Okay, so here I am, ten days past a milestone birthday and you would think that at my age, I would know more than I do. One of the things that I don't know is: Why do people gravitate more toward Post-Apocalyptic novels than they do the other subjects that I've written about?
Don't get me wrong, I like it that I've sold so many copies of Gulf of the Plains and Gulf of the Plains II: Fog and Bog, my post-apocalyptic series, but I've written so much else that I've written as well. Some of my work is even better than these two books, but for some reason, I can't get readers interested in it.
I've written a book of shorts dealing with subjects from reincarnation, ghosts and succubi, to alternate worlds, possessed building stones and even added a short dealing with an imaginary criptid in a humorous, Western setting. There's a book about a demonic possession. A time-travel novel. An alternate world story. A book about a vampire mother who actually tries to protect her children. An interplanetary book dealing with a messianic figure. A book about what happens to a couple when they fall into the interstices between worlds. A story of a man who earns a questionable reputation through the use of a mystical knife. A story about a genie. And a cloning and reincarnation story. I think you can see why I question readers' tastes. There is so much here that is entertaining and interesting, yet the readers don't seem to be able to find most of it. If they like my P-A novels, then why can't they simply do a search on Amazon for my name and find the rest of it. Some of my books are interlocked by the use of recurring characters from other stories, and several even take place in the same fictitious city.
I'm not a whiner, I just want to know what I am doing wrong in marketing my work.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Congruencies, A Taste For Blood, A Quart of Djinn and others.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Mojo: Who has it, and what can they do with it?
That's quite a question. Everybody has mojo. Some have it to a different extent than others, and are able to use it to their advantage. I have mojo but have refrained from using it because it is like a loaded gun. Use it unwisely and people will avoid you. Trot it out at an inappropriate moment and whatever situation you are trying to effect may spiral out of your control. And that brings us to why I am writing about mojo in a blog dedicated to helping my readers understand how and why I write.
The reason for it is that I try to create characters who have mojo and show what happens to them when they use it wisely or unwisely. Sometimes it may seem that a character doesn't have much in the way of mojo, but if the reader pays attention to what the character does, they will see that he has restrained himself in its use, only letting the genie out of the bottle when it is absolutely necessary. Just like using a weapon. For instance, in a disagreement with a neighbor, you don't pull a gun or knife because he or she won't keep their dog from pooping in your yard. If you turn a water hose on the dog to drive it away when it's pooping in your yard and your neighbor comes after you with a pickaxe and murder in his eye, then you pull a gun. And, so it is with mojo. Maybe that analogy was a little too strong, I would never use a gun on a neighbor unless forced by circumstances to do so in order to protect myself or others.
Now, of course, whats-is-name made the expression popular with his movies, but the way he referred to it was distasteful. With mojo, you have to be careful. Its improper use may leave people thinking of the character, or a person, as arrogant and overbearing. With the proper application, mojo can smooth the way for a character. Its unconscious use is always to be preferred. For the longest time as a young man, I was inexplicably successful where the opposite sex was concerned and always found myself at a loss to explain it. Then one evening, as I was wrapping up my prize for the night, I was approached by a friend who, in an admiring way, said, "Man! You've got mojo!" It had to be that. I wasn't rich or especially handsome. Maybe it was because I was genuinely interested in the girls I encountered. Whatever it was, it all boils down to the same thing: mojo.
So, yeah, I want my characters to be unaware of their mojo and use it unconsciously as a natural course of living their lives. I think that this adds a touch of realism to the situations they find themselves in and the resolution of their problems. Mojo can help you to create sympathetic characters, but only if you are careful with its application. Write a character who seems to care for nothing but what he wants and you are creating a character who misuses his mojo. It makes him unlikeable and the readers won't want to read about him. At least, they won't unless you make him a villain. I can't imagine him being a hero. Maybe he could be, but if he doesn't care about the others in the story, then he will seem hollow. So, in closing, I say, beef up your characters; give them mojo.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of The Empty Heart: A Collection, Congruencies and others.
