The Art of the BOOK COVER

The first page of your book

is not your first page ...

   It's your cover

https://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Shaman/dp/B00DO91AIU

The Last Shaman remains one of my

best selling books,

and I think the cover has a lot to do with it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NCUTAG/

Victor Standish is not far behind.

My Stetson is off to Leonora Roy

for her artistry.

And off to

Heather McCorkle

for her cover skills.



It is with the cover that the book can communicate

 a little of the style and mood of the tale inside.

Here is a bit of history of the fascinating art

of the Sci Fi Cover

IF SELF-PUBLISHED,

HOW DO YOU CRAFT

YOUR COVERS?



FOR A MOMENT OF BITTERSWEET PEACE

Here is a melody that brings to mind 

our search for dream's distant shore.

It also evokes the spirit of my short story,  

The Town That Hated God

soon to be found in my next book

Silhouettes in the Key of Scream 

 

WHAT ARE YOUR DREAMS

YET TO BE GRASPED?

WHY WRITE SHORT STORIES?

“A short story is a love affair; 
a novel is a marriage." 

- Lorrie Moore

In this modern, fast-paced culture ...

An intense love affair is often preferred over an all-consuming marriage.

You would think then that the short story would be more popular than it is ...

Which brings us to 
What I hope will be
my next book

 

Stephen King, at the start of his career, thought of a short story as a quick kiss in the dark from a stranger.

And like with kisses, some short stories are better than others!

In the beginning of his writing struggles, Mr. King thought of his short stories as a series of pinatas he banged on --

not with a stick but with his imagination. 

Sometimes they broke and showered down a few hundred dollars.  Other times they did not.

It was an easier market to sell short stories then.  Now, not so much. 

SO WHY SHOULD WE BANG 
ON THE PINATAS 
OF SHORT STORIES 
IN THIS HARSH MARKET?

1.)  IT HELPS YOU WRITE LEAN

Each scene in your novel should be spare and lean so that the drama stands out like stirring chords in a soundtrack.

The limited space in a short story forces you to keep only what is absolutely needed 

to paint the scene and leave the rest behind.

Like Elmore Leonard advised -- Leave out the boring stuff.

2.) SHORT STORIES APPEAL TO OUR MICROWAVE CULTURE

Many readers feel that they do not have the free time to commit to a whole novel.  

They want entertainment in bite sizes.

Why do you think James Patterson writes mini-chapters?

Short stories can be read in a doctor's office or before you drift off to sleep.

3.) WRITING SHORT STORIES SAVES THOSE NEAT IDEAS THAT ARE NOT UP TO FILLING OUT A NOVEL.

How many times have you come with intriguing ideas 

that you know do not have the essence of an entire novel with its many character arcs?

You have this riveting scene with sizzling dialogue that seems to exist all on its own

 with no future beyond that moment.

A short story is perfect for that idea.

4.) SHORT STORIES PROVIDE THE PERFECT BRIDGES TO MAINTAIN INTEREST IN YOUR NOVEL SERIES 

A book can take anywhere from one to two years to complete.

Publishing short stories with the same characters can keep the interest high in your world or with your prose.

5.)  SHORT STORY ANTHOLOGIES INTRODUCE YOU TO A WHOLE NEW AUDIENCE

Also be careful in submitting your story to anthologies whose cause or company of authors mesh well with your voice and personality.

Getting your "prose voice" out there may well draw you additional fans. 

Do You Write Short Stories?

Do You Read Anthologies of Short Stories?

Why?  Why Not? 

NEED A LAUGH?

WORDS without MEANING_ IWSG post

Take WE THE PEOPLE

pretty straightforward, right?

Still, politicians, even Founding Fathers, 

have to placate expediency so ...

Blacks were counted as half a People  
and Native Americans as only 25% a People 

and that was only done to satisfy the bickering states 

for population count was important in determining the number of representatives each state had in the House.

Yet those words and the ones following them are important because of the ideals that lay behind them.

William Shatner let those ideals slip as his ego took control of his performance ...

and we as writers should learn from that.

Our words should not draw attention to us but to our story.  

Our words touch the reader's heart to feel when

we keep from telling them what to feel.

Take the two words above:  

Touch ...Heart

Say I write: 

"It felt so good when she touched me."

It just lays there, right?

 

Now, read Jim Butcher's way of writing it:

“There’s power in the touch of another person’s hand. We acknowledge it in little ways, all the time. 

There’s a reason human beings shake hands, hold hands, slap hands, bump hands. 

It comes from our very earliest memories, 

when we all come into the world blinded by light and color, deafened by riotous sound, 

flailing in a suddenly cavernous space without any way of orienting ourselves, 

shuddering with cold, emptied with hunger, and justifiably frightened and confused. 

And what changes that first horror, that original state of terror? 

The touch of another person’s hands. 

Hands that wrap us in warmth, that hold us close. 

Hands that guide us to shelter, to comfort, to food. 

Hands that hold and touch and reassure us through our very first crisis, 

and guide us into our very first shelter from pain. 

The first thing we ever learn is that the touch of someone else’s hand can ease pain and make things better. 

That’s power. 

That’s power so fundamental that most people never even realize it exists.” 

WORDS HAVE MEANING ONLY 

IF WE WORK TO GIVE IT TO THEM.

WRITE WELL.

YOU NEVER KNOW

WHO ACHES TO READ WORDS THAT

TOUCH THEIR BRUISED HEART. 

Have a great Fourth!

Wynonna Earp? You like HER?





I hear that a lot.

None of the people with

whom I associate like her.

"Their loss,"

Wynonna would say.

Here's her story in a musical nutshell:

Imagine Firefly mixed with Supernatural.

Season 3 is coming the end of next month.

Take a chance on the 1st episode

You won't regret it.

Both earlier seasons are on

NETFLIX

Have you ever liked a TV show

your friends couldn't stand?

NEWS

 "Solitude is fine 

but you need someone to tell

 that solitude is fine.”

 - Honoré de Balzac

Nothing wonderful.

 Nothing terrible. 

I have been away busily working at the blood center of course

But also I have been writing 

my collection of short stories.

I've finished the story,  

THE DEAD HAVE NO SAY

I'm mid-way through 

THE TOWN THAT HATED GOD 

Writing horror late at night is an EXCELLENT way  

NOT to get a good night's sleep no matter how exhausted you are!

 Using the Mark Twain method of letting a troublesome story 

lie fallow by writing upon another, I have also half-finished the novella, DEAD YET NOT.

Depending on how long 

these stories and novellas run, 

I may include 

MURDER AS A KINDNESS 

Needless to say ...

I will be busy writing these tales and may not be writing many new posts.  

I hope you will understand.

ALSO 

My good friend, Robert Rossmann, 

is laboring through severe illness to complete our next audiobook, The NOT-SO-INNOCENTS ABROAD.

He is doing this on Royalty Share, 

so if this does not sell well, 

he will receive nothing for his enormous efforts and skillful narration. 

 

 So when our audio book goes on sale, 

I will reimburse by Amazon Gift card the first six who send me an email saying they have bought it.

My email is in my blogger profile by the way. 

I am polishing MURDER AS A KINDNESS 

while listening to this: