Posts Tagged ‘publishing’

#FirstLineFriday

Posted: June 2, 2016 in Novel, Writing
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It’s Friday, so you know what that means. It’s #FirstLineFriday! Also, it’s a week till my birthday! I’ll be twenty-three years old. Wow. Twenty-three. And what have I done with my life?

Anyway, if you don’t know what #FirstLineFriday is, let me break it down for you. On Fridays, you:

  1. Create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
  2. Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
  3. Post the first one or two lines of a possible story, a story in progress, or a completed or published work.
  4. Ask your readers for feedback and encourage them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).

This week’s entry is obvious. I’m doing the first lines of Video Rage, which came out two days ago. And I know what you’re thinking. “Didn’t he already do Video Rage a while back?” Yeah, but it’s my blog, and I do what I want here. Enjoy:

The sunbaked concrete and metal shimmered in the hundred-plus degree heat, the many cars and trucks reflecting light off their chrome bodies like blinding beasts zooming down the highway. As truckers listened to country and rock music and children played video games on the backs of their parents’ car seats, some occasionally looked out to see a marvel of the modern world on the road.

Thoughts? Let’s discuss in the comments below.

And if you’re interested, why not try #FirstLineFriday on your own blog? It’s a lot of fun, simple to do, and it makes for great practice with openings for stories. In fact, I think I’ll tag someone just to show them how fun it is. Let’s see…I choose Damyanti Biswas of Daily (write). Congrats Damyanti, you’ve been tagged. Please do your own #FirstLineFriday either today or next week. Good luck, and have fun with it.

Also, if you’re interested in reading either Video Rage or Reborn City, the first book in the series, I’ll include the links at the end of this post.It’s the story of a street gang in a dystopian futuristic city-state and the mysterious connection between the gang’s superpowered leaders and the city’s powerful leaders. The novels contain themes of prejudice, drug addiction, and overcoming what others think of you.

And if you do decide to read the books, please let me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love feedback, and it improves my skills as a writer knowing what people liked or didn’t like.

That’s all for now. I’m planning on having dinner with friends tonight, and if I can get up on time, I’ll go to an ice cream social tomorrow at my synagogue (Saturday mornings are hard for me). I hope you guys have a good one as well. Until next time, my Followers of Fear.

Reborn City:  Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo

Video Rage: Amazon, Kindle, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo

Building a Fictional World (Guest Post by Rami Ungar)

Posted: June 1, 2016 in Reflections, Writing
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I was honored by my friend and colleague, Ruth Ann Nordin, to do a guest post on her blog in honor of the publication of Video Rage. The post is about building worlds in fiction, and has some tips I hope people find very useful. Check it out, and leave your thoughts in the comments.
And thanks again to Ruth for letting me do this. I hope we can work together again sometime.

Ruth Ann Nordin's avatarRuth Ann Nordin's Author Blog

Quick note from yours truly:

I’ve never had a post about world building before, so I’m really excited to feature someone who is excellent at this storytelling technique.  Rami Ungar is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and if you enjoy thrillers and/or horror, why not check out one of the books listed below this post?

Thank you, Rami, for doing this post for this blog!

Now for Rami’s post:

Building a Fictional World

Setting is one of the most important aspects of writing any story, especially speculative fiction such as fantasy, science fiction, and horror. In many ways, the setting of a story is another character, because it interacts with the characters on almost every level of the story. Doesn’t matter whether it’s modern-day Columbus, Ohio, or Victorian England, or the moons of Jupiter, or the fantastical land across the waters that elves come from. One can’t…

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Video Rage is Now Available

Posted: June 1, 2016 in Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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VR CS front cover

It’s finally happening! It’s finally happened! It’s finally out!

I’m sorry, but this is a big deal for me. After a lot of writing and editing and marketing and just plain waiting, Video Rage, the sequel to Reborn City and the second book in the Reborn City series, is finally available.

I know, very exciting stuff, right?

Now if you’re unfamiliar with the Reborn City series, the trilogy follows Zahara Bakur, a Sunni Muslim girl living in the dystopian city of Reborn City, who is forced to join the West Reborn Hydras, a rising street gang in the city’s projects whose leaders seem to have amazing powers and abilities. As Zahara becomes entrenched in the gang life and grows close to some of the other Hydras, including quiet and grim leader Rip, she becomes embroiled in a conspiracy involving the Hydra leadership and the mysterious Parthenon Company that rules over Reborn City. She and her friends will have to band together if they are to survive what is in store for them.

