Question for authors and readers - story beginnings

In any fiction writing, and probably any writing period, it's very important to get the reader hooked on the first page, or even the first line.

One of the panels I went to at V-Con this year was called "First Page Idol," where audience members were supposed to bring the first page of their story/novel and the panel would critique it, emphasizing the importance of that first page.

The panelists for this one were Marcie Tentchoff, Phoebe Kitanidis, Brian Hades, Ian Alexander Martin, and Stephanie Johanson, and it was a really interesting panel (though it turned into a "first line" panel because of various factors that I mention in my V-Con report). We eventually did a bit of a contest where we came up with a first line, presented it, and the panel said whether or not they would continue reading a story that began that way.

As an unpublished writer, I have wrestled with this for quite a while. As a reader, I have often wondered whether this was a universal truth or not.

Why do I ask that?

Because in too many books I have been reading lately, authors whose books I truly enjoy seem to be failing at this aspect of writing.

Sometimes I'm reading the beginning of a book and I stop and think to myself whether I would continue reading this if I wasn't already familiar with the author's work. I know, or at least have faith, that the book is going to be good (though I know even the best authors have clunkers) so I forgive the fact that the beginning really isn't that interesting. Media tie-ins also get somewhat of a pass, because their audience is already built in, at least a little bit. That doesn't mean that all Star Trek books (to name one franchise) are good, or even well-written, but it does mean that we're more likely to carry on before giving up on the book.

The book that really sparked my thinking about this, however, is the book I just started today: Betrayal of Trust by J.A. Jance. It's the latest J.P. Beaumont mystery.

Here's the first paragraph:

"I was sitting on the window seat of our penthouse unit in Belltown Terrace when Mel came back from her run. Dripping with sweat, she nodded briefly on her way to the shower and left me in peace with my coffee cup and the online version of the New York Times crossword. Since it was Monday, I finished it within minutes and turned my attention to the spectacular Olympic Mountains view to the west."

Jance then goes on for six whole pages describing Beaumont and Mel's personal living arrangement, their coffee-making, the fact that they have separate bathrooms. She then gets them to the Special Homicide Investigation Team (yes, the running joke is that the group is named S.H.I.T.) and continues for another page or two talking about their working arrangement, before they're finally called into the chief's office and sent down to Olympia (the series takes place in Seattle) to investigate something. We get another couple of pages about Beaumont's drive down there, though at least he also spends some time wondering about the secrecy involved in this particular case.

(Keep in mind that, of course, the quality is a subjective thing, so you may not feel that this is a failure)

If I were a new reader to this series, and if this wasn't a book that I had chosen off of the "To be reviewed" list for Curled Up With a Good Book, I would probably have put this book down. As a regular reader of the series (or at least the last couple of books), it was nice to get a bit of a refresher on who Mel was and that sort of thing. But a new reader? I would have been bored silly. In fact, I was bored silly; I just knew that it would be getting better, because I'm a fan of Jance's. Sure, the book may turn out to be terrible, but I'm willing to give Jance that benefit of the doubt, that it most likely will be at least good, if not great.

There are always new readers to a series, however, or to a particular author if that author doesn't write series. The author should always be trying to attract new readers, I would think.

My question is, then, are "established" authors given more of a pass on this "make the first sentence/paragraph/page grab the reader" requirement of writing? As a reader, are you more willing to give somebody that benefit of the doubt if you are either a fan of their work, or at least you know that the author has numerous other books under his/her belt? What about first-time authors? If you find a first book by an author, are you more likely to give up on it sooner if the beginning of the book/story hasn't grabbed you?

I'd also love to hear from any authors who are reading this post. What are your thoughts on this subject?

As a Jance fan, I really want to give Betrayal of Trust the benefit of the doubt and hope that this isn't a bad sign. I've read quite a few books from established authors and authors I'm a fan of, and many of those books have recovered from a poor beginning.

I'm hoping Jance is the same way. I will, of course, give the book a totally fair review.

This isn't a good way to start, though.

Spreading Blog Traffic - Where to Respond?

With the increase in the number of social media platforms, and with the urge to spread ourselves over as many of them as possible to get our words out to the largest group of people, it sometimes feels like overload. Not an overload of information, but an overload of time and effort, checking the various venues where we hang out to see if somebody has responded to our work. It also has that effect on the reader too, especially if you're following somebody who's on all these different platforms. Where is it best to respond?

