Stuff Your Kindle with Fantasy Books, Oct 16-20

 Visit amazon.com/author/moffat to get free short stories and huge discounts on fantasy books by Charles Moffat. Sale ends on October 20th.

New Poetry Book: Reflections & Reveries by Gail M. Murray

When was the last time you read a poetry book? If you enjoy poetry by Canadian poets do check out Gail M. Murray's book: Reflections & Reveries

She has a book launch coming up on April 14th 2024 at the Stone Cottage Pub in Scarborough, Ontario. See the book launch details below:

About the Author

Gail M. Murray B.A. B. ED. was an English teacher and teacher-librarian with a focus on drama and literature. Gail grew up on a small farm in Pickering surrounded by nature, walking in woods, fields and gardens like the Romantics. For several years, Gail performed with Scarborough Theatre Guild and Scarborough Music Theatre. After retiring Gail became a free-lance writer. Like Keats, she seeks to capture the essence of the moment. Gail’s writing is a response to her natural and emotional environment.

Her poems have been published in Written Tenfold, Blank Spaces, Wordscape, Arborealis, The Banister, CommuterLit.com and her collection Reflections and Reveries. Her creative non-fiction has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Trellis, Heartbeats,  Renaissance, The Ontario Gardener, NOW Magazine, Blank Spaces, Just Words Volume 2, Stony Bridges, Ottawa Review of Books, Historical Novels Review, Our Canada, More of Our Canada, Devour and Our Canada, Our Country, Our Stories.

Call for Short Story Submissions

 

Peasant Magazine is seeking submissions for Issue #2. Specifically it is looking for fantasy, historical fantasy, historical fiction and magical realism stories that are between 1,000 and 8,000 words in length.

PM is a free nonprofit fantasy/historical fiction/magical realism literary magazine that focuses on stories set on earth prior to 1750 or set in a fantasy world.

Furthermore stories don't have to be 'first time publications'. They also accept reprints of previously published works.

Peasant Magazine is available in both 8x11 magazine format from Amazon, and as a free PDF for download.

Peasant Magazine Issue #1, 8x11

Peasant Magazine Issue #1, Free PDF

 

 

Peasant Magazine, Issue #1

 

 

Download a copy of the free PDF version by visiting the Peasant Magazine website, or order the 8x11 magazine of Peasant Magazine via Amazon for $4.99 USD.

Peasant Magazine is seeking Fantasy Story Submissions

In today's news, Peasant Magazine is calling all aspiring writers to submit their fantasy short stories and historical fiction pieces set pre-1750 for possible publication.

Peasant Magazine, a new literary journal, seeks submissions from writers who can weave tales of magic, adventure, and intrigue. The magazine celebrates diversity and inclusivity, and is eager to receive submissions from writers of all backgrounds and skill levels.

For the adventurers among us, Peasant Magazine is looking for epic fantasy short stories that take readers on a thrilling journey through enchanted lands filled with danger and wonder. Whether it's a story about a group of adventurers battling a fierce dragon or a cunning rogue using their wit and guile to outsmart their foes, Peasant Magazine wants to hear from you!

And for those who are passionate about history and love to explore the past, Peasant Magazine is seeking historical fiction set in the pre-1750 period. From tales of medieval knights fighting for honor and glory, to stories of intrigue and betrayal in the courts of kings and queens, Peasant Magazine is the perfect platform to share your passion for history and storytelling.

Submitting your work to Peasant Magazine is easy. Simply head to their website and follow the magazine submission guidelines. Be sure to carefully proofread your work and make sure it meets the magazine's requirements before submitting. And don't forget to check out past issues of the magazine for inspiration and to get a sense of the kind of stories Peasant Magazine publishes.

If your work is selected for publication, you'll not only have the opportunity to share your tale with a wider audience, but you'll also receive compensation for your contribution. So, what are you waiting for? Submit your fantasy short story or historical fiction set pre-1750 to Peasant Magazine today, and take your writing career to the next level!

Is Sword and Sorcery dead?

BOOKS

Looking for a good book to read? Something that is escapism and takes you away from the current world which is all "Global Pandemic" and "Global Warming"?

Well, good news... We have a solution.

Read a fantasy book set in a world which doesn't have pandemics or global warming. Or if there is a plague in that world, at lease that plague isn't real, and any global warming/cooling happening in that world is just fictional.

