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Falling Without a Parachute: Lessons Learned from My First Novel
August 26th, 2015
In October of 2013, I was having a bad year. I was jobless, living in a place I hated, and lacking hope. It was one of my lowest points, that quickly became of my highest because that month I sold my first novel, Falling Sky. A lifelong dream of mine had come true. I was going to be a published author. And yet there was just one persistently buzzing fly in the ointment — I hadn't finished the book.
Read Column →Economics of the Big Release
August 26th, 2015
Every now and then a tidal wave comes along in book publishing. Big releases can sometimes act as a shot in the arm for struggling bookstores, and they’ve helped to keep a changing industry afloat.
Read Column →Teens in Tinseltown: Six Hollywood YA Novels
August 25th, 2015
There’s nothing as exciting as the shiny world of Hollywood, where nobody is quite what they seem and drama is set to unfold not only on the sets of our favorite films and television shows, but in real life as well. America’s fascination with all things Hollywood knows no bounds, and luckily there are many Young Adult novels depicting the high profile lives of the stars to keep readers satisfied. Ranging from sweet contemporary romance to intriguing historical settings, there’s a Hollywood YA for every taste.
Read Column →5 Female Short Story Writers You Should Be Reading RIGHT NOW!
August 24th, 2015
So I’m going to totally sound like that racist guy in your office who was forced into sensitivity training by your boss right now, but in my case, it’s actually true. When it comes to reading, I’m colorblind.
Read Column →In Defense of (and Against) 'Write What You Know'
August 24th, 2015
It's perhaps the most well-known piece of writing advice out there. "Write what you know." We're not really sure where it came from—Hemingway, Twain, or some other quotable dead guy? Whatever the origin, it is rather reviled among many writers, mainly because it oversimplifies the craft and ostensibly devalues the imagination. But while I understand where this ire comes from, I think this advice can be valuable to any writer, because largely "write what you know" is misunderstood, and it needs clarification. So let's do just that.
Read Column →A Reading List for Self-Guided Study of Ancient Literature
August 21st, 2015
So you want to learn about ancient literature* but no class on the subject is being conveniently offered for you? Well, I can help! I had the chance to study in ancient literature in a few different courses, and I decided to compile a list of the reads I found most interesting. To spice it up a bit, I'll pair a few of these an *For clarity, "ancient" in this case spans from the beginning of literature to about 600 C.E., thanks to the arbitrary divisions we've made in categorizing literature.
Read Column →7 Reasons Why A Mailing List Is More Important Than Social Media
August 21st, 2015
We see no shortage of people talking about the benefits of social media to authors and publishers. Rightfully so, when used effectively a couple of well-targeted social media accounts can serve as excellent resources in your promotional toolkit. Furthermore, it’s a great way to network with other professionals and to even – shock, horror – make friends. The humble mailing list is often lost in the noise of social media when the conversation turns to promotion. Unfortunate given the mailing list is the better promotional tool. Here’s why.
Read Column →25 Book Marketing Ideas for the Desperate and Shameless: Field Test
August 20th, 2015
I have a few books up in the Kindle store. Like a lot of writers, I assume. And like a lot of writers, mine cover topics such as pre-adolescent boy ninjas and masturbating in a tiny house. I make a lot of assumptions. They are often false. At the risk of force-feeding the snake its own tale, if you will, I read a column here at LitReactor called "25 Book Marketing Ideas for the Desperate and Shameless" by Max Booth III.
Read Column →5 Public Domain Works of Classic Horror You Can Read For Free
August 20th, 2015
Growing up in Greece in the early 90s, horror fiction was in limited supply. It took ages for books to get translated (if they ever did) and it was always the best sellers: S. King, D. Koontz, Clive Barker and so on. I read faster than they were publishing. So I taught myself English the brute force way; by reading English horror paperbacks way above my reading level (Graham Joyce's The Tooth Fairy at age twelve did some things to my psyche).
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