The Monsterous Superhero Powers of a Small Press-An Interview with CosCom Entertainment

It seems so long ago when my husband and I decided to independently publish As The World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy over dinner at Plucker's. I remember the night well: my initial reluctance to the idea, my delicious sweet potato fries, my rum & coke, and how my husband was adamant that we could get As The World Dies into the hands of the fans.

After dinner, we went home and I sat at my computer (which died while working on the revision of the trilogy) and began to study self-publishing. It was during my research I came across Coscom Entertainment and read up on the publishing house. Like Permuted Press, they were closed to submissions. As a small publisher, it seemed evident that it was doing well and I found that encouraging.

Six months later, As The World Dies: The First Days was released and began to rack up the sales. I was surprised to receive an email from A.P. Fuchs, the owner of Coscom Entertainment, giving me some very good and solid advice. I was impressed that he reached out to me. I was greatly encouraged by his gesture.

Upon reflection, the last year has been an amazing learning experience. My views on the publishing world in all its forms has wildly swung back and forth over the months as I have struggled to find my own niche and determine what is the best route for my future. For a period of time, Coscom Entertainment's example inspired me to consider starting my own imprint.

I'm very happy to present an interview with A.P. Fuchs of Coscom Entertainment today. Though his publishing house is closed to submissions, I think he has some thought-provoking advice on writing and publishing that I'd like to share.


Rhiannon: A.P., tell me a little about the background of Coscom Entertainment.

A.P.: I'll give you the short version, but a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . .
I started writing short stories in June of 2000 because my original aspirations to be a comic book artist didn't pan out. My plan was to write 5 or 6 short stories, all parts to a whole, and release it somehow as a serial. The story began changing shape a bit as I wrote it and it became the prologue to my first novel, A Stranger Dead. Once A Stranger Dead was done, I set about the task of finding a publisher. Being completely naive about the industry, I ended up getting suckered in to a deal with a vanity press called 1st Books Library (now Author House). The whole procedure going from manuscript to actual book was a nightmare, took a long time and cost A LOT of money. Awful. Being soured by 1st Books, I went to Iuniverse for my second book, a poetry collection called The Hand I've Been Dealt. Working with IU was way smoother, but still a vanity outfit nonetheless.

Ironically, out of the above two experiences, I fell in love with the book publishing process and since part of my original goal of being a comic book artist was to one day release my own stuff under my own label ala Image Comics, I decided to officially launch the company I created in high school called Coscom, but since I was doing books and possibly comics, I went with Coscom Entertainment.

Rhiannon: What exactly does Coscom mean?

A.P.: Cos = Cosmic, Com = Comics. That's how I got the name way back in high school.

Rhiannon: A lot of starting out writers always aim for the big NYC publishing houses. You own a small press. What is the main difference between the big houses and small ones?

A.P.: Besides small ones being more fun?

Well, I can't really say that seeing as how--though I've had brushes with publishing folks in NYC--I've never published with one.

In all seriousness--and based solely on what I've heard from those who've published with large presses--the small press typically allows the author more creative control and input into the final product, a MUCH faster turn-around in turning manuscripts to actual books and getting them to market, and more freedom in terms of what you can publish (i.e. you can explore themes that a large house might not want to for fear of "offending the masses.")

Rhiannon: You don't accept query letters and work with your inhouse authors and artists. You do invite authors to work on certain projects. What can an author do to catch your attention?
A.P.: Right now my choice to not accept queries is solely based on my present workload being massive and to deal with submissions on a regular basis on top of all that is not feasable at this time.

To catch my attention, I might approach you if I've, say, read a short story of yours somewhere and really liked it. I might ask you if you're working on something longer and/or novel-length.
To be honest, it's kind of hard right now to get me open to looking at something of yours--again, due to time constraints. I have a lot on the go right now.

Rhiannon: How do you discover new talent?
A.P. :See above.

Otherwise it's via the usual way of getting a query, liking what I read, then asking for the first three chapters and going from there.

Rhiannon: You work with the extremely prolific Eric S. Brown He is famous for being able to turn out manuscripts very quickly. Is this a trait you look for in your authors?

A.P.: To a point, in that if it's going to take you a year to write a book, I don't want to wait for it. The thing with publishing is that it's very much a business of timing and striking certain markets--in our case within the monster and superhero genres--when that particular market is hot. In a year from now when you finally turn in your book, that market might be done or could have died down. You'll be unhappy and I'll be unhappy. No one wins.
I like writers to be able to crank out a quality book in three months or less. That's how long it takes me and I just don't get writers taking a year or two to write a book (unless it involves a silly amount of research, of course). To me, that means they're not writing every day and, if they are, they're only typing up a couple hundred words or something. I mean, that's not even enough to get some momentum going in a story never mind actually completing one.

Rhiannon: Coscom Entertainment publishes superhero and monster stories. Why did you settle on these two genres?

A.P.: These are the two base genres I'm personally a fan of. If I'm going to sink time and money into this business, I want to be able to love what I'm producing as well.

Rhiannon: Which one has been the most successful?

A.P. : Monsters. Easy.

But that market is kind of an exception market in that it's a niche, one were you can come in with new stuff all the time and find an audience.

With superheroes, bringing new stuff into a realm where Batman and Spider-man dominate, that's much harder. However, I'm proud to have brought not just my own creation, Axiom-man, to market, but also Frank Dircherl's The Wraith and Jon Klement's Rush and the Grey Fox (now Velocity Girl and Xuàn Hú) along the way.

Rhiannon: Coscom Entertainment has recently started carving out a niche for itself in the revisioning of classic novels. What inspired you to go in this direction?

A.P.: I was originally going to bring Axiom-man and Dracula together sometime in 2008, but got busy with other projects. So this year is the year Coscom Entertainment is putting many mash-up books out to make up for lost time.

Rhiannon: How have the mashups been accepted as a whole?

A.P.: People love it. Some think it's funny, others cool. Only a few think it's stupid. Personally, I stand behind them. As long as there are cool ways to twist an old tale and you have license to do so, hey, why not? It's about the story and these are fun stories.

Rhiannon: I hear you are writing a mashup with Dracula. What can you tell us about that novel?

