Recently, I was fortunate enough to be featured by Fae Corps Publishing with an author spotlight. They are an up-and-coming independent publisher with a focus on assisting up-and-coming independent authors. These types of resources and motivations is what makes the writing community so great. Hopefully, I’ll be able to repay the favor in the near future with a feature on them, so stay tuned! Until then, click the link above and check out my interview with them!
Thank you, that is all.
Filed under Author Spotlight
This year I dedicated a lot of time and effort into refueling content production for this website. I wanted to get serious about my writing and work on developing my skills in the craft. I worked hard coming up with ideas for posts every week, and minus a couple weeks in the middle of the year, I’ve accomplished my goal.
Today I’m going to pull back the curtain just a little bit more. There’s kind of an unspoken, but understood rule in the media world that authors don’t divulge numbers in regard to book sales, bloggers don’t talk about number of visits, and podcasters don’t speak about their number of subscribers. Mostly, I think that rule exists because people don’t want to reveal that their audience might not be as big as other audiences, or that they barely have an audience at all. I know that’s definitely the case for me. Exposing myself for the fraud that I am is scary, but it doesn’t change my motivations or desire to continue writing. Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Okay, so Crossover has been out for two months now. Hell, Crossroads has been out for over three years. If you still haven’t checked out the Kings of Chaos Motorcycle Club series for whatever reason, then let’s discuss, because, frankly, that just seems inexcusable. Last week, I pointed out how the series is perfect for pretty much any demographic. Simply can’t figure out when or where to read it? Then let’s brainstorm and come up with some ideas together, shall we?
When I wrote the books, I intentionally kept the chapters short. It keeps the story progressing for the reader, and as the writer, it makes crafting each chapter like it is its own separate short story. Not to mention it provides plenty of natural reading breaks. When I consider reading a book, I like to flip through and get an idea of the chapter lengths. Long chapters aren’t an automatic deal-breaker per se, but they are certainly a turn off. I’m not able to devote big chunks of time to read all at once, so having good places to set a book down is helpful for me as a reader. As a writer, I like to keep that in mind and take it into consideration. There’s also another unintended benefit – it draws the reader into the story a little more. With short chapters, readers tend to think, “Okay, just one more chapter. Oh, that was fast. I can squeeze in another one. Okay, one more won’t hurt.” And so on, and so on. Before they know it, they’ve ripped through the book and are clamoring for more (if it’s written well).
Now let’s get down to business. The whole point of this article is to offer suggestions on the when, where, and how you can finally get up to speed with Will McGee. Here we go…
Filed under Uncategorized
The holidays are fast approaching, whether you’re ready for them or not. Which means the pressure is mounting if you haven’t started shopping yet. Well let me ease some of that stress with today’s post. I’m about to give you the perfect suggestions for literally everyone on your shopping list.
Before that though, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page. I’d like to think we can all agree that there should be no tolerance for ignorance. Ya with me? I think there’s a natural connection between ignorance and a lack of reading. Reading expands your vocabulary. It informs you about subjects you aren’t familiar with, and it educates you further on subjects that are already are familiar with. Based on those truths, then we should have all just come to the same conclusion: books are the perfect gift for everybody! Let me break it down a number of ways and prove it to you. Ready? Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Recently, I was able to participate in a local author fair at the beautiful Hamilton East Public Library in Fishers, Indiana. During the event, I was 
fortunate enough to be interviewed for a podcast that features area news and events. The host was able to get brief interviews with most of the participating authors, and you can hear my segment begin at the 14:38 mark. You can also read a short write-up here. In case you miss it, I’m pretty sure I’m the author that’s referenced who concentrates on stories of biker gangs. Thanks to LarryInFishers for coming out and supporting a great group of writers!
Thank you, that is all.
Filed under Literary Listening
“If you don’t do it, I’m telling everyone at school you’re a chicken!”
There was no backing out. If Eddie didn’t follow through with his dare, then he wouldn’t hear the end of it from his classmates when he returned to school from Fall Break. That was the curse of living in a small town. Everybody knows your business, and once you’ve been ridiculed by one person then everybody else chimes in so they don’t get singled out too.
