If you're a fellow indie, I'd love to hear what's working (so far) for you; and if you're a reader, I'd REALLY love to hear about what strategies (pricing, distribution, you name it) you've appreciated the most.
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Saturday, November 29, 2014
Small Business Saturday with @HylanderDiner
I'm at the Hylander Diner (aka Mary Pat Hyland's blog) today, talking about some of the time-tested small-business rules Indie Authors need to start thinking about.
If you're a fellow indie, I'd love to hear what's working (so far) for you; and if you're a reader, I'd REALLY love to hear about what strategies (pricing, distribution, you name it) you've appreciated the most.
If you're a fellow indie, I'd love to hear what's working (so far) for you; and if you're a reader, I'd REALLY love to hear about what strategies (pricing, distribution, you name it) you've appreciated the most.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Historical Wednesday: The Korean Edition
You know what Romance, Chick Lit and New Adult authors like to talk about? Anything you can think of.
Fellow romance author Victoria Barbour features me on her blog today, giving my two cents (or 1000 words) about Korean history. As you know, this is a subject that's near and dear to my heart. Please check it out.
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| I mean, you can just guess what's going to happen by looking at this map... |
Sunday, November 23, 2014
In the Shadows of the Onion Domes, Collected Short Stories by Mary Pat Hyland (guest post, giveaway)
NEW RELEASE: In the Shadows of the Onion Domes, Collected Short Stories by Mary Pat HylandPRICE: $2.99 / £1.92 / EUR 2,68
GENRE: Short Stories, Humor, Literary
SYNOPSIS:
By the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers in New York’s Southern Tier lies a verdant valley called the Triple Cities.
The shoe factories that originally drew thousands of immigrants from across Europe have long moved on.
What remains are the distinct ethnic flavors of a gritty community determined to overcome economic woes, adapt to the rapid changes in society and find true meaning in life.
Consider these eighteen stories as pages ripped from a sketchbook. Some are quick studies; others are more detailed portraits inspired by observed characters, whispered gossip, overheard conversations and the local lore of the residents whose neighborhoods are framed by the gilded Orthodox Church domes that span this valley.
You’ll find that each tale has its own tone: some are humorous or poignant, others are surprising and haunting.
AUTHOR BIO
Mary Pat Hyland is an Amazon Top 100 bestselling author and has published six novels and a collection of short stories. Her stories have appeared in the anthologies Seasons Readings and Lost Love Letters: An Indie Chicks Anthology. In 2013 the Arts Council of Yates County selected her as an Artist in Residence. She is a graduate of Syracuse University and has worked in the commercial/fine art, journalism, education and culinary fields. Mary Pat resides in upstate New York, the setting for her novels, and enjoys organic gardening, gourmet cooking, visiting the Finger Lakes
and teaching the Irish language.
AUTHOR LINKS
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Goodreads
PURCHASE LINKS
U.S. | Canada | UK | France | Germany | Spain | Australia | Italy | India | Japan | Brazil | Mexico | Barnes & Noble | The Author’s eStore
Why my new book would
appeal to people who don't normally read my genres
By Mary Pat Hyland
My latest novel, The House With the Wraparound Porch,
was five hundred pages long and nearly took the starch out of me, as my
grandfather used to say. Writing and editing the book took two full years and
the subject matter was so close to me that it drained me emotionally as well.
I had the idea for a new novel in the wings, but decided I
needed a change of pace. Over the thirty years I’ve been writing, when ideas came
to me, quite often I would write them out as a short story first. At least two
of those “grew up” to be novels when I revisited them for editing. There are
others lying around that were magazine story contest entries. A pile of these has
been collecting in a file on my hard drive. It was time to compile them into a
single work, and that’s how In the Shadows of the Onion Domes
was born.
Although a reader may prefer to spend the time it takes to
meet all of the characters in a big novel and see where the plot will take
them, sometimes life is too busy and you put off starting that book until the
perfect moment arrives. In the meantime, allow me to open my “box” of a
Whitman’s Sampler-style collection of stories. Some you’ll find nutty and
funny. Others will give you something to chew on.
This collection of eighteen stories represents various genres
of writing that interest me: family saga, chick lit, suspense and humor. They
vary in length and style. Two are sudden fiction, less than 500 words each.
Consider these as sketches of a single scene. One story, “The Reluctant
Magnolia,” is a novella, and it’s guaranteed to tug on your heartstrings.