A.P.: It's called Dracula vs Zombula and I'm writing the story of Bill Vanhelsing, Abraham's drunken brother who's a zombie killer. His quest leads him to Zombula, the real ruler of the undead, the first to rise from the grave.

Rhiannon: You are a publisher and a writer. How do you manage to do both?

A.P.: By not sleeping.

Actually, I'm fortunate to do this full time so it's merely an issue of budgeting my time accordingly, giving X-amount of hours to publishing others then making X-amount of hours available for my own work.


Rhiannon: How does one job affect the other?

A.P.: The publishing part puts pressure on me as a writer in terms of being sure to put out good work that, on the whole, people dig. As much as any writer wants to be loved by all, that's just not possible because you can't please everybody. However, if you win over 7 or 8 out of 10 people, you're on the right track. The idea here is it would be a shame if a crappy writer was publishing others.

Fortunately, most people like what I'm doing. I get fan mail now and then so that must mean something.

Rhiannon: As a publisher, what is your number one piece of advice for a fledgling writer?

A.P.: Follow the guidelines. I'm huge on this. If you follow the guidelines to the letter, it shows you take this stuff seriously, in turn opening up the publisher or editor to want to work with you.
I mean, would you want to work with someone who can't follow a few simple instructions? I don't.

Rhiannon: As a writer what is your number one piece of advice for a fledging writer?

A.P.: Don't stop. Write at least 5-6 days a week. Write a lot and read a lot. It's common advice but one many writers don't adhere to. A lot of people like to talk about that book or story they're gonna write and never get past the idea stage. I've encountered way too many artists and writers who are dreamers and never doers. It's always a case of "one day, one day, after I fill-in-the-blank."

In short, three words: get it done.

Then go from there.

Rhiannon: What is the most common mistake you see among starting out writers?

A.P.: Dreaming too big. Let me clarify: I'm all about dreaming large and going the distance. Coscom Entertainment is built on that. I've eaten so much garbage from friends, family and folks in the business about how I personally went about getting my stories out there. If I listed the opposition I've faced, I could easily publish a full-length book on it.

Back on point, many starting-out writers dream about being the next James Patterson or Stephen King. They want the giant mass market deal with a NY house, a six-figure-plus advance, tons of press, praise from reviewers, the movie option and the fame. They start with that goal and even sometimes think themselves worthy of that goal, and that's fine. Shoot high.
But then it doesn't happen.

And they get discouraged. And bitter. And angry.

Let's face it, those movie-star-like deals happen to newcomers once in a blue moon, which is why such deals do make the media. They're rare. Very rare. Most writers hold down either a full- or partime day job to make endsmeet.

So what I would suggest for starting-out writers is to take a pragmatic approach to the business and understand that, yes, those dream-like scenarios do happen, but also accept they are few and far between and for them to just follow the old submission pattern of querying an agent(s). If that doesn't work--and assuming the agent(s) is passing not because of writing faults but just that they're not interested--then shoot for the mid-range presses. If that doesn't work, go small press. If that doesn't work, then look at POSSIBLY self-publishing (but doing it right, not going with a vanity outfit).

Rhiannon: You're very open about your faith as a Christian. How does this affect your writing and your publishing house?

A.P.: Obviously I can't put out any ol' thing I want, whether it's my work or someone else's. Many would view that as censorship or creatively stifling or whatnot. But the truth is, when a person objectively looks at anything Christ called sin, all those things, in the end, aren't good for you. Yet people get in a snit about it because, frankly, we as humans like stuff that isn't good for us.

I follow a few rules when writing or publishing others and so far it's worked out:
1) no cursing or blasphemy (and, really, stories don't need that stuff anyway; if a writer can't think of other words or notions better than four-letter curse words, they're not much of a writer to begin with)2) no graphic sex scenes3) no gore or blood and guts solely for the sake of gore or blood and guts4) same with gratuitous violence (if this serves the story, that's different and will be looked at)

Rhiannon: Would you say your horror novels are faith-based?

A.P.: More or less, though they're not preachy or anything. They just take place in a Judeo-Christian reality because that's the reality we live in and I try and make my stories as close to our world as possible, then asking, "If these fantastic elements came into our world--like superheroes or monsters--how would it most realistically play out?"

Rhiannon: Will horror fans from all backgrounds still enjoy them?

A.P.: I would hope so. It strikes me that readers--even people--in general have zero trouble with something told from, say, a Muslim point-of-view or Buddhist point-of-view or whatnot, but the moment something is told from a Christian point-of-view, suddenly they get upset.
Makes one wonder why that is. For me it just cements what Jesus said about His people being hated because of Him, but to also remember that He was hated first. It just attests to the fact that, yes indeed, we do live in a Christian reality.

Rhiannon: Tell us about your newest releases and what we can expect in the future.

A.P.: For my own work, I got the following coming up hopefully before June/July 2010:
1) Zombie Fight Night2) Possession of the Dead (Undead World Trilogy, Book Two)3) Dracula vs Zombula4) Axiom-man: City of Ruin
As for Coscom Entertainment, I'm aiming for the following before year's end:
1) Emma and the Werewolves by Jane Austen and Adam Rann2) Blood Hunger by A.M. Esmonde3) Praise the Dead by Gina Ranalli4) R.I.P. by Harrison Howe5) possibly one or two more
Thanks for the chat, Rhiannon. I had fun.

A.P. Fuchs can be contacted via his personal site at www.axiom-man.com or through Coscom Entertainment at www.coscomentertainment.com. Be sure to also check out his zombie trilogy, Undead World, at www.undeadworldtrilogy.com

Also check out Eric S. Brown's books from Coscom Entertainment, The War of the Worlds Plus Blood, Guts and Zombies and World War of the Dead. You can read my interview with Eric S. Brown here.

An Interview With Kody Boye, Boy Author Extrodinaire

Kody Boye is very young. He's not even out of his teens yet. But he has already been published in numerous times in anthologies and recently had his first novel released. He has another project about to be published (I'll let him talk about that) and has numerous projects lined up. He is prolific, extremely talented, well-respected, and considered to be a talent to watch by his peers and readers alike.

He absolutely blew away the audience at his reading at Horror Realm in Pittsburgh and definitely held his own during the question and answer session. He is articulate, good-looking, talented beyond his years, and just beginning his career. I suspect he will one day be a superstar author.