Back in February 2020 (during the Before Times...) Canadian fantasy writer Charles Moffat wrote a post for Lilith Press titled "Is Sword and Sorcery Dead? Hardly."

During his post he describes doing much the same thing that Robert E. Howard (the grandfather of Sword & Sorcery and the creator of Conan the Barbarian) did, but with several big differences:

• He depicts racial diversity in a positive light.
• He depicts women in realistic and often positive roles.
  

So... Basically it is "Woke Sword & Sorcery". That is something the fantasy genre really needs honestly. None of the sexism or racism you might see in old fantasy books, which are sometimes blatantly racist and other times feels more like closet racism.

Nothing wrong with Wokeness in our opinion. It is the people who are anti-Woke you need to worry about.

Furthermore, Charles Moffat's Sword & Sorcery series "Wulfric the Wanderer" is doing quite well. All of the books thus far in the series have either 4.5 or 5 stars and some glowing reviews from fans.

Lastly, Moffat's newest addition to the series is coming out on December 1st 2021 and is already available for preorders for the ebook. You can get it via:

Amazon.ca: "The Raven's Feast"

Amazon.com: "The Raven's Feast"

Amazon.co.uk: "The Raven's Feast"

And others. Each ebook in the series sells for approx. $2.99 and each paperback copy for $5.99. Exact pricing may vary on region.

The lengths of each story in the Wulfric the Wanderer series varies. Some are short stories, some are novelettes and only 1 thus far is a novella. The recommended reading order is below, however Moffat says you don't need to read them in order. In true Sword & Sorcery tradition each story stands on its own and they don't need to be read in order (because apparently he doesn't write/publish them in order).

1. Portal of Destiny (Short Story)
2. The Cult of the She-Bear (Novella)
3. Shifting Shadows in Iztark (Novelette)
4. Black Monoliths of Al-Kazar (Short Story)
5. The Unbreakable Arrow (Novelette) 
6. The Raven's Feast (Short Story)
   

 So sit back, make yourself some coffee or tea, and enjoy a good story or two so you can get away from the crazy world we currently live in and visit a fantasy world where oddly enough things seem a whole lot simpler and less crazy.

Although the giant raven eating someone on a rooftop is pretty weird, we admit. (Giant ravens also appear in one of Moffat's novels: "The Demon's Sacrifice", which you should also check out.)

Who would you vote for? Game of Thrones in Canada

Mirvish donates Robin Hood tickets to the Toronto Archery Club

Mirvish Productions has donated two tickets to "The Heart of Robin Hood" to the Toronto Archery Club in an effort to help the archery club raise money for new archery equipment.

The two tickets are 'plum' orchestra tickets together worth $210 and the Toronto Archery Club is auctioning off the tickets in an effort to raise money for new equipment. The funds will be used for buying beginner bows, arrows, and finger gloves that beginners can use at club events.

The Toronto Archery Club is also accepting donations. Contact archery club president Charles Moffat for details if you wish to either bid on the tickets or simply want to donate to the Toronto Archery Club.

"The Heart of Robin Hood" has been touring Canada and is in Toronto from December 23rd 2014 to March 1st 2015. Ticket prices start at $45 and go up to $105 each.

Hey Toronto, need a hobby? Join a Meetup or Facebook group!

Toronto has literally hundreds of different Meetup.com and Facebook groups that meet regularly to explore whatever topics or hobbies they find interesting.

Thus regardless of your interests, there are lots of hobbies out there for Torontonians (or any other city dweller) for you to try and learn more about.

Take for example

The Toronto Poetry Club operates a Meetup group, a Facebook page, and a poetry website. The poetry club has poetry circle readings and anyone who is a Toronto poet (or even non Toronto residents) can join in.

The Toronto Poetry Club on Meetup.com

The Toronto Poetry Club on Facebook.com

The Toronto Poetry Club official website


The Toronto Feminist Meetup is a group which promotes feminism, equal rights for women and has feminist talks about books, entertainment, politics, legal matters and more.


Toronto Survivalists is a group which enjoys camping, hunting, fishing, and explores a variety of woodcraft skills.


The Toronto Vegan Meetup Group is a group for vegans and vegetarians and veggie-curious people to share recipes, get together for making food together and various vegan friendly social events.


And yes, I realize the hunting/fishing group and the vegan group basically covers everyone who eats food.

But what if you just want to hang out with new friends and play board games? Well there is a group for that too.

