tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86935223493415994392024-03-13T04:16:21.173-07:00Don't Quit Your Day Job…and other advice I didn't takeM.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-58557079964038705412015-05-21T17:17:00.002-07:002015-05-21T17:17:52.090-07:00Touchdown!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YzszSxECtxo/VV50s6zIAoI/AAAAAAAAAII/NLWvkfwGGZ8/s1600/Belief%2BBook%2BTwo%2Bof%2Bthe%2BVanilla%2BCycle%2B-%2BEbook%2BSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YzszSxECtxo/VV50s6zIAoI/AAAAAAAAAII/NLWvkfwGGZ8/s320/Belief%2BBook%2BTwo%2Bof%2Bthe%2BVanilla%2BCycle%2B-%2BEbook%2BSmall.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Belief is here!!! <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y17P2J2" target="_blank">Available now for the Kindle. </a>The paperback will be coming soon. And for my patented end zone dance, I've made Legitimacy available for free Friday and Saturday (May 22-23, 2015).<br />
<br />
Time to kick off Book Three. Enjoy.M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-57908132116606929002015-02-26T13:27:00.000-08:002015-02-26T13:27:21.139-08:00How to Write a Book Blurb<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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A book blurb is, hands down, the most important bit of
writing that an author/publisher will ever do. Why? Because those few succinct
paragraphs are the sole reason that anyone will ever want to shell out good,
hard-earned money for your book. Your cover art, your reputation, your previous
work, even the very text of the book are all secondary and should be treated as
such. Your own mother will not purchase a copy of your novel if the blurb sounds
lame. Remember, the blurb will be printed on the back of the paperback,
hand-painted on the inside flap of the dust jacket, scrawled in blood onto
desperate never-to-be-sent agent query letters, etched permanently onto Amazon’s
platinum and apocalypse-proof record of your book page, and tattooed on your
forearm to be consulted at a moment’s notice whenever a new acquaintance casually
asks what your book is about. In short: Do it right. Your entire writing career
hinges on this single creative act.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
But first: What is a blurb? A blurb is a series of
meticulously selected words, arranged into sentences and paragraphs, that
perfectly describe the content of a book. The blurb should capture the book’s tone,
important themes, main characters, central conflict, and your distinct writing
voice in exactly 219 words. The best blurbs evoke a physical reaction from the
reader, which vary by genre (e.g., horror = chills, sci-fi = childlike wonder, literature
= smugness, romance/erotica = …).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Here’s how to write the perfect book blurb:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Step 1: Write a book.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Now, don’t get the wrong idea. This is an important step,
but you shouldn’t spend too much time on it. Or at least not any more time than
you spend writing the blurb. Consider it a warm-up for the main event. But,
still, it must be done. By definition, the blurb describes a book; therefore,
the book must exist.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Step 2: Read other blurbs.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
To write the best blurb, it is recommended that you read
every blurb that has ever been written. Begin with all the books in your home
and your friends’ homes. Once you’ve done that, read every blurb on Amazon,
B&N, Kobo, and iBooks. Then proceed to your local bookstores and libraries,
should they still exist in your community. Be sure to pay particular attention
to books in your genre and all the other genres. For best results, it is
recommended that you create a spreadsheet to track key blurb attributes,
including any relevant sales data.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Step 3: Read advice about writing blurbs.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Everyone has good advice about how to write the perfect
blurb. Blogs provide a deep well of ideas for what works and what doesn’t.
Don’t skimp on this step. You don’t want to miss out on the synergistic fugue
state created after days of turning blue links to purple.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Step 4: Prepare you workspace.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Clean your desk. Charge your laptop. Put the teakettle on.
Run to the store for provisions—salty and sweet. Vacuum and dust your home. Set
a celebratory bottle of champagne on ice for later. And, finally, put a framed 8×10
photo of your favorite author near your keyboard or writing blotter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Step 5: Write your blurb.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
If you’ve done your homework, this should be an easy
process. Simply summarize your characters, the setting, the conflict, and
general atmosphere of your story in a way that will compel anyone of any demographic
to stop what they’re doing, hand a fifty-dollar bill to a bookseller, and
mumble at them to keep the change as they crack the spine and flip to page one.
Avoid adverbs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Step 6 (optional): Take advantage of beta readers.</b></div>
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It’s a good idea to ask others to read your blurb and offer
comments or suggestions. It is recommended that these be close friends, family
members, and people who <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">get</i> you.
Never ask employees or children for their opinion. Readers of your previous
books may be consulted if you have their home addresses. It is recommended that
you do not consult other authors, as this may result in them asking you to
critique their blurbs in return.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Step 7: Edit your final blurb.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Take a few moments to look up every word you’ve written in
the dictionary to ensure proper usage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Step 8: Enjoy.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Congratulations. Your blurb is done. Relax and prepare to
reap the rewards. And if you’re looking for your, spouse, pets, or kids, they’ve
probably been hiding under the bed since step 5. Lure them out with ice cream
or Beggin’ Strips as appropriate.</div>
M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-54325420668972576522015-01-23T08:15:00.001-08:002015-01-23T08:15:43.436-08:00Believe the hypeI haven't posted here in a while. I've been pouring my energies into finishing Belief.<br />
<br />
But in celebration of Belief's impending completion Legitimacy: Book One of the Vanilla Cycle will be free for the Kindle all weekend long (Jan 24-Jan 25, 2015) on Amazon.<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_1256943672"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DV1G036" target="_blank">Here's a convenient link.</a><br />
<br />
So spread the word and enjoy. And thank you to everyone who has already read and reviewed Legitimacy. As Monkey might say, "You're my bestest friend in the whole solar system."M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-67682910081011518082014-06-10T06:00:00.000-07:002014-06-10T06:00:09.508-07:00My Writing Process Blog Tour<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I’ve been tagged. By which, of course, I mean that I woke up
in my backyard with a floppy plastic card dangling from my earlobe and a radio
transmitter affixed around my neck. It wasn’t painful, but I’d still like to
have a word with fellow Billings author and inimitable raconteur Craig
Lancaster (<a href="http://www.craig-lancaster.com/">www.craig-lancaster.com</a>) for giving my name, location, and species
to the alien biologists who are clearly responsible. But why do aliens care
about such things as the work habits of individual human authors? The answer
should terrify us all…</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ZZZzzztttt.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ow. The collar just shocked me. I think I’d better get on
with answering their specific questions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1)
What are you working on?</b></div>
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I’m currently writing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Belief:
Book Two of the Vanilla Cycle,</i> the sequel to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DV1G036" target="_blank">Legitimacy</a>.</i> I've chronicaled the state and origins of this book <a href="http://mhvankeuren.blogspot.com/2013/11/nanowrimo-2013-update-halfway.html" target="_blank"> in this previous post. </a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Belief</i> picks up the
story a year after the events of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Legitimacy</i>.
