The Prologue To The Check Out

The Check Out will be available August 6th! To celebrate the upcoming release, I thought I'd give you guys a little taste. Here is the prologue to the book. Enjoy!

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Author Interview: Nancy Hartwell

I decided to start a new feature here on the blog, where I feature interviews with other independent authors. I am curious about other authors' experiences with self publishing, and feel like they could have a lot to teach. Here is our first author. I believe she has a fascinating story, both personal and literary. 

My name is Nancy Hartwell. I grew up in Tampa, Florida, studied international relations at American U in Washington D.C., married a distinguished attorney from Cameroon and lived there for 14 years. I am a life-long writer; I published my first poem in a national magazine at age 8. I was a technical writer for a special division of The Washington Post on Capitol Hill for 7 years, and lead proposal writer for an international consulting company for 14 more. I have traveled to 44 countries and can get into trouble in more than 20 languages. I had a radio play produced by BBC and another, in French, on ORTF

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How Film Noir Influenced The Check Out.

If you are a film fan, Film Noir is a genre that you've most likely heard of, and perhaps, are a fan of. For those that aren't familiar with it, Film Noir was a style that was popular in motion pictures during the 1940's and 50's. After rigid codes were enacted to curb "questionable" material from appearing in major studio films, the industry adopted this new style. Moviegoers, despite the vocal minority, wanted sex and violence on the big screen. Hollywood couldn't be as blatant as they had been, so they had to get crafty.

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One Small Step For Mankind

Writing is all about using your imagination to take you to a place that you can't really go. It's about putting you inside another person's experience, and showing you things from a different perspective. Fiction can transform our sense of self in ways that daily life usually can't. Every now and then, however, life has a way of topping our wildest fantasies.

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Bombs Burst In The Air...

People hate Memphis.  People that live here hate it; people that visit here hate it. People trash talk Memphis. People vow to move away from Memphis. Aside from a very few devotees, this city just can’t catch a break. That’s not to say there aren't good reasons for the animosity.

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No Post Wednesday

Due to lack of internet at home (which will hopefully be fixed tomorrow), there won't be a blog post on here for Wednesday. Come back Sunday for whatever the hell I think for then.

Heart,
Richard

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Lights, Pencil, Action: The Check Out Trailer!

As you may know, I came from the independent film community. I have directed a film of my own, and worked on several for other directors. Although I love being an author, there is nothing that excites me like making movies. When it came time to start the promotion for my new novel, The Check Out, I knew that I would be making a trailer. Today, I thought I would take you behind the scenes of our shoot.

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Writing School In A Can: Editing

Editing is the most important part of writing, short of writing the first draft. It's where your ideas are shaped into a more powerful form. It's where all the typos, misspellings, and all of that are fixed. Basically, it's what separates the professionals from the amateurs.

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Book Review: Up Jumps The Devil

Up Jumps The Devil
Michael Poore

At least since Milton's Paradise Lost, readers have been fascinated by the literary figure of Satan. Perhaps it's because we identify with his flaws, or because we just find villains more interesting than the good guys, but readers can't get enough of this fallen angel. Like vampires or zombies, every few years, someone comes along and puts a new spin on his backstory and abilities. In Up Jumps The Devil, Michael Poore takes his turn.

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The Pains of Self Publishing: Print Copies

Ebooks have revolutionized the self publishing industry. They have made it far easier to get your novel into the hands of the public than anything that has come before. You no longer have to rely on the fickle tastes of the publishing industry to take notice of your book, or spend years awaiting its release. That being said, I think all indie authors have that burning desire to hold a physical, printed copy of their work in their hands. I know I did.

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