Available on Kindle
The reason for it is that I try to create characters who have mojo and show what happens to them when they use it wisely or unwisely. Sometimes it may seem that a character doesn't have much in the way of mojo, but if the reader pays attention to what the character does, they will see that he has restrained himself in its use, only letting the genie out of the bottle when it is absolutely necessary. Just like using a weapon. For instance, in a disagreement with a neighbor, you don't pull a gun or knife because he or she won't keep their dog from pooping in your yard. If you turn a water hose on the dog to drive it away when it's pooping in your yard and your neighbor comes after you with a pickaxe and murder in his eye, then you pull a gun. And, so it is with mojo. Maybe that analogy was a little too strong, I would never use a gun on a neighbor unless forced by circumstances to do so in order to protect myself or others.
Now, of course, whats-is-name made the expression popular with his movies, but the way he referred to it was distasteful. With mojo, you have to be careful. Its improper use may leave people thinking of the character, or a person, as arrogant and overbearing. With the proper application, mojo can smooth the way for a character. Its unconscious use is always to be preferred. For the longest time as a young man, I was inexplicably successful where the opposite sex was concerned and always found myself at a loss to explain it. Then one evening, as I was wrapping up my prize for the night, I was approached by a friend who, in an admiring way, said, "Man! You've got mojo!" It had to be that. I wasn't rich or especially handsome. Maybe it was because I was genuinely interested in the girls I encountered. Whatever it was, it all boils down to the same thing: mojo.
So, yeah, I want my characters to be unaware of their mojo and use it unconsciously as a natural course of living their lives. I think that this adds a touch of realism to the situations they find themselves in and the resolution of their problems. Mojo can help you to create sympathetic characters, but only if you are careful with its application. Write a character who seems to care for nothing but what he wants and you are creating a character who misuses his mojo. It makes him unlikeable and the readers won't want to read about him. At least, they won't unless you make him a villain. I can't imagine him being a hero. Maybe he could be, but if he doesn't care about the others in the story, then he will seem hollow. So, in closing, I say, beef up your characters; give them mojo.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of The Empty Heart: A Collection, Congruencies and others.
Available on Kindle
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
New novel published
Yes! My newest novel, Gulf of the Plains II: Fog and Bog, is published and under review. It will be 'live' in 24-48 hours.
Let me tell you why I decided to even write a sequel to the original novel, Gulf of the Plains. The first novel did very well and some of my readers expressed an interest in a sequel, so in order to take advantage of the original's popularity, (and milk a cash cow), I wrote the sequel. The original was crying out for a continuation of the storyline anyway, so I figured, "What the heck?", and moved on along with the story, following a logical progression of the plot.
The characters: John Sheaves always seemed to be a more moral version of his father, Bailey Lovell and while I've gotten tired of his never-ending moral behavior, I have gradually made him more pragmatic and willing to do whatever was necessary to make his world safe for his family and friends. Paget Redpath also needed a makeover. She was too grief-stricken by the death of Bailey Lovell and needed to get on with her life. To that end, I enlarged the character of Carl Starr and gave them a chance to explore each other. Beth Stewart was also a character in need of something more to do than simply raise the baby she and John produced. I let the readers see her as a 'Mother Earth' figure for a while and then jerked the rug from under them by removing her ability to produce more children and also gave her an urge for more adventure in her life. I inserted new characters in the person of Paget's sister, Julia and a Marine Colonel modeled after a quasi-historical figure that few people will recognize. The old characters of Matt and Molly Lyndon are also here and Matt continues his unconventional ways in the story while I'm afraid that Molly got short shrift in the story. The Rhineharts are also in this story and we get to see, in a sidewise fashion, that Callie Rhinehart is growing up. Some of the secondary characters are only in the story because I needed 'spear-carriers' and there really wasn't much else for them to do. For those who don't know what a 'spear-carrier' is; he's the guy in some of the old plays and movies that enters from the wings, carrying a spear, and announces to the other characters on stage that "My Lord, Lord and Lady Plushbottom have been captured by the rebels and are being detained in the Tower!" You know, someone who informs the audience of action that has taken place off-stage.