Rhiannon: You're a very young writer. How old are you?

Kody: I was born in April 1992. That makes me seventeen.

Rhiannon: What age were you when you started to write seriously?

Kody: I was fourteen when I looked at myself and what I was doing. After a while, I said, 'I'm going to do this.' Six months later, my first short story was published.

Rhiannon: Were you encouraged by a teacher or parent?

Kody: Teachers, mostly. I had a teacher in the fourth or fifth grade that assigned an object-specific creative writing assignment that I absolutely loved. I lost that 'tick' for a while until about sixth grade, when I started pushing myself into my writing again. An Idaho History/English teacher encouraged me to continue writing when I was bumped into the second level of English and learned that I was into writing.

Rhiannon: Where do you gain your inspiration?

Kody: I try to pull inspiration out of wherever I can. Sometimes I'll play with words in my head and they'll inspire stories. Other times, I'll see an image or a flash of something and a whole story will start to revolve around it. Although I'm more of a read-it-off-the-page learner, visuals do a lot to inspire what I write. I'll see fields of poppies and the transgendered children that run through them and skeletons hanging in closets and think, 'That's really something.' So, yes--I pull inspiration from wherever I can.

Rhiannon: Since you are so young, do you struggle with any particular aspect of your writing?

Kody: I've always had a confidence issue, which was, sadly, caused by the often traumatic abuse that childhood could give you. I was mercilessly bullied up until I left traditional high school at fifteen. Any name in the book you can think of I was called. So, naturally, I was (and still am) a rather inward person. My writing, while the strongest point and talent I have, often falls under my perfectionist scrutiny. I'm easily frustrated and can get really emotionally about the thing I'm the best at, so I'll doubt myself and my work a lot. Oftentimes though, it's just me beating myself up too much. I've had stories that I've had doubts about be accepted with much praise by the editors and publishers who take them.

Rhiannon: Did you gain all the writing skills you needed from school or have you self-taught yourself?

Kody: General education did nothing to further my talent. It's sad to say that in this day and age, schools (and the people who run them) aren't allowed to be as free with the extracurricular activities they allow their students, but that never stopped me from pushing myself to be the best I can be. Except for the few critique groups and general feedback I've received from fellow writers and editors, I'm entirely self-taught. I don't consider this a bad thing though. I think that, believe I've been able to go through the school of hard knocks, I've been able to develop a style that isn't hindered by any particular rules or set guidelines. I see my lack of guidance as a blessing more than a curse.

Rhiannon: Your mastery of the written word is amazing. At your reading at Horror Realm in Pittsburgh, people were in awe. Did this come to you naturally?

Kody: I'd be lying if I said my talent was anything other than natural. As I've said, other than the few critique groups and general feedback I've received, I'm entirely self-taught. Persistence and hard work has been what's allowed me to get as far as I have. I've had my highs and lows, and I've thought about giving up due to stress and personal issues, but I've never been one to back down from a challenge. Who's going to help me if not myself? No one. So, since I have nothing better to do for the time being, I write. Better to busy myself typing away at a keyboard than sitting around and eating Bon-Bons all day.

(Rhiannon's Note: I see nothing wrong with eating Bon-Bons all day and sitting around all day.)

Rhiannon: Which writers inspire you?

Kody: Stephen King and his vivid imagination, Poppy Z. Brite for her no-holds-barred style, the late Tristan Egolf for his eccentric and flavorful style, and Jennifer Haigh and her mastership of the family psyche, just to name a few. I could go on and on about which writers and what books have inspired me, but I doubt you want an essay.

(Rhiannon's Note: Again, I don't make the list. I gotta step it up!)

Rhiannon: Do you think you will remain a genre writer?

Kody: At this point, nothing's holding me back from moving outside the realm of a particular genre or genres. I write what I enjoy. For the most part, that's horror and dark (or darker-themed) fiction. I'm happy with what I'm doing right now--I don't see why I'd move out of it. 10. Which genres do you enjoy? Horror, dark fantasy, mystery, thriller, some science fiction (though I can't read hard sci-fi; it makes my head spin,) and contemporary fiction. I'm not picky--if something's interesting and well written, I'll read it.

Rhiannon: There are so many options open to writers today. I know you have been published in small presses, but you have talked about independently publishing as well. How do you decide what path is right for your individual projects?

Kody: It depends on what the project is, how personal it is to me, and how marketable it might be to a publisher. Normally, I'm gung-ho to submit to a publisher, but sometimes I have to hold back and reconsider just what I want to do with my work. I can't specifically delve into the process of how I decide on what to do with a work, because each project is different in several ways.

Rhiannon: Do you tell the publishers your age or just let your work stand for itself?

Kody: Back when I was first starting, I used to tell publishers (if only because I wanted them to be aware that I was underaged should I need to sign a contract,) but I kept getting responses such as, 'We won't give you leeway just because you're younger' or no response at all. Nowadays, I let my work stand for itself and make the publisher aware that I'm underaged if I do happen to be accepted into something they're publishing.

Rhiannon: You are openly gay and write about both gay and straight characters. Have you found any resistance from publishers about including LGBT characters?

Kody: Not particularly. I've had nobodies that hide behind screen names and computer screens lash out at me for my work, but other than that, I've found no resistance or criticism for those looking to put out the best work they can.

Rhiannon: Your first full-length novel had some sharp criticism against it. A lot of people seemed bother about gay characters in a zombie novel. I read all the Amazon. com reviews of Sunrise, but I felt Patrick Dorazio's review echoed my sentiments about the book. He wrote:

"Knowing that this story was written by a teenager and that some of the
characters, including the main character, are gay before I started reading
Sunrise provided me with the chance to look at this story a little bit
differently than I might have if I knew nothing about the author or characters
in advance of reading the first page. Kody writes with a enthusiasm and perhaps
writes this tale more as an idealist than a realist in many ways. The romance is
idealistic, his hope for a world, despite the fact that it is torn apart by
apocalypse, is idealistic, and the relationship in these pages not only between
the two main characters but all the key characters is probably idealistic. Is
that in any way wrong? Not by my reckoning. I have read quite a wide array of
zombie stories over the past few years and I certainly feel there is room on my
shelf for a book written by someone whose is perhaps writing with a less jaded
perspective. "

How do you feel about his review?

