Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Meet My New Baby--The Asus Transformer Book T100


If you know me or have listened to any of the podcasts I regularly produce, then you know I am a gadget addict. Whether it’s computers, tablets, smartphones or game consoles, I always want the newest shiny piece of technology. And when I say what, I mean need.

But, since I’m just a regular joe and not a muli-million-selling author (yet), I can’t get every gadget that comes along. So, I try and only indulge on the gadgets that I can justify as being relevant to my day job or to my writing work.

But Christmas is different, as it’s the one time of year I can con someone else (usually my wife) into getting me some shiny new gadget. And while I’ve had my eye on a few different things, the one I circled on my Christmas list this year was the new Asus Transformer Book T100.

Why, you ask. Quite simply, because it’s a great tablet/laptop hybrid that runs a full version of Windows. Which means I can install and use all of the programs I need to make the table a complete writing tool.

One of the biggest issues I have right now is that Scrivener’s iPad app hasn't come along yet. I love Scrivener, and I've used it for all of the books and short stories that I've published thus far. I draft most of my projects in Google Docs, which I can use anywhere, on anything. But when I get into the final drafting and editing stages, I need my Scrivener. And now, I can have it on a device that I can take with me wherever I go.


I can also run Steam (for gaming) Audacity (for audio editing) and my Skype recording program (for podcast interviews) on the T100, meaning I can pretty much do everything on it.

Now, the T100 only has 2 GB of RAM, so it’s not a multitasking powerhouse, but the new Bay Trail Atom processor means the T100 has a ton of battery life and can handle most of what I’ll be suing the tablet for.

Add in the full keyboard and the multi-touch screen for tablet use, and the T100 is a pretty sweet little machine. It’s best trait may be its price point, which is regularly $349 for the 32GB model. We grabbed one for myself and my daughter for $299 apiece during a one-day sale at Best Buy.

I’ll be putting the machine through its paces over the next several months, and I’ll blog about it here. But if you’re a writer who uses Scrivener regularly and is used to Windows, this little hybrid may be your best bet right now.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Getting My Writing Back on the Rails


Everything was going so well. I’d just come off a very successful NaNoWrimo 2013, having clocked in over 60,000 words during the month of November. I had my new writing routine firmly established--waking up at 5am each morning and writing for at least an hour before work. I was well on my way to finishing the first draft of Lovecraft’s Pupil, the sequel to my just-released Lovecraft’s Curse.

And then Christmas 2013 happened.

Actually, it started on Friday the 20th. Both of my kids got out early from school, and they were on Christmas vacation from there on out. The weekend was filled with basketball, Christmas shopping and getting ready for incoming family. In any case, there was no writing done that weekend.

And there has been no writing done since.

That last six days have been a whirlwind, and my streak of writing has been shattered. The scene I had been writing seems a million miles away, and it feels like I haven’t touched my manuscript in ages.

This isn't the first time my writing routine has been derailed. in fact, it’s happened countless times since I started writing. I think all writers suffer through periods of inactivity for one reason or another, which in a way is comforting, as it’s something we all share in common. What really matters is what you do about it when you hit one of these writing funks.

For me, the answer is easy--I blog. In addition to this write, I have a gaming blog (Co-Op Critics) and a pop culture blog (Secret Identity) that I also maintain. So for me, the answer to getting my writing back on track is exactly what I’m doing with this blog post. I write about comics, I write about games, and I write about...writing.

This is not news to any of my writer friends out there. When you’re a writer, the answer to anything that derails you is to simply keep writing. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go crank out a few more blog posts before I jump back into that manuscript.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

The Writing Playlist: Siren OST

I talked a bit in my last post about how video game soundtracks are becoming a big part of my writing playlists. I’ve been working on the sequel to Lovecraft’s Curse for the past month and a half, so I’ve been favoring horror-themed soundtracks as my background music. One super-creepy album that has gotten me through writing scary scenes is 2008’s soundtrack for the horror game Siren.

Siren was a 2004 PlayStation 2 survival horror game set in a small Japanese village where an attempt to resurrect an ancient god turns many of the villagers into walking corpses, who are hunting down the remaining survivors as they await their god’s return. Despite having pretty bad mechanics, the game was scary, due in no small part to the fantastic soundtrack.



Hitomi Shimizu and Gary Ashiya created a score for Siren that is dripping with dread. Lots of ambient sound that fades in and out, chanting voices and well-placed sound effects create a constant sense of tension that is occasionally punctuated by outright terror. It’s a fantastic soundtrack to write horror to, especially is what you’re writing deals with rituals, the occult or just cosmic weirdness.