CEO Matthew Valdosky has been called before a UN Investigative Committee to
answer for the Valdosky Company’s role in the Angel-37 asteroid colony disaster.
But before he testifies, he learns from an unexpected source that accepting the
blame and resigning will play right into the hands of Dwight Yarrow and the
NAIAD group conspiracy. Changing his mind may not be that easy, though. Matthew
has his own secrets to hide — secrets that could shake civilization to its very
foundations.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2)
How does your work differ from others of its genre?</b></div>
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I write science fiction. I love science fiction. However,
with the exception of a few key authors, I don’t actually follow the genre very
closely, nor do I adhere to any trend or subgenre. My reading list tends to be
very eclectic. I’ll read almost anything and seek out good stories anywhere I
can. I’m often inspired by works outside my genre. Most notably (or
egregiously), I borrowed liberally from the plot and themes of W. Somerset
Maugham’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Of Human Bondage</i> as I wrote
the character of Teague Werres for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Legitimacy.</i></div>
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I prefer to write hard, near-future science fiction, where
the technologies seem plausible and the future history feels possible. However,
I’m not a scientist. Rather than fill the worlds I create with minute scientific
details, I allow my characters to experience new technologies as would any
consumer at any point in history. Yes, certain technologies may impact my
characters’ lives, but I work hard to let my characters drive their stories.
Science fiction is at its worst when it’s the other way around.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3)
Why do you write what you do?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a reader, I cut my teeth on science fiction, so it feels
like home. But I’ve found that sci-fi is a wonderful tool for safely exploring many
facets of the human experience. Writers can explore even the touchiest of
subjects without breaching taboos or causing direct offense. And, done well,
sci-fi rises above simple allegory and can touch off discussions that actually
impact humanity’s future. I would love to start one of those discussions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also love epic, sweeping tales, but I’m as much a
historian as a scientist. Science fiction conveniently frees me to sprawl my
stories across time and space without having to adhere to all those pesky
historical facts.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4)
How does your writing process work?</b></div>
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Like a charm… ZZZZzzzttt. Sorry.</div>
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I’ve been teaching myself the craft of writing for the past few
years, and I’ve experimented with many strategies for getting through a manuscript.
I’ve yet to hit on a single successful process. I outline when I feel I need
to, but just as often, I write from my head (or the seat of my pants, as the
writers’ trope goes). I begin with a large sense of each book: the cast of
characters, the basic plot, backstories, themes, and where I’d like it to end.
On my first pass, I tend to include everything, and as such, I create bloated
first drafts that contain way, way more than will ever see a Kindle screen.
I’ve tried to write leaner, but when I’m flowing, it all just comes out, and it
just feels wrong to staunch anything.</div>
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I know it’s cliché, but it’s during the revising phase that
the real writing happens for me. This was one of the toughest things for me to
learn. When I started writing, I wanted my prose to flow forth, needing only a
snip here and a tuck there. I hated the idea of touching my words once they
were on the page; they seemed so right at the time. But I’ve learned to hone,
trim, cut, paste, slash, burn, gnash, gnaw, chew, spit, and polish, and have
grown unafraid to do whatever I need to do to get things right. And now, after
having gone through the process a couple of times, I live by it. In fact, don’t
tell anyone, but I enjoy revision as much as, if not more than, filling a blank
page.</div>
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This can be a slow process, but I’m also beginning to
understand more what works and what doesn’t. Each new first draft is just a
little less onerous than the last.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m suddenly getting a message. The aliens are telling me
that I’m supposed to pass on the names of a few other fellow authors for
tagging. I sure hope they’re not going to come down and probe me for this, but
I’m going to have to defer this now. I’ve put some feelers out, but I’m leaving
on vacation soon, and this will post before I can include their names. I’ll
update with a few names when I’m able.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So there, aliens, I’ve done what you asked, and have
provided you with the data you require for your nefarious study. Now, please
come back. This collar’s getting kind of itchy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Craig Lancaster's alien study data can be read here: <a href="http://www.craig-lancaster.com/2014/06/05/waiting-for-the-wait-to-stop-my-writing-process/">http://www.craig-lancaster.com/2014/06/05/waiting-for-the-wait-to-stop-my-writing-process/</a> He, in turn, was tagged by Montana author David Abrams, whose entry can be found here: <a href="http://davidabramsbooks.blogspot.com/2014/05/screen-staring-and-hand-cramps-my-stop.html">http://davidabramsbooks.blogspot.com/2014/05/screen-staring-and-hand-cramps-my-stop.html</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’d also like to acknowledge author<a href="http://www.marsheilarockwell.com/" target="_blank"> Marsheila Rockwell</a>, a friend
of my wife’s, for kindly tagging me with this meme back in March. Of course, I
promptly neglected to actually write anything then, but I thank her for not
setting aliens on me for her trouble. Her write-up can be found here: <a href="http://mrockwell.livejournal.com/172427.html">http://mrockwell.livejournal.com/172427.html</a></div>
M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-6274716600261120682013-11-13T09:20:00.000-08:002013-11-13T09:20:26.070-08:00NaNoWriMo 2013 Update: HALFWAY!!!!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Today marks the halfway point in the <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">2013 National Novel Writing Month</a>, and I have written 12,142 words—exactly half of the 50,000
minimum required to “win.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, I can hear you all scratching your heads, checking your
calendars, doing a bit of subtraction (let’s see, make that a 4, carry the pi,
solve for x if the train leaves the station at 7 p.m.…) And I know what you’re
going to say. “Ha, ha, ha. Silly word-writing man, you can’t do math. And
November has thirty days. Don’t you remember the little poem?” But you’re just
going to have to trust me. This is the halfway day.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s been a rough start.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ll explain, but first a confession: I am not writing a
brand-new book. In fact, this will be about the fourth time I have written this
particular story, and it will be the second time I have actually finished it.
Many years ago, this tale was the very first manuscript I ever proudly handed
to my wife as a completed first draft. (My pride was quickly pounded against
the rocky shores of reality. Boy, did it stink.) It’s had two different titles,
not including the unprintable epithets I have given it in my head. And it, not <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DV1G036" target="_blank">Legitimacy, was originally going to be Book One of the Vanilla Cycle</a>. Imagine that.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So why did I think it would be a good idea to attempt to whip
out a shiny new first draft during the winsome, tossed-salad days of NaNoWriMo
2013? I’ll give you a clue. It starts with an N. Not naiveté, although that’s a
good guess. Nor was it narcissism. I’m still kind of noob, but I’m no novice. No,
I’m telling you, it was NEED.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not only was it time to write this—it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">will</i> be Book Two of the Vanilla Cycle—but I absolutely have to get
it out of my head, to set it in concrete once and for all, and finally breathe.
