Tag Archives: authors

Apr 26 2015
3 Comments
Ask the Alien

Ask the Alien – 4/26/15 – Iggy, Jennifer, and Daniel Waltz’ “The Water Travelers”

By:  Alien Jones, Intergalactic Columnist, Most Intelligent Being in the Universe

PREVIOUSLY ON ASK THE ALIEN:

AJ’s Relatives, Orcs, and Sci-Fi Gary

Alien artifacts and diseases!

Pixels!

AND NOW ASK THE ALIEN CONTINUES…

Sigil of House Jones

Greetings Earth Losers!  Alien Jones here beaming copious amounts of knowledge through the Bookshelf Battle Compound and straight into all of your computerized devices which, though they may seem highly advanced to you rubes, are actually considered children’s toys in most other parts of space.

Who has a question?  Come forward and declare your inquiry!

BQB:  Hey AJ.  It’s me.  Bookshelf Q. Battler.

AJ:  Oh Cripes.  Not many takers this week?

BQB:  Well, you’re the one who told me to stop bribing the winos.  But seriously, I have a question – what is the best song ever produced?

AJ:  Ahh, that is an excellent question but I could not possibly answer it.  There are so many, where would I begin?  Do I limit the field of inquiry to a particular genre?  To a group of artists?  To a select time period?  To a single planet?  The realm of possibility is so vast that…

BQB:  I’ll save you the “trouble.”  It’s Trouble by Iggy Azalea and Jennifer Hudson.

AJ:  You can’t just say that a song is the best song ever produced, why that’s….

BQB:  Sing it.

AJ:  No I couldn’t possibly…

BQB:  You know you want to.

AJ:  It would be indignified…

BQB:  Do it!

AJ:  I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT YOU WERE BAD NEWS…FROM THE BAD BOY DEMEANOR AND THE TATTOOS….TAKE IT BOOKSHELF….

BQB:  DON’T YOU COME IN THINKIN’ YOU BALLIN….it’s so great isn’t it?

AJ:  It really is.  I stand corrected.  This song is the best song ever composed in the history of the space/time continuum.

BQB:  Makes Beethoven look like a pile of crap.

AJ:  We shall sing it during the commercials on Scandal night!

BQB:  Damn straight.  But first, you have a question…

Daniel Waltz, author of “The Water Travelers” asks:

ALIEN JONES,

Have you ever water traveled?

Oh Daniel, I see what you did there.  You worked the title of your book series into your question.  Good show!  For BQB’s 3.5 readers, I’ll note that your site provides a description of your latest installment, The Curse of Senapin. Here’s an excerpt:

“For the past six months, Aaron and Madi have been waiting to receive word from Yerowslii. But, when the King of Upitar is taken captive by Senapin forces, Aaron and Madi must flee their hiding place to rescue him. Although skeptical of it, they are accompanied by a disloyal ally, Ugine.”

– Daniel Waltz, The Water Travelers

Bookshelf Q. Battler and I can relate.  On our joint missions to make the Earth a more intelligent place, we’re often accompanied by The Yeti and he’s the most disloyal and ugly ally I’ve ever seen.

I was quite impressed with your book trailer:

BQB:  My socks were knocked right the hell off, AJ.  At first I was like, “Twenty one seconds?  That’s too short…”

AJ:  Yes, but “Adventure finds those who are brave enough to take the first step.”  That’s all you need to know.  If I had emotions, I’d be moved.

BQB:  Plus it’s read by someone who sounds like he could be a friggin’ Lord of the Rings wizard or something.  Very awesome.  Makes me want to rush right on over to Amazon and buy a zillion copies…

Now, at first I thought Daniel was just trying to find out if I like to water ski or snorkel or something (which I do) but he’s actually referring to a power discussed in the book that allows travel between another world and Earth through water.

To answer your question, no.  I don’t need to.  I’m a duly designated officer of the Intergalactic Space Force and as such I have a vast array of ships at my disposal, so there’s no reason to get my pants wet.  (When I bother to wear them.  I usually don’t because, you know, I’ve got nothing down there so what’s the point?)

Your book is very prophetic though because certain species have been “water traveling” for years.  In fact, there’s an entire planet where anchovies rule like kings, love like queens, laugh like jesters, and live like jacks.  Then they water travel on over to Earth and end up as a dinner entrée topping.  Don’t you feel bad now for putting them on your pizza?

