J.A. Marlow » Real Life http://jamarlow.com The Writer: Socially-Sanctioned insanity. Gotta love it! Mon, 14 May 2012 15:00:14 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Passing of Another Science Fiction Writer: John Christopher http://jamarlow.com/2012/02/passing-of-another-science-fiction-writer-john-christopher/ http://jamarlow.com/2012/02/passing-of-another-science-fiction-writer-john-christopher/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:09:35 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=789 We have lost another science fiction writer.

Christopher Samuel Youd died on February 3rd at the age of 89 from complications of bladder cancer. I, and many in the world, now him by one of his more famous pennames John Christopher. Other pennames were Stanley Winchester, Hilary Ford, William Godfrey, William Vine, Peter Graaf, Peter [...]]]> We have lost another science fiction writer.

Christopher Samuel Youd died on February 3rd at the age of 89 from complications of bladder cancer. I, and many in the world, now him by one of his more famous pennames John Christopher. Other pennames were Stanley Winchester, Hilary Ford, William Godfrey, William Vine, Peter Graaf, Peter Nichols and Anthony Rye. Yet another prolific writer who used many pennames to not only categorize his offerings, but enabled him to write and sell up to 4 novels a year so he could support his family.

The set of work I’m most familiar with was the Tripod Series, consisting of a group of 4 young adult novels. Humanity has been conquered and enslaved by “the tripods”, unseen alien entities (later identified as “Masters”) who travel about in gigantic three-legged walking machines. Life goes on largely as it had in the pre-industrial era (with a few artifacts still existing, such as battery-less watches), as all of humanity is subject to mental controls which prevent anyone from challenging the established order.

Humans are controlled from the age of 14 by implants called “caps”, which suppress curiosity and creativity and leave the recipient placid and docile, incapable of dissent. The first book follows Will, a thirteen year old living in the small (fictional) English village of Wherton, is looking forward to the transition to adulthood which will take place on the next “Capping Day”, until a chance meeting with a mysterious Vagrant (the name for those who’s caps cause broken minds instead of mind-control) sends him on a quest to discover a world beyond the Tripods’ control. Accompanied by his cousin Henry, and a French teenager nicknamed “Beanpole”, they head out to find a place not under Tripod authority and the remaining human resistance.

Oh yeah, a lot of adventure ensues!

I read the original 3 novels as a teenager, “The White Mountains“, “The City of Gold and Lead“, and “The Pool of Fire“, but admit I have not read the 4th prequel (“When the Tripods Came“). The original 3? Wow, I loved them. It all started with a 6th grade teacher reading the first one to our class as a present for behaving and getting our projects done. Even the most hyper boys in the back of the class would do almost anything to keep the teacher reading.

The three books of the original Tripod series were yet another foundation in my lasting love of science fiction. Read them. They are still fun.

____________________

J.A. Marlow


A planet-wide conspiracy is waiting at Grandmother’s house…

“Always wear the red hood and cape while you are in the forest,” Grandma admonished.

For a teen with purple and red hair, and an attitude to match, the small claustrophobic city of Oburos grows ever smaller with Uncle Travis’s attempts to take over her and her mother’s life.

An invitation to visit Grandmother’s house, nestled among the giant trees filling the planet, gives Kate a welcome respite. But, there is no time for rest. A conspiracy among the forest inhabitants, moving trees, and other mysteries await her at Grandmother’s house.

Kate learns just how little she knew of the forests, much less its animals. To survive she must learn fast, and that includes trust and teamwork.

And just where was Grandma, anyway?

