First Person Singular with Narcissistic Tendencies

I have been busy lately punching up an old manuscript called Bullet for One, a revenge tale featuring private eye John Coburn going after the killer of a friend. It's an unashamed I, the Jury riff and when you see it, you will know what I mean. The reason the edit has taken so long and has been so time consuming is that I wrote this book back in 1999, and I have learned a ton in the last ten years, so much so that what I am seeing in the script is nothing but overwritten whale vomit. But I think, deep down, underneath all those extra and unnecessary and redundant words (see what I mean?) is a really good story worth exposing.

Another problem I have discovered is the issue writing in the first-person has caused. The narrator is "I" this and "I" that and, boy, it sounds like he sure has narcissistic tendencies. It's all about him! There's too much "I" going on and my next edit will attempt to reshuffle lines so that "I did this, I did that, I did it again" doesn't happen so much. But it has made me wonder... if that how first person books are, just because? If so I have never noticed. I think this requires that I run through some of the more popular private eye books to compare. I will, possibly, learn one way or another, and I think that will be great (see what I mean?).

It has been fun looking at how the younger me, myself, and I used to write, and it's wonderful to see how much I, myself, and me have learned. Perhaps we and me are in the right place after all. Don't you think?

Buy This Anthology or We Start Killing Puppies

Here is a project I am excited to tell you about, a new anthology featuring one of my stories, and the stories of many others who are up-and-coming writers to watch. Let me turn this over to editor Derek J. Canyon, himself a terrific storyteller, for the formal announcement:

I pleased to announce that the science fiction and fantasy short story anthology, Twelve Worlds, is now available for $2.99 on Amazon.com. Buy it here!

TwelveWorlds contains 14 short stories by new and aspiring authors.  Genres include my own gritty cyberpunk as well as epic fantasy, romantic fantasy, paranormal detective mystery, star-faring scifi, and more. There’s around 80,000 words total, so that’s a great deal for $2.99.

Author royalties for Twelve Worlds will be donated to Reading is Fundamental, the nation’s largest nonprofit children’s literacy charity.

My own contribution to the anthology is called The Price of Vengeance. It tells the story of Maggie, a woman with nothing to lose who goes after the genetically engineered dwarf who killed her entire gang. Yes, she’s hunting Noose, the protagonist of Dead Dwarves Don’t Dance. I think fans of Noose will really like this story, because it provides insight into and points of view of secondary and tertiary characters from my cyberpunk novel. If you want to read this short story, you’ll have to buy Twelve Worlds. It’s the only place you can get The Price of Vengeance!

Here’s a full list of the stories in this anthology:

By a Whisker by Kevin O. McLaughlin (3500 words): Someone is siphoning magical energy from the powerful ley nexus at Northshield University in this urban fantasy. Ryan goes to investigate, and gets help from an unexpected quarter.

The Accidental Muse by Amy Rose Davis (6200 words): A girl with no memory, a grieving widower, and a sweet-natured boy with strange power live a quiet life in their sheltered Keep until the night a traveling musician arrives at the door. The power of the musician's harp threatens to destroy their family unless one of them can stop it. A tale of gods, muses, mysterious spirits, and the power of love.

The Price of Vengeance by Derek J. Canyon (7400 words): In 22nd century Atlanta, Maggie hunts the genetically-engineered dwarf who killed her entire gang.

Insomnomancer by JE Medrick (3400 words): Witness life through the eyes of a predator. Kyle Hall, barely remarkable in a world of gray faces, is targeted by a very specialized hunter. To the target, it is night after sleepless night. To the Insomnomancer - a game of points and hungry satisfaction.

Thump by NB Kelly (4650 words): When a hitchhiker becomes part of an impromptu road trip, peace is the last thing that two young men will get out of it.

Iron in Shadow by Edward L. Cote (14900 words): The best thief in Rithmoor, the City of Dark Water, goes by the name Slip. He takes on a promising job, but it gets more complicated and dangerous the more he learns about what exactly it is he must do. To avoid certain death at the hands of the Great Magus Dibian, he must risk the wrath of the world's hardest people.