The villains: Paul Wilkins and Wilson Reynolds are merely characters that I had to devise to give our heroes something to fight. They served their purposes of being suitably mean and nasty and, let's face it, in real life, the heroes of any situation seldom make actual, physical contact with the villains. The only real contact the heroes have with the villains is when they kill them. Such is the case in this story. Oh, I could have gone into their meetings a little more and had them make threats against each other and make them more human, but I didn't see the point. I wanted them dead and they are dead; so the story is served in the best way I know how and I'm satisfied.
This is the book as I've written it and for those who don't like it; write your own, I did.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies, Gulf of the Plains II: Fog and Bog, and others.
Available on Kindle
Let me tell you why I decided to even write a sequel to the original novel, Gulf of the Plains. The first novel did very well and some of my readers expressed an interest in a sequel, so in order to take advantage of the original's popularity, (and milk a cash cow), I wrote the sequel. The original was crying out for a continuation of the storyline anyway, so I figured, "What the heck?", and moved on along with the story, following a logical progression of the plot.
The characters: John Sheaves always seemed to be a more moral version of his father, Bailey Lovell and while I've gotten tired of his never-ending moral behavior, I have gradually made him more pragmatic and willing to do whatever was necessary to make his world safe for his family and friends. Paget Redpath also needed a makeover. She was too grief-stricken by the death of Bailey Lovell and needed to get on with her life. To that end, I enlarged the character of Carl Starr and gave them a chance to explore each other. Beth Stewart was also a character in need of something more to do than simply raise the baby she and John produced. I let the readers see her as a 'Mother Earth' figure for a while and then jerked the rug from under them by removing her ability to produce more children and also gave her an urge for more adventure in her life. I inserted new characters in the person of Paget's sister, Julia and a Marine Colonel modeled after a quasi-historical figure that few people will recognize. The old characters of Matt and Molly Lyndon are also here and Matt continues his unconventional ways in the story while I'm afraid that Molly got short shrift in the story. The Rhineharts are also in this story and we get to see, in a sidewise fashion, that Callie Rhinehart is growing up. Some of the secondary characters are only in the story because I needed 'spear-carriers' and there really wasn't much else for them to do. For those who don't know what a 'spear-carrier' is; he's the guy in some of the old plays and movies that enters from the wings, carrying a spear, and announces to the other characters on stage that "My Lord, Lord and Lady Plushbottom have been captured by the rebels and are being detained in the Tower!" You know, someone who informs the audience of action that has taken place off-stage.
The villains: Paul Wilkins and Wilson Reynolds are merely characters that I had to devise to give our heroes something to fight. They served their purposes of being suitably mean and nasty and, let's face it, in real life, the heroes of any situation seldom make actual, physical contact with the villains. The only real contact the heroes have with the villains is when they kill them. Such is the case in this story. Oh, I could have gone into their meetings a little more and had them make threats against each other and make them more human, but I didn't see the point. I wanted them dead and they are dead; so the story is served in the best way I know how and I'm satisfied.
This is the book as I've written it and for those who don't like it; write your own, I did.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies, Gulf of the Plains II: Fog and Bog, and others.
Available on Kindle
Friday, September 2, 2011
Progress and the lonely writer
Yes, that's right. I said it. I get lonely sitting back here in the office writing. On those occasions when I've spent too many hours writing and have gotten stiff and sore from sitting, when I totter back into the living room to catch up on the local news and stuff, I realize that I miss the sound of other people. I don't know what's up with my daughters, my brother and his family, my wife. I have to spend some time catching up with my wife but am unable to call my daughters and brother because they all work and it's usually in the middle of the day when I poke my head up and look around. Oh well, there's nothing to be done for it, the situation won't change anytime soon.
To address the first word of the title, let me tell you about the progress I've made. The sequel to Gulf of the Plains is finished, edited and copyrighted. I'm just waiting for it to be formatted and then I'll publish it. For those fans who have gotten tired of my promises to finish it; I anticipate that it will be published by September 6th and expect it to go live on the 8th.