In the second book of the Reborn City series, (SPOILERS!) Zahara and the rest of the Hydras–Rip, Ilse, Alto, Rico, Miguel, Owl, Fox, Iori, and Kevlar–are on the run from the Parthenon Company and its insidious CEO, Jason Price. Branded as terrorists and hunted by every law enforcement agency on the North American continent, the Hydras have to band together to survive. Not everyone will survive what’s to come, and tensions will rise in the group as new friends and old enemies appear to change the course of their lives. If they manage to survive it all, the Hydras may not only overcome what fate has in store for them, but also find hope in the most unlikely of places. (End of SPOILERS!)

If you’re interested in getting the second book, or you’re curious and want to pick up the first book, I’ll include the links below. The ebooks are available for ninety-nine cents for both books through the end of the month, while the paperbacks are available for differing prices depending on book and what site you get it from. And if you decide to read the books, please let me know what you think of them. Positive or negative, I love feedback from my readers, and it helps me as a writer to hear what you think of my stories.

That’s all for now. I’m going to go celebrate the latest book in my bibliography finally getting published. Thanks to everyone who’s supported me and helped me get this far with the story, and another thank you to everyone who’s going to read this story and (hopefully) enjoy it. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear!

Reborn City:  Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo

Video Rage:  Amazon, Kindle, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iBooks,Smashwords, and Kobo.

Sunday Surprise

Posted: May 29, 2016 in Character Interviews, Novel, Writing
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What’s better than one character interview in one day? Two! While Rip’s getting interviewed on the blog, Zahara’s getting interviewed by another fictional character on the blog Creative Barbwire, hosted by fellow novelist Barbara G. Tarn. Definitely check it out, especially if you haven’t read Reborn City yet.

Barb's avatarBarbara G.Tarn - writer

Hi guys,

I’m Samantha and I come from another world – the original, old Silvery Earth, where people are immortal and never grow up. When I’m not switching bodies at will, I travel to other universes, especially books or movies. That’s how I met Rajveer the vampire, for example!

So, I’m taking over the interviews on this blog! And here I am, meeting people from other books/universes/whatever!

RC coverWelcome, guest! Tell me a little about yourself!

Hi, my name is Zahara Bakur. I’m fifteen years old, and I’m from New York City. I’m a Sunni Muslim, and I’m supposed to be entering my senior year of high school, but…well, things are complicated right now.

I don’t know why, but things on Earth are always complicated… *snort* Describe your appearance in ten words or less.

Average height and weight, light-brown skin, blonde hair (it used to be brown). Sorry, that’s longer…

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Character Interview: Rip from “Video Rage”

Posted: May 28, 2016 in Character Interviews, Novel, Writing
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VR CS front cover

Last time I visited with Zahara Bakur, the protagonist of Video Rage, to talk about what’s been happening since she left Reborn City. This weekend though, I’m visiting with the Reborn City series’s male lead, the quiet and gruff Rip. I’m a little nervous, because the last time I met Rip he tried to kill me, but I’m sure we’ll get along this time.

If not, I left my will underneath one of the couch cushions, and I want my instructions for the funeral followed to the letter! We’re doing that procession New Orleans-style, with lots of jazz and fanfare! And if that doesn’t happen, my ghost WILL HAUNT YOU!

So without further ado, let’s get started!

Notes and Stats:
Sex: Male
Age: Unknown (believed to be between ages 16-18)
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Birthday: Unknown
Eye color: Grey
Hair color: Dyed brown (grey prior to dyeing, brown prior to turning grey).
Religion: Agnostic bordering on atheist.
Affiliation: West Reborn Hydras
Special Powers/Abilities: Able to create neon-green claws using specialized glands in his knuckles capable of cutting through most substances. Skilled fighter in street and military combat. Average hoverbike rider.
Notes from the Author: In fiction, characters often go on a journey of emotional and psychological growth as well as on a physical journey from Point A to Point B. In Reborn City, Rip’s journey involved his relationship with Zahara. In Video Rage, Rip’s journey is a bit more complicated. Although he’s very tough and strong, in many ways he’s still immature and has room to grow. In this book, he’ll have to make some very tough decisions and learn from some mistakes that have far-reaching consequences. I’m looking forward to seeing how people react to this aspect of the story.