You can import the soundtrack for Siren from Japan here, and if you want to read more about the Siren music, Hitomi Shimizu was interviewed by Silicon Era a few years ago, when Siren: Blood Curse was coming out for PlayStation 3.

Friday, December 6, 2013

The Writing Playlist: Clock Tower 3 OST

When I write, I need some sort of background noise, and music is my background noise of choice. For the most part, I prefer instrumental music, as I tend to get distracted by words (although I do mix in a healthy dose of 80's metal).

I've found that video game soundtracks have become my music of choice, especially over the past month, as I've been writing daily for NaNoWriMo. So, I figured I'd start posting about some of the music I've been listening to as I write, starting with one that I just kind of stumbled upon, but really like--the soundtrack to Clock Tower 3.

For those not familiar, the Clock Tower series is a survival horror series that began in 1995 (I first played the original on the PlayStation). As opposed to the more action-based horror games of today, Clock Tower was primarily about avoiding enemies that were much more powerful than you, while solving puzzles and exploring.

While Clock Tower 3 deviated a little from the series formula, the soundtrack certainly captures the feel of the series. Most of the songs on the album are short, and many of them have a panicked feel to them that you would associate with being pursued. Others range from foreboding to very sad, and feature some great strings, piano and percussion. As a total package, it's very atmospheric.

As a writer of horror, I really like using this soundtrack to fuel some of the scarier scenes, or those where there is a race against the clock. Fun, creepy stuff.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

NaNoWriMo Diaries: 60K and Counting


So, NaNoWriMo 2013 ended last night at midnight, and I finished the month with just over 60,000 words written, a personal best for me. This is the third time I've completed NaNoWriMo (2007 and 2011 being the previous ones), but it was the first time that my draft wasn't complete at the end of the month.

If I had to estimate, I'd say Lovecraft's Pupil is about 85% done at this point. there are at least three major scenes that I still need to write, and there will be no days off from writing until this draft is finished. There's no way I'll be losing the incredible amount of momentum I've built up writing almost 2,000 words a day for the past thirty days.

So, as I march onward into December, I want to congratulate every single person who participated in NaNoWriMo this year. Whatever your word count at the end of the month, you took part in something special.

Now you need to build on what you've created. So, take a nap, let your draft sit for the next month or so, and then get back at it!


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

See Brian Write--Episode #12.5: NaNoWriMo Love

In this special episode of See Brian Write I gush about my love for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Season 2 of the podcast will be premiering in January 2014, but you can catch up on the first season over at soundcloud.com/seebrianwrite.

You can also subscribe to the podcast with these feeds:

RSS: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/44741447-seebrianwrite/tracks
iTunes: itpc://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/44741447-seebrianwrite/tracks




Links:
National Novel Writing Month: www.nanowrimo.org
5AM Writers' Club: twitter.com/5amWritersClub
Antony Johnston's Blog Post on NaNoWriMo: http://antonyjohnston.com/articles/justwrite.php

NOTE: If you are a writer and want to be on the podcast, either email me (brian@seebrianwrite.com), or DM me on twitter: twitter.com/seebrianwrite. I am now scheduling new interviews!

Monday, November 25, 2013

SBW Podcast Update--Season 2 in 2014!

As I start coming up for air from the whirlwind of a month that has been November, I wanted to give a quick update about the See Brian Write podcast. I mentioned on the last episode that I might do kind of a Season 1 / Season 2 thing, and that’s what I've decided to go ahead with.

So, Season 2 of the See Brian Write podcast will be premiering in January 2014, with a bunch of new writer interviews, book recommendations, and of course, updates on my own projects.

I may sneak in a quick episode in the next couple weeks, as I do want to gush a little about my love for NaNoWriMo, but we’ll see how that goes.

So, if you’re a writer and are interested in being interviewed for the show, hit me up on Twitter @SeeBrianWrite. I’ve got three interviews tentatively lined up already, so there's about 9 or so spots available.

Stay tuned!

Oh, I almost forgot--you can catch up on all of the episodes so far over at soundcloud.com/seebrianwrite. Enjoy!

Sunday, November 24, 2013

NaNoWriMo Diaries: Yo Adrian--I Did It!


I did it, you guys.

At approximately 5:30PM EST this evening, I crossed the 50,000-word mark on my NaNoWriMo project Lovecraft's Pupil, completing the challenge ahead of the November 30th deadline. And while that won't become official until tomorrow when I'll be able to validate my word count, it feels pretty darn good to have met my goal in a year that I was sure I did not have time to take up the challenge.