But, wait! There's more! I have returned to writing the thriller I started while I was working on my volume of short stories. Though it takes place in the fictional city I created in the Pacific Northwest which hosts the action for at least four of my scifi and horror novels(Eggs of Empire, Taken Apart, Questionable Interests and the short story, Cold Feet), this is a straight thriller/mystery. A quartet of players from my novel, Eggs of Empire make strong appearances and serve to help drive the action. If you've read the previously mentioned novel and I know that quite a few of you have; then you are already familiar with the partners in the STD Detective Agency. That is, Julie Shepherd, Carl Tanner and Isaiah Decker. Decker's wife, DeeDee Barton is also in this story and we learn that before she married Isaiah, she was also a partner in the business and quit to raise their family. The action in this story predates their marriage and we get more than a passing glimpse of the relationship she had with Carl Tanner before Decker married her. I really can't reveal too much of what takes place in this new story. Let me just say that there is a plot twist that has the potential to leave the reader staring at the last page and asking out loud, "What!?"
Of course, now, many of you will be tempted to turn to the last page to see what I'm talking about, so maybe I'll just reveal the resolution of the twist somewhat before the final page. I've got the same problem that I always have, though. I've got a good beginning and have set the tone of the book in the first 8,000 words and I know how I want the story to end. All I have to do is to work on the progression from the beginning to the end. I'll spend a lot of that time with character development and the readers won't even know that they are reading about the villain and how he/she developed into a killer. Even this past sentence is meant to mislead you; by writing he/she, some of you may be led to believe that the villain is a transgender killer. Since I can't even think about the sheer mass of research it would take to write such a person believably, I'll just say that it isn't so. The killer may be male or female, lesbian or homosexual, or heterosexual, but not a transgender. Wait a minute...what about a lesbian or homosexual transgender? Nah. I still can't invest the amount of time it would take to learn about transgender persons and how they might think of their orientation. Huh! Like they say: "Write about what you know best." I'll stick with that.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies and others.
Available on Kindle
To address the first word of the title, let me tell you about the progress I've made. The sequel to Gulf of the Plains is finished, edited and copyrighted. I'm just waiting for it to be formatted and then I'll publish it. For those fans who have gotten tired of my promises to finish it; I anticipate that it will be published by September 6th and expect it to go live on the 8th.
But, wait! There's more! I have returned to writing the thriller I started while I was working on my volume of short stories. Though it takes place in the fictional city I created in the Pacific Northwest which hosts the action for at least four of my scifi and horror novels(Eggs of Empire, Taken Apart, Questionable Interests and the short story, Cold Feet), this is a straight thriller/mystery. A quartet of players from my novel, Eggs of Empire make strong appearances and serve to help drive the action. If you've read the previously mentioned novel and I know that quite a few of you have; then you are already familiar with the partners in the STD Detective Agency. That is, Julie Shepherd, Carl Tanner and Isaiah Decker. Decker's wife, DeeDee Barton is also in this story and we learn that before she married Isaiah, she was also a partner in the business and quit to raise their family. The action in this story predates their marriage and we get more than a passing glimpse of the relationship she had with Carl Tanner before Decker married her. I really can't reveal too much of what takes place in this new story. Let me just say that there is a plot twist that has the potential to leave the reader staring at the last page and asking out loud, "What!?"
Of course, now, many of you will be tempted to turn to the last page to see what I'm talking about, so maybe I'll just reveal the resolution of the twist somewhat before the final page. I've got the same problem that I always have, though. I've got a good beginning and have set the tone of the book in the first 8,000 words and I know how I want the story to end. All I have to do is to work on the progression from the beginning to the end. I'll spend a lot of that time with character development and the readers won't even know that they are reading about the villain and how he/she developed into a killer. Even this past sentence is meant to mislead you; by writing he/she, some of you may be led to believe that the villain is a transgender killer. Since I can't even think about the sheer mass of research it would take to write such a person believably, I'll just say that it isn't so. The killer may be male or female, lesbian or homosexual, or heterosexual, but not a transgender. Wait a minute...what about a lesbian or homosexual transgender? Nah. I still can't invest the amount of time it would take to learn about transgender persons and how they might think of their orientation. Huh! Like they say: "Write about what you know best." I'll stick with that.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies and others.
Available on Kindle
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