Kody: The idealism in my older writing is more than evident, particularly because, up until recently, I never had any experience intimately or romantically. I think the review keys into the main flaw in Sunrise, but does it in a polite and dignified manner. I really appreciate Mr. Dorazio's thought out approach to the novel.

Rhiannon: By your request, Sunrise was pulled from circulation. Will we see it again?

Kody: Yes, Sunrise will see the light of day, but probably not for a while. As it stands, I have two projects I can work on writing-wise after I finish my dark fantasy novel--the rewrite of Sunrise, a bizarro novel called The World is a Happy Place, or a more traditional teenage love story called Breathe Air. I'm not sure where I'm going yet. In the long run, my heart will tell me what's next.

Rhiannon: You have a new book coming out. Can you tell us a little about it?

Kody: An Amorous Thing, which will be published by Lame Goat Press early next year, is a short story collection revolving around the theme of affection. It will feature fifteen stories that revolve around love/compassion and how it affects us, whether it be good or bad. The stories range in theme from magical, malevolent bells to more contemporary manners like gays in the military.

Rhiannon: What lessons did you learn from Sunrise?

Kody: I learned one really important thing from Sunrise--if someone wants you to know what they think about your work, they'll reach out to you. There's no point in putting yourself on an emotional rollercoaster of ups and downs if you don't have to.

Rhiannon: What are your goals for your writing career?

Kody: My biggest short-term goal is to try and get an agent when I turn twenty-one. My writing seems to work in sevens. I learned how to write when I was at least seven, my first story was published when I was fourteen, my first novel was published when I was seventeen; you can pretty much see the pattern there. For now, I just want to keep pushing forward and hopefully make writing a full-time thing. I'd like to be able to support myself and my future significant other with what I'm doing, but even then, that's idealistic. There's thousands of writers out there trying to make it big. I got a head start because I'm so young--I plan on making the most of it while I can.

Rhiannon: Any advice to new writers about submitting their material to publications?

Kody: Other than making sure your work is as perfect as possible, I don't have any other suggestions. Read the guidelines, proof your work, send it off and wait for the best--that's all I can offer.

Rhiannon: What is the most important lesson you have learned during your short writing career?

Kody: You're never one step ahead--you're always one step behind.

I Want To Help You With Your Writing Career...But...

One of the hardest things about my new found success (small as it may be), is that a lot of other writers trying to find their own path to writing success approach me for advice, help with their manuscripts, and request for referrals. Sadly, I have to tell them I can't.


This isn't because I don't want to. I actually do. But since As The World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy took off and began selling like mad, I have found my life consumed by my writing career almost every moment I'm not at work (or completely brain dead in front of a TV show or video game). Like 95% of all writers, I have a day job. When I come home, I have a husband, furry babies (aka pets), housework, and other mundane things waiting for my attention. Add in the writing projects I have piling up and I barely have time to do anything other than pass out at the end of the day.


I used to devour three to five books a week. I now nurse a book for weeks. I squeeze in reading right before I go to bed and usually fall asleep after 15 minutes. I have a huge stack of books to read, but no time to read them. I now dedicate a lot of time reading over the stories I'm editing for the Library of Horror Press anthologies. Also, I have been asked to blurb books on occasion and I try to read these as quickly as I can. So do I have time to read some one's manuscript? Sadly, no, I don't. Do I have time to critique stories? Write lengthy emails with advice? The answer is no. I don't have the time for personal responses.

But, I don't want to leave potential writers hanging with no advice whatsoever. If you read through my blog, you'll see my own path was a bit odd. As I tell everyone, the road to success is different for every writer. There is no one set path, one set way, or one magic formula. I want to help you on your writing career path, but I definitely don't have all the answers. But what I can do is interview other writers and ask them about their path to their own success.

The first author to be interviewed will be Timothy Long, author of Among the Living and The Zombie-Wilson Diaries. Check back tomorrow for an in depth interview with one of the best new voices in zombie fiction and horror.

Ideas Are Ping-Ponging in My Head!! UGH!!! And A Few Writing Tips

I do not suffer from a lack of story ideas.

In one regard, this is very, very good. But in another, it is enough to make me utterly nuts.

Like most writers, I have a day job and that means I don't have the luxury of an entire day spent at the computer typing away on my latest inspiration. Instead, I come home, decompress from the long day, fix dinner, do some chores, maybe watch a show online (I just finished all three seasons of Arrested Development on Hulu.com) and try to fit at least two hours of writing in to the end of the day.

And, of course, I try not to ignore my husband (too much) or my pets.

It's rough to have all these ideas being born and feeling like I can't pay attention to them quite yet. I hate putting off writing something just because I got x y and z to take care of. Blah.

It's been especially chaotic in my head. I blame this on the zombie world receding as I put a little distance between me and the trilogy for a little bit. I need a breather from all my freaking zombie nightmares. Ugh! I actually dreamed about a ghost last night and I was pretty happy about that. Killing zombies all night in my sleep can be taxing after awhile.

Not to say that Katie and Jenni aren't far from my dreams or thoughts. I don't have enough distance yet to be totally zombie free. But I need to be this month. I need to decompress and embrace something new for a bit. Trust me, I got a lotta love for de zombies, but right now...

So what is bouncing around in my head at the speed of light? Well, a vampire short story, a dark fantasy, two vampire novels, and a really horrific apocalyptic novel that I am almost afraid to write. That one is going to spawn terrible nightmares.

I've decided to concentrate on the vampire short story and write down notes on everything else. I'll probably plunge into the vampire novel in January.

I won't have a respite from the zombies too long though. The edits are starting to come in and I think I'll put them off just another week. I want to write something fresh and new right now (i.e. the vampire short story) and get some distance from the As The World Dies movie in my head.

I would like to share how I will be getting my ping-ponging story ideas down so I can look at them later. Lynn Viehl has an awesome blog called Paperback Writer. She has created a really awesome tool for getting your ideas in line for a new story. She has The Novel Notebook posted at Scribd here.