Together They Die by Brian Drake (3220 words): A former cop helps a ghost solve her murder.

Incubators by Manley Peterson (3200 words): Lost in space, three astronauts struggle to accept their fate aboard a crippled ship. Could a last-minute rescue be all they hoped for?

Cube by Coral Russell (4150 words): Luke's family isn't perfect, but they're worth saving. How far would you go to save your family?

The Star-Eater by K Gorman (6000 words): Karin wakes up one day on her starship, realizing her sister has been killed--but not before her sister cursed the murderer. Now she's got a man to kill. And her boss is starting to suspect that she's a little more than human...

Man-Maker by BC Woods (8050 words): A young boy in a society based entirely around defending itself against zombie-like demons refuses a sacred rite of passage.

Daddy Issues by John G. Hartness (4200 words): Vampires, voodoo, zombies and gold-diggers, it's all in a day's work for the boys at Black Knight Investigations. Vampire Private Investigators Jimmy Black and Greg Knightwood are called in to dispose of a zombie in the library, but there's always more than meets the eye where these detectives are concerned. Takes place before the events in Hard Day's Knight.

BONUS STORIES!

Weird and Wondeful by Tony Lavely (6000 words): Mailira and Marelsa together bring an old Scottish folk tale to life for a young musician.

The Light Stream by Jaylin Baer (3060 words): The transition between waking and sleeping, dreaded by some and enjoyed by others, becomes something altogether different for a very select few. Discover one woman's journey into the Light Stream.

So, if want to read new stories from 14 talented new authors, you should definitely buy this ebook! Who knows, you might find a new author that you really enjoy!

After reading it, don’t forget to write up a review on Amazon. It really helps sales.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004WT7OSQ/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=derjcan-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004WT7OSQ

Measure Me for a Halo; or, Every Man His Own Simon Templar

I have just finished reading The Saint and Mr. Teal, three chronicles in the life of Simon Templar written by the amazing Leslie Charteris. Once again Charteris amazes me with his use of the English language. I have never been so delightedly entertained by a writer’s work—the humor, the adventure, the biting satire of the political “mother hens” of the day (in fact, despite this book having been written in the ‘30s, you could easily apply Charteris’s comments to today—in the United States, at least—where they would fit our own “mother hens” perfectly, those dreadful fellows who seem to think that they know how to live our lives better than we do and spend their days trying to protect us from ourselves because they really do know best and if the unwashed and the Godly would just accept their counsel life would be so much better). Ahem. Charteris really does get one going…

To the book!  The three adventures featured in The Saint and Mr. Teal are rip-roaring yarns that make you laugh, smile, and, as I said, marvel at how Charteris uses words, like nobody has before or since (though, perhaps, P.G. Wodehouse could challenge the title—stiff upper lip, Jeeves!). I found myself unable to stop reading. In fact, I am glad that I have even more Saintly adventures to read as I recently discovered a gold mine of Charteris novels at a used bookshop in San Jose that I had never visited before. You can bet I will skip over whichever novel I had planned to read next and go straight to the next Saint book.

I do not possess the skill with language or satire that Charteris developed, though perhaps I could given enough time, but I will tell you that when I go back to my own manuscripts I bring a focus and discipline to the writing that seems stronger than before, because I now know how much better I can be.

The last time I wrote about Simon Templar, I was reading The Saint in New York, which has great sequences in it. I did not care for the book overall, because it had less comedy, and the action was more in line with what we American chaps tend to write. This is not to say it was bad, but I was expecting something different. The great revelation at the end, when the Major Villain comes to life, has been repeatedly used by writers of less skill than Charteris that I—and you—have read over the years, so when it finally happened  I was not surprised. And that disappointed me. Such is life.

And then there is the character of Simon Templar himself. With Templar, Charteris created a character you want to read about over and over again. He does not get boring. Templar’s moral code and dedication to his cause is so strong that you cannot turn away. You want to be there with him, taking on the ungodly in pursuit of boodle or pure justice. He is such a finely drawn character and you want him to be real. You want him to be out there somewhere with gal pal Patricia Holm and you hope that one day you cross paths and get to take part in an adventure, even if only for a moment, so you can relive your Saintly association during your golden years and know that there is a man out there who will not compromise himself. There is far too much compromise today. There are no more Alpha Males, or good ones, anyway, and Templar is a good one.

