Journals in the Attic
By Lewis James
I mailed my first draft of Beating Kings and Burning Angels home for safe keeping from the colossal British-Colonial Post Office in Calcutta. Or was it from Varanasi and was the post office in Calcutta really colonial in construction and colossal? In the winter of 1996, or perhaps it was eleven years ago in the summer of 1995, somewhere in India, I completed the novel Beating Kings and Burning Angels.
I’d better go find the journals. I’ve looked in the closet and armoire and under the bed and behind my wife’s three colossal shoe racks and in the garage, but couldn’t find the journals that I wrote during my three years of wandering the globe and writing. Nor could I find the three backpack-worn notebooks containing the penciled-erased-penned-crossed-out first draft of Beating Kings and Burning Angels.
I don’t know why I feel the need to review my journals to explain what prompted me to write a book covering six days in the lives of five fictitious people during the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. If you would have asked me after I had written my first draft of the book, I would have known what inner forces compelled me to spend hundreds of hours with imaginary people. I would not have mentioned the neurotic obsession that came over me upon seeing Pulp Fiction at a movie theater in Sydney Australia, nor the stack of books on American race relations purchased in Singapore while recovering from hepatitis (acquired from a chicken I ate on an adventure with Crazy Johnny on handmade bamboo rafts through Borneo rainforests), nor that in a moment of creative desperation, during a bumpy ride into Kashmir, I used the name of the bus line (Saxena) for the last name of a minor character in the book.
I most certainly would not have mentioned the fantasies that overcame me on that bumpy bus ride into Kashmir -- fantasies of having a dry throat as the eyes of billions watched me accept a Best Oscar award for my screenplay adaptation of Beating Kings and Burning Angels, fantasies of reading glowing reviews of myself in Time Magazine, fantasies of being a famous wealthy somebody based on the literary genius of my first published novel.
Ten years ago I would have known why I wrote what I wrote, would have erupted in a spasm of literary-correct musing, would have waxed existential over the reality of race relations in Los Angeles. Ten years ago, when I was thirty-two and knew, I wasn’t back working in the very business that becoming a famous wealthy novelist was going to save me from, wasn’t watching the Best Picture Oscar go to an ensemble cast exploring race relations in LA.
I am now 42 and can’t find the backpack-worn original Beating Kings and Burning Angles notebooks, can’t find the journals of frantic writing in search of philosophical truth and spiritual meaning, can’t quite grasp why a human would create an alternative world of intricately woven plot lines involving pretend people. Why did I write Beating Kings and Burning Angles? Why did I chronicle the daily events of my traveling life in mundane detail over a three year period of time? Why did I fill notepad after notepad with philosophical speculation, contemplation, and graphs illustrating the union of “Is” with “is” as filtered through personal and collective reality within the “poles of possibility”?
I need the journals to conjure up ghosts hidden within my neurons, to open an ephemeral gateway to the past so that my conscious mind can explain why I wrote what I wrote.
What was the purpose behind penning Beating Kings and Burning Angels? Was it a shout into the void, a wail into the grave that I was here and alive, an attempt to document the angst and concerns of humanity in LA in 1992? Was the driving force non-spiritual and devoid of poetry; more an attempt to prove myself through creating a work that could sell like Pulp Fiction, a neurotic obsession of an under-skilled artist blinding himself to his own mediocrity through the hubris of self-proclaimed creativity? Did a subconscious bourgeois compulsion drive me towards literary accomplishment in order to mask three years of hedonistic globetrotting?
Perhaps the journals are in the attic. I need to know the answer.
Lewis James lives in Monrovia, CA with his wife and three children. His writing reflects his diverse experiences. Lewis has been a dairy worker in Israel, a mortgage broker in Southern California, an Alaskan fisherman, a Beverly Hills nanny, and has even paid his dues as a solar sunscreen salesman. His travels have taken him from the top of Norway to the bottom of Chile and around Australia by van. He has traveled into the remote jungles of Borneo by way of a handmade raft, to monasteries of Tibetan Buddhists and to the bazaars of the Afghanistan Mujahidin.