A Science Fiction 83600, 335 page (approximate) word stand-alone novel retelling of the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood”.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2012/02/passing-of-another-science-fiction-writer-john-christopher/feed/ 0 Chronic Health Problems and Indie Publishing http://jamarlow.com/2011/07/chronic-health-problems-and-indie-publishing/ http://jamarlow.com/2011/07/chronic-health-problems-and-indie-publishing/#comments Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:35:17 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=586 I have an undiagnosed fatigue problem, and since the middle of March have been in the midst of a flare-up. The older I get the more flare-ups I get, the worse overall I get. It affects my entire life, including my writing life. I wrote an article about coping mechanisms in Vision: A Resource for [...]]]> I have an undiagnosed fatigue problem, and since the middle of March have been in the midst of a flare-up. The older I get the more flare-ups I get, the worse overall I get. It affects my entire life, including my writing life. I wrote an article about coping mechanisms in Vision: A Resource for Writers a while back called “Writing Despite Health Problems” if anyone is interested.

Of course it was going to affect my Indie efforts, as well. I have limited energy. I do not have the energy normal people have. I never will. This meant I had to prioritize where and how my energy was being spent. I do not have any to waste.

So, what is the most important aspects of the Indie publishing world? Honestly, it’s producing. For me marketing has to be put aside in favor of concentrating on producing more for my virtual bookshelf. There is no choice really. It’s either marketing what I already have out, or write. Doing both is not possible (other than the odd blog post and tweet).

Sales might be slow for me right now as a result, but I figure:

1. I just started in the middle of February and readers haven’t really started to find me yet. But, the more I have out there, the better chance I have of catching attention.
2. By continuing to concentrate on producing when a reader does find me I will have lots of items on my virtual bookshelf that a new fan can buy immediately.
3. Having goals within my abilities will not only help me business-wise in the long-term, but also keep the depression at bay about my limitations in the short-term.
4. The Indie publishing business is a marathon, not a sprint. Thank goodness, because some days I can hardly get out of a chair. By thinking long-term I’m setting myself up well for that marathon viewpoint. With Indie publishing, time is on MY side.
5. Writing good stories and publishing them immediately into all distribution channels I can find are the only part of this business I have true control over, anyway.
6. More and more evidence is rising showing that a lot of promotion is pretty much worthless anyway.

Goals? Write, and write more. Make the stories as good as I can. Have fun producing those stories. Doing so will come across to the reader who later finds them.

All of the above is within my ability. One of the hardest things to do is to let go of all the things I cannot do. But it must be done. I work hard to stop the feelings of guilt that come from all the things I cannot do. Guilt also leeches energy from a person. Kill the guilt-monster! ;D

Since starting in mid-February I have a total of 9 items up for sale, with about 9 more in the pipeline for the year. That’s a huge accomplishment. An accomplishment many who do not have these kinds of health problems cannot do. But I did, because I understood the nature of my disability, adjusted for it, prioritized, set goals, and then attacked!

To all those out there who are struggling against their own health problems, let me just say: Prioritize, and then do it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. Including yourself.

____________________

J.A. Marlow

My latest novel, The String Weavers (The String Weavers – Book 1), is now available at online retailers everywhere.

Kelsey Hale thinks she’s just a typical mixed-up teenager. Everyone feels that way, her teachers assure her. Yet, strange things happen to her, like food disappearing before she can eat it and hearing music no one else hears.

Then a giant flaming bird drops an alien at her feet. Well, good grief, how can you ignore something like that?

Abducted from Earth, the only planet she’s ever known, Kelsey finds herself thrust into the middle of a deadly conflict among alien worlds and parallel universe. She must not only survive herself, but also find a way to rescue her father from a dangerous group with unknown motives.

In the process, she’s confronted by a hidden secret about herself which will shake the very foundation of who and what she thought she was.

And connecting it all are the mysterious Weavers.

A 97,100 word science fiction novel.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

 

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2011/07/chronic-health-problems-and-indie-publishing/feed/ 10 Saturday is For Sleeping In http://jamarlow.com/2011/05/saturday-is-for-sleeping-in/ http://jamarlow.com/2011/05/saturday-is-for-sleeping-in/#comments Sun, 15 May 2011 05:46:25 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=513 Day 14 Wordcount: 3393 (Glint of an Artifact, Short Story #3)

And Glint of an Artifact is FINISHED! I was beginning to wonder if it would ever happen, the way the story just kept expanding. It needs work, but that’s what revision is for. And thank goodness for revision!

