Cup of Story

Gothic tales

I'm a big fan of modern horror--thrills, chills, and sit-on-the-edge-of-my-seat-nailbiters. But in the 1800s, some well known writers were into spooky tales, too.

Jane Eyre

For me, Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is a creepy story. There may or may not be a ghost haunting Edward Rochester's mansion. At the time I read this, I think I wanted there to be a ghost haunting the mansion. Mysterious doors opening and closing (drafts), strange fires being set, laughter, creaking floors. You name it, all the hallmarks of a haunting. Instead, we get the crazy first wife locked away in the attic. That's pretty spooky. (OK, the story isn't about the crazy first wife, but it's the thing that stuck in my mind the most.)

The House of the Seven Gables

Another spooky and creepy novel that implies horrific shenanigans without coming right out and showing it. Lineage tracing back to the Salem witch trials colors the story and the burgeoning love between the two main characters offers hope. Again, it's not a traditionally horrific story, but there are creepy bits and spooky flavors that make this Nathaniel Hawthorne novel one for the list.

 

Edgar Allan Poe

I love Poe's work and all its creepy, spooky, Gothic-ness. His work definitely seems to have influenced the modern horror genre--what horror writer today hasn't read any Poe? In fact, who hasn't heard some or all of The Raven? Awesome stuff (I love that it appears in one of The Simpsons Halloween specials). People being buried alive, a murderer haunted by the sounds of his victim's heart, the dead rising to bring destruction upon the family… the best gruesome and terrifying stuff of its time. If you want scary tales, definitely pick up some Edgar Allan Poe. My favorites: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Pit and the Pendulum.

 

Spooky stories continued--Audrey's Door

Sarah Langan's Audrey's Door is a creepy and tragic story that definitely flies its novel and movie references. Langan acknowledges those inspirations--Jackson's Hill House, Polanski's movies, Rosemary's Baby, among others--which got me excited. She did not disappoint. 

The titular character, Audrey, is a struggling young but talented architect with a bit of an OCD compulsion. She and her boyfriend have just broken up, and she needs to find a place to live. As anyone knows, New York City is very expensive, but she finds an impossibly affordable 2 bedroom rental in a historic pre-war building on the Upper West Side. As an ex-New Yorker who only managed to afford rents in Brooklyn, I, too, drooled at the description. Audrey immediately recognizes the infamous Chaotic Naturalist design of this building called The Breviary, and can't believe her fortune.

As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. The incredible low rent (for this type of space and in that neighborhood) is a lure by the occupants of the building. Decrepit descendants of the original tenants, the elderly inhabitants have a plan for poor Audrey. They want her to build a door. The others who were lured into this scheme have failed: Audrey's apartment's former occupant wasn't strong enough to build it--that woman murdered her four young children before taking her own life. Another young single woman was sacrificed as an aid to opening the door. And the door Audrey eventually builds--despite her resistance--is a portal to a terrible dark place.

This is another haunted "house" novel, and like all satisfying stories, is more than just about the creaks and looming disaster. We find out how Audrey's particular sensitivities and personal childhood tragedies have shaped her and made her nearly the perfect builder for the malevolent Breviary. We read about Audrey'd boyfriend, who tries his best with Audrey even through his own stumbling messes. The tenants of the Breviary are both pitiful and terrible.

Langan's two previous titles, The Keeper and The Missing are also well worth reading, but I really enjoyed Audrey's Door more. Maybe it's because the story is more intimate; I felt sorry for Audrey while hoping she gets help--mentally and physically. I wanted her to survive, and was very satisfied with the ending. A definite recommendation for this Halloween season.

 

Haunted House books

It's that time of year again when Jack o'Lanterns and ghouls start appearing in people's yards. The supermarkets are full of big bags of tiny candy. And Sy Fy runs their 31 days of Halloween (some of the shows and movies are better than others, but I'm glad they stuck with the tradition).

I like horror and I like scary books. I think I've outgrown gross-out stories and never liked the hack-and-slash ones. What keeps me riveted to a good horror book is the mounting tension and the knowledge that yes, something really bad is going to happen.