I’ve had this story in me for way too long. But even after myriad attempts I’ve
never found quite the right way to tell it. So I’m making myself finally do it.</div>
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Like I said, it’s been a rough start.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It’s taken me twelve days, but it seems to be coming
together. I’ve forced myself to wrestle with most of the knottier details, and
there’s an ever-expanding, increasingly smelly graveyard of darlings buried in
the backyard. I’m at last finding how to express the day-to-day,
minute-to-minute, details of these characters’ lives in a way that conveys the
Story—the one with a capital S, the one you don’t realize a novel is telling
you. I think this was the trick that I’d misplaced, or nearly forgotten in the
bottom of my toolbox, during months of nonstop revision and editing. It feels
good to finally be stretching my noveling muscles again.</div>
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So, yep, I’m calling this the halfway day. I’ve expended
fully one-half of the energy required to cross the finish line on time. To this
point it’s mostly been my frustration, fear, and fury fueling the fire. Sure
the word count math may be fuzzy, but I’m finally feeling good—<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q7Cy3qSwKI" target="_blank">the last half of the month is going to be fun.</a></div>
M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-55524214570897193012013-10-09T11:19:00.000-07:002013-10-09T11:19:39.554-07:00Gravity sucked.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Now, don’t get me wrong. I was at least three or four of the
following things: blown away by the technical achievement, on the edge of my
seat for the whole ninety minutes, deeply thankful that someone seemed to be
making every effort at realism, forgetting I was watching a Sandra Bullock
vehicle, wishing I had one of those EVA jetpacks, instinctively dodging the
best 3-D shrapnel I’ve ever seen.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Here's the trailer, for those who haven't seen...</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OiTiKOy59o4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br /></div>
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But still, <i>Gravity</i> sucked. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ll explain. First, let me add the obligatory ***Spoiler
Alert***. Although, in truth, there’s little to spoil. The premise of the movie
explains the entire plot: Astronauts face the dangers of physics and the harsh
realities of space during a “space junk” disaster in low Earth orbit. You can
pretty much thread out the disaster movie tropes from there. Which leads me to
my first complaint:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gravity</i> is not a
movie. It’s an experience. If anything, it’s a theme park ride relocated to
your local multiplex. In fact, if the Universal Studios people aren’t
frantically designing a Gravity! ride (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlPEcfOVCCI" target="_blank">ála EPCOT’s Mission:Space starring Gary Sinise</a>) then they’re missing a serious
opportunity. Theme park attractions like these make every attempt to be
immersive: You’re the astronaut, you’re the subject of the experiment, you’ve
been called on to solve the mystery/fight the battle/brave the trial. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gravity</i> was nothing if not immersive,
partly due to the amazing cinematography and sound design, but also because the
main character was a near blank, easy to imprint one’s own perceptions upon.
She had a shallow backstory (that I couldn’t help but think might have
disqualified her to be an astronaut based on a psychological evaluation) and an
even shallower character arc. In the end her arc mattered little; it’s really
your arc that matters in this experience. Does this really make a movie? Like
any other good theme park attraction, it left me temporarily breathless, but
ultimately looking for the next ride.</div>
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<br /></div>
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My first comment as I left the theater was, “The most
unbelievable part of the whole movie was that the U.S. was still flying the
space shuttle.” Ha ha ha. But overall, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gravity</i>’s
portrayal of the American space program left a sour taste in my mouth. At the
beginning of the movie, I thought, “Awesome, we’re still flying. USA. USA. USA.”
But the details began to bug me. What were the Americans doing up there? Swapping
video cards on the Hubble? (And when, of course, it doesn’t boot up, they
resort to blowing the dust off the circuit boards like some greasy Geek Squad
counter jockey. Right.) Testing a new hyperactive EVA jetpack and aching to
one-up the Russians? Showing off their witty, but multi-cultural,
multi-gendered crew? The whole setup was filled with the reasons people hate
the space program in general and manned space missions in particular. The
public hates failures, from minor technical snafus to major crew loss
disasters; propaganda stunts, from quiet nods to diversity to broad
geopolitical hat-waving; and tax dollars spent on any of it, from cowboy
showboating to incremental and arcane scientific achievements. It was all there
on the screen, enough to stoke the anti-space exploration argument for years.
Why spend so much money, risk so many people, and expend so much effort on
something as tenuous as a nearly useless foothold in LEO, when the masses
have such big problems here on Earth?</div>
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<br /></div>
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The answer to that is that our foothold on our own planet is
just as tenuous—which brings me to my last point. The broader takeaway message of
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gravity</i>, in my opinion, was supposed
to be one of hope: Life on Earth is fragile and unsuited to survive in much of
the universe, but it is precious and unique. And like the first creatures to
struggle out of the sea onto dry land (to use the movie’s own crude
evolutionary metaphor) we are experiencing our first gasping pains on the new
shoals of outer space. We will face difficulties, and some will not survive,
but what we learn from these mistakes paves the way for the future. At least I’d
like to think that’s the message of the movie.</div>
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<br /></div>
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However I fear that the message will be misread by
casual viewers. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gravity</i> can easily be
seen as an anti-space program screed. Viewed a certain way, it posits the
certain eventuality of such a disaster as a warning, and suggests that these
fragile monuments to nationalism (the space shuttles and space stations) aren’t
worth the effort. Mother Earth is our beautiful home, it exclaims; that’s where
we evolved, and that’s where we should stay.<i> You ain’t never gettin’ me up in
one of those deathtraps!</i> But this is a short-term view of our species, life in
general on our planet, and our place in the universe.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Our planet may seem enormous and comforting, but it is no
less an object in space, enslaved by physics, than the least free-floating
suited astronaut. In time it will cook in radiation and burn up on reentry into
the surface of its unforgiving star. On its surface, we exist in a razor-thin
layer that at any moment could be choked to death by a supervolcano or an
asteroid. But not content to wait, we’re almost wantonly destroying the layer on
our own. So what will we choose? To ride it out, Slim Pickens style,</div>
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<img alt="" class="dev-content-normal" height="240" src="http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/278/e/b/riding_the_bomb_by_thylacinicorn-d4bwtjw.gif" style="height: 240px; top: 0px; width: 320px;" width="320" /> </div>
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on our
planet to the end. Or can we agree that if we want our children to survive, we
need overcome our doubts and develop space technologies that take our
ecosystems into space, to other planets, and hopefully, someday to other stars?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Did <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gravity</i> excite
me to do that? No, and I’m pro-space. That is why <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gravity</i> sucked. I worry that it will leave too many in fear,
certain that the problems are insurmountable, and in the end, not really
caring, just looking for the next ride.</div>
M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-29301251991830187032013-09-10T13:34:00.001-07:002013-10-17T12:14:38.819-07:00A Writer’s Adventures with Tintin: Episode One--In the Land of Stereotypes<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Reviewing: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tintin_in_the_Land_of_the_Soviets" target="_blank"><i>In the Land of the Soviets</i></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tintin_in_America" target="_blank"><i>Tintin in America</i></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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I forgot to warn you. If it’s your first time reading Tintin;
don’t begin at the beginning.<br />
<br />
In fact, I recommend that you pretend that these
first two (or three) books I’m discussing don’t even exist. Move along. Nothing
to see here. Skip right on over to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cigars
of the Pharaoh</i>. Once you’ve read the 20 (or 20½) books in the canon two or
three times, come back and we’ll talk. We’ll see if you’re ready for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In the Land of the Soviets</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tintin in America</i>. In fact, I, lifelong
Tintin fan as I am, have never actually read the one book not listed on the
back covers, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tintin_in_the_Congo" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tintin in the Congo</i></a>.