A connecting thread winds through all these stories and that
is the location. Each is set in a differing neighborhood of Greater Binghamton
in the Southern Tier of Upstate New York. This area has a strong mixed-ethnic
flavor with residents who have a gritty determination despite the many economic
downturns the community has suffered. I know the area well because it is where
I grew up and currently reside. One of our most famous residents was Rod Serling
who was also inspired by these neighborhoods to write and direct The Twilight Zone for TV and later film.
And yes, some of my stories do have that Twilight Zone-y vibe.
As in my six novels, you will find memorable characters and
fun, snappy dialogue. Some tales will also transport you immediately with their
detailed descriptions of the scene and setting. The big difference between this
book and my novels: you can read several stories in one sitting. Or if you have
discipline, savor one a day.
Why not break out of your book comfort zone and give these
stories a read? Like a box of chocolates, the unexpected flavors may delight
you.
GIVEAWAY
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway contest to win an autographed copy of In the Shadows of the Onion Domes, copies of her ebooks or a piece of original art created by the author.
In the Shadows of the Onion Domes Rafflecopter giveaway
GIVEAWAY
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway contest to win an autographed copy of In the Shadows of the Onion Domes, copies of her ebooks or a piece of original art created by the author.
Friday, November 21, 2014
The Stupid Movie Blog Tour: The Man Who Knew Too Little
Here we are: this movie is the reason I wanted to do this tour.
Unlike a lot of other stupid movies, no matter how good, the writing here wastes nothing. On top of that, every actor is hilarious, whether it's slapstick humor, straight guy/gal or confused bystander.
The plot is ridiculous. Wally (Bill Murray) is a wannabe actor who works in a video rental store in the States and decides to visit his brother James (Peter Gallagher) and his posh wife Barbara (Anna Chancellor) in London- unannounced. Great- except that the couple is having a very important dinner meeting with potential investors and James knows it's only a matter of time before Wally says something embarrassing. Solution: get him a ticket to participate in the Theatre of Life, a fictional adventure complete with guns and dangerous criminals, so he can act out his fantasies of being an actor AND be out of the house. It wouldn't be a Stupid Movie if an international conspiracy didn't cross its (phone) wires with the acting troupe; when Wally answers a phone call intended for a hit man and thinks it's part of the act, the fun begins!
Wally never once is clued into the fact that this is real, not when he encounters a gun-wielding mistress named Lori (Joanne Whalley), a real dead body (whom he thinks is another actor really committed to his role), a corrupt politician or an expert in torture. (The fact that he goes searching for the infamous Ludmilla Kropotkin and finds an elderly couple enjoying a little BDSM only enhances the absurdity of the set up- but it's hilarious). Even after James is tortured while trying to rescue his brother, Wally still believes that the whole thing is a very long act. He's not convinced otherwise when Boris (Alfred Molina), the assassin who has been stalking him all night, happily concedes his inferiority to him nor when he and Lori are approached the next day by an elite American espionage group to become an assassin for them. As far as he can tell, he's being invited to join an acting troupe! So they all live happily ever after...although you do wonder what's going to happen when he has to pull his first real "job".
Every scene in this movie is funny, although a different kind of funny: some of it is physical, some of it is mistaken identity, some of it is iconoclastic, and some of it is absurd. If you haven't already seen it, you need to go do that right now. Here's just a sampling of why:
"You gotta check and see just how dead they are."
"How he mocks us!"
"And I want to do kids and old people...."
In short, possibly the perfect Stupid Movie. (Why are you still reading this and not watching this right now?)
Thanks to everyone who's followed the Stupid Movie Adventure thus far. Be sure to see what else Caroline Fardig has up her sleeve on the 25th!
Unlike a lot of other stupid movies, no matter how good, the writing here wastes nothing. On top of that, every actor is hilarious, whether it's slapstick humor, straight guy/gal or confused bystander.
The plot is ridiculous. Wally (Bill Murray) is a wannabe actor who works in a video rental store in the States and decides to visit his brother James (Peter Gallagher) and his posh wife Barbara (Anna Chancellor) in London- unannounced. Great- except that the couple is having a very important dinner meeting with potential investors and James knows it's only a matter of time before Wally says something embarrassing. Solution: get him a ticket to participate in the Theatre of Life, a fictional adventure complete with guns and dangerous criminals, so he can act out his fantasies of being an actor AND be out of the house. It wouldn't be a Stupid Movie if an international conspiracy didn't cross its (phone) wires with the acting troupe; when Wally answers a phone call intended for a hit man and thinks it's part of the act, the fun begins!