Dawn, a friend of mine who often comments on this blog (and vice versa), recently went through a rather frightening experience with an unknown man potentially trying to abduct her, that also has turned into a good lesson in safety for all of us. She posted what happened, as well as what it has taught her, on her blog. She wants to share her insights with the rest of us, and I think it's a very valuable (not to mention gutsy, re-living it in order to write about it, and then share it publicly) post, and I encourage you to go read it when I'm done here (or, if you promise to come back, you can go read it now...but you'd better stick to that promise! I'll be watching.).

It's a powerful post, as well as being filled with great advice and information.

The night it happened, I happened to be on Facebook when she posted it in her status (another cosmic "coincidence", Dawnie?  Since I very rarely see FB status updates?) and was one of the many commenters going back and forth talking about it, advising, or just being there for her.

Since I had already been there on Facebook, the "what happened" part of Dawn's post was already known to me, but the rest of it (the life lessons that can be derived from her experience, following your instincts, etc) was new. So I read the post and greatly enjoyed doing so (Dawn's blog is well-worth following). I wanted to respond, leave a comment.

However, I was reading it on my phone, and responding to Blogger blogs (and blogs in general, I think) can be pretty irritating on the device. I told myself I'd respond later, when I was on my computer.

Then I was browsing the Google+ app on my phone, and saw that she had posted the link there as well. She, like many bloggers, posts the link to the various social media avenues that she inhabits (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and feel free to tell me where else if I'm missing anything). We sometimes, especially on Twitter, have communities that don't overlap with our other communities, and we want to make sure these people see our work as well. I'm the same way.

Since I was already there, I decided to leave a comment on her Google+ entry.

Then it hit me. If I respond there, is there any point in responding on her actual blog? She's already seen my comment. I can't think that my comment on her blog would be any different, though I would like to think, if I did decide to leave one, that I wouldn't copy and paste.

This started me thinking about blogging in general, and how spread out we are, not just as bloggers, but as readers as well. Yes, as mentioned above, our communities in the various social networks can be different, but there is a lot of overlap there. I'm "friends" with Dawn on Facebook, she's in my Google+ circles, we follow each other on Twitter. I subscribe to her blog too (though I haven't looked at my Reader in a while). That's four different places where I can find her stuff, not to mention actually being there on Facebook immediately after it happened.

Where is it appropriate to comment? Should we be consistent, or comment wherever we happen to be when we stumble across a post?

This is mostly a rhetorical question, because the obvious answer is "it's up to you." There is no right answer.

But it does bring to mind how thinly we can be spread sometimes. As a blogger, you have to be keeping an eye on all of these various social networks, or you'll miss a response. Most of us are already doing that, so it's pretty automatic, but it can still feel strange carrying on different conversations in different places. This is especially true if somebody comments in more than one area!

I don't get enough response to be confused, but I can see where higher-traffic bloggers might. I think that if I ever get that kind of traffic, I'd have to wrap my head around it before I became proficient at it.

It's not really a question that I need an answer to. It was just a thought process sparked by what happened this weekend. Something I thought I would explore and see if anybody shares similar thoughts. Even if you're not a blogger, do you find this to be true as a reader? 

Book Review - Infernal Angels by Loren D. Estelman

Sometimes you make sacrifices in a marriage. Say there's somewhere she really wants to go but that you don't really want to? Within reason, you go with her anyway (unless you can convince her to take one of her friends).

Do you have access to free books from a review site, knowing that you have to review them if you pick them? Doesn't matter. If a book comes up on the list from an author that she really likes, you ask for it. Even if it's something that you don't normally like to read.

Ok, I exaggerate, just a little. My wife would be upset if she knew that I asked for something that I didn't think I would enjoy, just so I could get a free book for her. But there have been times where there has been a book that's come up, and I've been interested in trying the series anyway, and so I get it.

Sometimes you get lucky.

That's the long-way round of saying that Loren D. Estelman is one of those authors, and I've now read two of his books. I really enjoyed The Left-Handed Dollar, enough that I knew I would get the next book if it came up on the list.

And so it has.

Infernal Angels is the next Amos Walker book written by Estelman, and while it's not quite as good as the previous book, it's well-worth a read. I love the noir aspects of the novel, even though it's based in the modern days. It's typical gumshoe detective fare, but Estelman's prose and dialogue is what makes it excellent.

My review has posted on Curled Up With a Good Book.

It all starts with a late-night quest for coffee. Walker's out of it and goes to the local Walgreens for some more. A cop friend who's staking out the store gives him a tip on some stolen cable converter boxes, which seems like a quick and easy way for Walker to bring in some money. Little does he know that said boxes will soon involve him with the seedier side of Detroit as well as become a national security issue. It also brings in some old friends. The next time Walker runs out of coffee, he may just go back to bed.

