[Hi everyone. This is Part II of my three part industry analysis.]
Where should a dark sci-fi, horror novelist start his writing career? Canada or the US?
I cast my net a little further to find out what makes Can Lit. Even though I was satisfied that genre fiction is marketable in both industries, I still wanted to know why we even bother categorizing works as ‘Canadian Fiction’. It turns out that I am not the only one who thought about this. Continue Reading
[Hi everyone. This is Part I of a three part industry analysis I did on the traditional publication market in North America.]
Where should a dark sci-fi, horror novelist start his writing career? Canada or the US?
As a Canadian writer living in Belgium I was concerned with being removed from any English speaking market that might publish and read my post-apocalyptic sci-fi, horror novel, The Nest. Even with today’s hyper-connected social media, I worried that being away from Canada, the US or the UK would put me at a disadvantage from not rubbing elbows with gatekeepers in the industry. I was wrong. A writer today with a laptop and Wi-Fi has never been more connected to the writing world and to the many possibilities for publishing. So my question went from ‘Am I at a disadvantage living abroad?’ to ‘Which English speaking market should I target?’ Continue Reading
‘Young-adult novelist Robin Wasserman says the famous horror writer empowered her as a teen reader by capturing the uneasy teenage phase between childhood and adulthood.’ (Joe Fassler, Oct 23 2013)
I wouldn’t say that King saved my life but he certainly changed it when I started reading his books as a young adult. Very interesting Atlantic article on how King contributes to YA fiction despite not really writing specifically for young adult readers.
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/10/stephen-king-saved-my-life/280781/
I enjoy horror films and literature because I like scaring myself, but that’s in the comfort of privacy. I don’t know what my reaction would be if I was the victim of some prankvertisement for a scary movie. Check out what these folks did to promote the upcoming Carrie remake. I have to admit, it’s pretty cool.
http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/horror-movie-stunt-freaky-telekinetic-girl-frighteningly-good-152983
Now here’s something that truly is adrift in dark space. It took 40 years for a man-made object to move beyond the reach of the sun. This year Voyager managed to reach ‘the space between the stars’. Wow. Great title for a sci-fi epic.
Why I root for the ‘Bad Asses’ in fiction
A couple of days ago a friend of my mine, with whom I converse extensively on film and TV, told me about Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, which is about a woman who is sent to 15 months in a women’s federal prison. He went into great detail about the rich cast of despicable characters and how the writers ingeniously force us to relate to them in different ways as their backgrounds and true natures are slowly revealed. From this we fell into another lengthy discussion about memorable characters in television today. I rhymed off a few of my favorites: Walter White from Breaking Bad; Dexter Morgan from Dexter; Nicolas Brody from Homeland. Continue Reading
The medieval city of Carcassonne in the South of France is a pretty spooky place with its sightings of a little girl walking through walls, transparent guards standing on the rampart and a torture museum (showcasing tools actually used). It’s the setting for a good old fashion ghost story. But horror wasn’t the item on my tourist agenda while visiting this creepily interesting fortified town; fantasy was. Continue Reading
6 researchers emerge from dome after simulating life on Mars, studying foods for astronauts
Fascinating how much research goes into figuring out what humans can bring to sustain themselves on other planets. What’s more interesting is that we can find places on Earth to simulate the environment of another planet. Can’t forget the comfort foods; especially when you’re a billion km from home.
Breaking Bad’s Moral Lesson to Civilians
Very interesting article on the choices we make (what’s right versus what’s necessary) and how we live with them after. Elegantly written by an Iraq war veteran comparing the decisions he’s made in battle with those of my favourite antihero in fiction TV.
Why Stephen King Spends ‘Months and Even Years’ Writing Opening Sentences
A very interesting look into the writing process of my all-time favourite author.
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