Wally never once is clued into the fact that this is real, not when he encounters a gun-wielding mistress named Lori (Joanne Whalley), a real dead body (whom he thinks is another actor really committed to his role), a corrupt politician or an expert in torture. (The fact that he goes searching for the infamous Ludmilla Kropotkin and finds an elderly couple enjoying a little BDSM only enhances the absurdity of the set up- but it's hilarious). Even after James is tortured while trying to rescue his brother, Wally still believes that the whole thing is a very long act. He's not convinced otherwise when Boris (Alfred Molina), the assassin who has been stalking him all night, happily concedes his inferiority to him nor when he and Lori are approached the next day by an elite American espionage group to become an assassin for them. As far as he can tell, he's being invited to join an acting troupe! So they all live happily ever after...although you do wonder what's going to happen when he has to pull his first real "job".
Every scene in this movie is funny, although a different kind of funny: some of it is physical, some of it is mistaken identity, some of it is iconoclastic, and some of it is absurd. If you haven't already seen it, you need to go do that right now. Here's just a sampling of why:
"You gotta check and see just how dead they are."
"How he mocks us!"
"And I want to do kids and old people...."
In short, possibly the perfect Stupid Movie. (Why are you still reading this and not watching this right now?)
Thanks to everyone who's followed the Stupid Movie Adventure thus far. Be sure to see what else Caroline Fardig has up her sleeve on the 25th!
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Tips on Managing A Series
I am on my good friend Lisette Brodey's Writer's Chateau this week, sharing my thoughts on what you need to keep in mind when you're managing a series. Please take a look.
If you're a reader, what's your favorite series? If you're a writer, what are your tips?
If you're a reader, what's your favorite series? If you're a writer, what are your tips?
Monday, November 10, 2014
The #StupidMovieTour celebrates...Malibu's Most Wanted
As soon as I saw a commercial for Malibu’s Most Wanted, I
knew I needed to see it. I wanted to see this so badly I used my wifely wiles to
convince my husband to take me to this on our tenth wedding anniversary. (He didn’t
think so highly of it, and I had to spend our eleventh anniversary watching
Hellboy. Even given that, it was worth it.)
I understand why some might find this offensive: this movie is
funny because it's riffing on offensive stereotypes. In this case, that young
urban African Americans are all dangerous gangsters (or, excuse me, gangstaz) who refuse
to speak proper English. If you’re
going to play with stereotypes for comedy, you’ve got to go all the way to show how ridiculous they are—and Jamie Kennedy goes all the way.
Kennedy is Brad aka B-Rad Gluckman, a wealthy, completely
deluded young man whose father is running for political office. (And to make
this movie extra ridiculous, his Jewish parents are played by Ryan O’Neal and Bo Derek.) He and his friends are self-styled gangsters (gangstaz—whatever) in
their extremely privileged Malibu 'hood. Therapy has been unsuccessful (but does yield a diagnosis of Gangstaphrienia), and his father
is desperate to prevent B-rad from embarrassing him on the campaign trail.
His ambitious campaign manager (Blair Underwood) hits upon the idea of scaring
B-rad straight by getting him involved with some real inner city gangsters.
Just one problem: he doesn’t know any. He hits on the
ingenious solution of hiring aspiring actors Taye Diggs and Anthony Anderson to
play the parts. They in turn recruit Anderson’s cousin Regina Hall to help sell
the act further in her neighborhood. It’s all one big con that spirals out of control—think tanks
and military grade artillery in Compton—and in the end Blair Underwood is fired, Ryan O'Neal wins the
election, Jamie Kennedy gets the girl and everyone accepts him for what he is: a
wannabe rapper in a privileged white man’s body. The End.
The brilliance of this movie doesn’t really take off until
Kennedy is thrown in with Diggs and Anderson—and then it’s gold. Some of my
favorite scenes:
+The attempted robbery at the liquor store. As Anderson and
Diggs bicker about who’s going to go in with Kennedy to make sure he knocks it off, Diggs pleads with Anderson: “Will you please do this for me? You know I’m
afraid of Koreans!”
+When Anderson and Diggs finally get Kennedy to break. “Gentleman,
I am really sorry if I offended you.” Anderson and Diggs are almost convinced,
but there’s only one way to find out. Which leads to...the scary movie. Suffice to say, it leads back to Square One.