And that's perhaps the biggest lesson I'll take away from this year's NaNoWriMo. Much like Jell-O, there's always room for writing.

This month, I have gotten up at 5AM each day to write for an hour and a half before I start my regular day. This is a habit I plan on keeping long after November is over. I may not be putting out 2000 words a day, but starting my day by writing has been wonderful. Changes my whole daily outlook.

I would say I'm about eighty percent of the way through Lovecraft's Pupil, so my work in nowhere near done. And of course, there will be rewrites. But I am beyond stoked to have the sequel to the book I just released almost drafted.

I have ton of thoughts kicking around about this year's NaNoWriMo, and I hope to make a few more posts about it, but I will go out on this note: NaNoWriMo is amazing event. The sense of community alone is worth taking the challenge, and there's nothing like crossing the finish line when and seeing just how much you've accomplished.


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

NaNoWriMo Diaries: Counting on Word Counts

It’s a shame I don’t have time to blog more during National Novel Writig Month, because there are so many things I love about it.

Without a doubt, the one lesson I am reminded of every single time I do NaNoWriMo or Camp NaNoWriMo is this--I need to put myself on a daily word count in order to write consistently.

I have now accepted this as a scientific fact. With a full-time job, a wife and two children, three podcasts, and now coaching responsibilities, there is no way I will write every day without giving myself a word count.

NaNoWriMo is great for me because it’s this external force that is telling me there are no excuses, that no matter how crazy my life is, I must write every day. Now I’m not saying I need to be on the two thousand words a day pace I’m on right now, but I should at least be writing five hundred words a day outside of NaNo months. And the wonderful thing is that after writing so much during November, I have both a set routine and a huge amount of momentum to carry me into December and beyond.

NaNoWriMo is a like a giant reset button for my writing practices, and that is just one of the many reasons I love it.

And now, I must go back to writing about monsters, as I have a word count to hit.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

NaNoWriMo Diaries: Playing by the Rules

As I’ve mentioned previously, my NaNoWriMo project this month is the sequel to Lovecraft’s Curse. I knew when I wrote that book it was the beginning of the series, and the second full-length book that was set in the world of the Parted Veil (the first being Courting the King in Yellow).

My goal was always to have Courting the King in Yellow and future stand alone stories exist in the same world as Lovecraft’s Curse, and intersect at points with that series.

Well, almost as soon as I got into writing the sequel to Lovecraft’s Curse, I realized there was a very direct connection to Courting the King in Yellow. So, this book is actually becoming a direct sequel to both of those, although the cast of Lovecraft’s Curse will be front and center moving forward.

The cool and at times very challenging thing about writing a horror/fantasy series is that it’s full of magic and monsters. That means I’m creating some sort of parameters around these things, and they need to be consistent between books. The way magic works in the world of the Parted Veil, for example. I’ve decided there are different types of magic in the world, and I’ve only really introduced a couple of them. I need to flesh out the rules for each type of magic, and then make sure I follow them.

Working on the latest Parted Veil book as my NaNoWriMo project means a lot of the rules and systems I just mentioned are being developed on the fly. I’m taking what has been built in the first two books and elaborating on it. While that might sound like a nightmare, it actually feels pretty natural to me. I grew up playing roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons, which in many ways are storytelling games. As someone who has run many a game, I’m used to telling a story as I go along, a skill that serves me well during NaNoWriMo.

Not to mention, the goal of NaNoWriMo is to get the words out, and then clean them up later. I can always go back and fine tune the details altar, which is something I’m looking forward to. The D&D nerd in me can't wait to start tweaking those rules.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Check Out My Guest Post on Alana Abbott's Blog!

My good friend Alana Abbott, author of the fantastic fantasy books Into the Reach and Departure, let me guest on her blog this week!

In my post, I blab about Lovecraft's Curse, but also about how Alana's writing inspired me to begin taking my writing seriously in the first place.

You can read the post here.

When you're done, head over to the Flames Rising site and read the first chapter of Into the Reach, then grab it and Departure over on Drive Thru Fiction.

Alana is currently working on the final book in the Redemption Trilogy, Regaining Home.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

The Night Twitter Died...For Me

So, last night I was so excited about the return of Damon Wayans Jr. on New Girl that I couldn't wait to tweet about how hysterical the first five minutes were. Imagine my surprise when I got a message stating that my tweet hadn't been sent--because my account had been suspended.

Wait--what?

Just like that, I couldn't post anything new, nor could I even get updates from the people I follow. Completely perplexed, I followed the link's to Twitter's support page, where I was told that I could appeal my account suspension. I promptly did this, and received a message stating the my request to have my suspension reviewed was "in process."