Oh, well. It is a silly day dream, really. But there are far worse ways to spend one’s time, and I do not apologize for saying so.

The next question is, which Saint book do I read next? Perhaps I will set the books out on the floor, close my eyes, and pick the first one my hand touches. Regardless of which one I pick, I know I will be entertained.

There is talk about a new television series or a movie featuring The Saint, but I do not hold out much hope. Roger Moore, when he played the character, played it well, but nobody can capture the True Saint (I will not mention the radio show, despite the great Vincent Price who played the role, as it too falls far short of the books). I wish the production well and maybe I will be surprised. I sure hope so. The world needs Simon Templar now more than ever.

Heard Through the Walls of My Apartment....

Hi, gang. It's been quiet on the blog the last week or so because I've been relocating--to a whole new town. It's an exciting time as this is the first time I have been able to afford my own apartment. For the last ten years I've been renting rooms from other people. The downside to this is that I have no furniture of my own, so the living room is bare.

For the first month or so I am skipping cable television, so the apartment is not only bare but also quiet, but it is not without built-in entertainment. The walls in this place are decent but even the thickest walls cannot keep the loudest noise from getting through, and tonight I heard a couple of wild hollerings from neighbors that I absolutely must share.

First, on the kitchen side of the apartment, I heard a woman shout (to apparently her male counterpart), "If yo' momma had put her foot in yo' ass when you were young you'd be an entirely different person today." I tried, I strained, I even put a glass to the wall, but I did not hear the gentleman's response.

Then, down the hall on the bedroom side of my place, I heard another woman yell, "Don't you just look at me and go meow meow meow." One assumes she was yelling at her cat, and one also assumes, from having owned many cats, that the poor kitty was hungry and momma hadn't yet realized this. Either that or she indeed fed the animal, and the cat was trying to con more food out of her. That is not outside the realm of possibility.

So, as my second week in this domicile begins, I look forward to more entertaining snippets from the neighbors that I will delightfully share.

Also, coming up in a few days or so, I will share with you a round-up of my appearances around the web promoting my new spy novel, Show No Mercy. The indie community (and other seasoned pros) welcomed my work with open arms, and it's been a great experience. Till then.....

Quit My Day Job? Heck No!

A friend said to me the other day, "Now that you're a tiger-blooded totally bitchin' big shot author from Mars, I bet you can't wait to quit your day job, right?"


I suppose there are plenty of authors who have quit day jobs in order to write full time, but I'm afraid I won't be joining those ranks. I spent the last three years either unemployed or underemployed. I had a lot of time to write, read, smoke cigars, watch television, and basically live the life of a "full time author" complete with weekly checks that arrived from the pixies at a small government office. You know what? I was bored out of my mind. Bored stiff. So bored I would go outside just to count grass pedals. I mean, seriously, if there is another way to describe how bored I was, I would insert it here, because I don't think I can tell you how totally bonkers I was going. I did some volunteer work with my church, which I was already doing, and that helped, but the days were long. I decided that if that was the life of a full time author, I didn't want it.


I like having something to do and somewhere to go every morning. It doesn't hurt that my current job is cake--I work for a company that sells food to restaurants. Yeah, sales is a tough gig, but I have a good time with it, the people are good, the pay is decent. My living expenses are covered. Income from book sales is gravy.


If I am going to keep working full-time, though, I need more hours in the day to write, so to that end I have found a new apartment a few miles from the office which will greatly reduce my commute time (ten minutes as opposed to the one hour drive I have now) so that frees up some hours. I will be able to devote two hours a night to my manuscripts, and on that schedule I can finish a book in three months.


What's nice about having income from my eBooks is that it will eventually build up and allow me to maybe get a house, a nice sports car, take a Caribbean vacation... who knows. It will also allow me to eventually say, should I ever want to, "forget you" to my boss. Who doesn't want to be able to say "forget you" to anybody and be rich enough to get away with it? You  never know, my boss will someday tick me off one too many times, and I'll be too rich to put up with his crap. Or her, really. My boss is a her. Did I not mention that? I've known her all of my life, you know.


