None of this "before I get any further" nonsense...I’ll just start with it.
The Inhabitants. Inkshares. The creative process. Kevin Smith. DeGrassi.
These are topics discussed in the inaugural episode of The Showdown, a new podcast hosted by my brother-in-law, Mark Fideler, and his friend, Ben Bohall. They graciously offered to interview me for their maiden voyage about three weeks ago, and I was very honored.
It can be streamed on Soundcloud by clicking the link below:
https://soundcloud.com/theshowdown123/the-showdown-episode-1-mike-shebby
I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed participating.
We hit 170 orders, so it’s raffle time!
Dreams, dreams, dreams, etc., etc., etc.
You’ve read and/or heard my pitch, and maybe it can be too general at times. Luckily, Jamison Stone, author of Rune of the Apprentice (coming in November) and Inkshares extraordinaire, allowed me to write a guest post on his blog. I am honored he asked, and you can read it here:
There’s a lot of material there that would never fit on my Inkshares page, and it’s probably the most specific I’ve ever been about what has driven my writing. I hope you enjoy.
Happy dreams to you all.
Hey superspies,
In the spirit of making up for lost time, another update to grace your inboxes!
Like many (most) authors, I listen to music while I write. I listen to music pretty much all day long, but I rarely write in total silence.
One of the groups that has had a heavy influence on the creation of Transilience, is a Polish electro-jazz duo, Skalpel. Testament to this fact is their inclusion in Chapter 1. I first heard them whilst I still lived in Detroit. One of the DJs on the local public radio station, WDET, gave them high regard and played several tracks off their 2005 album Konfusion regularly.
(Segue)
Like many (most authors) - yep, here we go again - I have adopted the rather boring and unoriginal practice of giving my chapters naught but a number....officially. Unofficially, I’ve assigned a song title to each chapter. These songs represent groups that I tend to listen to whilst writing. They are also relevant to the chapter. They form a sort of soundtrack to the book.
For this update, I’ve decided to share the track list and I’ll include hyperlinks to YouTube videos so you can listen along if you’d like. The list will, hopefully, give you some insight into me, as an author, and provide clues to plot and structure of Transilience. Enjoy!
1. "Infinity Girl" by Stereolab.
2. "Asphodel" by Skalpel.
3. "Here Comes the Moon Man" by Amon Tobin
4. "Shivers" by Skalpel
5. "Introductory Nomenclature" by Telefon Tel Aviv
6. "Chain Reaction" by Steroid Maximus
7. "Black Heart" by Calexico
8. "Aftermath" by Ahmad Jamal
9. "Tension" by Skalpel
10. "Sex (I’m A)" by Lovage
11. "Getting There" by Flying Lotus (ft. Niki Randa)
12. "Towers" by Bonobo (ft. Szjerdene)
13. "Break In (Paradowski Remix)" by Skapel
14. "Take Five" by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
15. "Heard from Telegraph Lines" by Boards of Canada.
16. "Silicon Jazz" by Wavescape
17. "Fists of Curry" by Dan the Automater from Bombay the Hard Way Soundtrack
18. "Never Never Land" by The Vince Guaraldi Trio
19. "For Her Non-Place" by Prefuse 73 (I couldn’t actually find this on YouTube but it is on their album Interregnums, which I highly recommend).
20. "Your presence" by Bill Van Loo & J. Schanble (Again, couldn’t find a YouTube video but here is a link to the album. Again, highly recommend it.)
21. "Forces...Darling" by Koop
22. "Soul Clap 2000" by Recloose.
23. "Break Charmer" by Cujo
24. "Evidence" by Thelonious Monk
25. "At My Heels" by Daedalus
26. "Hindsight" by DJ Shadow
27. "Sculpture" by Skalpel (A great track to end a novel, methinks!)
And there you have it. A soundtrack to my book!
If you listened to any, or all, of the tracks, I hope you enjoyed them. As you may have noticed, Skalpel features five times, but again their music had an impact on the way I approached the material. It’s my way of thanking them,
6 Days left in the funding campaign and no steps closer to 250. If you want to support my novel, now is a very good time to do so! If you have, I appreciate your help spreading the word. And if it isn’t too much to ask, keep it up!!
Cheers!
Kev
Hello Friends
As you may know, Inkshares is more than just a platform for authors to raise funds and get published; it is also a community where many aspiring authors share knowledge and support each other through the process of writing and finding a way to publish.
Inkshares launched recently a feature called Syndicates, which are groups of people with similar interests pooling their resources to help the efforts of a different author every month. By supporting an author, you also get a copy of their book!
Here is the description of Syndicates from Inkshares:
“It is inspired by the syndicate structure on AngelList. Members can come in at the "electron" level for $10 per month, or the "atom" level for $20 per month. The syndicate lead then works with members to choose a book to support on the 15th of each month. Orders are then placed on behalf of each member. Electrons receive an ebook. Atoms receive a print-book.”
You can find full details in the FAQ section of Inkshares.
I think that a syndicate could be a great way to support LGBTQ aspiring authors and allies who feature characters breaking stereotypes. So I will start a syndicate called Write Out Loud.
I will be hosting an online Facebook event this Friday (cause they are the hot thing to do these days) previous to the launch of the syndicate to inspire friends a family to join.
I want some of the work of other LGBTQ authors and allies currently on Inkshares. So if you think your work would be a good fit for this syndicate, let me know and I will share a link to your book (and maybe an excerpt from your book) during the event.
I kept the even private because I want it to be a safe space for all participants. Send me your e-mail address if you want an invitation ricardophenriquez@yahoo.com.
I will launch the Write Out Loud Syndicate On March 4th, at 6 pm, I invite you to join.
Happy March the First!
Well, space crew, we’re getting close to the end. There are only 15 days remaining on our voyage in the Nerdist Contest. It’s time to get serious.
These measley two weeks are going to fly. Not only for me, but for the other contestants. I need your help to triple our pre-order count in that time. Otherwise this book won’t be published.
Let’s make this week about word of mouth. I challenge you, today, to tell your friend, partner, brother, sister, or dog about The Traveller’s Cup. Tomorrow maybe try your coworker. Friday your Dungeon Master. If you believe in this project as much as I do, I need you to take up this challenge as part of the crew.
For every day that we increase our pre-orders by 10 I’ll release a new sample chapter or excerpt.
That means that right now we’re sitting at 53. If tomorrow by midnight we’re at 63 I’ll give you a new sample on Thursday. I’m willing to keep this up to the end of the campaign if it kills me, because I believe in this book.
Also! If you successfully refer 3 people to order (have them mention your name by Tweet or Inkshares comment to me) you’ll get an honourable mention in the book and a 1,000-word piece of micro-fiction written just for you. This will be a space-themed piece where you can choose the setting, character, or scenario.
Spread the word, space crew.
Your Compulsively Copacetic Captain,
-AC