One, because it was never actually published in the United States and as such
was difficult to find before the days of Amazon and eBay, and, two, because I have
always feared that it would sour my admiration for Hergé permanently.<br />
<br /></div>
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I won’t detail the specific flaws of these first albums here,
for they are legion—and Wikipedia articles do a fair job of contextualizing
their failings—but a fresh read has given me several takeaway lessons I can use
as an author.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lesson #1: Write your own way<br />
<br /></div>
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Tintin had a less-than-auspicious beginning as a tool of
propaganda.<br />
<br /></div>
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In the late 1920s, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herge" target="_blank">George Remi (Hergé)</a> was a young aspiring
cartoonist and illustrator, eager to create a regular strip for a newspaper. He
was taken in by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norbert_Wallez" target="_blank">Norbert Wallez</a>, a priest and editor of an extremely right-wing,
if not downright fascist, Catholic newspaper in Belgium and given a chance to
work for the paper’s weekly children’s supplement. While the characters of
Tintin and Snowy seem to be Hergé’s creations, their initial adventures were
not of his design. Wallez directed Tintin closely, choosing his destinations
and dictating his politics—viciously anti-Communist, anti-Semitic,
anti-capitalist, and patriarchal. Like many upstanding Catholic Belgian men of
the time, Hergé accepted these ideas as a matter of course. Tintin’s overt
politics weren’t necessarily controversial, nor did Hergé include them
unwillingly, but without Wallez standing over Hergé’s shoulder, I’m sure that
Tintin’s beginnings would have been much different. I believe that Hergé wanted
to entertain, not to preach or to spout ideology. I’m certain, given his later,
more researched, work, that Hergé would have preferred for Tintin to explore
the world, to investigate, and to learn from its people, and not to venture
forth with a closed mind and unshakeable assumptions.<br />
<br /></div>
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Wallez’s hand is particularly evident in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Soviets</i>. Young reporter Tintin sets out
from Belgium with the sole aim to expose the evils of the Stalinist revolution
and regime in the USSR. Fine, yes, they were evil, but the misadventures that
befall Tintin expose nothing of the true situation. They paint everyone as
either wholly evil or wretched victims. There is no middle ground, no attempt
to reflect reality. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Soviets</i> was the
only Tintin adventure that Hergé refused to redraw and color in his eventual
classic style for publication. He himself called it embarrassing propaganda. I
think this reflects a possibility that he knew that the work wasn’t exactly
his. It had been his pen on the paper, but it was not what he would have
written.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As an author I feel pressure from many fronts—from my wife to
random Internet commenters. And it seems like everyone has some idea of what type
of book I should write. “That Dave Barry is funny, you should write like him.”
“Fifty Shades of Twilight, but set in a beachfront town in North Carolina.” “Must
your characters swear so much?” “…and then there should be a zombie attack!”
But if I were to write solely to appease any of those voices, or heaven forbid,
all of them at once, the result would not be my work. I doubt it would have much
merit. And I wouldn’t believe in it. I have to write the books that I would
want to read. My own books, in my own voice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What would Tintin’s first adventures been like if Hergé had
been able to work without Wallez’s hand on his shoulder?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lesson #2: Stereotypes are lazy<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Critics have long savaged Hergé for the excessive use of
stereotyped characters, if not outright racism. The first two (three) Tintin
albums are full of them: from bomb-chucking, trigger-happy Bolshevik devils; to
money-obsessed, hook-nosed Jewish shopkeepers; to half-naked, fat-lipped, childish
Congolese natives; to hatchet-burying, rain-dancing Native Americans. But I
don’t think Hergé was intentionally trying to spew misinformation or foment
hatred; he was simply naïve. He was a product of his generation, trying to
please his employer, and probably on tight deadlines that gave little time for
research. He used what he knew of far-off places and people, which
unfortunately was very little and was sourced from such unworthy sources as
Hollywood movies and propaganda pamphlets. Hergé stereotyped the countries
Tintin visits as well, and the end results are more checklist-style travelogues
than real stories. And as such, these first books barely fit with the others.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Beginning with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cigars
of the Pharaoh</i>, but especially with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Blue Lotus</i>, (and not coincidentally around the time that Wallez was removed
as editor of the newspaper) Hergé began to do a great deal more research. He
began to talk to natives of the places he intended to write about. And he began
to attempt to reflect the character of the locations more accurately. He paid
attention to real modes of dress (later lampooning his earlier tendencies by
dressing the Thompson Twins in ridiculous and assumptive native costumes). He
began to add background, wherein a city would be populated with realistic
locals going about their daily business. Villains were given actual motives
such as greed, lust for power, or valid political disagreements and were not
portrayed as innately evil. Hergé no longer depicted the locals as naïve
simpletons desperate for Western enlightenment, but neither were they treated
with kid gloves. They became people, some educated, some not, some poor, some
rich, some helpful, some malevolent, and many simply indifferent to Tintin’s
adventures. Tintin had moved from a fantasy into the real world.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Stereotypes are easy to write. We all have a ready
storehouse of such characters. But stereotypes are insulting to readers,
offensive to those portrayed, and, in my opinion, a mark of lazy writing. And,
if one absolutely must make a political point, there are many other less
ham-handed methods. Not every character I write gets a complete dossier, but as
I haul my main cast around the world I try to consider the lives of the various
people they touch. From the taxi driver with a four-word speaking part to the acquaintance
who shows up for a whole chapter, I try to give each character a little depth,
considering gender, age, family background, intentions, what kind of day
they’ve been having, basically whatever might be relevant. This takes a little
time, and perhaps a little research, but I’ve found that such consideration can
create a believable human interaction, and I believe this depth fleshes out the
world I’ve worked so hard to create. I absorbed this lesson from Hergé at an
early age, and it has always stuck with me. Even as a child, I sensed that his stereotypes
were jarring and empty. But when he began to treat everyone as an individual,
Tintin’s world became tangibly and emotionally real.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lesson #3: Action wins the battle…<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what did these books get right? Why didn’t these racist,
fascist comic strips get pulped into history with the rest of Wallez’s
newspaper? Why am I reading them still, 84 years later?<br />
<br />
My guess: They were
exciting. Hergé had undeniable talent. Even the crude sketches of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Soviets</i> show great promise. The book
includes a power-boat chase that might as well be the storyboard for the Venice
boat chase in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade</i>. And the action is relentless. Tintin never quite escapes any
peril, jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire on every other page,
until he is left with only his wits, his mettle, and his dog. Like Saturday
matinee cliff-hangers, Hergé kept readers dangling for next week’s strip. Will
he…? How will he…? Wow.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A writer’s lesson if I’ve ever heard one. Make every scene
matter. Up the stakes. Make the situation just that much more hopeless. Take
away one more escape route. Kick your character down just one more time.