The Toronto Area Gamers group is for people who love boardgames, roleplaying games, card games, and even video games. Want to meet other gamers? "TAG" is the place to join.

So if you are bored and browsing the internet - well then you really have no excuse. Go join a club! Get into a new sport like archery or boxing! Hang out with other people with similar interests!

Canadian women's hockey - why is it not televised more often???

This post has been moved to CardioTrek.ca:

Canadian women's hockey - Why is it not televised more often???

Emmy's snub the Walking Dead

Some people call it genre elitism.

It seems pretty accurate when you consider the #1 TV on television is The Walking Dead - which is technically a drama, and not so much an action show as some people might think - has been snubbed by the Emmy's again.

Emmy nominations this year gave more attention to Netflix and a lot of female dramas - but it has completely ignored the AMC's smash drama hit The Walking Dead which hasn't received a single nomination despite being the best show on television in the key 18 to 49-year-old demographic.

Less quality programs like Scandal and Nashville got nominations, but The Walking Dead got completely ignored.

And you have to ask why?

Well, The Walking Dead has been loosely described as a soap opera like drama - but with zombies as the backdrop instead of oil riches (like Dallas). And while shows like Dallas are perfect to receive and win Emmy nominations, The Walking Dead is seen as being too low brow - despite the high calibre of both its actors, its plots, writing, and quality production.

Shows like Mad Men and even Game of Thrones (which also has zombies and even dragons in it) are seen as being higher brow... Perhaps because GoT is based off of a bestselling series of books, whereas The Walking Dead is based off of a bestselling series of graphic novels.

In other words zombies and comic books aren't cool enough to win an Emmy, even if the writing, production and quality of their drama is off the scale.

It all kind of smacks of conspiracy - as if someone in the who's who of Emmy nominations has enough control to keep The Walking Dead out of the running on purpose.

After all, if it was done democratically then The Walking Dead would be guaranteed Emmy nominations. That means that someone in control is deliberately snubbing the show.

And this isn't really a conspiracy theory because it is the only logical explanation.

Ontario government admits to dropping the ball on horse racing

The Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ted McMeekin, has finally come clean to the Ontario horse racing industry that the ministry made a mistake by rushing the decision to end the Slots-at-Racetracks Program (SARP).

Why is this important you might ask?

Let me explain.

Years ago the OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.) and the horse races were the only legal ways to gamble in Ontario. Then along came the casino in Niagara Falls and similar locations. Gamblers began to flock to such locations and the Ontario government realized that casinos were extremely popular and profitable, so why not have more of them? So they came up with a scheme wherein they offered to put slot machines at Ontario racetracks, so that gamblers could gamble at the slots 7 days per week and not have to travel that far to find legalized gambling. (The horse races do operate every day of the week, but not all racetracks have daily races. Instead many use tele-theatres for betting so gamblers can bet on races happening in the USA and even overseas in Australia, Japan, Britain, etc.)

Now to get the permission of the horse racing industry to have slots at racetracks, they sweetened the deal by agreeing to give them a share of the profits. Otherwise the horse racing industry would have been taking huge losses by allowing their competition to setup shop and not see a single penny of the profits when some gamblers choose slots over horses.

With time however what has happened is that the demographics of gamblers have changed. The people who bet on horses are typically older, often retirees or pensioners, and they are dwindling in numbers. In contrast the younger generations of gamblers want instant thrills and don't want to wait half an hour for a horse race to start. So as time progressed it eventually reached a point wherein the profits between the horse betting industry and the slots industry was split roughly 20 percent to 80 percent.

So much so that the slots was basically propping up the horse betting industry - and the horse breeding industry as a whole. Without the extra income from gamblers, horse breeders would have to either quit and do something else or they would need to move to a country that still has a robust horse betting industry.

So when Ontario government realized they were basically propping up an industry some idiotic paper-pushing bureaucrat apparently got it into their head that it would save the government a lot of money if they pulled out of slots industry and took all the slots away from the horse races, and effectively shut down both horse betting and horse racing - and horse breeding! - all at once, it was the result of penny-pinching bureaucrats not realizing what they would do to an entire industry.

Basically it would demolish it. Horse breeding isn't just about raising race horses. That is the thoroughbreds. But there is also a market for horses meant for hobbyists, show jumpers, and so forth that would be hurt in the process. If you remove a large chunk of the pie from an industry that is so interconnected it causes the other parts to wither.