I have had many people ask me how I write and I have to admit that it wasn't until the last two years that I figured out how to get my thoughts down in a coherent way. The Novel Notebook definitely helps get ideas down that I can't get to quite yet. But when I do write, I transfer that information into yWriter. yWriter is the BEST writing program in the world. It's amazing and I love it. But its not an editing program. There is no spellcheck or grammar check. It's all about getting your idea down in a cohesive and coherent manner. Once the story is written, you can then export it as an .rtf and edit it in Word or OpenOffice. Write first, edit later.

Anyway, I better get back to making dinner, then I need to get back into my writing groove.


P.S. Please spread the word about Pretty When She Dies to any vampire lovers you know out there! Thanks!

The Hazards of Info Dumping

Another writer and I were talking the other night and he asked me about a portion of his story he was struggling with. He wanted to make sure one of his character's point of view was included in the story in, but in an interesting way. What he read to me was well written, but it was a huge info dump. I hated to tell him that, but I have a real issue with info dumping in novels.

What is info dump?

Have you ever read a book where right in the middle of a scene, a ton of information is revealed through the character's thoughts. Everything from where they were born to their favorite color gets mashed up and spit out in a jumble of words. Sometimes this exposition takes place just before a major conflict and it eats up all the tension and suspense as you wade through the massive amount of information suddenly dumped into the plot. Or sometimes when a new character is introduced, you get such a thorough description of them, you know their favorite color and what color their underwear is.

This is info dump. When a writer literally dumps a huge amount of information on the reader. Sometimes its very important information (like my fellow writer was trying to get across) or its just filler.

It's definitely a pet peeve of mine, but at the same time it can be horribly easy to do.

Recently, as I was rewriting As The World Dies: Fighting to Survive, I agonized over the first chapter. I know that its important to reintroduce the characters as the second part begins and remind the reader of the important points, but at the same time I didn't just want to drop a summary of the first book into the beginning of the second. What I attempted to do was write good solid scenes that had pertinent information sprinkled through them. It was nerve wracking. So much so, I sent off the first chapter to some people for some feedback. I'm happy to say their response was positive.

But it was still a total bitch to write!

Here are a few things I do to avoid info dump.

1. Let the reader know what your characters look like upon introduction. Sprinkle the other important information into the story as you go along. Let it come out naturally as your story progresses.

2. Lay the foundation for your big reveal throughout the story. You can weave hints throughout the plot without giving everything away. Also, don't treat your readers like they are stupid. If the big "reveal" is actually quite visible in the storyline, don't spend pages going over exactly what the big twist is. I've guessed the "secret" in novels before only to have it pounded home over and over again endlessly by the writer. I got it the first time, thank you very much.

3. World building is another place author's can info dump in a terrible way. Don't spend the first chapter of your book explaining every little detail of how the world works. Again, weave it into the story. I've slogged through books before only because friends said it got better once it was past the slow boring first chapters where everything was explained in terrible detail.

4. Describe things, but don't over describe. I read a book this year that had to describe a room the character entered down to what kind of plant sitting on a table. The character was in the room for around one page.

Trust me. I live in fear of my own info dumping. It's easy to fall into. But a writer needs to take the time to carefully weave the story together and not just get lazy and dump the whole ball of yarn smack dab into the middle and expect it to look good.

So You Wanna Be A Writer-My Best Advice To You

1. Write.

Write a lot.

Write a lot and share it with other people who can critique your work and give you good advice. Don't be defensive about the advice. Embrace it. Learn from it.

2. Read a lot.

Read different styles, different authors, different genres. Figure out why a certain book worked for you and why another did not. Just don't learn from the authors that stun and amaze, but the ones that make you hurl the book across the room.


3. Decide What Kind Of Writer You Want To Be

What does this mean? Well, do you just enjoy writing for the sake of writing? Does the idea of posting your stuff online and getting immediate response from fans make you smile? Do you want to try and get in with the big NYC publishing house or would you settle for a small one? Do you like the idea of eBooks? Do you want to be an Independent Author and make all the hard choices yourself?

Whatever path you do choose, you need to understand that making the big bucks of Stephen King is probably not going to happen or at least not right away. Become a writer because you like to write and you want to share your stories with others. Not because you think it is the path to a million bucks.


4. Study the Publishing World

Read industry news. Read agent, publisher and writer blogs. Read everything you can about how publishing works from query letters to how royalties are paid. Find out how much you may actually get paid for your work (it's less than you think) and what the standard industry contract is.

Where do you find these links?

Google is your friend.

Google your favorite writer's name. Read their blog. Look up publishing houses. Read The Writer's Digest.

The Internet is a great resource and so is your local bookstore. You're going to have to do a lot of research and a lot of reading. Yes, a lot of it will contradict each other, but you will have a greater understanding of the publishing world as a whole. Most of it is, yes, contradictory. The trick is to find out what will work for you and create your own path using the knowledge you've gained.

5. Be Honest About Your Writing and Make It Your Best

I'm going to be very honest here. Your first works will not be your best. No matter how many times you rewrite them or fuss over them, they will probably be your weakest work. Sometimes, people get lucky and write something fabulous right off the bat, but this is not usually the case. So before you began sending out your writing, make sure it is the best you have to offer.

If you decide to submit your work, make sure it is as perfect as you can make it. Grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. should be as professional as possible. You can find out how to properly format a submission online.

6. ALWAYS Follow Submission Guidelines

Before I became an Indie Author I did a lot of submitting to various publications. I have to admit, I didn't always follow guidelines and got stuff kicked back quickly. Later, I learned the error of my ways.

This seems so simple, but many writers ignore them. I have literally heard a writers say, "My story is so good I could sell it on the title alone" or "They just have to read the first line to be sold." The reality is that if your work is not submitted correctly, a great story title and a great first line will never be read.

And don't try to send romance stories to horror publications and vice versa. You're going to have to do your research and figure out the best market for your story.

7. Be Ready for Rejection

No matter how well your book is written. No matter how well it has been edited by you or people helping you out. No matter how amazing your plot is. No matter if it is the BEST NOVEL EVER WRITTEN...chances are it is going to meet a fair amount of rejection.

The publishing world is looking for what sells. Readers are looking for what they personally like. Reviewers have a list of likes and dislikes.