I read through the terms of service, rules and best practices several times, trying to think of anything I could have done to get my account suspended. I couldn't find anything. Worse, there is no one to talk to at Twitter, just a help desk you submit your appeal to. There was also no explanation in the confirmation email I received, either. That's right--I was given no reason whatsoever why my account had been suspended.

But just like that, out of the blue, my Twitter access was revoked. Now, I get to wait for someone to review the situation, at which time they could decide to reinstate my account, or not to. So it's conceivable that I could have my account permanently closed for reasons completely unknown to me.

Now, I'm assuming this is just some sort of mistake, and things will right themselves in the next day or two. But it is kind of scary how you can have your account suspended at any point without even an explanation.

Stay tuned.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

NaNoWriMo Diaries: From "I Can't Do NaNoWriMo" to "I Have to Do NaNoWriMo"


Last week at this time, I had completely talked myself out of doing National Novel Writing Month. I had just released Lovecraft's Curse, and I knew that November was going to be crazy for me already. There are changes afoot at my day job, and I coach my daughter's basketball team, which was starting the first weekend in November. Between that stuff and recording/editing/producing the Secret Identity podcast every week, I knew that I would have absolutely no time to do NaNoWriMo.

So of course, on October 30th I signed up for NaNoWriMo.

Why? Because as I saw everyone on Twitter and Facebook gearing up for the big challenge, I started thinking about the pros and cons of NaNoWriMo. And the fact is there are so many pros, and the only con is the pressure I put on myself. The pressure of not actually hitting the 50,000-word mark.

So because I was afraid of not being able to finish, I was going to miss out on all of the great stuff that NaNoWriMo brings. The amazing sense of community, of being a part of this wonderful writing challenge. the constant motivation from other writers, and great Twitter accounts like NaNoWordSprints. Or the knowledge that I am working on a writing project every single day, and I get to be immersed in that world for 30 days straight.

Now don't get me wrong. I write all the time. There's always a project I'm working on. But rarely do get to dedicate 30 straight days to working on something, because the rest of my life takes precedence. With NaNoWrimo, I'm making a commitment to prioritizing writing every single day.

So, I am currently on day two of NaNoWriMo, and I am working on the sequel to Lovecraft's Curse. And it feels great. Whether or not I actually hit 50,000 words this month is less of a concern to me than in years past. I'm just glad to be back in this world, with these characters, creating new stories for readers to hopefully explore and enjoy.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

LOVECRAFT'S CURSE is the 'Pick of the Week' on Drive Thru Fiction!


The good folks over at Drive Thru Fiction have made my new book Lovecraft's Curse their 'Pick of the Week!'

What's cooler than having your horror novel featured during Halloween week? You picking up a copy, that's what!

Head over to Drive Thru and grab the digital copy for $3.99, the print edition for $9.99, or both for only $10.99! Thanks again to the crew at Drive Thru for promoting the book!

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Choosing What to Write Next

With last week's release of Lovecraft’s Curse, I am faced with a dilemma I haven’t encountered since I began my writing journey a few years ago:

What do I write next?

Courting the King in Yellow was my first book, and my first real attempt at taking my prose writing seriously (I was already working on some comic projects). Before that book even saw the light of day, I had taken the idea for Lovecraft’s Curse from a comic pitch to a prose project. Between those two books, my short stories (which I had written pitches for long ago) and the podcast book (Making Ear Candy), I’ve had a pretty clear idea of what I would be working on for the past few years.

But now that Lovecraft’s Curse is out, I have a decision to make. I now have three stories that exist in the world of the Parted Veil, and my horror stories moving forward will all tie into that world. At this point, I have four options:

1. Write a direct sequel to Lovecraft’s Curse (this is definitely happening, but doesn't necessarily have to be my next project).
2. Write a direct sequel to Courting the King in Yellow (this was never a guarantee, but I already have an idea of what I would do for the next story).
3. Write a new standalone novel set in the Parted Veil universe.
4. Write another short story similar to private showing, that either continues Nita’s story or provides more insight into one of the characters from the first two novels.

This is a good problem to have. I’ve now created enough of a foundation with the first two novels and the short story that I have options. And while I’d love to make a quick decision and use NaNoWriMo as a means to crank out a first draft, I’m not sure I want to rush the decision (we are only three days from NaNoWriMo).

So, as I celebrate the release of Lovecraft’s Curse, I am letting the ideas for my next project marinate. I’d love to hear from readers if they have a preference, as I will eventually be writing all four of the projects outlined above, it’s just the order that’s up in the air.