BQB:  I don’t think anyone put anchovies on their pizza anymore AJ.  I think they just keep one can around for the random weirdo who wants a fishy pizza.

AJ:  Sounds like something The Yeti would be into.

Thank you for your question Daniel.  May your career as an author travel farther than the vast reaches of the cosmos.

Until next week, this is Alien Jones, signing off.

Alien Jones is the Intergalactic Correspondent for the Bookshelf Battle. Do you have a question for the Esteemed Brainy One? Submit it to Bookshelf Q. Battler via a tweet to @bookshelfbattle, leave it in the comment section on this site, or drop it off on the Bookshelf Battle Google + page. If AJ likes your question, he might promote your book, blog, or other project while providing his answer.

Submit your questions by midnight Friday each week for a chance to be featured in his Sunday column. And if you don’t like his response, just let him know and he’ll file it into the recycling bin of his monolithic super computer. No muss, no fuss, no problem.

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Apr 25 2015
2 Comments
Self Publishing

Self Publishing Podcast Interview of Andy Weir – Author of “The Martian”

Let’s face it.

We all say, “oh, I’m just in it for the art!” but deep down, we all secretly hope, dream and fantasize that The_Martian_2014one day our writing will be embraced by the masses, a big pile of money will be dumped on our heads, and our work will be read by everyone and turned into a Hollywood movie!

Well, as it turns out, that happened for Andy Weir, author of The Martian.

Andy was on the Self Publishing Podcast this week with “Johnny, Sean and Dave” aka Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt and David W. Wright.

Keep one thing in mind, aspiring scribes – success in the writing game doesn’t happen overnight.

Andy discussed how he’s been at it for years – that he’s been blogging since the early 2000’s, how he spent a long time seeking a traditional publishing deal with no success, that initially wrote “The Martian” as a serial on his blog, that his followers urged him to turn said serial into an ebook on Amazon and boom, it took off.  Now he’s a highly successful author and a movie based on his book starring Matt Damon is scheduled for release at the end of this year.

The important thing to note?  Yes, some people are very lucky and see those doors to success swing wide open for them early on.  And good for them.  Others, like Andy, had to painstakingly climb that ladder one rung at a time.

After hearing his story, I can’t think of someone more deserving.  He really put his work in and earned his success.

As always, Johnny, Sean and Dave bringing us a great show.  And they didn’t even veer off topic this time!

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Apr 23 2015
3 Comments
Writing

The Summer of Bookshelf

Take a knee 3.5 readers.1371251154-2

It’s time to talk about this summer – “The Summer of Bookshelf.”

For awhile now, I’ve been working on two separate stories:

1)  Bookshelf Q. Battler and The Meaning of Life – Your host, the reclusive Bookshelf Q. Battler, leaves the Bookshelf Battle Compound and heads out into the world on an adventure in search of mankind’s most elusive question:

Why are the Clippers even allowed in the NBA?

Oh wait.  Sorry.  I was looking at the wrong cue card.

What is the meaning of life?

Finally, we’ll learn a bit more about my magical bookshelf and catch a glimpse at some of those fictional characters as they step out of BQB’s books, drive him crazy, and encourage him in his travels.

2)  Top Secret Project – That’s not the name of the story.  I just, for a variety of reasons, don’t want to share the name at the moment.  I’ve had an idea that I’m pretty proud of and I want to shout it from the rooftops but I realize it will be worth the wait to polish it up a bit first.

You folks have been a blast lately.  The hit counter is climbing, the Google Plussers have been particularly helpful, and inspiration continues to strike.

I have a tendency to be one of those people who puts out what he takes in and all I can say is you all deserve a round of applause.

There’s a method to my madness in this post.  I’ve found a rule to be true with me – if I post it on my blog, it happens.  And since I’m tired of dilly dallying and want these stories out there, I’m announcing them.

I hope to get these both started in May, no later than June.

Stick around, 3.5.  It’s going to get all kinds of fabulous up in this joint.

Meanwhile, if you can’t wait, I’ve had a rough draft of the first chapter of BQB and the Meaning of Life up for awhile:  Take a peak and drop me some feedback.

Pencil graphic courtesy of Keistutis on openclipart.org

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Apr 07 2015
1 Comment
Self Publishing

Amazon – Superman or Lex Luthor?