You will not make everyone happy. Be ready for this reality. And don't let it get you down.

8. Keep Writing

Even if you meet rejection after rejection or success after success, always keep writing. Don't sit back and just chuck your old manuscripts and short stories at editors. Write new fresh material. Keep moving forward.

And one final note for those of you who want to go the Independent Author route...do your research. It's not easy. It's not quick. And it's not a scheme to make a fast buck. There are plenty of resources online for people who are interested in the Independent Author movement. I strongly suggest reading Morris' Rosenthal's blog and book on self-publishing. Read up on all the publish on demand companies (Lulu, iUniverse, CreateSpace) and look at all your options very carefully. I cannot recommend a path for you. You have to figure out what will work for you. My husband and I chose Createspace because it suites our needs at this time. We may, in the future, change our business model and continue down a different path.

Also, As The World Dies has been a solid success so far because it had a buzz created by its existence online for two years. People that love the zombie genre discovered the story and spread the word. I'm VERY grateful for that. But that doesn't give ma a free pass when it comes promoting and marketing the book. You will have to buckle down and create buzz on your own works.

I do highly recommend to anyone wanting to take their writing seriously and who do want to create a solid readership, post free works online and maintain some sort of blog. If people know you can write stories they enjoy, they will be more inclined to buy your works.

And just in case you're wondering why I wrote this entry, I have received enough emails recently asking me about the writing process and how to publish/self-publish that I thought I'd take the time to try and address the basics.

Please feel free to ask me questions and I'll try and answer as honestly as possible.

Thanks!

Surrounded by Zombies

Strange how I ended up with a zombie trilogy, a zombie novella, and a series of zombie short stories considering my first and foremost love is for the vampire. Though, if I consider my past carefully, I realize that my love for the vampire was born out of my stark fear. They were my childhood bogeymen. They were the things I feared most appearing outside my window. Vampires were my night terror, my personal demon, my greatest fear. The only way I could make peace with that fear was to embrace them, to write about them.

I suppose, in a way, that is what I have now experienced with the zombies. The first time I saw Day of the Dead as a kid, I threw up. It terrified me. I refused to watch anymore zombie movies until an old boyfriend talked me into watching Night of the Living Dead with him. I had such terrible nightmares afterward, again, I swore off watching zombie films.

When my husband and I first started hanging out, we realized quickly we had a lot in common. We were constantly together and never bored, so I suppose it was inevitable we would end up together. For some reason, we decided to watch George A. Romero's Zombie Trilogy. I fell utterly in love with the movies. They scared me to death, but I loved the characters in the stories. I winced for those I cared about when they fell and cheered when ones I hated got their comeuppance. I tried watching a few other zombie movies after I was done with the original trilogy, but none had the feel or the emotional resonance that Romero's did.

I did enjoy the remake of Dawn of the Dead, but again, I only truly cared about whether or not one character lived or died (and he was bitten right before the boat). I feared the zombies, but I just didn't care too much about the characters.

I'm not sure why I wrote that first short story (Tiny Fingers). Maybe it was to gain control over a bad nightmare I had. Or just to try something different. I remember just wanting to get the story into words and posted for people to see. I had read a lot of online zombie fiction before I wrote my own story. And like at lot of the zombie movies, I just didn't really care about the characters or the situations they were in.

As The World Dies: The First Days is exactly what I wanted it to be. A strong zombie story with lots of action, gore and characters you care about. I would never claim to be the master story teller George Romero is in his wonderful tales of the undead, but he definitely inspired me to find the heart of the story and embrace it.

I still love my vampires. I will be returning to them. I admit I was rather snobbish about my vampire novels and treated my zombie story like the red headed stepchild in the beginning. But I have learned to embrace both sets of monsters and the worlds they inhabit.



I'm okay with being not just a writer of vampire fiction, but of zombie fiction as well.

But those werewolves....man...that's a whole other story...

Zombies, zombies, zombies....and more zombies

I definitely have zombies on the brain. A week after its release As The World Dies is doing well and I'm very excited. I'm definitely pleased with how things are going and I know it is only going to get better. I should have a few new announcements soon for all you zombie fans.

I hope to get a new mini-chapter for Lenore and Ken up soon. I have part of it written, but with the book coming out and family visiting this week, I have not been able to finish it up.

I promise more zombies soon.

< insert scream here >

The new chapter for the Lenore/Ken story vanished! UGH! I don't know where it went or what I did to it, but its gone. I was not feeling well on Sunday when I was working on it and I must have done something really stupid before closing out the program.

*headdesk*

I have to restart.

*sigh*

Good Solid Endings

Last week was a rough one. I won't go into details, because there actually aren't any. It was just one of those weeks that seems unusually hard for no real particular reason, but it messes up your sleep, your eating, and your brain power.

This week will be better. Or else!

But the weekend brought some good times going out and about with my husband as we shopped for our new HDTV, hung out with friends, and just spent quality time together. I got a dragon henna tattoo down at Secret Oktober in South Austin. Wendy specializes in henna tattoos and goth dreadfalls and she was doing a special event at the store. I love her work on the dreadfalls and I'm already jonesing for a new pair. They were amazing! She also does makeup for the opera here in Austin and has done some really cool special effects makeup as well. You can check out her site here.

Along with our HDTV, we picked up a copy of the Special Edition of The Mist. It is my all time favorite Stephen King short story and I've been dying to see this movie for ages. We missed it in the theater, so we decided it would be our first movie to watch on our HDTV. My husband fixed up our new theater system and we snuggled up on our leather sofa to watch the movie.

I loved it.

I totally loved everything about it. It looked so much how I had imagined it from Stephen King's descriptions it was unbelievable. The casting was spot on and it was a truly kick ass horror film. The CGI was a little disappointing at times, but I could easily overlook it because the design of the monsters was just so terrifying. The one scene I could not imagine on film was done so well it evoked the same feeling of awe that I felt when I read the short story.

As for the ending...

What a freaking perfect ending. It was brutal in its perfection and just awesome. In fact, I cried. It was just that well done. Amazing.