Whether you’re writing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish_romance" target="_blank">bonnet-rippers</a> or war stories, the lesson applies; only
the volume of blood varies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lesson #4: …but story wins the war.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Soviets</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In America</i> both end with Tintin getting
a ticker-tape parade. But I have always been left wondering, “What for?” All
he’d done for 60-odd pages is to trip almost accidently from one stereotypical
scene to the next. Sure, his life was usually in danger, but like I said
before, the adventures read more like travelogues. And once all of Hergé’s (or
Wallez’s) boxes had been checked, Tintin at last escaped, or finally caught the
gangsters, and that was that. Hurrah?<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a sci-fi writer, this kind of checklist tourism is a real
temptation. I invest a great deal of time inventing the world of my stories.
I’m not careful, it’s easy to want to take my characters everywhere and explore
every detail. Otherwise, what’s the point, right? My first full draft of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DV1G036" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Legitimacy</i></a> was over 500,000 words, most
dedicated to this very thing. As a child, Teague lived in the Bangkok of
tourists, not residents. I took characters on actual guided tours of the inner
workings of space stations. I spelled out exactly how vat-grown meat gets from
the factory to an asteroid colony’s freezers. (Don’t ask why.) I described
every technical detail of Gwen’s spacecraft. (I even have the blueprints if you
want to see them. No surprise: They bear a stylistic resemblance to <a href="http://nysi.org.uk/kids_stuff/rocket/blueprint_eroded_310.png" target="_blank">Hergé’s blueprintsfor the rocket in Destination Moon</a>.)
I outlined the rules of zero-G wallyball. Some of these scenes were vaguely
exciting and most told a lot more about certain fringe characters. But in the
long run, was any of it interesting? Perhaps tangentially, but little of it
drove the story. It diluted the problems and buried the conflict. It may have
been messy and cluttered as real life, but it wasn’t anything anyone would want
to read. The story matters more than any technical detail, no matter how dear
to my heart. And the ticker-tape parade at the end means little if not
supported by the rest of the book.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It says a lot to me that, for the rest of the books, Hergé
did away with the parades. Tintin returns from his subsequent adventures with
little fanfare, maybe just a newspaper headline or two. I think Hergé
understood that Tintin didn’t go on adventures for the fame and accolades. And
he must also have realized that people didn’t read Tintin to just casually bear
witness, but to journey with him, no matter how difficult, and somewhere in
there is what story is all about.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next time: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cigars of
the Pharaoh</i>: The Devil is in the Details</div>
M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-13403771358919871572013-07-25T11:56:00.000-07:002013-07-25T12:08:21.041-07:00Tintin-fluences<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
My intellectual life was altered irrevocably the day I
entered the fourth grade. (Well, perhaps not that exact day—although some
strange things did happen that day, but that’s a story for another time…) What
happened was this: Fourth-graders were allowed to access the “big kids” part of
the Burlington Elementary School library. This was a big deal for a voracious
little reader such as myself. (Case in point: One summer, I spent my mornings
reading the World Book encyclopedia from cover to cover.) On my first forays
into the new library section, I found a set of volumes, curiously untouched by
any of the other kids. They were thin and tall, standing out on the shelf. On
their covers were clear, realistic oversized cartoons featuring a boy and his
white dog caught up in moments of pure action and adventure—rocketships,
shark-shaped submarines, castles, deserts, jungle river treks, mummified
Egyptologists, Aztec pyramids. These, the covers proclaimed, were <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Adventures of Tintin</i> by a mysterious
author who went by a single name, Herg<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">é</span>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<img height="560" id="irc_mi" src="http://dreampeddler.in/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/tintin.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="607" /></div>
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<br /></div>
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I don’t remember which one I opened first (knowing me, it
was probably <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Destination Moon</i>) but
inside I found something entirely new. I was no stranger to comics, at least of
the more kid-friendly variety (Richie Rich, Archie, Sad Sack, Casper the
Friendly Ghost), but these were not just glorified comic strips; these were
full novels, told with wonderful drawings, with as much nuance and drama as
action and slapstick. I remember that I felt like I’d found a treasure.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I had.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Each cover was only a glimpse into the adventure that lay
within. They were clearly from another time. The copyright dates said that
they’d been published in the 1950s (although many of them were written much earlier
and were subsequently reworked for new publishers). They were clearly from
another place. At the time, I believed them to be British, but they were distinctly
European, with a unique (and strangely exciting for a kid growing up in
Reagan’s America), worldly sensibility.</div>
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Tintin himself was not the draw. He was a hero, but a blank
one, and it was a simple thing to imagine myself in his shoes. He was often
called a boy, an older teenager perhaps, and a prodigy of sorts. He lived in
his own flat; no parents or family were ever mentioned. He had no attachments
to girls; indeed, there were few women in Tintin’s world. He worked as an
investigative reporter. He was often shown with a book in his hand, but he was
no mere bookworm. He had a keen eye for detail, a trait that sparked many of
his best adventures. Tintin was no superhero and yet at the same time he was.
