Virginia Creeper is available for Kindle!

This morning I went for a five mile run.  I don’t break any speed records, I’m simply preparing for my second Army Ten Miler this October.   As I ran this morning I cleared my head and drank in the fact that Virginia Creeper was finally out.  The ebook released yesterday evening and is already selling strong.  Virginia Creeper on Amazon.com

Eight long years, that was the journey of this book to finally reach press.  Wow.  Some of this was pure perseverance on my part.  The story was deeply personal, one that demanded to be told.  I knew that and hung in there, confident that I’d find the right publisher with the right vision to see this through.  I was deeply pleased that Hydra Publishing saw the same potential as I did and contracted for the book. 

As I ran I reached the turnaround point at the Rappahannock River and the rickety old steel bridge between Culpeper and Fauquier Counties.  This morning, the sunlight was burning off the summer rain from last night – mist rose up where the beam of warmth penetrated and hit the road.  I stopped for a moment at the base of the bridge on Waterloo Road and looked across it.  About a half mile from where I stood was Minerva Funderburke’s house.  It was there that the story really started.  I remember it all too clearly.

Writing about where I live in Virginia was harder than it seems.  If you have never been to Warrenton or Amissville, I wanted you to understand the culture, the people, and the lifestyle of the people I wrote about.  We may be only 50 miles from Washington DC, but in some respects we are on another planet.  This book is personal, not just because I'm in it, but because is helps people see the beauty, history, and people of the Piedmont. 

The book is the kind of book that keeps you up at night.  I cringe to say it is a horror book, because it is much more than that.  Let me say this, I avoided all of the gratuitous blood-bath scenes that some authors use.  It would have been easy to turn it into that kind of book.  That’s not my style.  This is the kind of terror that gnaws away at your imagination, at least it did for me and the other people involved with this book.  I invite you to read this book at night, alone, but that’s only an invitation by someone with a twisted sense of humor. 

The question I keep getting is, “is this a true story?” No comment on my part.  My thinking here is the answer to that question isn’t really important, is it?  The principles all know, and that’s all that matters to me. There’s always more to a story than what appears in the newspapers and on TV, that much is for sure. 

You’ll have to read Virginia Creeper for yourself.  Who doesn’t like a little nerve-rattling terror on hot summer nights? 

Preparing for the summer book tour(s)

This is a big year for me on a number of writing fronts.  Coming out soon is Secret Witness, my first true crime book on the murder of Nola Puyear in Marshall Michigan in 1967.  Coming out at nearly the same time will be Business Rules:  The Cynic’s Guidebook to the Corporate Overlords.  Then in July, a real exciting book, Virginia Creeper.  Then, this autumn I jump back into military history with, The Bad Boy: Bert Hall: Aviator and Mercenary of the Skies.  I’m also hoping to get at least one more book done before December.  Truth be told, I can’t think out that far. 

One of the things most authors don’t talk about is the publicity that we need to do to help sell books.  In the last few weeks I have been arranging for the book tour events just for Secret Witness.  For me, this is planning a week in Michigan doing lectures and book signing events.  I’m also hoping to do a few book clubs – if everything works out.

You would think it would be easy, but you have to try in a short period of time (a week) to arrange multiple events with multiple venues, with multiple calendars. It means finding bloggers willing to do interviews with me about the book – and finding the right places to go and speak. 

I have about five events where we are still playing with the dates etc., but as it stands the first week of June I will be in Michigan (Battle Creek, Marshall, Kalamazoo, Detroit areas) doing the following events for Secret Witness:

June 4             Be Scene TV interview in Battle Creek

                        7:00pm Marshall Public Library
June 6             Albion Public Library, 12:15pm
June 8             Kazoo Books in Kalamazoo at 6:30pm

I have a few more events scheduled, more about those as I lock down the dates. 

If you are in the area, drop in.  Heck, bring your BattleTech novels to get them signed if you want.  Also, if you have a venue in Michigan that week, or a book club you think would enjoy speaking with an author about their book – reach out to me.   If you write a blog, I do blog interviews too. 

As far as the other venues for the other books…I’m working on it!  Suffice it to say, I will be doing a lot of public speaking stuff in the coming year just to keep up with this publishing schedule.  I look forward to seeing or hearing from you. 

Writing in multiple genres

This is going to be a big year for me as an established author.  I have four books coming out with a possible fifth.  Usually I have one book a year published, but this year the stars came into alignment.  Even more interesting is that I have books coming out in four different genres – Business, Horror, True Crime, and Military History.  There’s a possibility of two books in that last category – we’ll have to see.    

Traditional wisdom usually calls for a writer to specialize in one genre and become well known and established in that genre.  They usually write in that space for some time until they finally try and branch out and do something different.  Their fans protest.  The author finds him/herself typecast into being a X-writer (insert the genre of your choice.)  That’s not necessarily a bad thing.  It sure works for Stephen King and a lot of other authors. 

I don’t subscribe to this thinking. 