My boss is my mother.

Interview with Linda Pendleton, Indie Author Pioneer

I can’t describe what a treat it is to be able to present to you my next guest, who was kind enough to let me interview her about one of her novels.  Linda Pendleton is her name, and she has quite a resume behind her, and is probably one of the first in what we are now calling an "indie" author. More of that in a minute.

You could say that where I am now with my writing career is the fault of her husband, the late Don Pendleton, who wrote a series of books about a fellow named Mack Bolan.  Maybe you heard of him.  The series was called The Executioner and Pendleton wrote the first 38 books before turning the series over to ghost writers who continue to chronicle Bolan’s adventures.

Back in junior high and high school, the novels in my backpack were always James Bond, Mack Bolan, or some other adventure thriller—but mostly I carried Bolan around with me, because there were so many books in the series.  During a camping trip with my Boy Scout troop, one of the scout masters saw me reading a Bolan book and said, “I have a box of those back at the house. You can have them if you want.”  Of course I said yes, but I had no idea just what that box contained.  A few days later, I learned:  all 38 original books, in decent condition, plus a few of the ghosted books.  Let’s just say that every spare moment I had I used to read those books and at one point I went through one a day (I had an hour-long bus ride to school, each way, since I lived far from the campus, so that helped).  I still have that box of books and go through it from time to time.  Along with the work of Fleming and Ludlum, Don’s novels made me want to write my own stories.

Unfortunately I was never able to communicate with Don. I had just finished reading his Joe Copp private eye series when I decided it was probably time to send him a note, but just as I began my search to find an address, I learned that he had passed away. 

But Linda has carried on the Pendleton story telling tradition, and it’s a pleasure to be able to present to you this interview about her private eye novel, Shattered Lens. If you like your PI novels with the usual ingredients, this is your cup of tea, as Catherine Winter dives into a case involving the stalking of two models. You get a few twists along the way and a perspective you probably won't expect. It's a refreshing take on a genre that indeed needs refreshing. Read a sample and see for yourself. I enjoyed the book a lot.

As promised, here's more about Linda:

Linda Pendleton has written in a variety of genres: nonfiction, mystery novels, comic book scripting, e-courses, and screenplays.  She coauthored nonfiction and fiction with her late husband.    Together Don and Linda wrote the popular nonfiction books, To Dance With Angels and Whispers From the Souls, which explored their interest in metaphysics and spirituality.    

A native Californian, Linda is a member of The Authors Guild, The Authors League, EPIC Authors, and Sisters in Crime.  She was an EPIC Award Finalist in 2001 in the Thriller Category for the Novel, Roulette (previous title, One Dark and Stormy Night); 2002 EPIC Finalist in the Nonfiction Philosophy Category for Three Principles of Angelic Wisdom; and in 2011 is an EPIC Award Finalist in the mystery/suspense category for Shattered Lens: Catherine Winter, Private Investigator, and an EPIC Nonfiction Award Finalist for The Cosmic Breath: Metaphysical Essays of Don Pendleton, Introduction by Linda Pendleton.  Her novella, The Masquerading Cowboy received an award.       

Although most of her time is devoted to her love of writing, she also enjoys the exploration of her family’s genealogical roots. 

Linda’s website:  www.lindapendleton.com

And now, the interview:

1)  Tell us about Shattered Lens.   What inspired the story?

Linda:  A few years ago, I had written the crime novel Roulette: The Search for the Sunrise Killer, with my husband, Don Pendleton.  I had very much enjoyed our female cop character, Rebecca Storme.  I had also enjoyed reading Don’s Joe Copp Private Eye Series while he was writing the six books, and I decided why not a female private investigator and one a little older with lots of experience under her belt.  So my Catherine Winter, Private Investigator was born.  

2) Authors often put aspects of their personality into their characters.  How much of Linda Pendleton is in Catherine Winter?

Linda:  Well, Brian, I want to say none but that is probably not so.  I believe a little of us always ends up in some way in our stories, even unintentionally or in subtle ways.  The things Catherine and I do have in common are we’re both curious and determined women, widows, and in our sixties.  I hope we share a sense of humor, too. 