He had an unquenchable curiosity and clear sense of justice; two superpowers
that made him an unstoppable force. And not just in Gotham or some Disney-esque
fantasy world, but in the real world, one with very real and relevant problems.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And through every voyage, through every danger, Tintin’s faithful
white dog, a terrier named Snowy, trotted at his side.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For those who have read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Legitimacy</i>,
the parallels to my characters of Teague Werres and Monkey might be clear, as
if I designed them to be an homage. But believe it or not, I did not set out to
do that. And there were more parallels: a young, curious man alone in the
world, readily crossing borders to balance the scales of justice, and rubbing
shoulders (or butting heads) with some of the most powerful people in the
world. Once I realized what I had done, I couldn’t deny that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Adventures of Tintin</i> were powerfully
influential—a fact I’ve decided to embrace.</div>
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<br /></div>
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If you’ll indulge me, over the next few months, I’ll be posting
reviews of each of Tintin’s adventures. I want to read them again, not just
with a fourth-grader’s need for adventure, but with a writer’s thirst for
story.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Want to join me?</div>
M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-36286860501739319052013-07-10T17:33:00.000-07:002013-07-10T17:33:21.894-07:00Legitimacy=AvailabilityAfter a flurry of exchanges with my designers over the last few days, I awoke to find the final upload-able files for Legitimacy in my inbox. This bonanza spurred a furious bout of clicking and filling in online forms that lasted the better part of the morning. The copyright was officially copyrighted. The ISBN was officially ISBNed. The upload-able files were officially upload-able filed.<br />
<br />
Then came the wait. For hours, Amazon performed their dark web magic and consumed just a little more of the Internet.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DV1G036" target="_blank">And now Legitimacy is officially available to purchase as an ebook for the Kindle.</a><br />
<br />
The paperback will be available within a few weeks. If you think you might be interested in purchasing an autographed version, drop me a line at mhvankeuren@gmail.com and I'll include you on a list for an e-mail announcement with prices and dates and such.<br />
<br />
If you'd like to see the book available for any other platforms in the future, let me know. <br />
M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-17030736104807408922013-07-08T10:55:00.002-07:002013-07-08T10:55:58.245-07:00The face that launched...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5o5on6QKQKo/Udr7CSMeTUI/AAAAAAAAAFo/0KfKa5x7Gns/s1600/LegitimacyD5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5o5on6QKQKo/Udr7CSMeTUI/AAAAAAAAAFo/0KfKa5x7Gns/s320/LegitimacyD5.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Here it is. <i>Legitimacy</i> finally has a cover. And it's everything I ever dared hope. It makes me rub my palms together and grin maniacally every time I see it.<br />
<br />
The release is imminent. Stay tuned! <br />
<br />M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-18172742806190222222013-06-05T19:39:00.002-07:002013-06-05T19:50:59.160-07:00The Well-Read Planet: Yet Another Reason to Live on Mars<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I’ve never wanted to live on Mars more than after coming
home from my local “Friends of the Library” used book sale.</div>
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<br /></div>
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You’re forgiven if you don’t immediately see the connection.</div>
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<br /></div>
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You see, Mars’s day is just about forty minutes longer than
Earth’s—a perfect length for me. Enough time to get everything I’d normally do
in a day done, plus forty minutes extra to plop down and crack open a good book,
or my Kindle. (Disclaimer: Don’t actually crack open an e-reader, no matter
what the brand. You’ll probably be disappointed with the results.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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As if my to-do list and my to-read list weren’t already in
enough conflict, the library was letting books go for pennies to the linear
foot (or perhaps metric ton), and I couldn’t help but load up. But when am I
going to find the time to read them all?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Any ideas? How do you make time to read?</div>
M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-22921590892006932922013-04-19T17:49:00.002-07:002013-04-19T18:23:33.722-07:00The Opportunity of a Lifetime<span style="font-size: small;">OK, sports fans, we're getting down to it for Legitimacy. I don't dare announce a release date yet, but the editing process is going well. My editor is swamped, but we'll get it done...even it kills us. Not literally...well, perhaps.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Along the way, I've been finalizing the "back cover blurb" and would like to introduce a nearly finalized version for your consideration here:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">At the end of the 21st century, the stories of two young men
unfold on different worlds. On Earth, Teague Werres is born into a life sheltered
from most technological progress—longevity treatments, space colonization,
virtual reality—but his intelligence and ambition drive him to overcome his
disadvantages. On Mars, Rob Heneghan plans to live a long, easy life, in the
real world and in the virtual. He’s content just to have fun, just to get
by—until a painful loss forces him to examine his life.</span></b></div>
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</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For all their differences, Teague and Rob have a secret in
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A partnership that neither of them could have predicted lands
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golden opportunities take them from urban Bangkok to Mars’s domed cities, and from
quirky asteroid colonies to Earth’s most desperate refugee camps. But when their
NAIs uncover evidence of a dangerous conspiracy, they begin to suspect—are they
being used? As Teague and Rob edge closer to the disturbing truth about who
really controls the world, each must decide how much to risk to do the right
thing for himself…and for the human race.</span></b></div>
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What do you think? Does it grab you? Would you thumb through it? Would you read it? Would you buy it? Let me know in the comments or e-mail. And please, I beg you, be brutal...</div>
M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-90620223486155946672013-03-26T12:55:00.000-07:002013-03-26T12:56:29.433-07:00The First Draft Fallacy<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Hollywood perpetuates a great lie about writing, The First
Draft Fallacy. It goes like this: Novelist bangs his/her head unproductively against
an expensive laptop—or a secondhand typewriter, or a quill-strewn writing desk—dramatically
for ninety minutes or so until the muse finally strikes. Smash cut: The
remnants of a sleepless, sunless weekend, (stained coffee cups, half-eaten takeout,
balled up pieces of paper, unanswered messages on phone, empty bottles) are
strewn across the Writing Area. The camera pans to find Novelist sprawled on an
unkempt bed. On the desk is a neatly stacked inch-and-a-half tall pile of paper.
The top page is a neatly typed cover page clearly reading, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Notable Novel</i> by Novelist.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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The next scene: A finished book, printed, copies stacked to bookstore
rafters, lauded, toasted at parties, and solving all the pent-up conflict of
the first ninety minutes.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Let me repeat: This is a lie. Writing novels is not like
pressing the popcorn button on the microwave. And as such, documenting the
actual life of a writer makes for relatively dry stuff for a movie, let alone a
blog.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Case in point:</div>
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<br /></div>
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I recently completed my sixth revision to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Legitimacy</i>, a detailed process that left
almost no sentence of a 260,000-word manuscript untouched. Since it reached its
semi-final form, it’s had an edit by me, and then one by my lovely editor,
Julie. Minor revisions, trimming, and correcting errors, both in the writing
and the continuity. (And plenty of wailing, gnashing of teeth, killing of
darlings, and questioning of life choices, usually ending with the admission
that my editor was right all along.) I also went through a checklist of thirty
to forty common mistakes I make, words used in weak writing, and style
problems. For example, I reviewed every single one of the 3,000 to 4,000
instances of the word “was” and made sure each was really necessary.</div>
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<br /></div>
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After that, I began to listen to the manuscript read by an
automatic reader. This helps to weed out missing words, odd phrasings, and
gives me an idea if the writing flows naturally. Julie is rereading each
chapter when I’m finished to review those changes. The book is now down to
approximately 195,000 words. But this is not the end, not by a long shot.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Next we will read the manuscript out loud together, both
following along with the text. Here we’ll smooth out the writing and correct as
many errors as possible. (I’m lucky enough to have an editor who can do this
with me in person. I pity any writer who does not.) If required, I will polish
anything that still doesn’t quite meet the standard.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Then, at last, the manuscript will undergo a meticulous line
edit. But we’re still not done…</div>
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The final step is formatting. The book has to be carefully
formatted both for print and as an e-book. This is an arcane process involving
dark magicks. We will not speak of this again.</div>
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In the midst of all this, I must also write several versions
of the “back cover” blurb, hire an artist/designer to create the perfect cover,
and devise a strategy to launch the book once it’s ready.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
So perhaps Hollywood can be forgiven its dramatic license.
