Taggers: a review

Taggers by Miles Brandt has within its pages a lot to admire. There are a couple twists that actually made me gasp, one near the beginning that sets the entire novel in motion, and one at the end. I can often see twists coming from a long way off, but this one, the one at the end, completely blindsided me. I think because there's so much that kept my mind fully engaged along the way, I never had time to consider how it would all end. It's packed with spiritual and life philosophy, interesting characters and a very engaging love story.

One of the things I admire most about this book is the way it's written. Using the tools of his trade, right down to paragraph and sentence structure, word choice and tense, Mr. Brandt manages to portray the mental state of his characters, who by the way are escaped psychiatric patients.

I also admire the author's willingness, his fearlessness, to go to uncomfortable places and show us a world none of us would ever want to visit outside fiction. He does so with great honesty and skill, making the tough moments bearable by keeping it real and giving readers a glimpse into broken minds.

A worthy book, indeed.

Visit the kickstarter for Taggers HERE.

Now Available! New Sun Rising: Stories for Japan

The kindle edition of the long awaited New Sun Rising is now available. It's been a little over a year since the earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan, but they still need a ton of help. All profits from this anthology, filled with artwork, photography, poetry and stories, will go the the Japanese Red Cross. Please support this cause and help spread the word. Purchase it at Amazon.com

New Sun Rising: stories for Japan book trailer

The New Sun Rising: stories for Japan now has a book trailer! I'm so honored to be part of this. My story "Moon Kisses" will actually be helping people. Check out the contributors and sample some of their work on the blog: http://storiesforjapan.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/huge-thank-you-to-lisa-scullard-of.html

The book trailer was created by Lisa Scullard of akaVoodooSpice. Even the song was made just for this project, gifted to us by Daniel Christian.

Infodumphobia

I read a lot of unpublished manuscripts. It's something I began doing so other writers would read my in-progress works in return. Over the years, I've grown to love reading stories that aren't available to the general public, some of them quite brilliant, and to give my opinions about how to make the pieces stronger or more accessible. I've learned a lot about my craft this way, as well as from other writers' opinions about my work. I've found some very talented friends in the process.

I've also found a lot of writers who seem to have a literal phobia of the dreaded INFO DUMP. Dun da daaa. It's late, I'm thinking in musical terms as my mind heads toward dreams. I'm getting off track... Okay, right. So these info dump phobes often write about something unique to their story, something that  exists nowhere else in the known universe except their imagined tale, which I applaud very loudly and enthusiastically. The problem arises when they are so afraid to create an info dump that they fail to describe these oddities at all. They mention them, but don't explain what they are. It leaves readers lost.

I'm not endorsing info dumping by any means. It's a writer's job to find creative ways to relay information without resorting to clunky paragraphs that read like dull lists, but, especially in certain cases, the information has to be in there somewhere.  One excellent way to get information across is dialogue. Throw in a character who's as unfamiliar with the oddity as readers and have it explained to him. Or describe how it works through action. Show it at work. And, honestly, sometimes a brief paragraph that simply explains what the thing is works best  and is least intrusive.

Three new stories

Three new anthologies just came out that include my stories:

The first is "I'll Never Go Away" published by Rainstorm Press. My story "Call Me Crazy" is in this one. The e-book version is available on amazon, and there will be a print version available in a few months.

My flash fiction story "High Hopes Deli" is out in "Short Sips: Coffee House Flash Fiction Collection 2. Published by Wicked East Press.

And one of my very early works, "Hard Port" was accepted for "Deals with the Devil" published by Static Movement. Now available in paperback.

Land of the Rising Sun

One year ago today, calamity struck Japan. The results of that massive earthquake and tsunami are far from resolved. "New Sun Rising, Stories for Japan" wants to help. Set for release this September, it is a book compiled of short stories, poetry and artwork. All profits will go to help rebuild the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan. 

I'm so honored to be part of this project. My story, "Moon Kisses" will be among all the wonderful talents. 

 

 

Have a Heart for Horror Cookbook

Check out my Psychotic Raspberry Brownies and Crazy Kale Chips in this cookbook. All proceeds go to Project Get Safe.  Buy the color copy here. A cheaper, black and white edition will be released in a few months.