I love Walker as a character, and if I ever catch up on my backlog of books, I'll start plowing through my wife's copies of Estelman's previous books. This is a wonderful series, and Infernal Angels is a great book.

One Hit Wonders of the 2000s (Part 31)

Your eyes do not deceive you. You didn't have too much to drink at last night's party and are waking up to find something so unimaginable that you want to start drinking again. You are not in some parallel universe where somebody finally follows through on something they promised to do almost three months ago.

Ok, that last is true, except that you're not in the Bizarro universe or anything.

(Thanks to io9)

Before I tell you our tale of woe, let me introduce this concept to our new readers, including someone whose name I will not divulge (so she can deny it later, once she's read this, of course). We are counting down the list of the one-hit wonders of the 2000s, song by song, and making hilarious fun of them. For the most part.

(Note: That last sentence applied to both the "hilarious" and the "making fun" part of that statement.)

We here at One-Hit Wonder Inc have been taking an unscheduled hiatus since our previous episode, just when it was time to end the show! There is one episode left in the One-Hit Wonders of the 2000s, but certain things came up that had to be taken care of before we could finish.

(Thanks to Zazzle)

This kept all of us here at the company extremely busy. Especially this guy.

(Thanks to Telemarketing From Home)

Actually, we were basically all out partying while he fixed everything up (idle hands are the devil's stepchildren! Or...something like that). But the ladies in the office occasionally stopped by to make sure he had some downtime.

(Thanks to IGN's High Horse blog)

Sorry, that was when the IRS agents showed up.

They certainly look like happy employees, don't they?

Anyway, we're back, for the final episode of the One-Hit Wonders of the 2000s!

As usual, you can find the list I'm taking these from here.

And you know what? I don't care if you go look ahead, because this is the last episode. In fact, I care about that as much as this guy cares about getting the chicks.

And here we go!

1) The Ting Tings: "That's Not My Name" (#39) (August 8, 2009)



Making videos on the cheap! Lack of sets definitely helps the budget, doesn't it?

Hey lady, did you ever consider maybe wearing a name tag? Or being more clear regarding what your name actually is? I know I hate being called Stacey, or Rachel, or Jenny.

Then again, that might be preferable to my real name, Mr. Mxyzptlk

(Thanks to Sunset over Slawit)

Or you could call me by the name I go by at the clubs.

Mr. Hunk.

(Ladies, don't ever tell me I don't do anything for you)

Still, they went to all the trouble and expense of making this song and video, all because she gets tired of being called the wrong name?

Take an ad out in the paper.

(Thanks to Freakoutville Express)

Ok, now *that* sounds a little extreme.

2) Jessie James: "Wanted" (#40) (August 29, 2009)



She's flirting with the FBI guys! How audacious!

Something tells me they're not following her for the stolen money.

It's just a hunch, though.

That's kind of low, though. Using your feminine wiles to get the gas station attendant to come out and look at your car. Especially because it's already a full-service gas station!

Know what I mean? Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink.

Don't worry, guys. She's into handcuffs.

I actually kind of like this song, and not just for the obvious reasons (where was the music world before videos?). It's one of the few recent pop songs that I can see myself actually not turning off if it came onto the radio.

Other songs, of course, make me want to do this.

Explode with good music, I mean! You didn't think I was going to get icky or anything, did you?

3) Dorrough: "Ice Cream Paint Job" (#27) (September 19, 2009)



We couldn't end the year without at least some rap, could we? That would be like having a burger without the meat!

Wait, that came out wrong. It would actually be like having a burger *with* the meat.

Because it would be heavenly if we had no rap in our final episode.

Still, beggars can't be choosers. You can't always get what you want (but do we REALLY need this?). You take what comes to you. When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.

(Thanks to Adscam/The Horror)

Whoops! I guess I'd better quit while I'm ahead.

4) Breaking Benjamin: "I Will Not Bow" (#40) (September 19, 2009)



(I'll refrain from making an Obama joke here)

It's good to get a little rock and roll in the list, right before it ends! This is a palette cleanser after the last song. Ok, some of you may not think so, but I do.

Other than rent for the empty penthouse suite, and the usual money spent for their equipment, it's nice that they made the video on the cheap.

It lets them put the rest of their money into their clothes and tats!

5) Muse: "Uprising" (#37) (October 3, 2009)


Muse - Uprising (Clip) by WorMee

I didn't realize I knew this song until it started playing. Then, of course, it was obvious!

It's too bad the message of the song is so blatantly wrong, because the song itself (musically, anyway) is truly awesome to listen to. It really gets you into the groove, which I guess is its point.

I don't think we'll ever see any political accordion music.