I’ll keep you posted!

Friday, October 25, 2013

LOVECRAFT'S CURSE is Now Available at Amazon and Drive Thru!

I am beyond excited to announce that my new horror novel Lovecraft's Curse is available in digital and print!

This story is not only an homage to the greatest horror writer of all time, but the beginning of a new series set in the world of the Parted Veil.

Here's the skinny:

A horrific childhood incident cast a shadow over Fela Barton’s life for fourteen years. 

Now a 20-year-old college student, Fela survived her first semester of living on campus and is finally ready put the past behind her. 

Until the nightmares start again. 

Fela’s dreams hold the key to the madness that has plagued her family for generations. But as she searches for answers, a terrible evil gets closer to finding her. Only one person can help Fela now--and he’s been dead for over 70 years.


You can get the digital versions of Lovecraft's Curse for $3.99! 

You can grab the Kindle version of Lovecraft's Curse on Amazon by clicking here.

Over at Drive Thru Fiction, you can get Lovecraft's Curse in PDF, ePub or Mobi digital formats for $3.99, and you can grab the print version of the book for $9.99. If you buy the print version, you can get the digital versions for a buck more! Click here to get the book in your preferred format on Drive Thru.

If you're on Goodreads, please add Lovecraft's curse to your bookshelf!

Here's a quick teaser trailer for the story. Thanks for checking it out and I hope you dig Lovecraft's Curse!


Thursday, October 24, 2013

LOVECRAFT'S CURSE--Launch Week Musings

The other night I was double-checking the formatting on digital editions of Lovecraft’s Curse while watching Halloween and Halloween 2 on AMC FearFest. Man, those movies are great. Anyway, it got me to thinking about the upcoming launch of my own book, how my favorite horror properties have influenced me, and why I like to write horror stories.

First off, I was struck at how the character of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) shares some qualities with Fela Barton, the main character in Lovecraft’s Curse. Both are survivors of childhood tragedies, and both are academically gifted young women who are introverts. Granted, Fela was a bit older and a direct witness to the tragedy that befell her family, but both characters are survivors that are trying to lead normal lives when evil comes calling for them again.

Of course, those qualities could be lumped into the Final Girl trope that is present in many horror stories. For me though, there’s another reason Fela has those qualities--because I do. Growing up, I was an academically gifted child who was an introvert as well. As a young child, I was bullied, had only a few close friends, and had some significant events occur in my home life that profoundly affected me.

Books were always an escape for me, and I fell in love with the fantasy and horror genres. I preferred books and worlds that I could escape into, and fantasy provides plenty of that. But I gravitated toward horror because I could relate to the main characters more.

My writing is as heavily influenced by horror movies as it is by horror stories and novels. John Carpenter, Stuart Gordon, Sam Raimi and Wes Craven are as influential to me as H.P. Lovecraft, Clive Barker, Dean Koontz and Stephen King. I like my stories to feel like a good horror movie for the reader--a thrill ride that is only as long as it needs to be, and leaves you feeling exhilarated and wanting more.

In reflecting back on Lovecraft’s Curse, there are nods to many of Lovecraft’s Dreamlands stories, Godzilla movies, Halloween, a particular Friday the 13th movie, Nightmare on Elm Street and many more.

I am very excited (and nervous) to share Lovecraft’s Curse with readers, and I hope it provides horror fans with the type of experience that made me fall in love with the genre and want to create stories of my own.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Behold, the Trailer for LOVECRAFT'S CURSE!

Only two more days before Lovecraft's Curse is released into the wild! Check out the trailer I put together using Animoto. I created the music clip with GarageBand for iPad, and as usual tried to capture a John Carpenter-esque feel.

See Brian Write--Episode #12: S. Evan Townsend, Lovecraft's Curse and Running Home

In the twelfth episode of See Brian Write speculative fiction writer S.Evan Townsend joins me to talk about the Adept series. I also discuss my upcoming book release and recommend Running Home by Julie Hutchings.

You can listen to the entire episode right here in the player below, or head over to soundcloud.com/seebrianwrite to download the MP3. I will be getting the show up on iTunes in the next few weeks, but you can subscribe to the podcast with these feeds:

RSS: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/44741447-seebrianwrite/tracks
iTunes: itpc://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/44741447-seebrianwrite/tracks




Intro
Lovecraft’s Curse will be available October 25th on Amazon and Drive Thru Fiction!

