A NEW WAY TO FIND GREAT BOOKS

Do you read books…sometimes?

Or do you love books? Devour books?

’Cause if you’re the devouring kind, the process of finding your next great book to read is pretty limited. Friends recommending books to each other can go a long way, but we don’t all have the same tastes. Bestseller lists and the top offerings on the landing pages of sites like Amazon just channel us all toward the same few dozen choices that a lot of strangers have been led to (by the same lists and headers). Even book awards are pretty limiting—there are always biases toward certain kinds of books (I’m not talking about “wokeness” or race, but just trendiness in general—that’s inevitable). And don’t get me started about search engines like Amazon’s or even Google’s. If you haven’t noticed by now that most of your top search results are “sponsored”, then you haven’t been paying attention. I mean, in theory Amazon’s “also bought” recommendations are supposed to be a way to say, “because you liked this you might also like this.” But I find they work about as well as those algorithms on Netflix. The ones that make me think, “are you kidding?”

So what to do?

Well, I was recently made aware of a new website that at least offers a different way of approaching the hunt for books we’ll enjoy. An “if you liked this, you might like this” method that doesn’t use algorithms but suggestions by actual humans. In fact, by authors themselves.

The site is called Shepherd.com, and their approach is that they ask authors to post about one of their own books and then recommend five other books that kind of match. By “match” I mean they might fit into a similar topic, theme, or category. And the categories can be broad or quirkily specific.

Here’s my list of “The best thriller books that combine medicine with technology.” (Pretty specific, right?)

The idea is that if you like my SF thriller The Primus Labyrinth about using nanotechnology to travel through the bloodstream of a VIP facing death, you should check out these other five books, or vice versa. The books on my list aren’t new. Some are really old. But a great book is a great book. Maybe the pleasure you’ll get isn’t from discovering something new but remembering a classic you loved.

Sure, it’s a way for authors to promote their own books, as well, but the recommendations are sincere. We loved these books, you might too, especially if the topic or theme is one that really grabs you. The site even offers links to previews and retailers where you can buy the recommended books (especially Bookshop.org, which supports smaller independent bookstores).

Shepherd.com is a work in progress but growing quickly. It already has searchable separate topic pages featuring, for example, the best books about technology or medicine or dinosaurs, all recommended by other authors. You have to admit that, as a group, authors are pretty discerning and committed to books, so their recommendations ought to be worth something. But don’t just view my list, take the search engine out for a spin. Just plan to spend some time—it can be addictive.

And there’s a really good chance you’ll find your next favourite book.

THE LAUNCH DAY BLUES (AND HAPPIER SONGS)

In my newsletter I called it “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”. Alas, the launch of my newest novel Augment Nation did not go smoothly.

Two technical issues with Amazon/Kindle Direct Publishing, panicked waiting for books and book bags, a 2-week postponement, the coldest, wettest day of the Fall (at an outdoor market!) and the ensuing three-weeks-and-still-going battle with a wicked virus, all added up to a launch that’s been memorable in all the worst ways. Mind you my virtual book launch only had a few rough spots and I invite you to take a look here, so thanks to my author buddy Mark Leslie Lefebvre for hosting it for me.

None of this changes the fact that Augment Nation is a good book, and the response by readers has been very gratifying. So that’s the bright side. And there’s other happy news, too.

I recently hired Creative Edge Publicity to help me get the word out about my books, and this season has turned into a very busy one. So if you’d like to get to know about me in a lot more detail, here are some of my appearances so far:

Heather Weidner’s popular blog on November 3rd.

J.M. Northup’s comprehensive website November 4th

I had a great conversation with Alan R. Warren and David North-Martino for NBC’s House of Mystery radio show scheduled for broadcast at 9:00 pm Pacific time on Nov. 9th, live-streamed and then posted on the website. (It was a lot of fun.)

I’ll be interviewed in the Literary Tribune November 25th (for North American readers).

I’ll be featured in the December issue of the Books n Pieces e-zine, another excellent place to read all about new books.

And I’ve been invited to guest on the Blasters and Blades podcast as soon as we can schedule it.