RU: Hey Rip! Long time no see.

Rip: Oh no, not you again.

RU: Happy to see you too. So Rip, these days you and the other Hydras are still on the run from Parthenon. What has that been like for you?

Rip: It’s a fuckin’ pain in the ass.

RU: Care to elaborate on that?

Rip: Not really.

RU: Why not?

Rip: Because I’m fuckin’ tired an’ stressed.

RU: Dude, that’s your life every day.

Rip: Well, it’s worse these days.

RU: I bet. Top of the Most Wanted list. Every law enforcement agency on the North American continent looking for you. Most are being encouraged to kill rather than capture.

Rip: All while sittin’ on a fuckin’ hoverbike an av’rij of twelve hours a day.

RU: Here, have this.

Rip: What’s this?

RU: Pre-war soda. Trust me, they don’t make them like this anymore.

Rip: They barely make ’em at all. Mm. Not bad.

RU: Look Rip, I know you’re a busy guy–

Rip: That’s an understatement.

RU: So just answer me one question and I’ll let you go. What do you hope to happen if you manage to get away from Parthenon and all your pursuers?

Rip: I doan know. I guess I just want us all to live in peace. ‘Specially Zahara. She puts up a strong front an’ she’s braver than she used to be, but a girl like that doan deserve a gangsta’s life. She deserves a quiet life. An’ I’m gonna try to give it to her.

RU: I wish you luck with that. Hoka hey, Rip.

Rip: Ho-what now?

RU: You’ll find out soon enough.

Remember folks, Video Rage is available from all retailers June 1st (that’s Wednesday if you don’t have a calendar). Right now, it’s available for pre-order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo. And you can still get the first book, Reborn City, from those same sites.

All for now. If anything comes up, I’ll make sure to let you know. Until next time, my Followers of Fear!

#FirstLineFriday

Posted: May 27, 2016 in Writing
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It’s Friday, so you know what that means. It’s #FirstLineFriday! And it’s the 52nd #FirstLineFriday on this blog, a full year of doing these posts. That’s either an achievement to be admired or cause to worry about how I spend my life. I hope it’s the first one.

So if you’re unfamiliar with what #FirstLineFriday is, let me explain it to you. On Fridays, you:

  1. Create a post on your blog entitled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
  2. Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
  3. Post the first one or two lines of a potential work, a work-in-progress, or a completed or published work.
  4. Invite feedback from your readers and encourage them to try #FirstLIneFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).

This week is another entry that doesn’t belong to any particular story. I’ve been turning over this idea for a potential novel in my head, so this could be a potential opening for it, but even if it isn’t, it would make a great opening to some story, I’m sure. Enjoy:

The grind and roar of heavy machines was loud enough to be heard outside the factory, but within the workers were barely aware of it. Not that they didn’t know there were machines making loud noises around them, they were just so used to the noise that they hardly noticed it anymore.

Thoughts? Errors in writing it out? Let’s discuss.

And while you’re at it, why not try #FirstLineFriday yourself on your own blog? It’s easy, fun, and for storytellers it’s a great way to try new openings. In fact, I think I’ll tag someone. Let’s see…I choose Richard Leis! Congrats, you get to do a #FirstLineFriday post this week or next. Have fun and make sure to link back to me when you do.

That’s all for now. Expect more posts from me this weekend. After all, only five days till Video Rage comes out! Have a great weekend, my Followers of Fear, and I’ll see you next time.

Video Rage: One Week Till the Release

Posted: May 25, 2016 in Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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VR CS front cover

It’s May 25th, which means there’s one week till Video Rage comes out. I know, right? So close, how exciting! I have to admit, it’s been a crazy process getting this book out, but I’m glad that it’ll be out soon for all to read (and maybe review?).

Now, if you’re unfamiliar with Video Rage (and you must be really new here if you are, because it seems I talk about nothing else lately), it’s the sequel to my first novel Reborn City, and the second book in the Reborn City series, a science fiction trilogy about Zahara Bakur, a Muslim teenager who finds herself forced to join an up-and-coming street gang called the Hydras after the death of her parents. The gang’s leaders all seem to have mysterious abilities and powers, and to add to the weirdness, the city’s leaders have a strange interest in the small gang as well. When the truth is revealed, Zahara and her friends will have to band together if they are to survive the forces set up against them.

