Eyewall
A RELATIVELY QUIET HURRICANE SEASON COMING UP?
A couple of early outlooks for the 2012 Atlantic Basin hurricane season have been issued, one by the Colorado State University (CSU) Tropical Meteorology Project, and the other by Weather Services International (WSI). Both indicate a near-average season relative to the long-term (since 1966) mean of 11 named storms and hurricanes, but a somewhat quieter…
Read MoreLOOKING OVER MY READERS’ SHOULDERS
I discovered recently, via a weekly email I receive from a Mr. Rob Eager, there’s a way to see which phrases from Eyewall are most frequently highlighted by readers on their Kindles. Another wonder of the electronic-digital era. I can look over my readers’ shoulders. Kindle readers, by the way, have the option of making…
Read MoreEYEWALL, THE MOVIE… WELL, NOT QUITE YET
As I’ve mentioned before, a lot of readers have told me they thought Eyewall would make a great movie. Yes, it’s a dramatic story. But the novel may also exude “film appeal” because I tend to think cinematically as I write. I don’t do that with any ulterior motive, like hoping the book will get…
Read MoreA QUICK AND DEADLY START
The tornado season is off to a quick and deadly start this year. Devastating storms hammered parts of mid-America over the past couple of days. And although there’s a bit of a lull today, already another significant threat looms for tomorrow. The Storm Prediction Center warns that numerous fast-moving supercell storms as well as a…
Read MoreWHAT DOES AN AUTHOR DO BETWEEN BOOKS?
So what does an author do between books? Well, to be blunt, there is no such thing as “between” books. “Among” books maybe, or “all done” with books perhaps, but no “between.” At the moment, I’m still dealing with Eyewall; plotting strategy for the release of ______ (yes, sad to report, there’s still no official…
Read MoreDON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE DOG FOR A WALK
Is the fact that Eyewall has moved into the second round of judging for the Best First Novel competition in the International Thrillers Writers organization a big deal? I don’t know. Remember, I’ve been a published novelist for less than a year. I’m a rookie in the business. This is all new to me. So…
Read MoreSTAND BACK, MY HEAD MAY EXPLODE
Before I became a published novelist, authors who had broken trail ahead of me warned that I, as a writer of fiction, would probably always have three books in my head: the one most recently published, the one currently being written, and the one after that. I didn’t quite believe that, or at least thought…
Read MoreEYEWALL, MARSHALL SEESE AND THE REST OF THE STORY
I’m more than pleased that Marshall Seese, the very popular and now-retired coanchor of “Your Weather Today” on The Weather Channel, will be the narrator for the audio version of Eyewall. Marshall is known for his smooth, on-air delivery and has been a voice-over talent for a number of TV productions. He was also the…
Read MoreON THE ROAD
A little over a week ago I took a brief trip to do a couple of book signings for Eyewall. Now unless you’ve written a blockbuster novel or have an instantly recognizable name, you aren’t going to have people flocking to your book signings. I don’t have people flocking to my book signings. I do…
Read MoreUPON FURTHER REVIEW…
I’ve often bemoaned the fact that it took me so darned long, ten years, to get my first novel published after I began seriously writing fiction. I understand there’s a learning curve involved and that almost all novelists have to follow the arc of that curve to learn the craft. But ten years? Perhaps–and there’s…
Read More