Last night I slept 9 1/2 hours, [...]]]> Day 14 Wordcount: 3393 (Glint of an Artifact, Short Story #3)

And Glint of an Artifact is FINISHED! I was beginning to wonder if it would ever happen, the way the story just kept expanding. It needs work, but that’s what revision is for. And thank goodness for revision!

Last night I slept 9 1/2 hours, was up a few hours and then went back to bed for 2 1/2 hour nap. I’m tired again now, but I feel good at the writing accomplishment. But, it’s obvious I’m fighting something off.

***

The challenge in question is the Forward Motion May “Story-A- Day” challenge. See my previous post about the rules. The goal is to achieve the 10 short story level.

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2011/05/saturday-is-for-sleeping-in/feed/ 0 Surviving A Monday… And Still Finding Words http://jamarlow.com/2011/05/surviving-a-monday-and-still-finding-words/ http://jamarlow.com/2011/05/surviving-a-monday-and-still-finding-words/#comments Tue, 03 May 2011 04:29:22 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=475 Not only is this a Monday, it’s also been a horrible allergy day. Ugh, sometimes hard to keep the eyes open, they’re stinging so bad.

I didn’t expect to finish an entire short story yesterday. It meant I had to find a new idea to write on today. I found one, a sequel to the [...]]]> Not only is this a Monday, it’s also been a horrible allergy day. Ugh, sometimes hard to keep the eyes open, they’re stinging so bad.

I didn’t expect to finish an entire short story yesterday. It meant I had to find a new idea to write on today. I found one, a sequel to the one I wrote yesterday, but it needs a little more thinking. That meant finding a different one.

It took a bit of staring, and lots of tea in hopes of waking up the brain, but I finally found one. It’s tentatively titled “Dark Circus” and set around 1872. And yet, still science fiction. Hehe, did you think it wouldn’t be? ;)

A late start and a hard Monday did not mean no words…

May 2 Wordcount: 690

Yay!

The section ended right before an action sequence, which I love to write. So, I should be set for a good session tomorrow. I can launch right into the action and adventure!

***

The challenge in question is the Forward Motion May “Story-A- Day” challenge. See my previous post about the rules. The goal is to achieve the 10 short story level.

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2011/05/surviving-a-monday-and-still-finding-words/feed/ 1 Indie Benefit: Flexibility http://jamarlow.com/2011/02/indie_benefit_flexibility/ http://jamarlow.com/2011/02/indie_benefit_flexibility/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 22:00:59 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=394 “…in the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” – Benjamin Franklin

I think that phrase needs to add, “and uncertainty.”

Life changes fast, often broad-siding us from unexpected directions. January has been a month filled with events. I won’t go into the details, but suffice to say that I’m [...]]]> “…in the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” – Benjamin Franklin

I think that phrase needs to add, “and uncertainty.”

Life changes fast, often broad-siding us from unexpected directions. January has been a month filled with events. I won’t go into the details, but suffice to say that I’m now a month behind on almost everything because of it.

And it brought to mind another benefit of going the Indie route: Flexibility.

My household had a bad month, including me personally. Choosing to go Indie meant that I could give all my attention to those events without worry of losing a contract or angering an editor. Or all the other fall-out that can occur.

Several Indie authors I’ve been following have mentioned that they try not to announce hard and fast release dates because of this sort of thing. It’s one reason I chose not to announce release dates on my first work. Instead, I gave a ball-park estimated time of year. I’ll miss the very first part of that estimation, but perhaps I can hit the latter part.

What this means is that “Night of the Aurora”, the first book in the Salmon Run series is going to be delayed at least into March. After losing January, there’s no other option. Family and health had to come first.

Life happens. I like having the flexibility to roll with it.

The good news is that in February I’ll have a couple novelettes ready to go and perhaps another short story. The novel “Into the Forest Shadows” is also almost ready.

Spring is shaping up to be an interesting release time.