I’d smash cut if I could, too. But fear not: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Legitimacy</i> is “almost done.”</div>
M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-82692653901456303982012-10-05T16:54:00.001-07:002012-10-05T16:54:41.389-07:00Big News and an UpdateFirst, the big news...<br />
<br />
I'm doing my first ever, official public book signing for Rhubarb tomorrow, Saturday October 6th, from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. at <a href="http://bit.ly/Nk7hCz" target="_blank">Hastings in Billings, Montana</a>. I'll be up at the front of the book section of the store, near the cafe. So come on by, and bring a friend or two.<br />
<br />
And now: the update.<br />
<br />
I've been working hard on this, the sixth, and hopefully final, major revision of <a href="http://mhvankeuren.blogspot.com/2012/04/whats-next.html" target="_blank">Legitimacy</a>. And just this morning, I finished working on a chapter that represented the bulk of the significant changes. So yeah for me! I still have eleven chapters to get through, but I have this dream that I'll be able to get through them all before the end of October.<br />
<br />
My biggest incentive is that November 1st is the start of NaNoWriMo 2012. I really want to participate this year, and I have a pretty good idea in mind already for a new book. But I also can't afford to lose this thread on Legitimacy. I'm going to sign up anyway, so that even if I can't start on the 1st, I might be able to catch up.<br />
<br />
Anyway, that's all. Wish me luck, and hope to see you tomorrow.M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-76259468075195801662012-09-17T16:01:00.000-07:002012-09-18T07:07:55.757-07:00My Weekend with Surrealist PaintersI had an odd convergence this weekend. I hadn't planned this, but I read a graphic novel and watched a movie that both dealt with roughly the same time, place and characters. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10401677-kiki-de-montparnasse" target="_blank">Kiki De Montparnasse</a> is a fictionalized biographic graphic novel about a famous model and socialite in Paris in the 1920's, who was immortalized by the photographer Man Ray in his photo <a href="http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=61240" target="_blank">Le Violon D'Ingres</a>. While Woody Allen's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605783/" target="_blank">Midnight in Paris</a>, portrays a young screenwriter, played by Owen Wilson, who considers his impending marriage and a wishful career as a novelist while on vacation in Paris. In typical Woody Allen style, he gets swept off (in his imagination or not, it doesn't matter) to the Moveable Feast of an idealized1920's Paris.<br />
<br />
I felt a little like Owen Wilson's character myself, unprepared, but pleasantly surprised to find myself spending the weekend with golden shadows and line drawings of Ernest Hemingway, Man Ray, Pablo Picasso, Cole Porter, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau, Luis Bunuel, before a backdrop of surrealists, bohemians, all at the epicenter that was Paris of the time.<br />
<br />
Now, I've never been to Paris, and I've never been particularly nostalgic about the time, but as a working writer I can't suppress my envy of those who got to experience such a nexus of creative energy. A nexus that treated literature and art as serious concrete things that had the power to shape the world. A nexus that dared itself to challenge convention, brave boundaries, and shatter norms in almost every medium.<br />
<br />
Can I do as much in my basement office or in the various coffee shops of Billings, MT? There's only one way to find out. Who's with me?<br />
<br />
<br />
M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-90589182414802199612012-09-07T11:49:00.000-07:002012-09-07T11:53:55.762-07:00Relatively Big DealThis may not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but Splash, my recently-turned-twelve-year-old son, has learned how to play pinochle.<br />
<br />
I didn't learn to play pinochle until my early twenties when it became clear that the best way to get to know, ingratiate, and interact with my future in-laws was to learn. Pinochle is like a private religion in my wife's family: the stuff of family newsletters, nicknames, and get-together rituals. But to an outsider like me who had only played card games that required no more skill or thought than <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoons" target="_blank">Spoons</a> or Slapjack, it was completely incomprehensible. If you've never played, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinochle" target="_blank">here's the Wikipedia article...you'll see what I mean</a>. And forget Hoyle. That guy has no idea what he's talking about. My in-laws play various pinochle variations depending on the number of available players, whims of the most vocal, and need for vengeance off of particular losses. And as if the game wasn't difficult enough, these cultists have made up their own system of coded bidding. But when you're in love, you do things like get baptized into The First Apostolic Church of Double Pinochle Reformed Central Iowa Synod, Montana Covenant. Motto: "Where a marriage is defined as a king and queen of the same suit, and if your spouse is on the other team, all bets are off."<br />
<br />
And now, so many years later, just when I feel like I'm beginning to understand the game, I feel a swell of fatherly pride to see him play. And he's good. You better watch out Grandma. In a couple of years, you're going to have some real competition.M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-54070353821347098612012-08-17T12:21:00.000-07:002012-08-17T12:21:02.958-07:00Hitting the Broad Side of a Barnes&NobleAt long last, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rhubarb-m-h-van-keuren/1110421931?ean=2940014881784" target="_blank">Rhubarb is finally available for the Nook at barnesandnoble.com</a>.<br />
<br />
That is all. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-44004634439366360622012-08-12T15:21:00.001-07:002012-08-12T15:21:16.706-07:00Rhubarb. Now on Smashwords!For those of you who aren't familiar, <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/" target="_blank">Smashwords</a> is a ebook retail site that provides readers options beyond the proprietary Kindle and Nook formats, and provides authors like myself with access to various ebook sales streams like the Apple Store and many others. While Rhubarb has not made its way across their full wide net yet, you can download it from <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/214253" target="_blank">Smashwords directly</a> right now.<br />
<br />
No, seriously, right now. Go. Thanks.M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-54548075424667700072012-07-25T09:50:00.002-07:002012-07-25T09:50:57.415-07:00Spaceship EarthSo I'm sucker for dramatic space porn; but I believe that images like these are now as important as ever. Space travel can no longer be thought of as the politically motivated feats of an intrepid few. We are a space faring species whether we like it or not. It's time we starting acting like it.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/45878034" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
Protip: Full screen. Volume up. Child-like wonder.M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-49724615588420718432012-07-18T12:02:00.000-07:002012-07-18T12:02:01.258-07:00Now with more Facebook...If you'd like to keep up with all things about me, M.H. Van Keuren, author extraordinaire. Link on over to Facebook and like this:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MHVanKeuren" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/MHVanKeuren</a><br />
<br />
Don't be the last to know all the latest M.H. Van Keuren news. You don't want to be that guy.M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-14288570086529454632012-07-15T12:30:00.000-07:002012-07-15T12:30:37.591-07:00Doctor What? or Requiem for a Would-be Fanboy<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Julie’s been extremely busy this summer. And I’m usually
barricaded in my office or ensconced at any available coffee shop to work on
the final revision of Legitimacy.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This leaves Splash and Wallclimber unparented most hours of
the day. When they were wee lads Julie and I worried about them, as we called
it, going feral. But as typical American tweens and teens, respectably, they
clutch their <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">birthday presents</i> (iPod,
iPads, PC) in their Gollum-like clutches and scurry into the basement. Their
eyes are growing lantern wide, and they wail at the Elven torments of bedtime,
chores, sunshine, or fresh air. It can’t be good for them. But I understand it.
