in our lives
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Time to ramble a bit...

09/20/2010

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Yes.  Now, I will ramble.

I'm putting off writing a review right now.  It's something I know I have to do, but sometimes it can be such a stressful process - ESPECIALLY if it's a review for a book I loved.  I want to do the thing justice, and sometimes I wonder if I'll be able to pull it off.  Don't know why I do this to myself, though.  I always end up doing it, and doing it well, at that.  Perhaps it's just my inherent fear of "not being good enough".

Oh well.  On that note, our book sales have been stuck at one a day for this month.  I know this is good for a relatively unknown writer, but still, I'd like it to be more.  Let's face it, this is a good book - much better than a lot of things out there.  I just know that if folks were to find it, they'd think the same.  But the problem is getting them to discover the thing, isn't it?  I think I diluted myself into thinking releasing on Kindle would be the magic pill for some exposure...and while it has helped some, and I can't deny that fact, I still want MORE MORE MORE. 

Jeez, can I whine, or what?  *sigh*  I just need to bust out of this rut I'm finding myself in and do it, already.  Get to editing, get to writing that review.  The only thing that's going to remedy our relative lack of sales is more effort on our part.  I'm not gonna give up, that's for fucking sure.  So keep on plugging, brother, I tells meself.  You can do it.

And maybe, just maybe, some folks will stumble upon this post and decide that buying a book about the end of the world is just the thing to pick up their day.  In that case, here's the link below to find it on Amazon.

The Fall: The Rift Book One

Peace, everyone.

- RJD
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Video Journal - Killercon Wrapup - Day 1 (sort of)

08/28/2010

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Here we are, our first video blog from the convention:
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Spalding's Racket

08/05/2010

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If you're interested in searching for some well-written and fabulous new independent works, please feel free to check out Spalding's Racket, a new blog set up to promote indie authors and their novels.

Click here to visit Spalding's Racket.
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