Interwoven vignettes, in the style of "Crash", explore the racial tensions of Los Angeles in the days just before, during, and following the Rodney King Riots. Beating Kings and Burning Angels follows the lives of five Angelinos, lacing together their personal stories and views on race relations. Unpredictable revelations bring each story to a provocative and compelling resolution. The eBook is currently available at the DPPstore under the PulpBytes Imprint, for $8.95.
The DPPstore (www.dppstore.com), a division of DigitalPulp Publishing (www.digitalpulppublishing.com), offers the best in eBooks from new and lesser-known authors, just as DPPpress (www.dpppress.com) promotes works by self-publishers and independent presses. Our eBooks are downloadable on an assortment of readers. The dppstore – reinventing reading.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Thursday, March 16, 2006
You Are Your Own Best Marketing Rep!
The Borrowers: Not just a book, but a way to market yours!
A reviewer once said about Mary Norton’s children book, The Borrowers (©1952), that it was “a book that begs to be shared.” Well, so does yours. At least you must believe it does -- you wrote it, got it published, and now it’s out there for sale in the big, big world of cyberspace.
The Borrowers in Norton’s book are tiny, little people who comfortably live below the floorboards of the homes of human beings. They live by “borrowing” things – all kinds of things. One of my favorites is they “borrow” postage stamps to use as art work to hang on their walls (I love that: using an object meant for one purpose and creating a totally new use for it).
I am sure that you have heard the saying that there are no new ideas, just old ones in new forms (I am paraphrasing, but that’s the gist of the saying). Just as the characters in Norton’s book “borrowed” objects meant for one purpose and used them for another, we can “borrow” marketing ideas and tweak them to suit our needs.
The truth is, we “borrow” ideas every time we sit down to write. But we add in our own experience, our own perspective, and/or a dash of our own imagination. We “borrow” from styles we like, genres we’re drawn to, subjects we know about or are interested in, and characters we’ve seen, known, or read about. Then we mix all those up to create our very own concoction: the story we own -- our own story.
Thus, it would behoove us to do the same when it comes to marketing our book(s). I know I “borrow” marketing ideas every time I read a book about how to market and self-promote; I “borrow” whenever I see someone else use a specific technique that renders results; I “borrow” whenever someone says, “hey, here’s an idea for you…” And, then, it becomes my idea in the way I utilize it and implement it.
My point being that the only way to get ideas is to “borrow” them…take what you like and leave the rest; take one small idea and blow it up into a bigger idea; take a seed of an idea and grow another idea from it; Take someone’s idea, give it a spin and make it your own. That’s how I write each and every one of the marketing tips that get published in these newsletters and on the blog (and, of course, when warranted, giving full credit where credit is due).
I was reading Dan Poynter’s online newsletter the other day, and I came across a really great article about book marketing and self-promotion. I thought it so worthwhile I went to the author’s website to check out who she was and what other bits of information I could glean. I thought a great deal of the information on her site, and the initial article that prompted me to investigate, was definitely worth sharing with you. So much so, that I thought, “I’m not going to borrow and make this my own. I’m going to just ask if I can publish Ms. Cullins’ piece and use it as part of my marketing tip."
With permission granted, the following article is posted here for your perusal. There’s some real gems in here, so take ‘em and tweak ‘em, and use ‘em to help promote your book! Also be sure to visit Ms. Cullins’ website for more ideas to “borrow”.
Remember, like The Borrowers, your book is just begging to be shared – if it has people who know about it. So off to market you go --
And to borrow, and to borrow, and to borrow…Just channeling my inner Shakespeare! Enjoy the article:
DISAPPOINTED IN BOOK SALES?
By Judy Cullins, 20-year bookcoach, http://www.bookcoaching.com
If other book marketing and promotion campaigns have brought few book sales, left your wallet thinner, wasted your valuable time, and left you with a garage full of unsold masterpieces, you may now be ready to set up your book's virtual marketing machine-the Internet with Free Online Promotion Methods.