I write because I like to write.  I read books in a varied group of genres.  Sure, I like science fiction, but sometimes I’m in the mood for a good true crime book or a good military history story.  I started out primarily as a science fiction author with a dozen or so novels under my belt from Penguin Putnam’s ROC imprint.  I bucked the trend when I wrote my first business management book (Cubicle Warfare) and my first military history book (Cruise of the Sea Eagle.) I am confident that my choices of direction gave my agent ulcers but ultimately I write the kinds of books that I like to read.  In the end, I write books that I would enjoy reading – I don’t pander to the fans or try to out-think them in terms of what they want to see.  Besides, no matter what, you can’t satisfy everyone. 

While I acknowledge that some people may read books from only one genre; I also believe that many readers are like me – and read a wide range of books depending on their interests and tastes.  I don’t want to lock myself into one genre because I have good ideas for books that are beyond that narrow focus. 

There are risks with this approach.  I have regular readers in each genre, so how do I get them compelled to read the books outside of that area?  The short answer is, I don’t.  I let my different fan communities know that I have new books out and they make the choice.  In my opinion most loyal readers are not lemmings that mindlessly follow an author, blindly buying every book they crank out.  Don’t get me wrong, it used to be that way.  The publishing industry is changing though and fans now can explore a wide range of books.  Amazon.com’s linking of books other people have purchased to the book you are reviewing is a classic example.  I have found a few new books out there because of these linked suggestions.  I believe that the influence of the internet, on the long term, broadens what people read. 

The publishing industry and agents try to force you, as a writer, into a niche.  They have a 1950’s view of readers that does not match how book purchasing, reading, and publishing are changing.  This is why the publishing industry is reeling so heavily under the influence of Amazon.com.  Trust me, in three years, the industry is going to be a very different place…and better as a result. 

For me, I can be at my creative best when I write what I feel like writing.  If that means I want to do some short stories for Battlecorps.com or for Leviathans, I do them.  I don’t need to worry if I am isolating my fan community.  Those fans that like my books who are interested in the new genres, will buy the books.  Those that don’t will wait for me to crank out another BattleTech/MechWarrior novel. 

Do I have plans to branch out into other genres?  Of course.   I have a Steampunk idea that I really love that I think will be a great set of novels, for example.  I have a neat Fantasy series I’ve been mulling around for years too.  For the most part, my next few books will simply enlarge my fan bases out there in the genres I already write for.  

So, if you are an author out there, don’t hesitate to write what you want to.  Don’t buy the hype from the “publishing experts.”  Do what you feel best.  For you fans out there, what are your thoughts?  Post your comments up on this blog and let me know.   Do you read more than one genre?  Do you automatically purchase books from one author no matter what? 

My Predictions For 2012

I am not a psychic nor do I place any weight in prophesies or predictions.   I don’t place the burden on myself of annual resolutions since I’ve found they are pointless for me.  My predictions are intended to be read tongue-in-cheek.  I’m confident that you will not see me as a great seer or savant.  Here we go:

The economy will get better – slowly.  The things that caused the economic collapse took years to be put in place.  Likewise recovery is going to be slow and ponderous.  It wasn’t just the greed on Wall Street that led to the collapse – it was also the greed on main street (as much as people don’t want to admit it.)  Realistically the economy will not get better in our country until the horrors of the 2012 election are over.    

The world will not end on December 21-23 2012.  If the Mayans could predict the end of the world, why didn’t they spot the end of their own empire?  Simple answer, they couldn’t predict squat.  For the people that are anticipating the end of the universe in December of 2012, feel free to give me your money and stuff. 

Nature will be a harsh mistress.  This was easy to predict.  There will be fires in California – followed months later with mudslides.  Snow will happen and we will all watch the news as cars slide into each other.  A hurricane or two will slam into the US – complete with the obligatory footage of Jim Cantore and Al Roker standing in the high winds to demonstrate that, to our surprise, winds accompany hurricanes.  Tornados will attack at least three mobile home parks in the spring.  An earthquake will happen so we can see the scientist being interviewed that he/she had predicted it was going to happen (it would have been nice if you had warned us in advance asshole.)

The Occupy Movement will either disintegrate or turn violent.  Images of 1968 Chicago make me wonder if that is what we will be facing this summer.  The Occupy Movement has proven thus far that their protests are uncoordinated, unorchestrated, cluster-fu*ks.  Their only real solution is to either dissolve or take it to the next level and become violent.  With two political conventions this summer, things have the potential to be entertaining. 

The European financial crisis will continue.  Could this be the end of the EU?  Everyone is so focused on Greece that they don’t realize there are three other countries that are close to collapse too. 

Iran is going to suffer some sort of attack/“accident” at their nuclear facilities.  Let’s face it, no one is happy about this country possessing an atomic bomb.  I’d be more comfortable with Stewie Griffin having one rather than this country.  Someone will make sure they don’t keep this capability. 

Lindsey Lohan will have “issues.”  Rehab again?  Sure, the tenth time is bound to be the charm.  Why is this person in the news anyway?  Her movies suck.  She will either hit bottom and turn things around or end up in a body bag.  Oddly enough, I find myself not caring either way. 

