Monthly Archives: October 2011

Friday Bag o’ Links

Posted by Gary W. Olson on

So. Just 34 days to go until my debut novel, Brutal Light is unleahed upon an unsuspecting humanity–in both old-timey ‘paper’ format and a variety of shiny e-book formats for your convenience. (Actually, the ‘paper’ format will be available around mid-December, not straight up on 12/1/11 — but it will be still dripping with convenience.) I am hip-deep in assembling a virtual book tour and writing out fascinating essay-shaped and interview-shaped nuggets for it, which doesn’t leave much time for writing anything time-consuming today. Which means it’s time for… links! [Stock footage: people running in terror from giant locusts, an outhouse exploding, old ladies clapping.]

Here are some very true words on the virtues of patience and persistence if you’re lookiing to get published: What Do I Wish I’d Known… Or You’re Kidding, Right?.

Here’s Su Halfwerk on how she learned to stop worrying and love writing for multiple genres.

I was wondering when they’d take my homebuilding concerns into account: Architecture Contest Calls for Zombie-Proof Home Designs.

From the department of I See No Way In Which This Can Be Turned Into An Orwellian Nightmare: Real-life Inception: Army Looks to ‘Counteract Nightmares’ With Digital Dreams.

Surely there is a short story in here somewhere: Vampire Moths Discovered in Siberia.

And finally, for those of you brave enough to wade into the gonzo end of the conspiracy pool, I present this site, which is loaded with gobs of articles on the agenda of the interdimensional Reptilians who secretly control Earth. Whenever I’m worried that I’ve lost my marbles, I go here to reassure myself that, comparatively, I am a marble hoarder.

Short Reviews: Greg R. Fishbone’s Galaxy Games: The Challengers

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Galaxy Games: The Challengers by Greg R. Fishbone

The opening book of the Galaxy Games trilogy finds 11-year-old Tyler Sato at the center of a crisis neither he nor the world expected: a star named after him has turned out not to be a star but an object heading for Earth. The object proves to be a starship bearing some startling news: Earth has declared a challenge against an alien world, one that can only be resolved through a game. Tyler is drafted to lead an international group of young athletes in a contest where he has to learn the rules as he goes along, and hope somehow he doesn’t ruin Earth’s first contact with the stars.

Greg Fishbone has long displayed a gift for blending likeable characters, just-this-side-of-ludicrous situations, fast-paced action, and humor that both kids and adults will enjoy. (Hey, I was grinning and sometimes laughing out loud, and there wasn’t a middle schooler anywhere around.) I was reminded of both the fun adventure feel of the Lucky Starr books I enjoyed as a kid and the character-driven humor of the Discworld books, though the story itself is derivative of neither. I’m definitely looking forward to the next volume.

E-Books vs. P-Books… Is It All Over for Paper?

Posted by Gary W. Olson on

When I tried reading a book on my smartphone for the first time, I knew I would face some tough hurdles in getting to like this new (to me, at least) way of reading. As a longtime reader, I had come to enjoy the feel of books, and the feel of turning pages, and could not see how the experience of reading a story on a screen could be as immersive as the ‘real thing.’ I’d tried reading books on computers before, but sitting in a chair and reading words on a monitor was not an appealing experience. I was ready to resist this new, paper-free reading experience… and it took all of five minutes for it to win me over.

Of course, I had to make a few tweaks–I discovered that white letters on a black background was much easier on my eyes than the other way around–but once done, I discovered I liked reading this way a lot. I could read what I wanted, where I wanted, without having to carry a large brick of paper around. They are, for the most part, less expensive than paper books (though some big publishers are trying to keep their ‘traditional’ model alive by switching that around) I could save shelf space, and never have to work out what parts of my collection I’d have to pack into boxes and squirrel away to make room for new stuff–which may not sound exciting to you, but having had to box up and move my collection multiple times through the years, it sounds great to me.

Of course, I’m hardly alone in discovering that e-books can be just as good an experience as the paper kind. Kindle and Nook readers have brought e-books to millions, and the apps (Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, and more) on wide varieties of smartphones. E-book sales are outstripping paper book sales on Amazon.com. It seems the long-anticipated death of the book as a physical object is finally at hand.

Or is it?