I did the same thing, except back in my day, I only had books.</div>
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But lately I’ve emerged from my office to find my boys
watching <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dr. Who</i>—the latest few
seasons of the BBC incarnation—on Netflix streaming. I’d never seen it, so (for
purely academic purposes as a sci-fi author) I joined them for a couple of
episodes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And now, even though it might destroy my sci-fi author
street cred, I must confess: I do not get Dr. Who.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I remember trying to explain <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i> to my father. He liked <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Trek</i>, but his eyes glazed as I went on, his face grew pained,
and in the end he would give his head a little shake. How could he not see how
awesome it was??? The Force. Lightsabers. Hyperdrive. The Jedi and the Sith.
And now, my vision blurs as Splash describes a Time Lord, My sinuses ache as he
insists that the trundling Daleks are terrifyingly evil. My mind wanders as
Wallclimber tells of the one character got cast out of time, was erased forever,
but somehow came back as a Roman centurion…I feel my head shake. Is there more
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Am I a traitor to my professed genre? In my heart I feel
like I should love <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dr. Who</i>. I should
embrace its fanciful alien technologies and ride the roller-coaster of
near-universal destruction that seems to come in every episode. Am I just getting old?</div>
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I have hope, however. I asked Splash: Why, if the TARDIS can
go anywhere in a chaotic populated universe, does this singular Time Lord worry
so much about Earth and London?</div>
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“Because that’s where they make the TV show,” he replied.</div>
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At least one of us has a healthy perspective.</div>M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-22304650324536167192012-06-29T11:06:00.000-07:002012-06-29T11:06:24.878-07:00The Future is OursInspirational videos may be this decade's motivational posters, but I wanted to share this one:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/44658040?title=0&portrait=0&color=ffffff" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/44658040">The Future is Ours</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/michaelmarantz">Michael Marantz</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/44658040" target="_blank">http://vimeo.com/44658040</a><br />
<br />
Robots. Asteroid mining. Glorious launches and daring deeds. Asking the big questions. But the moment that the deaf woman hears for the first time through an implant...I'll admit I almost cried along.<br />
<br />
As a writer of science fiction, and not a scientist, I can only hope that my work will contribute in some small way. To reflect the possible. To inspire the hitherto impossible. To allow readers a glimpse, a dream, of a possible future, and dare them to make it happen.M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-88860306504987758032012-06-22T08:44:00.000-07:002012-06-22T08:44:24.636-07:00The Mother of all Free Book PromotionsThis is it. Your last chance to get a Kindle version of Rhubarb for free. It will be free for 48 hours starting midnight Saturday 6/23 and ending midnight Sunday 6/24. (BTW: Amazon works on Pacific time.)<br />
<br />
If this promotion goes like my previous ones, it should be a spectacular success. Rhubarb came close to #1 in free sci-fi last weekend, nearly reached the top ten in free humor, and for some reason was in the top 100 books for single women. You don't know how fun it is to see that.<br />
<br />
But this will be my final free promotion. It's coming at the end of my exclusive obligation to the Kindle Select Program (which I won't review in this post), but it's great news for readers of other formats. Sometime in early July I will be releasing Rhubarb for the Nook, through Barnes & Noble, and for the Apple store and all the other various ereaders (Sony, Kobo, chisel and rock) through Smashwords.<br />
<br />
Oh, and Saturday is my mother's birthday. So give her the only gift you can, and tell a dozen friends about Rhubarb. Happy Birthday, M.M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-12882478645349091502012-06-16T12:27:00.000-07:002012-06-16T12:27:28.764-07:00Father's Day (is) SpecialJust a quick post to announce that the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rhubarb-ebook/dp/B007RELN76/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1333586614&sr=1-1">Rhubarb will be free</a> for the Kindle all day on Father's Day. (Sunday 6/17/12).<br />
<br />
I don't know what my family has planned for me, but I'm sure it won't be as exciting as a free ebook. I'm jealous of you all. Peace out.M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693522349341599439.post-47360304451189920582012-05-25T12:37:00.000-07:002012-05-25T12:37:02.048-07:00Towel Day 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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“A towel, (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy</i>) says, is about the most massively useful
thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.”</div>
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My deep admiration for Douglas Adams is no secret. (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Adams">Link here if you have only just crawled blinking and confused from a cave.</a>) Those
who know me very well might know that the first possession I would rescue from
my burning house is my signed edition of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy</i>. Those who know me inordinately well know
that nearly every night of my life, I’ve gone to sleep listening to recordings
of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hitchhiker’s</i> radio shows. </div>
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This morning, a couple of new Amazon reviews compared my
writing and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rhubarb</i> to DA and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">THGTTG</i>. I fully, and shamelessly, claim
him as an influence. But it got me thinking. What is it about Douglas Adams that
I admire so much?</div>
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I was introduced to DA in the eighth grade by new friends in
a new town, who thrust his books into my hands flabbergasted that I’d never
even heard of him. (Hipster moment: I read DA back when his trilogy had only three
books.) So is my admiration simply nostalgia—that I spent my most embarrassing
emotionally formative years comforting myself by reading and rereading those
books? Nah. It’s got to be more.</div>
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I do admire his writing style. He’s concise. (A sentence
construction and paragraph design and planning skill, often related to proper
word selection, that I have often neglected in the recent past.) He took big risks
with his writing and never shied away from absurdity; yet somehow always seemed
to make a salient point. (See almost any quote from Marvin the Paranoid
Android.) I admire his work ethic. (“I love deadlines,” he famously said. “I
love the whooshing sound they make as they go by.”) And I have learned to enjoy
a good soak in the tub now and then. (What better use for a towel?)</div>
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Do I admire his later work in the cause of endangered
species? Is it his ability to blend true satire and speculative fiction to lampoon
everyone and everything? (“To boldly split infinitives that no man has split
before…”) Do I admire his willingness to wade into any and every medium that
would have him—radio, novels, comics, nonfiction, television, computer games, Hollywood,
theater? That the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guide</i> is ostensibly
the inspiration for Wikipedia? It’s impossible to put a finger on a single
thing.</div>
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During the production of the notoriously horrible BBC
television series of Hitchhiker’s, a bit actor called in sick, so Douglas
stepped in to replace him. This wasn’t unusual; he played other bit extra parts
in the series, and had appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Monty
Python’s Flying Circus</i>. But on this particular day, Douglas Adams stepped
in front of the camera, and on action promptly waded naked, and towel-less,
into the ocean.</div>
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That’s the kind of author I’d like to be.</div>M.H. Van Keurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07736878298979709150noreply@blogger.com0