So the Ministry of Agriculture began rushing through the whole process in their efforts to shut down both the slots and horse races... with their goal of driving the horse betting industry out of business, and then 1 year later, buying up the old land and reintroducing slot machines - except this time they wouldn't have to share profits any more.

What is more is that they have even admitted to doing this.

While conducting an interview, Agriculture Minister Ted McMeekin admitted his government "dropped the ball" on horse racing and stated that he hoped that the government would be "A little bit more collaborative then we’ve been. And that we’ll listen better than we have. And we will quit trying to wedge issues."

Now to be fair, the horse racing industry is now basically suing the Ontario government for deliberately trying to squash their industry - an industry which in Ontario effects about 55,000 jobs. That is like trying to shut down 3 or 4 automotive plants and not expecting them to protest.

One MPP issued a release on Monday stating that the Ministry of Agriculture "picked an unnecessary battle with the harness racing community and for what? To come back almost a year later and say ‘sorry I was wrong’? If the Minister had sat down, weighed the pros and cons and actually talked to those in the industry then we wouldn’t have had this crisis and he wouldn’t have to issue this mea culpa. [yada yada yada] ... start doing the research and listening to the people."

The bureaucratic decision to try and shut down horse betting/racing needlessly risked over 55,000 jobs in Ontario’s once thriving horse racing industry and alienated many rural communities.

Now we should also note that you can also do horse race betting online, so you technically don't need to go to a horsetrack any more to bet on such things (but its still fun to go if you just want to see the horses and make a few small bets). Such websites are typically for the USA horse betting industry, and also allow greyhound betting, betting on football, sports such as golf, tennis, cricket, rugby, motor sports, soccer, snooker, basketball, baseball, cycling, hockey, cycling, darts and even UFC.

And I suppose that just goes to show you that the USA just loves to gamble a lot.

"Arrow" extended preview sets the tone for Smallville replacement

For 10 seasons the TV show "Smallville" graced screens the globe and showed Clark Kent's rise from a lowly farm boy with only a handful of superpowers to the juggernaught that is Superman. The show aired from 2001 to 2011 and even before its finale the producers were planning their next big thing.

One of the most popular characters in Smallville was Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) who appeared in 7 episodes of the 2007 season and later became a recurring character in the 2008 to 2011 seasons. Played by Justin Hartley, the character's skill with the bow and martial arts made him (and on screen romances) a favourite with fans of the TV series.

So much so that it really is no surprise the producers decided to create their replacement for Smallville by making "Arrow". Below is the extended preview trailer for the new TV show.


Our First Thoughts?

#1. Yes, it is a different actor. But who cares? Justin Hartley has gone on to play to a med-student turned doctor in a medical drama (and he probably doesn't want to be typecasted as Green Arrow).

#2. The new show looks freaking awesome. No offense to the Hunger Games fans out there, but Green Arrow's skills make Katniss Everdeen look like an amateur.

#3. If its anything like Smallville then "Arrow" will be a smash success. And considering all the films about archery right now it will probably be pretty fantastic.

The Toronto Public Archery Range overflowing with New Archers

The Toronto Public Archery Range is overflowing with new archers in the wake of all the archery films that came out in 2011 and 2012.

A year ago you could go the archery range, also known as the Seton Park Archery Range, and on a busy day you might see 4 to 6 people there. But in the Summer of 2012 the numbers on a busy day range from 20 to even as high as 30 people there.

The range is so busy that on weekday mornings (eg. 9 AM Tuesday morning) there will be 4 to 6 archers there. What that tells you is that the sport has basically quintupled in popularity compared to a year ago.

WHY?

#1. The films: Brave, The Hunger Games, The Avengers, Hanna.

#2. TV shows: Game of Thrones, Arrow.

#3. The Olympics.

Call it a perfect storm of mass media, but archery is now the coolest sport a person can take up. It makes "paintball" and "frolf" look nerdy in comparison.

If you're interesting in getting archery lessons in Toronto check out the website Cardio Trek.

To learn more about archery in Toronto visit The Toronto Public Archery Range on Facebook.

Facebook's share prices crashing

Facebook Incorporated director Peter Thiel has sold most of his stake in Facebook (the world’s largest social-networking website in case you didn't know that already). Facebook had banned insider sales, but the time restriction for that has ended and Peter decided to sell his $395.8 million in stocks and run with the cash. Overall he has made over $1 billion selling off his shares since Facebook's IPO.

