This is the start of my series on Pixar’s now-famous 22 Rules of Storytelling. I don’t religiously follow all of these like they’re story commandments, but I do happen to agree with many of them. I thought it might be fun to examine why and explain what each means to me. This axiom is so […]
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One month ago I launched my debut novel, The Seventh Sons of Sycamore. Today, the CreateSpace paperback version is now available. Check out the beautiful back cover: It was really fun setting up the interior of the book. I went with the Georgia typeface for the body text and Sakkal for the titles. Here’s what […]
There’s no doubt that vampires have been the kings of the supernatural pop-fiction world almost since Nosferatu graced the silver screen. Frankenstein’s monster, wolfmen, creatures from lagoons that are black- there have been many contenders for your supernatural fancy. Zombies are making a huge resurgence. As a genre they may even be fighting for the […]
Everyone’s heard the saying, “Rules are made to be broken,” yet we all desperately feed on writing tips from numerous blogs. And here I am, a novelist, and I’m writing about writing too. Well, worry not. I’ll be the first to tell you that you can do whatever you want. I mean, use a period […]
After working with my editor and completing my novel, I have a confession to make: I hate em-dashes. Don’t mistake me- I am a fan of the grammatical device a dash provides; I simply dislike their contemporary execution. Em-dashes are supposed to signal an interruption in a sentence but they are way too wide and […]
Three free thrillers today on Freebooksy. You may notice the first book on the list is mine! The folks over there were kind enough to accept a feature for me during IndieReCon. Anyway, today is the official launch of The Seventh Sons of Sycamore, and I’m currently running a KDP Select free promotion, and so […]
I’m so excited to announce the impending release of my new novel, The Seventh Sons of Sycamore. It’s a supernatural crime thriller with a cast of characters that are all trying to out-maneuver each other. Take a look at the beautiful cover by Shardel over at SelfPubBookCovers.com and preview the description blurb below. Maxim Dwyer […]
Ask any group of people what the most important element of a story is and you are guaranteed to incite disagreement. There can be no definitive consensus because the candidates are many: Characters, Setting, Prose, Theming, Voice, you name it. For my part, the answer is all too easy. Plot, plot, plot. All the way. […]
I wasn’t paying attention to the self-publishing scene all that much last year, when the first annual IndieReCon took place. I have no idea what the ‘Re’ stands for- I am assuming it is Indie Reader’s Conference- but it is being promoted as being targeted to indie writers. I’ve worked in the video game industry […]
After much deliberation, this is the genre I’ve settled on for my new novel. I’ll be announcing the book and release date over the coming week but for now I just wanted to take a moment to address customer expectations. Genres are not rigid constraints but they do instantly communicate to readers what should be […]