There’s more to come, so I’ll be taking my Geritol and babying my vocal cords, but I’m loving it. The more readers I can reach, and tell them about my books, the happier I’ll be. I hope you’ll check out some of the above sites and keep watching this space for updates.

I think all my books are worth your time and money, but I think Augment Nation will carve new territory and get people talking. I hope you’ll read it and help me spread the word.

PERSONAL PROGRESS WHILE THE WORLD'S ON HOLD

By now, no one expects anything very “normal” from the year 2020. The past few months have seen me spending most of my time building and doing repairs on the cabins and sheds of the property where I live. That might be normal for some, but I’m a writer for a reason—the only power tool I’m proficient with is a computer! Each day is like a new comedy of errors.

Outside my little domain the world at large is still turning, but in fits and starts. I’m sure parts of your life feel “on hold” while the coronavirus pandemic rages. Even so, things happen. Developments arise.

A lot of the interesting stuff in my life and career recently is thanks to my longtime writer friend Mark Leslie Lefebvre (who writes as Mark Leslie). He’s been keeping me busier than I’d otherwise be, first by recruiting me to be the narrator of his A Canadian Werewolf In New York series, which includes not only the full novel of that name, but also the origin story One Time Around and the sequel novella Stowe Away. They relate the adventures of Michael Andrews, bestselling author and transplanted Canadian in the Big Apple who also happens to be a werewolf, which gives him superhuman abilities in the days around a full moon. When Mark decided to produce new editions of the stories, including audiobook versions, I was happy that he thought of me. Mind you, I was a career radio show host for more than 30 years, and I’ve recorded lots of audiobook-related material. Along with my current writing career, I work as a freelance voice talent.

Mark was not only thrilled by the result but inspired to knuckle down and finish writing the next book in the series. As a lifelong voice talent and book lover, narrating audiobooks is a perfect fit for me, and I urge you to check out Mark’s stuff. (http://markleslie.ca/bibliography/) He’s also publishing another anthology of short fiction called Obsessions from some great writers, and I’ve narrated a couple of stories for it too.

But the voice work wasn’t our only collaboration. Mark and I are both from the city of Sudbury in Ontario, Canada, and both of us learned a lot about writing from fellow Sudburian Sean Costello, a writer of internationally successful horror and thriller fiction often compared to Stephen King. Last month Mark came to us with the brilliant idea of publishing a small collection of stories from the three of us. It’s a treat (no trick) for me to be published with these friends and talented writers, and just in time for Halloween too. Strange Sudbury Stories features ghosts, monsters, and the supernatural, as well as some dark science fiction tales from me. It’s now available in ebook format, with print editions coming any day now (http://books2read.com/strangesudburystories), and if I know Mark, he probably has an audiobook version in mind.

Recording audiobooks for Mark has shamed me into recording audio versions of some more of my own work, so the first example is an audiobook edition of my three-story anthology called BEYOND: The Stars: three exciting stories of space travel.

A solo pilot in deep space risks losing his sanity when his ship is invaded by disembodied thoughts.

A marathon runner on a dangerous desert planet discovers that it may not be uninhabited after all.

The crew of a survey ship encounters a powerful being with an injury that will test their every belief.

Previously only available as an e-book, you can now listen to BEYOND: The Stars in your car, on your bike, or wherever you like. It’s in the pipeline and will be available any day now wherever you buy your audiobooks.

All of this hasn’t left me much time to write, but I have sent a novel manuscript off to my frequent editor in the hope that we can whip it into shape for publication in 2021. I don’t know about you, but I see way too much writing that’s just plain bad because the authors didn’t work with an editor. So I refuse to do that, even though it means I can’t crank out half a dozen books a year. I hope you’ll feel that my books are worth the wait. The SF-thriller The Primus Labyrinth is available everywhere and is being compared to Michael Crichton’s work (one of the greatest compliments you could give me). The next one is an alien contact tale that’s almost like a superhero origin story. I can’t wait for you to see it.

In the meantime, I can’t say I’m looking forward to Winter, but at least the snow will bring an end to my construction attempts and give my battered thumbs a rest!