3)  Your writing style and voice is very good—the opening scene is a real grabber, and the conversational tone of the narrative is a treat to read.  How long did you work to perfect your technique?

Linda:  Thank you for the compliment, Brian.  That’s always very nice to hear.  I have no idea how I have been able to achieve that.  Some time ago, even while writing nonfiction, I believe I found my “voice” and style and it seems to be reflected in nearly all my writing.  I have always considered my style “simple.”  I’ve been told that readers have found it easy and conversational.  

4)  If there was one storytelling technique that you learned from Don that nobody else has ever mentioned or used, what would that be?

Linda:  I learned so much about writing from Don.  He was a great teacher, not only about writing, but about life.  I do recall when he first critiqued one of my manuscripts he told me my writing was good but that I was holding back and needed to surrender and not be afraid to let it flow.  I also learned from Don to trust and have confidence in my ability to write.  Too often I would doubt myself, and he would tell me to trust that it was good.  I still find myself questioning, although much less than I did twenty years ago.  I’m proud of my work and I know he looks over my shoulder and still gives me inspiration. 

5)  Will we see Catherine Winter again?

Linda:  Yes, I’ve nearly completed the second Catherine Winter novel.  I hope to publish it within the next two months.  Her story, again, is set in Southern California.  When I had decided to write Shattered Lens in first person as many private eye novels are written, I wasn’t sure how it would go as it can be somewhat more difficult to write than third person viewpoint.  But I soon felt comfortable with the format.  My friend, the late Richard S. Prather, author of the best selling Shell Scott Mystery series, read my manuscript and gave me a very nice cover quote and encouraged me to consider writing a series with Catherine Winter.  I did enjoy working with Catherine so decided to write a second novel.  I suppose there could be additional novels in the future but I have no plans to write one for each letter in the alphabet or even the months in a year.  :-)

6) Do you enjoy being an “indie” author?

Linda:  Yes, I do.  I enjoy the freedom of being able to publish without having to ask “permission.”  There are numerous authors who write quality works and are unable to find an agent who is enthusiastic about selling their manuscript or a publisher who is willing to take a look at their work.  Today, authors have new opportunities to self-publish print on demand and ebooks through Amazon, Createspace, Kindle, and Smashwords, and it is an exciting time.   

I’ve been self-publishing, which includes ebooks, for ten years now.  The opportunity for me began when the Authors Guild offered a back-in-print program and as a member of the Authors Guild (as Don was, too) I was able to put Don’s Joe Copp Private Eye Series and his Ashton Ford Psychic Detective Series in print as PODs and ebooks.  And then along came Kindle.  So I put the two series in Kindle as I did several additional books.  My web designer, Judy Bullard is my cover designer for POD and ebooks, and I format the books myself.   That all takes time away from writing but I feel it is worth it.

I have those novels and other books, fiction and nonfiction, also at Smashwords which distributes to the retailers for the Nook, iPad, Kobo, Diesel and others.  I love the up-to-the-minute royalty reports we get from Amazon’s Kindle, and the royalty rates we receive from Amazon and Smashwords.  Sure beats what any traditional publisher is paying for ebook rights.   

Over the last couple of years I did feel a little disturbed that these new opportunities seemed to be opposed by several author organizations, some successful authors, and apparently by agents and the big 6 NY publishers.  Many of those people put-down self-published works, calling them inferior and not of good quality.  Many agents are not interested in looking at manuscripts by authors who have self-published, and that is really too bad as they are missing out on some good books.  It appears a number of those authors who spoke out in opposition to what some of us were doing, are now very happy to be self-publishing their back lists and/or new books at Kindle and Smashwords.

Now I just smile, as a number of years ago I wrote articles about the pros and cons of self-publishing and ebooks and how it would soon be acceptable and common.  Nearly a decade later ebooks have arrived.  And they’re not going away,  whether they are read on a handheld device or on a computer monitor, and sales seem to be showing ebooks are now out-selling print books.    

I don’t believe print books are going away but there are definitely other choices for a reader as well as an author.      