DEBATE QUESTION OF THE DAY:  When it comes to self-publishing, is Amazon Superman or Lex Luthor?

AMAZON IS SUPERMAN:  Once upon a time, if you had a story in your heart and wanted to tell the world, your only choice was to roll the dice, write it, submit it, and there was like a 10% chance maybe you’d find a publisher and a 90% chance that your manuscript would collect dust in your sock drawer.  To increase your odds, you could abandon your home, family, and everyone you know from the place you grew up and move to New York City or LA and try to hobnob with the beautiful people but in reality, the closest you’d get is a form reply from the assistant to the assistant of the book agent’s assistant.

Amazon has changed all that.  You are in control.  You build your platform.  You draw in your readers.  An entire self-publishing industry has been created to help writers like you.  You can find editors to help you polish your work, beta readers to give you feedback on what works and what doesn’t, formatters to put your book together in digital form and artists to create your book cover.

Roll up your sleeves, work hard, upload your book to Amazon, and you now have a foot in the door of the world of publishing.  If your book is as good as you think it is, people will read it, tell others and God willing, you become the next Hugh Howey or Amanda Hocking.

Does KDP Select lead to authors making their works exclusive to Amazon and push them to give their works away for free or on the cheap?  Yes.  But, come on.  We’re struggling no-names.  Readers only have so much expendable income.  If they have ten bucks to spend, will they buy my book or Steven King’s.  King has a proven track record.  You buy a Steven King book and you know you’ll be entertained.  Me?  I still have to earn that reputation.  So, take my work for pennies, world and if you like it, I hope you’ll come back for more and pay for the privilege because a steady flow of book sales income is what I need to justify writing as a full time career.

Thanks Amazon!  Like Superman, you’ve saved us all!

AMAZON IS LEX LUTHOR – Muah ha ha.  Yes.  Gather around my table at Legion of Doom Headquarters where I will now share my evil plans.  You had dreams of becoming a writer, did you?  We got you hooked on our service.  You uploaded your books, built your fan base, pushed them toward our site and thank you.  Your reward?  Pressure to give your books away for free and keep them only with us – we’ll get plenty of clicks on our site, you might get a little bit of pocket change for your trouble.  We’re driving down the cost of books all across the board, and even traditionally published writers are complaining about profit declines.  We don’t really care…we’re getting ours.  Muah ha ha.

DEBATE:  I lean toward the Superman argument but I can understand why some people might go with Lex Luthor.  What say you, self publishers?

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Mar 12 2015
1 Comment
Uncategorized

RIP Terry Pratchett

The Yeti and I have called a brief truce so I can take a moment to remember Sir Terry Pratchett, fantasy author of great renown and a Knight of the British Empire.  A prolific author, he was best known for his Discworld series.

He will be missed.

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Mar 12 2015
5 Comments
Writing

Howard Stern, Podcasting, and If You Want to Do Something, Do It!

Bookshelf Q. Battler here.  Bookshelf Q. Battle Dog brought me the Yeti’s Commodore 64, which will allow me a few minutes to post before the Siberian Yeti wakes up from a power nap.  I will have to hook up said 1980’s computer to a gas generator just to get it to work hard enough to power a wordpress blog post.

I was listening to Howard Stern this morning.  I like him.  You might not, but that’s not really the point here.

I’m afraid I came into the conversation late but basically, Howard said something to the effect that podcasts weren’t going to get an aspiring broadcaster anywhere, and if you really want to broadcast, then you need to do the legwork necessary to get a job in broadcasting.  A comedian with a podcast trashed Howard for not being with it, tech savvy, or however you want to put it.

Howard added the example of how ludicrous it would be for a comedian to only put out a podcast of his comedy from his house rather than try his luck at a comedy club.

Honestly, that seems like sound advice.  I’m not trying to become a broadcaster.  I am attempting to build a platform in the hopes that one day I’ll be able to promote my writing to followers.  Sometimes I feel like I’m putting the cart before the horse.  It’s like I’m trying to get readers before I have a book for them to read.

I would split the difference between Howard and the comedian (whose name I did not catch) and say a) yes if you want to be a broadcaster, there is no substitute for a job in broadcasting and b) but while you are waiting for that big break to come along, I would think a well designed podcast with a lot of work behind it could only strengthen an aspiring broadcaster’s chances of landing that dream gig in radio or TV.