THAT'S ME IN THE (D2D) SPOTLIGHT

I don’t do a lot of interviews. As a career radio show host I did hundreds, but always as the one asking the questions. It’s different being on the other end of things, but my friend Mark Leslie Lefebvre, writer of horror fiction and spooky non-fiction, also works for the book distribution service Draft2Digital and invited me to be his guest in the live-streamed D2D Spotlight. The spotlight features interviews with authors and other people in many areas of the publishing industry.

We had a great chat about my radio career, how it led to my first novel Dead Air, and my transition to science fiction writer, with a whole lot of other ground covered along the way. So if you want to know what it’s like to work toward a career as a writer, or about recording audiobooks (I do that too), or you’re just interested in learning more about me, have a look on YouTube or on Facebook .

And thanks to Mark who’s not only a great guy but also a generous interviewer.

(Note To Self: Next time don’t do it under bright sunlight without a soft-focus lens!)

CAN NOVEL RESEARCH AFFECT YOUR DIET?

Writers don’t just make up everything we write out of thin air. Even most fantasy writers do research, I’m sure. Whether it’s historical facts, geographical details, social context, fashion, scientific principles, or the average velocity of a sneeze…we like to get stuff right when we include it in a story.

The internet is an absolute godsend when it comes to doing research, but it can take you to weird places. And I’m not talking about the category of sites that start with P and end with –orn. I just mean that, well, research can end up affecting your life.

A case in point: a lot of the novel I’m currently writing is set in New York City. I don’t live there, and have never yet been there, but thanks to Google Maps and Streetview I can go virtually anywhere in the city, describe the trees, the buildings, the view in the distance. I can watch videos of people who’ve gone skydiving on Long Island and have my characters do that. And when the people in the book feel the need to grab a bite, I can find a good restaurant for them and check out the menu to see what they’d like (I don’t even have to leave a tip!) The characters in this novel are vegetarian, so that poses an extra challenge but certainly not a difficult one.

The other day I had the need to place a dinner scene. The characters were on the east side of Midtown Manhattan. Walking, not driving. Vegetarian. One was also Asian. After scrutiny of a few menus of real restaurants (by me, not them) they wound up at a Korean place. It happens that I like Korean food. One ordered Bibimbap. My mouth started to water. The next thing I knew I was looking up recipes and phoning my wife to bring home the ingredients we didn’t have on hand. Bibimbap was not only on the menu in my story but also in my kitchen that night. The picture above is our actual result. What’s more, it lived up to my expectations. I can’t always say that about my literary output for the day.

I hope I never have to eat my words. But if I occasionally get a dinner idea from one of my characters, I say bring it on.

Now if I can just resist looking up flights to New York.

THE FUTURE OF THE WRITTEN WORD IS HARD TO CALL

Predicting the future with any accuracy is hard. Predicting the future of the written word…I hardly want to venture a guess. Maybe that’s because it’s too close to my heart.

I attended a conference of the Canadian Authors Association this past weekend. It was richly enjoyable and inspiring, as always. You’d expect writers to attend conferences to learn how to perfect our craft, and that’s certainly true. Yet these days there are just as many presentations about how to get published, how to get an agent, and how to market our books. In other words, the business side of writing. We’re writers—business stuff isn’t our strong suit. But if our writing can’t support us financially, we have to find other employment and either give up writing entirely, or only bring out a new book every five or ten years while we earn a living some other way. Combine a full-time job plus all of the business aspects of writing these days, and we’re lucky to get a book out to an audience of readers at all.

The advent of ebooks has turned the publishing industry on its ear, and it’s also messing up the money thing. An ebook doesn’t require cutting down trees, slapping on ink and glue, and trucking the end result to the corners of the continent, so obviously an ebook shouldn’t cost anything close to the price of a printed one. Right? Well, those thousands of words take just as many months or years to cobble together whether they get to the reader in the form of symbols on a page or pixels on a screen. The same goes for any editorial work required, cover art, or marketing to let potential fans know the book exists. But the more people get used to paying $2.99 for an ebook, the less money will enter the system to pay for all of those things. At the same time, publishers are becoming less and less willing to risk their money on any but their stable of bestselling authors, a state of affairs that unavoidably takes its toll on variety and originality.