7)  Do you have one or two other books you’d like to mention?

My historical novel, Corn Silk Days, Iowa, 1862 is my latest novel and is both in print and Kindle.  I love the book.  It’s based on the Civil War letters of my great-great grandfather, who served as a Union soldier.  It is the story of four generations of two families.  Other than staying true to his letters written to my great-great grandmother and the historical facts of the time, the story is fiction.  I loved writing it and am proud of it.    

The Dawning, my novel of mystery and suspense, has been published for some time now but the story of UFOs, government cover-up, and the paranormal, continues to be of interest to readers.

And for a change of pace, I just published at Kindle, Soul Expressions: Poetry Collection of Linda Pendleton and Don Pendleton.  I hope to have it in print before too long.

I have a number of non-fiction books and they can all be found on my website or at my Amazon author page. 

Brian, I want to thank you for this opportunity to do this interview. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

my website, http://www.lindapendleton.com

Blog:  http://www.mydropsofink.blogspot.com

http://www.todancewithangels.com

http://www.donpendleton.com

Amazon Author Page 

http://www.amazon.com/Linda-Pendleton/e/B002LLB2N0/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_2

Bringing Back the Dead, or: Those Old Novels Aren't Really Bad, Are They?

My friend and fellow author Rebecca Forster is uploading her impressive backlist to the Kindle Store, and is currently going through some of her earliest romance novels to add to the list. She's learned a lot over the last 25 years, so hearing her commentary about her old books has been interesting. She would change a lot, of course, but she's not doing a heavy edit--she wants to respect the writer she was at the time. She inspired me to go back to some of my old books to see if there's anything worth salvaging. I hadn't thought to do so before because I didn't think there was any there there, if you know what I mean, and my apologies to Ms. Stein. Why? I'll get to that in a minute. And if you pay attention, you may learn something.

There are four books I'm looking at, but this article concerns what I'm editing now, Bullet for One, a private eye revenge thriller I wrote and rewrote between 1999-2001. This was a very personal story for me at the time, as it was my first attempt at a crime novel after taking a whirlwind tour through the hard-boiled canon the year prior to starting the book. Never mind the plot. It's simpler to say it's an I, the Jury riff but I tried to do my own thing with it.

Of course, it has flaws. There is a lot of overwriting, and a lot of needless words and description, but that is easily fixed. What I was afraid of, though, was a serious lack of characterization, and one-dimensional characters as a whole. I didn't know much about characterization in 1999-2001. I just wrote stuff. The characters were alive to me, but I was knocked over when another writer friend said the characters did nothing for him and seemed lifeless.

I stopped writing for a bit after that and learned everything I could about how to bring a character to life. I think those lessons have served my recent work very well.

However...

Going back through BfO, I'm noticing a few things. Characters are described. They have set behavior patterns. Outside stories (related to the main plot) and inside stories (their own personal story arcs). It's simple characterization. They're types, they exist to do specific things, but I don't see anything wrong with that. You could make the case that my three novels already on Kindle have the same sort of characterization. But as I'm reading the manuscript I find myself wondering what my friend actually read, because it appears he wasn't reading my book. Either that, or he has a different idea of what characterization is than I do.

I'm not suggesting there isn't room for improvement, and that's what my current edit is for. And I'm not sorry I stopped writing for a few months while I learned the craft a little better. That process didn't hurt, and if I knew then what I know now, I could have raised reasonable doubt about the critique. But what I think you need to learn, as I just have, is that one person's opinion does not mean a work is inferior or unworthy of a reader's time. A manuscript is not a sculpture carved from rock, wherein you must start over with a new rock if you make a mistake. Manuscripts can be fixed--easily--either through editing or a total rewrite. But BfO does not warrant a rewrite. It just needs a little massaging.

I think my friend was wrong. It's a good book, and the characters are not lifeless. And when I'm done, it will be a better book. And you'll get to see just how good it is when I release it in a few months.

If you have somebody read your stuff, have two or three people do it. Don't live or die by the approval of one person.

I think Stephen King made the same point in On Writing, which I read a long time ago when it first came out....

But I must not have paid attention.