Author Interview: Russ Bickerstaff

10 Questions with Russ Bickerstaff

How long have you been writing and what got you started?

I've been writing in one way or another since grade school in the '80s. I'd first been published in a small press 'zine called The Age of Super-Heroes in the early '90s. I was in high school at the time.

What is the best piece of advice you have for new writers?

5 Links Friday 9/26/14

Long week.  Not in a good way or bad way, just a long way.

1. Here's a simple answer to the complex question of "Why do I write?" by author Karen Akins.  Can't say I disagree: Why I Write

2. Bryan Hutchinson at The Positive Writer gives us 9 Ways to Promote Your Writing Without Being a Jerk

"A Numbers Game" published in Jitter (Issue #2)

The latest installment of Prolific Press's Jitter anthology series includes my short story, "A Numbers Game."

Check it out for some dystopian priest vs. vampire action.

Click here to order from Prolific Press

Quickie Book Review: Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska by John Green

This is John Green's debut novel, published in 2005.  It follows the main character Miles Halter, a skinny kid with no social life who leaves Florida public school to attend a prep school in Alabama.  He quickly fits in with a group of friends who introduce him to the finer parts of the teenage experience, such as smoking, drinking, and pranking the popular kids.  He also finds himself stuck stuck in the friendzone with the wild, moody, and super attractive Alaska Young.

Author Interview: Brenda Anderson

10 Questions with Brenda Anderson

How long have you been writing and what got you started?

Writing fiction since 1980 or so, when I switched from writing to friends (no-one writes letters J).

What is the best piece of advice you have for new writers?

Five Links Friday 9/19/14

It's Friday again.  The week went by way too quickly.  Here is some reading for the weekend :)

1. From Writer Unboxed, Katrina Kittle takes a look at finding your character's voice in her post: I’d Know That Voice Anywhere.

2. Dereck Haines has a post on his blog looking at some of the errors that get through editors in both traditional and self-published book: Errors and Omissions Excepted – Or Accepted?

Taking a class on horror writing

One of the local libraries is hosting a five-week class on writing horror.  After thinking about it for about one second, I decided it would be wrong to not go.  It's close, free, and an opportunity of meet people and learn more about writing.

And it's cool.  It's a really small group of people with varying degrees of writing experience, but a common love and respect for the horror genre.

Author Interview: Lawrence Buentello

10 Questions with Lawrence Buentello

How long have you been writing and what got you started?

I've been writing since I was 12, which was a long, long time ago. By that age I was an avid reader, delighting in whatever I could get my hands on. I don't remember the exact moment of inspiration, but at some point I believe I put down the magazine or book I was reading and thought: why don't I write a story of my own? I found some loose leaf paper and a pencil and wrote a science fiction story about a space faring superhero who battled an alien creature capable of throwing electric bolts from -- well, I'm not exactly sure where the bolts originated, so there was less science and more fiction, but by the time I finished the story I knew I'd come home.

Five Links Friday 9/12/14

Hey, we're back for Five Links Friday!

1. I'll open with a post from Orly Konig-Lopez at Writers in the Storm, looking at Six Steps to Writing Success.

2. Bruce Van Horn always has great, uplifting articles on his site.  Here is another one: LifeThought: Every day is a day you can be a better person than you were yesterday.

'An Open Door' online at Theme of Absence

The latest story at Theme of Absence is online.

Check out An Open Door by Lawrence Buentello.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

So I'm still feeling pretty high after leaving Colorado...

Wow, I could have found a better way to phrase that, huh?

Anyhow, after spending three days at the greatest writing convention ever in this history of mankind, it was time to accept the fact that it's over and go back to the real world again.

Blog Update: Writer Resources

One of my initial goals when I began blogging here was to help new writers find advice and helpful resources, as well as answers to some of the common questions new writers have about writing and publishing.

The only thing I knew when I first started out writing a few years ago, was that I didn't really know anything.  Sure, I read a lot, and I dabbled in fiction in the past, but even in college creative writing classes, we weren't taught anything concrete.  It was mostly a free-for-all with no foundation filled with cliches such as "show don't tell" and "write what you know."

Back from the RMFW Conference

I'm sure I'll have more to say about this in the coming weeks, but I just wanted to chime in with some quick notes from the 2014 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Conference.

The first thing that immediately stuck out to me was just how friendly everyone was.  I've never met a more inviting, encouraging group of writers in one place like that before.

It was so refreshing to be around so many people that produced nothing but positive vibes all weekend.

Author Interview: Michael Colangelo

10 Questions with Michael Colangelo

How long have you been writing and what got you started? 

I've been a tech writer for about fifteen years, and I've been writing fiction for about ten. Before that it was journalism in college, and before that I read a lot because I was an unfriendly kid. I started actually writing fiction because I needed a creative outlet, and I kept with it because I made a sale about a month in, but I suppose I've always been drawn to writing in some form. The lines just get clearer as you get older.

Five Links Friday 9/5/14

It's Friday again. Here we go...

1. From Eri Nelson's blog, here are 15 Personal Growth Quotes To Unleash The Best You.

2. Dayna Leigh Cheser's blog has a guest post from editor Marvin D. Wilson giving us a quick Point of View Tutorial.

3. Let's Talk About "Clean YA" at YA author Leigh Ann Kopans's blog.