Whether you read from a page or a screen, there are some truths about the written word that seem self-evident to me:

• When writers can turn their full attention to writing they can produce better books and more of them.
• The more writing a writer does, the better they get.
• The way to get more of the books we most enjoy is to enable writers to devote more of their time to what they do best.

What can you do as a reader? Be willing to pay a reasonable price for something that brings you hours of enjoyment, and maybe even some real insight that can last you a lifetime. Rely on your taste for good writing instead of your taste for a bargain. Support the writers you like by buying their books.

I don’t know if, a hundred years from now, we’ll be reading from screens, or holographic letters in the air, or flashes of light on the insides of our eyelids. I do know that if we don’t support the best of our storytellers, the physical format of the stories won’t much matter.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ

When we writers create a work of fiction we want it to have an impact. We want readers to identify with the characters, and in most cases we have an important theme or message we want to get across that, we hope, will stay with the reader for years to come.

I decided some time ago that fiction really all comes down to character. Novels that are heavy on plot but light on character might be entertaining reads while they last (Dan Brown’s books come to mind), but probably won’t stick with you. If the characters are really minimal, the book will flop—the reader can’t identify with the protagonist so they won’t much care what happens to them.

A recent study claims that fictional characters can change our lives.

Researchers Geoff Kaufman of Dartmouth College and Lisa Libby of Ohio State University believed that novel readers vicariously experience what the character in a good novel goes through. So much so, that we may begin to behave more like the character. They mention the example of Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird. If you strongly bonded with Atticus while reading the book, you might focus more on ethical behavior in your own life (unfortunately, the reverse could be true if you’re deeply immersed in a book about a charismatic serial killer!) Kaufman and Libby ran test subjects through a number of creative scenarios that showed this kind of behavior alteration, but they don’t know how long the effect lasts (you can read more about their research here. Still, they believe that books we love enough to read and re-read will likely make a lasting impact on our lives.

One other interesting note: Kaufman says this phenomenon only applies to written works because when we’re watching a movie or TV show we’re positioned as spectators. It’s only while reading that we truly imagine ourselves as the character and therefore act accordingly.

For my fellow writers this is both a responsibility and an opportunity. Let’s make the most of it!

THINGS I LEARNED: PART TWO

Just spending time with other authors you can learn a lot, especially the ways other writers do things (which will almost always give you ideas about your own work). But here are a few more tips I picked up from the scheduled presentations at this year’s Canadian Authors Association conference.

These days, you need to develop an online presence in every way you can, but before you do, make sure you understand your personal brand: who you are, what you do, and what makes you unique. Then stamp that brand everywhere you can on the web. (Thanks to Dawn Boshcoff.)

Read and follow a publisher’s submission guidelines to the letter, every time. Otherwise you’re asking to be rejected—they’re too busy to bend their own rules. Along with your publishing credits, publishers do want to know that you belong to professional organizations (like the C.A.A.) and smaller writing circles—it shows you work at your craft and take it seriously. (Thanks to Anne Judd.)

When trying to create fresh, original, and authentic dialogue don’t use filler words like well, oh, like, or you know. But maybe do try the “Law & Order” dialogue style: when the L & O cops are interviewing witnesses, the witnesses carry on with what they’re doing, sometimes even with other conversations. That’s realistic and automatically prevents long speeches. Just don’t overdo it. (Thanks to Matt Bin.)

You don’t have to sell your poetry for $10 a crack, or even give it away. With some creative thought, you can find nearly endless ways to market it in the form of everything from bookmarks to fridge magnets to framed decorative photos. (Thanks to Jean Kay.)

When doing a public reading of your work, or giving a presentation, relaxation and vocal exercises beforehand can make a world of difference. And don’t be concerned about a case of the “butterflies”—they don’t represent stage fright, but excitement, and that adrenaline can be channeled to make for a vibrant and compelling performance. (Thanks to Ben Nuttall-Smith.)

And last of all (for now) every serious writer acknowledges that, above all, you need to put your butt in the chair and keep it there. Eliminate all distractions and do the work. That’s the way, the only way, to succeed in this crazy business.