+Taye Diggs offering an explanation of what happened that only a philosophy professor could untangle.
+And any time Kennedy utters my favorite line
And what do we learn at the end of this movie? Absolutely nothing: truly the hallmark of a well-done Stupid Movie.
Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to visit Caroline for her pick on the 12th
Thursday, November 6, 2014
'Twas the Night by Robin Reed (Giveaway)
As if the Holiday season wasn't scary enough!
Title: ‘Twas the Night
Author: Robin Reed
Published: November 8th, 2012
Word Count: 35,000
Genre: Horror Comedy
Content Warning: Comedy Horror Violence
Age Recommendation: 13+
Synopsis:
Rollo is the overworked, stressed-out Head Elf at the North Pole. As he prepares for Christmas Eve, he has to deal with toys that look like they’re having sex, terrorist reindeer, and worst of all, the sudden death of Santa Claus. Rollo has to save Christmas after he finds out that Santa is not just dead — he is undead.‘Twas the Night is a novella of approximately 35,000 words. It is a satire and contains adult language and themes.
About the AuthorRobin Reed is the author of a strange collection of books. She writes science fiction, horror, humor, and humorous science fiction and horror. She was born in Chicago but found her way to Los Angeles, swearing to never again experience a midwestern winter.
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
White Chalk by Pavarti K Tyler (Giveaway)
Title: White Chalk
Author: Pavarti K Tyler
Published: July 2013
Word Count: 65,000
Genre: Literary Fiction, Coming of Age
Content Warning: Adult themes and sexual content
Age Recommendation: 15+
Synopsis:
Chelle isn’t a typical 13-year-old girl—she doesn’t laugh with friends, play sports, or hang out at the mall after school. Instead, she navigates a world well beyond her years.
Life in Dawson, ND spins on as she grasps at people, pleading for someone to save her—to return her to the simple childhood of unicorns on her bedroom wall and stories on her father’s knee.
When Troy Christiansen walks into her life, Chelle is desperate to believe his arrival will be her salvation. So much so, she forgets to save herself. After experiencing a tragedy at school, her world begins to crack, causing a deeper scar in her already fragile psyche.
Follow Chelle’s twisted tale of modern adolescence, as she travels down the rabbit hole into a reality none of us wants to admit actually exists.
About the Author
Award-winning author of multi-cultural and transgressive literature, Pavarti K. Tyler is an artist, wife, mother and number cruncher. She graduated Smith College in 1999 with a degree in Theatre. After graduation, she moved to New York, where she worked as a Dramaturge, Assistant Director and Production Manager on productions both on and off Broadway. Later, Pavarti went to work in the finance industry for several international law firms.
She now lives with her husband, two daughters, and two terrible dogs. She keeps busy working with fabulous authors as the Director of Marketing at Novel Publicity, and by penning her next novel.
Amazon | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Website | Blog
Giveaway
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28b5dae6190
Monday, November 3, 2014
A little more #NaNoWriMo advice
I already bragged on Facebook and Twitter about being quoted in a Boston.com piece on writing advice for NaNoWriMo, but I'm dropping this quick post to point you to another good bit of advice, this time from education advocate Stephen Krashen. His concerns obviously have a different focus, but his advice comes to similar conclusions novelists and other writers boil down to: plan, follow a regular schedule, and edit.
Best insight Krashen offers: writers who follow a regular schedule are not only more productive than binge writers, they're also a little less, well, neurotic.
We'll take it!
We'll take it!
Sunday, November 2, 2014
The Stupid Movie Tour begins this week!
12/2/2014: Thanks to all of the wonderful authors who reached into silly for me. Hope everyone found something new to love!
Need to wash off the yuckiness of October? Keep your batteries charged for NaNoWriMo? Or just work up your appetite for Thanksgiving with a lot of belly laughing? The Stupid Movie Tour is here for you!
Need to wash off the yuckiness of October? Keep your batteries charged for NaNoWriMo? Or just work up your appetite for Thanksgiving with a lot of belly laughing? The Stupid Movie Tour is here for you!
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| One among many... |
Below are the tour stops; please visit them all to find out what tickles our funny bones (some may surprise you!).
Courtney- 11/3
Kerrie- 11/5
Monique- 11/7
Deb- 11/10
Caroline- 11/12
Sarah- 11/14
Jami- 11/17
Melissa- 11/19
Deb- 11/21
What's your most beloved stupid movie?
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