What was even better...the husband and I checked out the black and white version the next day. On the Special Edition DVD you can watch the color version or the black and white. I honestly prefer the black and white. It wiped out my disappointment in the CGI completely. In fact, in black and white, the monsters scared me even more! The blood somehow seemed more brutal. It was great. Watch the black and white version if you can. It's spectacular.

After the movie, Corey and I talked about the ending and how Darabont had taken one step further than King had in the actual short story. It has been the gripe of many people I know that Stephen King can't end a story to save his life. In fact, one friend is still mad at him for the ending of The Dark Tower.

Ending a story can sometimes be the most difficult part of the process other than starting. An ending should be something that is satisfactory to the reader/viewer and fit naturally into the framework of the story and the world that has been developed. A good ending doesn't mean you have to wrap up all the threads and clearly resolve everything that happened in the plot to be a good ending. It just has to work with the story that is being told. The Thing has an amazing ending. The two men facing each other as the base burns to the ground and the snow swirls around them as they wait to see if either one of them is infected is just awesome. Event Horizon is another film that had a pitch perfect ending that leaves you wondering, but fits all that has come before.

The ending to the film version of The Mist is another ending that fits perfectly with the events leading up to it. After the horrors seen by the survivors, the choice they make is understandable. It is not a Hollywood happy ending and it was great.

But, I also love happy endings. I love it when a story reaches a good solid ending that has been slowly blossoming over the course of the story. I just accidentally watched the series finale of Moonlight online. As I watched the episode, I had no idea that this was THE LAST EPISODE (since CBS sux and canceled the show). I thought it was wrapping up next week for some reason. At the end of the episode, our hero and heroine seem to finally decide a vampire and mortal cannot be together and its heart wrenching. In fact, I felt quite surly at the thought of the last episode would be about them being estranged. And then, low and behold, the writers were not jerks. And our beloved vampire turned around and won his lady's heart. And I almost stood up at my desk and cheered. When the door to the apartment closed on their passionate kiss and I was grinning. The two characters had been building up to that moment all season long.

I quickly checked to see if there was a previews for the season finale next week, then realized I was wrong. I had just watched the season finale. I felt an enormous sense of relief immediately. Despite cancellation, the show had a solid ending that I could embrace and be happy about.

Frankly, a few years back I almost gave up on network serials because I was tired of the freshman shows ending on a cliffhanger that would never be resolved. Invasion, Surface, and Jericho's cancellations really pissed me off. At least Jericho was able to come back and wrap things up, but over the years many serials have been left hanging when the ax descended. I still can't figure out why the networks don't let them know about their cancellation in time for them to wrap things up for the viewers.

My whole point of this post (and there is one) is that a good ending is what a viewer/reader deserves. It is up to the writer to find that pitch perfect ending that suits the story. Whether its a gut wrenching ending like in The Mist or the perfect kiss between a vampire and a mortal like in Moonlight, an ending should satisfy.

I have a few short stories I've never been able to finish. I think I realize why now. I haven't found that perfect ending yet.

I think its time to start digging for some.

The Vampires Arise

The last few years I have been all tied up with the zombie hordes. They've been damn annoying, too. I absolutely despise zombies and they have a really good way of wrecking a good dream when they show up and start eating everyone. I hate it when that happens. But I've been writing about the cannibalistic dead pretty heavily for awhile now and if I don't write I get "stopped up" and the zombies run amok in my dreams until I wrestle them down onto paper.

In other words, my mind doesn't let me rest until the story is done.

But my first, true love, is the vampire. The bloodsucking undead have terrified and fascinated me for years. I absolutely feared them and nothing my mother or anyone else said could convince me that they were not real. I'm not even sure where I first heard about Dracula, but I begged my Mom relentlessly to let me see the old black and white film when it showed on TV. I think I was around six. She finally gave in. The next morning she found me curled up on my sleeping bag outside her bedroom door with a towel wrapped around my neck.

In fact, for years, it was part of my nightly ritual to tuck my covers up around my neck securely. Now I was just a kid, so I really didn't think about the fact that Dracula or any of his minions could just pull down the covers and have a nice hearty drink.

Of course, what I fear is what I am drawn to it seems. I would watch Hammer films as a kid with a pillow over my face, peeking around the edges, and then screaming at the slightest hint of blood. I finally read a vampire novel when I was a teenager. It was like nothing I had ever read before. It was Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat . I had a healthy diet of Agatha Christie, Victoria Holt, science fiction and classic literature novels before I borrowed that book. I read it in one night and it literally made me sick to my stomach. I just remember I felt like I was drowning in darkness and I felt queasy. Funny how life works out...considering I'm Goth and a horror novelist!

I avoided vampire novels like the plague for awhile, but finally sat down and read Bram Stoker's Dracula and I was smitten. Since I love Victorian Gothic Literature, I read the old classics first and worked my way up to modern times. I was reluctant to pick up Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, but I finally read it and loved it. Though I read all the books that followed up to the novel about Armand, the first in the series held the most magic for me.

The state of vampire novels today actually makes me quite sad. I do love the urban fantasy of the Sookie Stackhouse and Rachel Morgan novels, but the bloodsuckers never quite feel like "real" vampires. I'm not sure what it is, but something just feels like its missing. Most of the other vampire novels are stuck in the paranormal romance genre and I have a rough time imagining a vampire looking like a Fabio clone. I have tried to read a few of these series because I was desperate for a good vampire read. I threw one book across the room and just gave up.

My own vampire stories are rather diverse. My favorite is about Lady Glynis Wright, an English aristocrat who longs for an indecent life as Lord Byron's lover, only to end up the Bride of a powerful vampire. My great love for Victorian literature definitely influenced that novel and its rich in Gothic imagery. The heroine, though, is just great fun and I adore her. She's a bit wily and always contrary. I recently renamed the and I hope to release it early next year.

The second vampire novel is about a modern day girl in East Texas who starts off the story buried in the forest. That vampire novel is very Texan, and very modern, but keeps to the traditional vampire lore. One of the things that haunts the character named Amaliya throughout the story is that she has no reflection and she has to go to great lengths to hide this from others while dealing with it emotionally. Since there is necromancy, zombies and vampires in this novel, I see it coming out after the zombie trilogy.