Example:
a. Write articles and submit them to thousands each week through other opt-in ezines and top 20 Web sites that either want articles or have their own ezine. You'll find top sites in your field in any search you do with google.com.
b. Exchange Web site links with like-minded entrepreneurs. This win-win approach will bring you willing business people who want to be listed higher on the search engines. Create your longer and shorter version of your link and keep in a computer folder. After you search in your category, submit your link with a note saying you want to exchange with 10 or so other sites.
c. Write a powerful signature file that you send out with every email you write. Check your email service to install this. In 4-7 lines, put your name, title, benefit-driven headline such as "Helps entrepreneurs manifest their book dream," phone number, email and Web addresses. Make the lines no more than 65 characters across.
You can start right now, even if you don't have a Web site.
These "Non-Techie Email Promotion" techniques can jump start your lifetime book promotion journey. Like you would eat an elephant, just one bite at a time! Watch your sales grow!
Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people's lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Judy is author of 11 eBooks including Write your eBook or Other Short Book Fast, Ten Non-Techie Ways to Market Your Book Online, The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Your Targeted Web Traffic, and Power Writing for Web Sites That Sell. She offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, "The BookCoach Says...," "Business Tip of the Month," at www.bookcoaching.com and over 216 free articles.
Email her at Judy@bookcoaching.com or Cullinsbks@aol.com
Phone: 619/466-0622 -- Orders: 866/200-9743
A reviewer once said about Mary Norton’s children book, The Borrowers (©1952), that it was “a book that begs to be shared.” Well, so does yours. At least you must believe it does -- you wrote it, got it published, and now it’s out there for sale in the big, big world of cyberspace.
The Borrowers in Norton’s book are tiny, little people who comfortably live below the floorboards of the homes of human beings. They live by “borrowing” things – all kinds of things. One of my favorites is they “borrow” postage stamps to use as art work to hang on their walls (I love that: using an object meant for one purpose and creating a totally new use for it).
I am sure that you have heard the saying that there are no new ideas, just old ones in new forms (I am paraphrasing, but that’s the gist of the saying). Just as the characters in Norton’s book “borrowed” objects meant for one purpose and used them for another, we can “borrow” marketing ideas and tweak them to suit our needs.
The truth is, we “borrow” ideas every time we sit down to write. But we add in our own experience, our own perspective, and/or a dash of our own imagination. We “borrow” from styles we like, genres we’re drawn to, subjects we know about or are interested in, and characters we’ve seen, known, or read about. Then we mix all those up to create our very own concoction: the story we own -- our own story.
Thus, it would behoove us to do the same when it comes to marketing our book(s). I know I “borrow” marketing ideas every time I read a book about how to market and self-promote; I “borrow” whenever I see someone else use a specific technique that renders results; I “borrow” whenever someone says, “hey, here’s an idea for you…” And, then, it becomes my idea in the way I utilize it and implement it.
My point being that the only way to get ideas is to “borrow” them…take what you like and leave the rest; take one small idea and blow it up into a bigger idea; take a seed of an idea and grow another idea from it; Take someone’s idea, give it a spin and make it your own. That’s how I write each and every one of the marketing tips that get published in these newsletters and on the blog (and, of course, when warranted, giving full credit where credit is due).
I was reading Dan Poynter’s online newsletter the other day, and I came across a really great article about book marketing and self-promotion. I thought it so worthwhile I went to the author’s website to check out who she was and what other bits of information I could glean. I thought a great deal of the information on her site, and the initial article that prompted me to investigate, was definitely worth sharing with you. So much so, that I thought, “I’m not going to borrow and make this my own. I’m going to just ask if I can publish Ms. Cullins’ piece and use it as part of my marketing tip."
With permission granted, the following article is posted here for your perusal. There’s some real gems in here, so take ‘em and tweak ‘em, and use ‘em to help promote your book! Also be sure to visit Ms. Cullins’ website for more ideas to “borrow”.
