Smashwords Interview Day

Once again proving that no one does more to help independent authors publish and market ebooks, Smashwords hosted a five question interview session on Saturday.  Authors interviewed each other on Facebook.  I exchanged interviews with Pavarti Devi, author of the "Sandstorm Chronicles", a series about a Batman-style billionaire hero on a quest to foil Turkish religious police.  Yes, the Turkish Batman.

I admit, her questions were more thought out and better than mine, but I went first and had less time to think.  Her series is still in the works.  She shared with me her short story: "Consumed by Love".  She describes it as "erotic horror".  She's right.  Well written and disturbing.  But sometimes you need to be disturbed or you stand in the same place, looking at the world in the same way.

You can find all of Saturday's interviews at the Smashwords Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/Smashwords

You can find "Consumed by Love" at Smashwords:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/50495

You can follow Pavarti Devi's work at:
http://pavarti.blogspot.com/

And I'm so excited about how "Cathartes Aura on the Road from Nowhere" is coming out I'll start leaking little 10x10 bits between now and August.

Epub Trub

Smashwords warned me about the confusing world of epub, the format used at the Apple store.  The epub check often gives back completely undecipherable error messages, and without a 100% grade Apple won't stock the book.  After a drink and a chance to sleep on it, I attempted to pull out my hair only to find that it's too short.  Thanks again, Mark Coker, for a great guide.  I took a breath, had some tea, and then used the nuclear method.  And I passed.

The bright side: this gave me a chance to change two lines near the end of chapter one.  It clarifies the description of the jet blowing up.  When I wrote "Apocalypse Zoo" I was unclear about the specific nature of my apocalypse.  I shot down the plane with a rocket and "whistle like the Fourth of July."  Now I know better.  The new description works more clearly with truths revealed in "Road from Nowhere."

One frustrating thing and one beautiful thing about the ebook.  From home, I did a little typing, and my revisions are on the shelf.

The sequel should be ready in August.

"Apocalypse Zoo" should be at the Apple store in two weeks or less.  But just get it at Smashwords.

On a weird note, spell-check accepts both "undecipherable" and "indecipherable".  I know I'm supposed to be the writer and all, but which one is it?

"I must admit I was skeptical at first..."

Thank you, Amber, for your review.  I'm happy you enjoyed it.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10993509-cathartes-aura-and-the-apocalypse-zoo#other_reviews

"I must admit I was skeptical at first, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised and found myself craving the sequel already!"

I'm working hard on the sequel.  Currently on stanza 35.  I'm happy to be working with more human characters.  However, I find it challenging to write good poetry without getting bogged down in dialogue and stage direction.  I'm finding my way.  The first one wasn't easy, either.

"Cathartes Aura on the Road from Nowhere" due in August.

Equations of Life

I finished "Equations of Life" by Simon Morden on Saturday.  I was struck by how very different his apocalypse is.  There are so many people.  Technology is still advanced and prevalent.  Nuclear war destroyed some cities, poisoned the country-side, and forced the remaining human population into a few crowded cities.  This story takes place in London, where riding the subway now is very much like being a sardine in a can.
This is a fun paperback to read.  The story is mostly like an action movie, with the characters running and fighting for their lives against the bad guys.  The one great twist is Petrovitch, the main character.  He's skinny.  He's a mathematician.  He has a bad heart that he wants to replace but can't afford to.  It kicks out on him several times during the book and his implanted defibrilator keeps restarting it.  His sidekick and savior is a six and a half foot tall nun who packs a hand-cannon.  She is often picking him up and carrying him around.  My favorite line: "I can throw your skinny ass through a wall, group twelve shots at fifty meters, and take a bullet for my priest."  So Petrovitch is not your ordinary action hero.
A fun book and a different PA look at things.  It feels like Morden has set this up to be a series.  It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Petrovitch.
And now the binge is over.  Only four books in two weeks, but I feel a strong itch to get back to writing.  Episode 2: "Cathartes Aura on the Road from Nowhere" is next.  I've already written 300 lines and hope to have it finished by August.  Stay tuned.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9435474-equations-of-life