_______________________________

“The E-Book Experiment” chronicles the business and creative side of an experiment with the business opportunities new technology and creative outlets now afford content producers. Will it fail? Will it succeed? The only way to know is to approach it with a solid plan and try. No regrets!

I hope the details of this journey will be a help to other authors. As the process proceeds to selling the final products I will also share hard data that might be useful in the decision making process of other authors who recognize that only they can take charge of their careers. For a listing of all the posts in this series, please click here.

If you find this information useful or interesting, please encourage others to come on by and visit.

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2011/02/indie_benefit_flexibility/feed/ 5 Publetariat’s April Hamilton Needs Help http://jamarlow.com/2010/12/publetariat-needs-help/ http://jamarlow.com/2010/12/publetariat-needs-help/#comments Sat, 18 Dec 2010 18:10:32 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=368 Publetariat is a wonder full free source of information for the Indie author/publisher community. Not only did April L. Hamilton set up a wonderful website that has helped a lot of people, but she has remained open to the community to answer questions and help newbies along as they dip their toes into the new [...]]]> Publetariat is a wonder full free source of information for the Indie author/publisher community. Not only did April L. Hamilton set up a wonderful website that has helped a lot of people, but she has remained open to the community to answer questions and help newbies along as they dip their toes into the new publishing world.

And now April needs help. 2010 has not been kind, and any show of support is needed. Please read this post. If you can help monetarily, that would be fantastic. And if not, please help spread the word.

And remember, it can easily happen in an instant to any of us.

Thank you.

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2010/12/publetariat-needs-help/feed/ 2 A Will for Writers http://jamarlow.com/2010/06/a-will-for-writers/ http://jamarlow.com/2010/06/a-will-for-writers/#comments Sat, 19 Jun 2010 00:12:02 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=289 I have never had a will. Even when I was young, this bothered me, to the point I recall once writing something out to give everything to my parents and sister in a school notebook.

Now I’m writing up a storm. If something were to happen to me, I want the benefit of my writing [...]]]> I have never had a will. Even when I was young, this bothered me, to the point I recall once writing something out to give everything to my parents and sister in a school notebook.

Now I’m writing up a storm. If something were to happen to me, I want the benefit of my writing to go where I want, and not where a court wants. With the advent of e-books and the long tail possibly going well past my lifetime, either natural or not, this is something for every writer to think seriously about.

Then Neil Gaiman posted this post along with a link to a free template.

Simple, but it will get the job done in my state until I someday come up with something better (or get to a lawyer). Oh, I am SO going to do this over the weekend!

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2010/06/a-will-for-writers/feed/ 1 Survived March! http://jamarlow.com/2010/04/survived-march/ http://jamarlow.com/2010/04/survived-march/#comments Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:13:23 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=214 Surviving a month doesn’t sound like much, but it is when you’ve been sick two months in a row. I was already run-down from being sick at the beginning of February, and then I caught the bad cold bug that’s been going around. That wiped me out! Unable to go to work for a week, [...]]]> Surviving a month doesn’t sound like much, but it is when you’ve been sick two months in a row. I was already run-down from being sick at the beginning of February, and then I caught the bad cold bug that’s been going around. That wiped me out! Unable to go to work for a week, and then it lingered.

And lingered.

It’s official, I’m sick and tired of coughing!

Only now is the coughing starting to lighten up. You know, with a cold like this, who needs the flu!?!?!

Okay, not quite true. The worst flu I’ve ever had was last November, and that one WAS worse than this cold. But the regular flu? Nah, this cold was worse.

Anyway, despite everything I did manage to finish National Novel Editing Month in March. The goal was to hit 50 hours. Somehow, and I’m not sure how, I managed to win with 94 hours. I’m still trying to figure out how I did that, but the month is lost in a haze of coughing.

Now in healing mode. Even more homemade soups with lots of veggies, an apple at every lunch, a ‘protein drink’ every morning (Not really what it is, but what we call it. Lots of stuff we mix into it). It’s going to take some time to build up again, but it all happens in little steps.

I hope your March went better!

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