My Author Page: www.amazon.com/Brian-LeTendre/e/B00AGFTZFA

Dark Carnival: Exposure (penandmuse.com/exposure-brian-letendre)


Interview
S. Evan Townsend
www.amazon.com/S.-Evan-Townsend/e/B004B3DRFM
www.sevantownsend.com

S. Evan Townsend on Twitter
twitter.com/SEvanTownsend

S. Evan Townsend on Facebook
www.facebook.com/SEvanTownsend

Adept Series
www.sevantownsend.com/books.html


Book Recommendation
Running Home by Julie Hutchings
www.amazon.com/Running-Home-Julie-Hutchings-ebook/dp/B00EEG42IM

Deadly Ever After Blog
www.deadlyeverafter.com

Julie Hutchings on Twitter
twitter.com/HutchingsJulie

Kristen Strassel on Twitter
twitter.com/KristenStrassel

NOTE: If you are a writer and want to be on the podcast, either email me (brian@seebrianwrite.com), or DM me on twitter: twitter.com/seebrianwrite. I am now scheduling new interviews!

COURTING THE KING IN YELLOW is Now Just $0.99!

To celebrate the upcoming release of Lovecraft's Curse, I've dropped the price of my debut horror novel Courting the King in Yellow to $0.99!

At Amazon you can grab the Kindle version, and Drive Thru Fiction has three digital versions, so you can read on whatever platform you want! 

If you're interested in the print version of CtKiY, you can grab that over at Drive Thru Fiction for $9.99, as well as get the digital versions for a mere $0.49 more

To whet your appetite, here's the back cover copy:

When Melotte Pharmaceutical moved into the struggling city of Springfield, residents saw it as a godsend. But while the city’s fortunes appear to be turning around, something sinister is brewing within its homeless population. 

Four newfound friends stumble onto a horrific plan for the city, and their lives will never be the same again. Because on Halloween night, a new horror will be coming to Springfield, and they are the only ones who can stop it.

And here's a quick teaser trailer I made for the book:

Monday, October 21, 2013

PRIVATE SHOWING is Free on Kindle!

As I count down the days until the October 25th release date of Lovecraft's Curse, I will be discounting the other two Parted Veil stories, starting today with Private Showing. As of this morning, Private Showing is now free on the Amazon Kindle store.

Here's a quick teaser for the story:

Something about the old colonial on Sachem Street led Nita Young to contact the real estate agent as soon as it went on the market. But is she touring the house of her dreams, or reliving her worst nightmares?

This short story provides an origin story for Nita Young, a character who appears in both Courting the King in Yellow and Lovecraft's Curse. The events of this story take place well before the events of Courting the King in Yellow, and no knowledge of that story is required to enjoy Private Showing.

I hope you enjoy Private Showing, and stay tuned for news on Courting the King in Yellow in the next day or so!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

LOVECRAFT'S CURSE Is Coming October 25th!

My next horror novel Lovecraft’s Curse will be released on Friday, October 25th on the Amazon Kindle store and Drive Thru Fiction for $3.99!

Here’s the synopsis of the book:

A horrific childhood incident cast a shadow over Fela Barton’s life for fourteen years.

Now a 20-year-old college student, Fela survived her first semester of living on campus and is finally ready put the past behind her.

Until the nightmares start again.

Fela’s dreams hold the key to the madness that has plagued her family for generations. But as she searches for answers, a terrible evil gets closer to finding her.

Only one person can help Fela now--and he’s been dead for over 70 years.

For those who want a hard copy, the print version of Lovecraft’s Curse will be available on Drive Thru in shortly after the digital launch for $9.99. You’ll also be able to get a digital and print bundle for $11.99.

Like Courting the King in Yellow and Private Showing, Lovecraft’s Curse is set in the world of the Parted Veil, a version of our world where monsters, magic and unseen horrors exist just outside the consciousness of the average person. Each of these stories stand alone, but exist together, and you can read and enjoy them either way. Lovecraft’s Curse is the beginning of a new series set in the world of the Parted Veil, and I will continue to release other short stories and novels set in the world as well.

During the launch of Lovecraft’s Curse, Courting the King in Yellow will be available for $0.99, and Private Showing will be FREE! That means you can grab all of the Parted Veil stories for five bucks!

Stay tuned for more Lovecraft’s Curse news and previews, and mark your calendar for October 25th!

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Read My Dark Carnival Story EXPOSURE Right Now!


The second round of horror stories went up on the Dark Carnival page the other day, and mine was among them!