Two of my favorite titles are Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House (1959) and Richard Matheson's Hell House. Read back-to-back, the two make for an interesting parallel reading. Jackson's house is much less gruesome than Matheson's, but not any less chilling. The characters who enter Hill House want to uncover its supernatural elements. Dr. Montague searches for proof of supernatural activity. He sends out letters to all known psychically talented individuals to join him for the summer, but only two young women--Theodora and Eleanor--accept the invitation. The heir to the estate, Luke, plays their host. As the novel progresses, poor fragile Eleanor starts to hallucinate--or perhaps she is truly in touch with the ghosts of Hill House--and finds herself in precarious and dangerous situations (running to help a ghost child and waking to find herself in the greenhouse perched on a rotting walkway feet above the ground). The house's affect on Eleanor grows more dangerous and the others finally convince her to leave, but because she's either convinced herself of a responsibility to the ghosts or she really is being changed by Hill House, Eleanor changes her mind at the last second to dire consequences.

 

Hell House (1971) starts out being gruesome and doesn't let up for a moment. A physicist, Dr. Lionel Barrett, is paid to prove to a dying millionaire that life doesn't end with death. He sends the scientist to the Belasco House infamous for the gruesome and perverse history and a previously failed investigation where all but one person survived. Armed with cold scientific method, Barrett and his wife are joined by a famous Spiritualist and mental medium (Florence), and the only survivor from the previous attempt, Benjamin Fischer. The house is, indeed, haunted and Florence becomes convinced she must aid a lost soul. Her obsession turns dangerous, and even after Barrett's psychic energy cleansing machine is activated, the strange malevolent forces continue to work their havoc on the team. Fischer is the only one to finally use his talents to end the destruction in a very cinematic ending.

Both of these novels have been made into movies. The real story lies with the characters and how their backgrounds contribute to their mania. Both stories have a voice of "reason", someone who insists on a reasonable method for solving the problems. Both have fragile female characters, although Florence seems misguided rather than emotionally unstable. Both endings have their satisfying moments--I would have been dissatisfied had all party members escaped unscathed--although Hell House is more graphic.

I caught the series premiere of American Horror Story; lots of early reviews and write-ups talked about how "scary" it was. I wasn't scared. Intrigued, curious to see where it goes and how the characters react, and yearning to learn the backstory. But not scared. It's a haunted house story. And those never turn out well. Inevitably, I want to know which of the characters makes it out alive, or what's the tipping point that forces them to flee or destroy their house (for this TV family is the symbol for starting over). Were there "shocking" moments? I guess--images of dead kids appearing behind the mom, a bully getting attacked by something that may or may not be there, the appearance of a half-burned man in the yard. The really "scary" characters are the failed-actress neighbor played by Jessica Lange, who snoops around the house stealing, and the teenaged boy patient, Tate, played by Evan Peters. Curiouser and curiouser.

The one thing about horror I've noticed is how important the characters are to the story. Their internal thoughts, their hopes and dreams, their nightmares, their weaknesses and desperation. All of that messy glorious stuff makes a horror story truly stick; we have to care about the characters enough to be affected by their terrifying situation. And their internal issues are usually more complicated than we first realize. The Haunting of Hill House, Hell House and even American Horror Story all delve deep into the characters. Fantastically horrific stuff.

Banned books

List of Most Challenged Books in the U.S.

You've probably heard a bit about controversial books now and then. I took a look at the books on the list and thought, "Really? Srsly? This title? Or That Title?"

And then I look at the news and hear about people booing at the GOP debates over Gays serving in the military, about crowds cheering for someone who dies without medical coverage...

I read about a NYC cop who peppersprays peaceful, non-violent protestors for no reason other than He Can.

I hear about how NRA Exec. VP, Wayne LaPierre claims that the president wants to strip the Second Amendment despite Obama's huge support of gun ownership. 

Makes me crack open a few more books on this list and really think about what's being said about Why they're challenged or banned...

Friday Reads--Heart Shaped Box

What is it: A thrilling hororr novel.

What's it about: An aging rock star who collects gruesome objects buys an old suit that's haunted.

Why I like it: Great characters and pacing. I like creepy stories. I like stories that keep me entertained and riveted. This is a ghost story, but the ghost is more than mean. Jude, the central character, isn't one to be easily spooked, but when unexplained things start to happen in his house, he begins to realize that he's in deep trouble. 