Why? Because Peter Thiel was one of Facebook’s earliest investors and knows when the golden goose is about to die. So why not collect his cash and leave before it becomes "officially dead". Thiel sold about 20.1 million shares in the company on August 16th and August 17th.

He started with an original investment of $500,000 in 2004, so in reality Thiel has made a bundle off being a long time investor in the company. In 8 years he turned that $500,000 into over $1,000,000,000. Not bad for being patient and knowing when to sell at the right time.

Meanwhile other investors in Facebook are now losing their shirts. The stock has lost almost half its value since the IPO amid signs are growing that Facebook’s growth is slowing, leveling out and "profit expectations" are much lower than pundits were claiming. In short the company's value was largely on paper and many insiders are now dumping their stakes.

Facebook last week unlocked 271.1 million shares, the first of five insider-sale restrictions scheduled during the company’s first year as a public company. Another 1.44 billion shares will be freed up through November, but by then prices could be a fraction of what the IPO was.

Right now (as I finish this post) the price is down to $19.48 and dropped 10 cents in the last minute.

Feminist musicians sent to prison for 2 years

By Suzanne MacNevin

Three women of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot have been convicted of “hooliganism” today for their anti-Putin performance in a Moscow cathedral. The band held a brief guerrilla performance, a "punk prayer" entreating the Virgin Mary to protect Russia from Vladimir Putin, who at the time was on the verge of winning a new term as Russian president.

Judge Marina Syrova sentenced them to two years in prison, a year less than what the prosecution asked for. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, said they were protesting against close ties between Putin and the Russian Orthodox church and did not intend to offend believers.

The three musicians stood in silence in a glass courtroom cage as the judge read out the verdict. They lifted their cuffed hands in salute to acknowledge supporters after the sentencing and smiled to each other.

After the judge finished reading the sentence, which took three hours, many Russians in the court room shouted “Shame!”

Officially the three were charged with "hooliganism connected to religious hatred", but they have been very clear their goals had little to do with the church and more to do Vladimir Putin's iron grip on Russia's government - including the judicial system which has become puppets of the Putin regime.

The judge also said that the songs being performed were "blasphemous". The case has attracted international attention as an emblem of Russia’s intolerance of dissent.

The case is not alone either. Many other incidents have been happening in Russia and the government crackdown on free speech is becoming ever stronger. This case comes in the wake of several recently passed laws cracking down on opposition political parties, including one that raised the fine for taking part in an unauthorized demonstrations by 150 times from 2,000 rubles to 300,000 rubles. In dollars the fine used to be roughly $60 but is now about $9,000.

Another extreme measure now requires non-government organizations that both engage in vaguely defined political activity and receive funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents.” That way anyone who defies the government can now be arrested for being a foreign spy and has already admitted on a government document to being a "foreign agent".

So yeah... Russia is going down the drain and freedom of speech is pretty much disappearing if you live there.

Legally Blind Korean sets Olympic record in Archery

A South Korean man who is legally blind has set a new record in Olympic archery.

In Friday’s ranking round, Korea’s Im Dong-Hyun broke the 72-arrow record he had set in Turkey in May by three points with a score of 699 and combined with teammates Kim Bub-min and Oh Jin-hyek, smashing the record for 216 arrows with a total 2,087. That was 18 better than the mark South Korea set in May.

Not bad for an athlete who says he just aims for a “blob of yellow colour” 70 metres away because he’s considered legally blind with 10% vision in his left eye and 20% in his right.

“It’s just the first round so I won’t get too excited about it,” he said.

Meanwhile Canadian Crispin Duenas had a score of 678 and came in 8th place in the opening round. If he can stay in the top group as the eliminations continue he will have a shot at a medal.

“I accomplished the underlying goal of today,” said Duenas, who will face Egypt’s Ahmed El-Nerm in the round of 32 on Monday. “The main goal was just to do my shot, which I’m going to say I did about 80 per cent of the time, the other 20 per cent would have put me up in the top five.”

Learn more about Crispin by reading Canadian Archers at the Olympics.

Why the Book Publishing Industry needs to Evolve

Book publishers are pricks. If you've ever tried to publish a book you know that publishers are basically sifting through their inbox of manuscripts and sending rejection letters back to authors claiming the book isn't suitable for whatever nonsense reason they can pick out of a jar. Wrong age group. Too much swearing in the book. They didn't like the plot. Yada yada yada.

