Behind the Scenes with Lincoln Crisler Pt. I: Crafting the Tale

Hi, I’m Lincoln Crisler, your guest blogger for today and the following two days. Since this blog is geared towards readers, I thought a short series showing some of the behind-the-scenes work of writing, publishing and promoting might be a treat. So, without further ado…

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Let’s get started. There’s a blank page or a blank screen and quite possibly a blank mind. What are you going to write about? After all, If you don’t write something new to follow up your last publication, people will forget about you. Swim or die, right? Like a shark.

Think, think. All those advice articles say to write no matter what. Even if it’s garbage. Just write. You can always edit and delete later. Just write. Something will come / the magic will happen / the force will be with you just write and it will come.

But it doesn’t. And you’re still stuck in front of the blank screen, the blank page. With a throbbing headache. So you go watch Galactica: The Next Generation SG1 or play Grand Theft Auto MCMXVIII or Hey honey, still need me to hang those drapes? Some days are like that. But life goes on.

Other days are a bit different. You’ll get an idea and run with it. What if the Egyptian pyramids were built by zombie labor? You already have the mummy stories to set a backdrop of undead magic. Before you know it, you’re waist-deep in research, or perhaps you already know enough about the material to dive right in and polish the details later.

Or you’ll be reading stuff online and come across something that just slaps you upside the head. Some whacko in Georgia has married a robot (I won’t go into details, but if you’re interested seach for Zoltan). She dumped him once during the course of their ‘relationship’ and he wiped her memory and started over. I’ve just written a robot story, so I’m not too keen on another one so soon, but applying that mind-wipe/relationship scenario to human interaction? Yeah I can dig it.

Perhaps you go through a life-changing turn of events, do something awesome or, in my case, fight a godawful legal battle and the best way to handle the emotions you’re feeling is to write a story. It happens quite often, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Change names to protect the guilty, fictionalize a bit to make the story more entertaining and in the end either publish it for the masses or keep it to yourself, but yes, writing can be darn good therapy.

Heck, you might even have a story you’ve lived through or been told that’s just perfect as-is. And half the work’s done for you! All you have to do is write it up, shine it up real nice, give credit where credit is due and send that puppy out into the world. I’ve read a few real nice examples of that type of story.

In the end whether it’s by research or emotion or just living, you get the story you want. The pages are filling up, your fingers are clicking away and your body’s finding it hard to keep up with your mind. Before you know it, either by way of a marathon session or several short trips to the well, you get what you came for. A finished work. Your story.

Now what?

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Guest blogger Lincoln Crisler plays live-action GI Joe; in addition to various stateside assignments he’s served overseas in South Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. After a long day of playing Army, he runs to the nearest phone booth and becomes a mild-mannered author and editor. His debut collection, Despairs & Delights, is available from Arctic Wolf Publishing and Our Shadows Speak Vol. 1, his 2006 anthology, is being re-released by Steel Moon Publishing. He’s currently reading for two new anthologies and pursuing a variety of outlets for his fiction.

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Killing Johnny Fry: A Sexistential Novel

Sex, sex, and more sex.  That’s what it sounds like this book consists of.  It’s not due out until December 26th, but you can pre-order it at amazon.  It’s called Killing Johnny Fry: A Sexistential Novel, and it’s by bestseller Walter Mosley. 

Tom Callahan at bookreporter.com had this to say about the novel:

“Well, anybody who dismisses Killing Johnny Fry as pornography or salacious misses not only the point of the book but deprives themselves of the pleasure of reading one of America’s greatest writers. Yes, there is some frank, really frank, sex in this book, but it is not an erotic novel by any means. Mosley coined the term “sexistential noir” to describe this work. It is a good description because the book is not about sex.Consider the first sentence: “I decided to kill Johnny Fry on a Wednesday, but it was a week before that I was given the reason.” That tells us right away that those expecting cheap thrills will be disappointed; Mosley plunges us right into the midnight world of noir.”

Here is some information on the author from Bloomsbury USA

“Walter Mosley is one of the most versatile and admired writers in America today. He is the author of more than 25 critically acclaimed books, including the major bestselling mystery series featuring Easy Rawlins. His work has been translated into 21 languages and includes literary fiction, science fiction, political monographs, and a young adult novel. His short fiction has been widely published, and his nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times magazine and the Nation, among other publications. He is the winner of numerous awards, including an O. Henry Award, a Grammy, and the PEN American Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He lives in New York City.”

You can visit the author’s website here.

The Choice

The Choice by bestselling author, Nicholas Sparks, is a thought-provoking love story.  Barnes and Noble offers this plot description:

“Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life– boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies–he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him . . . and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn’t help. Despite himself, Travis can’t stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen.”

Tim Stevens at newsobserver.com had this to say about it:

“Sparks is known for his surprises, but he has never dished out as many to devouring fans as he does in his newest novel, ‘The Choice.’  Right when you’ve mentally plotted the book’s path, you discover you’ve got the map turned upside down.”

Tiff at girlstalkingsmack.com says:

“The book is divided into two parts, and in its own sense, it’s like two stories, but wrapped together. …by the end of the first half of the book, each of the characters seem very alive, which often takes time with his stories. While I am an unabashed fan of his books, I admit sometimes things are slow to get going. I was surprised that I was hooked merely two chapters in.”

From here you can read about one of Sparks’ previous book signings and see pictures of the author at Books Blog: Texas Page, or visit the author’s official homepage.