Remember, like The Borrowers, your book is just begging to be shared – if it has people who know about it. So off to market you go --
And to borrow, and to borrow, and to borrow…Just channeling my inner Shakespeare! Enjoy the article:
DISAPPOINTED IN BOOK SALES?
By Judy Cullins, 20-year bookcoach, http://www.bookcoaching.com
If other book marketing and promotion campaigns have brought few book sales, left your wallet thinner, wasted your valuable time, and left you with a garage full of unsold masterpieces, you may now be ready to set up your book's virtual marketing machine-the Internet with Free Online Promotion Methods.
Example:
a. Write articles and submit them to thousands each week through other opt-in ezines and top 20 Web sites that either want articles or have their own ezine. You'll find top sites in your field in any search you do with google.com.
b. Exchange Web site links with like-minded entrepreneurs. This win-win approach will bring you willing business people who want to be listed higher on the search engines. Create your longer and shorter version of your link and keep in a computer folder. After you search in your category, submit your link with a note saying you want to exchange with 10 or so other sites.
c. Write a powerful signature file that you send out with every email you write. Check your email service to install this. In 4-7 lines, put your name, title, benefit-driven headline such as "Helps entrepreneurs manifest their book dream," phone number, email and Web addresses. Make the lines no more than 65 characters across.
You can start right now, even if you don't have a Web site.
These "Non-Techie Email Promotion" techniques can jump start your lifetime book promotion journey. Like you would eat an elephant, just one bite at a time! Watch your sales grow!
Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people's lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Judy is author of 11 eBooks including Write your eBook or Other Short Book Fast, Ten Non-Techie Ways to Market Your Book Online, The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Your Targeted Web Traffic, and Power Writing for Web Sites That Sell. She offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, "The BookCoach Says...," "Business Tip of the Month," at www.bookcoaching.com and over 216 free articles.
Email her at Judy@bookcoaching.com or Cullinsbks@aol.com
Phone: 619/466-0622 -- Orders: 866/200-9743
Author! Author!
Innerview: Kathy Pratt
What is your ideal writing environment?
I am fortunate enough to have an extra bedroom in my home that I have converted to an office/library. It’s painted sunflower yellow and I have a red overstuffed chair for reading, red print curtains at the windows, and lots of bookshelves filled with my favorite books. My first published article is framed and hanging on the wall, along with other favorite things. I’ve hung bird feeders outside the window over my computer desk and I have a lovely view of plants and trees. It is all very serene and relaxing.
Describe your writing routine…if you have one.
I write on Wednesday, Saturday and sometimes Sunday during the day. These are my usual days off from the job that pays the bills. I usually start writing after 11:00 in the morning. My brain doesn’t wake up until then, so I do all my mundane chores and exercising in the early morning. I also try to write for an hour or so a couple of evenings during the week.
What do you do when you’re not feeling inspired or motivated to write?
I write anyway. I make myself sit down at the computer and start typing. I figure I can always changes and edit later, and if it’s lousy just delete it. Usually it gets me going and I end up being productive. I’ve also found that it helps to start the next few lines after I’ve finished a scene or a chapter. That way I don’t have to think about the direction I’m going in.
What authors inspire you most?
John Steinbeck is the first author that comes to mind. I’ve read everything he wrote, sometimes over and over. I also am inspired by Ernest Hemingway, Wallace Stegner, and Larrry McMurty. Rosamund Pilcher is one of my favorite female authors. I also enjoy reading Elizabeth Berg’s books—especially since she is also a Registered Nurse.
Is there a difference between how you approach writing the non-fiction works you’ve published vs. how you approach your fiction writing?
I write more from an outline when writing non-fiction. I plan the entire work out first, including research, so by the time I start writing things don’t change much. In my fiction, I write from a general story idea and synopsis, but sometimes my characters will take over and take me in a completely different direction. Many times I find them wanting to do things that I’d never imagined they would want to do. That’s probably the biggest difference. Fiction is much more character driven.