The best thing about Heart Shaped Box is the pacing. Building like a thriller with all the bottled up tension of a shaken soda bottle, the ending is both unexpected and satisfying in a totally visceral way.

 

What I didn't like about it: Is wanting more books by the author something to dislike? I'm greedy, I read fast, and I like Hill's writing. More please! (and yes, I've read Horns and the ongoing Locke & Key--all fantastic!) 

Final thoughts: It's hard not to think of Joe's dad, Stephen King. Both write very breathable, recognizeable characters caught up in supernatural conflicts. I've been a long time King fan, but I'm much more satisfied with Hill's endings (they actually work!). If you're thinking of pacing and how to crank up your tension, pay attention to Hill's novels. They are darn good.

 

More Gatekeeper myth

Mike Shatzkin writes about how writers shouldn't oppose agency pricing.

First, I have a hard time agreeing with Shatzkin's "union" metaphor. Writers aren't paying "union dues". That 15% is compensation earned by the agent for brokering the deal. The writer doesn't pay a dime--the agent works for the writer.

 "It will be easier for authors (through agents) in the future to improve the split than it would be for the publishers to raise prices in the future to get authors more money."

 I agree--if the split for eBook royalties were fair for the authors, then yes, the author would make more money. But why wait for the future? Why aren't agents working NOW for their writers to get a fair return? 

 "But writers will also make less money when there is less to divide, not more. All writers, whether they’re among the fortunate ones that have a publisher pushing them or whether they’re trying to do it themselves, should be grateful that publishers are doing their damnedest to maintain prices and the perception of value for writers’ work."

Sorry, the writers should be thanking the general public for taking the risk the publishers won't. The whole perception that the publisher is establishing the value just points back to the Myth of the Gatekeeper.

The only time I think about the publisher's price is when the eBook costs more than the paperback. That really burns me up. The costs of a printed book are acceptable knowing that the physical item incurs costs--paper, manufacturing, shipping, warehousing, distributing, overhead. The digital format costs labor and overhead. And that's all. To protest that there are more costs is delusional.

 The only time I think about the value a publisher brings to a book I'm considering purchasing is where I can buy it; can I get it at my local store? Oh, wait. They're closing. They never have stock. They don't have the backlist titles I want. They're selling eReaders now instead of paper books. Huh.

 No wonder Amazon is growing.

Once upon a time, the "brand" of the publishers was clear. Editorial direction was cleaner. But not any more. I don't know one reader who complains about a "brand".  They buy the author they like regardless of the publisher. I don't think Stephen King lost fans just because he went from Penguin/Viking to Simon & Schuster. I bet most of them didn't even know it happened.

 Echo chamber. We talk a lot about the industry, and Shatzkin is a smart guy, but the majority of readers don't even know or care that there's a change happening. If we stepped outside and talked to people who just read books (don't write, don't publish, don't edit), all they care about is whether they can find what they like at a price they can live with. At the end of the day, it still boils down to writers reaching readers who will pay. If the publishers and bookstores continue to drag their feet, the writers and their audience will go around them.

 

Print-on-demand instantly

The University of Washington Bookstore, a great indie place to get books in Seattle, has an Espresso Book Machine. The machine prints books on demand. You plug in the title chosen from their catalog and badaboom! You've got a book.

You want a hardcopy of your own work, maybe to carry with you to show that you're a bonafide writer, and ba-bing! You've got a book.

Okay, so you have to live in the Seattle area to take advantage of this, but think of the possiblities! Kiosks at malls! Little boxes for books at the grocery stores (like a Red Box for books). Neat, huh?

Alternative marketing for your book

There are some pretty savvy and smart people doing some interesting things on their blogs/sites. You should check them out and consider how you might apply what they're doing to your own site or creative endeavors.

 

"Tobias Buckell is a Caribbean-born speculative fiction writer who grew up in Grenada, the British Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He has published stories in various magazines and anthologies. He is a Clarion graduate, Writers of The Future winner, and Campbell Award for Best New SF Writer Finalist."

Buckell writes some neat stuff. He's also got some interesting and informative stuff to say about writing, self-publishing, and traditional publishing on his blog. You can download a sample of Crystal Rain (among others) right from his site.