There are plenty of people still out there who love books as they are. Friends and family members who either have not tried e-books, for many of the same reasons I once hesitated, and those who have and found them wanting. And there are those, such as myself, for whom enjoyment of e-books does not mean abandonment of paper books, who will continue purchasing both kinds into the foreseeable future.

The sad, sad example of the death of the Borders bookstore chain is often cited as evidence that e-books have

Edit 1/3/2017: Not sure what happened to the text after this point. But whatever I wrote has vanished, and I don’t have it in me to figure out what I was thinking then. I’m sure it consisted of words.

monday link-o-ramage

Posted by Gary W. Olson on

If you’re looking for something wolfy to read, you’re in luck… it’s Release Day for Naomi Clark’s Dark Hunt!

From the Department of Oh Great Now You Tell Me… The 5 laws of making a story complicated without creating an ungodly mess.

If you like pulp science fiction art from Ye Olden Days, check this out… The Frank R. Paul Gallery – an archive of classic illustrations for Amazing Stories, Air Wonder Stories, and other magazines by Frank R. Paul.

Speaking of Ye Olden Days, get yourself some Free Audio SF – download and enjoy podcasts and classic radio serials (including my personal favorite, Planet Man).

Short Reviews: Micheal Grin’s Princess Nonomi

Posted by Gary W. Olson on

Princess Nonomi by Micheal Grin

No one can accuse Princess Nonomi of being down on herself. On the contrary, she sees herself as ‘twenty-first century royalty,’ and pursues her cruel, violent, and sexual desires with fiery disregard to the consequences, both for herself and others. As the narrative flashes between past and present–and between reality and fantasy–the pitch black driving force behind her drives and her snarling view of the world becomes starkly clear.

Micheal Grin’s first novel took me some getting used to–the whipsawing between past and present and real and unreal lost me a few times–but as the book progressed I realized how well it was suited for putting me behind Nonomi’s eyes, and as more of her twisted, scarred psyche was laid bare, the more I was drawn in. I was hooked well before the end, and recommend it to horror lovers with both strong stomachs and willingness to take a perverse, haunting, tragic, and unhinged ride through some very dark mental country.

Brutal Light pre-release trailer 2.0, Free Short Story, and Food for Thought

Posted by Gary W. Olson on

Here’s what I’m calling the ‘2.0’ version of the ‘pre-release’ of my book trailer for Brutal Light. ‘Pre-release’ because it contains an enticement for signing up for my e-mail newsletter that expires on 12/1; ‘2.0’ because I’ve incorporated Dawne Dominique‘s great cover art.

(Edit 12/1/2011 — I’ve replaced this with the ‘final’ trailer version, which no longer contains the newsletter enticement.)

The ‘enticement’ is that I will be drawing from the list of those signed up for the newsletter by 12/1 for the following: 1 person will win a signed trade paperback copy of my book Brutal Light, plus an electronic copy in PDF format. 2 second place finishers will get electronic copies in PDF format.

Additionally, anyone who subscribes to the newsletter will get a download link for a PDF copy of The Body in Motion, one of my early ‘science fiction horror’ short stories (revised and hopefully improved). I do caution in the link that it is violent and bloody, and contains mature subject matter (though not presented in excessively graphic form). The only thing I really remember about its genesis was that it was written in the weird, fiery state I was in for maybe a day after reading Harlan Ellison’s Deathbird Stories for the first time, and that the first draft was done in a day, which virtually never happens with me.

And if you don’t like it… hey, that’s okay. Just stay subscribed, as I’ll be making other stories (and other kinds of stories) the ‘free’ enticement in its place as the months and years roll on.

One other note, on another topic: I’ve made it so you no longer need to be registered to this website in order to comment on blog entries. Just enter your name (real or pseudonymous) in the top bar (and the bar below it), then your comment, then the CAPTCHA. At this point, I’d rather make it easier for the casual visitor to drop in and say something, and just take the increased risk of being spammed.

One still another note: while browsing through the site of Bryan Thomas Schmidt, whom I befriended (in the old, pre-Facebook sense of the term) at ConClave, I found the second half of a dialogue between him and another author (Anthony Cardno, whom I have not yet met) that resonated with me. I’ll link to the first half of the dialogue, on Anthony’s site. I encourage everyone reading this to go there, think on what they are saying and how it reflects on your own life and conduct… it’s certainly given me much to reflect on as far as my own is concerned.

Two Writers in Dialogue: A Conservative Evangelical and a Gay Liberal