It never failed. Every year a single high school freshman was chosen to be “initiated” by a group of upper classmen. It just so happened that this was Eddie’s not-so-lucky year.Into the Graveyard
The group of boys stood at the edge of a small plot of land that had long ago been abandoned. On the left side of the land arose the shell of a large, two-story farm-house. The house had been condemned decades before the boys had ever laid eyes on it, but it still stood in disrepair due to the fact that the small township it resided in couldn’t afford the cost of demolition. The right side of the land displayed a very small graveyard that housed the last inhabitants of the farm-house. “Miller Cemetery,” as it had affectionately become known around town, was unanimously deemed the spookiest place in the area, with several ghost stories stemming from the events that led to the family’s demise.
These stories were passed down through the generations, with nobody ever taking the time to confirm the details of what actually occurred, so naturally the tales grew longer and more gruesome with each telling. Continue reading
Filed under Writing Resource
I have no doubt that by now you all have picked up on the fact that I am a total nerd. I’m good with that. I’m comfortable in my geekness and I enjoy it. One of the things that never fails to get me excited is to know that pop culture is happening in my immediate area. Sure, movies, books, and songs are set in areas from all over the place, but let’s be honest – cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago are a lot more commonly used than places like St. Louis, Milwaukee, or Indianapolis. I’m not delusional. I know that Indiana is a flyover state and has very little appeal to the rest of the civilized world, which is why my excitement jumps into overdrive anytime connections are made in the mainstream media with my home state.
I’ll always sing Tom Petty’s line about growing up “with them Indiana boys, on an Indiana night” a little bit louder than the rest of the song. I love seeing Indiana portrayed in movies and TV shows (although the portrayals are usually laughable because the state doesn’t offer tax perks to film here, so it usually ends up being places in L.A., Georgia, or Pennsylvania that get tagged as Indiana).
So anyway, when we do get some legitimate spotlight on our little corner of the country, I can’t contain my excitement, and I inevitably end up going down a rabbit hole of learning everything I can about each situation. Now I know I’m way late to this party, but I’ve been a John Green fan for quite some time. His book, “The Fault in our Stars“, being set in Indianapolis and becoming a best-seller was a big deal. Having the book optioned to be adapted to a major motion picture was an even bigger deal. Watching that film and knowing that it wasn’t actually filmed in Indiana was a bit of a heartbreaker, but see above. It’s a lot cheaper for production companies to film in Pennsylvania and pretend it’s Indiana than it is to actually film in Indy.
Taking that into consideration, I wanted to show off the places that are featured in the book, but were misrepresented in the movie for all of the John Green fans who haven’t been to Indianapolis before. (Don’t get me wrong, the movie actually did a truly great job of trying to keep things accurate, but knowing the differences just isn’t the same.) Let me be your guide for a virtual “The Fault in our Stars” photo tour of the bookish settings around Indianapolis. Continue reading
Filed under Literary Locations
The last post in this series focused on all the best words. This time, we’re going to shift and go in the opposite direction. As somewhat of a wordsmith, there are terms and phrases that I hear on a daily basis that drive me mad. We all know the standard cliches. This post is about to be one of them. But I’m going to focus more on commonly misused words or sayings. Here’s what I have in mind: Continue reading
Filed under Dictionary
Is there anything better than laying in a field on the earliest autumn days, soaking up sunshine as the rays warm your face? There’s really not. The serenity of enjoying every second of that moment is unparalleled, which makes the next turn of events in my story even more jarring.
Imagine laying in a field as I just described, only to be ripped from your makeshift bed. Abducted against your will, tossed into the trunk of a random vehicle, and taken to some strange house that you’ve never seen before. My captors don’t even have the decency to take me inside. I get forgotten and neglected for days, left outside in the elements. I can see into the house through a window down the side of the front door. That’s the only way I can keep track of the concept of time. There’s a daily calendar just inside that keeps track of my days. The calendar flips to October, and my mind starts racing. What do they have in store for me?? Then I get some company. On the first of the month, they drop another hostage right next to me. There’s a chill in the air, then they grab my newfound friend and haul him inside. Continue reading
Filed under Fiction
CK Fiction 