Middle East peace will not happen.  Again, I chose a safe prediction here.  Centuries of conflict will not be resolved this year. 

Gold prices will plummet.  Impossible you say?  All I know is that the price has climbed too dramatically over time.  I got a B in Economics but even I know an overinflated balloon when I see one.  Remember the housing market and how people whined it could never drop?  Can you say, “Kaboom?”  Gold is going to take a hit at some point and there will be a lot of people sitting there saying, “how could this have happened to me?”

The Kardashians will find new ways to get into the press.  Won’t these people simply die?  These people represent everything that is wrong with our country – arrogance, focus on the media, false adulation, etc.  I am confident we have not heard the end of them – sorry. 

The election will bore all of us to death…and then will get entertaining.  Can you say third party candidate?  We are already tiring of the talk of the election.  None of the candidates, including the incumbent are appealing.  This opens the door to a potential third party for the first time in years. 

Even if a third party doesn’t emerge, this entire process will prove exhausting for the American people.  We don’t all agree on anything which means all of the candidates are unappealing.  While it seems possible that Obama might only serve one term, I never underestimate the capability of the Republican Party to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. 

America will become more divided.  We have so many divisions it is hard to document all of them.  The burden of being middle class is going to be the breaking point of our nation if not addressed.  As a nation, we lack focus and even general agreement on what to do.  This opens the door for evil thoughts and actions. 

I will have at least three books out this year.  Secret Witness will be out in April.  This summer will be the long-awaited release of Virginia Creeper and The Rules:  The Cynic’s Guide to the Corporate Overlords, will be out.  Not bad for half a year.

There you have it!  Feel free to add comments and include your own predictions to the list. 

Two Exciting New/Old Projects

I am currently writing multiple books – that’s the nature of being an author.  I’m going to go to Washington and Lee University this week to do some research on my Bert Hall biography.  I’m also doing some research on my next true crime book project on the murder of Daisy Zick.  I find the diversity of projects and their various stages in the lifecycle of a book being written gives me the flexibility I love about being a writer. 

Two of my projects are coming to the surface in the next month or so and both are incredibly neat.  That’s the focus of this week’s blog. 

First is Virginia Creeper.  This project was started by me years ago.  It is a horror/paranormal story – a new genre’ for me.  The story is set in Fauquier and Culpeper Virginia where I live and is written, for the most part, first person.   There’s a reason I chose to write the book this way…one that becomes clear as you read it. 

I’m publishing Virginia Creeper with Hydra Publishing.  My agent shopped this book around about 10 years ago.  We got some serious nibbles from some major publishers, so I kept working on it.  Usually I don’t keep working on a book until I have a contract in-hand but the nibbles we got were very promising.  They all fizzled though and with time and eventually my agent gave up.  Every year or two I would dust off the manuscript, revisit the story, write a little more, and see if there was any interest out there.  I discovered Hydra Publishing through a friend and they were excited about the prospects of doing Creeper.  From what I saw of their offerings and plans, the more I was looking forward to working with them.  They are the kind of start-up publisher that I think is going to go places in the next few years.  (I will write at some time about how the publishing industry is in complete upheaval.)   

For me this project was strange because I already had 78,000 words done by the time I had a publisher lined up.  So over this Christmas holiday I will be wrapping up the conclusion to the book and putting some polish on the older chapters.  It is a little strange to leap back into this book so close to the end.  I am also a little surprised at how my writing style has evolved over time.  I have worked on a lot of novels and books over the years and this project is very different.  A friend of mine read the first three chapters and told me he was nervous taking his trash out in the dark.   I think I hit the mark on this one.  Creeper is scary, frightening, and will be available this summer from Hydra Publishing. 

The second project that I am working on is Business Rules:  The Cynics Guidebook to the Corporate Overlords.  Yes, I am returning to business book writing and in a big way. 

Back in 1998 I wrote Cubicle Warfare and the book was a big hit.  I was on national TV and radio (Bill O’Reilly, Good Day New York, NPR, MSNBC, etc..) quite a bit talking about corporate culture and office politics.  I was even interviewed and featured in Fast Company magazine.   I always wanted to write a business book that would follow-up on Cubicle Warfare, but I never found the right venue. 

Business Rules is a book that will redefine business books.  It has taken me years to compile this work.  It is written to do something that most dry business books don’t do – entertain.  Oh, I know the trend in the last few years for academics to tell little stories in their leadership and management books to make the information palatable.  I sometimes find these insulting.  Business Rules is going to be written in a different format and approach.   It is written as a book that you can pick up and open to any page and start reading – or you can read it from beginning to end. 

The best part about Business Rules is that it is done.  I still need to do some editing on it, but the heavy-lifting in terms of the writing is complete.  I will put more in my blog on this book as it comes closer to a publishing date.   This book is going to generate a lot of buzz, so stay tuned! 

Horror – business – wow, this is going to be a Christmas to remember!