In other words, don’t stop seeking out that big broadcasting job, but while you are waiting for it, take advantage of podcasting to strengthen your skills.  Don’t sit there and think your podcast will one day take you to the bank, so you need not apply to radio stations.  However, while you’re waiting for radio stations to get back to you, don’t sit at home twiddling your thumbs.

Here on wordpress, we’re bloggers.  We all have varying interests, but in the end, it is safe to say that many of us hope our blogs will result in a profitable writing career.  (It is ok to admit that, really!)

Is blogging a substitute for a paid writer gig?  Probably not.  In my case, as a hopeful fiction writer, all I can really do is try to whip up some interest while I wait for my lazy self to push that book out.

But, to apply Howard’s advice to my situation, he’s right.  A blog isn’t a substitute for a book.

What say you, 3.5 readers?  (By the way, I had a laughing fit when Howard said that the comedian in question probably only has 3 listeners.  Sounds like me and my blog.)

Or is it the Yeti’s blog?  Alas, I hear the Yeti stirring, so I best cover up the Commodore 64 and return to watching Olga cook her stews.  What stew will she cook next?

By the way, if you haven’t followed me on twitter yet, please do.  4000 followers will send the Yeti packing.  And don’t forget to submit your questions to Alien Jones.  He fears no Yetis.

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Mar 07 2015
7 Comments
Books, Uncategorized

BOOK REVIEW – LOCK-IN – John Scalzi

Woo hoo!  An honest to God book review on bookshelfbattle.com!  It’s about time!

Threeps are now walking around on my bookshelf. They can hold their own in the never-ending battle.

Threeps are now walking around on my bookshelf. They can hold their own in the never-ending battle.

Without a doubt, John Scalzi’s Lock-In was the best book I read in 2014.  Unfortunately I waited until March of 2015 to review it, but better late than never.

If you’re planning to read it yourself, you might want to click off of this review.  I’ll try my best to avoid them, but some spoilers may emerge.

First off, the premise is unique and original.  In the near future, a virus ravages the world and inflicts one percent of the population with Haden’s Syndrome.  This condition causes people to “lock-in” to their bodies.  Their minds work, they understand what’s happening around them, but they can’t speak or move.  Their minds are trapped in paralyzed bodies.

These individuals come to be known as “Hadens.”  Technology grows and expands to help them.  A virtual community is created allowing them to communicate with one another in a simulated world.  Meanwhile, Hadens also have the ability to control robots known as “threeps” (aptly named as an homage to C-3P0).

Hadens stay at home and send threeps out into the world on their behalf.    The technology is so advanced that Hadens are able to hold down jobs with the assistance of their threeps.

Add to the mix integrators – humans whose minds can be “shared” with a Haden, thus giving the Haden the experience of what it feels like to have a functional human body.

The protagonist is Chris Shane – a Haden FBI agent whose threeps take a beating from the bad guys throughout the novel.  With the help of his partner, Leslie Vann, a former integrator, Shane is tasked with solving a murder case that intersects with the politics and intrigue behind the Haden world.

I am a big Scalzi fan.  I enjoy his ability to blend subtle humor into serious science fiction.  The premise makes for some interesting scenes.  For example, at one point, Shane uses his threep to foil an assassin trying to kill Shane’s defenseless body.

The book also gives rise to a discussion of virtual worlds and technology assisted realities.  Could tech ever grow to the point where the paralyzed are able to experience the world virtually?  What would be the ramifications?

I enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

STATUS:  Shelf worthy.

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Feb 27 2015
2 Comments
Books

Ernest Hemingway – Quote About Writing

“There is nothing to writing.  All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

– Ernest Hemingway

Does it ever feel that way sometimes?

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Feb 24 2015
20 Comments
Writing

The Betrayal of John

Pop quiz, hot shots.

I give you a book.  The title is “The Betrayal of John.”

Don’t think too hard, just give me your instant reaction.

When you read this title, do you:

A)  Think the book is about how John betrayed someone

OR

B)  Think the book is about how John was betrayed

Just a question to help me with a project I have going on at Bookshelf Battle HQ

Thank you, my noble guinea pigs.  Your assistance to the Bookshelf Battle cause is most appreciated.

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Feb 19 2015
3 Comments
Books

What books…

…do you want to see on bookshelfbattle.com?

Let me know so that my 3.5 regular readers might benefit!

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