Long ago the old-fathers came to Nanagada through a “worms hole” in the sky, looking for a new world to call their own. But that was many generations ago, and what was once known has long been lost. Steamboats and gas-filled blimps now traverse the planet, where people once looked up to see great silver cities in the sky.

Like his world, John deBrun has forgotten more than he remembers. Twenty-seven years ago, he washed up onto the shore with no memory of his past. These mysteries take on new urgency when the fearsome Azteca storm over the mountains, in search of fresh blood and hearts to feed their cruel inhuman gods.

Nanagada’s only hope lies in a mythical artifact said to be hidden in the frozen north. And only John deBrun knows the device’s secrets, even if he can’t remember why or how!

A free sample of your book is a great way to hook new readers! He provides RTF and .pdf format, so you don't even need a unique device.

 

Holly Black's The Curse Workers series is teencentric and simply awesome. 

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

I'm linking to the site becasue of the video about the book. Does it make you want to read the book? Viviane Hebel made jewelry and accessories based on the books, which you can find on this site. So consider these different types of marketing for your book.

 

 

 

Eric Nylund has written a bunch of science fiction including a super popular prequel based on the super popular HALO video game (which is a pretty darn good game). He's also written a bunch of other sf novels, too, and a fantasy novel. All while holding down a full-time day job. The Resisters is his latest.

Twelve-year-old Ethan Blackwood has always known exactly what he wanted—to win the state soccer championship, get into the best high school, and become an astronaut. Then he meets Madison and Felix, who tell him something . . . insane. They claim that 50 years ago, aliens took over the Earth, and everyone past puberty is under their mind control. Ethan doesn’t believe it. But then he sees for himself the aliens’ monster bug robots and the incredible way that Madison and Felix have learned to fight them. So Ethan Blackwood has a choice: he can go back to his normal, suburban, protected lie of a life—or he can become a Resister. This is science fiction on the lines of Scott Westerfield and Cory Doctorow for middle graders.

He had a book giveaway contest. He gave away a copy of all his books to the winner who blogged about the release of his latest novel. Now that's using the "He told two friends, and he told two friends" method. When it comes to marketing, getting your fans to spread the word can't hurt.

There are all kinds of different ways to get the word out about your book, but it seems obvious that having a web presence of some kind is pretty darn easy. So tuck this away in your noodle for when the time comes and keep your eyes open for other attention-grabbing ideas on your favorite authors' blogs.

 

 

 

Where do I find a bookcover?

You've finished your novel and are ready to throw it up on the etailer of your choice (or you're not finished, but you're gathering intel for when you do finish). You need a cover. So where do you find one? Traditional publishers have designers who hire artists. So, go look for an artist.

 

This is Megan Romo's work. She's designed these images based on books (and plays, etc.).

 
It's pretty neat although for your purposes, you might want to have her bump up the title font and of course, add your name.

I found her on Imagekind where lots of artitsts sell their stuff. There's also deviantart. Find what you like and then email the artist. Make a proposal. Ask about their rates. Start a conversation. They might have ideas you never thought about, especially if they're a digital artist and understand how to design for Amazon or iBooks (have you seen how horrible print covers look in a little rectangle--muddy, illegible, messy).

If you like the artist on your paperbooks, then go find his website. Send him an email. You never know who you might be able to afford--besides, lots of those artists are nice people and have students, so if you can't afford them (or they're already booked up to their ears), they might recommend someone else.

You're buying art to use on your book, so be clear about what it is you're doing and be prepared to compensate. I'd consult with an IP lawyer who handles stuff like this to be professional about your offer and to know what you can and can't do, y'know all that rights stuff. It will make you a better negotiator and you won't look like a jerk.

Or get your camera and start taking pictures. No one said it had to be fancy, just avoid designs like this: 

 
Can you read the text? Neither can I. The image itself isn't bad and when it's shrunk down to the little .75"x 1", the colors were eyecatching. But still, not the best cover. Doesn't tell me anything, so I skip right on past it.

 

 

Can you read this title? Or anything at all? Me neither. I go on to the next one.

