I Shouldn't Be So Judgmental...Of Typos

 I posted a picture last week of a sign on a motel. It was missing a letter and that struck me as funny. I snapped a couple of pictures and posted one, complete with a clever (to me...) little caption. 

Maybe I shouldn't have.

I mean, it's really just a typo, except of it being a misspelled word on a page, it's an incomplete word on a sign. Sort of the same thing.

I write a blog post every day. I've published a couple of books and have several short stories out there for all to see. And I'm prone to typos. There may even be typos in this post when it's all said and done. 

Typos are just mistakes. Some have bigger impact than others, of course. There's knock on self-published stories, because they--usually--aren't professionally edited or proofed, and because of that, those in the "approved" publishing world look down on them, and not just the books, but the authors as well. However, I have found typos on books published by established houses before. No one's really immunized from it, or very few, anyway.

I guess it's like taking the beam out of my own eye before I start pointing out the typos in other people's eyes...

Or motel signs that elcome you.

Check Out David J. West's "In My Time Of Dying"...Available Now!

Funny thing, when you get to be friends with a bunch of authors, they have a tendency to write books. And the more authors you know, the more books they write.

The latest example, David J. West's In My Time of Dying, and it's available now.

I downloaded the e-book earlier this week. Because my life is so crazy, I haven't had the opportunity to dive into it. I have read several of David's stories and they're good. David is not only a great writer, but a prolific one as well. They guy can churn them out. Being as this is Book #1 in the Savant series, I expect several more to come.

David's good for it. He'll get it done.

You can get your own copy by clicking: HERE. From the Amazon page, here's a bit of what the book's about:

Elizabeth Dee never expected a knock at the door would have her taking sides in a power struggle between two feuding wizards, but she discovers that she is the magical key to a cursed mystery centuries old. As she evades the murderous knights and demonic minions of the sinister Count of St. Germain, she learns more of her own true power and legacy…Her father never prepared her for anything like this…

But it’s dangerous to go it alone and she is going to need some protection, enter the infamous and touched, Porter Rockwell. If the legendary long-haired gunfighter can’t keep her safe, no one can…

In My Time Of Dying is full steam ahead gas-lamp fantasy in the vein of True Grit meets The Prestige. If you like big action, larger-than-life characters, and witty humor, then you’ll love David J. West’s gripping novel.

As always, David brings the goods! I think David--in a former life--was, if not Porter Rockwell himself, then someone who knew the man very well. He's written several Porter Rockwell tales.

If this book looks interesting, please give it a shot. I know you won't be disappointed. And if you do download and read In My Time of Dying, please review it--it's one of the best things you can do for an author to say "thank you" for their hard work.

In My Time of Dying...once I get to reading it, I know I'm going to love it!

"The In The Telling" Podcast...Understanding The Art Of Creativity

I found out a few months ago a new podcast was in the works, a podcast about how we communicate stories. Of course, it's more than that. The creator of the podcast is Liz Christensen. If you know her, you know why she would want to create such a thing. She's fascinated the art of storytelling. It's easy to imagine her wanting to, not only learn new things herself, but create a way for as many people as possible to learn them, too.

On her website, Liz explains why the In The Telling podcast exists:

Why I started a podcast

I am ravenous for stories. I love books, films, TV shows, opera, ballet, theatre, poetry, campfires and asking personal questions. I’ve also made my career in the performing arts and witnessed the power storytelling has to unite, transform, heal, teach and entertain. I am surrounded by talented storytellers across many industries all hustling to get their narratives heard.

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt said, “storytelling in general is a communal act. Throughout human history, people would gather around, whether by the fire or at a tavern, and tell stories. One person would chime in, then another, maybe someone would repeat a story they heard already but with a different spin. It’s a collective process.” With “In the Telling,” I collect the storytellers of our community, hoping to share and to amplify their voices. We will geek out over the art and craft of their expertise and experience. This podcast isn’t about critiques, or reviews. It’s about process, technique, philosophy, approach, conceptualization, and the mechanics and diligence of hard work. It’s about How and Why and Who.

I hope you’ll listen to these interviews. I hope you’ll participate in an interview. I hope you’ll engage with the stories in film, theatre, and literature in deeper and more meaningful ways. And most of all, I hope that when you seek a story, you’ll look local first. You’ll recognize and appreciate the talent within your neighborhood, city, county and region. Sharing our stories, and the process by which they became works of art, brings people together. So, join in. Come be part of your storytelling community.

“In the Telling” podcast explores the art and craft of storytelling along the Wasatch front with filmmakers, theatre artists, writers and more. It is produced and hosted by me, Liz Christensen The first three episodes will launch together in April 2019.