For those that missed my earlier post, Dark Carnival is a month-long short horror fiction event being held over on the Pen & Muse blog. All of the participants chose a carnival attraction and wrote a horror story about it. My story was about the old time photo booth, and without spoiling it, I think it's safe to say that the poor characters in my story get more than they bargained for when they decide to dress up and get their pictures taken.

You can click here to read the story right now, and then you can find the rest of the Dark Carnival stories that have gone up so far right here.

Enjoy!

Monday, October 7, 2013

Behold, the Cover for LOVECRAFT'S CURSE!

I am very excited to reveal the cover of my next book, Lovecraft's Curse! My good friend and frequent collaborator Jeff Rodgers put the cover together, as he has for all of my books/stories so far. This time around, we wanted to have some consistency with Courting the King in Yellow, as the books are part of the same shared universe.


Here's the back cover copy:

A horrific childhood incident cast a shadow over Fela Barton’s life for fourteen years. 

Now a 20-year-old college student, Fela survived her first semester of living on campus and is finally ready put the past behind her. 

Until the nightmares start again. 

Fela’s dreams hold the key to the madness that has plagued her family for generations. But as she searches for answers, a terrible evil gets closer to finding her. 

Only one person can help Fela now--and he’s been dead for over 70 years.

Stay tuned for a release date soon!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Celebrate the Month of Horror with a Trip to the Dark Carnival


Jolene Haley of the wonderful writers' site Pen & Muse has put together one heck of an awesome horror event to celebrate the month of October. It's called Dark Carnival, and it's a showcase of short horror stories featuring dozens of writers and artists, each of whom will be crafting their horror short around a carnival ride or attraction.

As a die hard horror fan, I could not sign up for this event fast enough. I based my short story around the "Old Tyme Photo Booth," as i have fond memories of both the one at the Big E (seen below) and the one at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire.


I actually had a couple of ideas I was kicking around, but one of them proved to be too elaborate to be crammed into a short story (this particular project is between 1,000 and 4,000 words). I knew I wanted to play with the idea of something from the past coming back to haunt the present. I won't spoil what I ended up writing about, but after my story goes up I'll blog a bit about it.

So, Dark Carnival officially starts tomorrow, and you can read the stories as they get posted at the landing page for the project (or by clicking the banner at the top of this post). I'm not sure exactly when mine is going up, but the event will be going on for the month of October, and new content will get posted every Friday. If you're a horror fan, then you're in for a treat, as you'll get to read dozens of horror stories for free. What a great way to celebrate the month of horror!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

See Brian Write--Episode #11: Antony Johnston and Grace Lost

In the eleventh episode of See Brian Write writer Antony Johnston joins me to talk about his new dark fantasy project Umbral, writing for different mediums and the concept of the Zero Draft. This episode's book recommendation is Grace Lost by M. Lauryl Lewis.

You can listen to the entire episode right here in the player below, or head over to soundcloud.com/seebrianwrite to download the MP3. I will be getting the show up on iTunes in the next few weeks, but you can subscribe to the podcast with these feeds:



iTunes: itpc://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/44741447-seebrianwrite/tracks





Intro
Secret Identity Special Issue w/ Antony Johnston (http://secretidentity.podomatic.com/entry/2013-09-27T03_27_37-07_00)
Lovecraft’s Curse Update


Interview
Antony Johnston

Wasteland

Scrivener


Book Recommendation


NOTE: If you are a writer and want to be on the podcast, either email me (brian@seebrianwrite.com), or DM me on twitter: twitter.com/seebrianwrite. I am now scheduling new interviews!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

OcTrailerFest 2013 Kicks Off Today!

I love horror. Love it. And that means October is my favorite month of the year, by far. I released my first horror novel Courting the King in Yellow in October of last year. If all goes well, my new book Lovecraft’s Curse will be out just in time for this Halloween, which makes me almost giddy.

I’m always looking for ways to celebrate this month of horror, and I kicked off a fun one today. It's called OcTrailerFest 2013. Each day on my Twitter feed I will be posting a trailer from one of my favorite horror movies. There will be plenty of classics to be sure, but I’m also going to be posting some of the more obscure b-movies that I grew up watching and loving.

I kicked things off with the trailer for the 1982 classic Basket Case. You can check it out in the player below.



Some of the trailers I will be posting about here as well, especially when it’s one of my absolute favorites. So, check my Twitter feed for your daily dose of horror. I’m also using the hashtag #OcTrailerFest2013.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Book Swapin' for All Hallows Read

Writer Catherine Scully is doing something very cool to celebrate the month-long holiday of horror that is October. In the spirit of Neil Gaiman's All Hallow's Read (where you give a scary book to someone during the week of Halloween), Catherine is hosting a book swap. Participants will be giving a favorite horror book of their own to someone else int he group, kind of like Secret Santa, but with dead things.