However the problem these days is that authors are no longer forced to go via the traditional book publishing industry if they want to write and make a profit off their work.

eBook authors like fantasy author Charles Moffat and feminist writer Suzanne MacNevin are coming out with their own works via websites like Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble's Nook, Lulu.com and others. And eReaders are selling like hotcakes too. Chapter's Kobo is planning to allow self-publishing in the near future too because they've realized the potential of self-publishing.

NOTE: If you do buy a Kindle or Kobo however you will also need to buy a protective case and a screen shield to protect your new gadget from scratches and damage. After all who wants to read off a screen with a big scratch in the surface?

To better explain the woes of the publishing industry we'd like to now quote an article written by Jessica Park, an American writer who writes novels for women in the 18 to 25 age group (which apparently most publishing companies avoid for some silly reason).

How Amazon Saved My Life

By Jessica Park

I am an author.

I still can’t get used to that title, but I suppose after having written seven books–five of them traditionally published–that’s what you’d call me. The funny thing is that I feel more like a real author now that I self-publish than when I had the (supposed) support of a publisher behind me.

How did I end up on my own? It began when I couldn’t get my first YA book, Relatively Famous, published, despite getting stellar feedback from editors and nearly selling the film rights to a teen pop star. I was at a loss for what to do. I couldn’t keep writing books without selling them. What if the next thing I wrote flopped? I took a risk, in many ways, and wrote Flat-Out Love. It was the first book that completely came from my heart, and it was a book that ignored all the industry rules. I knew in the back of my head that I could self-publish it, but at the time it seemed like that would have been an admission of defeat.

I spent months thinking that I needed a big publisher in order to be a writer, to legitimately carry that “author” title. To validate me, and to validate Flat-Out Love. I needed a publisher to print my books and stick a silly publishing house emblem on the side of a hard copy. They were the only way to give my books mass distribution, and having them back me would mean that readers would know my book was good.

I also, apparently, thought that I needed to be taken advantage of, paid inexcusably poorly, and chained to idiotic pricing and covers that I had no control over.

I was, it seems, deluded.

It turns out that I was entirely wrong. I was missing what I really wanted. One of the major reasons that I write is to connect with readers, not publishers. The truth is that I couldn’t care less whether New York editors and publishers like me. I don’t want to write for them. I want to write for you. The other undeniable truth is that readers could care less that my books aren’t put out by a big publisher. They read for the content, not the publishing house emblem.

I have a lovely, smart, powerhouse agent, who tried to sell my next book, Flat-Out Love, to every major publishing house. She adored the story and thought it would sell. Fourteen editors turned it down, although each one said how strong the book was. But, editors seemingly didn’t give a crap about whether or not they liked the book. What they did pay attention to were their totally misguided ideas about what would and wouldn’t sell. I heard two things over and over again about my book. The first was that my story starred an eighteen-year-old college freshman, and that age was “categorically” too old for YA books and too young for adult books. It seems that one is not allowed to write about characters between the ages of eighteen and…what? Twenty-five? Because… because… Well, I’m not sure. The second thing I heard was that because my simultaneously-too-young-and-too-old heroine was not involved with anything slightly paranormal, the book wouldn’t sell.

Did I cry over some of these rejections? Absolutely. Did I feel inadequate, untalented, hurt? Yes. Did I doubt my ability to craft a story that readers could fall in love with? You bet.

And then one day I got yet another rejection letter and instead of blaming myself and my clear lack of creativity, I got angry. Really, really furious. It clicked for me that I was not the idiot here. Publishing houses were. The silly reasons that they gave me for why my book was useless made me see very clearly how completely out of touch these houses were with readers. I knew, I just knew, that I’d written a book with humor, heart, and meaning. I’d written something that had potential to connect with an audience. As much as I despise having to run around announcing how brilliant I supposedly am and whatnot, I also deeply believed in Flat-Out Love. I knew that editors were wrong.

And I finally understood that I wanted nothing to do with these people.

I snatched the book back from my agent and self-published it. With great relief, I should note. I could finally admit to myself that the only thing I had really wanted was to be told, “You’re good enough.” You know who gives me that? My readers. My generous, loving, wild readers.

Publishers pay terribly and infrequently. They are shockingly dumb when it comes to pricing, and if I see one more friend’s NY-pubbed ebook priced at $12.99, I’m going to scream. They do minimal marketing and leave the vast majority of work up to the author. Unless, of course, you are already a big name author. Then they fly you around the country for signings and treat you like the precious moneymaking gem that you are. The rest of us get next to nothing in terms of promotion. If your book takes off, they get the credit. If it tanks, you get the blame.