The first book came out back in November 2013, and it’s taken nearly three years to get the second book out (in my defense, I had school and work and a whole bunch of other stuff slowing down the process). But through it all, the writing and editing and re-editing and so much else, I’ve had you guys, my readers, my Followers of Fear, cheering me on. I’m so glad to have you and I hope you really enjoy reading the second book once it comes out.

And speaking of which, if you’re interested in reading either book, the first book’s already out and the second’s available for preorder. Both are available for ninety-nine cents in e-book format, which I hope meets everyone’s budgets (paperback varies between books and sites). Links are listed below, so you can check it out from your preferred format or retailer. And if you do end up getting a copy of Reborn City and/or Video Rage and you read it, I hope you’ll let me know what you think of the books. Positive or negative, I love feedback from my readers, whether it’s in a comment on this blog or in an Amazon review (plus it helps me improve as a writer to know what works and what doesn’t work).

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Expect a lot more posts from me in the coming week, with maybe half of them being out Video Rage (yeah, I’m a dedicated advertiser when it comes to my own work). Until next time!

Reborn City:  Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo

Video Rage:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks,Smashwords, and Kobo.

Character Interview: Zahara Bakur from “Video Rage”

Posted: May 22, 2016 in Character Interviews, Novel, Writing
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VR CS front cover

Hey all! How are you this fine weekend?

With Video Rage coming out in ten days, it’s time to do something I do every time I have a new book coming out: interview my characters. And who best to interview first than the protagonist, Zahara Bakur? After all, she was my first interviewee for Reborn City, so it makes sense that she would be the first for Video Rage as well. She’s also one of my favorite characters, which is even more reason for me to interview her first.

So without further ado, let’s get started!

Notes and Stats:
Sex: Female
Age: 15
Race/Ethnicity: Arab
Birthday: August 31
Eye color: Brown
Hair color: Brown (used to be dyed blonde, but she’s gone back to her natural color lately)
Religion: Sunni Muslim
Affiliation: West Reborn Hydras
Special Abilities/Powers: No special superpowers, but she is a prodigy when it comes to riding hoverbikes.
Notes from the Author: In the first book, Zahara was very timid and unsure of herself. She was also very adverse to violence. She’s still very adverse to violence, but having survived several violent events, she’s better able to keep it together when there’s trouble. Add in the fact that she’s a natural hoverbike rider, and she’s gained some confidence. I think part of the fun of Zahara is that you do get to see her grow in confidence throughout the series, and that affects her role in the story. At first she’s scared often and usually gets relegated to the sidelines, but as time goes on she becomes braver and takes center stage more and more. That, if you ask me, is my favorite type of protagonist.

RU: Hello again, Zahara. It’s been a while.

ZB: You again! Where am I now?

RU: Zahara, you left Reborn City a few weeks ago. Please tell us what’s happened to you since then.

ZB: Well, we’ve been screwed over, that’s what!

RU: Whoa, temper!

ZB: Well, sorry! I’m just upset, okay? Parthenon tried to have us all killed, and when their plans–and their building!–go kaboom, they turn us into terrorists! Just because I’m a Muslim, they make us into the new al-Qaida and send the whole world after us! Seriously!

RU: Oh yeah, the world you live in isn’t exactly nice to Muslims, is it?

ZB: No, it’s not. We thought before we could get to New York and find some safety, but with the whole “terrorist” label, that plan’s out. We’re just trying to find a safe place now. We don’t know where that is, so we’re just going, and hoping by the time we’ve put enough distance between us and Parthenon, we’ll know where a safe place is.

RU: What are you guys doing to keep yourselves from getting caught?

ZB: A lot. We’ve changed our appearances, for one thing. My hair’s back to its natural color for the first time in years–

RU: I’ve noticed. It’s very nice.

ZB: Thank you. Rip’s also changed his hair, he dyed it back to what he says was its original color. It looks very nice. And Owl wears sunglasses, and we’ve all stopped wearing black clothes, and we’ve even removed our tattoos! Those last two were huge giveaways, so they had to go. Still, it was a big deal for the other Hydras. The clothes and the tattoos were an important part of their identities.

RU: Not yours?

ZB: Well, I’m glad to be rid of the tattoo, and the clothes did make me warmer than is good during the summer. But…

RU: But?

ZB: I may not have the tattoos or the clothes, but I’m hunted. I’m hated. And people expect the worse of me without even knowing me. I’m just like the other Hydras, in that way. And I’m with them till the end, good or bad. Inshaallah, it’ll be a good one.