I'm not saying that my vampire novels are greater than anything else out there, but I am aware they are different. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I like my vampires to be something dangerous and not tame. Creatures that aren't swayed by a beautiful virginal girl's undying love or seeking their long lost soulmate. I adore Glynis because I would be afraid of her if I met her. Despite her courtly manner, she is dangerous. She is a passionate creature that is also a killer. The same with Amaliya. They are both creatures of instinct and great power.

After the zombie trilogy is out, I will be turning my attention to both these novels. The vampire stories I posted on Scribd got my vampire muses stirring around in my head and I have at least one unfinished vampire story that is begging to be finished.

I think posting the vampire stories on Scribd yesterday reminded me that yes I like my zombie tales, but I also write about much more than just the shambling, mindless dead. The beautiful undead with the wickedly sharp teeth and jewel eyes are also lingering in my imagination.

Maybe its just time to look back at what scared me first...and most.

More Proof that Trent Reznor is a gOD!

I woke up the other morning to find my very groggy husband about to go to bed. He had stayed up all night to make sure he snagged the new Nine Inch Nails cd that Trent Reznor put online for FREE. He downloaded the best quality version off the Torrents and I was thrilled to load the new album The Slip onto my mp3 player. I kissed him goodbye and dashed off to work.

The news that NIN had put out a new album that Trent said was "on him" was all over the music news and the boards were filled with ecstatic fans exclaiming their delight with the new album. I was almost bouncing off the walls with my own excitement.

Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails in San Antonio (Photo: Me with my crappy cellphone)

I am a die hard fan. I have mad love for Trent Reznor and his creation Nine Inch Nails. When I was struggling with dealing with the emotional fallout on a childhood I would not wish on my worst enemy, his music assured me I was not alone in my desolation. If anything, his music (not necessarily his lyrics) was reflective of my own feelings. I freaking loved his music and his music saved me. Add into the mix the fact one of my novels was born when I fell asleep listening to The Downward Spiral and that pretty much gives Trent Reznor god-like status in my life. If I ever met the man, I think I'd blurt out something stupid like "You saved me" then do something equally dumb like hug him or burst into tears or both.

Plus, lets admit it, the man is beautiful! I like to kid my husband that Trent is my future second husband (or is that Christian Bale). But the man could look like Iggy Pop and I'd still adore him for his incredible music.

As I read through all the comments, news articles and Trent's simple message to his fans that this one was on him, it struck me how much he is already changing the music industry. By giving away his amazing music for free, he is creating tons of good will with his fans and drawing in new ones. I'm dying to see him when he goes on tour (I hope he comes my way on the second leg of the tour).

But once more he has inspired me when it comes to my writing. This time its not a vivid scene seeping into my dreams that gives birth to a novel, but the confirmation that independence from the gatekeepers looking at the bottom line is a good thing for any artist.

I think the reality of this endeavor is continuing to sink in. The absolute freedom of choice and the personal responsibility that comes with being an Independent Author is just now fully gripping me and shaking me awake. I admit to a very passive daydream in the past of sending my novel out, getting it published and sitting back and letting the publisher do all the work. This was supposedly the norm, but now I see it is not what I want.

It is not what I need.

Research! Research! Research!

Bloody hell....I'm exhausted.

It's been one of those ultra-busy weekends where I did a lot of socializing and dashing about and not much along the lines of writing. I know I needed to get out and be a social beast, but I have to admit feeling a wee bit guilty about neglecting my "other" job.

Of course, I'm talking about writing and now self-publishing.

Writing used to be my "other job" all by its little lonesome. It was my "other job" I could neglect because I was busy with the real job or just living my life. But when I became very serious about it last year, I did a lot of research on how to be more productive in my writing and turn out a damn good book. I felt I elevated myself to the next level as a writer and I am proud of the work I produced last year. My "other job" really did become another job!

Now that I have fully come to understand exactly what publishing and the gatekeepers are all about, I have decided to self-publish my work instead of waiting around for years hoping that someone in the publishing business is actually interested in a well-written horror novel about zombies. Which means self-publishing has now become my other "other job". How's that for a tongue twister?

I admit I now have a big ol' soft spot for Cliff Burns. He's a damn good writer and I love his rants. I love them because they are honest and from his gut. I love a straight talker. My husband is one of those people. When he's passionate about something, by God, you're gonna hear about it. So Cliff Burns was the first self-published writer to catch my eye, but I've now found the blogs and websites of quite a few "indie authors" that have a wealth of information. It's not just their commentary on the gatekeepers of the publishing world, but the sharing of their own experiences with the traditional publishing world and self-publishing that I find encouraging and educational.

Here are two of the blogs I've been reading the last few days:
http://mickrooney.blogspot.com/
http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/

Both authors have very interesting tales to tell and share a lot of information. Mick Rooney is posting about his experience using Lulu.com to publish his novel and shares his knowledge of how to format your own novel and how to submit it to Lulu. April Hamilton's blog has a lot of great links and she has put together what she calls her Indie Author Guides. I am just starting to review her guides and so far they are quite informative.

The more research I do, the more I realize I am part of a new movement. The new media has swung open an unknown door to countless writers that have GREAT ideas, can write a GOOD story, but do NOT fit the preconceived notions of the publishing world. I feel excited to be one of the indie authors that will hopefully pave the way for others.

There will definitely be a difference between people who can't write, turn out horrible work, and throw it out there in a sloppy format (I've seen these) and those determined to put out the best work possible.

I am determined to put out the best work possible.

And one more thing...

I'm not going to bother querying the traditional publishers. I realized that this would be a waste of my time and slow me down. I need to concentrate on what I am doing now to get my writing out there to my fans.

As for the future....who knows?

Anyway, I'm exhausted and need to sleep soon.

A new story is up on fanfiction.net for people to read. It is a rough draft, but its a good story. It's about two of the more popular minor characters from As The World Dies: Ken, the resident cute gay boy and his best friend, Lenore. I've had one reader express her discomfort with Ken being gay, but I have a ton of great gay friends and they will have representation in my books. I love people in all their shapes, colors, sizes, sexual orientation, religious affiliations..etc. The world is full of diverse people and my stories will be too.

Meanwhile, I'm happily formatting As The World Dies and getting ready to start the revisions on the second book in the trilogy.

It's fun to be an independent self-publishing author of zombie novels.