No, thank you. I’m all set with that.

You know who I do like, though? Amazon. Well, all online ebook sites that let me self-publish, but Amazon is the true powerhouse right now. Say what you want about this company, but it’s because of them that I can continue writing. It’s unclear to me how a big publisher thinks that I could live on their typical payouts, and why they think I should drop to my knees in gratitude for their deigning to even publish my book in the first place when I’ll do all the work myself. I’m not going to be grateful for that nonsense, but I am going to be grateful as hell to Amazon.

Bestselling trad-to-indie-author Barry Eisler, famous for turning down a six figure deal from St. Martins Press to go out on his own, took a lot of heat for having compared an author’s relationship with a big publisher to Stockholm syndrome. The truth is that it’s not a bad comparison at all. Snarky, funny, and exaggerated, perhaps, but there is more than one grain of truth there, and I just know that authors across the country were nodding so violently that we had collective whiplash. When writing for a publisher, you learn to be overly thankful for every pathetic little grain of positivity that comes your way. A disgustingly awful cover? Smile broadly and say how gorgeous it is. Contracts arrive months after arranged? Whip out your pen and sign with no complaints. You’re eating Ramen noodles while they are taking all of December and January off and while they essentially shutdown during the summer to vacation on the Cape? Slurp your soup and be happy.

Because of Amazon and other sites, I’m making enough money that I can continue writing. I’m averaging sales of 3,500 books a month, not including the month that Amazon featured Flat-Out Love in a list of books for $3.99 and under. That month I sold 45,000 Kindle copies, and sold over 10,000 the next month. Those numbers are insane to me. Absolutely insane. The fact that I continue to sell well a year after the book’s release is humbling. Yes, I wrote a book that has earned me excellent reviews, so I take credit for that, and I worked myself to death finding bloggers to review my book (God bless my loyal bloggers who took a chance on me!), but I have to credit Amazon with giving me such a strong platform with such overwhelming visibility. I can be a writer. I am a writer.

And it’s not just me. Self-published authors, many of whom are writing about college-age characters, are finding viable careers. Abbi Glines, Tammara Webber, Jamie McGuire, Tina Reber, AK Alexander, Angie Stanton, Stephanie Campbell, Colleen Hoover, Liz Reinhardt, and plenty more. I’m seeing more and more traditionally published authors walking away from the headaches and turning to self-publishing. It can be tricky to leave because very often an author needs the advance money in order to survive, and then gets stuck contracted for books that quite likely won’t earn out that advance or won’t ever provide much in terms of royalty checks. When authors break the cycle, get the hell out, and flourish on their own, it’s a wonderful thing.

Indie writers owe Amazon big time for what they’ve given us. Are they perfect? No. Do they make mistakes? Yep. And they’ll continue to make mistakes. But I promise you that traditional publishers never call up their authors and ask what they can do better. I nearly wet my author pants when I got a call from someone in the Kindle publishing department who wanted to know what publishing and promotional features I’d like to see. He wanted to know all about my experience with them, what I liked, what I didn’t like, and on and on. I was floored. Amazon messed up their sales reporting page not that long ago, and you know what they did? They sent a goddamn email out to their authors explaining what had happened! And then they fixed it! Do you think a big publisher would do that? No, they certainly would not.

But you know what these silly NY publishers are doing? Running around trying to buy now-successful self-published books. I know more than one author who is making $50-150,000 a month (yes, a month) who are getting the most stupidly low offers from big publishers to take over that author’s book. Why would my friends take a $250,000 advance (if even offered that much), take a puny royalty rate, see their sales hurt by higher pricing, and completely give that book up for life? They can and will earn more themselves and continue to reap the benefits of a 70% royalty while maintaining all the rights to their work. If publishers want to play the game, they have to pay according to what authors can make without them. Offer something that we can’t do on our own. Help us, believe in us, support us, and play damn fair for once.

While I’m certainly not making $150,000 a month, Flat-Out Love has done very well for me, and I’m earning enough that I can keep writing. I’m in the middle of another book right now, and I realized that one of the many fabulous things about working for myself is that I have complete freedom to write whatever the hell I want. A publisher certainly could have bought Flat-Out Love and signed me for a two or three-book deal. One of the many whopping hitches with that would have been that I’d then have to write another book or two that were in a very similar vein to Flat-Out Love. But I don’t want to do that. I want to write the book that I am now. The book that has swearing and sex. The book that is darker and edgier. The book that is definitely not for younger readers. A publisher would never have let me do that.

