Darren Lamb, aka the Worst Buddhist, and I have been connected ever since a fateful Free Comic Book Day in Salt Lake City. I was going from store to store getting the free comic books, and he was at one selling his regular book - Transubstantiation. The story was so amazing that I didn’t even mind the errors. Later, he told me that I accidentally got an author’s copy. Never mind, when I read an amazing story, I want people to know about it.
We’ve connected on social media since then and I’ve tried to support him as I can. Being an author is hard work, especially when you’re publishing independently. There may or may not be any royalty checks in a given month. People rarely give feedback or leave positive reviews, and sometimes, it just feels like you’re writing for yourself. Not that there’s anything wrong with writing for yourself. It’s just that writers who publish typically want to find a wider audience. The best of writers have something to say, mediocre writers want to make money and are good at their craft, and the worst writers… I don’t know that there are any worst writers… At any rate, the whole point of this rambling expose is that Darren has had a story accepted into an anthology called “Weird Wasatch.” So, if you ever wanted to try a new author but are afraid of the investment, this anthology features many probably-new-to-you writers, including Darren. If you like a particular short story, chances are you’ll like other things they’ve published. For those who like eBook format, the book is less than cheap. Congratulations to Darren and to those of you who are about to find a new (2nd) favorite author! Okay, he can be your 1st favorite author; I don’t mind. After all, it’s not a contest and just like you can have more than one friend, you can have more than one cool author that you love! Until next posting, go out and penguinate! |
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Alex Travelline captains the most feared vessel on the oceans. The Jolly Rogue is the fastest ship out there, and Alex uses that speed to his advantage. Alex may be prone to times of passivity and unconsciousness, but since he’s been recruited as a secret agent for the Pirate Union, an organization he doesn’t even like, he’s been passing out less -- at least he thinks he has. If there’s a problem, Alex goes in like gang busters with his sword flashing and trusting to superior luck to get out of any jam. Chantel Henderson is the Jolly Rogue’s new first mate. When Alex became TSUI007, he gained 2 new crew members to replace Ahab and Barney, who suffered accidents while the ship was docked at the PU. Chantel is handy with a sword and a handheld crossbow. She loves hot fudge sundaes but has figure that says “No hot fudge sundaes here.” She is unfortunately afflicted by the same mental disease as her grandmother, but Alex doesn’t know that. George the Behemoth was the other crew member that Alex gained. A member of a ridiculously multi-cultural family, George is the Jolly Rogue’s bosun. His huge figure cuts a menacing shape and helps keep the crew in line. It would be a mistake to suspect that his menacing growl actually conveys, "Let's sit down and have a spot o' tea to help reason this out." “The Pirate Union” is an uproarious book filled with comedy, strange islands, and pirates. We could tell you about more of the crew members, but spoilers! Check out “The Pirate Union” available on Amazon in paperback and eBook. Technically, I am reading 2 books if I don’t count my own, which I am editing. However, I’m just going to write about “How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: 7 Steps to Genius Everyday." The first suggestion author Michael J. Gelb makes is to start a journal. Da Vinci kept journals. He noted down everything from words to animals to plants to… Anything he was interested in. He wrote down new-to-him words and their definitions. His journals include drawings. Basically, it was a way for him to reinforce what he was learning and to be able to look at it later. It was also a good way to keep from losing ideas. The second suggestion Gelb makes is to write down 100 questions that are important to you. This should be done quickly and in one sitting. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar -- just get the questions down. He has some other exercises that work around these 100 questions, so it is important to do the exercise correctly. Themes may develop. You may see what questions get asked more than once and what subjects occupy your mind. I have included my 100 questions below. But write yours down first. You might find it illuminating.
I met Kaye Thornbrugh at Lilac City Comicon 2017. Her “Flicker” trilogy seemed interesting, and my niece convinced me to get them. My niece burned through them like she does every fantasy series, I took my time. I read the first one and paused as I dealt with other areas of my life and other books.
I got back to the series over Christmas and was slightly disappointed in Thornbrugh’s second book of the series – “Brightly.” Probably because the main characters are blackmailed into helping a community. The consequences are far-reaching, and it made a whole slew of other characters unlikable. Seriously, how can you like someone who has blackmailed someone else when they should’ve just asked? I took a short break and am now reading the third in the series. Halfway through and I am trying to find ways to get more reading time in. This book has hooked me and is clearly the best of the 3. If you want to challenge your own prejudices, pick up “Lights” from the Flicker trilogy. It’s thought provoking. However, I’ll save the full review until I finish the book. For now, I wanted to let you know what I am currently reading. Thornbrugh is an independent author and a journalist. Take a look at some of her work and help a fellow author out! |
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