It only launched officially last week, but there's over twenty episodes, some longer than others. It's amazing how much work Liz has already put into the project. Once again, if you know Liz, this isn't surprising. She jumps into projects with both feet--all the way or not at all.

I've listened to most of the episodes already and I plan to listen to more when I have the time next week. If you want to know more about novel writing, live theater (including opera), singing, doing stand-up, film festivals, stage management, how to make a feature film, and much more, please check out In The Telling. You can access Liz's website: HERE, or her Patreon site: HERE. I can't wait to find out what other amazing things Liz has in store for us all. Please check out In The Telling podcast. If you like all things creative, you'll love it.

Linda's Stories...Something Wonderful

A neighbor and good friend has been one of the biggest fans of my novel Chaser. She's bought multiple copies and given them to her family. She's told me how much they've enjoyed reading my little story.

She's also told me of a little book she wrote, one that was written for her family, a book that binds her family together. She brought it over on one of her visits and I had the amazing opportunity to read it. It is a treasure.

Linda, for whom the book is named, told me how the book came to be. The stories are hers, the illustrations were provided by children and grandchildren. The combination makes a beautiful book. The back cover includes the following explanation:

An illustrated collection of nine stories written by a mother to teach her children important life lessons. Lessons of love, trust, obedience, forgiveness, hope, self-esteem, peer pressure and abuse are discussed in beautiful ways that make these difficult subjects easy to teach. The stories are fantastical and each contains a special meaning.

Each story is then summarized, nine stories, nine lessons, nine modern-day fairy tales a loving parent created for her family, stories to last for generations and beyond. In addition to the illustrations, a quilt was created from the stories, each tale has it's own quilt block, the finished product a tapestry of love.

I'm glad Linda loved my book. I'm glad she bought copies for her family and promoted it to the extent she did. I'm also glad she trusted me with her book. It's really something wonderful.

Thanks For Lunch, Dave!

The train took me to Utah County where I had lunch today with a friend. It's kind of hard to believe I've only known Dave for just over a year. It seems like we've been friends much longer than that. Sometimes that's the way it goes.

Lunch was my idea. I needed help with my first self-published project and Dave's a pro, having already successfully released several books himself. Being the awesome guy he is, he foot the bill at a very nice place, a place we could sit and discuss my project, but also all the changes he's had in his literary career of late.

Of course, treating me to lunch is so in character for Dave. He and I have attended several writing conventions and comic cons and at each one, Dave looked out for others. He always thought of us lesser known authors and fought to get us table space so we could hawk our goods.

So, when it comes to Dave, I'm convinced Karma is real. For the next local comic con Dave has been called up to the big leagues. He'll be at the big table with the big boys and I couldn't be happier for him. Not only is he one of the nicest guys I know, but he's a wickedly talented writer and musician, and, I'm sure, a lawyer (though I have not personal knowledge of his legal skills...).

Thank you, Dave for lunch. It helped so much--I formatted half the book on the train ride home. Dave is also an example to me that hard work, not being a jerk to others and perseverance can really pay off. He's off to bigger and better things. One day I hope to be as well.

Then I'll be taking him to a fancy place to eat. Until then, I'll be treating our next lunch at Wendys.

Self-Publishing, A Discussion For Our Time...

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In the literary world (and in many other worlds as well...), everyone seems to have an opinion about self-publishing. Of course, there are pros and cons to self-publishing, so many, in fact, that I couldn't possibly list them all on this blog post (well, I could, but then it would be a long, long post...).

The reason I'm bringing up is because I'm faced with a decision. Should I self-publish, or should I not? I need to make the decision on an upcoming project. The project is a direct result of a goal I made after the last Salt Lake Comic Con to have a book written and published by the next Salt Lake Comic Con, roughly a four-month period.

In order to accomplish this goal, I either have to write a new novel, or finish a project and get that published. I began a new story, one I'm excited to explore, but to do it right, I believe it's going to take more time than I have. It's been a month since I made the goal and time's running out. I think the only way I can get my story in print in time is to self-publish.

When I started my literary adventure a few years ago, self-publishing had a bad rap, but since then I've read many self-published books and met many self-publishing authors. And based on what I've read and the people I've met, the draw to self-publish is more and more an attractive option.

I've worked with a publisher and professional editors and I've been treated very well. I don't know, however, if my publisher, Xchyler Publishing, would be interested in this particular project. If I do decide to self-publish, I know there's A LOT to learn about this world. If I decide to do it, I know I'm going to be taking a huge leap of faith to produce a work of fiction that hopefully others will want to read. Here's to taking chances!

* Photo used without permission from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/561711.Self_Publishing_for_Dummies?from_search=true