RU: I wish you the best of luck with that one.

Well, that’s all for now. Remember, Video Rage will be available June 1st from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo. You can also get the first book, Reborn City, from those same sites.

Join us next Sunday when we meet Rip again. I seriously hope he doesn’t try to kill me. He didn’t seem to like me the last time we met. But then again, if he does kill me, there goes the Anno Bombus universe, which means the end of his existence…and I’m thinking about this too much.

Have a good one, my Followers of Fear!

Two Weeks Till Video Rage is Released!!!

Posted: May 18, 2016 in Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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VR CS front cover

Hello Internet! How are you these days? I’m awfully busy! In between filling out the final requirements so I can take up this new job, and prepping to move into a new apartment nearby (I got a sweet deal on a new one-bedroom pad. It’s going to be awesome!), I’ve been up to something or other at most hours. And when I’m not doing either of those, I’ve been trying to enter into a contract with demonic entities to ensure I rise to power working on making sure Video Rage gets out on time and that everybody knows about it.

Now in two weeks we will see the release of Video Rage, the epic sequel to my first novel Reborn City. If you’re unfamiliar with Reborn City (which would surprise me, because I seem to talk about nothing else lately), it’s a science fiction story about street gangs in a dystopian city-state in humanity’s future, and the connection between the leaders of a rising gang known as the Hydras, the leaders’ amazing powers and abilities, and the shadowy corporation that rules over Reborn City. The first book contains themes of gang violence, prejudice, drug addiction, and overcoming negative perceptions of oneself.

The second book will continue soon after where the first book left off, as the Hydras try to escape old enemies and deal with tensions within the group, trying to find hope within the most unlikely of places and people. If you liked the first book, I think you’ll get plenty out of Video Rage.

Well, that’s enough plugging for now. I’ll be releasing a character interview soon, so keep your eyes out for that. If you would like to pre-order Video Rage, or if you would like to check out Reborn City before it comes out, the links are down below. I’m off to make sure that the release goes off without a hitch. Wish me luck, my Followers of Fear!

Links for Reborn City:  Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo

Links for Video Rage:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks,Smashwords, and Kobo.

All the Links For My Books Are Up!!!

Posted: May 14, 2016 in Living and Life, Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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It’s finally happened, my Followers of Fear. My books are on all the platforms I meant to get them on. It took longer than I wanted or expected, but it’s happened.

To be honest, all it really required was to fix and format the books I had on Smashwords. They have such strict standards, so strict it can be difficult to get it right. I had to actually hire someone to format the books for me, and only then could I get Premium status for those books and then get them distributed to the other sites. It was worth it, though. I realize there are plenty of people who don’t use Amazon or Smashwords, and maybe a few of them want to read my books. I should’ve gotten my books onto those other platforms much because of that much earlier than that, but I guess now’s as good a time as ever.

I also got The Quiet Game and Reborn City on Barnes & Noble in paperback. However, I was unable to get Snake and Video Rage on that site though. The latter is because Createspace doesn’t do pre-orders, on Amazon or on the sites it distributes to. However, Snake I could get on B&N but didn’t. The reason for that is because when you use the distribution options on Createspace, it brings up the cost of the book. And in the case of Snake, which is already a pretty expensive paperback (at least on my budget), if I used the distribution options the price would be too expensive. So expensive that I don’t think anyone would buy a copy.

So I would rather Snake‘s paperback version be available only on the one platform but be affordable rather than have it on multiple platforms but nobody could afford the book. Call me crazy, but I want my readers to be able to get their hands on my books and not pay an arm and a leg for them.

So now The Quiet Game, Reborn City, Snake, and Video Rage are all available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo, with Video Rage available for preorder in e-book format from all of them. I’m listing them below by book, as well as on each book’s entry on their various pages. If you want to check them out, please do so. And if you decide to download a book, then thank you. And if you want to let me know what you think of the books, please do. Positive or negative, I love feedback from readers.

Without further ado, here are the links:

The Quiet Game: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, Kobo

Reborn City: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, Kobo

Snake: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, Kobo

Video Rage (preorder now, available June 1st): Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, Kobo

That’s all for now. I hope plenty of you get to read your books in the format you prefer. And please, let me know what you think when you finish the books. Until next time, my Followers of Fear! Happy reading.

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