What made you decide to publish your book as an eBook?
I hadn’t even thought about publishing an eBook until I met Catherine Hodge at the Palm Springs Writer’s Conference last June. We met at the end of the conference, just as I was leaving. She stopped me and asked what I was working on and then told me about the new publishing venture. Several years ago, Ellora’s Cave came to speak at my Orange County Romance Writer’s meeting, and I checked out their web site when I got home from Palm Springs. I was amazed at how huge they’d grown to be in just a few years. I don’t write erotica, so I wouldn’t submit to them, but it made me think about the changing publishing industry. I decided I’d like to “get in on the ground floor”, so to speak. I think there’s going to be a huge market for eBooks in the future.
Got an inspiring quote you’d like to share?
“CARPE DIEM”
What is your ideal writing environment?
I am fortunate enough to have an extra bedroom in my home that I have converted to an office/library. It’s painted sunflower yellow and I have a red overstuffed chair for reading, red print curtains at the windows, and lots of bookshelves filled with my favorite books. My first published article is framed and hanging on the wall, along with other favorite things. I’ve hung bird feeders outside the window over my computer desk and I have a lovely view of plants and trees. It is all very serene and relaxing.
Describe your writing routine…if you have one.
I write on Wednesday, Saturday and sometimes Sunday during the day. These are my usual days off from the job that pays the bills. I usually start writing after 11:00 in the morning. My brain doesn’t wake up until then, so I do all my mundane chores and exercising in the early morning. I also try to write for an hour or so a couple of evenings during the week.
What do you do when you’re not feeling inspired or motivated to write?
I write anyway. I make myself sit down at the computer and start typing. I figure I can always changes and edit later, and if it’s lousy just delete it. Usually it gets me going and I end up being productive. I’ve also found that it helps to start the next few lines after I’ve finished a scene or a chapter. That way I don’t have to think about the direction I’m going in.
What authors inspire you most?
John Steinbeck is the first author that comes to mind. I’ve read everything he wrote, sometimes over and over. I also am inspired by Ernest Hemingway, Wallace Stegner, and Larrry McMurty. Rosamund Pilcher is one of my favorite female authors. I also enjoy reading Elizabeth Berg’s books—especially since she is also a Registered Nurse.
Is there a difference between how you approach writing the non-fiction works you’ve published vs. how you approach your fiction writing?
I write more from an outline when writing non-fiction. I plan the entire work out first, including research, so by the time I start writing things don’t change much. In my fiction, I write from a general story idea and synopsis, but sometimes my characters will take over and take me in a completely different direction. Many times I find them wanting to do things that I’d never imagined they would want to do. That’s probably the biggest difference. Fiction is much more character driven.
What made you decide to publish your book as an eBook?
I hadn’t even thought about publishing an eBook until I met Catherine Hodge at the Palm Springs Writer’s Conference last June. We met at the end of the conference, just as I was leaving. She stopped me and asked what I was working on and then told me about the new publishing venture. Several years ago, Ellora’s Cave came to speak at my Orange County Romance Writer’s meeting, and I checked out their web site when I got home from Palm Springs. I was amazed at how huge they’d grown to be in just a few years. I don’t write erotica, so I wouldn’t submit to them, but it made me think about the changing publishing industry. I decided I’d like to “get in on the ground floor”, so to speak. I think there’s going to be a huge market for eBooks in the future.
Got an inspiring quote you’d like to share?
“CARPE DIEM”
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Publisher's Prompt
For those of you who'd like a little inspiration or jump start to get your creative juices flowing, here's a writing prompt. Use it however you like...to begin, end, or put in the middle of a poem, short or long story, jingle, haiku or any other kind of piece.
Patrick was a saint.
If you'd care to share your response to the prompt, please post it on this blog. We'd love to read it!
Write on,
Nicky
Patrick was a saint.
If you'd care to share your response to the prompt, please post it on this blog. We'd love to read it!
Write on,
Nicky
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