You can read Catherine's blog post about the swap here, and you can watch the video below to learn more about All Hallows Read.



I can't wait to see what book I get, and I now have to figure out what one of my preciouses I will be parting with so that someone else can experience it. Maybe something Clive Barker...

Thursday, September 26, 2013

DriveThru Fiction is a Better Match for Me than Kindle MatchBook

At first glance, Amazon’s new Kindle MatchBook program was something I had been waiting for since publishing my first novel in October of 2012. The new program would allow me to offer print versions of my books through CreateSpace, and offer the kindle versions of the same books at a lower price point for those who bought them in print.

Over on DriveThru Fiction, I had that option from the day I published my first book--it’s built right into the setup process for new books at DriveThru. For example, when someone purchases the print version of Making Ear Candy over at DriveThru for $11.99, they can grab the digital version (ePub, Mobi, or PDF) for a mere two dollars more, a discount of five dollars (the digital version is usually $6.99). I really don’t make any money off the digital version with that bundle, but I’m happy to offer a good deal to someone who’s buying my book already.

Anyway, the reason I’m able to offer both the print book and the bundle at a decent price is because DriveThru does a really awesome job of keeping setup and manufacturing costs down. They also let me set the price and the profit margin, so I can keep the cost as low as possible while making a few bucks on each purchase.

So like I said, I was very excited to have the opportunity to offer the same kind of print and digital bundles through CreateSpace and Amazon. I went about setting up the print version through CreateSpace (the digital version is already on the Kindle store), and everything was going as planned until I got to pricing.

CreateSpace has a little thing they call the “Minimum Price Threshold.” That’s the price your book has to be at or above to sell through CreateSpace. According to them, this price is based on manufacturing and distribution costs. Since Making Ear Candy has some color images in the interior, it costs more to print.

For Making Ear Candy, the “Minimum Price Threshold’ was $16.82. That’s the lowest price I could offer the print version of my book for, and at that price, I would make absolutely nothing on a sale if someone bought that book through Amazon. To make three bucks a sale, I would need to price the book at $20, and even if I gave the Kindle version away for free, that bundle would still be seven dollars more than the $13.99 bundle I could offer over at DriveThru. That means I would make less money on the bundle, even though the customer was paying substantially more.

Folks, that just doesn’t make sense to me.

And yes, I know that from a distribution standpoint, Amazon and CreateSpace have a much wider reach and a much bigger base than DriveThru. But I don’t feel comfortable screwing potential readers with a pricing structure that benefits neither one of us.

So, while I’ll be continuing to make digital versions of my books available on Amazon and DriveThru, I will be sticking with DriveThru for print. If the gap between the two in terms of print costs gets better, I'll reconsider in the future, but it doesn't look like Kindle MatchBook is a match for me right now.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

The Big E Provides a Glimpse of Amusements Past

Around these parts, the Eastern States Exposition (aka The Big E) is a yearly tradition. Each year for the last couple weeks of September, people from all around come to West Springfield, Massachusetts to experience a state fair the likes of which we rarely see anymore.

I grew up in this area, so I've been to the Big E dozens of times over the years, but it's still a newer experience for my wife and kids. When I go now, I go mainly to see the old attractions that are a testament to years gone by. Many of the old food stands, trailers and amusement rides are older than I am. The amusements in particular are old style midway attractions that I grew up with, but have long since been replaced by more modern rides and games in parks like Six Flags.

I took a bunch of pictures of the rides and booths, and I think you'll agree that they are something special. Imagine the stories these things could tell.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

See Brian Write--Episode #10: Alexandra Clair and Pinterest

In the tenth episode of See Brian Write, my guest is Alexandra Clair, the author of Wood’s End and Discerning Spirits: Visionary Gifts in Practice. This episode's Writer's Toolbox explores using Pinterest as a book cover design tool.


This episode is dedicated to the memory of Brian Churchill.

You can listen to the entire episode right here in the player below, or head over to soundcloud.com/seebrianwrite to download the MP3. I will be getting the show up on iTunes in the next few weeks, but you can subscribe to the podcast with these feeds:







Intro

Interview
Alexandra Clair

Wood’s End

Discerning Spirits

Writer’s Toolbox
Pinterest

Book Cover Design Board

NOTE: If you are a writer and want to be on the podcast, either email me (brian@seebrianwrite.com), or DM me on twitter: twitter.com/seebrianwrite. I am now scheduling new interviews!