 

 

The color could be better (that's my subjective taste), but the title is clear and the image makes me think, "I get it. Coffeeshop. Heart. This is a romance or at least will have romance in it, and I'm looking for romance, so I'll click on it." Which is what you want browsers to do! They will read your fabulous blurb, download the sample chapter, and then click the BUY button.

I sized these images small; they're smaller than what you see on Amazon, but you get the gist. Just keep this in mind when you're ready to upload you books. Start looking at covers and be aware of what makes you click. What did you like? What didn't you like? What did the image tell you about the book--was it the picture, title, colors that gave you this information? Have you started to see a pattern? Are they printed books or digital only titles? Look back at your digital library--what covers are on the books you purchased? (Throw out titles of authors you already know or bought because of their name, we're only looking at covers right now). What are your conclusions?

 

Friday Reads--The Fall, Anno Dracula

Friday! Time to talk about books I'm reading (or have already finished).

 The Fall, Guillermo del Torro and Chuck Hogan

What is it: Mainstream horror. Sequel to The Strain. The third book, The Night Eternal, comes out in hardcover this autumn.

What's it about: Vampirism as viral outbreak. Heroes from The Strain continue their struggle against an epidemic sweeping across NYC. The Center for Disease Control's lead doctor is now a fugitive from the authorities because they won't admit the truth about the fast spreading contagion. A new war is erupting between the rogue vampire master and his old "brothers"; he wants to take over the world, and they want to stop him. The key is an ancient text full of vampire info that everyone wants to possess.

Why I like it: It's thriller-esque and I really liked the premise. I like vampire books where the vamps are monsters. del Torro and Hogan have created interesting vampires who pass along their disease through worms, like internal leeches. Instead of biting their victims with their mouths, they pierce their victims' necks with a stinger.

What I didn't like: This is a plot driven story, so the characters were adequate, but not particularly deep. There was enough to let me know why certain characters chose to act in a particular way, but I was left with a lot more questions than answers. 

Final thoughts: This is a fast-paced, plot/concept-oriented series. The characterization is light--the internal struggles are clear, but this isn't about the characters, it's about the virus and the takeover by the vampires. I can see this being turned into a movie. It's similar to the Hot Zone without the melodrama and moral judgement. There's no religious discussion in The Fall.

Anno Dracula, Kim Newman

What is it: Alternative History/Horror

What's it about: Queen Victoria has remarried the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula. His vampiric progeny run rampant through the streets of London creating a new class system of Vampires and Humans. A killer stalks through Whitechapel cutting down vampire prostitutes. And van Helsing's head rots on a pike at Buckingham palace.

Why I like it: Lots of fictional characters walk alongside historical ones in a mystery deftly unwound through the streets of 1888 London. I really love how Newman weaves the era into one believable tapestry where characters like Sherlock Holmes exist alongside Oscar Wilde and Dr. Moreau. The vampire hunters from Stokers' Dracula utterly failed, and vampires now walk among the living as regular ole' Londoners.

The story is really a mystery surrounding the identy of Jack the Ripper; he's called "the Silver Knife" here because silver hurts vampires. The murdered prostitutes are all vampires, and so the investigators are convinced the serial killer is anti-vamp in a society where vampirism is fast becoming the preferred status. The prostitutes are all the same victims from the historic Ripper case, but the investigators are not the usual suspects. It's a well done novel of suspense written with the sensibilities of the late 1800s and still entertaining enough to keep me on the edge of my seat.

What I didn't like about it: I'm not a big fan of this new edition's cover (I have the new trade paperback)--too busy. I read this book way back in the early 90s when it first came out, but can't remember what the cover was back then. Other than the cover, nothing obvious springs to mind.

Final thoughts: If you like Stoker's Dracula, Sherlock Holmes' mysteries, the Jack the Ripper case, and vampires, you will probably like Anno Dracula. If you prefer not to have to check wikipedia every time Newman introduces a new character, you might find it a little tedious (or you could just skip right over the minor characters that gave me a thrill; doesn't hurt the enjoyment of the plot). If you like your vampires more monsterous or prefer faster paced stories set in contemporary times, you might prefer del Torro and Hogan's Strain books. Anno Dracula is perfect for anyone who enjoys a Victoriana novel of vampires and mystery.