(Thanks to SFGate)

Unless it's Devo, of course!

I do like one part of the video, though. If you're watching the video, pay attention for this near the end. If you're not, this is it.

(Thanks to MarcoPonce.com)

BOW DOWN TO YOUR TEDDY BEAR OVERLORDS!!!!!!

(and yes, I do realize the point they're making with that imagery. I just don't care)

6) Michael Franti & Spearhead (featuring Cherine Anderson): "Say Hey (I Love You)" (#18) (October 17, 2009)



Now *this* is an awesome song! A perfect blend of very sweet lyrics and catchy music that just gets you dancing in your seat.

(There is no truth to the rumour that this song made me have to buy a new chair)

In fact, I can't really joke about it, except that I hope I never get a barber like the guy at 2:42 in the video. Save your dancing for your own time! I don't want random razor cuts in my hair!

Unless it will get the ladies after me. Then go ahead and dance, brother!!!

7) Ester Dean: "Drop it Low" (#38) (October 31, 2009)



Featuring Chris Brown? Uh oh.

Oh no! Autotune!!!!!! I guess, this being the last episode and everything, we have to revisit every horror that we've experienced over the last 31 episodes.

It just won't die!

Just say to myself. I can do this. I can do this. I will not let it drive me crazy...

(Thanks to FunnyCartoonPictures)

Ok, I lasted less than a minute.

Sorry.

8) Owl City: "Fireflies" (#1) (November 7, 2009)



And we end 31 long weeks (if you don't count the hiatus) with a #1 song!!!! How fitting.

It's such a sweet song, too, though the video starts becoming quite surreal very quickly. That's ok, though. The guy adds a bit or normality to the whole thing.

Until the toys come to life, tie him up, and put him in the closet, that is.

Because you know they want this guy to take over the world.

He's worth more unopened, though that might inhibit his becoming emperor.

And there you have it! Much delayed, but we have finally come to the end of the one-hit wonders of the 2000s. It's been a long, arduous journey.

Yes, I did make the interns carry my suitcases. Hair care products weigh a ton!

Anyway, it's been a journey through horrible music, but some good stuff as well. I hope you've enjoyed these as much as we at One-Hit Wonders Inc have. To you newcomers, I encourage you to go through the archives and see what you've been missing!

I hope you'll still like me after doing that.

What's next for us here at the company? I don't know. We'll be thinking of re-inventing ourselves in some way. After we pay our tax debt to society.

I hope this guy's our cellmate.

But we'll be back one of these days. With something creative! And inspired! And, probably, bad. Though whether that will be the subject or the writing, I'll let you be the judge.

In the meantime, now that this is finally over, it's time for me to engage in my other passion.



I can come knock down your world record domino setup next. I charge good rates!



One Hit Wonders of the 2000s
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17
Part 18
Part 19
Part 20
Part 21
Part 22
Part 23
Part 24
Part 25
Part 26
Part 27
Part 28
Part 29
Part 30
Part 31

Book Review - Among Others by Jo Walton

I have a love/not so much love relationship with Jo Walton's work.  (I wouldn't go so far as to say it's "hate"). Some of her books I've loved, and some I've really disliked, mainly because I thought the political points were too much in the reader's face and the books themselves suffered from it.

With Among Others, though, she's redeemed herself in my eyes. This is nothing more than a love letter to classic science fiction and fantasy novels, but unlike the political books, Walton doesn't skimp on the characterization and plot.

My review is now up on Curled Up With a Good Book.

"Morwenna Phelps (Mori) is a young Welsh girl in the 1970s. She has been sent off to live with her father and his sisters in London after the death of her own twin sister and some mysterious incident with her mother that left her crippled. Her father sends her off to a boarding school because he can't take her in full time. For Mori, magic and faeries are real, but the school is a place where no magic resides. As a coping mechanism throughout her life, Mori has immersed herself in the world of science fiction and fantasy, a recluse who shies away from most social interactions. She risks everything to use her own magic to form a circle of like-minded friends at the school, which unfortunately draws the attention of her mother for a final confrontation that Mori can no longer avoid."

I'm not a big fan of coming of age tales. They can be interesting, but often they just leave me cold. Mori's story, however, really affected me. I don't know if it's because of the SF homages or whether I just liked the story, but I really felt for Mori's isolation. I remember being able to lose myself in my books like she did, and while my familiarity with all of the classic SF books is fleeting, I still understood it enough to immerse myself in Mori's situation.

If you're an SF fan, you will love all the classic talk. If you're not, you can still follow a great story that moves along at its own, sedate pace, but will keep you entranced nonetheless.