A FEW THINGS I LEARNED AT THE CONFERENCE

In my last post I talked about writers conferences being valuable for what you can learn, so I thought I’d pass along a small (and pretty random) sampling of some of the tips I picked up at the recent annual conference of the Canadian Authors Association.

More than one presenter pointed out that writers need to read and write. This seems like the most obvious and unnecessary advice, but so many writers still don’t get it. If you aren’t reading everything you can get your hands on in your chosen genre, you can’t know what’s already been done (so you don’t repeat it and come a poor second), nor what publishers are looking for. You need to read good writing and bad writing—often you can learn more from the bad, because it’s too hard to see the method behind good writing. It looks like magic. And you can’t get away with only writing when the muse inspires you. Writing is a craft—you have to write every day to keep your skills sharp, in the same way that professional musicians and athletes need to practice every day. When they don’t, their performance suffers. Why would writing be any different?

Especially with a novel, the more thoroughly you outline the plot and characters, the easier the writing process will be. Barbara Kyle spends six months outlining her novels! The benefit is that the actual writing might only take her four months. And since she plans every major scene, she can not only see if a change in the order of the scenes would improve the story, but also make those changes much more easily than can be done with a written manuscript. There are lots of other benefits, too.

If inspiration is a problem, try doing completely new things that are out of your comfort zone, like studying an exotic language, or learning ballroom dancing. Our brains make connections in strange ways sometimes.

To clarify your writing (and other) goals, try writing your own obituary, and then work backward from there to make it come true. Only make sure that it’s true to your own life and circumstances—write your obituary, not Stephen King’s. (Both of the above tips thanks to Lynne M. Smelser.)

To keep this in digestible portion size, I’ll save some tasty morsels of advice for next time.



THE CASE FOR CONFERENCES

Lots of writers are members of writing groups or larger organizations. Based on my own experience, relatively few attend annual conferences, retreats, and extended workshops. After all, once you factor in the registration fees, accommodation, food, and travel costs, they can be expensive. And they may require you to take time off from your ‘day job’. All good excuses to beg off and stay at home. So why should you go to a writers conference?

This past weekend, I took in the Canadian Authors Association’s annual CanWrite conference in Grand Bend, Ontario. Although I wasn’t there for the full retreat (a new element this year), the participants benefitted from the wisdom of award-winning short-story writer Sandi Plewis and highly-successful novelist Barbara Kyle in half-day workshops, plus shorter seminars from the likes of New Media specialist Dawn Boshcoff, writer/trainer Lynne M. Smelser, and freelance editor Jodie Renner. They heard the perspective of small press publisher Anne Judd, and independent bookstore owner Mary Brown. They picked up tips from fellow CAA members like Ben Nuttall-Smith, Jean Kay, Robert W. Mackay, Bernice Lever, Anthony Dalton, and Matthew Bin. And that’s just the organized presentations. So obviously one reason to attend conferences is the number and variety of educational opportunities they offer. Every writer wants to improve their craft. I don’t plan to stop learning until the day I die (in fact, hopefully the next level of existence will be really interesting, too!)

But equally important and valuable is the companionship conferences offer. I think every writer needs to regularly spend time surrounded by other writers, if only to keep our sanity. No-one else has a clue about the writing experience: the heartaches and the joys, the madness and the inspiration. Not friends; not family. Only other writers can really give you the encouragement and support you need to continue in such a daunting path—and it’s just plain enjoyable to be around them.

A third reason is to support organizations (like the CAA) that support you and your career, with information and a broad range of services. They also give a strong voice to the writing community, something that certainly becomes important when big issues come up (like the Copyright Bill C-32).

Let’s not forget that most writers have other jobs and hectic lives, and a retreat or conference can kick-start your creative juices again—think of it as life-giving medicine for your career, ignored at your peril. But a getaway like that can also be a reward, and you deserve it. Writing is a lonely and difficult pursuit. In the case of this weekend’s conference, Grand Bend is a beautiful spot, and the people at the Pine Dale Motor Inn were terrific hosts, highly recommended.

Start out small, if you have to—find a conference or retreat or multi-day workshop close to home and try it out. Your career will thank you. You might even be able to say goodbye to your shrink.