The New York Times recently ran an article about authors who are now writing two books a year instead of one. Why? Because they need the money. Of course they need the money! Their publishers are gouging them out of money that is rightfully theirs. When I read about one highly successful author who is now writing for fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, I thought, “What a lunatic. That’s not a life.” Look, I don’t think any author needs to release two or three books a year to earn a living. If that’s what you are comfortably able to do creatively speaking, go for it. Being on a publisher’s deadline to deliver a book every four to six months can be pretty rough. Life gets in the way, and emotions and creativity ebb and flow. Yes, writing is work and requires dedication, but it also has the capacity to be amazingly fun. Publishers, if you ask me, take a dump on much of the good stuff. For now, I’m happy to do one really strong, solid novel once every twelve to eighteen months. If I tried to bang out a book every few months, they would be crummy books, and I would be broke.

What’s funny is that despite loathing publishing houses these days, I actually hope that they pull their act together. They have distribution power. They have dedicated, talented people in the industry. They have the capability to do wonderful things. But for now they are so messed up, so outdated in the way they structure their contracts, and so often very out of touch with what readers want. Smart editors are often ruled by archaic designs. Do I have plans to seek out a publisher? Um, no. I can’t imagine one would take me anyhow. And I wouldn’t consider working with a publisher unless (until?) they make drastic changes to their business model.

Indie authors are writing for our readers, not for publishers and what they think will sell. And now we can afford to write! And I can assure you that freedom fuels creativity, risk-taking, and passion. We get to bring you our stories in the way we want to tell them, without the dilution and sculpting from publishing houses. And the fans? Oh, the fans are simply unbelievable. We are so directly connected to them, and the ease of communication and feedback is unparalleled. I’m learning what readers want, and I can incorporate that into my work without worrying that an editor will nix all the good stuff. Their support and enthusiasm breathes life into days when I feel particularly challenged.

And there are some spectacularly moving experiences. I’m in a circle of authors who have been dubbed The Cancer Warriors because our books have become saving graces for people going through cancer treatment. Readers are escaping hell on earth through our books. We sell smartly priced books with sharp content, books that never would have reached these readers without the ability to self-publish. We get to do our small part to help them fight. Getting to be part of something like this is at the top of my list for why I write. It makes me want to face New York publishers head on and scream, “You see that? Do you see what we’re doing without you?” Indie writing brought me into readers’ lives in ways that I never could have imagined.

I wouldn’t trade that for all of New York.

So yeah. Want to publish your books? Screw the old publishers. Self-publish and then let them try and woo you with a contract actually worthy of your hard work.

DALLAS returns to television with a bang!

If you've never watched Dallas then you maybe you should. The show was on from 1978 until 1991 for 14 seasons and it had it all! Drama, sex, scandals, lawsuits, violence, explosions, theft, terrorists, criminals, communists, spies, warmongers, mercenaries, greed, corruption, betrayal. It made traditional soap operas look weak, crime dramas look superficial and action shows look meaningless.

And now Dallas is back, the first show to air tomorrow night (June 13th on TNT) as a continuation of the original with the return of J.R., Bobby and Sue Ellen plus new (young and sexy) cast members to carry on the next generation of Dallas.



If you're itching to watch the old 14 seasons of Dallas then we recommend visiting http://watchseries.eu/serie/dallas where you can stream all 14 seasons of Dallas for free. (Although the ads are a tad annoying.)

Archery is the hottest sport this Summer

Talk to anyone who is in the business of selling archery equipment and they will tell you that archery equipment sales are through the roof.

Why?

We blame the film and book industries (and Disney). Books and comicbooks being turned into movies in the form of:

The Hunger Games
The Avengers
Brave

If we go further back we might also blame various TV shows like Archer, Smallville (with the character Green Arrow) and others. Archery apparently is now in vogue.

So it really comes as no surprise that sales of archery equipment are through the roof in North America.

But what happens if you've decided to take up archery, but you need an instructor to teach you?

Well if you are in Toronto you can get an archery instructor for $40 for 2 hours. No equipment necessary. Or bring some friends and it is $50 for 2 people or $60 for 3 people.