Book Review - Shadow Chase by Seressia Glass

(Yes, this is taken from Amazon. How could you tell?)

Fans of the urban fantasy genre have a lot to choose from. Devon Monk is a good one, but there are so many others as well.

One new entry (or relatively new, since this is now her second book and I have just finished reading her third) is Seressia Glass. A former romance author, she has decided to delve into the already packed genre. The second book in the Kira Solomon series is called Shadow Chase, and it doesn't quite live up to the first book. That doesn't mean it's bad, because it's not. It's just that the pacing is off and the climax is really lackluster.

My review of it has now posted on Curled Up With a Good Book.

From the review:

Kira is a Shadowchaser, a woman trained to serve the Light and fight off the forces of Shadow that are trying to take over the world. She has been tainted by it, however, and spilled innocent blood. As part of her atonement, she has been recruited as the Hand of Ma'at, the Egyptian goddess of Truth and Order, to fight for her as well. While in London settling the affairs of her murdered mentor, Bernie, Kira becomes embroiled in other business by the Gilead Order. A fellow Shadowchaser has disappeared, as has the Vessel of Nun—an artifact that will cause immense destruction if it's not returned. Kira and her friends, including an immortal Nubian named Khefar who is the only person who can touch Kira without being affected by her powers, will have to recover it before it's too late.

One thing that really impresses me with Glass' work is that she avoids some of the stereotypes of the genre. Sure, there's a hunky guy and an incredibly sexy and athletic woman who are the main characters. Yeah, there's romance in there. The thing about Glass' work is that she doesn't delve into the sex. It's all "fade to black," which is a refreshing change Not that I mind it in the other books, of course. It's just nice when not all of them are like that.

I have read the third book, Shadow Fall, and it's much better than this one. This one's important in the series, though. It's a very quick read and it's worth it. It's just not as good as it could be.

Check out the review and let me know what you think.

Doctor Horrible Leads into the Guild - My Intro to Webseries

One of the first things I did when I went to V-Con 36 this year was agree to be interviewed for a documentary on web video series and their audience. Web video series used to be niche products, watched by very few people, but they're becoming more and more popular as a way to get around the usual bureaucracy of dealing with television networks. Even big name stars are doing them sometimes. The added attraction for the viewer is that each episode is generally 5-10 minutes long, so there's not a lot of time invested. Yet the story quality can be quite good.

I spent some time talking to the couple behind the "Mind My Brains, Darling" webseries, Mary and Paul Higgins, and Mary interviewed me for the documentary. She asked me if I was familiar with webseries and whether I watched them. I had to answer that while I knew they existed, I never watched them. One of the prominent webseries people, whose name pops up whenever webseries are discussed, is Felicia Day, and Mary asked me if I had ever seen "The Guild."

I was familiar with Day from Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog, but I hadn't heard of The Guild.

Now, it's three weeks later, and I thought back to that meeting, that interview, and that comment. I went looking for The Guild, not realizing that it was a webseries (I'm not sure why that took so long to sink in, considering the setting of where I found out about it). When I discovered that it was on Youtube, I decided to watch the first season and see whether I'd like it or not.

All I can say is, wow. My inner nerd is on fire.

The Guild is about a woman named Cyd (Codex), who is immersed in an online gaming world. So immersed, in fact, that her therapist "fires" her because she won't work on breaking her addiction to the game. She's a member of a guild of six characters who go adventuring in the game world together, and who all know each other through the game but have never met in person. Until Zaboo shows up at Cyd's door, that is. And he's in love.

The series is completely written by Day, and she's gathered a great set of actors to play the other characters in the guild. They have wonderful comic timing, and it's simply a hilarious series. Day is a big-time gamer, and the love for gaming really shows through.

Here's the first episode of the first season, introducing the whole thing.



The first season is great, and there are three more on Youtube, with a fifth that hasn't made it to Youtube yet but is available on Zune and Xbox, as well as The Guild's home page. It's well worth checking out.

In fact, Day is quite prominent in the webseries world, as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Web Television.

She's also makes a hot elf.

Day is starring in a webseries that's based on the Dragon Age 2 game, called "Dragon Age: Redemption," as the Elf assassin Tallis. The first two episodes are out and I've watched them too. Really good stuff.

I will be catching up with the Guild over the next little while, and I know I'll enjoy every minute of it. If you're a gamer, you will love this series, and possibly recognize people that you know.

If you're not a gamer, you will probably still get a laugh. Check out the first couple of episodes.

Hell, it's only seven minutes out of your day to do that. And even if you decide to watch the full season, that's only an hour.

That's one of the great things about webseries.

Consider me a new devotee.